Social Networks

Book review of If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future Topics Google | Facebook | big tech In late December 1960, Harper’s Magazine hit the newsstands with a story by a freelancer named Thomas Morgan: John F Kennedy’s razor-thin victory over Richard Nixon the previous month had been orchestrated by a top-secret computer called the “People Machine.” This mysterious device, which had been invented by an equally mysterious company called the Simulmatics Corporation, had, according to Harper’s, concluded that taking a firm stand on civil rights and confronting anti-Catholic bigotry directly, both of which Kennedy did, would help the young senator from Massachusetts win the presidency. In a period of rising anxiety about both communist brainwashing and automation, this was big news. The story of a “robot campaign strategist” analysing voter rolls and public opinion polls was picked up by media across the country. For a brief period, the scandal threatened to delegitimise Kennedy’s presidency before it had even begun. But the story, it turned out, was little more than a hacky publicity stunt by a company propagandist: Within a few months, Morgan, who’d edited the very Simulmatics reports he’d described in his magazine story, had been given an ownership stake in the company to go along with his title of “information manager.” Therein lies the paradox at the heart of If Then,Jill Lepore’s fascinating but flawed new book about the company she says “invented the future”: Her attempt to use Simulmatics as a parable for and precursor to “the data-mad and near-totalitarian 21st century” is hamstrung by the fact that it failed at almost everything it tried to do — oftentimes spectacularly so. Simulmatics, which opened up shop in 1959 and ceased operations in 1970, was the brainchild of a backslapping, glad-handing, résumé-faking huckster named Ed Greenfield. And what a shop...

Twin brothers Fred and Tim Williams have had quite a successful years in terms of internet fame. The brothers have made headlines for their “First Time Hearing” YouTube videos, which go viral now and again for the brothers reacting to songs for the first time. Earlier this week, Tim Williams posted a video on YouTube in which he thanked fans for support as he ventured to buy his first car, according to FaithWire. He thanked God and his faith for helping him find success. “I thank God for the opportunity I have to get this car,” Williams said. “It’s only God willing I’m able to even get this car. I appreciate the fan-love support, but God always first for everything. I’ve been praying for this forever, like for real. It’s just a dream come true, man.” More about the twin stars: The Williams brothers grew up listening to artists like Twista and Lil Wayne. But they agreed to listen to new songs and record videos in which they react, according to the Deseret News. “We wanted to start a new trend to appreciate old music,” he said, according to People magazine. “We’re open to all genres. We also want to bring people together because there’s no color to music.” The twins created a studio in their home. Since then, they’ve gone viral for listening to multiple projects, including Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart” and Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.” Read More

Shreveport, LA (71104) Today Sun and clouds mixed. High 88F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.. Tonight Clear this evening. Increasing clouds with thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 64F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Updated: September 27, 2020 @ 3:03 pm Read More

ST. GEORGE — Shortly before the homecoming football game at Desert Hills High School began, a white GMC Sierra truck with an extended cab and the “JCap” logo on it rolled up and parked just outside of the school’s football field. The truck used for JCap’s Legacy Limo Service, which offers free rides to and from school and events for disabled children and teens within Washington County, St. George, Utah, Sept. 18, 2020 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News The truck had originally been meant for Jared “JCap” Caplin, a YouTube gaming influencer who made it a goal to entertain and inspire others through his videos. Jared Caplin was a regular at large gaming events – most notably those related to the Call of Duty franchise – since 2016. Sadly, he unexpectedly died at the age of 22 on Jan. 15, 2020, two days before the truck with his logo on the sides arrived at his family’s home in St. George. Alan Caplin, Jared’s father, stepped out of the GMC and pressed a button on a key fob that caused the entire passenger side of the extended cab to rise up like a hatchback door. A moment later, a platform that had been built to carry Jared Caplin’s motorized wheelchair slowly swung out of the cab and lowered to the ground. Jared Caplin had muscular dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair at an early age. Despite this, he became an esports athlete and social media influencer who hoped to inspire others to chase their dreams no matter their limitations. “I just want to make people happy – no matter what,” was a goal of Jared Caplin’s that his father now seeks to continue through the nonprofit, JCap’s Foundation for Disabilities. That’s where the JCap truck comes in....

Singer Deepak Thakur who sang the song Robinhood Bihar Ke.   Key Highlights Thakur took down the music video from YouTube saying he was being subjected to negative media trial The video portrayed Pandey has a fearsome cop and was dubbed by many as a promotional campaign material ahead of his political plunge Pandey, the former top, joined JD(U) on Sunday New Delhi: Claiming that he was under “immense pressure” from various groups and apologising for the song he made, Deepak Thakur, the singer who launched a music video on former DGP of Bihar Mr Gupteshwar Pandey, took down his song from video hosting website YouTube on Sunday.  The content and visual elements of the music album had created ripples across the nation with Pandey being portrayed as the Robin Hood of Bihar. The video was shot when Pandey was still occupying the post of the director-general of police in Bihar. “There’s immense pressure on me and my family. A lot of negative things are being said and talked about ever since I launched the video. My parents are flooded with phone calls. I am being hounded too,” Thakur, an ex-Bigg Boss contestant, told Times Now.  He, in the video released on Facebook, also apologised for making the song and said his intention behind the video was just to pay tributes to Pandey who has been a father figure to him over the years. “My intention was not to hurt anyone, I just made the video as a tribute to him (Pandey). I apologise if it has hurt the sentiments of people anywhere,” Thakur said. The video shot in Bihar portrayed the police officer as a fearsome cop who doesn’t think twice about cracking down on criminals. The video became the talk of the town especially after the news of...

I sat down with Emma Chamberlain for a cup of coffee (over Zoom, of course) to chat about rekindling friendships, staying out of YouTube drama, and ... Read More

Watch the clip above for instructions. For more recipes visit Spatchcock Funk's YouTube Page. Matt Read will appear on NBC 3 Sunday mornings at 7 ... Read More

Now hip hop fans, stateside will get a first-hand look at how Grime grew from the streets of South London, to the world stage in a YouTube Original ... Read More

The brand crossed 50,000 subscribers on YouTube, a major achievement as it continues to grow and find favour with audiences locally and abroad. Read More

Are you a recent college graduate who can’t find a job because you majored in gender studies? If so, you should consider an exciting and rewarding career as a Facebook fact-checker!Fact-checking doesn’t require a great deal of knowledge or education, much less critical thinking skills. That’s why it’s perfect for many of today’s college graduates.In fact, there’s only one real job requirement: You must have spent the last five years in a “Progressive” bubble, where literally everyone you know believes things like a man can have a uterus, climate change will destroy the earth in 12 years, and Hillary Clinton was, like, the smartest person ever.Like I said, it’s ideal for recent grads.As a Facebook fact-checker, you will utilize time-tested and totally valid propaganda skills in the pursuit of relative truth, social justice, and the un-American way.Like strawman building, which is helpful when someone says something on Facebook that makes you feel icky but you can’t actually disprove. As a fact-checker, you can simply accuse them of saying something obviously false that they never said.For example, what if an unwoke Facebook user — and, sadly, there are many — posts a link to a CDC report that shows only 6 percent of reported COVID deaths were people who died of COVID alone, while the other 94 percent had an average of 2.6 co-morbidities. Local Newsletter Get daily Gwinnett County and state news headlines delivered to your inbox every day. Please enter a valid email address. All you have to do to thwart this blatant attempt to spread disinformation by citing scientific data is to tag the post as “Partly False,” with a note explaining that the CDC did not say only 6 percent of reported COVID deaths actually died due to COVID.Of course they didn’t say that! And neither did...