Futurology Today

479 readers
3 users here now

This is a sibling community to r/futurology on Reddit, set up and moderated by the same people.

If you would like to make a contribution to our server costs, however small, you can donate here.
Ko-Fi (Donate)

July 2024: We are 40% of the way there. Thank you to @Philosofuel & @threelonmusketeers for contributing.

TAKE CARE NOT TO FORGET YOUR PASSWORD UNTIL YOU ADD A RECOVERY EMAIL TO YOUR ACCOUNT DETAILS.

Uptime

Uptime

OUR RULES

  1. Be respectful to others - this includes no hostility, racism, sexism, bigotry, etc.

  2. Submissions must be future focused.

  3. No memes, reaction gifs or similarly low effort content.

  4. No spamming - this includes polls and surveys. This also includes promoting any content in which you have any kind of financial or non-financial stake.

  5. Bots require moderator permission to operate

  6. Comments must be on topic, contribute to the discussion and be of sufficient length. Comments that dismiss well-established science without compelling evidence are a distraction to discussion of futurology and may be removed.

Do you like the old Reddit interface? You can browse us that way if you like. https://old.futurology.today/

founded 1 year ago
ADMINS
26
 
 

I'm getting a bit sick of large corporations a) demanding excess data as a condition of doing business with me, b) allowing it to be stolen, and c) giving zero fucks about it.

What are some things that us netizens can do to make our displeasure known.

Extra points for funny ideas.

27
 
 

Let's make Windows 10 the last version ever used!

*Sat. 28 Dec. 11h* Stage YELL #KDEEco 's Call To Action against e-waste driven by #Windows10.

https://events.ccc.de/congress/2024/hub/en/event/opt-green-coordinating-a-windows-10-to-linux-upcycling-campaign-across-free-software-communities-worldwide/

*Mon. 30 Dec. 13-15h* B&B habitat join the BoF to organize a global #FreeSoftware campaign to raise awareness of Windows 10's EoL in 2025, the role of software in #eWaste, and how independent, sustainable #FOSS is a solution to keep devices in use & out of the landfill.

https://fahrplan.alpaka.space/jugend-hackt-38c3-2024/talk/ST8NJA/

#38C3 #KDE #OpenSource

@kde

28
 
 
29
 
 
30
 
 

HRC Article:

WASHINGTON — Last night, President Biden signed the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which includes a provision inserted by Speaker Mike Johnson blocking healthcare for the transgender children of military servicemembers. This provision, the first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law enacted since the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, will rip medically necessary care from the transgender children of thousands of military families – families who make incredible sacrifices in defense of the country each and every day. The last anti-LGBTQ+ federal law that explicitly targeted military servicemembers was Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, which went into effect in 1994.

Biden's press release:

No service member should have to decide between their family’s health care access and their call to serve our Nation.

31
 
 

Israeli officials fear the pope's vocal criticisms and symbolic gestures - such as this year’s nativity scene in St Peter’s Square featuring baby Jesus resting on a Palestinian keffiyeh - may influence global public opinion.

Created by Bethlehem artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, the nativity scene prominently features Palestinian materials, including olive wood, a symbol of Palestinian resilience.

During its unveiling, Pope Francis condemned the global arms industry for profiting from human suffering and reiterated his call for an end to all wars, urging the faithful to remember those suffering in the holy land.

The display, praised by many as a message of solidarity and peace, drew backlash from Israel’s supporters, who accused the Vatican of promoting a pro-Palestinian agenda.

32
 
 

alt-text (full)

Screenshot of news:

“Dying boy, 15, gets wish: losing virginity Chicago Sun Times ^ | 12/23/01 | BY BENJAMIN ERRETT Posted on 12/23/2001, 6:26:24 AM by Mopp4

A terminally ill boy had his dying wish granted in Australia this month, but ethicists are still at odds over whether it was the right thing to do. The wish was not for a trip to Disneyland or to meet a famous sports star. Instead, the 15-year-old wanted to lose his virginity before he died of cancer. The boy, who remains anonymous but was called Jack by the Australian media, did not want his parents to know about his request. Because of his many years spent in the hospital, he had no girlfriend or female friends. Jack died last week, but not before having his last wish granted. Without the knowledge of his parents or hospital staff, friends arranged an encounter with a prostitute outside of hospital premises. All precautions were taken, and the organizers made sure the act was fully consensual. The issue has sparked fierce debate over the legal and ethical implications of granting the boy's request. By law, Jack was still a child, and the woman involved could in theory face charges for having sex with a minor. The debate was sparked by the hospital's child psychologist, who wrote a letter to "Life Matters," a radio show in which academics debate ethical and moral dilemmas. The scenario was presented in the abstract, with no details about the boy's identity.

