iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 6h

There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...

But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Premier League must fully punish Manchester City. These violations are extreme. They need to lose their titles and be demoted to at least League 2.

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A simple idea that may be a bit difficult for those in the AI industry: train your chatbots better! This really isn't complicated.

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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 27/09/2026

Women trying to succeed in Silicon Valley AI and effective altruist spaces are reporting feeling serious social pressure to attend sex parties - where people have reported being sexually assaulted, like below. Events like Aella’s “Slutcon,” which is happening again this weekend.

Ann Pierce
@itsannpierce
20h
I am disheartened by this as well. I already lost a bunch of followers for agreeing with @tautologer, but it's saddening to see local nerdy women being caricatured as Karen-like outsiders and getting pushed out of the scene. This is exactly why you hear so few concrete, names-attached stories of sexual harrassment and assault. I'm told there is a history of discrediting these because the "slut normalization" thing is top priority and these stories get inconveniently in the way of spreading this ideology.
I got roped into attending last year's Saturday Slutcon party because so many local and out-of-town friends were there (to echo sentiments @tautologer expressed about "slut events becoming central to the larger scenes). Mostly I hung out with people I knew and that was great. But in the course of my 3-ish hours there, there were 2 times my "no" was not accepted by a man I didn't know, and I was physically pushing a huge guy off of me who was rubbing his penis on me, who continued to do it despite my physical force against him, and after I finally wriggled away from him, told him I wanted to dance alone etc., he came back and did it again.
This was scary and bad, but it didn't even cross my mind to report this because one of the other people who didn't accept my "no" earlier in the night was the bartender (an officially sanctioned authority at the event), and I knew the event was organized exclusively by women into CNC (who are vocal about how rapey behavior turns them on), so I figured this sort of thing would just get me laughed at. And anyway, I heard there were a lot of other incidents like it. Later though, someone encouraged me to report this story to the organizers, and despite my embarrassment I did, so *they know* that this and other incidents happened. This is why they cut the Saturday night party this year and created a larger training program for the flirt girls - *because* of things like this last year. Yet the narrative bein…

People who haven't been to Slutcon are saying "it's just group therapy," "it's just innocent flirting." But the environment is much like a sex party in that many people are nude, there is making out and sex acts happening out in the open. I think it's pretty unreasonable to expect that every nerdy girl who likes rationalist bloggers or is into EA/AI safety should automatically be comfortable with this! That if she's not, there's something wrong with her, we don't want her in our scenes, etc.
Not to mention, it's explictly an event *for men*, where men are the clients and the "flirt girls" are the product. Last year I overheard an exchange where a man felt "led on" by a flirt girl and was trying to get her punished/kicked out. (A dynamic that seems inevitable in this context!)
Anyway- it does sound like they've upped their consent education a lot this year, are more organized, and that's good! As I've told my friends who are attending: I hope they have fun!
I heard several accounts last year of women who had no problems and really enjoyed the event. That's great!
Just... can we live in reality about this? There are real reasons why male-female sexual dynamics are tricky.
Encouraging autistic men who can't yet read body language to go around asking to see womens' boobs is maybe a bit ill-advised. Maybe not everyone should be/identify as a slut; maybe it's not for everyone.
And yeah, filtering the Bay Area Al safety scene down to only women who are super comfy with this eliminates *most* women - including many of the really smart, nerdy, weird women who've been in the larger scenes for years. What a loss for humanity.
I absolutely understand why people with a minority sexuality would want to create belonging, would want to create spaces for people like themselves. But why do it like this/at this cost?

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I do not think anyone here cares but I didn't run my half or more yesterday. The Nor'easter was ridiculous yesterday so I postponed until today. Not as much rain but the wind turned out to be worse. Someone I completed a half. All videos so one person post #jerseyshore #halfmarathon

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Vauhini Vara @vauhinivara.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I wrote a book last year showing how tech companies' values and goals show up in the rhetoric of their products themselves — including through AI chatbots. People questioned that; maybe it seemed too dystopian? Well, I've been collecting other examples in the wild, and here's the latest.

