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homestarcodex · 5 years

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Today in Someone Is Wrong on the Internet:

A computer program that can generate convincing images, or another that can understand human speech and generate it, might not seem world-shaking. But as these “counterfeiters” steadily improve, the implications are immense. GANs can produce photorealistic images and videos of nonexistent people.... Many of the images you see on the internet will be of people who literally do not exist.

Also known as "art."

It’s possible that fashion designers will soon get their “perfect model”—a woman with body proportions that would make it physically impossible to stand upright or even stay alive, like the original Barbie doll. They won’t need photo-editing tricks, and they won’t need to force young women to starve themselves. (Though undoubtedly the literally impossible “beauty” of the resulting images will lead to plenty more instances of eating disorders.)

"Some of the art this new technology could be used to make would be art that I disapprove of! We should be very alarmed about this! The fact that I am specifically alarmed about art made with this new technology has nothing to do with its newness; that people similar to me were needlessly alarmed about similar art made with older technologies, back when those technologies were new, is 100% coincidental and irrelevant, because this time is different!"

If you think “fake news” is a problem now, just wait. When an image can be generated of literally anyone doing literally anything with perfect realism, truth is going to get a whole lot slipperier. The videos will soon catch up to the images, too. Already, it’s possible to make a moderately convincing clip that puts words in Barack Obama’s mouth.

Scientific American warned us about this in 1994, and nothing has ever been the same since ...

More worrying is what the U.S. military and police forces could do with it themselves. It didn’t take much deception to manipulate the country into supporting the invasion of Iraq. Fake intelligence is going to become a whole lot more difficult to disprove.

AI-generated images and videos are not just going to cast doubt on reporting, but will pose a major challenge for the legal system.... In this dizzying world of forgery and illusion, how is anyone going to know what to believe? So-called “deepfake” videos will make Donald Trump’s claims of “fake news” that much more plausible and difficult to counter.

I guess we’ll have to start accounting for the possibility that people lie sometimes?

Imagine how tomorrow’s technology could have worked in 2016. Two days before the election, a video appears, showing Hillary Clinton muttering “I can’t believe Wisconsin voters are so stupid,” supposedly caught on a “hot mike” at a rally in Eau Claire. It circulates on Facebook through the usual rightwing channels. Clinton says she never said it, and she didn’t. It doesn’t matter. It’s impossible to tell it’s fake. The fact-checkers look into it, and find that there never was an event in Eau Claire, and that Clinton had never even been to Wisconsin. It doesn’t matter. By that time, the video is at 10 million shares. The “Wisconsin can’t believe you’re so stupid” shirts are already being printed. Clinton loses, Trump becomes president. Catastrophe.

I beg your pardon, sir, but I suspect you may have wandered into the wrong timeline ...

In fact, it’s already pretty easy to trick someone into thinking they’re talking to a fellow human when they’re not. There are some fun examples of this. Nora Reed created a Christian Twitter bot account that successfully trolled New Atheists, got into arguments with them, and had Christians come to its defense. Here’s an excerpt from a genuine chat between “@christianmom18” and some real live human atheists ...

<snip>

The Christian mom isn’t the only bot to successfully antagonize men on Twitter. Sarah Nyberg developed a social justice feminist bot that would post statements like “feminism is good,” “patriarchy exists,” “Drudge Report fans are toxic and terrible,” “nothing true is ever said in gamergate” and then, in her words, “watch desperate internet assholes rush to yell at them.” Nyberg’s bot didn’t do much to conceal its true nature. It tweeted every ten minutes exactly, the only accounts it followed were bait shops, and its handle was @arguetron. But it was “honey for internet jerks” who would “spend hours and hours yelling at it.” @arguetron would reply to every reply with simple statements like “The data disagrees with you,” “Would you like a medal for being so wrong,” “That’s gibberish, try again,” or “You haven’t said anything i haven’t heard 1000 times before from other people who were also wrong.” Yet one InfoWars fan spent almost 10 hours trying to get the last word on feminism and social justice, with indignant comments like “Typical lib, when u can’t prove something you pretend the other side isn’t making sense.”

Funny, but not new.

For those lonely hearts who have simply been socially atomized and isolated by neoliberal capitalism ...

Ryan Metz, author of the preceding sentence fragment, is apparently an ML engineer for 7QUBES, a company which purports to be ”redefining the future of fintech [financial technology] with AI & blockchain ledger.”

Also, I’m pretty sure lonely hearts existed in significant numbers well prior to the invention of neoliberalism.