"He had been sick for quite a long period, and his schooling was very disrupted, so he hadn't had many opportunities to acquire and retain friends, and his access to young women was pretty poor," the psychologist said recently in an interview with Australia's Daily Telegraph newspaper. "But he was very interested in young women and was experiencing that surge of testosterone that teenage boys have." Hospital staff initially wanted to pool donations to pay for a prostitute, but the ethical and legal implications prevented them from doing so. The psychologist presented members of the clergy with the dilemma and found no clear answer. "It really polarized them," he said. "About half said, 'What's your problem?' And the other half said [it] demeans women and reduces the sexual act to being just a physical one."

Dr. Stephen Leeder, dean of medicine at the University of Sydney and a "Life Matters" panelist, said the issue was a difficult one. "I pointed out that public hospitals operated under the expectation that they would abide by state law," he said. "While various things doubtless are done that are at the edge of that, it's important the public has confidence that the law will be followed." Jack's psychologist, who works with children in palliative care, said the desire was driven in part by a need for basic human contact. "In a child dying over a long period of time, there is often a condition we call 'skin hunger,'" he said. The terminally ill child yearns for non-clinical contact because "mostly when people touch them, it's to do something unpleasant, something that might hurt." Leeder called the diagnosis "improbable." Judy Lumby, the show's other panelist and the executive director of the New South Wales College of Nursing, argued that the details as presented made it abundantly clear the boy's wish ought to be granted. "I said that I would try my darndest as a nurse to do whatever I could to make sure his wish came true," she said. "I just think we are so archaic in the way we treat people in institutions. Certainly, if any of my three daughters were dying, I'd do whatever I could, and I'm sure that you would, too." National Post”

Source

33
 
 
34
 
 
35
36
 
 

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/16386891

Israeli officials fear the pope's vocal criticisms and symbolic gestures - such as this year’s nativity scene in St Peter’s Square featuring baby Jesus resting on a Palestinian keffiyeh - may influence global public opinion.

Created by Bethlehem artists Johny Andonia and Faten Nastas Mitwasi, the nativity scene prominently features Palestinian materials, including olive wood, a symbol of Palestinian resilience.

During its unveiling, Pope Francis condemned the global arms industry for profiting from human suffering and reiterated his call for an end to all wars, urging the faithful to remember those suffering in the holy land.

The display, praised by many as a message of solidarity and peace, drew backlash from Israel’s supporters, who accused the Vatican of promoting a pro-Palestinian agenda.

37
 
 
38
 
 

‼️ "Notes of Private Jong." Part 2: "Using Live Bait"

In the notebook of a North Korean special forces operative neutralized in the Kursk region, he detailed a method for luring Ukrainian drones using live bait.

Before his encounter with Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) operators, Private Gyeong Hong Jong outlined tactics for downing UAVs and evading Ukrainian artillery in his notebook.

It is unclear whether this strategy originates from authentic North Korean military doctrine or was taught to them by Russians. However, the tactic relies on using live bait.

Here is the full transcription of another entry from the captured notebook, secured in the Kursk region by SOF operators. The entry is accompanied by illustrations drawn by the North Korean SOF soldier:

"How to neutralize a drone."

Upon spotting a drone, form a trio (3 people). The person baiting the drone maintains a distance of 7 meters, while the shooters position themselves 10-12 meters away.

If the bait person remains stationary, the drone will also stop its movement. At this moment, the shooter should eliminate the drone.

"How to avoid artillery fire."

If caught in an artillery strike zone, designate a regrouping point for the team, then scatter into small groups and exit the strike zone.

Another method: since artillery rarely hits the same location twice, hide in a previously targeted spot before moving out of the strike zone.


