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An iPhone is marvelous mini-computer in our pockets. But it’s also a tracking device, a camera that can spy on us, a recording device that can hear our conversations, and—of course—a device that can make sure we get the ads that will make others trillions. Better name: Trojan Phone!

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author

Great example! We are willingly allowing our freedom and independence to be traded away in exchange for being able to perform magic. Tough trade to make.... tough trade not to make.

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Mar 29Liked by Andrew Smith

This raises a lot of uncomfortable questions about the Trojan brand of condoms.

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author

You know me well enough to know my head went there, but there's no apparent connection.

Theoretically.

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Mar 29Liked by Andrew Smith

Suspiciously convenient. Almost like that's what the Greeks want you to think.

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author

Big Condom wants us to forget.

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Corporate personhood.

It is one thing to say that we need a framework of law to allow people to do business.

It's quite another to say that corporations are separate legal entities with constitutional rights.

The latter is ripe for abuse.

See : "Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund: Democracy School"

at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfcAjTn_Q4w

edited to add : While the C.E.L.D.F. video is obviously focused on the environmental aspect, there are lessons very applicable to other issues.

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Mar 30Liked by Andrew Smith

The now-time example of the Trojan Horse is of course social media and even more so artificial "intelligence" Chatbots

Cory Doctorow invented the new word Enshittification to describe this phenomenon.

Eric Hoel recently wrote an essay for the New York Times titled A.I. Generated Garbage is Polluting Our Culture. In my A.I. chatbots etc are rapidly destroying our culture, or whats left of it.

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Wow! I thought I knew a lot about the Arthurian tradition, but I've never before heard this particular tale. I can only imagine how much research finding it took.

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I spent many hours scouring the original video sources during my youth.

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I'm starting to think that the real Trojan Horse that we've inadvertently let into our lives is all of tech in the first place.

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And never ever ever look those gift rabbits--er, horses in the mouth.

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