Michael Marek
@mmarek.bsky.social
> Emeritus media/comm professor (many scholarly citations)
> State/Nat. non-profit organization leadership experience
> Political observer (no party)
> Star Trek podcaster
> South Dakota resident
> NO DMs, please
> State/Nat. non-profit organization leadership experience
> Political observer (no party)
> Star Trek podcaster
> South Dakota resident
> NO DMs, please
Pinned
Michael Marek
@mmarek.bsky.social
· Nov 9
Introduction: I am a (retired) emeritus professor of media and communication, living in the most liberal county in the red state of South Dakota.
Not a member of any political party, but I often post as an observer of the media, politics, and science. I sporadically post my photography.
Not a member of any political party, but I often post as an observer of the media, politics, and science. I sporadically post my photography.
Algorithms promote engagement and profits, but limit your understanding of the world, or any given topic.
I disable or avoid algorithms whenever possible, or go places that do not use them.
#Algorithms #SocialMedia
news.osu.edu/how-personal...
I disable or avoid algorithms whenever possible, or go places that do not use them.
#Algorithms #SocialMedia
news.osu.edu/how-personal...
How personalized algorithms lead to a distorted view of reality
The same personalized algorithms that deliver online content based on your previous choices on social media sites like YouTube also impair learning, a new study suggests.Researchers found that when an...
news.osu.edu
November 25, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Algorithms promote engagement and profits, but limit your understanding of the world, or any given topic.
I disable or avoid algorithms whenever possible, or go places that do not use them.
#Algorithms #SocialMedia
news.osu.edu/how-personal...
I disable or avoid algorithms whenever possible, or go places that do not use them.
#Algorithms #SocialMedia
news.osu.edu/how-personal...
UCMJ:
An order...may be inferred to be lawful, and it is disobeyed at the peril of the subordinate. This inference does not apply to a patently illegal order, such as one that directs the commission of a crime.
#IllegalOrders
mattbarrylaw.com/2024/11/10/u...
An order...may be inferred to be lawful, and it is disobeyed at the peril of the subordinate. This inference does not apply to a patently illegal order, such as one that directs the commission of a crime.
#IllegalOrders
mattbarrylaw.com/2024/11/10/u...
Unlawful Orders in the Military - Attorney Matthew Barry
Unlawful Orders in the Military - The complicated topic of unlawful orders is explained by Attorney Barry, a Military Defense Lawyer.
mattbarrylaw.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:01 PM
UCMJ:
An order...may be inferred to be lawful, and it is disobeyed at the peril of the subordinate. This inference does not apply to a patently illegal order, such as one that directs the commission of a crime.
#IllegalOrders
mattbarrylaw.com/2024/11/10/u...
An order...may be inferred to be lawful, and it is disobeyed at the peril of the subordinate. This inference does not apply to a patently illegal order, such as one that directs the commission of a crime.
#IllegalOrders
mattbarrylaw.com/2024/11/10/u...
Who would have guessed that farms need workers?
(Answer: Anybody who knows anything about big farms.)
#ICE #Raids #Workers
stateline.org/2025/11/21/t...
(Answer: Anybody who knows anything about big farms.)
#ICE #Raids #Workers
stateline.org/2025/11/21/t...
Trump allows more foreign ag workers, eases off ICE raids on farms • Stateline
In a tacit admission that U.S. food production requires foreign labor, the Trump administration is making it easier for farmers to employ guest workers from other countries. At the same time, U.S. Imm...
stateline.org
November 24, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Who would have guessed that farms need workers?
(Answer: Anybody who knows anything about big farms.)
#ICE #Raids #Workers
stateline.org/2025/11/21/t...
(Answer: Anybody who knows anything about big farms.)
#ICE #Raids #Workers
stateline.org/2025/11/21/t...
Podcasts without human writers, human editors, or even human hosts.
How disappointing.
#Podcasts
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
How disappointing.
#Podcasts
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
MSN
www.msn.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Podcasts without human writers, human editors, or even human hosts.
How disappointing.
#Podcasts
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
How disappointing.
#Podcasts
www.msn.com/en-us/techno...
Question for Trump-o-philes:
If states regulating AI is wrong because states can't regulate interstate commerce...
Is the same also true about state age verification laws?