By far the most serious and most frightening AI development is in military technology: armed, fully autonomous attack drones that can be deployed in swarms and might ultimately use their own judgment to decide when and whom to kill.

Okay, I agree that this is very scary.

At Current Affairs, we are supposed to at least try to suggest some solutions to the problems we raise. Well, this one’s tricky. The only real solution is to create a society in which people won’t want to do all that spying and assassinating.

Oh, is that all? Hmm ... I don’t see how we could change human nature to the point where no one would ever again be sufficiently motivated to do those things, but I suppose if we had some means of monitoring everyone’s activities, we could identify the subset of people who were at high risk of attempting acts of espionage or assassination, and then take some sort of action to neutralize them. But that would be too labor-intensive, unless we found some means of automating it ...

If we didn’t have a military-industrial complex in which building death robots was profitable, if we didn’t have isolated, angry men who want to rape and kill, if we had an egalitarian society in which people weren’t trying to abuse and exploit each other, then we wouldn’t have anything to fear from the technology itself, because it would help us do good rather than evil.

“If bad things stopped being bad, everything would be non-bad.”

The dystopia is not inevitable.

[citation needed]

#current affairs #AI #fisking

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howellrichard · 4 years

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12 Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands to Add to Your Makeup Bag

Hiya Gorgeous!

Do the labels on your go-to makeup products make you do a double-take? What ARE all of those impossible-to-pronounce ingredients, anyway… and are they safe?

If you’re a makeup lover like me, you might wonder if you’ll ever find healthier alternatives that work just as well as your go-to brands. Because when it comes to makeup, terms like eco-friendly and vegan haven’t always gone hand-in-hand with professional quality. But don’t put your brushes away just yet—beautiful cruelty-free makeup DOES exist, and that’s exactly what we’re talking about today!

As a kid, watching my mom do her makeup was one of my favorite activities.

I’d join her in the bathroom every morning—perched on the toilet, transfixed by each and every brushstroke. She was the glamorous teacher and I was the eager student.

My fascination only grew when I got one of those 70s Barbie styling heads, remember those? She came with her very own makeup palette: bright red, baby blue and pea green (gorg!!). I practiced on her all the time—poor Barbie had her fair share of makeup mishaps. Luckily, she was a very patient customer.

It wasn’t long until I started begging my parents for my first lip gloss, which was a big N-O until I was 13. But you probably know by now how I feel about that no word… So I’d sneak my Barbie palette onto the school bus and do my bold makeup when she wasn’t looking. And let’s just say it was bold enough to garner more than my fair share of sideways stares!

As I evolved over the years, so did my taste in makeup.

My career as a professional actress and dancer motivated me to refine my skills, and I learned a thing or two from the incredibly talented makeup artists I worked with along the way! Today, I feel most like myself with a more natural, toned-down look. And when I’m working from home, running my business and leading my unicorn team from my laptop, I prefer to let my skin breathe and just be me—totally makeup free.

But don’t get me wrong, I still love makeup! It can be a wonderful creative outlet and way to express ourselves. I’ve just learned that I don’t NEED it to feel beautiful or confident, and neither do you!

I’m also a lot more conscious about the cosmetics I do and don’t use.

Since going vegan and better educating myself about my carbon footprint, I pay much closer attention to what goes my makeup, as well as how it’s tested and its impact on the environment. To be honest, sometimes I’m still taken aback by the nasty junk hidden in our personal care products. Not to mention the brands that continue to use animal testing… what?!

I have good news, though—cosmetics don’t have to come at the cost of your conscience! The cruelty-free makeup brands I’m about to share are changing the face of the beauty industry by making kinder products without sacrificing quality.

12 Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands to Add to Your Makeup Bag

1. Thrive Causemetics

Every single product from this fabulous brand is vegan and cruelty-free. But that’s not all, Thrive Causemetics also gives back with every purchase. That’s right—every single product sold results in a donation to support domestic abuse survivors, women fighting cancer, women seeking a path out of homelessness or women veterans. You can learn more about Thrive’s mission here.

In my makeup bag: The Brilliant Eye Brightener and Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara make my peepers shine!

2. Milk Makeup

What can I say? I’m a sucker for cruelty-free with a side of cute branding! But Milk Makeup’s products aren’t just beautiful on the outside—they’re also vegan and cruelty-free. They even have a list of ingredients they promise never to use up on their website!

