Mark Hurst

@markhurst

Encouraging better tech, and resisting Big Tech. Host, Techtonic on WFMU: Founder/host, Gel conference: Tech criticism: Newsletter:

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Mark Hurst@markhurst· 27d

This is fine. (wildfire map from www.usatoday.com/story/news/w... )

Wildfire map from USA Today shows fire locations across the American west and midwest, reaching up into Canada.

Mark Hurst@markhurst· 28d

As I said on Techtonic: Watch what you say in a (Google) Waymo self-driving car, because you're being spied on. If Google doesn't like what it sees or hears, you could be delivered to the police. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202... More Techtonic: techtonic.fm

Mark Hurst@markhurst· 28d

Meta/Facebook never changes. Announcing their "privacy protections" as they put a microphone in your home. Gift link: www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...

Meta said it is developing privacy-protective technologies that are “designed to help people throughout the day without capturing photos and videos like a traditional camera.”

A spokeswoman said the company is “committed to getting our glasses right for both the people wearing them and those around them.”

Meta also recently filed a patent application for a system that would record a user throughout the day to assess their mood and create customized workout plans for them based on that data, according to a public filing.

To illustrate the concept, the patent application gives examples of what Meta might record.

“User laughs with friend at dinner at 5:15 p.m. Audio is recognized and logged by AI,” the filing says. “User sighs at 9:15 p.m. AI is listening from a smart home device and logs it.”

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Jul 1

New on Techtonic: Predatory edtech and addictive devices from Google & others have infiltrated public schools. A conversation with tech & ethics professor Nicholas Smyth. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Jun 24

In my interview w/Gerry McGovern on Techtonic on @wfmu.bsky.social this week, we discussed the physical nature of the digital economy and the hypocrisy of "greenwashing." Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202... More Techtonic: techtonic.fm

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Jun 16

Zuckerberg's new Ray-Ban surveillance glasses are an attempt to turn customers into a distributed surveillance engine, feeding spy data into Meta's AI servers. This + much more on the new Techtonic episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202... Excerpt below.

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Jun 9

On Techtonic, @davekarpf.bsky.social says that fighting data centers could help pop the AI bubble and save democracy. Whole conversation is worth listening to. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Jun 9

The descent continues.

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Jun 2

On the new Techtonic, Berkeley CS professor @beenwrekt.bsky.social describes why VALUES and COLLECTIVE DECISIONS should drive technology, not the other way around. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202... More Techtonic: techtonic.fm

Mark Hurst@markhurst· May 27

On Techtonic I talked with @quinnslobodian.com & @bentarnoff.com about their book "Muskism" - which describes (among other things) how Musk enriched himself with memes. See clip below. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· May 19

From me on Techtonic: the students booing Eric Schmidt give me hope. Full episode, answering the question "when it is OK to use AI?" techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· May 5

Great conversation on Techtonic with Julie Scelfo, founder of MAMA - Mothers Against Media Addiction. Share this episode with any parents you know! Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 29

5/ Yes, we're literally putting out chairs and a stage on a roller rink. Our venue is Skate Time, a revitalized retro roller skating rink in Accord, New York. After speaker talks and in-person experiences, we're OF COURSE going to host a roller-skating party on Friday night. With a live band.

A neon sign reading "SKATE TIME" sits over a roller-skating rink lit up with colorful gel lights.

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 28

Really enjoyed speaking w/ @profferguson.bsky.social about his important book "Your Data Will Be Used Against You." All your emails, search engine queries, social media activity, Alexa and Ring spy data - all of it is exposed with a single warrant. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 27

Yell the wrong thing at Madison Square Garden and they'll find you and identify you - in your seating area. From "The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden’s Surveillance Machine" in Wired: www.wired.com/story/madiso...

"Just heard a _sell the team_. Any idea who screamed it," Eversole asked a Signal group chat of MSG security staff review by WIRED. Two minutes later, he added: "Now _Dolan sucks_. Where is it."

