making connections

by reading, traveling, and talking to everyone I can

[uclamikefranks]

7 years ago I bookmarked this to watch later. I just watched it now, and it's amazing. Especially with the insight into a small town in Wales and why they voted for Brexit. And I didn't know the UK had a limit on election spending. We could use that.

If this was a movie, it would be a horror film.

[uclamikefranks]

An Inconvenient Truth About AI

Twenty years ago, climate denial was a problem of the right. Today, AI denial is a problem of the left. And the consequences could be even m

Fascinating article, and an excellent followup to a book I just finished by Karen Hao - Empire of the Mind.

[uclamikefranks]

“I’ll Believe That Corporations Are People When Texas Executes One”

I just read this in a book by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer.

And now I see this challenge to Citizens United. https://jacobin.com/2026/04/citizens-united-electoral-corruption-case

[uclamikefranks]

Underrated ways to change the world

How to get a good heart unstuck

What a wonderful idea. This is a short but inspiring read. Now let's add to the list.

[uclamikefranks]

The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls

On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.

Read this. It's important. And it's true.

[uclamikefranks]

Farewell to a South African hero, Professor Renfrew Christie

Born in 1949 in Johannesburg, Renfrew Christie grew up in boarding houses and the less salubrious parts of town as his mother struggled to m

Did you know South Africa's apartheid government was secretly building nuclear bombs? This fellow's story is amazing. And I love the part where the judge in his treason trial read out his instructions for how best to destroy them, and then a few laters, they were carried out.

[uclamikefranks]

From harassment to healing

UC Irvine researcher Constance Steinkuehler finds toxicity in gaming in one setting and hope in another

Very cool project in a prison, which is an alarming counterpoint to what online gaming companies do.

[uclamikefranks]

The most obvious case for universal healthcare

I've been a lifelong fan of universal healthcare, albeit in a distant, envious way as I've never gotten to truly experience it myself. There

I'm already in favor of universal health care as something the U.S. desperately needs, but here's a different argument for it.

[uclamikefranks]

The Power of a Dictionary

Accessing a good education can be difficult for people in prison. Dictionaries can help change that. Read more here.

Checking something I heard today about Malcolm X reading a dictionary in prison, I came across this.

[uclamikefranks]

Which states contribute the most and least to federal revenue? | USAFacts

In 2023, New Yorkers paid about $89 billion more to the federal government than they received.

This will probably change drastically this year as the federal government gets downsized, but it's an interesting baseline.

[uclamikefranks]

Track the progress on Project 2025

Here's the future of the U.S., whether we want it or not. And here are links to Project 2025 itself, and Wikipedia's explanation.

Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise"

[uclamikefranks]

This beautiful performance takes place at the end of a hospital bed

A South Australian theatre group has devised a new show, The Lensical, that provides young long-term patients with a thrilling bedside spect

Wonderful idea, I hope it spreads.

[uclamikefranks]

20 Helpful Verification Tools for Journalists | Beyond Bylines

As we near April Fool’s Day and its potential wave of misleading content, we're rounding up a few verification tools that journalists should

Unfortunately we all need to start verifying the news we read.

[uclamikefranks]

What If We Made Advertising Illegal?

What if we banned all advertising? Not regulate it—abolish it. This proposal would transform manipulation machines, and maybe save democracy

Now this is something worth thinking about. Though most of the free Internet would disappear.

[uclamikefranks]

Bestselling novelist Tom Robbins dies at 92

Robbins dazzled readers with the whimsy and imagination in his books, including Jitterbug Perfume, Skinny Legs and All and Even Cowgirls Get

I read all, or almost all, of his books and am sad to hear he died. I remember when his name came up at dinner and someone told my Mom that she probably wouldn't like his books. Of course she read one immediately and really loved his use of language.

[uclamikefranks]

Her job is to remove homeless people from SF's parks. Her methods are extraordinary

Instead of forcing people out of Golden Gate Park, ranger Amanda Barrows helps them find housing.

[uclamikefranks]

The Navy's Tradition of the New Year's Day Deck Log

Well, this is the watch on that special night,When the OD writes poetry by gangway lightTis the 1st of January, 1968 And I've the watch that

This is quite an interesting custom of the U.S. Navy that I had never heard about. And apparently nowadays, of course there is a contest. See https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/06/14/a-big-bz-to-the-winner-of-the-navys-new-years-deck-log-poem-contest/