Author: Josh Taylor
When trees and buildings collide
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 14, 2018There are two ways to make a building “green.” You can install solar panels and limit waste, recycle everything possible and use recycled materials, and so on. Or you can take the more literal route and just slap a bunch of trees and grass and stuff on your building. This video is about the latter. Studies show that people are happier, more productive, remember things more effectively, and more with green space. These buildings try to take advantage of that.
Read MoreAlex Jones’s ban shows that we’ve surrendered our 1st Amendment rights to companies
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 14, 2018What’s even more ironic is that Facebook’s ban of Alex Jones was not a top-down, tyrannical move. Instead, InfoWars was repeatedly reported to Facebook for violating its community standards. Specifically, Facebook stated that they “do not, for example, allow content that could physically or financially endanger people, that intimidates people through hateful language, or that aims to profit by tricking people using Facebook.” This puts Facebook in a unique position of power. Since it has over 2 billion active monthly users around the world, Facebook has now become the world’s largest single arbiter of language. And Facebook users not only gave Facebook that power, but they thrust it upon Facebook.
Read MoreJury rules Monsanto guilty for cancer-causing weed killer
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 13, 2018The massive agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology Monsanto, recently acquired by Bayer, was just at the receiving end of a massive, groundbreaking lawsuit. Dewayne Lee Johnson, a former Benicia School District groundskeeper, allegedly got cancer from using common weed killers (Roundup and Ranger Pro). The jury found Monsanto at fault and awarded Mr. Johnson 289.2 million dollars, which will allow him to receive groundbreaking treatment that may help his illness. This case may break the dam for thousands of similar cases.
Read MoreWriting characters who don’t have an arc
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 13, 2018By definition, a good movie generally involves a character arc. That means that the character starts in one state and ends in another. They are bad or sad or angry and then they go through some changes until they are good or happy or calm. But some characters don’t have arcs. The Paddington movie, for example, has a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the sequel has a whopping 100% and its main character experiences no major change. How does that work? This video explains.
Read MoreFormer Klansman denounces hate groups one year after Charlottesville march
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 12, 2018Ken Parker marched at the Unite the Right rally last year in Charlottesville. He was a member of the Ku Klux Klan, Indeed, Parker was a grand dragon of the Klan before he left the group to join a Nazi movement. He believed that the Klan wasn’t hateful enough for what was in his heart. At that rally, though, he met a filmmaker who started him on a journey that would end with his baptism by a black minister.
Read MoreThe Alt-Right, one year after Charlottesville
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 12, 2018One year ago, a white supremacist sympathizer drove his car into a group of people protesting a rally called “Unite the Right.” The event was supposed to bring an online, ultra-conservative and white supremacist movement into the real world. The tragedy showed the power of such ideologies to lead to immediate violence. But what has happened to the Alt-Right since? Unsurprisingly, this movement largely died out because only a few people have such extreme fews and those views are not tolerated by nearly anyone.
Read MoreBudget deficit 21% higher than this time last year
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 11, 2018The Trump administration campaigned largely on promises of low taxes, decreased deficits, and a booming economy. Some of those things have indeed happened––the economy is flourishing, for example. Unfortunately, though, the deficit is in very bad shape.
Read MoreImmigrants to Norway take classes on western attitudes towards women
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 11, 2018Norway is a prime destination for immigrants and refugees because of its excellent social safety nets, beautiful views, and tolerant attitudes. But how tolerant is it? This is a complicated question, made more complicated by this interesting special report. Muslim immigrants take classes on western attitudes towards women in the hopes that they will assimilate more easily. Is this an example of tolerance through negotiation or simple thought policing? Leave your reactions in the comments.
Read MoreThe EU may force Apple to abandon Lightning for USB
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 10, 2018Every single phone on the market uses the USB format for charging and data transfers. Every single phone except Apple, of course, which uses its ridiculously overpriced “Lightning” cable. So if you switch from Apple to (again) literally anything else or vice versa, you need to buy a new cable. And since there are already 51,000 tons of old chargers and cables thrown away every year, the EU is hoping to cut down on such waste.
Read MoreWhy the internet is actually a bad thing
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 10, 2018The internet is such an omnipresent––nearly omnipotent––part of life that very people even question its moral valence. But this video asks: Is the internet a good thing? As you can tell by the title, the video concludes that the internet is actually quite awful. Several reasons lead to this conclusion. First, the internet was supposed to bring people together, but in fact it has torn us apart. Second, it has convinced people that they’re have access to all knowledge and are therefore nearly infallible. That, obviously, is not the case.
Read MoreNY Congressman indicted on insider trading charges
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 9, 2018New York Republican Representative Christopher Collins has been charged with insider training, allegedly using inside information about a biotechnology company to make illegal stock trades. House Speaker Paul Ryan has removed Collins from the House Energy and Commerce Committee until the matter is resolved. The charges levied against Collins will certainly have a negative impact on the upcoming November midterm elections. Collins was also the first member of Congress to support President Trump during his campaign, further sullying the party.
Read MoreDan Harmon explains the most memeable Rick and Morty moments
Posted by Josh Taylor / August 9, 2018Rick and Morty is, in essence, one big meme anyway. But there are certain moments that are more memeable than others, and more memorable than others. The first that comes to mind is, of course, Pickle Rick. Pickle Rick was so popular that there have been lots (and lots) of Pickle Rick tattoos. In this video, Dan Harmon explains the origins of Pickle Rick and discusses even more of the show’s greatest moments.
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