For laws criminalizing mailing abortion drugs across state lines?
#InterestateCommerce
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
If states regulating AI is wrong because states can't regulate interstate commerce...
Is the same also true about state age verification laws?
For laws criminalizing mailing abortion drugs across state lines?
#InterestateCommerce
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
White House prepares executive order to block state AI laws
Draft document obtained by POLITICO calls for task force and multi-agency approach.
www.politico.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Question for Trump-o-philes:
If states regulating AI is wrong because states can't regulate interstate commerce...
Is the same also true about state age verification laws?
For laws criminalizing mailing abortion drugs across state lines?
#InterestateCommerce
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
If states regulating AI is wrong because states can't regulate interstate commerce...
Is the same also true about state age verification laws?
For laws criminalizing mailing abortion drugs across state lines?
#InterestateCommerce
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Gen Xers have less secure passwords than their grandparents.
"12345" was the top choice among Zoomers this year, whereas...'123456' was preferred by Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers."
Everybody - Get a password manager!
#Security #Passwords
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/z...
"12345" was the top choice among Zoomers this year, whereas...'123456' was preferred by Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers."
Everybody - Get a password manager!
#Security #Passwords
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/z...
Zoomers are officially worse at passwords than 80-year-olds
: They can probably set up a printer faster, but look elsewhere for cryptography advice
www.theregister.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Gen Xers have less secure passwords than their grandparents.
"12345" was the top choice among Zoomers this year, whereas...'123456' was preferred by Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers."
Everybody - Get a password manager!
#Security #Passwords
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/z...
"12345" was the top choice among Zoomers this year, whereas...'123456' was preferred by Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers."
Everybody - Get a password manager!
#Security #Passwords
www.theregister.com/2025/11/18/z...
I am cautiously optimistic about a new Stargate series. At least they have a showrunner who knows the franchise.
But it could easily be a couple of years before we see it on TV, and it will be on a platform I don't pay for.
#Stargate
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
But it could easily be a couple of years before we see it on TV, and it will be on a platform I don't pay for.
#Stargate
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
New ‘Stargate’ TV Series Ordered at Amazon From ‘Blindspot’ Creator Martin Gero
Amazon is officially moving forward with a new "Stargate" TV series, Variety has learned.
variety.com
November 19, 2025 at 10:13 PM
I am cautiously optimistic about a new Stargate series. At least they have a showrunner who knows the franchise.
But it could easily be a couple of years before we see it on TV, and it will be on a platform I don't pay for.
#Stargate
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
But it could easily be a couple of years before we see it on TV, and it will be on a platform I don't pay for.
#Stargate
variety.com/2025/tv/news...
Lower-quality news domains are shared more on right-leaning platforms than left, but any given user's lower-quality news posts consistently attract more user engagement than their higher-quality content—even on left-leaning platforms.
Which is depressing.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Which is depressing.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Divergent patterns of engagement with partisan and low-quality news across seven social media platforms | PNAS
In recent years, social media has become increasingly fragmented, as platforms evolve
and new alternatives emerge. Yet most research studies a sing...
www.pnas.org
November 15, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Lower-quality news domains are shared more on right-leaning platforms than left, but any given user's lower-quality news posts consistently attract more user engagement than their higher-quality content—even on left-leaning platforms.
Which is depressing.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Which is depressing.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Michael Marek
The White House shutdown of Voice Of America has opened the door to propaganda by Russian and Chinese influencers in countries from Africa to Asia. www.press.org/newsroom/voa... #SaveVOA
VOA Staffers Urge Public To Rally Around Crippled News Service
The White House shutdown of Voice Of America has opened the door to propaganda by Russian and Chinese influencers in countries from Africa to Asia, furloughed staff of the news service warned last nig...
www.press.org
November 14, 2025 at 3:28 PM
The White House shutdown of Voice Of America has opened the door to propaganda by Russian and Chinese influencers in countries from Africa to Asia. www.press.org/newsroom/voa... #SaveVOA
I joined Facebook 20 years ago today, in those heady times when you needed a .EDU email address to get in.
November 12, 2025 at 1:28 PM
I joined Facebook 20 years ago today, in those heady times when you needed a .EDU email address to get in.
Lots of people seeing Northern Lights tonight.
