Sign in

J Cortazar

@jcortazar.bsky.social
538 followers 415 following 228 posts

Never concise

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by J Cortazar
Shannon Carey @scmaestra.bsky.social · 15h
In our 2026 end-time capitalism we've got lotsa muckrakers exposing corrupt business practices, but paltry few politicians willing to *actually pass legislation* to regulate these practices. Read this excellent 🧵 on surveillance pricing.
15013
Reposted by J Cortazar
Butlerian Jihadist of House Dornick @shimminykricket.blacksky.app · 08/10/2026
Harvard just dropped a study AI productivity in software engineering and it found the average increase in productivity from using Claude code is.....zero and for exactly the reasons you'd think fion.ac/jellyfish.pdf
9158212275
Reposted by J Cortazar
Lupita Nihongo @otsumamiboy.blacksky.app · 06/10/2026
Yes. In general I think consensus view of AI should be not as objective digital substitutes for knowledge, work, experience & thought but rather as output devices engineered to filter data through the worldview of their owners. And I think this should be obvious. That’s why every rich guy owns one.
38022
Reposted by J Cortazar
Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
If you have $100 million to spend on ads saying you shouldn’t be taxed you’re not being taxed enough Google cofounder Sergey Brin has spent $102 million to fight California’s proposed billionaire tax—he could owe $13 billion if he loses fortune.com/article/how-...
fortune.com
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has now spent $100 million to fight California’s proposed billionaire tax—he could owe $13 billion if he loses | Fortune
The state’s ultrawealthy, including Larry Page and Peter Thiel, have similarly donated to efforts opposing the wealth tax.
10141571263
Reposted by J Cortazar
Bob Morris @bobmorris.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Comprehensive data center tracker by state, with links to make personalized comments for the public record and to contact Congress. "1,266 data centers proposed or under construction, on top of 908 already running across 49 states and D.C."
morethanjustparks.com
America's Data Centers, Mapped and Sourced
2,182 facilities across 49 states and D.C., each citing a public source. The largest infrastructure buildout in American history, on one map.
197
Reposted by J Cortazar
Kieran Healy @kjhealy.co · 01/10/2026
I keep seeing this Semafor graph that seems to show the Trump administration’s effect on international visits is comparable to the pandemic. My first thought was “that can’t be true” and indeed it is not. This is monthly data. We only have to Jun/Aug 2026. The lines are over-fitted to the months.
Semafor graph with catastrophic drops.
12460133
Reposted by J Cortazar
Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Your brain is two organs stitched together in the womb. Stanford researchers found that the forebrain and midbrain (which handle language and reasoning) and the hindbrain (which runs breathing and heartbeat) grow from two entirely different progenitor cells. buff.ly/dSAPmhS #ShareGoodNewsToo
buff.ly
Human brain is two separate organs, Stanford Medicine-led research finds
Stanford Health Care delivers the highest levels of care and compassion. SHC treats cancer, heart disease, brain disorders, primary care issues, and many more.
69825
Reposted by J Cortazar
Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 02/10/2026
Voters want AI guardrails. Trump gave them a new name for AI and a glitzy lunch for its executives. Democrats have an opening—and a month to make the most of it. www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-ai-b...
thebulwark.com
Trump + AI = Blue Tsunami
It doesn’t take super intelligence to realize the GOP is screwed.
03012
Reposted by J Cortazar
Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 01/10/2026
Check out the full list: lithub.com/is-nonfictio...
lithub.com
Is Nonfiction in Crisis? These 14 Books Suggest Otherwise
The first official day of fall is this coming Tuesday, September 22, but if you’re reading this then by now you’ve probably seen a few “most anticipated for fall 2026” lists. There is so much great…
0131
Reposted by J Cortazar
Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 29/09/2026
automakers are some of the worst on privacy and security of any industry in America, which makes their push to ban Chinese EVs "for privacy and security" extra fucking annoying
theverge.com
Your car’s data privacy problems are worse than you think
“There’s a lot to be worried about,” the project lead said.
724565
Reposted by J Cortazar
VoteHub @votehub.com · 28/09/2026
NEWS — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear criticizes fellow Democrats who say transgender athletes should be barred from women’s sports. “That is not the party that we are. We start as a party of compassion and empathy.”
6855471027
Reposted by J Cortazar
Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A Thiel-Altman-&-Andreessen backed “network state” called Praxis is planning a tech colony in Uruguay & has a nonbinding deal w/ a development led by a former advisor to Javier Milei. Located a short ferry ride from Argentina, the move aligns w/ the “Tech Bros”’ increasing interest in the region. 1/
Thiel image


