This week’s edition of The Newsletter kicks off with two articles that ultimately spring from what might be called the Big Social Media Meltdown. Beginning with the problem, the first finds yours truly wrestling with the problem of Elon Musk, and his apparent efforts to destroy his own reputation and the platform he spent $44 billion to control. The second piece, by our CEO and director of product Chris Neklason, describes one specific way Twitter/X is now broken, and his recent successes in building something that delivers a functionality we used to find under the little blue bird.
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By Eric Johnson
Published Sep 18, 2023
What the hell happened to this sweet, smart kid?
Replacing Twitter as Elon Self-Destructs
Making Sense of a Mad Genius
I first encountered Elon Musk at a private conference while researching a cover story about the new billions being invested in eco-friendly technologies, “The Green Gold Rush,” published in Metro Silicon Valley 15 years ago this week.
Speaking to a roomful of venture capitalists from firms including Kleiner Perkins and JP Morgan, Musk talked about, among other things, his dream of enabling the colonization of Mars. At the time I had no idea his mind was moving in that direction, was sorta shocked, and expected the idea to land awkwardly. But he received an explosive ovation. He was a hero even before he revolutionized the industry that builds the world’s most poisonous product.
Already an extremely wealthy man, Musk seems to be motivated more by a historical imperative than any strictly business or even classically altruistic purpose. He says he started Tesla “to show the car companies what is possible, and accelerate the development of electric vehicles” overall.
Well, he did that, but the number of people who still think of him as a hero is dwindling. In the wake of Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the world’s wealthiest individual, following years of Musk’s brazenly erratic behavior, he is being attacked, most ardently by former allies in left-of-center field. As a onetime admirer, I wrestle here with a man who seems to be rocketing from brilliant enigma to dangerous nutcase.
The Self-Demonization of Elon Musk
His critics portray him as a cartoonish billionaire boogeyman, while the world’s wealthiest individual works hard to prove them right.
Getting the Ground Truth Out
Elon Musk did not waste time turning the platform he called “the digital town square” into his private property. One of the first and worst things he did was eliminate a functionality that public agencies used to distribute important information.
For years, organizations from the CHP to the California Office of Emergency Services used the platform as a primary means of informing the public. Many of us have shared and found information about wildfires and floods on Twitter, or even just traffic jams. Not so on X.
Here’s how California Local is working with Google Maps to make that important information available.
Distributing Ground Truth by Mapping the Situation
Social media were once very good at sharing reliable first-hand information about fires, floods, etc. Not any more. Here’s an alternative.
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Nonprofit Connection provides a networking platform for member organizations to connect people, ideas, and resources with digital tools that build their organizational capacity, maximizing opportunities for growth and equity.
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From Our Media Allies |
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Santa Cruz County Leaders Explore Potential New Jail |
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Possible $200 million project weighed by Sheriff’s Office, inmate advocates. |
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PVUSD Trustees Deny Assistant Superintendent Contract |
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In explaining her no vote, trustee Georgia Acosta said she was reluctant to approve a three-year contract before a new superintendent is hired. |
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Santa Cruz County Supervisors Move Forward on Housing Element Update |
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The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors took a close look at an upcoming update to the housing element of the county’s general plan, a move required of jurisdictions every eight years. |
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Why Are Some People So Up in Arms About CEQA? |
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What do you know about CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act, passed in 1970 and signed into law by then-Governor Ronald Reagan? Professor Deborah Sivas of Stanford Law School explains. |
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Slow Recovery Continues After Pajaro Flood |
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Six months after at least 2,000 residents were displaced, a middle school remains shuttered, and fears of future floods have helped delay the return of some businesses. |
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District 2 Race Continued |
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Last week, Good Times spoke to the women running for the open county supervisor seat. Now, we hear from the other two candidates. |
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Cabrillo Trustee to Call For Eliminating Football at Schools |
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Cabrillo College Trustee Steve Trujillo says tackle football poses a serious health risk to players. |
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• Can Santa Cruz Learn From Miami Beach?
Santa Cruz finds itself in the throes of some big changes brought about by the ambitious plans for development. Columnist Wallace Baine asks: What can or should the city or its residents do to assert its personality in the public sphere?
(09/17/2023) → Read the full Lookout Local report• Monterey Bay Festival of Birds Explores ‘Life and Death of Birds’
This year is Bird School Project’s second go at organizing the acclaimed festival (formerly the “Monterey Bay Birding Festival”), which invites bird nerds and newcomers alike to bask in the glory of our winged, bipedal brethren.
(09/16/2023) → Santa Cruz Sentinel• Honor Brings Mary Gaukel Forster to Tears
The busy local volunteer was moved when she learned that she had been named the winner of the 2023 Santa Cruz County Heroes series.
(09/16/2023) → Santa Cruz Sentinel• Cal Fire Issues Urgent Warning Regarding Incursions of Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Incidents involving use of the systems, commonly known as drones, in firefighting airspace have led to the temporary suspension of critical aerial firefighting operations a half-dozen times so far this year.
(09/15/2023) → YubaNet• New COVID Boosters Are Coming: What You Need to Know
Cases are on the rise, and so are hospitalizations and deaths. So the federal government's release of new, updated COVID boosters feels like good timing.
(09/13/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Work Begins to Restore West Cliff Drive
Construction will soon start on four infill walls on the 900 and 1000 blocks of West Cliff Drive as early as next week.
(09/13/2023) → Santa Cruz Sentinel• CSU Board of Trustees Approves 6% Annual Tuition Hikes Over 5 Years
Despite pushback from students, teachers and others, the California State University system will see tuition hikes.
(09/13/2023) → Monterey Herald• Cal State Tuition to Rise 34 Percent Over Five Years
The tuition increases were forecast earlier this year, when a Cal State task force concluded the system needs at least $1.5 billion annually in new revenue to afford student services and bolster its academic offerings.
(09/13/2023) → CalMatters• Climate Bill Forcing Companies to Reveal Carbon Emissions Passes, Newsom Yet to Say if He’ll Sign it
About 5,300 companies would file annual emissions reports. The aim is to hold corporations accountable for the role they play in climate change.
(09/12/2023) → CalMatters• Meet California’s (Possible) Future State Bat
There’s an official state bird, mineral, tree, fish, insect, lichen, fabric, sport, dance, soil and even dinosaur.
(09/12/2023) → CapPublicRadio• Opioid Antidote Now Available in Drug Stores
Naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse the adverse effects of opioids, became available in drug stores last week. The drug is sold under the brand names Narcan and RiVive and can be purchased over the counter.
(09/12/2023) → Palo Alto Online• No Classes? No Lectures? Still Get Your Degree? Yes, Under an Experimental New System at California Community Colleges
Eight community colleges in California are testing out a new education model, one that defines success by the skills a student learns, not the time they spend in a classroom. But changing the traditional education system isn’t easy.
(09/11/2023) → CalMatters• New Bill Comes to Rescue When California Public Records Requests Are Denied
A bipartisan bill would create a state ombudsperson to intervene when public records requests are denied. But an advocacy group is concerned that it will encourage state agencies to go to court.
(09/11/2023) → CalMatters|
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