Trolls Observed

Posted on 2016-09-04 by arjaybe

Theodor Kittlesen – Public Domain

Trolls get a lot of attention, but never as much as they want. That pretty well sums up the problem, and its cause. Right, then. Let’s wrap this up and call it a day, shall we? No, we shan’t. This post is called Trolls Observed and all we’ve done so far is stereotype and dismiss them. They deserve nothing less, of course, but today we’re going to give them something more. We’re going to look at a few attempts to define and analyze them.

Let’s begin with the definition of troll in the Urban Dictionary.

One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.

That is a good and succinct definition, shorn of their self-aggrandizement and their detractors’ invective. Next up is a Slate article looking at a psychology paper by Erin Buckels of the University of Manitoba, which

… sought to directly investigate whether people who engage in trolling are characterized by personality traits that fall in the so-called Dark Tetrad: Machiavellianism (willingness to manipulate and deceive others), narcissism (egotism and self-obsession), psychopathy (the lack of remorse and empathy), and sadism (pleasure in the suffering of others).

To save you the trouble of following the link and finding out for yourself, yes, there was significant correlation between trolling and the Dark Tetrad, especially sadism. Next, a Mother Jones article about the negative effects of trolling on rational debate.

… it polarized the audience: Those who already thought (one thing) tended to become more sure of themselves when exposed to name-calling, while those who thought (the other thing) were more likely to move in their own favored direction. In other words, it appeared that pushing people’s emotional buttons, through derogatory comments, made them double down on their preexisting beliefs.

The effects are negative indeed. The trolls’ aims of disruption and derailment are met, almost invariably. This final link is to an example of the damage done to one person by trolls. I strongly advise you to follow this link, because it’s impossible for me to encapsulate it, and I really think you’ll enjoy it.

Ben Garrison is the most trolled cartoonist in the world. His trolls love him so much, they recreated him in their own image.

Trolls get a lot of attention. They’re annoying time-wasters who can take the pleasure out of our interactions on the internet. But they’re worse than that. They can be hurtful. They can undermine civil discourse. And, in bad cases, they can ruin people’s lives. They’re not just a mildly diverting aberration. They can be really harmful. They need to be managed, like any destructive parasite.

rjb

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Fran’s Synesthesia

Posted on 2016-08-26 by arjaybe

brain-senses

Synesthesia of the Day – Fran’s Synesthesia

All of the people in the Green Comet series have some degree of synesthesia. As a first approximation, effay, they are all strong synesthetes, with at least two types. I’ve already described Elgin’s synesthesia, the main part of it at least, and now I’ll talk about Fran’s synesthesia. Her most predominant one, anyway.

Humans (and other animals too, apparently) have some specialized brain cells called mirror neurons. Put simply, these neurons fire when a person does something, and when they watch someone doing the same thing. Their function is not yet definitively described, but it is hypothesized that they could be useful in learning tasks, and in the areas of learning about other people and their intentions. I mention this because Fran’s synesthesia can be broadly thought of as mirror synesthesia, and there is a known form called mirror-touch synesthesia. In this simple form, the synesthete who observes someone else being touched will feel as if they are being touched in the same way. As I conceive Fran’s synesthesia, it is much more pervasive and encompassing than simple touch. If someone else eats an iceberry, she can taste it. She feels what people are feeling. To an extent, she knows what they’re thinking. This empathy allows her to be a great leader, but it can also be overwhelming to feel everyone else’s pain. Everyone who knows her knows this, and it makes them love her even more.

Mirror-touch synesthesia is not adequate to describe Fran’s synesthesia. One could go through all the senses and add mirror-this and mirror-that, and it still wouldn’t be enough. It would leave out all the perceptions beyond the basic senses. So, to make sure I cover it all, I call Fran’s synesthesia mirror-everything synesthesia.

rjb

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Electronic Election Fraud

Posted on 2016-08-14 by arjaybe
Public Domain

Public Domain

In 2004 I published this article in my local newspaper. At that time, not very many people were thinking about the problems that would come with electronic voting. Now the stories are popping up all over the place. Some people are saying that it has already resulted in election fraud, while others are predicting that it will happen in the future. Whatever the truth is, I think that the points I raised then — flaws in the software, security vulnerabilities, lack of independent auditing, fraud — are still important today.

Electronic Voting

In the futile campaign to save paperwork, many political jurisdictions have experimented with electronic voting systems. The attempt to use computers to create a paperless bureaucracy has proven to be futile because computers just make it easier to produce more printed documents than ever. However, voting is one place where it might work. Just think of all the paper boxes full of paper ballots that won’t have to be manufactured for every election.

Unfortunately there are security and accuracy concerns, which are especially important in democratic voting. That will probably mean that the electronic voting machine will be printing paper ballots to confirm voters’ electronic choices. Paper-based confirmation for a paper-free system. What will they think of next?

Public Domain

Public Domain

Wikipedia, the free internet encyclopedia, defines electronic voting as, “. . . any of several means of determining people’s collective intent electronically.” Okay, it means collecting votes through electronic devices such as kiosks, telephones or the internet. Its use in political elections started with lever-operated punch card systems in the 1960s. Those ancient systems are due to be replaced by more modern devices, and none too soon. Experiments have shown up to a 25% failure rate with punch card technology. But not everyone is comfortable with the new systems either.

The new voting machines have the big advantage of making it easier for more people to vote. People with disabilities, for example. But they are also open to malfunctions and fraud. Analyses have shown that these computer systems have many of the same glitches found in other computers. They have flaws in their software that can lead to inaccurate results. Worse, their security vulnerabilities leave them open to corruption.

One common concern is that the makers of the machines refuse to say how they work. They won’t open up the software for independent review. That means voters just have to put their faith in the skill and honesty of the vendors. How confident can they be that their vote will be properly counted while remaining secret?

There are solutions to the problems. Paper ballots can be verified by the voter and then stored in a locked box. The software can be opened up to ensure transparency and confidentiality in the voting procedure. The problems aren’t too big to handle.

Done right, electronic voting will be an improvement despite the potential pitfalls. And even with the backup paper ballots, it should end up saving paper.

Perhaps the most important thing in a democracy is the vote. That is where we get to make our wishes known, and where whatever power we have is exercised. It needs to be free and fair and immune to coercion and corruption. Electronic voting has the potential to help ensure that, but it also has the potential to destroy it. As always, unblinking vigilance is required.

rjb

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