Austin Huang @austin@ieji.de

@stragu Similarly, Tiktok: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/tiktok-class-action-settlement-lawsuit-how-to-submit-a-claim/3405371/

Physical senses are essential for physical communication (and, following up from my last toot, getting IRL friends). AR/VR technologies have great potential to enhance our senses (and, in this case, actually improving mental health), so it is crucial to let R&D - not business interests - to lead those fields.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/26/opinion/touch-starvation-metaverse-virtual-worlds.html

And, of course, meet up with your friends and give them a nice hug/pat (get consent first though)!

The problem is not that we're too self-protective, but rather that friendships nowadays have become disposable, more and more dependent (even pre-covid) on fragile screens. Not to mention some who want to squeeze out one big benefit (like reference letters) from "friends"...

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/25/opinion/self-sufficiency-generosity.html

...but at the end of the day, there is only myself to blame for my lack of *real* friends. Hope I can regain some of those - who care about each other IRL, not on screens - after the pandemic.

In a world where cash is king, it is natural to get a university degree only for economical benefits (as I've written prior). Many folks thus ignore the essence of education: The development of a mindset that expands itself.

Furthermore, in CS specifically, I think there is an alarming backward trend with the centralization of software, thus limiting our ability to discover more and express ourselves. The future of CS is concerning: How will it grow to serve us better?

https://computinged.wordpress.com/2021/11/26/computer-science-was-always-supposed-to-be-taught-to-everyone-but-not-about-getting-a-job-a-historical-perspective/

First, today's #justice requires a great deal of publicity that is either denied or unaffordable to ordinary people. Second, harmfully-outdated laws deserve to be repealed, yet it is even more costly for someone to fight unjust laws. No matter which side you're on regarding recent events, the truth is: justice - even just *some* - is still unreachable for many. Instead of fixating specific trials for entertainment, look at the big picture...

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/24/opinion/arbery-verdict-rittenhouse.html

We often feel surveiled, but we rarely realize that we surveil others. Have you ever dug deep into someone's timeline to find evidence of "wrongdoing" to be denounced?

Data brokers sell certainty to customers. They do not tolerate the change in data.

We want certainty in judging others. We do not tolerate the change in people.

Sure, even collectively, our individual #surveillance is less bad than the companies. But does that make it acceptable?

Remember the human. As much as we prefer science over intuition, not everything can be explained with absolute reason. Sometimes, there is a middle ground. For others, living with it is the only way.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/21/opinion/astroworld-rust-surfside-conspiracies-catastrophes.html

I get the point. However, the flawed execution (comparing different levels of the two sides: extreme conspiracy theories vs. moderate scientific reasoning; also covid as example) immediately sparked the us vs. them in the comments... Since when are people so intolerant?

Anyway, the people can talk - after all, they have little direct influence to the society - but the decision-makers must do work. Instead of creating more inclusiveness by action, *arbitrary* rules are created (on top of *valid* commonly-accepted standards) to patrol speech...

Just like how oil companies blame ordinary citizens for "carbon footprint": Keep 'em mad and you're off the hook.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/opinion/diversity-equity-inclusion.html

Also, communication is key to any collective action. Gotta work on that...

There is no better place than a university for freely exchanging ideas. Instead of building walls and constantly attacking others by their every move, we must break our echo chambers and actively engage in healthy debates, so to improve and defend our ideas - together - against malicious outside forces (that are always hunting for tools to manipulate others).

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/18/opinion/woke-students-scapegoats.html

Speak up! There are no better chances to do so before we step into the society facing rigid-minded abusers...

A #monopoly doesn't just reduce a #consumer's options and cost them more, it also reduces a #worker's options and gives them less. We've been focusing on the former for too long, and it is long overdue to care about those who supply the consumers. I hope this trend spreads further into breaking existing monopolies that enslave many with poverty wages...

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/opinion/antitrust-penguin-biden.html

I think a lot of texts we write tend to serve what (we assume) the readers want, so we prepare more to avoid "mistakes." Instead of writing down an argument, speaking (not reading) it is much more challenging, as it requires the person to formulate speech quickly and without interruption. In a fast world, it is unrealistic to spend too much time on arguments, thus to shorten our thinking time without compromising quality, such skill is essential.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/opinion/writing-spoken-argument.html