Alexander Bell
@alexanderbell.info
Front-end web developer from Southern California with an interest in politics, crafts, science, climate, and just, like, being a good person
Reposted by Alexander Bell
Phreeli founder Nick Merrill “is somebody who is extremely principled and willing to take a stand for his principles,” EFF’s Cindy Cohn told @wired.com. “He's careful and thoughtful, but also, at a certain level, kind of fearless.”
A New Anonymous Phone Carrier Lets You Sign Up With Nothing but a Zip Code
Privacy stalwart Nicholas Merrill spent a decade fighting an FBI surveillance order. Now he wants to sell you phone service—without knowing almost anything about you.
www.wired.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Phreeli founder Nick Merrill “is somebody who is extremely principled and willing to take a stand for his principles,” EFF’s Cindy Cohn told @wired.com. “He's careful and thoughtful, but also, at a certain level, kind of fearless.”
If the Federal Minimum Wage had kept up with median home prices, it would be a lot higher. For 1980 parity, it would need to be $20.30. For 1970, $25.89. 1960? A whopping $35.12. And for 1940–1950 equivalence, it would need to be a staggering $42.52 per hour. It’s currently $7.25.
December 4, 2025 at 12:40 AM
If the Federal Minimum Wage had kept up with median home prices, it would be a lot higher. For 1980 parity, it would need to be $20.30. For 1970, $25.89. 1960? A whopping $35.12. And for 1940–1950 equivalence, it would need to be a staggering $42.52 per hour. It’s currently $7.25.
Old English used to have separate #words for “paternal uncle” (fædera) and “maternal uncle” (ēam), with the word “uncle” having come to us from #French “oncle” via #Latin “avunculus” and having completely displaced the native #English words. #etymology
November 25, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Old English used to have separate #words for “paternal uncle” (fædera) and “maternal uncle” (ēam), with the word “uncle” having come to us from #French “oncle” via #Latin “avunculus” and having completely displaced the native #English words. #etymology
You mean to tell me the guy that’s been credibly accused of rape and sexual assault, bragged about being best friends with a sex trafficker, and wrote lewd birthday cards to a sex trafficker about sex trafficking KNEW the sex trafficker was trafficking?
November 18, 2025 at 11:29 PM
You mean to tell me the guy that’s been credibly accused of rape and sexual assault, bragged about being best friends with a sex trafficker, and wrote lewd birthday cards to a sex trafficker about sex trafficking KNEW the sex trafficker was trafficking?
So #Apple is rolling out digital IDs that can include drivers licenses and passports. Any experts out there know what sort of #security or #privacy issues this could create?
What to know about Apple's new Digital ID program
Apple launches Digital ID for passengers with iPhones and watches to be used while going through TSA on domestic flights.
www.usatoday.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Alexander Bell
One person killed.
Every single minute.
We’re approaching 1.5C.
Try & imagine the 2, 3, 4C+ world rumbling towards our children.
Every single minute.
We’re approaching 1.5C.
Try & imagine the 2, 3, 4C+ world rumbling towards our children.
Rising heat kills one person a minute worldwide, major report reveals
Biggest analysis of its kind finds millions are dying each year because of failure to tackle climate crisis
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM
One person killed.
Every single minute.
We’re approaching 1.5C.
Try & imagine the 2, 3, 4C+ world rumbling towards our children.
Every single minute.
We’re approaching 1.5C.
Try & imagine the 2, 3, 4C+ world rumbling towards our children.
This is going to lead to a huge loss for the country.
Critics say the move to axe Bill Clinton’s "roadless rule" that protected key old-growth forests will be devastating to the environment.
Outcry as Trump plots more roads and logging in US forests: ‘You can almost hear the chainsaws’
www.theguardian.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:37 PM
This is going to lead to a huge loss for the country.
Reposted by Alexander Bell
Learn how ICE is getting data from our phones, license plates, even tax data, and why we have to work together to protect our communities, from @kqednews.kqed.org and EFF's @cooperq.com:
www.kqed.org/news/120556...
www.kqed.org/news/120556...
How ICE Is Using Your Data — and What You Can Do About It | KQED
ICE’s reach may get even wider due to a new partnership with a spyware company. But there have always been tools at the immigration agency’s disposal. KQED speaks to privacy advocates on what people should know about ICE’s access to their personal data.
www.kqed.org
September 17, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Learn how ICE is getting data from our phones, license plates, even tax data, and why we have to work together to protect our communities, from @kqednews.kqed.org and EFF's @cooperq.com:
www.kqed.org/news/120556...
www.kqed.org/news/120556...
I thought MAGA hated cancel culture. If so, why are they celebrating Jimmy Kimmel getting cancelled over something he said? Seems pretty hypocritical to me…
September 18, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I thought MAGA hated cancel culture. If so, why are they celebrating Jimmy Kimmel getting cancelled over something he said? Seems pretty hypocritical to me…
I’m watching a presentation by the ad department for a smart TV company, and they literally used a clip from Minority Report as an example of where they’d like to take advertising.
September 16, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I’m watching a presentation by the ad department for a smart TV company, and they literally used a clip from Minority Report as an example of where they’d like to take advertising.
Today, the president of the United States said that he “couldn’t care less” about fixing the country’s division, and that “radicals on the right” (who have committed 100% of recent political assassinations, btw) are fine, but “radicals on the left” are the problem.
youtu.be/IMabZ8an66E?...
youtu.be/IMabZ8an66E?...
