Ambitious Crossover Attempt

Noam and Jen start by discussing the ongoing Twitter Files saga, only to go off on a tangent about content moderation, AI, YouTube, your DMs being used to train the content mod bots, how we’re all being used to train the machines, and ways to actually improve Twitter which will be boring to 85% of you.

We will be on our regular Callin schedule this week of Wednesday night at 8:30 Eastern, what we’ll discuss is anyone's guess at this point 

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

All of the Twitter Files threads thus far:

https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1598822959866683394

https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1600243405841666048

https://twitter.com/bariweiss/status/1601007575633305600

https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1601352083617505281

https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1601720455005511680

The Guano thread aka what Twitter is doing when they’re looking at your DMs:

https://twitter.com/sparklingruby/status/1601293042883121152

AI drawing a hand (spoiler alert - it can’t):

https://twitter.com/pragmatometer/status/1601295508714450944

Note: Noam said Microsoft went back to advertising on Twitter but it was Amazon:

https://www.reuters.com/technology/amazon-restart-advertising-twitter-platfomer-reporter-2022-12-04/

The Rush Limbaugh / Sandra Fluke controversy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh%E2%80%93Sandra_Fluke_controversy

Jen and Noam touch on the ongoing FTX saga and Kanye’s public meltdown before diving into the Twitter Files aka the Taibbi tweet thread about the internal goings on involving the Hunter Biden laptop story (spoiler alert - we don't agree on the significance of the revelations). 

We will be on our regular Callin schedule this week of Wednesday night at 8:30 Eastern, what we’ll discuss is anyone's guess at this point 

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

Noam has a new Reply Guy; Elon Musk:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1596925202184564736

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1599123578976604160

lol remember the Krassensteins?:

https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/twitter-bans-ed-brian-krassenstein-brothers-fake-accounts-1203225266/

SBF has committed his live to never stop talking:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/business/dealbook/sam-bankman-fried-dealbook-interview-transcript.html

…and he didn’t dark money donate to Republicans:

https://twitter.com/teddyschleifer/status/1598870359939649538

The Alex Jones - Kanye interview. Because what else is there to say here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/12/01/kanye-west-alex-jones-hilter-interview/

Kim K got sued, won:

https://www.investopedia.com/kardashian-wins-the-crypto-lawsuit-6826710

When it comes to Kanye, everyone is an armchair psychiatrist now:

https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1599423315939950593

The new plan in NYC to place homeless people in hospitals, exaplined:

https://twitter.com/NoahCRothman/status/1598312180599988231

THE TWITTER FILES THREAD:

https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1598822959866683394

Elon said Apple was going to pull Twitter from the app store, but it’s all good now:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1597300125243944961

Elon tweets mild criticism of Vijaya Gadde:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1519073003933515776

NYT is being hyperbolic (again):

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1598686020630872066

Nuzzi doesn't understand her and SBF are not the same: 

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/12/media-after-trump/617503/

Dorsey’s thread on Trump’s booting from Twitter, which hits different now:

https://twitter.com/jack/status/1349510769268850690

The usual suspects are mad at Substack Man :

https://twitter.com/mtaibbi/status/1599194927333793792

Elon Musk follows no women on Twitter:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bmv5ev/elon-musk-follows-zero-women-on-twitter

Popehat has second thoughts about joining the journalo Mastodon:

https://twitter.com/Popehat/status/1599132556594925568

Noam and Jen take on the topic of Trump’s uninvited Thanksgiving guest Nick Fuentes, Ben Collins’ weird Twitter meltdown, the new definition of non-binary, the COVID protests in China, the impossibility of Zero Covid, and Taylor Lorenz beclowning herself again.

And as always, join us on Callin Wednesday night at 8:30 Eastern where we’ll cover everything else that happened on Thanksgiving week that didn’t fit into the show 

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

Senpai Elon notices Noam:

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1596862596627730434

Trump tries to explain how Nick Fuentes came to be at his Thanksgiving table:

https://twitter.com/ShelbyTalcott/status/1596276030649815041

Trump explains, part two:

https://twitter.com/ShelbyTalcott/status/1596663697631457280

Filipkowski claims that Fuentes endorsed DeSantis using an edited video, Fuentes claims that is borderline defamation:

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1596522190408929286

Here’s a picture of Musk and Maxwell together, which proves absolutely nothing because parasites gonna parasite:

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1279408842867118080

DeSantis decides to not comment on Fuentesgate, places info in back pocket for later (we think):

https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1596690250025562113

Jesse Singal’s Substack piece on Ben Collins’ putting words into the mouths of dead people:

https://twitter.com/jessesingal/status/1595529978816389136

Non-binary means being able to pass as both male and female now I guess:

https://twitter.com/KyleWOrton/status/1595583840764022784

Nate Silver is not here for Ben Collins trying to dunk on FiveThirtyEight’s midterm predictions (also Ben doesn’t know how to read a chart) :

