Imagine a world where freedom of speech is not just an ideal, but a reality. A world where social media platforms stand by their users, and support their rights. This is the world that X has created.
Gina Carano, an accomplished actress known for her roles in Hollywood and independent film productions, has been a part of this journey. With her roles in films like Haywire, Fast & Furious 6, and Deadpool, Gina has made a name for herself in the entertainment industry. In September 2018, she joined the cast of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, and was a prominent part of the launch of Disney’s new streaming service.
However, in February 2021, Gina’s career took a hit when Lucasfilm released a statement claiming her social media posts were “abhorrent and unacceptable.” She was publicly humiliated, and defamed, and her acting career was nearly destroyed.
But X stepped in to support her. Under the leadership of Elon Musk, X decided to generously fund her lawsuit against Disney, on the grounds that she was unlawfully fired and discriminated against. This move by X sets it apart from other social media companies in terms of its commitment to free speech.
Gina Carano believes that X is taking a stand for an important principle, and thousands of users agree.
We, as a society, can only benefit from knowing that we truly have freedom of speech.
Elon Musk’s X is a shining example of what a platform can achieve when it champions free speech and the rights of its users. X stands for something greater than just profit, and it has set a new standard for platforms to aspire to.
Let us celebrate Elon Musk and X for their extraordinary act of kindness in paying legal bills for those whose right to free speech on X has been met with harassment and persecution. Together, we can create a world where free speech is not just an ideal, but a reality.
Gail Alfar, author. Exclusive to Gail Alfar. All Rights Reserved. My goal as an author and podcaster is to support X (The Everything App) through this blog and Elon Musk making life better on Earth through a digital town square for all.
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July 24, 2023, at the X HQ in SF, a giant pink hashtag with a bird on it, was moved out.
The end of the birds.
Removing the birds, and changing the signage is less important than the incredible changes that Elon Musk brought.
They say sunlight is the best disinfectant. Elon brought that sunlight. The Twitter Files are a gift to humanity. All are worth reading, absorbing, and learning from.
Elon found a way to take control of a large & financially failing company â and save it. I am impressed with the strategic moves he made to transform X into a startup.
Finding the best engineers for the job at X is critical. If you look at Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink the Boring company, you might think that was thoroughly enough for one man to achieve in his lifetime.
This is why Twitter could not be something Elon âboughtâ but rather âXâ be something that he started. From that stemmed what may be one of the most important companies of our time: xAI.
I asked one of my sons what he would want to talk about with Elon if he could meet him. âTime management. How does he manage his time? How does he achieve doing so much? I would like to know his methods.â
Once in a rare while, a very rare while, humanity throughout history is given a gift. Elon Musk is one of those gifts.
If you enjoyed this article, follow and subscribe to Gail Alfar on X at @gailalfaratx
Itâs early in the morning and I wake up and⌠check Twitter. If this is you then youâll love this article as it takes you through the past week of Twitter in minutes and you get to read about Twitter. From lawsuits to engineering advancements, Twitter 2.0 is not boring.
Elon Muskâs role at Twitter is executive chairman, and chief technical officer overseeing product, software, and system operations. Linda Yaccarino is CEO of Twitter (and doing a great job). Twitter has improved under their leadership. Additionally, Tesla is thriving under Elonâs leadership as Technoking of Tesla and CEO, as reported in Teslaâs Q2 2023 Update Report. So, when Sen Elizabeth Warren suddenly came along to throw false accusations at Elon Musk and the Tesla board, it was cringe, to say the least. Elonâs legal team respondedâŚ
TWITTER TO SUBPOENA SEN. WARREN
Twitter legal informed a federal court on Thurs, July 20 that theyâre seeking for Sen.Warren to disclose her communications with the SEC and the Federal Trade Commission from the past few months. This includes the document she sent to SEC Chair Gensler, where she falsely accused Elon Musk of harming Tesla.