In my makeup bag: The Kush Fiber Brow Gel is super easy to apply and gives my brows a polished yet natural look. And the Flex Concealer provides comfy (not cakey!) coverage all day long.

3. Mineral Fusion

You might have spotted this EWG Verified brand at Whole Foods or your local health food store, which means you don’t have to make a separate trip to restock on your faves! All of Mineral Fusion’s products are cruelty-free and made in the US, and you can check out a list of vegan options on the FAQ page on their site.

In my makeup bag: I love Mineral Fusion’s vegan nail polish in the shade Tiara— it always makes me feel like a queen!

4. Beautycounter

This cruelty-free makeup brand is raising awareness about something we don’t hear much about—issues with the mica industry. Mica is used in a lot of cosmetics, but it’s often not responsibly sourced (learn more in the informative video here). I love seeing brands use their platforms to educate consumers! Check out Beautycounter’s vegan makeup options here.

In my makeup bag: This Velvet Eyeshadow Palette is full of gorgeous statement shades with fantastic color payoff. And the Sheer Lipstick in the shade Petal is one of my all-time faves!

5. Cover FX

I dig Cover FX for a lot of reasons, but the diverse shade range they offer for foundations is at the top of my list! Many makeup brands exclude folks, especially people of color, by having really limited shade ranges. I support brands like CoverFX because they’re committed to inclusion. Their products don’t come cheap, but it’s worth the investment if you can swing it!

In my makeup bag: The Natural Finish Foundation and pretty much everything else for that matter—did I mention they’re 100 percent vegan and cruelty-free?

6. EcoTools

EcoTools proves that sometimes it IS a good idea to put all your vegan eggs in one basket! They’ve got one mission—making vegan makeup brushes that look, feel and work even better than the alternatives made with animal hair. They also use recycled and renewable materials like bamboo. Even their packaging is made of tree-free paper. EcoTools brushes are also affordable, what more could we ask for?!

In my makeup bag: The Ultimate Shade Duo for my eyes and the 360 Ultimate Blend set for my face!

7. Juice Beauty

This brand lives up to its name by using botanical juice concentrates instead of water as the base for their makeup and skincare. That means their products don’t just look great—they’re also packed with antioxidants and other vitamins, as well as good-for-you phytonutrients and hydroxy acids. Turns out juice is more than just a delicious drink!

In my makeup bag: The Phyto-Pigments Last Looks Cream Blush in the shade Flush is a gloriously smooth pop of color for my cheeks!

And more cruelty-free brands for your makeup bag!

I don’t have them all on hand at once (like I said, my makeup routine is pretty minimalist these days!), but here are some more notable cruelty-free brands that deserve shoutouts!

8. e.l.f Cosmetics makes some of the most affordable vegan and cruelty-free makeup out there. I like their 16-Hour Camo Concealer and the Charcoal Hydrogel Under Eye Masks for a soothing treat!

9. W3ll People’s Hypnotist Eye Pencil is a longtime love of mine (if you’ve been following me for a while, you might remember that it was also featured in my What’s in my Makeup Bag post back in 2017!). It creates the perfect cat eye for date night… meow!

10. Axiology makes cruelty-free, vegan lipstick in knockout shades. I haven’t yet, but I can’t wait to try one of their Sheer Balms!

11. Urban Decay is always expanding their vegan options—their Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluids are incredible!

12. Anastasia Beverly Hills has some great vegan highlighters—I’m a big fan of the Sun Dipped Glow Kit.

Conscious Cosmetics 101

I hope you saw something (or a couple of somethings) that you’re excited to try! You might also be wondering how to find and evaluate your own cruelty-free faves. And lucky for you, that’s what this section is all about! These must-have tips will help you navigate the makeup aisle with ease.

Cruelty-free vs. vegan

Many folks assume that if something is labeled as vegan, it must also be cruelty-free (and vice versa). But these terms each have specific implications and are often used independently. Cruelty-free cosmetics have not been tested on animals, whereas vegan cosmetics don’t contain any animal-derived ingredients. I know it can be confusing, but just being aware of the difference will empower you to make buying decisions that align with your values!

Animal testing

We covered what cruelty-free means, but I want to be crystal clear: animal testing is a hard no in my book, end of story. Many cruelty-free makeup brands are doing just fine testing their products on humans, so as far as I’m concerned, there’s no excuse to keep hurting innocent animals. Some countries still require animal testing before products can be sold, but I prefer to stick with brands that prioritize kindness over profit.

