Parler… A website I struggle to figure out. π€·π»ββοΈ
Parler… A website I struggle to figure out. π€·π»ββοΈ
Lately it’s become a trendy thing to say your going to the alternative social media website, Parler because people are getting fed up with the constant disclaimers and censorship of major social media services like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. It is obnoxious that every time you mention or see a post about the election or COVID-19 your splashed with a disclaimer pointing to a platform curated collection of news articles. Maybe it’s a good idea to confront disinformation but it seems like these social media platforms have gone too far.
So the alternative people point to is Parler. But when I created my account I was disappointed on how much of a political echo chamber it is, full of weird conspiracy theories and far right news feeds. Yeah, I kind of like Larry the Cable Guy and John Rich’s feeds there but it lacks all of the groups and diversity that Facebook has.
I’ve been warned that Parler is kind of a far right echo chamber. But I was hoping it would have an interesting mix of off-gridders, farmers, homesteaders, hunters, sportsman and back to the earth type folks and not be dominated by politicos. I get that folks who live off the land like their guns and aren’t afraid of a little blood, manure or smoke and are conservative in persuasion but I didn’t go there for the politics or the love of Donald Trump, a man who I find quite awful.
I am not sure if the issue with the lack of users or the lack of search function but it’s really hard to find non political, communities of interest on Parler. There just aren’t the groups or pages I like, it’s more individual users than content feeds. No YouTube feeds, no cute pictures of cattle, deer or wildlife. Really not much of interest. Maybe the site will improve but right now it really lacks much of interest unless you’re interested in werid right wing conspiracy theories.
Opinion | When Can I Get a Coronavirus Vaccine in America? – The New York Times
Based on your risk profile, we believe you’re in line behind 268.7 million people across the United States.
When it comes to New York, we think you’re behind 16.0 million others who are at higher risk in your state.
And in Albany County, you’re behind 260,400 others.
So I guess I can feel confident that I will be vaccinated after the first 100 million in Americans, which I will feel a lot more confident that I'm getting a more refined vaccine that will be tweaked and more painless than the initial recepients - and I'll be able to read the news and information about the pros and cons.
Practical Engineering – Why Engineers Invent Floods
Dark Age Ahead
I read this Jane Jacobs book a few years back. I am starting to think she is right about the decay and rot that is creeping into contemporary society.
The following is a summary of Jacobs’ description of the decay in each area.
Community and Family
People are increasingly choosing consumerism over family welfare, that is: consumption over fertility; debt over family budget discipline; fiscal advantage to oneself at the expense of community welfare.Higher Education
Universities are more interested in credentials than providing high quality education.Bad Science
Elevation of economics as the main “science” to consider in making major political decisions.Bad Government
Governments are more interested in deep-pocket interest groups than the welfare of the population.Bad Culture
A culture that prevents people from understanding the deterioration of fundamental physical resources on which the entire community depends.
But then again, if was sitting in the same seat in fifty years ago, the decay probably would have looked even worse — things weren’t exactly looking up when you looked out in the window of the world in 1969 with the Vietnam War underway, crime and inflation creeping in, and the wheels just about ready to come off the economy as the world plunged into the 1970s.
And she makes a still very valid point when it comes to ideology:
Overall, Jacobs argued that the very concept of “ideology” is fundamentally flawed and detrimental to both individuals and societies, no matter what side of the political spectrum an ideology comes from. By relying on ideals, she claimed people become unable to think and evaluate problems and solutions by themselves, but simply fall back on their beliefs for “pre-fabricated answers” to any problem they encounter.