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Danielle Brown, Google’s Vice President of Diversity, Integrity & Governance, wrote,

Many of you have read an internal document shared by someone in our engineering organization, expressing views on the natural abilities and characteristics of different genders, as well as whether one can speak freely of these things at Google. And like many of you, I found that it advanced incorrect assumptions about gender.

But exactly what in the document advanced incorrect assumptions about gender?

I found only one stereotype in the document, which I could see someone complaining about: The section labeled "Personality differences" states,

"Women, on average, have more: ... Neuroticism (higher anxiety, lower stress tolerance). This may contribute to the higher levels of anxiety women report on Googlegeist and to the lower number of women in high stress jobs."

I'm not a psychologist, so I don't know if that claim is true.

The other differences between men and women, which the document lists, are generally accepted as true. It states that women have more openness towards feelings, and are less assertive and more agreeable (which makes it harder for women to negotiate a salary, ask for a raise, speak up, or lead). It also says that men are judged on status, which pushes them to work for higher-paying jobs.

And footnote number 4 says, "[4] For heterosexual romantic relationships, men are more strongly judged by status and women by beauty. Again, this has biological origins and is culturally universal." James Damore didn't say that was how it should be. He said that that was how people think.

So I wonder what in the document Google execs are complaining about. What in his document is false, besides possibly the claim of more neuroticism in women?

(The document made some generalizations, but it stated that they were traits on average men and women, not all men and women.)

1. that the gap is not evidence of sexism
2. that programs that correct for existent sexism should be eliminated

He takes clear evidence for the former and uses it as if it is evidence for the latter, implying that in his view there is no sexism that needs to be corrected for -- a contradiction to his opening statement.

Have I misread something?

He may [...] be unable to cite resources

In the version published by Gizmodo, as they admit, "Two charts and several hyperlinks are also omitted.". I haven't been able to find the full version anywhere.

I suspect that the charts and hyperlinks were, in fact, supporting resources. I can think of two motivations for Gizmodo removing them: 1. Because they don't want people to follow those hyperlinks and read more material that might support a position of which they, editorially, disapprove; and 2. So that people reading the essay on their site (such as yourself?) might miss the disclaimer, and assume that he had no supporting material.

At least Gizmodo did, in fact, include the disclaimer, following standard editorial practice. I've seen publishers (including the BBC!) flout such rules when following them would have detracted from a feminist talking point.

the author then goes on to say that therefore there is no sexism

Actually, no, not only does he not make such a claim, he says the exact opposite: I value diversity and inclusion, am not denying that sexism exists.

Dismissed. Remember to logout.

there were like 30+ sources although gizmodo stripped the links out they were still there.

I don't see any sources. Can you point out a single one of those "30+" sources that appears in the Gizmodo article:

http://gizmodo.com/exclusive-heres-the-full-10-page-anti-diversity-screed-1797564320

I've read it. It is well thought out (considering its goal) and sourced (where sources are used, but there are a number of baseless assertions)

I don't see any sources at all. Are we reading the same document that is posted on Gizmodo?

http://gizmodo.com/exclusive-heres-the-full-10-page-anti-diversity-screed-1797564320

You might find this useful http://fieldguide.gizmodo.com/...

No one from Apple is coming to your house to destroy your nano.

You would think.

(Yes, I'm joking. Yes, I know there's a difference between an iPod nano and a prototype iPhone.)

In short, The FCC Is Full Of Shit.

https://gizmodo.com/check-out-...

Morons.

My understanding is that they don't occupy a vital niche in the food-chain or otherwise in the ecosystem.

Google is your friend. I knew the answer to this already, but was surprised by how readily available source material was to support my response.

A few notable items:

http://www.nature.com/news/201... http://io9.gizmodo.com/what-if... http://science.howstuffworks.c... https://www.theguardian.com/gl...

Etc.

You were surprised? Yeah, I was too, particularly as to the data you provided, since I believe the point you were trying to make is mosquitoes are necessary and vital to our ecosystem.

Some of your articles hint that eradication would not create an ecological impact. Some also stated that eradication efforts are "not worth it unless there was a very serious public health emergency."

