Tag: labor

Curious Tales of Mysterious Scottish Water Spirits

When people think of Scotland and strange things in the water, they are likely going to envision the famous Loch Ness Monster of Loch Ness. This is the common image of strange aquatic anomalies in the country, and it has been a mainstay of the world of the paranormal for a very long time. Yet,… Read more » Source: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/04/curious-tales-of-mysterious-scottish-water-spirits/…

The false choice between helping Notre Dame and helping poor people

Source: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/20/18507964/notre-dame-cathedral-fire-charity-donations…

AI is Helping Old Video Games Look Like New

Classic video games are getting a makeover. But it’s not big-name game developers making the improvements: it’s independent modders. From a report: The technique being used is known as “AI upscaling.” In essence, you feed an algorithm a low-resolution image, and, based on training data it’s seen, it spits out a version that looks the same but has more pixels in…

Nike Releases Flat Earther’s UFO and Illuminati-Themed Shoes on 4/20

You know we as a society have hit peak conspiracy theory and UFO saturation when these elements of our cultural consciousness and folklore start popping up in unexpected and high-profile places: mass media, professional sports leagues, and even the halls of the U.S. government. UFOs, the paranormal, and all things conspiracy-related may be hot right… Read more » Source: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/04/nike-releases-flat-earthers-ufo-and-illuminati-themed-shoes-on-4-20/…

A closer look at Washington’s superb new 100% clean electricity bill

The bill contains groundbreaking changes to the way the state’s utilities do business. The trend of states targeting 100 percent clean electricity has gone viral. Last month, New Mexico targeted 100 percent clean by 2045. The Maryland legislature recently passed a bill targeting 50 percent renewable by 2030 and looking into the viability of 100… Continue reading A closer look at Washington’s superb new 100% clean electricity bill

A new study finds the opioid epidemic has led to tens of billions in lost tax revenue

It’s already the deadliest drug overdose crisis in US history. But it’s also affecting the economy and budgets. The opioid epidemic cost the federal government $26 billion in lost tax revenue between 2000 and 2016, and state governments $11.8 billion, according to a new study published in Medical Care. The study combines previous research and… Continue reading A new study finds the opioid epidemic has led to tens of billions in lost tax revenue

Modern Monetary Theory, explained

A very detailed walkthrough of the big new left economic idea. Modern Monetary Theory is having a moment. The theory, in brief, argues that countries that issue their own currencies can never “run out of money” the way people or businesses can. But what was once an obscure “heterodox” branch of economics has now become… Continue reading Modern Monetary Theory, explained

Why Notre Dame matters, in one Victor Hugo passage

What Victor Hugo wrote to save Notre Dame when it was on the brink of destruction. Notre Dame is on fire, and its spire has fallen. As of Monday afternoon, we don’t know for sure how the fire began or how extensive the damage is, but the world has responded to the news with an… Continue reading Why Notre Dame matters, in one Victor Hugo passage

Chinese Workers Are Trying to Bake Fair Labor Practices Into Software

Chinese workers are attempting to use an open source licensing agreement to code fair working conditions into software used by corporations. The plan is part of a protest movement primarily hosted on GitHub, a website software developers used to collaborate and track projects. At more than 1760,000 stars—a way to bookmark GitHub repositories—and growing, the… Continue reading Chinese Workers Are Trying to Bake Fair Labor Practices Into Software