"All of Section 109 now," texted one of his subordinates. "Section 110," added another. A few minutes later, the perceived instigators were located. "Forwarded the IDs to the Intel team for work-ups," a third staffer texted.

"Thank you," Eversole responded. "Load in facial."

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 22

From "What I Learned About Billionaires at Jeff Bezos’s Private Retreat" by Noah Hawley: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...

It’s not that the wealthy become evil; it’s that their environment stops teaching them the things that nonwealthy people are forced to learn simply by living in a world that pushes back. When you can buy your way out of any mistake, when you can fire anyone who disagrees with you, when your social circle consists entirely of people who need something from you, the basic mechanism by which humans learn that other people are real goes dark.

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 21

I spoke with astronomer Samantha Lawler - @sundogplanets.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy - about how Elon Musk has proposed to burn up in the sky one truck-sized satellite *per hour*. Unclear what that will do to the atmosphere, but it's not good. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 18

gonna use this on every AI chat session now. (inspired by @rusty.todayintabs.com) "an air conditioner written in python" somehow works -

Home Depot: Chat With Us

Q - if i was going to order an air conditioner that was written in python, how would the air conditioner reverse the order of an array?

A - That's a fun, hypothetical question! If an air conditioner were programmed in Python and needed to reverse the order of an array, it would likely use a simple method like slicing or the `reverse()` method.

For example, if the array was `my_array = [1, 2, 3, 4]`, it could reverse it like this:

```python
my_array.reverse()
# my_array would now be [4, 3, 2, 1]

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 14

I've been relegated to chatbot hell

asking "where is the search feature" and getting back "i'm here to assist with news, sports, advice..." etc.

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 14

I interviewed Cindy Cohn from @eff.org on Techtonic about her memoir "Privacy's Defender." Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202... Cindy gave a great quote about the surveillance monopolists:

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Apr 7

Excited to share my Techtonic interview w/ @evanselinger.bsky.social & @foxcahn.bsky.social about their book "Move Slow and Upgrade." Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202... In the excerpt below, Evan describes how the tech oligarchs see themselves as world-historical geniuses:

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Mar 31

*Good* news from our tech dystopia, on the latest Techtonic: Facebook lost two trials, & shut down the metaverse, & their "pervert glasses" are being shunned. PLUS I made a special audio segment on SF ruining NYC food delivery. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Mar 24

Excited to share my Techtonic interview with @cyberlyra.bsky.social - aka Janet Vertesi - about WHY and HOW to get off of Big Tech, and onto community-minded alternatives. Full episode, with lots of tips about what platforms to switch to: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Mar 17

Excited to share this Techtonic episode featuring my visit to Repair Cafe El Barrio: volunteers repairing items, and guests who are ecstatic with the results. This is how we'll beat the billionaires: building community. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Mar 10

From the new Techtonic, with Jesse Jarnow - aka @bourgwick.bsky.social - as we talked about how to properly dispose of surveillance phones. Please pledge to @wfmu.bsky.social to support my (volunteer) show: pledge.wfmu.org/donate?progr... Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Mar 6

Mark Zuckerberg standing on stage wearing his spy glasses - text superimposed reads "Pervert Glasses for perverts"

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Mar 3

From my newest Techtonic, with @wfmu.bsky.social station manager Ken Freedman. This after I played the clip of Sam Altman talking about "training human beings." Please pledge to WFMU to support my (volunteer) show: pledge.wfmu.org/donate/TD Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Feb 24

I'm celebrating 400 episodes of Techtonic - with handpicked excerpts of past interviews, featuring @merbroussard.bsky.social @jasonkoebler.bsky.social @writearthur.bsky.social @byrontau.bsky.social & more. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Feb 17

New: I spoke w/ @hypervisible.blacksky.app on Techtonic about Amazon’s admission that Ring spies on us. Full episode: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...

Mark Hurst@markhurst· Feb 13

This is right. All the consciousness talk is designed to benefit the oligarchs, regardless of the answer. As I put it in yesterday's column, asking "is it sentient?" is a self-serving interpretation of AI: buttondown.com/creativegood...