[nonostantement #290] - cyberpunk / persepolis / ai porn marketplace
NOW with MORE #thedarkside links!
Welcome to nonostantement: a weekly newsletter with sparkling, valid, and characteristic stuff found all over the Internet.
Hi, I am Joele, writing to you from Barcelona - Spain. In this email I put all the most interesting stuff I find online while working on the internet. Yes, it’s that simple. And it’s free!
Two tracks to listen to while scrolling through these links: Knowsum - Sunset Soup and Esbe - Tribute To Music
#PEOPLE
What Happened to Wirecutter?
Longtime fans have turned on the product-recommendation website. An evolving internet may be to blame.The key to depression, obesity, alcoholism – and more? Why the vagus nerve is so exciting to scientists
Stimulating the vagus nerve is being hyped as the simplest way to reduce stress, dampen anxiety – and could even curb obesity. But what exactly is it? And how does tickling your ear help?Cyberpunk in the Nineties
"Anything that can be done to a rat can be done to a human being. And we can do most anything to rats. This is a hard thing to think about, but it's the truth. It won't go away because we cover our eyes."Climate change: Mapping in 3D where the earth will become uninhabitable
Lethal heat or flooded coastlines: Find out where populations are projected to be hit hardest with our interactive 3D visualisation.
#TECH
Ford files patent to disable car functions for missed payments
Ford Motor Co. has filed for a patent on technology that could make life very difficult for debtors as loan delinquencies increase.Tornado Cash devs charged with laundering more than $1 billion
Two developers of the Tornado Cash cryptocurrency mixer have been charged with three counts in an indictment unsealed today. One has been arrested. The other is at large.Artificial Intelligence and Aesthetic Judgment
"Generative AIs produce creative outputs in the style of human expression. We argue that encounters with the outputs of modern generative AI models are mediated by the same kinds of aesthetic judgments that organize our interactions with artwork."The EU’s Digital Services Act is now in effect: here’s what that means
The European Union’s Digital Services Act goes into effect for the world’s largest online platforms on August 25th, 2023. Google, Meta, and Amazon are now on the hook to comply with new moderation and advertising rules.Leaked Wipeout source code leads to near-total rewrite and remaster
"Either let it be, or shut this thing down and get a real remaster going."AI bots are better than humans at solving CAPTCHA puzzles
The bots’ accuracy is up to 15% higher than that of humans
#SOCIALMEDIA
Two brands suspend advertising on X after their ads appeared next to pro-Nazi content
At least two brands have said they will suspend advertising on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after their ads and those of other companies were run on an account promoting fascism. The issue came less than a week after X CEO Linda Yaccarino publicly affirmed the company’s commitment to brand safety for advertisers.Thousands of scientists are cutting back on Twitter, seeding angst and uncertainty
A Nature survey reveals scientists’ reasons for leaving the social-media platform now known as X, and what they are doing to build and maintain a sense of community.
#ART
Books: Marjane Satrapi's 'Persepolis' turns 20
Marjane Satrapi's memoir has a history of garnering controversy — it's been on the ALA's list of most challenged books and continues to be the subject of debate about inclusion in school curriculums.
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#THEDARKSIDE
The Secret Weapon Hackers Can Use to Dox Nearly Anyone in America for $15
Violent criminals who rob, assault, and shoot targets have found a way to tap into data from the credit bureaus.Inside the AI Porn Marketplace Where Everything and Everyone Is for Sale
Generative AI tools have empowered amateurs and entrepreneurs to build mind-boggling amounts of non-consensual porn.Most of My Instagram Ads Are for Drugs, Stolen Credit Cards, Hacked Accounts, Counterfeit Money, and Weapons
The ads are a window into a blatantly illegal underground economy that Meta is not only failing to moderate, but is actively profiting from and injecting into users’ feeds.Skull Games: Evangelicals Use Surveillance Against Sex Workers
Special Operations vet Jeff Tiegs runs Skull Games, where evangelical Christians use internet surveillance to locate and bust sex workers.Helicopter Footage From Mass Arrest Reveals State Trooper Surveillance Capabilities, Tactics, and Communications
High-tech surveillance video and audio comms from a MN State Patrol helicopter, reveals planning and tactics behind the largest mass arrest in recent Minnesota history.
That's it for now.
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