Weekend link dump for December 29

It’s the end of the year as we know it…

Porn filters are ineffective, blocking things they shouldn’t, not blocking things they should, and generally annoying everyone. As someone who was alive and using the Internet in the 90s, I could have told you that.

Death of blogging predicted. Film at 11.

“Under the norm of objectivity that dominates mainstream political journalism in the United States, reporters are supposed to avoid endorsing competing political viewpoints or proposals. In practice, however, journalists often treat centrist policy priorities—especially on fiscal policy—as value-neutral. That’s wrong.”

There’s more than one “Washington, DC”.

“The greatest trick austerians ever pulled was convincing people that it was stimulus that had failed.”

More pardons, please.

This Settlers of Cataan cookbook wins the award for the geekiest thing I saw in 2013.

“I tend to take the stance that Libertarianism is like Leninism: a fascinating, internally consistent political theory with some good underlying points that, regrettably, makes prescriptions about how to run human society that can only work if we replace real messy human beings with frictionless spherical humanoids of uniform density”.

The top pro-choice heroes of 2013.

McDonald’s menu tips, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Long term unemployment is a national disaster. Sure would be nice if we did something about it.

The Twelve Days of Buzzfeed Christmas.

The history of the WPIX Yule Log, also known as the most famous animated GIF ever.

What the Left Behind books have to do with the Target data breach.

RIP, Mikhail Kalashnikov, inventor of the AK47. He appears to have died of natural causes.

Alan Turing gets a posthumous pardon. A brilliant mind and one of the biggest contributors to the Allied effort against the Axis in WWII, he was hounded into committing suicide 60 years ago because he was gay. When you think about all that’s happened just this week, it’s unreal.

How the media would have covered the birth of Jesus if the media as we know had existed back then.

The year in media corrections and other related matters.

And the year in media failures.

Since it’s likely no more a matter of “if” but “when”, we ought to talk about the best way to legalize cannabis while we still can.

RIP, Paul Blair, outstanding centerfielder for the Orioles and Yankees.

Independents’ views on man-made climate change change with the weather. On hotter days, Independents become much, much more likely to claim they believe in man-made climate change”

The rise of solar energy is making utilities nervous, and a bit belligerent.

Dan Savage reads Sarah Palin’s book. You can probably guess what happens next.

Of course A&E unsuspended Phil Robertson. What did you expect? Somewhere, Martin Bashir is kicking himself.

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