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Jason Byrne

@geekwithsoul.bsky.social
651 followers 759 following 2.3K posts

I coalesce the vapors of human experience into a viable and meaningful comprehension.… Also on Mastodon at c.im/@geekwithsoul Archive of @geekwithsoul on Twitter is at @geekwithsoul-old.bsky.social

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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 4h
"We’re calling leadership to voluntarily recognize our union by October 13th, and you can sign our petition to show your support for our efforts." I think this is a charisma check? Anyway, go sign the petition!
unitedwizardsofthecoast.com
Dungeons & Dragons and Studio X Join United Wizards of the Coast - CWA
Today, October 6, 2026, the designers, artists, writers, producers, and workers behind Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Duel Masters, D&D Beyond, and countless other games are uniting in soli...
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Olivia Waite @oliviawaite.com · 05/10/2026
There is a bleak sort of pleasure in telling people who bring up AI in casual conversation, “Actually, I’m one of the authors AI stole from. Not an exaggeration. The judge ordered them to send me a check.” It hits them different when it’s a real person saying it.
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
When the bubble pops and these clanker-wankers come, hat in hand, asking to bailed out, we do need to reminded them that they'll just need to "accept some bad things happening".
politico.com
Sam Altman to Decoded: ‘The world should accept some bad things happening’ for the benefits of AI
The OpenAI CEO sought to distinguish his policy stance from rival developer Anthropic.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The problem with this entire “talking across difference” approach to politics is that it assumes a shared consensus about democracy that no longer exists b/w the 2 main 🇺🇸 political parties. You don’t need to have lunch with people who don’t believe in free elections, equal rights, & the rule of law.
Przeworski, Democracy and the marketDemocracy is a system in which parties lose elections
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Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The rise in dengue in the US was predicted a quarter century ago by #climate scientists in the first US National Climate Assessment. This article doesn't mention climate change. thehill.com/policy/healt...
thehill.com
Florida’s dengue outbreak reportedly largest US has seen in decades
A dengue fever outbreak in the state of Florida appears to have grown to the largest in the continental U.S. in decades, totaling 252 reported cases this year in the Sunshine State according to an …
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"In the Netherlands alone, AI data centers consumed 5,100 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2024…Fewer than one in four of those facilities has publicly available consumption data." With this the case in a more regulatory-robust EU, imagine what it's like in the USA
gadgetreview.com
Data Centers Are Hiding How Much Water and Power They Consume
Europe's data centers must report energy and water use by law, yet fewer than one in four facilities have any public figures available.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I have never heard of any newsrooms with alarming practices like those described in this thread. If you have, I’d like to hear from you. Contact in bio.
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I think we're often uncomfortable shaming people now because in the past people were shamed for really stupid reasons (which to be clear, yes, we still do). But SA, DV, MAGA, etc - these are definitely things it should be considered appropriate to shame folks for. A YouTuber, a musician, an athlete…
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Rachel Herzl-Betz @rachelherzl-betz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
And sometimes the Ozymandias references just write themselves.
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Sam Barlow 🔥 @mrsambarlow.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Reality is just a simulation optimized to generate easy caption competition photos
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Greg Mitchell @gregmitch.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
As promised, PBS has just re-posted, streaming for all, my Emmy-nominated film "The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair" in time for the midterms--and the 2026 efforts to destroy lefty candidates. 26 minutes: www.pbs.org/video/the-fi... www.pbs.org/video/the-fi...
pbs.org
The First Attack Ads: Hollywood vs. Upton Sinclair
The California campaign that gave birth to the political attack ad.
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Gwen C. Katz @gwenckatz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Things Gavin Newsom has vetoed this week: -A ban on secretly recording people with smart glasses -A ban on ICE agents working for the state government -A ban on websites selling your data -A bill giving native tribes more say over water rights -A bill protecting transgender healthcare providers
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KoKlusz @koklusz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Remastered HDR Analysis To view the analysis as intended, please visit the link below: github.com/KoKlusz/HDR-... More HDR game info available here: github.com/KoKlusz/HDR-...
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Chris Hendel @chrishendel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“Nine in ten Americans have been targeted by a scam or cyberattack. That’s not a statistic, that’s almost everyone we serve,” said Phil Radford, President and CEO of @consumerreports.org
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Dr Dean Burnett @drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Saw an article explaining how executives are urging a studio to embrace AI 'to lower costs and boost creativity'. Which is sort of like urging firefighters to start lighting fires, in order to reduce the number of fires, and make them better at preventing fires.
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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 01/10/2026
I made over 100 of these individual small paintings 😅 Best pickings are at Art on the Avenue in Alexandria on Saturday artontheavenue.org
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 30/09/2026
Oh my. The aurora borealis, seen in ultraviolet light from space. Our planet, putting on a show ✨
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Austin Winkelman - MN CD 6 (I)🏴‍☠️ @austin4rep.com · 30/09/2026
Did you know they just basically changed the way we measure inflation. So when I tell you that inflation is dropping just remember it's only dropping in the categories they choose to measure. www.wsj.com/economy/cent...
wsj.com
A Statistical Revamp Is About to Lower Inflation, at a Critical Time
The Bureau of Economic Analysis is altering how it measures several components of a price gauge watched by the Fed.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Justice Kavanaugh, please explain to me — and Christa Pike— how this is an “interim” decision? Justice Barrett, please explain to us how this is merely a “preliminary” ruling?
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“cowboys” here really reminds me of a brilliant post I saw on Twitter that I’ve never stopped thinking about, which is how the manosphere brand of toxic patriarchy isn’t about MEN, it’s about BOYS. everything is a 12-year-old’s fantasy. Pete is playing G.I. Joe on a trillion-dollar budget
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The Trandalorian @charliejaneanders.com · 30/09/2026
I really do think tech crossed a line at some point between "helping you do the things you want to do" on the one hand, and "helping you do the things tech wants you to do" on the other. At this point, we're all contorting ourselves to live how the tech industry thinks we should be living.
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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The "AI is coming for jobs" narrative contributes to a scarcity mindset that destroys worker solidarity. I think we can look at anti-trust, tax policy, regulation, consumer protection, labor rights, and rights to housing, healthcare, childcare, and transportation without mentioning "AI" at all.
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Occasionally I get sucked down a rabbit hole, as is my neurodivergent right, and have to say looking at classic cars for sale is kind of fun. I mean, look at this thing - it's gorgeous! Also just a great reminder of what shit gray boxes or lozenges (seemingly the only options) are cranked out now.🧵
hagerty.com
1957 Triumph TR3 for sale | Hagerty Marketplace
Discover this 1957 Triumph TR3 for sale from our trusted collection of verified classic and enthusiast cars. Find your dream ride from our expert-approved listings.
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Occasionally I get sucked down a rabbit hole, as is my neurodivergent right, and have to say looking at classic cars for sale is kind of fun. I mean, look at this thing - it's gorgeous! Also just a great reminder of what shit gray boxes or lozenges (seemingly the only options) are cranked out now.🧵
hagerty.com
1957 Triumph TR3 for sale | Hagerty Marketplace
Discover this 1957 Triumph TR3 for sale from our trusted collection of verified classic and enthusiast cars. Find your dream ride from our expert-approved listings.
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Ian Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 30/09/2026
Minor thing but seriously another big fuck you to tech companies who immediately updated their maps when king dipshit decided he was changing the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario but aren't updating a thing now that he's calling their emotional support ponzi scheme "super intelligence"
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Gayle Dourn Plantz @plantz3610.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...
nytimes.com
Justice Dept. Unlawfully Withheld Grants to Combat Domestic Violence, Judge Rules (Gift Article)
Judge Melissa R. DuBose said the department had placed arbitrary conditions on grants created by the Violence Against Women Act.
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
For any fellow Firefox users wondering WTF just happened to their browser…
Firefox just rolled out a visual update
"Nova". Here's how to roll it back.
Not a fan of the new look. If you're in the same boat, plug:

about: config

into your URL bar, and search for: 

browser.nova.enabled

Toggle it to false using the button to the right.

There are functional changes that Nova also introduced: this won't affect those - only the aesthetic.
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 30/09/2026
This is a photograph of the edge of one of Saturn's rings, looking down from above. Those spiky dark shapes are shadows. Shadows of giant towers of ice and dust grains clumped together that rise up to three *kilometres* above the 10-m thick rings.
A series of bands cross the image from left to right, brighter at the bottom and darkening towards the top. A band of empty space is at the top of the image. About a quarter down from the top is a complex pattern of jagged, spiky shadows cast onto the rings. The icy towers casting the shadows are seen here at a highly oblique angle.
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I am not a coffee expert or even a coffee snob - but this has to be the dumbest, most "AI-era" coded thing I've ever seen - an automated pour-over machine. 🤦‍♂️
cosori.com
Juni | Automatic Pour-Over Coffee Machine: Made for You
Juni adapts to your taste preferences with built-in feedback. SCA-Certified & Red Dot Award-winning, with guided brewing from beginner to expert.
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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 29/09/2026
Treasures of the timeline
post : I can't with all the dumb

next post: shoving all my work aside to report out what led to this sign
"do not put noodles in the water fountain"
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Rob Pegoraro @robpegoraro.com · 29/09/2026
Seeing who is seated closer to or farther from Trump is the 2020s version of seeing who had a spot closer to or farther from Brezhnev on the reviewing stand for military parades in Red Square.
Screengrab of a screengrab of a Truth Social post, shared by the @RapidResponse47 X account, from @realDonaldTrump showing the seating chart for today's Oval Office meeting. The four closest tech figures: to his left, Elon Musk and then Sundar Pichai; to his right, Jensen Huang and then Mark Zuckerberg