Perhaps the true question is how many humans will have to become infected or die until the latter statement rings true?

Perhaps we look at history to answer that. The mosquito has long been known as the deadliest animal on the planet. They have killed countless humans through the ages. It carries over a dozen diseases, including malaria, which still kills over a million people every year. Now Zika has been added to that infamous list.

Sad when you consider the innocent victims of Zika are babies suffering from microcephaly. The fear of that affliction alone is a form of terrorism when it comes to people wanting to start a family. Imagine the other impacts of areas known to be Zika-prone. Think your home value would not plummet if they found a 300% increase of Zika cases in your zip code? Impact local business that rely on humans being outside but now aren't due to increased fear of infection? I'm willing to bet it would. Much like the global concerns surrounding the Ebola outbreaks a few years ago, humans can get rather panicky when it comes to increased chances of being exposed to a life-threatening disease. Perhaps rightly so.

It would appear that we are doing something now to counter the threat, likely because enough revenue is at risk. Efforts have to be financially justified when it comes to preventing harm or death these days. If we do nothing in response to increased risk, then the mosquito will simply stand as yet another form of population control.

My understanding is that they don't occupy a vital niche in the food-chain or otherwise in the ecosystem.

Google is your friend. I knew the answer to this already, but was surprised by how readily available source material was to support my response.

A few notable items:

http://www.nature.com/news/201...
http://io9.gizmodo.com/what-if...
http://science.howstuffworks.c...
https://www.theguardian.com/gl...

Etc.

So in effect Trump is stopping people from following him, replying to him, or reading his tweets in their feed...

http://gizmodo.com/replying-to...

http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-rat...

How Mice Turned Their Private Paradise Into A Terrifying Dystopia

Universe 25 was a giant box designed to be a rodent utopia. The trouble was, this utopia did not have a benevolent creator. John B. Calhoun had designed quite a few mouse environments before he got to the 25th one, and didn't expect to be watching a happy story. Divided into "main squares" and then subdivided into levels, with ramps going up to "apartments," the place looked great, and was always kept stocked with food, but its inhabitants were doomed from the get-go.

Universe 25 started out with eight mice, four males and four females. By day 560, the mouse population reached 2,200, and then steadily declined back down to unrecoverable extinction. At the peak population, most mice spent every living second in the company of hundreds of other mice. They gathered in the main squares, waiting to be fed and occasionally attacking each other. Few females carried pregnancies to term, and the ones that did seemed to simply forget about their babies. They'd move half their litter away from danger and forget the rest. Sometimes they'd drop and abandon a baby while they were carrying it. ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

The United Nations Human Rights Commission also considers Internet access a right.

The wackos at the UN think all sorts of things should be a RIGHT... yet they have no clue how the real world actually works.

UN == Ivory Tower Syndrome

having an internet connection is not a right.

It is enough of a right that the supreme court ruled Social networking website bans for past sexual offenders [arstechnica.com] unconstitutional.

The United Nations Human Rights Commission also considers Internet access a right. And I DID capitalize Internet.

"We're talking about the FCC, so how about sticking to the USA? I have no idea what the laws are regarding ISPs in Kenya or Zambizia or wherever, but I do know about the USA. There are no ISPs with government granted monopolies."

Local governments, e.g. county or city, provide monopolistic franchise agreements with cable and internet providers. Gas and electric are usually covered by state Public Services Commission and are provided effective natural monopolies.

https://www.wired.com/2013/07/...

"Before building out new networks, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must negotiate with local governments for access to publicly owned “rights of way” so they can place their wires above and below both public and private property. ISPs also need “pole attachment” contracts with public utilities so they can rent space on utility poles for above-ground wires, or in ducts and conduits for wires laid underground.

http://gizmodo.com/5830956/why...

"Throughout most of cable's history, it's been regulated at the local level. Counties and cities were the agencies responsible for allowing cable franchises. That is changing, slightly. More than 20 states now have franchise authority, due largely to intensive lobbying by telcos like Verizon and AT&T. You know you're fucked when you're relying on AT&T to make things better. Ultimately, this patchwork of local regulation means cable companies themselves are often more powerful than the body overseeing them. And as long as none of the micro-monopolies grows too large nationally, it can continue to control the local weather.