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1594758323936841728

Over in China, citizens have had it with the attempt at Zero Covid, especially since it’s not working:

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1596858921750351872

Thread from William Hurst, professor of Chinese development for Cambridge, on how these protests are different from past protests in China :

https://twitter.com/wjhurst/status/1596722048717709312

Taylor Lorenz wants Zero Covid, doesn’t care that those living under such a regime are literally protesting in the streets:

https://twitter.com/dannybarefoot/status/1596878113019162624

HBO will be launching a series based on the mega-blockbuster video game The Last Of Us in January:

https://twitter.com/TheLastofUsHBO/status/1595447079416918016

Jen and Noam return after a weirdly offline week to do their best to explain the FTX situation, the journalist exodus to Mastodon (and who has already been kicked off a server) and the two big Trump announcements 

We will be on Callin this week Tuesday the 22nd at 8:30pm Eastern to discuss…well who knows at this point but maybe Jen’s big move and our thoughts on Wakanda Forever 

Show Notes (normally Jen gussies these up but she is extremely tired after this week’s adventures) :

Coffeezilla on FTX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWfuDeO9thk

Foldable human on Crypto/NFTs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g

Effective altruism is nonsense, SBF edition 

https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23462333/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-cryptocurrency-effective-altruism-crypto-bahamas-philanthropy

But the NYT still loves SBF

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/technology/ftx-sam-bankman-fried-crypto-bankruptcy.html

As does WaPo

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/11/16/sam-bankman-fried-ftx-pandemic-prevention/

Forbes’ Caroline Ellison profile

https://twitter.com/forbes/status/1593615727512227840

The whole Ukraine - FTX situation 

https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-ftx-ukraine-democrats-laundering-996663874380

Elon is doing a terrorism or something 

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1593975501445599232

Parker Molloy complains about the mods, the mods kick her off the server

https://twitter.com/jbarro/status/1594035527166341120

Journolist (if you’re too young to know what this is)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JournoList

Tavistock, or the English gender reassignment clinic that was shut down due to concerns over the efficacy of gender reasignment in minors 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62335665

Mike Pesca explains "transphobic content” or as we know it, a NYT article 

https://twitter.com/pescami/status/1594009632145494017

NYT article in question::

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/health/puberty-blockers-transgender.html

Elon did a poll

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1593952814534991873

Wittes WILL NOT GO QUIETLY INTO oh wait he kinda is 

https://twitter.com/benjaminwittes/status/1594143594020995074

Noam and Jen continue to discuss As The Tweets Turn aka Elon’s acquisition of Twitter and the moves he’s made. But more importantly, there’s a fight brewing in the GOP - Don vs Ron, the title matchup for who is going to be the face of the party (and the nominee in 2024). 

Get ready to pick your fighter, because it’s getting nasty!

No Callin this week as Jen will be in the middle of her big transition to DC but maaaaaybe she’ll make her debut appearance on another platform…

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

Eli Lilly gets impersonated on Twitter, and their stock takes a plunge  :

https://www.investors.com/news/technology/lly-stock-dives-taking-novo-sanofi-with-it-after-fake-twitter-account-promises-free-insulin/

Remember that time someone hacked a bunch of high profile Twitter accounts to push a crypto scheme and it kinda worked?:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Twitter_account_hijacking

Twitter Blue has been stopped until we can figure out what the hell is going on:

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/11/twitter-blue-subscription-disappears-from-app.html

Back in my day, you had to toil in the content mines to get a bluecheck!:

https://twitter.com/RayKump/status/1590553793821016064

Yglesias’ thread on the bluecheck, again:

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1588192811664478209

Brigite Gabriel thinks Trump is playing 26D chess to see who his REAL supporters are:

https://twitter.com/ACTBrigitte/status/1591155760251404288

Trump tees off on DeSantis because he is a manchild who cannot share the spotlight:

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/109322017568994719

Trump also tees off on Youngkin or Young Kin (sounds very Chinese, you know):

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/109325150085362681

Young Kim, a real person and newly elected Republican member of the House, weighs in on Kin-gate:

https://twitter.com/EsotericCD/status/1591082935570288640

Trump is still insulting McConnell’s wife, has apparently forgotten he once gave her a Cabinet position:

https://www.yahoo.com/now/trump-calls-elaine-chao-coco-183029455.html

Rebekah Jones lost her congressional race, is facing a felony charge, but is still grifting nonetheless:

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/rebekah-jones-loses-congressional-race-moves-to-felony-trial/

Stop trying to make Glass Jaw Ron happen:

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1591069956023922688

Jen and Noam continue to discuss The Biggest News Ever; the changes being made to Twitter in the wake of Elon’s acquisition, the sustained freakout, the true value of a bluecheck, $8 verification, and the pending misinformation apocalypse. 