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This essay by @chrishedges.skystack.xyz based on Ece Temelkuran's "Nation of Strangers" is powerful & must listening/reading for us fighting fascism. There is a quote from the book, starting around 8:50, that I think we are starting to see in our movement. youtu.be/hwDtS5d0BnI?...

youtu.be

Becoming the Stranger

YouTube video by The Chris Hedges YouTube Channel

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026

Sen. Susan Collins helped steer millions in federal defense contracts to Navatek, whose CEO illegally funneled thousands of dollars to her campaign. The FBI sought to launch a probe and was eyeing Collins and other lawmakers. Then Trump gutted the unit in charge. THREAD 🧵

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

When I heard the AI chiefs start claiming AI was going to kill us I immediately called BS on this, realising they are horribly leveraged so I was happy to see El address this in great detail! youtu.be/kHW3Y0gObU8?...

youtu.be

AI CEOs Are Broke, Desperate and Lying About Doomsday

YouTube video by House of El: AI

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Oh my almost forgot to post my Saturday half or more run. It was windy and a bit chilly. Still got it done. #JerseyShore #halfmarathon #SeaHearNow

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Max from UNFTR @unftr.com · 16/09/2026

Tonight! 8PM EST. The premiere of our cover story / doc on Milton Friedman. This has been months in the making in collaboration with @currentaffairs.bsky.social. If you're wondering how the new world neoliberal order was established and who was responsible, I've got answers.

youtu.be

Why We’re Still Living in Milton Friedman’s Neoliberal World

YouTube video by UNFTR Media

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Tyler King @tyleraking.com · 17/09/2026

“A senior executive at Microsoft said A.I. systems built on the work of others will be seen as ‘an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions’ and possibly the greatest robbery of labor in human history, according to court documents unredacted Thursday in an ongoing Manhattan lawsuit.”

orlandosentinel.com

Docs in A.I. copyright suit reveal startling admission by Microsoft exec over ‘astonishing theft’

The admission appeared in a newly unredacted filing in the landmark copyright infringement legal battle playing out between newspapers like the Orlando Sentinel and tech companies Microsoft and OpenAI...

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I asked this question before & not 1 reply. The right knows what they are fighting for & speak about it all the time. What is the left fighting for? It seems the best we have is we are not trump/maga. This will not win!!! We are 50 years since Reagan and still the right dominates! SMH

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Sitting on the sand posting my Saturday half or more. Was a long week (back in the classroom) so it was going to be 13.25 but the bridges had other plans. The pictures are from a variety of locations #jerseyshore #halfmarathon

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Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

In an effort to combat childhood hunger, the USDA and the Dept of Ed has partnered with the Faith and Freedom Coalition, and the Idaho Potato Growers to create a new program where public school kids can recite a Bible verse and then get a double serving of tater tots. It's called "Tots and Prayers."

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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 06/09/2026

"Masked activists bring chaos to Dover in protest against migrants" "Trans activists show who they really are: a violent mob"

Telegraph page 5 today - Masked activists bring chaos to Dover in protest against migrants and Who are the disguised protesters who brought port to a standstill?

Telegraph 20 April 2025 - Trans activists show who they really are: a violent mob"

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Well it is Saturday and another half or more is done. Wasn't feeling it today, guess the stress of starting school next week is getting to me. Some nice pictures this morning and good luck to those running the Belmar 5 1/3 #halfmarathon #jerseyshore

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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Seattle Times comes out against I-638. It s terrible law, based in bigotry, that hurts all girls who want to compete in school sports, requiring invasive sex testing. If you’re in WA state or know someone who is, please spread the word: Vote NO on I-638. www.seattletimes.com/opinion/edit...

seattletimes.com

Seattle Times recommends 'No' on I-638, ban on trans girls in sports | Editorial

If this were a “Washington problem“ it would be worth studying as a pressing issue to be resolved by the electorate, informed with science. But it is not.

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The Verge @theverge.com · 02/09/2026

As a new Harry Potter trailer makes the rounds, it bears repeating that there’s no way to watch this show without supporting J.K. Rowling’s bigotry and the structural violence she’s inflicting on the trans community.

theverge.com

There is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series

You can’t without supporting Rowling’s transphobic bigotry.

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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez: “The European External Action Service of the EC has said there were indeed Russian and Israeli networks that spread these hoaxes and attacked the Spanish government and European governments on a very corrosive topic like the fight against irregular migration. 1/

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Over the last few days I have come across so many different Dolly videos but this one may have been my favourite as it touches so many different areas of human life youtu.be/gYq4gA7r49I?...

youtu.be

Dolly Parton - Peace Train fea. Ladysmith Black Mambazo (1996)

YouTube video by Col. Lonnie Fain

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

So American Prestige did a live on YouTube about Canada. Important if you want to understand who Carney is...ps he is not who some are advertising. www.youtube.com/live/BhEVVoU...

youtube.com

American Prestige Free World Livestream 8/27/26, with Luke Savage

YouTube video by American Prestige

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Another Saturday and another half or more. Beautiful morning to run. I finally did a little longer run, 16.25 miles (niggles improving). Not marathon ready but a step in that direction. Anyway I stopped in the "Irish Riviera" to take pictures and videos. #halfmarathon #jerseyshore #springlake

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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Yale President McInnis has been telling people that Yale has no choice but to negotiate a settlement with the Trump administration. This is a willful misreading of the law and as such, a lie. A resolution process is voluntary and legal scholars have been pushing back. 1/ abcnews.com/US/yale-face...

abcnews.com

Yale faces backlash for talks with the Justice Department regarding its admissions

Legal experts weigh in on Yale's decision to negotiate with the DOJ for a potential resolution over alleged race discrimination in their admissions processes.