'We have him': Trump says suspected Charlie Kirk assassin is in custody
YouTube video by Fox News
youtu.be
September 12, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Today, the president of the United States said that he “couldn’t care less” about fixing the country’s division, and that “radicals on the right” (who have committed 100% of recent political assassinations, btw) are fine, but “radicals on the left” are the problem.
youtu.be/IMabZ8an66E?...
youtu.be/IMabZ8an66E?...
Wow, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was just killed in a shooting at Utah Valley University
September 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Wow, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was just killed in a shooting at Utah Valley University
Contrary to what you might hear on Fox News or from the White House, a new study found that out of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., Los Angeles is the 2nd safest!
America’s Safest Cities – 2025 Study
SmartAsset ranked 50 of the largest U.S. cities to determine the safest based on violent crime, property crime, vehicular deaths, drug
smartasset.com
September 7, 2025 at 5:19 AM
Contrary to what you might hear on Fox News or from the White House, a new study found that out of the 50 largest cities in the U.S., Los Angeles is the 2nd safest!
I really wish people understood that living in a society means that you must consider other people in the society and not just yourself
September 6, 2025 at 3:21 AM
I really wish people understood that living in a society means that you must consider other people in the society and not just yourself
It only takes 15% more time to get from my home to a major theme park via bicycle than it does via public transit. We’ve gotta do better!
September 3, 2025 at 9:16 PM
It only takes 15% more time to get from my home to a major theme park via bicycle than it does via public transit. We’ve gotta do better!
Key takeaways:
Google avoids the most severe penalty - no forced Chrome divestiture
Exclusive contracts (like the lucrative Apple default search deal) are now banned
Google must share search data with competitors
The company can still make payments for product placement, just not exclusively
Google avoids the most severe penalty - no forced Chrome divestiture
Exclusive contracts (like the lucrative Apple default search deal) are now banned
Google must share search data with competitors
The company can still make payments for product placement, just not exclusively
Google avoids break up, but has to give up exclusive search deals in antitrust trial | TechCrunch
U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta outlined remedies on Tuesday that would bar Google from entering or maintaining exclusive deals that tie the distribution of Search, Chrome, Google Assistant, o...
techcrunch.com
September 2, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Key takeaways:
Google avoids the most severe penalty - no forced Chrome divestiture
Exclusive contracts (like the lucrative Apple default search deal) are now banned
Google must share search data with competitors
The company can still make payments for product placement, just not exclusively
Google avoids the most severe penalty - no forced Chrome divestiture
Exclusive contracts (like the lucrative Apple default search deal) are now banned
Google must share search data with competitors
The company can still make payments for product placement, just not exclusively
The Meaning of Labor Day Photographed: This photo was taken of miners at the end of their shift during the Gilded Age before they were unionized.
This #LaborDay remember the blood, sweat, and tears that those before us paid to give the working class the basic rights we enjoy today.
This #LaborDay remember the blood, sweat, and tears that those before us paid to give the working class the basic rights we enjoy today.
September 1, 2025 at 10:16 PM
The Meaning of Labor Day Photographed: This photo was taken of miners at the end of their shift during the Gilded Age before they were unionized.
This #LaborDay remember the blood, sweat, and tears that those before us paid to give the working class the basic rights we enjoy today.
This #LaborDay remember the blood, sweat, and tears that those before us paid to give the working class the basic rights we enjoy today.
Reposted by Alexander Bell
Induction stoves are quieter, cooler, and produce less toxic pollution than gas. On the other hand, they also cook better, as a growing number of professional chefs recognize.
With Induction Stoves, Chefs Discover a Foolproof Path to Perfection
From Michelin kitchens to home wok burners, induction delivers consistency that gas can’t match.
www.bloomberg.com
August 30, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Induction stoves are quieter, cooler, and produce less toxic pollution than gas. On the other hand, they also cook better, as a growing number of professional chefs recognize.
August 26, 2025 at 7:35 PM
August 21, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Reposted by Alexander Bell
Washington DC, America’s bluest city, is building more homes per capita than Houston—not with bottom-up zoning reform but with top-down government action:
washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/14/c...
washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/14/c...
To Create Abundant Housing, Ignore the YIMBY Playbook | Washington Monthly
In the last 5 years, Washington DC experienced a housing boom. It took a lot more than passive deregulation.
washingtonmonthly.com
August 14, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Washington DC, America’s bluest city, is building more homes per capita than Houston—not with bottom-up zoning reform but with top-down government action:
washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/14/c...
washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/14/c...
August 12, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Summer hasn't arrived along coastal California this year. From the Bay Area to parts of Southern California millions have experienced the coolest June 1-August 1 period on record since at least 1979.
#california #summer #weather #sanfrancisco #bayarea #centralcoast #socal
#california #summer #weather #sanfrancisco #bayarea #centralcoast #socal
August 6, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Summer hasn't arrived along coastal California this year. From the Bay Area to parts of Southern California millions have experienced the coolest June 1-August 1 period on record since at least 1979.
#california #summer #weather #sanfrancisco #bayarea #centralcoast #socal
#california #summer #weather #sanfrancisco #bayarea #centralcoast #socal