title: “Thoughts & prayers,” conspiracy theories, and laughing emojis: Facebook comments on the attempted assassination of President Trump

authors: Phillips, Justin B.

subjects: Facebook comments

abstract: This article examines online responses to the 14 July 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Using large language model embeddings and machine learning algorithms, we analyze 26 thousand Facebook comments in near real-time reacting to “breaking news” stories from six national mainstream media outlets covering the assassination attempt. The themes we identify are consistent with historical studies on political assassination attempts and death, indicating evidence of public dismay, but also other widespread reactions including conspiratorial thinking, mocking, and trolling. Facebook’s laughing emoji features as one notable troll-like response to this traumatic event, with news of the shooting prompting nearly nine thousand ‘haha’ reactions. Within this online language is a political response apportioning blame, where both the political left and right accuse one another of inciting political violence. Our paper further connects these empirical observations with literature on affective publics, digital mourning, and RIP-trolling.

text: “Thoughts & prayers,” conspiracy theories, and laughing emojis: Facebook comments on the attempted assassination of President Trump This article examines online responses to the 14 July 2024 assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Using large language model embeddings and machine learning algorithms, we analyze 26 thousand Facebook comments in near real-time reacting to “breaking news” stories from six national mainstream media outlets covering the assassination attempt. The themes we identify are consistent with historical studies on political assassination attempts and death, indicating evidence of public dismay, but also other widespread reactions including conspiratorial thinking, mocking, and trolling. Facebook’s laughing emoji features as one notable troll-like response to this traumatic event, with news of the shooting prompting nearly nine thousand ‘haha’ reactions. Within this online language is a political response apportioning blame, where both the political left and right accuse one another of inciting political violence. Our paper further connects these empirical observations with literature on affective publics, digital mourning, and RIP-trolling.

year: 2025

title: Rapid time-domain simulation of fractional capacitors with SPICE

authors: Wilson, Marcus T.

abstract: Fractional capacitors, commonly called constant-phase elements or CPEs, are used in modeling and control applications, for example, for rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, they are not natively supported in the well-used circuit simulator SPICE. This manuscript presents and demonstrates a modeling approach that allows users to incorporate these elements in circuits and model the response in the time domain. The novelty is that we implement for the first time a particular configuration of RC elements in parallel in a Foster-type network with SPICE in order to simulate a constant-phase element across a defined frequency range. We demonstrate that the circuit produces the required impedance spectrum in the frequency domain, and shows a power-law voltage response to a step change in current in the time domain, consistent with theory, and is able to reproduce the experimental voltage response to a complicated current profile in the time domain. The error depends on the chosen frequency limits and the number of RC branches, in addition to very small SPICE numerical errors. We are able to define an optimum circuit description that minimizes error while maintaining a short computation time. The scientific value is that the work permits rapid and accurate evaluation of the response of CPEs in the time domain, faster than other methods, using open source tools.

text: Rapid time-domain simulation of fractional capacitors with SPICE Fractional capacitors, commonly called constant-phase elements or CPEs, are used in modeling and control applications, for example, for rechargeable batteries. Unfortunately, they are not natively supported in the well-used circuit simulator SPICE. This manuscript presents and demonstrates a modeling approach that allows users to incorporate these elements in circuits and model the response in the time domain. The novelty is that we implement for the first time a particular configuration of RC elements in parallel in a Foster-type network with SPICE in order to simulate a constant-phase element across a defined frequency range. We demonstrate that the circuit produces the required impedance spectrum in the frequency domain, and shows a power-law voltage response to a step change in current in the time domain, consistent with theory, and is able to reproduce the experimental voltage response to a complicated current profile in the time domain. The error depends on the chosen frequency limits and the number of RC branches, in addition to very small SPICE numerical errors. We are able to define an optimum circuit description that minimizes error while maintaining a short computation time. The scientific value is that the work permits rapid and accurate evaluation of the response of CPEs in the time domain, faster than other methods, using open source tools.

year: 2024-01-01

title: Exploring the constitution of environment education as situated, critical processes of learning and change: A collaborative synthesis across diverse regional contexts

authors: Eames, Chris W.

subjects: Critical approaches

abstract: This article offers a set of unique vignettes or stories that attempt to illustrate examples of critical approaches to environmental education (EE) in diverse contexts. It draws from the experiences of five environmental educators in four different regions of the world. We detail the history of the emergence of critical consciousness in education in Brazil, and its application in a Brazilian region, then move to examples of critical educational responses to oppression in New Zealand and Zimbabwe, before closing with a critical examination of innovative teaching and research in Europe. Through this breadth of endeavour, we identify commonalities across these contexts such as the importance of participatory action and research to examine peopleenvironment relations, particularly as constituted by indigenous peoples, and to interpret realities in ways that empower through learning-led social-ecological change. We argue that this critical approach can foster emancipation through individual and collective learning in EE processes within very different contexts.

text: Exploring the constitution of environment education as situated, critical processes of learning and change: A collaborative synthesis across diverse regional contexts This article offers a set of unique vignettes or stories that attempt to illustrate examples of critical approaches to environmental education (EE) in diverse contexts. It draws from the experiences of five environmental educators in four different regions of the world. We detail the history of the emergence of critical consciousness in education in Brazil, and its application in a Brazilian region, then move to examples of critical educational responses to oppression in New Zealand and Zimbabwe, before closing with a critical examination of innovative teaching and research in Europe. Through this breadth of endeavour, we identify commonalities across these contexts such as the importance of participatory action and research to examine peopleenvironment relations, particularly as constituted by indigenous peoples, and to interpret realities in ways that empower through learning-led social-ecological change. We argue that this critical approach can foster emancipation through individual and collective learning in EE processes within very different contexts.

year: 2018