Altman ImageAndreessen image
70554347
Reposted by J Cortazar
Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 23/09/2026
When people show you who they are, believe them. Fuck you Gavin Newsom.
10574184
Reposted by J Cortazar
Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Rumors about “rigged elections" are now a fixture of U.S. elections, leading to diminished trust in election results & democracy (broadly). These rumors can sometimes be hard to debunk, esp. in their early stages. Our UW team has identified the 6 common ways that election integrity rumors mislead:
Infographic titled "Six Ways 'Rigged Election' Rumors Mislead." A two-column table pairs six labeled categories with descriptions. The first three categories are:

No Evidence: The rumor is entirely unsubstantiated. There's no evidence to support the rumor.

Fake/False Evidence: The rumor is based on fake or synthetic evidence (e.g. AI-generated content), manipulated evidence, or false witness testimony.

Misinterpreted Evidence: This rumor is based upon real evidence that has been misinterpreted or intentionally mischaracterized to create a false impression.

A black banner then introduces the final three categories: "Real Evidence, Real Voting Issue, False Narrative."

Exaggerated Impact: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but falsely insinuates or exaggerates impact on election results.

Ignored Remedies: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but ignores and/or obscures the remedies that would address this problem

False Blame: The rumor centers on a real issue with voting but either falsely attributes intent for an accidental issue or places blame on an innocent party.