The Ukrainian SOF continues to eliminate North Korean special forces operatives in Russia's Kursk region.

While we continue to decode the captured notes of Private Jong, you can read the first part of his notebook here. Stay tuned for more.

https://t.me/ukr_sof/1326

39
 
 

If you needed yet another reason to quit smoking, here it is.

40
41
42
43
44
 
 

(Disclaimer: So first I wanted to emphasize and acknowledge that this can be a sensitive and emotional topic. This question is solely because I'm curious and am trying to understand. I know that a lot of people online can have a short temper but this is not a bait, I just genuinely wanna understand. I hope I will find a few more intellectual people here who won't get offended. And please apologize if my English is not perfect, English is not my native language and I'm just 21.)

So as a German I'm very close and familiar with the horrible actions that humanity committed in the past. I'd say compared to America who enslaved people based on their skin color Germany was way worse by mass executing and enslaving people based on their ethnicity/religion.

But there is one big difference that I don't understand: Here in Germany we are extensively educated about what happened in the 3rd Reich. It's a big part about our education to learn and understand what horrible things happened and why they happened to make sure this never happens again. This kinda lead to the point where many Germans are deeply ashamed just for being a German (even though they're quite far detached from what happened) and this is also a reason why you won't find many German flags hanging here.

So I'm not much aware about Americas education on their slavery but I experienced extensive racism and misunderstanding from Americans about race to the point where many (of course not all but many) Americans make a big deal out of race as if it defines their core personality and seem to overly obsess to the point where it seems people get different opportunities and are still to this day getting treated unfairly based on their skin. Even though every educated person knows that skin color is not changing someone's personality since we're biologically all the same race called homo sapiens sapiens and what people call "race" is not scientifically accurate but rather a social construct. This seems to go further where people still use racial slurs that have been used for slaves (like the so called n-word) and people overly focusing on skin color like saying they don't wanna be friends with white/black people or don't wanna date them. And it almost seems like it's getting worse in a way and was somewhat better maybe around the 80's.

As a German this feels very weird and wrong to many of us (I talked to many Germans about this who feel similar including Germans who lived in America for a while). Because the equivalence would be if we still continued to make a big thing out of whether someone is a Jude or not which we don't. Whether someone is a Jew or how black or white someone is, really isn't a thing at all here. Of course I'm totally aware that there are still many racist people and even neo Nazis in Germany (but also in the US and every part of the world) but the general way of thinking about "race" in everyday life seems to be very different.

Because to me this stereotype that people solely have low cognitive abilities based on their skin color is very outdated. We all have different skin, there are no lines, humans are colorful and not "black or white". I wonder if there have been strong efforts of American politics and society to get rid of these stereotypes and gain equality for everyone. Because I wonder what the reasons are why this seems like not being the case (at least to the extent it should be) and it seems unnecessarily divisive. Since to me educating about these stereotypes and not putting people into boxes is the key for getting rid of it when there is a mass willingness of people wanting to see each as people and not just as a color and finally put this behind. Might there maybe be industrial or political interests in keeping this divisiveness?

Like I said I'm very open minded and am trying to understand. Please have understandment for my perspective and try to be thoughtful in your answer.

In the end of the day I would just wish for whole humanity that we could put those toxic and destructive actions to the past and start embrace loving everyone for who they are as an individual.

45
 
 
46
 
 
47
 
 

48
 
 

Summary

A body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines Boeing 787-10 upon its arrival in Maui from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Dec. 24.

The deceased person’s identity and how they accessed the wheel well, which is only reachable from outside the plane, remain unknown.

The aircraft had previously flown from Sao Paulo to Chicago before continuing to Maui.

United Airlines and Maui Police are investigating the incident. No further details have been released as the story develops.

49
50
 
 

Summary

Trump vowed to direct the DOJ to “vigorously” pursue the death penalty for violent offenders after Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates.

Biden’s decision, aimed at halting federal executions, drew mixed reactions: victims’ families expressed both support and anger, while death penalty opponents urged Biden to extend clemency further.

Trump criticized the commutations as undermining justice and pledged a return to “Law and Order” during his presidency, reigniting debate over capital punishment.

view more: ‹ prev next ›