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Your Social Security Number is now more social than ever

By
Alan
-

In a surprising twist, your Social Security Number, previously thought of as sacred, has been leaked in one of the largest data breaches ever, alongside the hopes and dreams of over 3 billion people.

National Public Data, in a PR move reminiscent of ‘oops, we did it again,’ has confirmed hackers stole everything but the kitchen sink, though they’re still checking.

Experts advise everyone to freeze their credit, install 12 layers of 2-factor authentication, and maybe consider going off the grid because apparently, your personal information is just a commodity now.

On the bright side, if you were worried about identity theft, the line starts in cyberspace, where your SSN’s been hanging out with some new friends.

Please be sure to report a stolen Social Security number to the Federal Trade Commission if you think you’ve been a victim of identity theft.

Social Security numbers, names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers were in the 2.9 billion records within a data breach. The security firm Pentester.com tool tells you if your data is involved.
 




Eliminating engagement farming on platform X

By
Aimee
-

Engagement farming on X, where users create content primarily to boost engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares, has become a contentious issue, prompting various reactions and strategies from the platform’s community and leadership:

Elon Musk’s Stance:

Elon Musk has explicitly warned against engagement farming, stating that accounts involved in such practices will face suspension. This move reflects an effort to clean up the platform from what many users perceive as low-quality, manipulative content designed to game the algorithm.

User Reactions:

Frustration: There’s a significant amount of frustration among users, as evidenced by posts on X where individuals express their annoyance with engagement farming, suggesting actions like muting or blocking these accounts to improve their feed quality.

Support for Musk’s Policy: Many users have welcomed Musk’s announcement, seeing it as a step towards making X a more genuine space for interaction rather than a battleground for engagement metrics.

Strategic Responses:

Muting and Blocking: Users are actively engaging in muting or blocking accounts known for engagement farming, aiming to reduce their visibility and impact on the platform’s ecosystem.

Content Creation Advice: Some advocate for content creators to focus on genuine interaction rather than farming for engagement, suggesting that quality content that resonates with an audience naturally will lead to better, more sustainable engagement.

Platform’s Future:

The push against engagement farming might lead to a cultural shift on X, where the value of content is measured by its authenticity and the quality of interaction it fosters, rather than sheer engagement numbers. However, this shift requires both algorithmic changes and user behavior adjustments.

Challenges:

Economic Impact: For some creators, engagement farming might be tied to their livelihood, as pointed out by some users. The balance between platform integrity and creator income remains a delicate issue.

Algorithmic Detection: Identifying and penalizing engagement farming without affecting genuine interaction is technically challenging. X would need sophisticated algorithms or user reporting systems to differentiate between authentic engagement and farming.

The community’s sentiment, as reflected in X posts, shows a desire for a cleaner, more authentic social media experience, aligning with Musk’s vision for X. However, implementing policies that effectively curb engagement farming while supporting genuine content creators remains a complex task, involving both technological solutions and community engagement.

resource –

5 Effective Strategies to Avoid Engagement Farming and Build Authentic Social Media Interaction
 




Digital infrastructure: whose is it anyway?

By
Aimee
-
The question of who owns digital infrastructure touches on several dimensions of ownership, control, and investment in the digital age:
  • Corporate Ownership: Companies like DigitalBridge, as highlighted, are deeply invested in digital infrastructure, managing billions in assets across data centers, cell towers, and fiber networks. This indicates a significant corporate stake in what could be considered the physical backbone of the digital world. These firms not only own but also operate these infrastructures, making them pivotal players in the digital ecosystem.
  • Public vs. Private: There’s a growing discourse around Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), emphasizing the need for public governance in digital infrastructure to ensure it serves as a common good. This perspective argues for a more proactive role for the state, suggesting that digital infrastructure should not be solely in private hands but managed with public values in mind.
  • Decentralized Ownership: The rise of blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies introduces a new paradigm of ownership where digital assets can be owned by anyone globally, with no central authority controlling them. For instance, Bitcoin’s network ownership is decentralized, with ownership stakes that cannot be diluted or taken away, representing a shift towards individual ownership of digital assets.
  • Concentration of Ownership: Despite the ethos of decentralization in blockchain, there’s evidence of concentration in digital asset ownership, where a small percentage of holders control a significant portion of cryptocurrencies, suggesting that even in supposedly decentralized systems, ownership can become centralized.
  • Government and Institutional Investment: Governments, through agencies or indirectly through pension funds like CPP Investments, engage in or facilitate the ownership of digital infrastructure. For instance, the acquisition of Arqiva by Digital 9 Infrastructure, partly funded through non-recourse loans, shows how government-backed entities or investments play into this sector.
  • Foreign Investment: The competition between the U.S. and China over digital infrastructure highlights how digital infrastructure ownership can be a strategic asset, not just economically but geopolitically. This competition underscores the importance of who controls these infrastructures due to their implications for military and economic power.
  • Public Perception and Investment: There’s a growing trend where traditional financial institutions like Deutsche Bank are seeking to engage with digital assets, indicating a shift where digital infrastructure ownership is becoming more mainstream, potentially diversifying ownership further.
From these points:
  • Digital infrastructure spans from physical assets like data centers and cell towers, which are predominantly owned by private entities or through public-private partnerships, to digital assets like cryptocurrencies, which introduce a model of decentralized ownership.
  • The narrative around digital infrastructure ownership is evolving, with increasing calls for it to be treated as a public good, yet the reality shows a mix of private corporate control, decentralized individual ownership in digital assets, and strategic government involvement.
  • The future might see more hybrid models where public governance ensures access and fairness, while private investment drives innovation and expansion, all within a framework where individual digital asset ownership continues to grow, challenging traditional notions of infrastructure ownership.

