href weekly | Nov 5 -Nov 11

Bits

The latest IRL @mozilla season is fantastic and focuses on issues around https://irlpodcast.org/season7/episode3/

“If these specialized models were owned and managed collectively – by subject centres, for example, or professional bodies on behalf of their members – they could be integrated into professional development in genuinely helpful ways. Teachers would not only take ideas away but would have every incentive to share their own practice, just as the community has done for years.” https://helenbeetham.substack.com/p/ai-and-the-privatisation-of-everything

analyze how well you are protected against online tracking by checking the privacy protections you have in place. The test simulates loading of various types of trackers, and determines your level of protection based on if the trackers load or not. via @eff https://coveryourtracks.eff.org/

Privacy Badger is causing a storm in the cloud. It’s meaner than ever. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/10/privacy-badger-learns-block-ever-more-trackers

Sound & Music

“When you realise that the dumbest person in the argument is on your side, that means you’re on the wrong side.” https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/15/the-evolution-of-steve-albini-if-the-dumbest-person-is-on-your-side-youre-on-the-wrong-side

Film & Video

Donald Shebib passed away this week – the director for this classic .. Goin’ Down The Road (1970)

Politics & Economics

As costs are increasingly downloaded onto students, the amount owed to the Canada Student Loans Program has reached over $19 billion and is increasing by nearly $1 million per day. https://www.cfs-fcee.ca/campaigns/fight-the-fees

“Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency.” https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2023/10/24/Astra-Taylor-We-Need-Each-Other/

“I think we need to educate people, particularly young people, on the difference between a systemic analysis of power and an unfounded conspiracy.” https://thetyee.ca/Culture/2023/10/16/Naomi-Klein-Interview/