Darren Chartier
@darrenchartier.ca
Dad, partner, and technology pragmatist - Living life and helping people build and use software on the internet. Opinions are my own obviously.
Reposted by Darren Chartier
What real "cancel culture" looks like: bad faith pressure from camps who publicly proclaim principles of free speech. Gilmore recorded the phone call during which she was canceled. She handles it with poise. Give it a listen. Facts and truth matter, but not to CTV, apparently.
"CTV Cancelled a Fact-Checking Segment in Response to Political Pressure." It was mine.
YouTube video by Rachel Gilmore
youtu.be
April 2, 2025 at 1:42 PM
What real "cancel culture" looks like: bad faith pressure from camps who publicly proclaim principles of free speech. Gilmore recorded the phone call during which she was canceled. She handles it with poise. Give it a listen. Facts and truth matter, but not to CTV, apparently.
Reposted by Darren Chartier
So, the DOGE kids intend to rewrite the social-security administration's COBOL code-base!
and they want to do it ...
... in *a few months*
I did a huge dive into COBOL a few years ago (www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/magazi...) ...
... so let me explain why DOGE is *way* over its skis here
1/9
and they want to do it ...
... in *a few months*
I did a huge dive into COBOL a few years ago (www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/magazi...) ...
... so let me explain why DOGE is *way* over its skis here
1/9
browse by category
www.wealthsimple.com
March 30, 2025 at 6:41 PM
So, the DOGE kids intend to rewrite the social-security administration's COBOL code-base!
and they want to do it ...
... in *a few months*
I did a huge dive into COBOL a few years ago (www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/magazi...) ...
... so let me explain why DOGE is *way* over its skis here
1/9
and they want to do it ...
... in *a few months*
I did a huge dive into COBOL a few years ago (www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/magazi...) ...
... so let me explain why DOGE is *way* over its skis here
1/9
Reposted by Darren Chartier
I also dislike these references that state Trump is doing this. As though the senate and house are somehow powerless to stop it.
For now America is choosing to do this. Let that sink in. This is not simply the acts of a madman, this is an entire political establishment working in concert.
For now America is choosing to do this. Let that sink in. This is not simply the acts of a madman, this is an entire political establishment working in concert.
Either America wants:
A) to destroy/absorb Canada
B) to disconnect America from trade partners (or mercantilism)
C) Believes tariffs make create revenue
D) Doesn’t know what it wants.
“A” is existential while B-D are dangerous.
But there ain’t anything to negotiate.
A) to destroy/absorb Canada
B) to disconnect America from trade partners (or mercantilism)
C) Believes tariffs make create revenue
D) Doesn’t know what it wants.
“A” is existential while B-D are dangerous.
But there ain’t anything to negotiate.
March 4, 2025 at 11:25 AM
I also dislike these references that state Trump is doing this. As though the senate and house are somehow powerless to stop it.
For now America is choosing to do this. Let that sink in. This is not simply the acts of a madman, this is an entire political establishment working in concert.
For now America is choosing to do this. Let that sink in. This is not simply the acts of a madman, this is an entire political establishment working in concert.
Reposted by Darren Chartier
old Soviet joke for our times:
Guy stops by the newsstand every day, scans the front page, doesn’t buy the paper. One day the vendor asks what he’s up to.
Guy says: “looking for an obituary.”
Vendor says “those are towards the back of the paper, comrade.”
Guy says: “not the one I’m looking for.”
Guy stops by the newsstand every day, scans the front page, doesn’t buy the paper. One day the vendor asks what he’s up to.
Guy says: “looking for an obituary.”
Vendor says “those are towards the back of the paper, comrade.”
Guy says: “not the one I’m looking for.”
March 3, 2025 at 12:54 AM
old Soviet joke for our times:
Guy stops by the newsstand every day, scans the front page, doesn’t buy the paper. One day the vendor asks what he’s up to.
Guy says: “looking for an obituary.”
Vendor says “those are towards the back of the paper, comrade.”
Guy says: “not the one I’m looking for.”
Guy stops by the newsstand every day, scans the front page, doesn’t buy the paper. One day the vendor asks what he’s up to.
Guy says: “looking for an obituary.”
Vendor says “those are towards the back of the paper, comrade.”
Guy says: “not the one I’m looking for.”
Reposted by Darren Chartier
Francis Fukuyama had a piece in the Yomiuri Shimbun last week - in English below - that should probably be getting a little more attention? If Japan's leading conservative paper is putting this out to audiences, I think a quieter shift may be happening than people think.
A Lawless President Seeks to Centralize His Power
<p>Prior to last November’s election, there was public discussion of whether Trump was a fascist. I thought at the time that this charge was exaggerated; there’s no clear definition of fascism, and co...
japannews.yomiuri.co.jp
February 26, 2025 at 5:46 AM
Francis Fukuyama had a piece in the Yomiuri Shimbun last week - in English below - that should probably be getting a little more attention? If Japan's leading conservative paper is putting this out to audiences, I think a quieter shift may be happening than people think.