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Dolly was a Christian 💔

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

May Dolly rest in peace 😥😥😥

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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 25/08/2026

I’ve lost track of the number of times an immigrant has told me they had to sit on a prison bus in the back of an airport for six, 10, 20 hours with no food or water and being told to urinate in a corner or onto themselves.

A screenshot of a White House tweet styled after The Magic School Bus cartoon but this one says “The Magic Deportation Bus” and shows shackled brown men in the back. The White House account says “Please let this be a normal field trip…” One put gray text over the whole thing that says “FASCIST PROPAGANDA.”

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Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 24/08/2026

Every progressive gets chased around about their relationship to Hasan Piker. Has ONE reporter ever asked JD Vance about his embrace of the insane and anti-democratic ideas of Curtis Yarvin? Or about his relationship with democracy-hater Peter Thiel? The imbalance is stark.

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Dr. Bradley Onishi @bradleyonishi.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Miller breaks down why this isn't really about one church — it's about who counts as "the right kind" of Christian in Trump-era politics, and why he expects the administration's own rhetoric on religious liberty and free speech to be used against it in court. youtu.be/lMhvMV5SCFM?...

youtu.be

When Christians Aren't Christian Enough for Religious Freedom

YouTube video by Axis Mundi Network | SWAJ

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

This may well be the final domino...

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

So it is Saturday and another Half Or More in the book. Cloudy but mostly beat the rain. At the end I thought I pressed the button on the watch but I guess I am challenged as it didn't stop so picked me up walking to the house 🥰🙃 Some pictures and videos today 1/4 #jerseyshore #halfmarathon

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Aleksandra Vaca @transiticsnews.com · 21/08/2026

1. Texas secretly started torturing trans prisoners by forcibly detransitioning them ‘a few weeks ago’ Transitics has uncovered that the state quietly rescinded its policy allowing trans prisoners to access gender-affirming care. Over 1,100 trans prisoners are at risk of facing forced detransition.

transiticsnews.com

Texas Secretly Started Torturing Trans Prisoners By Forcibly Detransitioning Them ‘a Few Weeks Ago’

Transitics has uncovered that Texas quietly rescinded its policy allowing trans prisoners to access gender-affirming care. Over 1,100 trans people are at risk of facing a forced detransition.

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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

BREAKING: WASHINGTON (AP) - Editor of Stars and Stripes says he is being fired for insubordination after saying any censorship is a 'red line.'

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

The supreme court is a corrupted institution and all of their decisions since Leonard Leo started buying seats need to be stricken.

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Adam Parkhomenko @adamparkhomenko.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The internet is fucking wild

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 20/08/2026

It's like Amnesty International UK have never heard of the Streisand Effect. I fully intend on challenging this DMCA strike and force them to litigate this in federal court in the US if they want to take it down. This is squarely fair use.

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Aidan Comerford @aidancomerford.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

If you're incensed by @channel4.bsky.social's "The Great ADHD myth," they also made "Trans Kids: Time To Talk" in 2018, and the host of that shitshow subsequently founded Genspect, an org that recommends removing your kid from their friends, school and even moving house if they are trans. 1/

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Sandra @cawitches.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The Stanford Prison Experiment was performed with just normal people & the experiment was shut down in 6 days, but we have staffed ICE with violent humans & this experiment has been ongoing for years. How evil must they now be? I do not think there is anything radical about wanting to abolish ICE.

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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 20/08/2026

I've never seen such an effort to censor a document as I have the Amnesty International report on gender critical groups because of JK Rowling. They removed the report from the Wayback Machine and now I got a DMCA strike on my Google Drive for having it. It was deleted and removed from my account.

A screenshot of an email viewed in dark mode with the subject line "Google DMCA Violation." The email from Google informs the recipient that they have received a notification under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that some of their materials allegedly infringe on copyrights. It explains the removal process, mentions that notice details will be posted on Lumen, warns against repeated violations, and lists one affected Google Drive URL at the bottom

A nearly identical mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. It shows a search for the same Amnesty International UK resources URL, resulting in the same message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."

A mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. A URL for an Amnesty International UK resources page is entered in the search bar, but the page displays the message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."

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