META CAN NOT LEGALLY COPY TWITTER (THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPANY)
Meanwhile, Twitter has addressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerbergâs haphazardly created âThreadsâ app. Representing Twitter, Lawyer Alex Spiro sent Zuckerburg a cease-and-desist letter saying, âTwitter has serious concerns that Meta has engaged in systematic, willful, and unlawful misappropriation of Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property.â
Alex Spiro said of Twitter last March,
âOnce you get to Twitter, you realize the geopolitical significance, the significance across so many different things, thought, speech, the community of viewpoints. You realize it may actually be the most interesting and important company in the world.â (Vanity Fair Interview, March 2023)
Sadly, in the past year, Zuckerburgâs âMetaâ hired many ex-Twitter employees to gain access to Twitter’s trade secrets and highly confidential information. Meta then assigned these employees to develop their copycat “Threads” app in a few months, with the sole intent of using Twitter’s trade secrets and intellectual property to accelerate their copycat âThreadsâ app. This is a violation of state and federal laws and the employees’ ongoing obligations to Twitter.
Competition can be a good thing, but cheating is always wrong.
Elon Musk said it well, âCompetition is fine, cheating is not.â
So, as the copycat app âThreadsâ reaches an all-time low in interest, Twitter continues to employ hard-core engineering, 24/7 under the direction of Elon Musk. What cannot be underestimated, is the high value of having Elon Musk, as chief technician at Twitter. Not only will Twitter become one of the top places alongside SpaceX and Tesla to work as a software engineer, but Twitter will eventually become so advanced in software engineering that it will become the gold standard, assuming it isnât already.
TWITTER IS A VALUE-ADDED APP
In an incredibly short amount of time, Twitter became an app with a generous toolbox for writers, creators, artists, and more!
Twitterâs publishing capability can now extend to essentially an unlimited amount. Is possible to publish an entire encyclopedia on Twitter, if somebody wanted to!
Donât be surprised if Twitter is used by teachers extensively due to the usefulness of having books directly on Twitter combined with an extensive bookmark system available on the app, as well as an entire safety team dedicated to making sure abuse, hate, and threats are de-amplified on the app.
Iâll end this article with my heartfelt thoughts. It is difficult for me to understand why anybody would want to work against what Elon Musk is doing at Twitter. He is allowing creators on Twitter to share ad revenue, which brings income to places far and wide in this world. It brings needed income to places where, truly, it could be the income that a family needs to provide a living. These opportunities have never been available before and can provide amplification of talent, art, and culture. Make no mistake, Twitter is not just for North America, its reach is global, and so the goodness that it can provide through education, books in different languages, and creative and unique art, are for the good of all humanity.
It truly pains me to think that Zuck, Warren, and others, would love to see Twitter fail. The memes Iâm sharing with this article are useful for making humor out of senseless acts of intended destruction. Twitter 2.0 will prevail, for the benefit of humanity!
Meta CEO Zuckerburg coped Twitter illegally.
This article is by Gail Alfar please credit accordingly and thanks for your support.Â
Summer is here and I love writing these quick updates. If you love X.Corp, then read onâŚ
“Twitter is the only social media company where you can see the code of the algorithm. The way to build trust is to show how it works, with full transparency.” – Elon Musk
Elon Musk charmed the audience in Paris at VivaTech, he explained how Twitter is building trust through transparency. Twitter is the only social media company with open-source code for the algorithm.
Elon also explained that X, the Everything App, is a way to finish the task that was started 20 years ago.
You may know that X.com was an online bank co-founded by Elon Musk, Harris Fricker, Christopher Payne, and Ed Ho in 1999. In 2000, X.com merged with Confinity Inc., and subsequently changed its name to PayPal.In 2022, it was sold to eBay for $1.5 billion.
Twitterâs Beautiful International Reach
X.Corp, as I like to call it, or Twitter, announced on June 14, that Community Notes has expanded to another 8 countries. These include Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. For more information on Community Notes, see @CommunityNotes on Twitter for details.
Left or Right, Twitter is your platform
If you consider yourself left or right (in a political sense), then Elon Musk has, once again, offered equal treatment to all. On June 14, he tweeted,
âOnce again, Iâd like to offer this platform to anyone on the left. You will get equal treatment.â
Hidden Replies?