That's why I kept saying "local government".

Not just Australia. The state of Georgia was also founded as a penal colony. And one quarter of all British immigrants to the (now) United States were prisoners sent as temporarily enslaved ("indentured") labor.

New Zealand was started with colonists and look how badly that turned out.

The thing about penal transportation was, only petty criminals were transported. It was seen as a way of reducing the population of riff-raff in England. So anyone who stole a loaf of bread, jeered at a nobleman or was Irish (I'm serious, displaying an Irish flag was considered sedition in the 1800's). However the hardened criminals, the rapists, murderers and politicians, they were kept in merry ol' England.

The reason for this was that penal transportation wasn't a life sentence. You worked your sentence and at the end of which you were given a parcel of land and permitted to do with it as you saw fit. Given the cost of a voyage back to England in the 1820's was astronomical most stayed in Australia (or the American colonies). Those few that went back usually did so via a tour as a sailor in the Royal Navy or a merchant ship because almost all who were transported were relatively poor. The prisoners essential became settlers.

Most people who came to the Australian colonies were actually settlers. The last penal transportation was in 1868 to Perth, Western Australia.

Not just Australia. The state of Georgia was also founded as a penal colony. And one quarter of all British immigrants to the (now) United States were prisoners sent as temporarily enslaved ("indentured") labor.

> Unless "S" stands for "Supreme",

"S" stands for sub-par stripped-down shit because (almost) no one wants Microsoft's crappy, small OS.

> I can understand battery life being poorer for "Pro" if it gives better performance,

Allegedly

There are far fewer programs running in the background. According to Microsoft, a laptop running Windows 10 S loads a user profile (including apps and preferences) 15 seconds faster than an identical laptop running Windows 10 Pro.

Similar, but slightly different... they were manipulating their own website (or rather, had a separate intranet site) to cheat people out of their own online specials.
https://news.slashdot.org/stor... http://gizmodo.com/241220/best...

We wouldn't want them to steal our state of the art Ms. Pac Man playing AI. Our Atari 2600 high scores are safe for a while longer thanks to our government!

Sure about that? - https://panopticlick.eff.org/
Then in addition to that. Do you login to any website from that computer?

Do you have a cellphone?
Then yes, you are being snooped upon.

Do you drive your own vehicle to and from work?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
https://www.schneier.com/blog/...

Do you take the subway/bus/bike to and from work?
https://www.schneier.com/blog/...
http://gizmodo.com/british-cop...

So if you combine this intelligence they could analyze the different data sources and over time probably match your face/licence-plate to your actual web-traffic. And it could all be automated.
Monitor over a time-period. Identify the traffic (login to a service or browser-fingerprinting or behaviour-fingerprinting). Identify when the traffic stops and who leaves the building after and with a year of monitoring you can exclude all the co-workers that left before or did not arrive before your web-traffic stopped.

Gizmodo actually posted a much more informative story than slashdot. The 5th amendment issue is summarized thus:

http://gizmodo.com/can-we-plea...

"Legally speaking, phone unlocking is a very challenging question—that’s the problem. On the one hand, American citizens can’t be forced to testify against themselves according to the Fifth Amendment. This is the reasoning many defense attorneys use when prosecutors try to force suspects to unlock their iPhones. On the other hand, police and prosecutors are allowed to obtain evidence with a warrant from a judge. A suspect who refuses to supply a passcode—or who say they can’t remember it, as in this week’s Florida cases—could be held in contempt of court.

According to actual legal experts, the phone-unlocking debate is so challenging because the Fifth Amendment defense depends on whether or not the suspect is actually testifying by giving up a passcode or fingerprint. As Orin Kerr, a law professor at George Washington University, explains in The Washington Post, supplying the key to unlock it under a judge’s authority probably shouldn’t count as testimony, if the suspect has admitted that a certain device belongs to them. After all, the very act of supplying a key doesn’t add any new facts to the case. If it’s unclear who owns the locked device, however, things get dicier. Admitting to owning a phone that’s believed to contain incriminating evidence is testimony, because you’re adding new information to the case."

what abort chain of custody / forensics issues? The defense has the right to know and they have the right to do there own forensics work with there own lab.

