Notes On The Collapse

A Note On Gaza

EDITORIAL

The amount of propaganda being spread in this war is appalling. That people choose to believe it without confirmation just because it happens to agree with their own biases… arguably that’s worse.

There exists an anti-American propaganda account on TwiX today that generates millions of hits by celebrating military atrocities committed by Russia, acts of terrorism by Hamas and Hezbollah, and civilian casualties of war. On it, corpse porn is reposted every fifteen minutes in order to generate profitable ad-share, subscriptions, and donations. It is too big to be toppled by the Community Notes mechanism.

Mind you, it’s unreasonable to blame the platform. Virtually every other social media organization permits the same thing in the name of free speech.

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Let’s Make Change Happen

Something I keep hearing, over and over: “My vote doesn’t matter!”

It’s either that or another similar message, like, They’re all bought and paid for anyway, or One person can’t change things, or even I’m too busy.

Nonsense! I’m writing today to tell you not only that change is possible, not only that you have the power to help, but exactly how you can do this.

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Gaza War Update

This is a simple account of what’s happening from as unbiased a perspective as we can manage. To see our biases, scroll to the bottom.

Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

Starting before dawn on 07 October 2023, militant forces led by Hamas invaded towns and villages in southern Israel, slaughtering civilians and abducting women, children, and foreigners as hostages. Paraglider troops deliberately targeted a music festival, at which location alone they killed, raped, and captured hundreds. They then returned to the Gaza Strip and celebrated it as a major victory.

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TwiX: The Experiment IV

(If you’re new to the Great TwiX Experiment, click here for Week 1.)

I’ve been on vacation for a couple of weeks, and these reports have lagged to the point where they’re no longer even close to weekly. I’d thought I could keep up with them easily, but life intervened, and I left my data behind at home.

So here instead we have an interim bulletin, complete with…
NEWS FLASH! Elon Musk now pays me to TwiX!

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The Blue Check Experiment: Week 3

(This article is Part 3 of a series. For the first installment, click here.)

Hello, loyal readers, and welcome to Week Three of the Great Blue Check Experiment! In case you’re new here, I’m your host, @gnerphk on TwiX and J. Millard Simpson on any site that publishes my fiction. I’m coming to you today thanks to the wonders of caffeine overdose, having only just met a 4000-word short deadline that may or may not sell. Don’t blame me if the letters shake; blame the stimulants.

As you may recall, in the first article I discussed getting story clicks; in the second, the effects of being classed as “potentially abusive content”. Today I’d like to talk a bit more about the revised System, time-and-effort efficiency, and clickthrough rates.

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AirB&Bs and the Housing Market

This image is from a Twitter… uh, X-Twi… a TwiX post by one Amy Nixon, @texasrunnerDFW. (It’s not the property of TNFN; the laws appear unclear on who exactly owns it. But if Amy objects, we’ll take it down as a matter of simple courtesy.) It shows a startling disparity in Austin, Texas between homes available for sale and AirB&Bs for rent: 3329 homes for sale, 12,127 AriB&Bs for rent.

You’d think this means people should sell the AirB&Bs or something, and that they’re either greedy or stupid.

But after a little research and analysis, this just tells me that Austin needs more houses. Which it won’t get.

No, don’t hate me yet. Read first.

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The Blue Check Experiment: Week 2

(This article is Part 2 of a series. For the first installment, click here.)

Hello, sports fans, and welcome to Week Two of the Great Blue Check Experiment! I’m your host, @gnerphk on Twitter and J. Millard Simpson on any site that publishes my fiction. We’re speaking to you today from the bottom of a well. It’s dry, so I won’t drown, but the walls are stone and there appears to be no way out, which makes things awkward.

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It’s Ivermectin. Again.

People are on the news talking about an FDA authorization for Ivermectin use in treating COVID. It’s not true. They’re lying to you, perhaps coincidentally right after a minor pharma company just released their new formulation of Ivermectin. It’s pine scented now or something. And their stock price just went through the roof.

Follow the money, people! Do you think nobody in Congress just made a killing? Scurrilous rumor implicates Senator Ron Johnson, but I happen to believe he’s just an ignorant patsy who’s being used by someone close to him. Which isn’t any better for the country, but it’s less immoral.

Want to know more? Keep reading. Because Ivermectin really is a wonder drug, and it might possibly be used to treat viruses – especially in the new pine scent variety.

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