We also sneak in a little Andor talk before taking on Ron DeSanctimonious’ chances of winning the GOP nomination and if he should run in 2024 at all.

And as usual we will be on Callin at 8:30pm Eastern Wednesday night where we’ll break down the Stupid Tuesday results (or at least those that will be known at that time)

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

Twitter hilariously bans a Qanoner after taking his Twitter Blue money:

https://twitter.com/nycsouthpaw/status/1589025757183242240

Noam wrote a very good piece critiquing Max Fisher’s book on social media and you should read it:

https://www.commentary.org/articles/noam-blum/social-media-chaos-machine/

Yoel Roth once again has to make a tweet thread explaining what really happened with the Twitter layoffs as it relates to the content moderation team:

https://twitter.com/yoyoel/status/1588657228462317568

For everyone who thinks the new penalty for impersonating a public figure on Twitter is new, let me take you back to 2019 when we were discussing parody accounts getting the banhammer:

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/1088088107134668801

Matt Yglesias’ tweet thread (the one we savaged that is):

https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1588190763413868553

Some folks over at Twitter bluecheck verification allegedly had quite the side hustle:

https://twitter.com/WSBChairman/status/1588973918379200512

Thaddeus Russell’s critique on the critique of conspicuous consumption:

https://reason.com/2014/02/01/that-kind-of-luxe-just-aint-for-us-the-p/

That time that the NYT doxed SSC for no good reason other than to start shit with the tech bros:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-slate-star-codex-doxxing-is-the-latest-squabble-inside-new-york-times

Pfffft why didn’t you know that Trump secretly hates DeSantis, the right people have known for months:

https://twitter.com/jdawsey1/status/1589097754521137152

Noam and Jen discuss The Biggest News Ever - Elon Musk finally acquires Twitter. Also the awful Fetterman - Oz debate, the belated discovery that James Bennet did nothing wrong, the attack on Paul Pelosi, Taylor Swift’s alleged fatphobia, and how you can’t just be happy on Twitter without everyone hating you  

And as usual we will be on Callin at 8:30pm Eastern Wednesday night where there will be much Andor discussion and no HOTD discussion because no more HOTD 🙁

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

On the upcoming Moderation Council for Twitter:

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1586059953311137792

Yoel Roth’s thread on the recent bot stress test:

https://twitter.com/yoyoel/status/1586542283469381632

Wemple would like credit for pointing out what the class knew two years ago:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/10/27/new-york-times-tom-cotton-oped-james-bennet/

Olivia Nuzzi, prophet:

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/12/media-after-trump/617503/

Fetterman is disabled now I guess but he’ll be better by January, pinky swear:

https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1586466906277560320

Olivia Nuzzi, dogpile victim: 

https://twitter.com/Olivianuzzi/status/1585068199200317440

McMullin goes rouge (lol he’ll caucus with Dems)

https://twitter.com/benpershing/status/1586553469506392065

David Depape is not sane:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2022/10/29/david-depape-blog-pelosi-fairies 

Here’s the part that Taylor Swift cut from the Anti-Hero video, judge for yourself:

https://twitter.com/PopBase/status/1585349954020999168

Don’t ever admit to liking coffee, mornings, you garden, or your husband on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/lilplantmami/status/1583495587566977026

Let kids go to school later, they need sleep, they’re developing humans:

https://www.newsnationnow.com/solutions/delaying-school-start-times-could-reduce-student-fatigue/

Jen and Noam chat about Ron Desantis’ love of thigh food, culture war grifting, dark money grifting, Xi Jinping throwing his weight around (metaphorically), and a bunch of other things

We will be on Callin at 8:30pm Eastern where, barring any Earth-shattering events that need to be discussed on a Wednesday, we’ll be doing an October-long series on horror movies / TV shows 

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

DeSantis, thigh food aficionado:

https://www.ft.com/content/3aa3b7a6-8f72-4c37-82dd-d98946198aa7

Time to argue about hummus being colonization (again):

https://twitter.com/GileadIni/status/1583909464607928320

CNN makes a list of election deniers:

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1583819058151297029

Whatever you do, don’t call MTG’s rise to prominence a comeback: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/briefing/marjorie-taylor-greene.html

The Dark Money Grifter Summit:

https://twitter.com/MuellerSheWrote/status/1583506004007788558

Xi Jinping is a jerk:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/22/world/asia/china-xi-jinping-congress.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

https://twitter.com/ProfYangZhang/status/1583788208894414849

Sacheen Littlefeather was not a real Native woman:

https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/Sacheen-Littlefeather-oscar-Native-pretendian-17520648.php

