Key takeaway: Things are still not as they should be, but the trend is good. Both parts of that are important.

(Thanos, and real-life politicians like him, should know about #2.)

Originally shared by Kam-Yung Soh

Bill Gates like the website. You should too. “One of my favorite websites is OurWorldInData.org. Based at the University of Oxford, it uses statistics—on everything from health and population growth to war, the environment, and energy—to give you phenomenal insight into how living conditions are changing around the world. I asked its founder, Oxford economist Max Roser, to share three facts from the site that everyone should know. Here’s what Max had to say. – Bill Gates

[Max Roser] In the past few years, it has become easy to find many of the important statistics on global development with a quick online search. And since it is now so easy to find the information you need, many argue that it doesn’t make sense to actually remember these statistics. ‘Just look them up when you need them!’ they say.

I disagree with this. Yes, for some details, it makes sense to just search for them when you need them. But for the large global developments, it is important to know some basic statistics that describe living conditions currently and the direction of change that we have seen over the past few decades. Knowing the facts on global changes gives you the context for the daily news and allows you to make sense of new information that you learn. And it must be the basis for political debate, so that we can discuss what we should and shouldn’t do as a society.

And so I compiled a short list of three facts about global living conditions that I want to remember. Each of them describes the current situation and the direction of change.”

Science is a thing we need more of, especially in public policy.

Originally shared by Kam-Yung Soh

“Housing, IVF treatment, species monitoring, special needs education and road safety policies are just a few of the life-defining issues where affected communities struggle repeatedly to get decision-makers to pay attention to the evidence. These groups often run ahead of government in engaging expertise, self-educating and gathering data so decisions can be reasoned on the facts. For example, by demonstrating the effects of “mini-Holland” street schemes, the London Cycling Campaign has rebuffed claims they cause gridlock. The beekeepers of Somerset have engaged Exeter University to monitor hornet invasions and build a databank.

We are not living in a “post-truth” society. We only need to look around at the many people and groups from all walks of life who are investigating claims and marshalling evidence to work out the nature of problems and how to tackle them. They expect parliament to be doing the same.

That is why the first “evidence week” in the UK parliament, opening on Monday, is not some esoteric conversation between analysts and MPs but a national victory. Community groups from all over the UK will share personal stories of why evidence matters to them and others like them. A gym instructor is raising the absence of standards in claims about supplements; Aberdeen Multicultural Centre thinks evidence on climate change has cut through its community’s differences; Men’s Shed in Sheffield is asking for better knowledge about loneliness in older men.

They are calling for parliament to make good use of evidence and expertise to shape regulations and to test them in the light of new information.”

The kids seem to be taking the right message from the principal’s actions: they’re resisting him and exposing his high-handed interference.

On another topic, the ads I’m seeing on BoingBoing are disturbing. “This beauty was born to make you happy!” No, I’m sure she has her own reason to exist and her own thing going on. After all, she is a person.

Originally shared by Boing Boing

Texas high-school principal fires award-winning, nationally famous journalism teacher to rein in critical student newspaper reporting

And why politicians pass legislation close to major sporting events and long weekends?

Originally shared by Walter Roberson

What does an “impartial” version of the news even look like? And will people want it?

Originally shared by Singularity Hub

This Startup Is Training AI to Gobble Up the News and Rewrite It Free of Bias https://suhub.co/2ENNkEJ

Originally shared by Deborah Teramis Christian

Ross Cohen on Quora wrote this most excellent (and thorough) summary of the evidence of Russian election hacking. If all the news in bits and pieces has blurred into an incoherent mass in your brain, this puts things in sharp (and damning) focus.

As someone who values becoming right over proving that I was right, and who doesn’t identify strongly with labels or tribes, this makes some sense to me: most people aren’t like that.

Originally shared by Neuroscience News

How Political Parties Influence Our Belief, and What We Can Do About It

Psychologists suggest that valuing our identity more than our accuracy is what leads us to accept incorrect information that aligns with our political party’s beliefs. This value discrepancy, they say, can explain why high-quality news sources are no longer enough–and understanding it can help us find better strategies to bridge the political divide.

The research is in Trends in Cognitive Sciences. (full open access)

A tool to identify tools.

Originally shared by ****

Find out If You Are Arguing with a Bot on Twitter with Make Adverbs Great Again

This is deeply disturbing. Turns out that giving people more of what they like does not lead to a high-quality outcome.

And in line with my commitment not to merely amplify helpless outrage: this makes me more mindful of my choices online. I need to bear in mind that I’m training algorithms all the time.

When a group is only listening to itself, that’s a problem.

Via Walter Roberson.

Originally shared by Toronto Star

“They’re playing with different facts, and they think they have the inside scoop on conspiracies,” researcher says.