Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 14hThe White House accord on AI that was signed by all the big tech oligarchs today misspells United States as “Unites States.” 37260381672
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Cheryl Rofer @cherylrofer.bsky.social · 3hA more general point: The owners of these models fiddle with them constantly to give the answers they want. This is why we need to distinguish among "AI" models and know who is manipulating them. 06216
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Garrett M. Graff @vermontgmg.bsky.social · 22hFBI Director Kash Patel this week has faced the worst data breach in FBI history, a deputy who quit because Patel was doing too many unconstitutional things, and partied with a suspected double agent. And it's only Tuesday. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/the-disgra...doomsdayscenario.coThe Disgrace and Danger of Kash Patel, Part IIA quick check-in on the FBI director's latest raft of scandals (including, of course, the bestiality). 311391489
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 19hWired just did a story noting that an influencer named Kurt Schlichter is a “civilian government advisor” (?) to Hegseth. This dude has been around forever in internet time and writes the worst novels that are basically Turner Diaries fanfic www.wired.com/story/a-pent...wired.comA Pentagon Influencer Called Liberal Women a ‘Pestilence’ Who Will End Western CivilizationKurt Schlichter was part of a task force rooting out so-called woke ideologies at the military’s war colleges. He has called to bar childless adults from voting. 1626588
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026They are in fact contemptuous of the idea that I would go out and talk to people about how they use a technology or observe them trying to use it. Just hostile to the very concept of there being an end user. 255648
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026So you know previous waves of technological fabulism the tech companies threw a little loose change at social behavioral research and user interface experience. whats interesting about AI interesting is that they aren’t even pretending to care about how people use the technology. 1056379
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026You know this is my third or fourth go around with this kind of technological innovation for consumers and citizens. And a lot of it is the same. Same pattern of exaggerated benefits, underestimated challenges. What’s new this time is the sector isn’t even pretending to care about the consumer. 560589
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Anna Alexandrova @annaalexandrova.bsky.social · 21hHere’s the especially depressing bit: “peer review reports and funding recommendations have “suddenly become much longer, more detailed and complex”. Colleagues, what are you doing?giftarticle.ft.comSnoop-and-scoop poses a real threat to science in the AI ageEstablishing attribution in research has become harder in the age of AI-assisted breakthroughs 0208
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Bradford Pearson @bradfordpearson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026shoving all my work aside to report out what led to this sign 601443210
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026America.gov launched today--a DOGE initiative to use AI to deliver public services. Child lying facedown on a frozen lake as the image accompanying the question: "How can I invest in my child's future" is just incredible. Way to go AI 932478654
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Hap @hapchem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026They either didn't hardcode limits or coded the program such that it could exceed those limits. If you make a tool and use it poorly or negligently, you're responsible for what it does. Why aren't AI companies? 041
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026Jack Smith: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation ... rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 election, he engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power" 333122054507
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Dr. SkySkull @drskyskull.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Pretty sure this is a scene from some sort of sci-fi dystopia written in the 1970s 4243
Janet D. Stemwedel @docfreeride.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Except, of course, there is no willingness or unwillingness from a bag of math. 280
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort." 679273799332
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Hey, remember when engineering fields (all of them) took pride in precision, rigorous testing, safety standards, sufficient margins for error, etc? Yeah, that was nice. www.404media.co/these-tech-w... >>404media.coThese Tech Workers Made ChatGPT Drive a Toyota CorollaThe team used frontier LLMs with no prior training data navigate a simple parking lot course. 813636
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 29/09/2026Either this is true, in which case *what are we doing here*? Shut it down. Or it's bullshit, in which case these are truly silly people unworthy of our money 31500136
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Perry Bacon @perrybaconjr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026"The idea that you can easily separate 'economic' and 'cultural' issues is nonsense. It’s very expensive for transgender Americans to move to blue states so they can live freely. It’s harder to buy a house in a neighborhood with rising home values if you are Black." newrepublic.com/article/2159...newrepublic.comWhy Democrats Should Stop Using the Phrase “Culture Wars”Texas’s Gina Hinojosa and others slamming the party for focusing too much on so-called cultural issues are pushing a flawed electoral and policy strategy. 519654
