Here and There #34
TikTok, recycling robotic devices, automobile surveillance, Panera Bread, a discovery of a huge reserve of helium, Christian nationalism (again), warm weather, Republicans and higher ed in Indiana etc
Tiktok. I don’t have an account; I’ve not cared much about the app, since I don’t think I have the time for it and don’t know that it holds much of interest to me. Noah Smith provides a pretty good explanation of why the U.S. probably should force the Chinese company that owns TikTok to sell it. And also why DJT doesn’t want it banned or sold.
Robots. Now there’s a “robot” (just think of it as a machine that has some good programming; don’t think humanoid creature) that is assisting in sorting recyclables, including one right here (somewhere; the article doesn’t say where) in Indiana. This seems to be a truly good use of technology, even if it is downstream of actions that we can take to reduce the amount of waste we produce.
And we have another “big brother is watching” story,1 in this case, the automotive insurance division of corporate eyes on you. Some version of this has been around for a while. But the failure to disclose what the auto makers and insurers are doing seems awfully sleazy. Some auto-makers are worse than others. (Gift link.)
What has happened to Panera Bread? It used to make its own sourdough bread at every location, and now it’s owned by “private equity” and has fallen a long, long way—so says this article as it describes the current Panera as one example of “late capitalism.”
The weather is warming. One result is that you can now plant some bushes, trees, and other vegetation that you couldn’t plant even just 10 years ago; and some plants that once thrived in your area may no longer work well. The Washington Post has a helpful, interactive graphic and discussion, that helps explain the implications, all the way down to your zip code.
The element helium has been increasingly in short supply; the U.S. used to have a corner on the world market, but the reserves have slowly been used up. And apart from the fact that it’s used in celebratory balloons, it’s a critical scientific element. Here’s the story on a new discovery of a large quantity in Minnesota’s low-grade iron ore range.
I keep coming back to Kristin Du Mez’s substack; and perhaps most of you who read this already subscribe. If you don’t, you should (if you live in the U.S., especially). In any case, Du Mez’s latest on the increasing political strength of the Christian right and the plans it has for the future is disturbing and contains a clarion call to alertness and action.
And just in, in higher education right here in Indiana: Gov. Holcomb has signed into law a Republican-sponsored bill (our legislature has a super-majority of Republicans) that requires all public universities in the state to evaluate all new faculty hires and review of retention of existing faculty (even those holding tenure) on the basis of whether they introduce enough diverse perspectives in their teaching. Here’s a summary.2
You may have heard that, along with the ongoing war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, some Israelis in the West Bank have increased their attacks against Palestinian Israelis—Arabs who are citizens of Israel and live in the “Occupied Territories.” In this article, a reporter talks to a number of Palestinians and Israelis and shows how land is essentially being stolen from Palestinians through violence or the threat of violence.
Yes, I know that “big brother” is a reference to government surveillance.
I’ve seen some online jokes about whether the business school will now be required to provide exposure to Marxist economics as a reasonable alternative to capitalism; and so on. In theory, that’s true, I suppose. But it’s clear that the weight of the law and its enforcement will essentially stifle higher education in Indiana, unless it’s purely “performative politics” on the part of the Republicans. It’s a bit like what is now happening among Black athletes: there’s a general recommendation to avoid going to school in Florida, due to the anti-diversity stance imposed on Florida universities by the Florida legislature and the governor.