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Thank HN: You helped the FreeBSD Foundation raise over $43K in three days
Astute readers of our blog know that The FreeBSD Foundation's annual year-end fundraising drive began last week. Every year over 50% ...
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Society, Policy & Culture
The most popular blog posts about society, policy & culture on Hacker News. 13,065 posts.
7412
Members of Congress Demand Answers for the Unjust Domain Name Seizures
This morning, a bipartisan group of Representatives, led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), sent a pointed letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano protesting the recent spat of domain name seizures—executed on dubious copyright grounds—that have...
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Allowing mass surveillance at Olympics undermines EU efforts to regulate AI
Responding to the French National Assembly’s decision to permit the use of mass video surveillance technology powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the 2024 Olympics, Mher Hakobyan, Amnesty International’s Advocacy Advisor on AI Regulation, said: “France’s decision to allow the use of mass surveillance…
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The distinction between free speech as a legal right and cultural value
In the neverending debate surrounding Twitter under Elon Musk, the distinction between free speech as a legal right and cultural value can get confused.
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Sanders calls for minimum salary of $60000 for public school teachers
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) shined a spotlight on the teacher shortage at the “Respecting Our Teachers: A Town Hall on the Teacher Pay Crisis in America,” held on Capitol Hill Feb. 13. With speakers including AFT President Randi Weingarten, National Education Association President Rebecca Pringle, Sen. Ed Markey…
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Power imbalances and sex
I saw a gif of a woman talking about how women make less than men in the film industry, ending with ‘the only industry where women make more than men is porn!’ Her point was about the o…
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The case for national paid maternity leave
Stanford psychiatrist Amy Alexander and colleagues report that women, children and society receive numerous benefits from 12 weeks of paid maternity leave.
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What planes can you fly without a pilot’s license?
Which airplanes can you fly without a pilot's license? See the full list of Part 103 ultralight aircraft, prices, and rules. Pilot Institute.
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Wildfire smoke is exposing millions of Americans to extreme pollution levels
Stanford researchers have developed an AI model for predicting dangerous particle pollution to help track the American West’s rapidly worsening wildfire smoke. The detailed results show millions of Americans are routinely exposed to pollution at levels rarely seen just a decade ago.
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Facts don’t change our minds (2018)
Why don't facts change our minds? This article explains the logic of false beliefs and proposes a better system for constructive conversation.
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What is Social Status?
Understanding dominance, prestige, and power
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One does not simply destroy a nuclear weapon
It's the isotopes...
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The harmful impact of Audible-exclusive audiobooks
Amazon's creeping monopoly on the audiobook industry through Audible pushes bookshops and libraries out of audiobook distribution.
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Fetish tabooness vs. popularity
~250 fetishes, graphed for your pleasure
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Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air (Revised, Community Edition)
A community edition of David MacKay's book — the original text, opened up so it can be updated.
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“Nothing you can do impresses me”
Because of the urgent need for new blood / ideas in the tech world, our lack of ability to reward new developers is a particularly profound example of shooting oneself in the foot.
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How My School and District Failed its Students
How My School and District Failed its Students The following is by Frank Beard, a graduate of Drake University and a former Teach For Amer...
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I Got the Fed to Release Its 2011 "Treasury Default" Playbook
Subscribe Readers may recall that I wrote a Politico Op Ed at a critical moment in the debt ceiling showdown. That piece, was entitled “Biden Can Steamroll Republicans on the Debt Ceiling”, and I aimed squarely at debunking the idea that the Federal Reserve would step on any “unilateral actions”
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Paul Graham on Conversations with Tyler
Plus, his bizarre strategy for getting over a fear of flying.
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Tyler Cowen is a curator of talent
Tyler Cowen is an economist that has spotted top talent in fields ranging from biotech to literature, often years before insiders. How does he do it?
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WhatsApp and the Domestication of Users
WhatsApp's rise and recent PR efforts highlight a class of business models that I call "user domestication".