Under reasonable doubt I can say

Who knows if that porn came form other infected systems on the Geek Squad network (I head that they outscored some of the clean up of systems to remote places)

What if an Geek Squad worker has an infected usb disk that just copy's stuff system to system? some workers have copied stuff from people systems for there own use.

what if was just in the browser cache??
http://www.popsci.com/technolo...
http://gizmodo.com/5099383/pop...

Yet Slashdot didn't feature one story about Dr. Who. So much for news for nerds.

http://io9.gizmodo.com/doctor-who-just-pulled-off-a-barnstorming-cliffhanger-1795631931

All of the racist Star Trek fans on this site are getting called out: http://io9.gizmodo.com/racist-star-trek-fans-decry-discoverys-diversity-revea-1795506110

It's fucking awesome. Star Trek isn't racist against white men for having a diverse cast. Get over yourselves, bigots. If only Slashdot wasn't mostly racist. Any Star Trek Discovery story basically turns Slashdot into Stormfront. Glad to see you racists finally getting called out.

Amazon treats workers like garbage.

The unemployment rate in America is 4.6%, which is "full employment". In Seattle it is 3.1%, and businesses are struggling to find enough workers. So if Amazon employees don't like their jobs, there are plenty of alternatives.

Amazon treats workers like garbage. I sympathize with those mistreated workers. I won't buy squat from them. I told their recruiters the same thing. Their kind of business model belongs in a Chinese sweatshop. They aren't welcome here.

Being an avid reader, I'm also a bit insulted by the way they want to enhance the visual appeal of the store at the expense of having a (much) smaller number of books. Also, a 4000 square foot bookstore is pretty small. Half Price Books in Dallas has a 55,000 square foot retail space with used books you can't even find on Amazon and a huge computer-book section that might even have a programming book on C left over from an era before the cool kids came along. The Tattered Cover in Denver has also been facing-out a lot of books (not all of them) before the news about Amazon's "great idea" ever came along. I don't have any use for a color-by-numbers bookstore made to appeal to people who's imaginations are too challenged to be interested in a book without seeing the cover art.

From the article itself:
http://gizmodo.com/any-half-de...

It is not clear whether Trump connects to the insecure networks while at his family’s properties. When he travels, the president is provided with portable secure communications equipment. Trump tracked the military strike on a Syrian air base last month from a closed-door situation room at Mar-a-Lago with secure video equipment.

So it appears he is not using those networks for government business, as best as anyone can tell.
Also,I looked up ProRepublica, they seem to have a very liberal, anti-Trump stance IMO. There's an agenda there, and that supports my other assertion.
All in all, this is just more hyper-ventilating over something trivial, because "Trump". It's self defeating. In all this noise, when something major finally does happen involving Trump, it'll be diminished by all the previous crying of wolf.

Whatever the Democrats may be screaming, it's irrelevant to this. The Republicans control Congress. It's in their hands, and thus far every attempt they've made to support Trump has been thrown back in their face by his inability to keep his mouth shut. For chrissakes, the man is such an arrogant blowhard he was showing off to the fucking Russians in the Oval Office with a Russian journalist in the room. Whether he let slip any classified data or not, the fact is not only has he once again, within the space of a few days, made himself look like a big mouthed ass, he's now pissing off Israel, which means Israel and other allies, not to mention the State Department itself, are going to start holding crucial intelligence closer to their chests lest the Braggart-in-chief decide to show off to any other foreign powers.

My favorite part is Putin has a transcript of the entire meeting he wants to use to help clear trump. Obviously at least one of the visitors had a recording device going at all times.

it's worse than that. In the trailers everyone was like "OH ITS KHAN!" and JJ Abrams played coy in interviews and press saying "No it isn't Khan" there was a lot of drama about it and he even apologized for treating fans like idiots. http://io9.gizmodo.com/j-j-abr...

