February 21, 2017
Walt Whitman’s Life and Adventures of Jack Engle, an early, unpublished novel that’s been “lost” for 165 years, is available online and in book form. / ir.uiowa.edu, uipress.uiowa.edu
An interesting Q&A with photographer John Feely, who traveled through Mongolia in 2014 and came back with “The Outsider.” / It’s Nice That, johnfeely.net
“When I joined Uber, the organization I was part of was over 25% women. By the time I was trying to transfer to another eng organization, this number had dropped down to less than 6%.... Things were beginning to get even more comically absurd with each passing day.” Susan Fowler reflects back on a very strange year as an Uber engineer. / Susan J. Fowler
The FCC will have to vote, but with the board’s two top Democrats gone, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that net neutrality’s days are numbered. / The Washington Post
“Eliminating regulations essentially means ISPs can continue charging consumers for access to the internet while simultaneously charging institutions for prioritized access to those customers. This means any organization without deep enough pockets to pay an ISP’s ransom will load much slower than those with ties to ISPs.” Killing net neutrality would vastly strengthen the relationship between where you get your data and what you can surf. / TechCrunch
“In any way limiting the Lifeline program, at this moment in time, exacerbates the digital divide. It doesn’t address it in any positive way.” Trump’s new FCC chief immediately blocked some companies from participating in a program providing broadband to low-income families. / Washington Post
Your smartphone can actually pick up FM radio. Most US phones don’t have the chip turned on, but in Mexico 80 percent of smartphone users can get FM radio, which public-safety wonks love because it’s a reliable way to reach populations in an emergency. / NPR
The NAACP, National Urban League, and others sent a letter to the FCC supporting the end of net neutrality. / The Intercept
“The future of the internet that net neutrality seeks to avoid is Apple’s walled garden on a larger scale: ISPs restricting content from users. If Trump-supporting Gab users believe that Apple is overstepping its bounds by moderating its app store too heavily, it’s not much of a leap to assume that they feel similarly about internet-service providers.” Repealing net neutrality may spawn backlash from the very trolls whose platforms the regulations protect. / Select All
A history of net neutrality, perhaps soon to be a forgotten concept. / Vimeo
The anatomy of a Chinese restaurant kitchen, by Melissa Tsang, commis. / The Middle Ground
“‘Hypocrite’ is almost too nice of a word. It’s more of a con.” In hippie, über-environmentalist California, Big Oil has infiltrated and influenced every level of the natural gas industry, leading to leaks, evacuations, and deaths. / The Nation/The Center for Public Integrity
Witness the McGurk effect, discovered when psychologist Harry McGurk thought he heard “da” after watching a video in which the sound “ba” was dubbed over a girl’s lips saying “ga.” / Nature, The New York Times
“That’s a big deal here, that parliament elected the popular favorite and the man seen as the least corrupt candidate.” Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, a dual Somali and American citizen who helped govern Buffalo, NY, has been elected as Somalia’s new president. / NPR
Decades after Barron Hilton dreamed of a hotel in space, humans seem to be getting ready for actual space tourism. / University of Houston Hilton Archives