Source: UW Center for an Informed Public, September 2026.
15504224
Reposted by J Cortazar
Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 21/09/2026
for your future voting knowledge, Gavin Newsom was central in pressuring the AGs to settle their antitrust lawsuit against Paramount:
deadline.com
Done! Paramount Settles Antitrust Suit, Set To Seal Deal For Warner Bros. Discovery
Paramount agreed to settle an antitrust suit by a dozen State Attorneys General led by California's Rob Bonta, the last obstacle to its merger with WBD.
16835731391
Reposted by J Cortazar
Lyndal Rowlands @lyndalrowlands.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I just pre-ordered @amywestervelt.bsky.social book - very excited to read it (via @libro.fm audio book) If you want to pre-order (it helps a lot) you have about 1.5 days left to do it!
Cover of ‘brought to you by’ audio book by Amy Westervelt with a red and yellow shape.
1259
Reposted by J Cortazar
Nathalie Maréchal, PhD @nathaliemarechal.net · 18/09/2026
May I interest you in an explainer written just for this circumstance? www.techpolicy.press/what-policym...
techpolicy.press
What Policymakers and the Public Need to Know About the Cult of AI
Nathalie Maréchal asks, why are we betting the economy and the future of democracy on cult-like beliefs?
213050
Reposted by J Cortazar
This Many Years Ago @thismanyyearsago.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
49 years ago, on the 18th of September 1977, space probe Voyager I took the first long distance photograph of earth and the moon together from 7.25 million miles (11.66 million kilometres) away. #otd #history #space 🗃️
This picture of a crescent-shaped Earth and Moon -- the first of its kind ever taken by a spacecraft -- was recorded September 18, 1977, by NASA's Voyager 1 when it was 7.25 million miles (11.66 million kilometers) from Earth. The Moon is at the top of the picture and beyond the Earth as viewed by Voyager. In the picture are eastern Asia, the western Pacific Ocean and part of the Arctic. Voyager 1 was directly above Mt. Everest (on the night side of the planet at 25 degrees north latitude) when the picture was taken. The photo was made from three images taken through color filters, then processed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Image Processing Lab. Because the Earth is many times brighter than the Moon, the Moon was artificially brightened by a factor of three relative to the Earth by computer enhancement so that both bodies would show clearly in the print. Voyager 2 was launched Aug. 20, 1977, followed by Voyager 1 on Sept. 5, 1977, en route to encounters at Jupiter in 1979 and Sa
217442
Reposted by J Cortazar
Jason Kint @kint.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Eye popping. Court just unsealed Summary Judgment motions in New York Times v OpenAI / Microsoft. Easy to see why the AI companies had so many redactions (pink). Their own people wrote the lede for NYT, the "largest theft of labor in human history"... "more and more substitutive..." /1
4253902351
Reposted by J Cortazar
Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app · 16/09/2026
according to politico, since Jan. 2025, Trump admin has deported 170+ people “in violation of court orders,” “in defiance of legally mandated due process protections,” or “to countries from which they had sought or received protection from torture and persecution” ballsandstrikes.org/ethics-accou...
ballsandstrikes.org
The Trump Justice Department Is Way Too Comfortable Violating Court Orders
Judges have tools for responding to noncompliance. They just have to use them.
34931437
Reposted by J Cortazar
Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
EXCLUSIVE: When elected officials and advocates in Danbury, Connecticut, said ICE arrested a parent at a school bus stop Aug. 26, federal officials denied their accounts. I got video that appears to show such an arrest. My latest at @ctinsider.bsky.social — www.ctinsider.com/news/article...
ctinsider.com
Video appears to show ICE arrest near CT school bus stop, despite federal denials
ICE has denied it made an arrest at a school bus stop, but confirmed it made 118 arrests in Connecticut that week.
241395551
Reposted by J Cortazar
Jesse Eisinger @jeisinger.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
“This should be unthinkable for the son of the president. End of story.” A Russian oligarch close to Putin bankrolled Don Jr.’s wedding. www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
23436121501
Reposted by J Cortazar
Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 10/09/2026
BREAKING: In August, *every single one* of the 2,646 refugees admitted in the U.S. were white South Africans. In FY 2026, the U.S. has admitted a total of 12,901 white South Africans, three Afghans (back in November), and nobody else. For reference, the U.S. admitted 100,060 refugees in 2024.
rpc.state.gov
20606334
Reposted by J Cortazar
Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 10/09/2026
After nearly a decade of work, a team of researchers has re-proved the four-color theorem, a problem with a long history of false starts and dashed hopes. Their method opens up the potential for progress on many other stubborn problems in graph theory. www.quantamagazine.org/the-four-col...
quantamagazine.org
The Four-Color Theorem Gets a Rare New Proof | Quanta Magazine
By revisiting the famous problem — which was controversially solved in the 1970s with the help of computers — mathematicians have gained important new insights into the nature of graphs.
1295
Reposted by J Cortazar
Alex Hern @hern.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It's finally happened: the improved quality of machine transcription and the greater ability to extract value from unlabelled data means "your tech is eavesdropping on you for marketing purposes" has crossed from "false conspiracy theory" to "true and concerning" www.theverge.com/tech/991190/...
theverge.com
LG TVs caught spying even when offline or on standby
Gamers Nexus comes for LG again.
14540381755
Reposted by J Cortazar
Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Thirty-four days before she reported to prison, Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes gave Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim access to document her every move. That turned into a three-year project, and A24 will release the resulting documentary this October.
1451223153
Reposted by J Cortazar
Brian Goldstone @brian-goldstone.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A Labor Day reminder: having a job is no longer enough to protect millions of Americans from homelessness. For many workers, the greatest threat isn't losing their job. It's that their job will never pay enough, never provide enough hours, never offer enough stability to keep them housed.