Reposted by Darren Chartier
Thinking about the demand for 5% of GDP going to national defence spending by NATO partners from the new would-be king of the world.
For Canada, that's $150B.
Total federal spending (incl debt payments)is now ~$500B.
The proposal is to make defense spending bigger than any other single line item
For Canada, that's $150B.
Total federal spending (incl debt payments)is now ~$500B.
The proposal is to make defense spending bigger than any other single line item
January 23, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Thinking about the demand for 5% of GDP going to national defence spending by NATO partners from the new would-be king of the world.
For Canada, that's $150B.
Total federal spending (incl debt payments)is now ~$500B.
The proposal is to make defense spending bigger than any other single line item
For Canada, that's $150B.
Total federal spending (incl debt payments)is now ~$500B.
The proposal is to make defense spending bigger than any other single line item
Reposted by Darren Chartier
🧵
My theory about this is that there are a lot of billionaire tech entrepreneurs who were first movers (which, yes, here’s your pat on the back) just by throwing shit against the wall if they had any tech skills at all and a little bit of timing and luck
It remains astounding to me, as someone who had a few small interactions with Marc, how much a little criticism directed at him turned him into such a baby.
Like literally none of what he says here is accurate.
Like literally none of what he says here is accurate.
January 16, 2025 at 12:56 AM
🧵
Reposted by Darren Chartier
There’s no such thing as working productively with MAGA nihilists like Elon, Vivek and RFK, Jr. They want to bring down our Republic. Don’t normalize them by pointing out a few of their good ideas.
You can’t play nice with the leopards. Let them into your house and they will eat your face.
You can’t play nice with the leopards. Let them into your house and they will eat your face.
December 6, 2024 at 11:47 AM
There’s no such thing as working productively with MAGA nihilists like Elon, Vivek and RFK, Jr. They want to bring down our Republic. Don’t normalize them by pointing out a few of their good ideas.
You can’t play nice with the leopards. Let them into your house and they will eat your face.
You can’t play nice with the leopards. Let them into your house and they will eat your face.
Reposted by Darren Chartier
Strawman argument: It can be, and is, both.
One of the most important debates in tech right now is the group of folks who think AI is fake and sucks vs. the people who think AI is real and dangerous. I wrote about why I'm in the latter camp, and talked about my differences with Gary Marcus www.platformer.news/ai-skeptics-...
December 6, 2024 at 12:18 PM
Strawman argument: It can be, and is, both.
For anyone else who was away from their computers for a few hours and is going WTF Korea? Great live thread which gives some context of what happened (little on why, but I suspect it'll boil down to fascists gonna fascist)
According to Korean constitutional law, if martial law is declared in a state of non-war, the National Assembly can vote to make the president stand it down. The National Assembly is gathering now.
We are just now getting footage of inside the National Assembly.
We are just now getting footage of inside the National Assembly.
December 4, 2024 at 1:15 AM
For anyone else who was away from their computers for a few hours and is going WTF Korea? Great live thread which gives some context of what happened (little on why, but I suspect it'll boil down to fascists gonna fascist)
@googlecanada.bsky.social Dear google people - please bring the Fitbit ACE LTE to Canada - sincerely a parent who doesn't want to try and setup an apple watch for his 9 year old
November 29, 2024 at 3:29 PM
@googlecanada.bsky.social Dear google people - please bring the Fitbit ACE LTE to Canada - sincerely a parent who doesn't want to try and setup an apple watch for his 9 year old
Reposted by Darren Chartier
I think the wrong questions r being asked about the proposed tariffs. The real question Is how little will he accept from Mexico , Canada and China in order to be able to say the threat of tariffs worked ?
November 27, 2024 at 3:41 AM
I think the wrong questions r being asked about the proposed tariffs. The real question Is how little will he accept from Mexico , Canada and China in order to be able to say the threat of tariffs worked ?
Dear "Only Posts" feed - where have you been all my life? Seriously, I love all y'alls reposts too but sometimes I just want to see what you're actually up to.
November 25, 2024 at 2:52 PM
Dear "Only Posts" feed - where have you been all my life? Seriously, I love all y'alls reposts too but sometimes I just want to see what you're actually up to.
I didn't have the patience to manually verify each one of the 200+ people found via the bluesky/twitter bridge app, so if I've followed you and you're not someone who knows/cares who I am, and you're not someone famous (or nerd famous), it's a happy accident. Nice to meet you :)
November 18, 2024 at 11:21 PM
I didn't have the patience to manually verify each one of the 200+ people found via the bluesky/twitter bridge app, so if I've followed you and you're not someone who knows/cares who I am, and you're not someone famous (or nerd famous), it's a happy accident. Nice to meet you :)