Greenwashing

It’s cool to be eco-friendly these days, right? Many brands really do care about the environment, but some just see green… as in money. Trends like these open up opportunities for brands to capitalize without actually changing their practices.

Watch out for products that use generic terms like “natural” or packaging that gives the appearance of sustainability without any legit certifications or proof to back up their claims. Same goes for brands that claim to be organic—the FDA doesn’t regulate that term for personal care products like it does for food, so you might need to do a little digging. Knowledge is power, toots!

Certifications

We know that labels can be misleading, so what’s the best way to find products you can really trust? Certifications, baby! There are many options out there, such as EWG Verified, NSF Certified, Certified Vegan and Leaping Bunny Certified. You’ll come across a variety of logos and stamps of approval in your cruelty-free makeup search, so I encourage you to do your research and seek out the certifications that resonate with you most.

Please keep in mind that certifications can be cost-prohibitive, especially for new or smaller brands. If you don’t see the certification you’re looking for, consider asking the brand for more info about their practices. Any company worth its salt will be happy to fill you in. And you never know, maybe your feedback will motivate them to pursue a certification!

Supply chains

This is an issue that trips up many cruelty-free makeup connoisseurs, so it might come up for you as you learn more. Vetting brands can get really complicated when you take into account where they get their raw materials, because suppliers aren’t always required to adhere to the same standards as the brand itself.

But trying to trace every last ingredient in your cosmetics back to the source can be incredibly frustrating, so I don’t recommend it! The best thing you can do is stick with brands that offer plenty of info about their products. Trust me, companies that go the extra mile to ensure consistent standards across their supply chain want you to know about it. And you don’t have to rule out the rest—tell brands you love that you want more transparency. Your voice is powerful!

Trusted resources

You might be wondering how to keep track of all these details, not to mention how much research you’ll have to do next time you need new mascara! But don’t fret, dear one. This isn’t about knowing every DO and DON’T off the top of your head. Instead, the key is finding a trusted resource to help with some of the heavy lifting.

For me, that’s the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Database. It contains hazard ratings for nearly 70,000 products and 9,000 ingredients on the market… Can you say wow? All you have to do is enter a new brand you’re considering or an ingredient you’ve never heard of in the search bar and ta da—the info you need to make conscious choices, at your fingertips!

Enjoy your cosmetics without compromise!

I shared a lot of info today, so give yourself time to process and learn more about the causes you care about most. And as you explore the world of cruelty-free makeup, please remember that your worth is not defined by your appearance. You are kind, smart, sensitive, loving and everything in between—that’s what matters. Have fun with your makeup but more importantly, have fun with your life!

Your turn: What’s your favorite cruelty-free makeup or personal care product? Or if you don’t have one yet, which brand from my list will you try?

Peace & conscious cosmetics,

The post 12 Cruelty-Free Makeup Brands to Add to Your Makeup Bag appeared first on KrisCarr.com.

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thebroadcastbw-blog · 7 years

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Post-Election Reflection: Why We Do This

Issue No. 20 | November 18, 2016

A LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

You could say this newsletter started because of Mellody Hobson.

Our discovery of her Vanity Fair profile in April 2015 sparked a habit of sending each other stories of women breaking barriers, forging new paths, and generally exuding excellence. After exchanging our fair share of links, we realized that our mental roster of female icons was far too limited — and that the thoughtful profiles and interviews introducing us to new names were far too hard to find.

Looking back through our notes from when the “The Broadcast Biweekly” was just a fledgling enterprise, we’re reminded of why we decided to turn our initial frustration of this shortage into a celebration instead. Women are underrepresented in just about every industry and position of influence, but stories of women who are changing these statistics are perhaps even rarer. By scouring the internet for profiles and interviews that spotlight the exceptions, we want to start conversations about these audacious people and create space for others to join them.

These conversations, and these stories, matter to us now more than ever. To take a line from journalist Adrienne LaFrance, “Women represent about half the global population, and yet they’re dramatically underrepresented in stories meant to help people understand much of the complexity in the world.”

In the face of a President-elect known for insulting, belittling, and sexualizing women, we need a counterweight. We’re choosing to respond, in part, by meeting this destructive and divisive rhetoric with recognition of how women (of all races, sizes, sexualities, nationalities, and beliefs) are contributing to and shaping society. We’ll keep spreading stories about the strength, intelligence, hard work, resilience, and confidence of women we admire. This week includes: model Ashley Graham introducing a Barbie doll whose thighs are finally touching; set designer Hannah Bleacher recruiting more black women in Hollywood; restaurateur Jessica Koslow explaining her undying love for jam. It’s a small thing, but it’s something.

