Friday, April 19, 2019

The high horses on keyboards

I'm old enough to remember when a lot of people lost them minds when a dude solicited donations through gofundme for a potato salad recipe.

Now it's shifted to people policing where people give their charity to. Most recently the renovation of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris after it sustained heavy damage in a fire this week.

"But the Catholic Church is bad."

"The church no longer owns the cathedral"

"But the Catholic Church is bad"

"It's a living, breathing work of art and museum."

"But the Catholic Church is bad."

"It's a touchstone of Paris, a cultural and cartographic icon of France."

"But the Catholic Church is bad."

While we're still able, people have the right to donate their money where they wish, whether it be to victims of rape, church renovation or saving a barrier reef. It's the judgement, the sanctimony, that is grosser than the transgressions which lead to the solicitation of funds.

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Your algorithms and metrics are driving me away

There is a real cocksuredness about social media that bothers me. Discussion has all but disappeared, replaced by people who simply post and say 'prove me wrong' or 'fight me' or 'don't @ me'

It bores me to tears. So I mute, unfollow, snooze or simply remove said person out of my life. The frustration grows when facebook only shows me about a half dozen posts at a time. That's not engagement, it's shackling and I do not know how much more I can take.

Despite the pleas of users, the activity becomes worse, the tedium increases and the fun is in the rear view mirror. There's no replacement in sight, other than completely disappearing.

I've already self-cancelled myself out of the local poetry scene here, the only major thing keeping me on Zuckerberg's folly are the deathpools.

Think I need to retire, get a dog, and hope he or she is not bothered by my guitar playing.