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vgr's profile
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
@vgr

Tweets

Venkatesh Rao

@vgr

This is my conversational account. For my work follow @ribbonfarm, @breaking_smart, @artofgig. Tweets are 90% vacuous views, apathetically held. Mediocritopian.

Los Angeles, CA
venkateshrao.com
Joined August 2007

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    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

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    Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 8 Nov 2018
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    How do you think the power ratio of pen:sword has changed in the last 500 years at the individual level? Words: scribes to Gutenberg all the way to social media Sword: from literal swords to crappy muskets to reliable automatic weapons I'd say words have been relative gainer

    1:57 PM - 8 Nov 2018
    • 5 Retweets
    • 39 Likes
    • Ban Daljeet Virdi Noor Al-Hajri Oliver Emberton Mattia Flabiano Peter Stair Rohith Raj Josh Bell Chris Adams
    16 replies 5 retweets 39 likes
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      2. Sam Bhagwat‏ @calcsam 9 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @vgr

        Only because weapons (nukes, carpet bombing, chemical warfare) have become so powerful they have been constrained by geopolitics. Words have been constrained as well — Rwandan genocide incitement radio is an outlier not the norm.

        1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
      3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr 9 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @calcsam

        That’s why I tried to limit comparison to individual weapons and words (small arms and individual media leverage). There are also ‘nukes’ on the words side I guess, at the level of court judgments or legislation for eg.

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      2. Mike Hogan‏Verified account @mike_hogan 8 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @vgr

        The power of the word has shamed most major powers out of most direct military action, for what that's worth. Also, if code = word, that's a major power-up too

        1 reply 1 retweet 8 likes
      3. forvrin has his masters‏ @forvrin 8 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @mike_hogan @vgr

        I think if the power of words has had an effect in the last 500 years, it has been to change the perception of violence from one of good to one of necessary evil. Words amplify Swords, not dull them. They remind people that swords suck, particularly when they are inside you.

        0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      4. End of conversation
      1. ◯‏ @monoscient 8 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @vgr

        To nukes, cbw and drones

        0 replies 0 retweets 3 likes
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      1. an end‏ @hyperfekt 8 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @vgr

        swords stink so much nowadays. especially considering that at any scale and anywhere on the world we are much more integrated and letting you use the sword depends much more on the opinion of everyone else with swords but the coin is stronger than both.

        0 replies 1 retweet 0 likes
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      1. Grynn‏ @Grynn 9 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @vgr

        If you count nukes and chemical weapons, I’d say it’s the swords that have an edge. Social media versus 💣? What’s the go to in Yemen or Iraq?

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. K‏ @2Canadians 8 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @vgr

        I think hyperlink is the key. Words can be used in the virtual and real world, whereas sword can be used only in real world, I admit may be some folks take their perso in a virtual world very seriously ( online games)

        0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
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      1. Varun Adibhatla‏ @vr00n 8 Nov 2018
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        Replying to @vgr

        Gunzo https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/619/hunter-s-thompson-the-art-of-journalism-no-1-hunter-s-thompson …pic.twitter.com/neDn5kKKNM

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