Botting

I wasn’t even sure what the term “bot” meant before hearing it briefly mentioned on the news this morning. After piquing my interest I wish they’d spent more time on it because this is important for everyone to fully understand and that should be highlighted more than it currently is. The way I understand it (and I apologize to my techno sensei – daughter and son – if I get this wrong) bots are automatic programs that flood social media with messages that may but probably don’t have any basis in fact. The news story was talking about a flood of these bot based messages going out after last week’s Florida school shooting. The most salient point was that they were aimed at both sides of the gun control issue. The point was to sow or exacerbate existing societal divisions. The originators could care less about the cogent points of the debate – they just want to enhance discord. Of course, in this case, they were linked to the Russians, huge surprise.

I think social media platforms, especially those based in the United States have an absolute responsibility to find a way to identify and properly label these dubious messages. Anyone who spends any amount of time on Facebook probably has friends from either end of the political spectrum. I have dear friends who are raging liberals as well as others who are as far to the right as conceivably possible (think of a love child between Patton and Attila the Hun). Some of them regularly push out political messages on Facebook and I’m sure some of them are unwittingly originating from these bots but since they endorse their side of the political arguments are forwarded without any verification as to veracity. We as a society has to develop a countermeasure to this attack on our freedom because, make no mistake, that is exactly what this insidious technique is. A united America is a formidable bastion and unassailable foe when compared to all of our competitors. We can only be taken down from within. Our adversaries (not just the Russians) have obviously figured this out. We shouldn’t be helping them, even if the message perfectly captures how you feel or suspect. Our news media owes us some responsible reporting to debunk or at least blunt these attacks.

Coaxed Out of the Car and Waiting for Dad to Come Home

I’ve been taken down a peg or two over the past day with the departure of the FBR for home along with my daughter. While the FBR has developed into quite a handful, as two year olds are wont to do she’s still so much fun to hang out with. I also loved the opportunity to watch some movies and TV shows with my daughter. It happens so rarely now that each time I do with either my daughter or my son I’m reminded how much I miss it. The damnable thing about kids is they grow up and have lives of their own. So I’m in the “really missing the company mode” right now although I have been “blessed” with the soundtrack from Moana constantly playing in my head since we had to listen to that several hundred times over the weekend (this hour it seems to be “You’re Welcome”). Technology isn’t always your friend. They safely returned to New Jersey yesterday and the FBR slept for most of the trip. Upon arrival she refused to let anyone other than her father get her out of the car. Wingman was at work so that was a negotiation my daughter had to handle. They sent me this video from last night which has Wingman pushing her around on her scooter while she imperiously tells her mother to back up.

I’ve gotten away from commenting on the books I’ve been reading as I’m in search of a few more good authors to latch onto. Over the past few weeks I knocked out a couple new books from Terry Goodkind from his Wizard’s First Rule universe which started a new series featuring the sorceress Nicci. I also read 12 Strong (originally titled Horse Soldiers before Hollywood got ahold of it) which was a confusing attempt at capturing the chaos of the Taliban’s fall following 9-11. I just finished Without a Doubt by Marcia Clark which brings the reader behind the scenes of prospectors for the OJ Simpson trial. Somehow (and I thought this would be impossible) I feel even more contempt for Simson and the whole cult of celebrity, after reading this.