Would you join a Lemmy server hosted by your govt that requires an ID to post comments or content? (lurkers no ID required)
https://sh.itjust.works/post/47196998
Would you join a Lemmy server hosted by your govt that requires an ID to post comments or content? (lurkers no ID required) - sh.itjust.works
I believe we need dedicated spaces for political discussion that are not based
on algorithms optimized for engagement (aka outrage). Lemmy has the advantage
that the algorithms ordering content are pretty easy to understand and are not
driven by the profit incentives that require maximizing user engagement over all
else. In my opinion, Lemmy lacks two things to facilitate being this public
square today. The first is a way to limit bots or bad actors from participating
in discussions. To my knowledge the bot problem has not been solved on this
platform. (Please correct me if I’m wrong). The second is that some of the
people who need to participate in these discussions aren’t on Lemmy. I believe
both of these issues could be fixed by governments hosting their own instances
and requiring identification from that country to participate on the platform.
An ‘official’ place for representatives and constituents to converse should
resolve second issue. I think just a few key people actively participating in
discussions would be enough to start this transituon. The ID will make many
people nervous, and we should be wary of ways in which governments could abuse
this power. I don’t know of a better way to reduce bot influence on public
discussions though. This next bit is American specific (sorry). Having the
government host the instance would make it subject to the first amendment, so it
should be difficult to silence views through moderation if the constitution
still means anything. Even though SCOTUS seems to ignore it, I believe it’s in
our best interest to act as if the constitution still works the way we want it
to. To act otherwise is to concede its power.
Why don't communist movements focus on creating and nurturing employee owned businesses?
https://sh.itjust.works/post/38172935
Why don't communist movements focus on creating and nurturing employee owned businesses? - sh.itjust.works
The overarching goal of communism is for laborers to own the means of production
instead of an owning/capitalist class. Employee owned businesses are the
realization of communism within a capitalist society. It seems to me that most
communist organizations in capitalist societies focus on reform through
government policies. I have not heard of them making this change using the
capitalist structure. Working to create many employee owned businesses would be
a tangible way to achieve this on a small but growing scale. So my main
questions are: 1) Are organizations focusing on this and I just don’t know about
it? 2) If not, what obstacles are there that would hinder this approach to
increasing the share labor collective ownership?
How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories?
https://sh.itjust.works/post/36736297
How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories? - sh.itjust.works
How did we get so casual about conspiracy theories? I was talking with someone
today about nutrition. This person has a PhD in material science. They mentioned
eating beef daily and I asked about the cholesterol implications. The answer was
about a vague ‘they’ wanted us to think that, but it wasn’t true anymore. I hear
the vague ‘they’ so frequently now it’s just a normal conversation. In truth, as
soon as I hear the vague they I dismiss the speaker’s credibility on the
subject, but how did we get here? Vague they wanted us to think X is a valid
counter argument by the most highly educated people in our society? This sounds
like more of a rant than a question, but I do truly want to know how this
happened? Was it pop culture like the X Files that made conspiracy theories main
stream? Was it social media? When will the vague they stop being an accepted
explanation? Has it always been this way and I didn’t notice? Thanks, love you!
Is energy just a manmade concept? - sh.itjust.works
Energy in physics feels analogous to money in economics. Is a manmade medium of
exchange used for convenience. It is the exchange medium between measureable
physical states/things. Is energy is real in the same way money is? An
incredibly useful accounting trick that is used so frequently it feels
fundamental, but really it’s just a mathmatical convenience? Small aside: From
this perspective ‘conservatipn of energy’ is a redundant statement. Of course
energy must be conserved or else the equations are wrong. The definition of
energy is it’s conservation.
We like music because our brains crave pattern recognition.
https://sh.itjust.works/post/30415511
We like music because our brains crave pattern recognition. - sh.itjust.works
Music is just layered simple patterns and our brains LOVE IT. Sound is pressure
waves, musical notes are a specific pattern of pressure waves. Melodies are
repeated musical notes. Songs are repeated melodies following standard
structure. Our brains love trying to decode and parse all these overlapping
patterns. Maybe not really a shower thought and more wild speculation.
Link a better instrumental song than Disco Ulysses.
https://sh.itjust.works/post/30414887
Link a better instrumental song than Disco Ulysses. - sh.itjust.works
This is a hard ask. I’m honestly not sure it’s possible.
What do you create? - sh.itjust.works
I just decided to start asking this instead of ‘what do you do?’ when meeting
people. Figured I’d try it out on you folks.
Are there opposing institutions to things like the Heritage Foundation? Are there liberal policy think-tanks?
https://sh.itjust.works/post/27784452
Biden uses feisty State of the Union to contrast with Trump, sell voters on a second term - sh.itjust.works
That was one of the more interesting SOTU addresses I’ve seen. Personally, I
think he said most of the things that needed to be said, and he said them
reasonably well. I’m sure he’s going to get some flack for attacking Trump
directly (though not by name), but I was frankly glad to see it. Doing otherwise
makes it seem like it’s just your typical election/political disagreements, but
we’re past that now.
Moving Outdoor Plants Indoors for the Winter
https://sh.itjust.works/post/7810113
Moving Outdoor Plants Indoors for the Winter - sh.itjust.works
What preparations do you take when moving outdoor plants indoors for the winter?
I’m mostly worried about bringing bugs inside. What techniques do you use to
ensure you don’t get infested over the winter?
Would you support your country joining an 'open invite' Free Trade Agreement with the only stipulation being the implementation of a Carbon Tax?
https://sh.itjust.works/post/5374086
Would you support your country joining an 'open invite' Free Trade Agreement with the only stipulation being the implementation of a Carbon Tax? - sh.itjust.works
The way I see it, the major barrier to countries implementing carbon taxes is
the fear their economic competitors won’t do the same, therefore hindering their
economic growth needlessly. A valid concern. Why don’t some nations build an
‘opt in’ style Free Trade Agreement that allows any country to join as long as
they prove they have implemented and enforced a carbon tax. Those countries then
have high financial incentives to only trade within the ‘carbon tax block’ and
any country outside is at a serious trade disadvantage. I’ve (quickly) looked
and have not found anything like this proposed (which is frankly crazy). Would
you support your country jumping into this FTA? What are the unforeseen
downsides or objections to a plan like this?
