Jim Condelles

Last Bridge to Memphis: An Alternate-History Thriller a.co/d/3yQfNfY #Amazon via @Amazon Are you ready to take care of business?

@BrianWillott This is an awful take. Heartless.

Everyone should, at some time in their life, have to clean out the house of an elderly parent or relative. You will realize that most of your possessions are waste. The things you buy at Walmart or Amazon aren't even worth pennies on the dollar.

@effthealgorithm The epic sequel!! Love it! And all true.

Later today I get to replace my phone because, after FaceID didn’t work, I unlocked it with a passcode. Then I cleared the notifications so I could pull up my browser. Navigated to this platform, entered my password, waited for my 2FA code, and had to type that in…but first I paused to make coffee. Then the site said the code had expired, so I reloaded and repeated, and finally got in. First thing I saw was a link a friend posted. Tapped on it, consented to some cookies, rejected others, got through a paragraph and had to log in to read the rest. Fine. Did that. Once logged in, a popup asked if I wanted their newsletter. Declined. Scrolled back to where I was — past a huge ad that took up an entire screen — and found there were only two more sentences in the thing I was reading. They weren’t even meaningful ones. That’s when I slammed my phone down and shattered the screen. I’d go without a phone entirely, since I don’t actually use mine to talk to anyone (sorry not sorry, spam callers), but then I wouldn’t be able to do laundry. What are we even doing with the internet anymore? Why is it all such a hassle? Why does absolutely everything online come down to a choice between sacrificing our privacy and money to avoid hassles, or living in a time-sucking hellscape over which we have zero control (and which steals our private data anyway)? Why do I need a damn app to do laundry? Are we ready to start the backlash yet? Are we ready to start hassling our elected officials the way we feel hassled, firing off daily emails and letters demanding they rein in the tech overreach? Are we ready to cancel subscriptions and ditch search engines and delete apps that serve up one irritation after another so they can figure out which ones we’re willing to pay to stop? Are we ready to start blocking all the bots and trolls — not engaging with them, just blocking them — so the platforms stop monetizing our rage and serving up more of it for their profit? Are we ready to say AI slop videos and photos of what Aunt Janet had for lunch and knowing if anyone else thinks Euphoria has gone off the rails aren’t worth all the aggravation and time we have to spend now? I am. I’m getting a flip phone and finding a different laundromat. I’m going to pretend like it’s 2004 and that the only way to get online is by sitting in front of a computer. And since I’m old, my aching back will make a more reliable screentime monitor than any app I’ve tried so far. No more whipping my phone out of my pocket to answer every random question because why not find out how many grapes the average person can fit in their mouth at once when it just takes a second to look that up? No more checking socials, checking email, checking the news to fill every idle moment in the grocery line or at the dentist office or while waiting for an elevator just to avoid talking to other people or, more terrifying, having to think. No more notifications that there’s a sale on toilet seats at the place I just bought a new toilet seat that apparently thinks I’m collecting them. No more. If I’m going to put up with irritations, they’re going to be ones which benefit me, not the tech companies. I’m done.

This summer, check out the thriller that has America all shook up. “Last Bridge to Memphis.” Take care of business. Get the book. #TikTok tiktok.com/t/ZP8scrkx2/

@effthealgorithm 💯

If “customer service” for a company is AI, it should be required to identify itself as such. And if asked, it should be also required to acknowledge it is AI. There should be an option to escalate to a human representative after every first attempt by AI to solve the problem or…wait for it…it’s not really customer service.

The bells of the Lavra rang like this when the Mongols invaded and sacked Kyiv in 1240.

@effthealgorithm 💯 You are the truth-teller of our age! Keep on pointing out these absurdities please!

Another day, another notice I’m a member of a class action suit against one of the big tech-backed companies. This is turning into my most reliable source of income. Can’t wait to get that $3.17 seven years from now. 💰

Ted Turner built CNN as an act of defiance because he believed fearless 24/7 independent journalism was oxygen for our democracy,” his grandson Seydel said. “He would see what’s happening right now — larger and larger acquisitions; ‘60 Minutes’ hollowed; Dan Rather and hundreds of journalists around the world writing letters for editorial independence to be preserved and the First Amendment right for speech, especially for our storytellers, to be protected.”

Breaking: WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. inflation rises to highest level in three years, highlighting affordability challenge as elections nears.

@kylegriffin1 Tell me something I don’t know.

@DailyMemphian West Chester, PA native!

The National Civil Rights Museum has officially launched the Bayard Rustin Institute to honor and elevate the legacy of the prominent civil rights strategist and advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dailymemphian.com/article/63714

@effthealgorithm Whoa!! It’s been a minute since I was on the air. I’m flattered!!

@JimCondelles Jim, as someone who watched you on the news, that means the world to me. Thank you for the wisdom!

It’s my birthday and I am apparently still young enough to wake up with the unrealistic hope of finding an InBox full of acceptance emails.

@stengel Sure, except for the begging and pleading, which is beneath a network corespondent, and the lack of pushback on the insults, which seems to be endemic among all the national reporters.

Brava to Kristen Welker for maintaining her cool and her reportorial backbone in an interview with a rude and bullying interview subject who could not marshall a single fact in response to a civil question.

@thedailybeast And yet she stays on. It’s shameful and hypocritical. Leslie and the other correspondents can try whatever rationalization they like, but staying on IS an endorsement of the existing dictatorial management.

Veteran ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent Lesley Stahl has revealed the jarring way CBS leadership fired half a dozen journalists and producers from the legendary news program. thedailybeast.com/lesley-stahl-r…

@storyandplot Man, is this so true not only of the creative life, but life in general. Well said!

Every step forward in my career was made possible by a relationship. Every step back came from damaging one. Screenwriting is not about who you know. That's a result. It’s about who you meet, which relationships you nurture, and how you add value to them.

@kwelkernbc @NBCNews @MeetThePress Instead of calling him out on his misogynist insults, you let him talk right over you while you whined about how far you traveled. I don’t care what party the interview subject belongs to, journalists are obligated to stand up for themselves and their profession. You did neither.

My interview with President Trump on Friday afternoon was unfortunately complicated by weather issues. In spite of those challenges, we still had a substantial conversation on issues from the Iran war to the economy to the so-called “anti-weaponization” fund. Tune in for the full interview this morning on @MeetThePress.

@BulwarkOnline Broadcast companies, and newsrooms in particular, are profoundly (and ironically) undemocratic organizations. The number one by-law among managers and execs in such organizations is: “My way or the highway.”

"Pelley was not uncivil. He didn’t threaten anyone. He didn’t curse or scream. He was professionally disagreeable. Which is basically the job description for journalists. It’s the job description that Weiss herself wrote. She just didn’t mean it." lnk.thebulwark.com/4uabp1r

I’ve known for decades—through first-hand experience—that broadcast companies, and newsrooms in particular, are profoundly (and ironically) undemocratic organizations. The number one by-law among managers and execs in such organizations is: “My way or the highway.”

Perfect example of just how rare true courage is. This will calm nothing. @LesleyRStahl @BillWhitakerCBS @jon_wertheim made a business decision they will live to regret.