 




The Salesman

By
Alan
-

A young guy from Texas moves to California and goes to a big department store looking for a job.

The manager says, “Do you have any sales experience?”

The kid says, “Yeah, I was a salesman back home in Texas.”

Well, the boss liked the kid, so he gave him the job. “You start tomorrow. I’ll come down after we close and see how you did.”

His first day on the job was rough but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down.
“How many sales did you make today?”

The kid says, “One.”

The boss says, “Just one? Our sales people average 20 or 30 sales a day. How much was the sale for?”

Kid says, “$101,237.64.”

Boss says, “$101,237.64? What did you sell him?”

Kid says, “First I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fish hook. Then I sold him a larger fish hook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod.

Then I asked him where he was going fishing, and he said down at the coast, so I told him he was gonna need a boat, so we went down to the boat department, and I sold him that twin engine Chris Craft.

Then he said he didn’t think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4X4 Blazer.”

The boss said, “A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and truck?”

Kid says, “No, he came in here to buy a box of tampons for his wife, and I said, ‘Well, since your weekend’s shot, you might as well go fishing.'”

Happy Trails

Thanks for the read.
 




FWP: be on the lookout for greater short-horned lizards this fall

By
Alan
-

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) is requesting that recreationists be on the lookout for greater short-horned lizards this fall.

As you are hunting, hiking, and exploring Montana this late summer and fall, be sure to take a break from scanning the horizon and look down at the ground once in a while. Not only will this help you avoid stepping on a cactus or a rattlesnake, but you might also see one of eastern Montana’s rarely seen critters…the greater short-horned lizard, commonly known as a “horny toad.” If you do, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks would like to know about it.

The greater short-horned lizard, Phrynosoma hernandesi, was once considered the second most abundant reptile along the Missouri River in Montana in the late 19th Century, second only to the western rattlesnake. Currently, however, these lizards are considered a ‘Species of Greatest Inventory Need’ in Montana due to insufficient data on their population and distribution.

According to Nicole Hussey, FWP wildlife biologist in Region 6, “We have been conducting surveys in eastern Montana to try and determine status and distribution as well as fill in data gaps; however, their elusive nature and cryptic coloration make them extremely difficult to locate.”

“This is where we can use hunters and other outdoor recreationists’ help,” continued Hussey, “because oftentimes, people just accidentally come across one.”

Hussey and other biologists are seeking the help of folks out trekking around the countryside to provide incidental observations in addition to their structured survey efforts.

“If you happen to observe one anywhere in the state,” says Hussey, “please record the location, get GPS coordinates if possible, and note the date, number observed, and take a photo with something in the picture for scale if you can.”

Observations can be reported to your local FWP biologist.

• Region 4 (Great Falls): Brandi Skone at bskone@mt.gov
• Region 5 (Billings): Megan O’Reilly at moreilly@mt.gov
• Region 6/7 (Glasgow): Nicole Hussey at nicole.hussey@mt.gov

A few things about the greater short-horned lizard:

Key ID:

• Adult greater short-horned lizards are diurnal, meaning they are most active during the warmer daylight hours.
• Coloration is cryptic with the soil (blends in) and can vary by locality.
• The broad, flattened body separates this lizard from the other three lizard species regularly documented in Montana, and the range overlaps only with the common sagebrush lizard, which is much more slender.
• The head has a “heart-shaped” appearance when viewed from above.
• They are usually easiest to spot when they move and catch your eye.

Habitat:

• Greater short-horned lizards are found in the eastern half of Montana, but in scattered locations throughout their range.
• They are often found on south or east-facing slopes of coulees and ridge tops, and some open flats.
• They prefer habitats with sagebrush, creeping juniper, or rabbitbrush with sparse bunch grass, patches of bare ground, and shale-like soil. They are even found in some ponderosa pine stands.

Although they seem like they would make a good pet, after you get a quick picture and GPS location, please leave these fascinating critters where you find them!

img credit – Nicole Hussey
 




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