Writing and links.
Mostly links.
Photo by James Fryer
Today I realized my mother may think the pictures I take on family vacations are supposed to be like a family album. She does not understand that I take photos on vacation because I like to take photos and has nothing to do with family.
Today I was notified by YouTube that they were removing one of my podcast episodes for being in breach of their "Community Guidelines". Their email is below, followed by my response.
Hi James Fryer,
It looks like an external link you included in Episode #54: Interview with Judy Schwiebert and Jeanne Casteen didn't follow Community Guidelines. To help keep our community safe, we removed your content from YouTube.
External link: https://judyschwiebert.com/
-link- REVIEW AND TAKE ACTION -link-
What we found
We think your content didn't follow our harmful and dangerous policy.
External links that go to sites that contain spam, scams, or other deceptive practices aren't allowed on YouTube. Read policy
How this impacts you
This is just a warning. Because this is your first time, you can still upload, post, and live stream. However, we removed your content from YouTube.
What to do next
Review your content and the policy. After your review, you can appeal if you think we got it wrong, and you can take an optional training to remove the warning. Learn about your resolution options.
How we find violations
We use a combination of automated systems and human reviews to detect violations of our Community Guidelines.
Thanks,
The YouTube Team
My response:
Hi, thank you for bringing the spam site to my attention. When I posted the link, the website was under different ownership, but it is now clearly a spam site.
I have removed the link.
As you know, abandoned domains get harvested and reused by bad actors all the time, giving our channel a warning seems like an over-reaction on YouTube's part. A simple notification would have been sufficient.
I do appreciate YouTube bringing this to my attention, but it is unrealistic for YouTube to think creators can monitor the status of every link ever posted.
UPATE: Sometime later YouTube/YT Music made the episode available again, BUT WITHOUT MY EDIT! They reinserted the offending link. I have no idea what is going on over there in Google Land, I wonder if they have any idea?
Nationalism is a bat used to beat to death anyone not in your tribe. Patriotism is a set of ideas used to protect anyone who is on your tribe or wants to join your tribe.
They might as well try to force Google to sell the two o's from its name.
Is Chrome Even a Sellable Asset? - Daring Fireball
John Gruber's synopsis of the DOJ's remedy to Google's monopolistic practices.
The LoungeWorkSpace is an innovative office chair designed to enhance comfort and productivity for people working from home. - Kickstarter
Painting by Sebas Velasco
Sebas Velasco's Dreamy Oil Paintings Illuminate Cinematic Urban Landscapes - Colossal
I dislike his style but recognize him as a genuine master. He has an exceptional grasp of his medium and the ability to subtly weave emotion into what otherwise appear to be banal scenes.
My dislike is purely subjective and doesn't take anything away from his brilliance. His painting style is reminiscent of JPEG artifacting. An effect that occurs in digital images that have been over compressed. He uses it to craft an amazing impressionistic like style, but I've been too sensitized to its negative connotations.
Painting by Marc Padeu
Drawing on Religious Renaissance Art, Marc Padeu's Paintings Monumentalize the Quotidian - Colossal
Uncanny technique and emotional impact.
Photo by Heather Rios
Delight in Heather Rios's Delectable Cakes Made from Polymer Clay and Embroidery - Colossal
It's all fake and 100% bat shit crazy.
Sculpture by Shiyoan Xu Photo by Guy Nichol
Biological Cells and Chinese Ceramic Traditions Coalesce in Shiyuan Xu's Porcelain Sculptures - Colossal
The TikTok ban is based on a legal concept that foreign countries should not be allowed to collect the data of American citizens.
What data are they talking about? How much of that data can they collect? Is there any data they can collect?
What data is TikTok collecting? It seems to be collecting data on what short form videos Americans like. That represents, the court argues, a national security concern. How? Has TikTok demonstrated that they have used this data to harm America's security? The government did not put forth any examples.
Can Chinese companies collect any 'data' of Americans? And what makes it 'sensitive'? When I place an order an AliExpress, does that constitute sensitive data that they should be blocked from collecting? What about my shipping address, is that too sensitive for a Chinese company to have?
The USA should protect its citizens and itself from foreign adversaries, but is TikTok an adversary, or just another ad platform masquerading as 'Social Media'?
What I have seen, having used the app for about an hour everyday for a few years now, is that TikTok's most desperate and fervent goal is to... sell me stuff. I have seen, and creators regularly comment on, how TikTok really leans into trying to sell me stuff from the TikTok Shop. If there is one heavy handed program that TikTok is engaged in, it's trying to sell me stuff on the TikTok Shop. Yes, I am being repetitive. I do that to try and convey just how much TikTok wants me to... buy stuff from the TikTok shop. It's like the only reason for TikTok to exist at all is to make money or something. How un-American.
One of the most common complaints from creators is that posts that link to a product on the TikTok shop are heavily boosted by the algorithm. If there is no link to a product, the creators say, your post will wither on the vine.
Doesn't the USA regularly mock China for being too thin skinned to allow ANY American internet platforms? And yet, here we are banning the only one that seems to be out-innovating our homegrown platforms.
Who really benefits from this ban? Do Americans who found a place to voice their opinions on TikTok benefit? No. Do large, entrenched American internet platforms benefit? Well, yes. In going through my list of followed accounts on TikTok, I find the number one other platform where these creators can be found is YouTube. An American platform that has wained in relevance as TikTok ascended. There is no conspiratorial claims here, just the awareness of the deafening silence from another video platform that maybe should be a little wary of a government that is gleefully blocking a similar platform.