But the original Penn Station was a marvelous piece of Beaux Arts design. Its story is also one of the most tragic tales in architecture---54 years ago . . . it was torn down to make way for Madison Square Garden.

The original Pennsylvania station---named for the Pennsylvania Railroad---opened its doors in 1910. Designed by McKim, Mead, and White, it a monument of pink granite, marked by an army of 84 Greek Doric columns and 150-foot vaulted ceilings. Inside, glass and steel soared to make one of the most breathtaking train sheds ever built. Inspired by the Roman baths of Caracalla, its massive waiting area was one of the largest public spaces in the world.

from The Original Penn Station

https://gizmodo.com/5936572/th...

....Right. Like the 1% will give up ANY of their new profits just to feed you.
And since they will have it all, they will own the political system...again.
This is what America looked like LAST time
THE 1% HAD IT ALL!

The "4G" we have isn't really 4G, either. http://gizmodo.com/5680755/the...

But Energy Star is neither common nor a measuring stick.

You can get any sort of device an Energy Star rating, you don't even have to submit any testing to the EPA, it's much like the FCC certifications, you can get a Chinese company to certify your product by a "certified" lab in China.

http://www.npr.org/templates/s...
http://gizmodo.com/a-fake-gas-...
https://www.forbes.com/sites/r...

Don't shame women for having an appearance that does not conform to your opinions. The fact that a woman wears a black turtleneck does not mean that she is "asking" to be indicted.

Don't shame women for having friends of whom you do not approve. The fact that a woman hangs out with men like Henry Kissinger does not mean that she is "asking" to be indicted.

Don't shame women for the things they do that you do not like. The fact that a woman runs an obvious confidence scam based on science fiction and the usual Californian racket of burning VC money like a hooker plowing through coke does not mean that she is "asking" to be indicted.

Stop perpetrating and perpetuating the patriarchy. Let strong women live as they see fit. Even investigating Elizabeth Holmes is a sexist attempt to shelter male privilege from the inevitable truths of human dignity and moral relativism.

That Avatar's plot was very similar to Dances with Wolves does not mean it was a remake in any meaningful way. It's pretty f'ing derivative, I'll give you that -- heck, there's a list of sources from which it looks like it borrowed -- http://io9.gizmodo.com/5460954... But it's not a remake by any meaningful, objective, standard.

23andMe was banned from producing health analysis reports by the FDA in 2013, and recently was finally approved to release certain health reports after a lengthy, expensive process.

Yes, a device such as a medical tricorder would certainly have to be certified by the FDA in the US.

"Do you really think Intel would invest £300m into improving diversity just because some 'SJWs' criticised them? "

Something along those lines, absolutely! Intel has been an extremely successful company with its predominately white, predominately male workforce. This "diversity" bullshit is nothing but a collective mental illness which permeates contemporary culture & Intel is trying to capitalize on it. The whole effort is a big public image campaign.

It's not just "some SJWs" criticizing them. Every single time this is discussed in the media, government or academia, the "whiteness" and "maleness" in the tech industry is framed in the context of a problem that needs to be solved.

e.g.
Wired: Intel isn't diverse enough

Gizmodo: The Alarming Downsides to Tech Industry Diversity Reports

It's even framed as a problem from a public policy standpoint!
EEOC: "...the lack of diversity among high tech workers [has] become [a] central public policy [concern]."

You never (except in the comments section) hear the hypothesis that there just might be fundamental differences across the races and the sexes and that the composition of the workforce is a function of those differences. They also conveniently gloss over the fact that these evil white racists in tech seem to hire plenty of minorities of Asian/East Asian heritage.
F*** Intel. If they're going to have a big PR campaign where white men are viewed as a "problem", they won't be getting my $$$.

There's something to be said for simplicity. The more I read about IoT vulnerabilities and clunky smart home devices, the less I want one.

There is elegance in simplicity. If I want to make something smarter, I put it on a timer.

A few years ago a local artist improved a confusing L.A. freeway sign, making an interstate number shield in the process:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the...

https://www.good.is/articles/t...

http://gizmodo.com/how-one-fed...