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026The Trump administration weakens fuel efficiency standards for new cars | This will make your life worse. Dirtier air and more expensive gas tanks in addition to the climate impacts. No one benefits.npr.orgThe Trump administration weakens fuel efficiency standards for new carsThe Trump administration says easing these standards will make cars more affordable. Critics say it's not so simple and could be costly for the environment. 32412
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Stephanie King @stephstephking.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Writers, if you are against AI, do not put your writing into ANY tool that is itself AI. Not to check grammar, not to "prove" you wrote it yourself. Everything you give them becomes part of their data, even if it's only to "improve their service" or whatever BS they tell you. 7606227
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Emily Gorcenski @emily.gorcen.ski · 28/09/2026Here’s the most incredible story you’ll read today. A small plane with four people aboard crashes in a field. Another pilot witnesses it. That pilot happens to be flying a bunch of skydivers. They offer to jump to assist, are given permission. The skydivers happen to be EMTs. Everyone survives.wisn.comSkydivers alert emergency crews, assist after plane crashes near East Troy airportFour people were aboard the single-engine plane when it went down in a cornfield near Carvers School Road in East Troy at about 1:30 p.m. 122101782623
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Hell, now that I think of it, I would never have been able to get a bachelors degree without student loans It was the only way to afford higher education 3665
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026When the elite fascist capture of the academy is complete, young people will still be hungry for an educational path that allows them to explore their curiosity and obsessions What options can we give them? 810519
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I would never have been able to get an advanced degree without student loans. The new aggregate loan limits already nuked my chances at switching careers through the MLIS—this new rule would be catastrophic for the working class At this point it wouldn’t be a waste to explore alt. higher ed design 515549
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Jorge Rivera Marín @jlrmarin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Conor is the same guy who wanted everyone to see the good in Jeffrey Toobin after he was caught masturbating during a work call. Friedersdorf's shtick is to find the worst people and insist we cannot take them at face value for what they say and do. So of course they're always making Conor look bad. 073
Janet D. Stemwedel @docfreeride.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Am I cranky that a colleague who *knows* I am on vacation (& has access to my calendar) tried to call me anyway? Perhaps! But I am betting it’s nothing the thermal springs can’t address. 1110
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Anna Gifty @itsafronomics.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026Let the history books show that STUDENT reporters brought national attention to unchecked abuse. I hope that their cups and opportunities forever overfloweth.This is courage.abcnews.comDistrict attorney reopens case of alleged Cornell University 'gang rape'Prosecutors in central New York say they are reopening the case of alleged gang rape at a Cornell University fraternity. 31379369
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Devin Curry @devinsanchezcurry.com · 28/09/2026pub day! www.routledge.com/Introducing-...routledge.comIntroducing Philosophy of Mind, TodayThis coursebook introduces philosophy of mind as it is practiced in the third decade of the 21st century to a wide range of readers. It provides any interested student, researcher, or general reader—n... 0267
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Mindy Weisberger @laminda.bsky.social · 28/09/2026For years, a group of scientists in Copenhagen fed their research into Anthropic's AI models to write code and draft manuscripts. @carlzimmer.com reports that among their work were findings about new enzymes—which Anthropic recently "discovered" independently, according to an announcement last weeknytimes.comDid Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work. 47031
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Katelyn Burns @katelynburns.com · 28/09/2026Patreon version! www.patreon.com/katelynburns...patreon.comWe May Have Just Seen the Tides Turn on Trans Rights | Katelyn BurnsElon Musk's PAC just backed off from running some anti-trans ads. Is this a sign of what's to come for trans people? "Be merry! We meet agai 1874
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026This thread is so important because it gets at the AI industry’s central failure of imagination. While I’ve met exceptions to the rule in Silicon Valley, most human beings do not reduce their sense of being alive to a stream of successive task completions, and find it a truly alienating vision. 28632
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 28/09/2026For all that it's been barely reported in the UK press, it's still hard to understate the importance of the stance @labourunionsuk.bsky.social has taken on trans and non-binary rights this week. Every single trade union affiliated to the party of government has stood up and said we will not comply. 121056386
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel C. Brandon Ogbunu @cbo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026In my latest for @undark.org, I compare AI adoption in science to the Ship of Theseus: "If you swap out every wooden plank on a ship over time, is it still the same vessel?" I argue that science derives authority from something more than data generation + publication. undark.org/2026/09/25/o...undark.orgAI Presents Science with a ‘Ship of Theseus’ ProblemOpinion | AI can replace each part of the scientific process, leaving the enterprise recognizable but devoid of human judgment. 48142