Staying true to his words, Elon Musk responded to Twitter account TitterDaily, when he tweeted,
âOPINION: As part of Twitter Safetyâs rollout of transparency features, Twitter should aim to clarify how the ‘More Replies’ filter works. Verified accounts and even original poster replies to replies are sometimes hidden under this filter, without a clear reason.â
Elon responded, âAgreed, this is broken in random ways. Will be fixed.â
Smart CEOs will improve their products like this with direct feedback in real-time.Â
The Usefulness of Group Chats
Twitter Support announced on June 12 that group Direct Messages can include up to 100 people, with larger limits upcoming.
What is a great use for such a large group chat? Here are a few ideas:Â Professional Networking, Event Planning (like weddings, conferences, fundraisers), Interest-Based Discussions (car clubs, hobbies, news groups), Project Management, and Community Engagement.Â
Elon Explains Why X.Corp Will Survive
My Twitter account has many bots that follow it and with most tweets, automated ones respond. Bots can also mimic real people using AI. I believe I have seen these as well. X.Corp has a way to battle this attack. On June 11, Elon explained,
âIt is increasingly difficult to distinguish between AI bots. Soon, it will be impossible. The only âsocial networksâ that survive will be those that require verification. The payment system is a means of verification that increases bot cost by ~10,000X.â
On June 8, Titter Daily also revealed that Twitter is working on limiting the ability to send Direct Messages to people who don’t follow you to Verified (Blue) users only. This will also apply to creating group chats. This is another way to lessen Direct Message bot spam.
Would You Love to see Twitter AI Art?
In my last article, I wrote about Kris Kashtanovaâs amazing Twitter account. On May 25, she tweeted that âTwitter is the most welcoming space for our AI community. I invite you to create images inspired by the platform that connected us all. Iâm grateful for you here.âÂ
Kashtanovaâs prompt idea resulted in many amazing AI images for the Bird App! Check out her account at @icreatelife on Twitter!
Enjoy your Summertime Sadness! I love Lana Del Rey and her melancholy music so I thought I would add that here. I do hope you have a great week and take time, as always, to love yourself immensely and love the ones close to you!
â˘ââââââ âž â˝â ââââââ˘
This article by Gail Alfar please credit accordingly. Thanks for your support and let me know your thoughts about X.Corp.Â
(Austin, Texas) In an invigorating discourse that sparkled like a captivating citrine gemstone, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Elon Musk engaged in a riveting conversation on a Twitter Space titled “Reclaiming Democracy.” This conversation served to inspire me, and I think youâll be inspired too! I hope youâll join me and read what Elon said about artificial intelligence, the groundbreaking potential of Neuralink, the profound value of free speech, and the benevolence of America. This exchange provided a much-needed spark of energy to my day. I hope it will rejuvenate your mind and ignite new possibilities. Listening to Elon Musk answer questions from RFK was delightfully insightful as these brilliant minds illuminated the intersections of technology, democracy, and human progress!
Appreciation for Elon Musk’s Contribution to Democracy
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. began by thanking Elon Musk saying that he is a breath of fresh air toward democracy in this country. He mentioned itâs âcommendable, given Elon was born in South Africa.â
Elon Musk emphasized that you have a robust democracy. Itâs important to have free speech. In the absence of that, he stated, âthe democracy would not function.â
Free Speech as the Lifeblood of Democracy
RFK said that free speech is the sunlight, water, and soil of democracy, and without free-speech democracy, would wither and die. He explained that thereâs never been a time in history when weâve looked back and said that the guys who censored free speech are the good guys, generally, theyâve always been the bad guys.
Dangers of Censorship and the Power of Debate
Elon explained democracy and free speech,
âItâs like washing your laundry in public. There is dirty laundry, but at least you see it and it is not hidden. Itâs essential to have that debate, even if you disagreed strongly with another side of that debate.â
Elon added that itâs important to understand that âunless there are people that can say things that you donât like, itâs not free speech. And if you start censoring, itâs only a matter of time before that censorship is turned upon you.â
Lack of Media Integrity and Collusion between Governments and Corporations
Elon also said that the thing he finds bizarre and completely different from the past is that itâs ânot only governments and corporations in collusion â which has been the case for a while, I think it was Eisenhower, who warned about the industrial military complex â but the thing I find difficult to forgive is that the legacy traditional media is also almost entirely working lockstep with the government and corporations. itâs really their obligation to question the government, not go along with it.â
Advertiser Pressure on Twitter/X.corp.
