Oh the things you can link

HBO contests a recent survey (which I linked to recently) that says they’re losing subscribers to streaming services.
•Republicans talking shit: A Michigan Republican suggests herding the state’s Native Americans into Detroit and locking them up. A Pennsylvania rep lies about atheists supporting his call to put “In God we trust” placques in schools. A Florida Repub calls for hanging Obama just like Benedict Arnold (who wasn’t hung). And a right-to-lifer says one reason he opposes abortion is because it denies husband’s authority over women (presumably because they don’t have to be barefoot and pregnant).
•A fascinating profile of Internet scam artist Jesse Wilms.
•The complications of trademarking a common word such as “candy.”
•Slacktivist looks at the political paranoia behind opposition to the UN Treaty on the Rights of the Disabled.
•Gender differences are innate and can’t be fixed. Except that they’re also completely plastic so we have to worry about feminists erasing them. Got it.
•Nobody should judge atheists by Ayn Rand’s views on the subject.
•A look at all the tech from 20 years ago that our smartphones have displaced (and even a nonsmart phone can do a lot of that). Although most users don’t tap their full capabilities. Not really a surprise: Just because a smartphone can do it doesn’t automatically make it cooler or more useful (or more appealing for an individual) than a computer or of course, a simple lined notebook. I find it a lot quicker to make out shopping lists on paper, for instance.
•Speaking of old technology, almost all ATMS run on Windows XP. Which has problems.
•And here’s a list of 15 technologies that were going to transform education. Multiple types of audio books, robot teachers … I suspect some of what we do now with computers in schools will look just as absurd.
•If Indiana hate-crime laws lead to jail time for preachers, that would indicate the preachers are dangerously violent, Slacktivist says.
•Slacktivist also says that you can believe in the rights of human beings without believing in Christianity, or God.
•Consumerist looks at a recent court decision declaring Internet providers can give different content providers different bandwidth access rather than maintaining neutrality. So, for example, Time Warner or Verizon could favor its own streaming video service (or one that paid it big bucks) over an outside operator. More detail (and thoughts on solutions) here.
•The US government may have cooperated with a Mexican drug cartel, protecting them in return for information on other gangs (facts, it should be noted, are all heavily disputed and not confirmed). However the DoJ has cracked down on pot dispensaries: they can’t use armored car services to transport their money to the bank.