One down, 9,999 to go...

The crux of the failure in your line of reasoning is that you appear to think that most owners are progressive thinkers.... in my experience they are not. Most condo owners I have encountered are cheap bastards who are perfectly happy with any inexpensive solution that does not create an inconvenience for them. This is not only my experience in every strata complex that I have ever lived, it is also the experience of absolutely anyone else that I know that has lived in a strata complex. Of course, this isn't a problem if you live in a house, but then you are looking at prices that are sometimes 3-4 times as much, often even more, and likely not achievable for those who have found owning a condo to be adequate in the first place. Oh, many condo owners would certainly love to have electric chargers so they could get an electric vehicle, but most aren't willing to front the thousands of dollars in assessments that it will cost them, and most wouldn't be willing to move their parking space either to allow a charger to be installed there for someone else to use unless there was some other advantage for them, personally. You entirely overlook and discount the human tendency to be selfish and to often stubbornly or even ignorantly resist change, and the minority of progressive thinkers of this generation is simply not influential enough at this time to overcome that. Only time will change this... as much of the older generation of people who currently own their homes dies off and a younger generation replaces them that was raised with the necessary ideals to make it a reality... but don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen because it's not anytime soon. I'd place it probably before the turn of the next century, but I can't say I expect to be around that long.

I live in Canada, by the way... I assumed that might have been obvious given the reference I cited and linked to from plugndrive.ca.

I think that this quote from a Gizmodo article puts the problem in perspective.

It is getting a little better, though. When Tesla launched its first car in 2008, there were about 500 charging locations nationwide; now there's at least 30,000 public outlets. But trying to convince businesses to invest in charging stations that will benefit less than one percent of their customers is a tough job. And filling up your "tank" in an EV is not like pumping gas. You have to physically plug the car in and leave it somewhere, sometimes for hours. Ideally this would happen while you're at home, during off-peak hours for the grid. But those who travel long distances, or live in an apartment without a garage, must rely on charging spots that are part of the urban infrastructure -- and they're not always in places that people need them.

Talk to Sony, apparently. No word on price, though.

Are you referring to the same jokers who have AOL + Yahoo addresses? Because, c'mon now... The US congress has a GREAT track record of comprehension of the internet!

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9...
http://www.upworthy.com/the-go...
http://gizmodo.com/this-congre...
https://thinkprogress.org/new-...

Thanks for the clarification. And yet... Do you expect web-sites "sharing progressive values" to ditch Drupal en masse now — the way they once called for ditching Firefox?

Because of that pesky first amendment, the actual government can't create Ministries of Truth to arbitrate reality like some European countries are trying to do (not to mention that the people everyone wants to censor currently control all branches of government). Luckily though, the wonders of unchecked free market capitalism have created an environment where the most notorious thoughcriminals rely on advertising revenue to survive financially, and two private companies with no legal responsibilities toward free speech and a track record of bowing to mob pressure and/or their own political agendas now have a near-monopoly on ad sales.

It appears that Bitcoin, a currency designed with anonymity in mind...

No. Bitcoin is designed around decentralization, not anonymity. Every transaction is logged forever; for anonymity, that's a nightmare. This misconception is widespread. Bitcoin is not anonymous; if privacy is important to you, you should not be using it.

Hollywood can't help but do this now. It's all that's left to them.

Every film nowadays has a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars, mostly thanks to Hollywood accounting practices. To invest that kind of money you have to be able to show the principals an expected return on that investment. You need to do market analysis and show that you have an audience large enough to get that return.

The only way to do that is to copy older blockbusters and assume the returns will be in the ballpark. Hence, reboots.

Look at Deadpool if you want to know about risk aversion. The studio did NOT want to make that movie. It was "risky". Imagine living in a world where you would think that a Deadpool movie was too risky. That's why they're going for The Matrix. The two sequels were garbage but still made bank. So they know that this reboot will too.

It's the beginning of the end for Hollywood, IMO. Their model can only support smash blockbusters, and now they're out of them.