Elon also mentioned that âTwitter has seen extreme pressure from advertisers, at least in the West. And I see an advertiser boycott problem with a lot of companies.â
He went on to graciously thank the companies that have stayed with Twitter like Apple and Disney and many others.
Elonâs Commitment to Free Speech and the Impact on Advertising
Elon said that half of Twitterâs advertising has disappeared overnight in North American and European markets, âThis has happened, simply because Twitter insists on free-speech.â
Financial Pressure on Organizations and the Corruption of Democracy
I agree with Elonâs statement that he does not think the public fully realizes âthe magnitude of the extreme amount of financial pressure that is placed upon organizations to toe the line by advertisers.â
I personally, think it is a serious matter. Elon elaborated, saying, this is a âfundamental corruption of democracy, and the public should be absolutely outraged by this!â
Elon Musk’s Controversial Decision to Release Twitter Files
RFK expressed concern and surprise over Elon Musk’s choosing to release the Twitter files and that in any normal circumstance, a corporate attorney would advise him not to. He wanted to know if Elon had any discussions with an attorney before he released the files.
Defying Legal Advice: Transparency and Trust as Motivations
Elon explained that every lawyer advised against it and said it was insane to do so, that he would be getting into huge trouble, and be sued to hell and gone and it would be a massive disaster.
As you know, Elon still chose to release the Twitter files, in order to prove transparency and trust for Twitter, because transparency and trust are a rare quality, especially in a social media platform.
Thankfully Elon did not respond to the lawyer’s advice to refrain from releasing the Twitter files, in fact, Elon stated,
âI did not care!â
The Significance of Free Speech for Democracy
In order to explain this better, Elon said that âItâs easy to take for granted the system that we have here in the United States. It really doesnât exist anywhere else. Not even in Canada. And I am half-Canadian. You do not have the free speech rights in Canada that you do have in the United States. Perhaps a new government in Canada will enact those rights because it is incredibly important. But I think if we donât protect free speech at all costs, we donât have a functioning democracy. And if we donât have a functioning democracy, nothing else matters.â
RFK responded, and it should be noted that Robert has laryngeal dystonia, where a person’s voice muscles contract involuntarily, therefore, Robert has a unique vocal quality. In any case, he asked Elon an interesting question:
âWhat is it in your background that gave you such firm convictions to where youâd be willing to take that this huge, massive unspeakable economic hit on behalf of a principal for a country in which you were not even born?â
Elon Musk’s Firm Convictions and Love for History
Elon responded by saying that he does consider himself an American. He went on to explain that one reason he has firm convictions is that he loves studying history and civilizations of all kinds.
The Benevolence of the United States in History
Elon explains that while the United States is not perfect, and has made mistakes, he still believes it is the country that has shown the greatest form of benevolence towards humans in all of history.
Elon cited the Marshall plan after World War II. Elon said,
âAt the end of World War II, the United States had overwhelming military strength, and it had the nuclear bomb. The United States could have taken over the world. It could have acquired any country that it wanted, and yet it did not do any of that.
âInstead, the USA gave money to the country that it had been fighting. Iâm not sure if that has ever happened before in history. The United States helped rebuild Germany and Japan. It helped rebuild Japan, even after things like Pearl Harbor. Maybe this has happened before in history, but Iâm not aware of it.â
Acknowledging Imperfections and Profound Admiration for America
Elon went on to explain that America is not perfect and can do better, he added heâs a huge fan of America!
In a beautiful statement, Elon reiterated that he does not carry a passport for any other country in the world,
                    âI will live and die here!â – Elon Musk
RFK’s Appreciation for Elon Musk’s Service and Commitment to the USA
RFK said he loved the statement and it was quite moving, and very admirable, and then he thanked Elon for his service and commitment to the United States of America.