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Needhi Bhalla 💅🏽 @needhibhalla.bsky.social · 28/09/2026“I believe that science derives its authority from…interactions within a community of people trained to interrogate evidence and answer for the conclusions they draw from it. And it is time to formalize what this means, and which sorts of human judgment cannot (or should not) be offloaded to AI.” 01210
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel For the Love of Missy @missybbbobtail.bsky.social · 28/09/2026They say cats are independent yet Mine has never let me use the bathroom alone. 901853122
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 28/09/2026The Department of Transportation in the supposedly Communist State of Oregon just finished a major highway project ahead of time and under budget. www.salemreporter.com/2026/09/25/o...salemreporter.comODOT declares south Salem I-5 project a success - Salem ReporterThe state transportation agency said its road widening project has come in ahead of schedule and under budget. 312724
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel itati santamaria de Collins @itativcs.latinsky.app · 28/09/2026🧪🌻🌱🌎🌍🌏 157
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 28/09/2026“Chile became the second country in the WHO Region of the Americas to receive validation for eliminating dog-mediated human rabies as a public health problem, demonstrating both the effectiveness of long-term investments in dog vaccination, post-exposure prophylaxis and surveillance” 0284
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Today is World Rabies Day, and here is something to celebrate in the fight against this terrible disease: “Bhutan became the first country in the WHO South-East Asia Region to receive validation for eliminating dog-mediated human rabies as a public health problem” @jackiantonovich.bsky.socialwho.intWorld Rabies Day 20262026 year’s World Rabies Day theme is: “Stronger Together”. 14916
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel jentrification ♎ @jentrification.com · 28/09/2026Microsoft goes quiet after church groups ask for 1% of data center costsshare.googleMicrosoft goes quiet after church groups ask for 1% of data center costs“Microsoft claims to want to be a good neighbor, but the jury is still out." 0115
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Chuck Tingle @chucktingle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026please enjoy brand new tingler NOT POUNDED BY THIS FLOCK CAMERA BECAUSE SOMEONE CUT IT DOWN. HUH, INTERESTING. I WONDER WHO COULD’VE DONE THAT? out now here www.amazon.com/dp/B0HL6WHFVV and on buckaroo patreon www.patreon.com/chucktingle/... 211746509
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026Also, the idea that it "encoded" the instruction to never doxx the user again as a "hard rule" would be genuinely laughable if i didn't know for dead certain that a Lot of people were going to take that as a true statement of fact >_< bsky.app/profile/wolv... 8105070
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026That being said, I really hope this is the last lesson people'll need to to stop purchasing or at all trusting meta's or other "AI" companies' products. bsky.app/profile/wolv... 51105132
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026So uhhhhhh… Apparently meta's muse "AI" is just straight up doxxing people to strangers on FB marketplace??? This has the potential to hurt so so many people, and I genuinely wonder how long before they roll out a fix for it. 11141611429
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Ben Prunty @benprunty.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I don't love dunking on folks but it's so fucking funny to me that Trump was convicted of 34 felonies 2 years ago, faced no punishment, and went on to win the presidency a second time and journalists are still like, "hmm, I have an inkling that maybe he believes he's above the law for some reason." 11859341276
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 27/09/2026It's really really difficult to see what's happening to you from inside your own life. You can't tell that you're being coarsened until you leave an environment that is key to making you more coarse. That's my experience at least. 535565
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 27/09/2026truthout.org/articles/inc...truthout.orgIncarcerated Women Are Pushing for Decarceration, Not “Trauma-Informed” PrisonsOrganizers discuss how they are fighting new women’s prisons in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Illinois. 211044
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 27/09/2026To increase civic engagement, people need to know about these hearings with more advance notice. Additionally, you cannot have these hearings at 11 am on a Monday. That might work to attract retirees but almost no one else can attend. 0397
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 27/09/2026There's a city council hearing tomorrow (Monday) at 11 am at the Schomburg focused on the city's research libraries. I only heard about this on Friday so cannot attend. I think the public can submit written testimony: www.eventbrite.com/e/show-your-...eventbrite.comShow Your Support for NYPL's Research LibrariesJoin Schomburg and NYPL colleagues at a special hearing of the New York City Council. See government in action. Open to the public. 14119
Reposted by Janet D. Stemwedel Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 27/09/2026"it's just an optional after hours event that just happens to have all of your colleagues in positions of power" 339716