Original post on X: https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2104963292678803924
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I'm suspecting some suits are about to have their heads explode as they're forced to choose between existing tech bro branding and following along with whatever "Lake America"-ing bullshit the Toddler in Chief is up to. It's almost like Republicans are *bad* for business or something.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 29/09/2026
A thing I learned not too long ago is that when an LLM selects a token that leads it down an incorrect path (factually), it has no way to back up, or even know that it should back up, it's just on to the next likely bit. Literally every LLM is just posting their way through it. What an image.
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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
America.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
Image of a child lying facedown on a froze lake.  above is the portal where you ask AI questions about government services.  the question matching this image is:  "How can I invest in my child's future?"
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Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
STOP! Do not treat this cover story from ICE and DOJ with any credence whatsoever. So far, they have lied every time about what led to a shooting. At most, this suggests that the ICE agent who shot Wilber Garcés Pérez did so in anger, and had no body camera. wapo.st/4xP6VyM
wapo.st
Immigrant shot by ICE in Austin is charged with assault
An affidavit unsealed on Tuesday said the officer who shot Wilber Garcés Pérez was not wearing a body camera and that another officer turned his camera off.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
If a sentence in your newscast starts with “President Trump says…” you’re failing your audience.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 29/09/2026
DraftKings has argued that its ‘responsible gaming’ system provides adequate safeguards to protect customers from spiraling out of control. So I decided to find out: If I bet like a compulsive gambler, would DraftKings stop me? by Jake Pearson
propublica.org
I Deliberately Bet Like a Problem Gambler. DraftKings Made Me a VIP.
Amid growing public health concerns, operators like DraftKings have touted “responsible gaming” tools and prompts. But as I went off the deep end, I found they were no match for the incentives and pro...
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Dr SpookyGoth @ghostingdani.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Humanities will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no humanities.
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 29/09/2026
Reuters got some of the IPO docs. Anthropic is a total dog of a company. Spent $12.6bn to make $4.6bn in revenue in 2025, $7.33bn of which was compute costs. Operating loss of $8bn. Losses getting worse year over year. Amazing stuff www.reuters.com/business/fin...
Summary
Companies
• Anthropic IPO could value the company at more than $2
trillion
• Anthropic lost $42 billion in 2025
• Al lab spent $7.33 billion on compute and infrastructure last year
• Operating loss widened to $8.06 billion in 2025 from $2.98 billion in 2024
• Execs, industry analysts have expressed concerns over harms of Al tech
Sept 28 (Reuters) - Anthropic is making a massive bet that Al will transform the global economy more profoundly than industrialization, electricity and the internet, according to its IPO prospectus seen by Reuters.
But the cost to get there will be staggering. Anthropic reported a net loss of $42 billion in 2025, and plans to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing and infrastructure obligations in coming year, according to the
prospectus.
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Mindy Weisberger @laminda.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
For 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 week
nytimes.com
Did 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.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Still wondering why people are fed up with the system?
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
the humans who moderate chatbots say they're inundated with people trying to generate nonconsensual nudes: www.404media.co/humans-readi...
404media.co
Humans Are Reading Copilot Prompts — And They're Horrified
Human contractors are reviewing Copilot users’ prompts and uploaded images, according to internal documents obtained by 404 Media. The contractors are also bombarded with users’ requests for sexual AI...
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The most useless form of news is “CEO says.” Can this tool actually do what it says or is the company just trying to profit off fear?
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 28/09/2026
These are what the clouds on Jupiter look up close. The small patches of white are cloud tops, soaring above the main, colourful cloud layer. Image from NASA's Juno spacecraft during its 38th close approach to Jupiter on 29 November 2021, processed by Kevin Gill (@kevinmgill.bsky.social)
A complex, swirling pattern of lighter and darker clouds. One large system, angled to the upper left in this scene, is a tawny brown colour and is elongate. Another, more circular storm system is at lower centre, and is a grey–greenish colour. The background swirls are various shades of grey to blue; small, white features dot the scene.
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@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"What does it mean that someone who believes a fourth grader should be forced to give birth to her rapist’s child is now leading the anti-abortion mainstream?" This is quite a read:
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🎃🎃🎃Michael Scare-anicolas🎃🎃🎃 @karanicolas.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Right. Lesson #1 from the below thread is that these companies need to be regulated, and need to be held liable for the harms their products create. But lesson #2 is for the love of god stop trusting these products to act on your behalf at least until the companies find a way to stop this behavior.
So 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.
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Jason Byrne @geekwithsoul.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I can't wait for the coming years when the folks working in the marketing departments of AI companies fess up to all the bogus bullshit they pushed to get published about AI "feelings" and generally encouraging the press and science journals anthropomorphizing AI to hell and gone.
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Maybe it was a mistake to give all the power to a bunch of people who don't really like people.
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John Shirley @johnshirley2024.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This ad will bring about violence against Democrats. And anyone on the left.
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