A Kickstarter that has caught my attention: The Princess Who Saved Herself. Based on the song by Jonathan Coulton, it became a storybook by Greg Pak, available in digital form as a stretch goal of the Code Monkey Save World Kickstarter. (I just read it, and it's quite cool.) The new Kickstarter is to get this already completed book into print. It met its goal immediately (because JoCo fans are awesomely enthusiastic), but it has a stretch goal, and I'm backing it in order to get a copy for my niece. (And, well, to encourage awesomeness.)
Gratuitous links:
Marketing to Doctors (John Oliver). Long, but entertainingly worth it.
The "Monsters" Among Us. On dealing with the cognitive dissonance caused by accusations against trusted members of the community, and how calling rapists and abusers "monsters" makes us less likely to recognize them. (Thanks, Amanda!)
The Police "Black Site" in Chicago. You know how, in China, people get taken to secret jails to be beaten, and friends and relatives can't find out where they are? It happens in the U.S. too. (Thanks,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cluegirl!)
Batman vs. Darth Vader (Alternate and way more compelling ending.)
If I Didn't Have You by Tim Minchin, with hilarious commentary.
Choose Your Own Adventure (Portland Poety Slam) This was amazing and inspiring.
Yelp manipulates reviews to extort business owners. Last year, a federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit over this, and an appeals court upheld that decision. (I saw Yelp's "secret algorithm" at work recently: I went to post a positive review of a business who had previously won my patronage through honesty at their own cost, and who had dealt well with me once again. Their Yelp page shows a 1.5 star rating with "18 reviews". (Actually twenty: Three were by one person who has never done business with them.) Below all the ratings, in light gray text on a white background, is a link: "51 other reviews that are not currently recommended". Clicking it showed only three more reviews, followed by another light gray link: "Continue reading other reviews that are not currently recommended". Finally, six pages of reviews are available. But even these are strictly ordered by rating, so that the first page is all one-star reviews. Five-star reviews start on page two, and continue all the way through page six. The actual average of all the ratings is (at the moment) 3.25. Clearly, I must never trust Yelp.)
Gratuitous links:
Marketing to Doctors (John Oliver). Long, but entertainingly worth it.
The "Monsters" Among Us. On dealing with the cognitive dissonance caused by accusations against trusted members of the community, and how calling rapists and abusers "monsters" makes us less likely to recognize them. (Thanks, Amanda!)
The Police "Black Site" in Chicago. You know how, in China, people get taken to secret jails to be beaten, and friends and relatives can't find out where they are? It happens in the U.S. too. (Thanks,
cluegirl!)Batman vs. Darth Vader (Alternate and way more compelling ending.)
If I Didn't Have You by Tim Minchin, with hilarious commentary.
Choose Your Own Adventure (Portland Poety Slam) This was amazing and inspiring.
Yelp manipulates reviews to extort business owners. Last year, a federal judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit over this, and an appeals court upheld that decision. (I saw Yelp's "secret algorithm" at work recently: I went to post a positive review of a business who had previously won my patronage through honesty at their own cost, and who had dealt well with me once again. Their Yelp page shows a 1.5 star rating with "18 reviews". (Actually twenty: Three were by one person who has never done business with them.) Below all the ratings, in light gray text on a white background, is a link: "51 other reviews that are not currently recommended". Clicking it showed only three more reviews, followed by another light gray link: "Continue reading other reviews that are not currently recommended". Finally, six pages of reviews are available. But even these are strictly ordered by rating, so that the first page is all one-star reviews. Five-star reviews start on page two, and continue all the way through page six. The actual average of all the ratings is (at the moment) 3.25. Clearly, I must never trust Yelp.)