Before we started this newsletter, the women you’d find on our list of role models were somewhat obvious choices — writers, actresses, CEOs. Ask us about our icons today? In addition to famous and influential women beloved by many, we’ll mention a transgender crime scene cleaner, a midwestern pumpkin farmer, and a teenage monster truck driver. The common thread is female ambition, and thanks to this little passion project, we’ve discovered just how many different kinds of doors this ambition can open (or, rather, knock down entirely.)

If anyone knows Mellody Hobson, please send her our thanks.

xx Kate and Maia

WORDS

“Are her thighs touching? HER THIGHS ARE TOUCHING!”

— Ashley Graham commenting on the Barbie version of herself at Glamour’s Women of the Year awards

ART

Champ | Zoe Buckman

READS

"Yes, The Same Woman Dreamed Up The Visuals For Lemonade & Moonlight " | Refinery29 For a production designer with a resume that includes Creed, Beyonce’s Lemonade, and Oscar contender Moonlight, the most critical moment of Hannah Beachler’s career was surprisingly during the filming of a crappy Lifetime television show: "I did the production design for this really tiny horrible show and I was like yeah, I want to do this forever." From there, she toiled away on small indies and horror movies and then Fruitvale Station, where she “immediately clicked” with director Ryan Coogler. It seems no coincidence that Hannah has been involved in creating some of the most important art of the last decade, and she wants more black women to join her: “I’m hoping that maybe I change some minds on the Hollywood side, and also maybe introduce aspiring professionals to this idea as an option. Like hey, everyone! In case you didn't know, there's a really great craft in production design!"

"The Writer Who Was Too Strong To Live" | Deadspin She sounds like a character in a novel: A wild, hard-drinking, hard-living female sportswriter who amazes colleagues and bosses with her skill and stamina. But Jennifer Frey was a real-life whiz kid. She got a top job at the New York Times at age 24, followed by an even more prestigious gig at the Washington Post. She threw epic annual Derby parties and wrote incisive profiles of athletes every other week. She confronted chauvinist baseball players and won. So, what ever happened to Jennifer? Well, for her, drinking wasn’t just a hobby. Dave McKenna has written a deeply reported story about Jennifer, her alcoholism, and how her friends and family were at a loss to save her.

"California Dreaming" | Eater Jessica Koslow has a “jams-to-riches” story. The owner and chef of L.A.’s Sqirl got her start turning California produce into quirky marmalades and jams for a farmer's market stand. Four years later, she’s become the face of modern Californian cuisine. Writer Marian Bull captures Koslow’s charm just as well as she captures the problematic allure of what her ventures represent (“It’s almost vulgar, and I hate how much I adore it, or at least covet it, or at least covet what it’s trying so hard to sell me, which is the idea that I could somehow be a rich happy tan person who never gets melanoma and feels completely satiated after eating a salad.”) That said, you get the sense that Koslow isn’t just trying to capitalize on a trend — she’s genuinely excited about prunes, and wants you to be, too: "These are really delicious foods that are being forgotten about. Those are the things I’m interested in."

"The Life and Example of Gwen Ifill" | The New York Times We had never imagined a world without Gwen Ifill. It just seemed like she would always be here, moderating debates and bringing a sense of joy to stodgy ol’ PBS. So when she passed away this week, it was an unexpected blow. And for columnist David Brooks, it was also personal, since Gwen was a close friend. (The kind of friend who emails you, out of the blue, to say: “For some reason you have been on my mind. Are you well?”) He writes beautifully about what she brought to the world, as a friend, as an advocate, and as a journalist. This is a loss that will be felt by many, for a long time.

"The Blues Superstar Who Created A Gay Nightlife Scene 100 Years Ahead Of Its Time" | BUST “Before her time” couldn’t be more of an understatement when it comes to the life of Gladys Bentley. She left home at 16 and made her way to Harlem in 1923, playing at parties and small clubs until a friend mentioned a notable club was looking for a pianist. The only problem? They wanted a boy — to which Bentley responded: “There’s no better time for them to start using a girl.” By 1930, she was a bona fide star known for her risque lyrics, pounding piano, and gender-bending signature white tuxedo. This profile chronicles her rise to fame, the backlash of a world that didn’t know what to do with her loud, proud self, and her sudden embrace of societal norms at the end of her life. We could read an entire book about Gladys.

Read a story about a woman who should be our first female president? Email us at [email protected]

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