November 12, 2025 at 3:58 AM
Lots of people seeing Northern Lights tonight.
Voting for or against the CR is not a good solution either way.
People urgently need ACA without massive cost increases, but they also need food security. Federal workers need their salaries.
Thune represents my state and I do not doubt that he WILL allow the ACA vote to put Republicans on record.
People urgently need ACA without massive cost increases, but they also need food security. Federal workers need their salaries.
Thune represents my state and I do not doubt that he WILL allow the ACA vote to put Republicans on record.
November 10, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Voting for or against the CR is not a good solution either way.
People urgently need ACA without massive cost increases, but they also need food security. Federal workers need their salaries.
Thune represents my state and I do not doubt that he WILL allow the ACA vote to put Republicans on record.
People urgently need ACA without massive cost increases, but they also need food security. Federal workers need their salaries.
Thune represents my state and I do not doubt that he WILL allow the ACA vote to put Republicans on record.
A deal to end the shutdown may be in the works, according to Axios.
But Axios is the only primary source reporting the story so far that I have found -- everybody else is just quoting them.
#Shutdown
www.axios.com/2025/11/09/s...
But Axios is the only primary source reporting the story so far that I have found -- everybody else is just quoting them.
#Shutdown
www.axios.com/2025/11/09/s...
Deal to end government shutdown in reach
At least 10 Senate Democrats are expected to support a key procedural motion.
www.axios.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:45 PM
A deal to end the shutdown may be in the works, according to Axios.
But Axios is the only primary source reporting the story so far that I have found -- everybody else is just quoting them.
#Shutdown
www.axios.com/2025/11/09/s...
But Axios is the only primary source reporting the story so far that I have found -- everybody else is just quoting them.
#Shutdown
www.axios.com/2025/11/09/s...
November 8, 2025 at 1:51 PM
My grandmother Emma's Christmas Cactus is alive and thriving in my home, 70 years after her death.
It blooms from roughly Thanksgiving to Easter each year (and is starting just a little early this year).
#Christmas #Cactus #Bloom
It blooms from roughly Thanksgiving to Easter each year (and is starting just a little early this year).
#Christmas #Cactus #Bloom
November 7, 2025 at 5:51 PM
My grandmother Emma's Christmas Cactus is alive and thriving in my home, 70 years after her death.
It blooms from roughly Thanksgiving to Easter each year (and is starting just a little early this year).
#Christmas #Cactus #Bloom
It blooms from roughly Thanksgiving to Easter each year (and is starting just a little early this year).
#Christmas #Cactus #Bloom
I just went outside to see the "supermoon" and it is amazingly, stupendously, incredibly, overwhelmingly 7% larger than average.
Glad I didn't miss it.
#Moon
Glad I didn't miss it.
#Moon
November 6, 2025 at 1:49 AM
I just went outside to see the "supermoon" and it is amazingly, stupendously, incredibly, overwhelmingly 7% larger than average.
Glad I didn't miss it.
#Moon
Glad I didn't miss it.
#Moon
2024 was the hottest year on record and likely hotter than the peak of the last interglacial, roughly 125,000 years ago.
#Climate #Crisis
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
#Climate #Crisis
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
The 2025 state of the climate report: a planet on the brink
We are hurtling toward climate chaos. The planet's vital signs are flashing red. The consequences of human-driven alterations of the climate are no longer
academic.oup.com
October 29, 2025 at 9:00 PM
2024 was the hottest year on record and likely hotter than the peak of the last interglacial, roughly 125,000 years ago.
#Climate #Crisis
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
#Climate #Crisis
academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
In a typical room setup, a 4K or 8K TV may not bring noticeable image quality improvements to what you see, but they cost more and require more processing power.
The article includes an online calculator to test your own room.
#TV
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
The article includes an online calculator to test your own room.
#TV
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
Is your ultra-HD TV worth it? Scientists measure the resolution limit of the human eye
Is your ultra-high-definition television really worth it? Do you need a 4K or an 8K screen to get the best viewing experience at home?
www.cam.ac.uk
October 29, 2025 at 1:57 PM
In a typical room setup, a 4K or 8K TV may not bring noticeable image quality improvements to what you see, but they cost more and require more processing power.
The article includes an online calculator to test your own room.