Wikipedia editor banned for saying Sacheen Littlefeather was not a real Native woman before it was cool:

https://twitter.com/jbenton/status/1583877263275134979

Warp speed, Pride flag: 

https://twitter.com/Microsoft/status/1583143019444068352

Climate change activists being attention whores (again):

https://twitter.com/AufstandLastGen/status/1584185689541054464

https://twitter.com/VickieGuerrero/status/1581353771216818176

Alexa, not the Amazon assistant, the Isralei Love Is Blind contestant who…might be a Zionist:

https://twitter.com/melissaeweiss/status/1583098510387224577

(Warning - there are Rings of Power season finale spoilers in the first five minutes, so skip that part if you don’t wanna know)

Noam and Jen tackle the John Fetterman stroke situation, Herschel Walker paying for an abortion, bad faith deflections, the desire to win at all costs, and hypocrisy 

Also the not so good Rings of Power finale with its Big Reveal, the very good She-Hulk season finale that is devoted to roasting the MCU, a little Hot D, and how we’re about to have a lot less TV to consume

Join us on Callin this week (8:30 Eastern) where, barring any Earth-shattering events that need to be discussed on a Wednesday, we’ll be doing an October-long series on horror movies / TV shows 

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

Noam's piece for Commentary on Max Fisher's book about the effects of social media

https://www.commentary.org/articles/noam-blum/social-media-chaos-machine/ 

The Fetterman interview that launched a thousand accusations of ableism 

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/fetterman-nbc-interview-stroke-pennsylvania-senate-race-20221012.html 

And did you know Fetterman had a stroke four days before his primary? It’s ok to say no, it wasn’t talked about much

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senate-candidate-fetterman-almost-died-stroke-vows-return-trail-2022-06-03/ 

That one time it was perfectly OK to say having a stroke disqualifies one from holding office

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/10/14/chicago-tribune-offers-an-awfully-blunt-reason-for-not-endorsing-sen-mark-kirk-his-stroke/ 

Kara Voght’s tweet about Gisele Fetterman becoming the de facto candidate, which I assume someone explained to her wasn’t a good look 

https://twitter.com/LoganDobson/status/1581306253606690816 

Dianne Feinstein isn’t doing so well

https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/dianne-feinstein-senate-17079487.php 

Herschel Walker gets caught paying for an abortion 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/11/herschel-walker-abortion-payment/ 

Noam quotes The Diamond Age, because of course he does

https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1518212786983157761 

Jen and Noam discuss Kanye’s plan to go death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE, Ukraine’s very normal war act of blowing up a strategic military target, and Biden’s big weed announcement 

We will be back on Callin this week (8:30 Eastern) where, barring any Earth-shattering events that need to be discussed on a Wednesday, we’ll be doing an October-long series on horror movies / TV shows 

https://www.callin.com/show/all-crossed-out-jVWglWcHxW 

Show notes:

Kanye’s weird (bipolar?) tweet

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11296055/Kanye-West-posts-disturbing-tweet-claiming-hes-going-def-3-JEWISH-PEOPLE.html 

The GOP thinks Kanye and Elon are based af, like Trump 

https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/1578174670854975491 

That time Hajj Amin Al Husseini thought Hilter was a friend to the non-Jewish semites 

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/film/hajj-amin-al-husayni-meets-hitler 

Freddie DeBoer discusses Kanye’s current controversy in light of his mental health issues 

https://freddiedeboer.substack.com/p/how-convenient-that-kanye-wests-behavior 

World War Z book, Noam really wants you to read it

https://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346617 

Musk tries to do geopolitics, fails 

(side note from Jen - man I hope he tries to float the two state solution on Twitter, it’d cause a meltdown of epic proportions) 

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/after-russia-ukraine-plan-musk-offers-proposal-resolve-china-taiwan-tensions-2022-10-08/ 

Biden is Armageddoning It 

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bidens-warning-nuclear-armageddon-reflects-stakes-russia-imminent/story?id=91211670 

The bridge that is now under the water  

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/08/world/europe/ukraine-crimea-bridge-explosion.html 

Hey look, actual terrorism!  

https://twitter.com/ngumenyuk/status/1578959308813135873 

The Iran-Iraq War was disturbing, to say the least  

https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/iran-iraq-war-child-soldiers-mines/#:~:text=Many%20were%20sent%20into%20battle,in%20the%20Iran%2DIraq%20War 

The stamp commemorating the bridge that is now under the water, which serves as proof that the Ukrainian military planned to blow up the bridge or something 

https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/1578740494234193922 

Dark Brandon releases the pardon kraken…

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/10/06/statement-from-president-biden-on-marijuana-reform/ 

…after having fired WH staff for ingesting cannabis  

https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-white-house-sandbags-staffers-sidelines-dozens-for-pot-use 

And a correction - Elon is from South Africa, not South America, the point still stands