mastodon 4.6.8> Emeritus media/communication professor (with many scholarly citations)
> State/Nat. non-profit organization leadership experience
> Political observer (no party affiliation)
> Science fiction fan
> Amateur radio
> Star Trek Podcaster
> South Dakota resident
> Joined Mastodon Nov 18, 2022 (different server)
> Will not reply to DMs unless I know you IRL
The contraction of children’s independent activity since the 1960s has made them markedly less resilient.
Over several decades, children’s freedom to play and explore without adult intervention declined, while rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among young people steadily climbed.
A federal judge rules that there was no legal mechanism giving Kari Lake the power to scale back the Voice of America.
It is good that we have "activist judges" who are activist in enforcing the law and the constitution.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/03/07/kari-lake-unlawful-voice-of-america-ruling/
Nearly 58% of people worldwide value environmental protection over economic growth when the two goals are at odds.
Political discourse often focuses on economic growth, but study participants often favored ecological and social well-being.
The Firefly news is in: An animated reboot set between the TV series and the movie. All original cast to return (except, of course, for the late Ron Glass).
They pretty much have what they need to make this happen, except a streaming platform (i.e., money), which is the current push.
#Firefly #KeepFlyin #BigDamnHeroes
https://deadline.com/2026/03/nathan-fillion-firefly-animated-series-development-1236754122/
Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster are suing OpenAI.
They claim ChatGPT produces "near-verbatim" copies of Britannica's encyclopedia entries, dictionary definitions and other content, and falsely attributes halucinations to them.
You will be paying more and more for what today is "free" AI.
It's a standard playbook. give the product away for free, then charge a little. then charge more.
Heck, HULU used to be free.
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/12/ai-models-costs-ipo-pricing
Watching streaming feeds leading up to the Artemis II launch and (that are bloated with promotional hype) and thinking
"Walter Cronkite, where are you when we need you?"
After hemorraging users, OpenAI says it is changing its Pentagon contract to explicitly bar use for domestic mass surveillance or being deployed by defense department intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA).
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/03/openai-pentagon-ceo-sam-altman-chatgpt
A federal judge blocks 3rd-country deportations without due process. There was a previous stay, which SCOTUS bollixed, but this is a final order (subject to appeal, of course).
Federal judge rules for the 2nd time...
Withholding public health funding from states with sanctuary cities had nothing to do with public health, so...
The Federal rules about termination of public health funding were violated.
The Feds using AI to justify the cuts didn't help them, the judge said.
Just tell me she's not coming home to South Dakota to run for office again here.
This is good, although ICE somehow gets funding from sources not controlled by Congress.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/27/politics/senate-agreement-dhs-funding?cid=ios_app
This is a huge loss.
Throughout its lifetime, the CBS Radio Network was the most authoritative news source on radio, including the longest hourly newscasts.
The stories don't address the decision economics, but news certainly requires a large infrastructure of people around the world.
https://apnews.com/article/cbs-radio-news-bari-weiss-11372c28f9557d0b10e329e6c4be339f
Seen the other day in Yankton, SD. What could it possibly be?
(This photo is cropped a bit, but exactly as my phone camera recorded it.)
You may have heard that the Justice Department has asked to dismiss its appeal of a court ruling siding with lawfirms that were perceived enemies of Trump.
But, bizzarely, now DoJ has asked to withdraw their motion to dismiss. Maybe somebody saw the news stories about the dismissal.
"The revival is part of a national trend toward old-school testing methods like in-class pen-and-paper exams and oral tests to prevent AI use for assignments on laptops."
https://apnews.com/article/typewriter-ai-cheating-chatgpt-cornell-ce10e1ca0f10c96f79b7d988bb56448b
For planning your Saturday activities, please note that
There'll be some grumbling about this ruling, but I think it is consistent with other media.
You don't sue the phone company because outlaws make phone calls. You don't sue newspapers that print classified ads that turn out to be scams.
More and more traditional cable TV companies are getting out of cable TV.
(Note that this article is from a pro-cord cutting site, but still has some worthy information.)
You know the old saying:
March - comes in like a lamb,
Peaks lion-like at mid-month,
Then reverts to go out like a lamb.
Today's nice news:
My article (with a 2nd and 3rd author) "Optimizing AI Integration: A Framework for Evaluating AI Use in Language Education" has been approved for publication in an International Journal of Digital Learning Technology special issue.
It's kind of hard to find out what the Artemis II capsule is like inside, but this tour of a simulator does a pretty good job. For example, the seats where the astronauts ride for takeoff and landing fold out of the way to open up a lot of space.
The US engages in what Trump calls "major combat operations" in Iran. Live updates from BBC.
