Alrighty, first day of the ICDL conference in Austin, Texas. The international conference on development and learning is a small, interdisciplinary research conference somewhere between AI and cognitive sciences, and it is such a specialized venue that I kind of doubt anybody else in the Fediverse is here, but please prove me wrong 😊 #ICDL#Austin
I like how this article about why Austin didn't end up being the second tech hub skips the laws discriminating against women in the form of anti-abortion laws. Like 50% of potential employees were risking their lives in moving to the state, but maybe it was the power outage that did it in.
“What I saw was students linking arms, hugging each other while being brutalized by the police. I think the only violence we saw that day was from the police.”
I interviewed two anti-Zionist Jews about their perspective on the protests for #Palestine, one a current grad student at #UTAustin, and the other an alumni. Both were present at the big protest at April 29, and one was arrested—but only one would have been classified as an "outsider," even though they both have deep ties to the school.
I've got their story coming out later this week at Decelerate.news.
Got hit and run today! Well, hit and dawdle. Just parked up and the car next to me was leaving, thought he was a bit close, then the whole car wobbled and he KEPT GOING. Honked my horn, got out to shout at him and he just stared at me, the other people, said nothing and drove off super slowly. No apology, nothing.
Really quite cross about it because it's not worth putting through insurance.
Oh wow best announcement at the airport just now: ATTENTION IN THE TERMINAL, HECTOR MENDOZA, HECTOR MENDOZA PLEASE RETURN TO THE oh there he is! <click> #travel#austin#airport#texas
What if they gave an election and nobody showed up?
State of Texas -- as part of its "screw with cities" agenda -- allowed some areas to vote yesterday to dis-annex from their city.
Some areas in #Austin voted to do so. River Place voted to dis-annex with one single vote. Not "by one vote", but one single person showed up and voted in this election.
Some areas didn't have anybody show up at all -- zero votes registered.
I got to visit University Baptist Church today, which has served as a police-free sanctuary to #UTAustin students involved in Student Spring. They can rest, get simple medical care, supplies and snacks and are even cooked dinner each night. I'm not religious but it's moving to see a church upholding the tradition of being a place of refuge for victims of state violence. #StudentSpring#Austin#Palestine
Today, May 4th, is Election Day for the Travis County property appraisal district. Austin folks, if you didn’t vote early, now’s the time. There are no political party names on the ballot, so bring notes.