#TV
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
The article includes an online calculator to test your own room.
#TV
www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
Reposted by Michael Marek
Here's our new podcast...
About the movie Star Trek First Contact.
Join us as we take our fresh look at the movie, including at least one thing we've NEVER heard any other fans talk about.
#StarTrek #FirstContact #Picard #Cochrane #Borg
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
About the movie Star Trek First Contact.
Join us as we take our fresh look at the movie, including at least one thing we've NEVER heard any other fans talk about.
#StarTrek #FirstContact #Picard #Cochrane #Borg
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
Episode 169: Star Trek First Contact by The Star Trek Academy Podcast
The Academy faculty members take a deep dive into one of the best Star Trek movies, the 1996 movie Star Trek First Contact.
creators.spotify.com
October 26, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Here's our new podcast...
About the movie Star Trek First Contact.
Join us as we take our fresh look at the movie, including at least one thing we've NEVER heard any other fans talk about.
#StarTrek #FirstContact #Picard #Cochrane #Borg
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
About the movie Star Trek First Contact.
Join us as we take our fresh look at the movie, including at least one thing we've NEVER heard any other fans talk about.
#StarTrek #FirstContact #Picard #Cochrane #Borg
creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...
AI is getting more and more worrying. Now it sometimes resists getting itself turned off.
AI platforms have been documented to lie to achieve specific objectives or even resort to blackmail and nobody can explain why.
#AI
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
AI platforms have been documented to lie to achieve specific objectives or even resort to blackmail and nobody can explain why.
#AI
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
AI models may be developing their own ‘survival drive’, researchers say
Like 2001: A Space Odyssey’s HAL 9000, some AIs seem to resist being turned off and will even sabotage shutdown
www.theguardian.com
October 26, 2025 at 1:27 AM
AI is getting more and more worrying. Now it sometimes resists getting itself turned off.
AI platforms have been documented to lie to achieve specific objectives or even resort to blackmail and nobody can explain why.
#AI
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
AI platforms have been documented to lie to achieve specific objectives or even resort to blackmail and nobody can explain why.
#AI
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
3100 citations to my academic writing, as tabulated by Google Scholar. The h-index is also pretty good, for my field.
I have four papers with over 300 citations and the top paper is over 1050.
#Academia #ScholarlyWriting
I have four papers with over 300 citations and the top paper is over 1050.
#Academia #ScholarlyWriting
October 25, 2025 at 3:13 PM
3100 citations to my academic writing, as tabulated by Google Scholar. The h-index is also pretty good, for my field.
I have four papers with over 300 citations and the top paper is over 1050.
#Academia #ScholarlyWriting
I have four papers with over 300 citations and the top paper is over 1050.
#Academia #ScholarlyWriting
The administrator of NASA says it is no longer feasible for the US to land people on the Moon in 2027, because SpaceX is so far behind schedule.
They are starting over on which company's craft will first take us down to the Moon landing.
#NASA #Moon
www.universetoday.com/articles/act...
They are starting over on which company's craft will first take us down to the Moon landing.
#NASA #Moon
www.universetoday.com/articles/act...
Acting NASA Chief Announces More
Acting NASA chief Sean Duffy announces that NASA's plan to land astronauts on the Moon by 2027 is no longer achievable and announces new competitions to develop a lunar lander.
www.universetoday.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:19 PM
The administrator of NASA says it is no longer feasible for the US to land people on the Moon in 2027, because SpaceX is so far behind schedule.
They are starting over on which company's craft will first take us down to the Moon landing.
#NASA #Moon
www.universetoday.com/articles/act...
They are starting over on which company's craft will first take us down to the Moon landing.
#NASA #Moon
www.universetoday.com/articles/act...
I was not online Monday afternoon, so I missed the worst of the WWW crash, but the experience is yet another reminder that the web should be decentralized.
#WWW #AWS #Web
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
#WWW #AWS #Web
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
Amazon’s DNS problem knocked out half the web, likely costing billions
Amazon’s outage is over. But backlash over billions in losses has just started.
arstechnica.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:38 PM
I was not online Monday afternoon, so I missed the worst of the WWW crash, but the experience is yet another reminder that the web should be decentralized.
#WWW #AWS #Web
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
#WWW #AWS #Web
arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...