The Lattepunk Divide
Lattepunk
Who does the Digital Divide benefit?
I’ve been considering what to write about this week. A recent trip has me considering a topic I wanted to write about since June. By recent trip I mean a current trip. I’m writing this during a layover in Copenhagen (14 hours, never again). I’m flying back from Rome. Much needed vacation but damn reader, I have so much to catch up on. Two homework assignments and newsletters to whip up. But look at this view:
Rome is so old! I was walking by monuments and buildings that were around since the 70s. Not the 1970s reader!!! The actual year 70s. As in seven zero!
As someone who obsessively reads about future technology, it was an experience seeing a time before these things mattered. Not only do I read this stuff, for better or worse, I live it. As someone who is constantly connected to the internet via my phone, I know I’m a special kind of degenerate who also decided to drive a car that’s connected to the internet. And I went out my way to connect my house too!
And you’ll get there eventually, if you aren’t there already. It’s how our world is moving. Video doorbell at the front door. Built in GPS and streaming music in your car. Small steps but we’re all taking them. But what about those who can’t?
What if you can’t afford a new car? Or have a place that allows you to install your own doorbell of choice? What if you can’t even afford internet? That’s what’s called the Digital Divide. Society has moved into the digital world, but not everyone can access it.
Healthcare, Government aid, workplace benefits, even banking! Everything is moving online or through an app. No more physical forms, do it all online!
That’s something that was a huge deal during the years of COVID. Families struggled to adjust to home schooling, but some families seriously struggled cause they didn’t own devices that their kids could use to be home schooled.
I’ve saved these links for a while. The Affordable Connectivity Program helped connect a lot of people to the internet. With it ending, they lose access to so much. As much as society tends to look down at fast food restaurant workers, you need internet to even apply to those jobs. I can’t imagine trying to navigate our online world if you can’t afford or even understand how a smartphone works (this is more common than you think).
But it’s not just an affordability problem. You can be locked out based on location. Want internet in your rural home in the woods? Who’s going to pay the millions of dollars to run the cables to your house? It’s not worth it to the big telecoms. Sucks to suck.
That’s where things like Elon Musk’s Starlink shines. But again, what if you’re in rural community and can’t afford to fund Elon Musk gushing over President Trump? (psst, don’t worry. Our government will fund that through SpaceX and Tesla.)
Since I’m on the topic of US politics, the digital divide affects some people over others thanks to policymakers. Certain states blocked the ability to watch porn. Imagine that! I mean, you know me reader, I’d never indulge in such filth for pleasure. Purely for research only. But how crazy is that?
But what next? The big tech companies are looking at augmented reality glasses as our next big thing. Those won’t be cheap. The metaverse (YO! Remember that?) has a massive upfront investment to it too.
Don’t have many links this week (you know, airport writing), so take this week as an opinion piece…
Aren’t they all opinion pieces? You aren’t a journalist.
…Damn it reader, whose newsletter is this!? Let me dream!
you thought cause i was out the country i didn’t read things?
security
Someone Put Facial Recognition Tech onto Meta's Smart Glasses to Instantly Dox Strangers | Joseph Cox for 404 Media
License Plate Readers Are Creating a US-Wide Database of More Than Just Cars | Matt Burgess, Dhruv Mehrotra for Wired
Thousands of Linux systems infected by stealthy malware since 2021 | Dan Goodin for Ars Technica
This Teenage Hacker Became a Legend Attacking Companies. Then His Rivals Attacked Him. | Robert McMillan and Jenny Strasburg for Wall Street Journal
Comcast and Truist Bank customers caught up in FBCS data breach | Bill Toulas for Bleeping Computer (boy am i happy i’m a comcast customer)
Qualcomm patches high-severity zero-day exploited in attacks | Sergiu Gatlan for Bleeping Computer
Smart TVs are like “a digital Trojan Horse” in people’s homes | Scharon Harding for Ars Technica (i knew this was a bad purchase)
ADT discloses second breach in 2 months, hacked via stolen credentials | Lawrence Abrams for Bleeping Computer (aren’t you glad you gave those people knocking on your door all your information to protect you?)
fashion
Coperni’s Spray-On Dress Was a Viral Smash. This Gravity-Defying Gel Bag Might Top It | Amy Francombe for Wired
gaming
How four expensive cards imploded Magic: The Gathering’s most popular format | Ash Parrish for The Verge
We only learnt of our son’s secret online life after he died at 20 | Ben Machell for The Times
Teen achieves first NES Tetris “rebirth,” proves endless play is possible | Kyle Orland for Ars Technica
A school shooting videogame made by the parents of a victim aims to change minds about gun control: 'This is not a scary game, it's an educational game' | Andy Chalk for PC Gamer
ai
Inside Elon Musk’s AI party at OpenAI’s old headquarters | Kylie Robison for The Verge
In South Korea, deepfake porn wrecks women’s lives and deepens gender conflict | Hyung-Jin Kim for AP News
The Perfect Girlfriend | Michal Lev-Ram for Esquire (is it tho?)
Where Have All the Chief Metaverse Officers Gone? | Webb Wright for Wired (if companies are still looking for someone to run their metaverse, where do i take their money?)
home
Your smart fridge can now warn you when you’ve spent too long in the shower | Andrew Liszewski for The Verge (i need to buy this now, right?)
Please Don’t Make Me Download Another App | Ian Bogost for The Atlantic (yo...word)
To Be a Good Pregnancy Surrogate, It Helps to Be a Dominatrix First | Emi Nietfeld for Wired (i mean, i guess)
social media
Inside the Anti-Vax Facebook Group Pushing a Bogus Cure for Autism | David Gilbert for Wired
Some online conspiracy-spreaders don’t even believe the lies they’re spewing | H. Colleen Sinclair for The Conversation
politics
Inside the State Department’s Weapons Pipeline to Israel | Brett Murphy for ProPublica
environment
Why Taiwan and Its Tech Industry Are Facing an Energy Crisis | Isabel Hilton for Yale Environment 360
Can shaming the world’s worst ‘climate criminals’ save the planet? | John Thomason for Grist
Indigenous voters worry a Harris presidency means endangering sacred lands | Taylar Dawn Stagner for Grist
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