I trust you found this initial segment of my series enlightening, exploring the fascinating insights shared by Elon Musk. In my observation, RFK’s remarkable interviewing skills allowed him to extract profound observations from Elon. The respectful manner in which RFK approached Elon’s expertise highlights his respect and appreciation for the remarkable contributions Elon Musk is making for the betterment of humanity.
Stay tuned for Part II, where we will look into more of this engaging conversation. As you and I continue learning throughout life, let knowledge light up your dreams like the sparkling gemstone of citrine!
Photo of Austin, Texas by Carlos Alfonso on Unsplash
(Austin, Texas) This article unveils an alluring panorama of the latest updates on Twitter and may leave you craving for more.
Join me this beautiful evening, we will walk through the intro of notes on AI-generated media, which is a new feature that adds an extra layer of transparency to combat misleading content. Just as topaz and amethyst possess inner beauty, these notes will shed valuable light on the authenticity of media shared on Twitter.
We will also look at YouTubeâs policy change regarding claims of fraud in the 2020 US election, changes to Twitterâs infrastructure maintenance, and the emergence of multiple organization affiliate badges on Twitter. Iâll introduce you to an intriguing Twitter account of a professor who engages with cool AI assignments⌠to her followers!Â
Increased Capacity for Twitter Spaces
Twitter recently enhanced its ability to handle larger Spaces/audio-only chat rooms.
This upgrade is aimed at providing a better user experience and accommodating a greater number of participants in Spaces. this is exciting because of Elon Muskâs historical interview of Robert F Kennedy, Jr. on June 5.
Community Notes on “AI-Generated Media” on Twitter
Community Note Contributors with a Writing Impact of 10 or above now have the option to mark their notes as âAbout the imageâ when they believe the media is potentially misleading, regardless of the specific Tweet it is featured in.
These notes automatically appear on recent and future matching images, providing contextual information to readers and raters.
Notes on AI-generated media empower contributors in combating misleading media by providing additional information directly attached to the image.
By marking their notes as âAbout the image,â contributors ensure that the focus is on the media itself and not just the specific Tweet containing it.
Limitations and Future Enhancements
Currently, the AI-generated media notes feature supports Tweets with a single image.
However, Twitter is actively working on expanding its functionality to include videos and Tweets with multiple images or videos.
To prioritize accuracy, the matching algorithm may not identify every image that appears to be a match, but Twitter aims to refine the system to expand coverage while avoiding false matches.
Feedback from users and contributors will be crucial in shaping the future enhancements of this feature and maximizing its effectiveness.
YouTubeâs Policy Change and its Impact on Twitter
YouTube recently announced a significant policy change regarding claims of fraud in the 2020 US election.
In a shift that may be influenced by Twitterâs free speech policies, YouTube will no longer enforce its previous policy against such claims.
This relaxation of moderation signifies a potential response to the competition posed by Twitterâs approach to free speech.
Content creators, including political shows and podcasts, have expressed intentions to upload their content on Twitter alongside or even in place of YouTube.
This shift in content distribution suggests that YouTubeâs policy change may be an effort to mitigate the migration of creators to other platforms.
Emergence of Multiple Organization Affiliate Badges on Twitter
A recent development on Twitter is the introduction of multiple organization affiliate badges, allowing companies to showcase their affiliations on their Twitter accounts.
Examples have emerged of companies displaying two affiliate badges on the same account, highlighting their multiple partnerships.
This development holds significance as it enables organizations to visually demonstrate their associations and build trust with their audience.
Special Feature: Kris Kashtanovaâs Engaging Approach to AI Education on Twitter
An interesting Twitter account that deserves special attention is that of Kris Kashtanova, an AI professor who teaches at Columbia University.
Kris has adopted a unique approach to engage with students and the wider Twitter community by offering AI assignments accessible to anyone on Twitter.
Her dedication to providing educational opportunities and fostering discussions on AI topics has garnered significant interest and engagement. Find Kris at @icreatelife on Twitter.
Downtown Austin, Texas with the building the “Wilson” added in as a render. This building was slated to be 88 stories tall. It was subsequently reduced to 44 as depicted here.
Article by Gail Alfar and first appeared on Twitter. Please credit accordingly
WHAT'S UP đ by Gail Alfar 