nytimes.com
Opinion | America Is Pushing Its Workers Into Homelessness (Gift Article)
The working homeless are casualties of our prosperity.
5032471228
Reposted by J Cortazar
Dr. Courtney Gibbons (she/her/xlookup) @courtneygibbons.phd · 07/09/2026
Golly, who could have guessed this would happen? www.scientificamerican.com/article/open...
scientificamerican.com
OpenAI’s latest math breakthroughs commit research misconduct, experts say
OpenAI released 10 AI-generated results over the weekend. Some mathematicians are unhappy with their approach
0196
Reposted by J Cortazar
loreleikelly @loreleikelly.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Here is the election risk heat map. These are the places where you need to help Friends & relatives get credible information. Starting now attn: @protectdemocracy.org votingrightslab.org/election-ris...
votingrightslab.org
2026 Election Risk Heat Map
A tool designed to identify where the conditions for election crises are most likely to emerge this year.
11612
Reposted by J Cortazar
Tommy Tomlinson @tommytomlinson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
So here's a quote from @pablo.show that applies to not only his Clippers investigation but the best of what journalism can be: www.nytimes.com/athletic/756...
"I think that we have the ability to do something that the rest of our culture is yearning for, which is make people who are too rich to care about anything resembling the public interest worry that maybe they need to tell us the truth."
203668884
Reposted by J Cortazar
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
EKWUEME: “.. The deficit is growing more than 3x as fast as tax receipts. .. The only way the US can ‘solve’ its debt problem is by suppressing rates and letting the resulting inflation destroy the dollar, thereby reducing the real burden of its debt.”
72546216
Reposted by J Cortazar
Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"The best way to commemorate the Rohingya genocide is not only to recognize ongoing challenges, but also to seek out ways to rebuild." Great piece by Tun Khin and Daniel P. Sullivan examining the challenges facing Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh nearly a decade after they fled Myanmar. Gift link.
worldpoliticsreview.com
In Their 10th Year of Exile, Some Glimmers of Hope for the Rohingya
Humanitarian aid cuts are deepening a sense of hopelessness among Rohingya refugees, but there are some signs of progress.
078
Reposted by J Cortazar
David Gilbert @davidgilbert.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
NEW ICE wants to build a nationwide database of voters, their voting history and, potentially, their party affiliations too. ....and it's willing to pay someone up to $5M to do it www.wired.com/story/ice-pl...
wired.com
ICE Plans to Pay $5 Million to Create National Voting Database
As part of a broader DHS surge to investigate alleged voter fraud, ICE has announced it plans to pay up to $5 million to create what amounts to a federal voter database.
135939602
Reposted by J Cortazar
🇬🇾🗽Sydette The Dreaded Gorgon🗽🇬🇾 @blackamazon.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Oh nothing just one of the cornerstone papers about “grind set” of the last five years found false by someone connected to Epstein and Is also one of the base papers of hustle and what a lot of platform design/ “future of work” is based on dukechronicle.com/article/duke...
dukechronicle.com
‘Insane data’: Duke professor Dan Ariely accused of additional research fraud
New evidence released Monday shows that Dan Ariely, professor of business administration in the Fuqua School of Business, likely tampered with or fabricated data in an influential research paper from ...
9373143
Reposted by J Cortazar
Abbey @abbeyarletto.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This is what living next door to a 30 megawatt data center sounds like.
61372974264
Reposted by J Cortazar
Gail Drakes @gaildrakes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Wish that orgs like @aimoratoriumnyc.bsky.social and @comixaction.com and folks like @gregpak.net and @wendyxu.bsky.social got a more direct shoutout in this piece, because this move is truly the result of people speaking out and pushing back! So grateful for positive “AI in education” news!
15815
Reposted by J Cortazar
CJ Fogler @cjzero.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The international commentary reaction got me 😂
12751146
Reposted by J Cortazar
Monica Morrill @mmorrillart.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Hi! This is a small painting I made several years ago, inspired by mornings on the coast. Coastal Sunrise 12x12 acrylic on canvas
301343141
Reposted by J Cortazar
WKRN News 2 @wkrnnews2.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
More than 100 detained during Memphis raid: Immigrant advocacy group
wkrn.com
More than 100 detained during Memphis raid: Immigrant advocacy group
An immigrant advocacy organization says more than 100 people were detained during an overnight federal law enforcement operation at a bar in Memphis’ Berclair neighborhood.
12413
Reposted by J Cortazar
Ashley @ashleysays.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Chefs kiss
12555321679
Reposted by J Cortazar
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 28/08/2026
Pre-tax earnings in the US have hit the highest level since the aftermath of the second world war, while workers’ slice of the pie has sunk to historic lows, fuelling discontent and a widening political backlash. ft.trib.al/ThPVQhN
27461198
Reposted by J Cortazar
Prism @prismreports.org · 27/08/2026
What does “governance” do for people who use it as a synonym for concessions? Pragmatic governance will not defeat fascism, writes @williamcson.bsky.social in “Another way out.” Some people act as if they have to work with fascism, letting it grow into the unstoppable beast that will devour them.
prismreports.org
Pragmatic governance will not defeat fascism
Some people act as if they have to work with fascism, letting it grow into the unstoppable beast that will devour them
25419
Reposted by J Cortazar
Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 27/08/2026
Two leading neuroscientists have built a new framework for categorization, arguing that the brain categorizing concepts like “clown” or “fear” is an ongoing predictive tool that the nervous system uses to keep an organism alive. www.quantamagazine.org/a-new-framew...
0193
Reposted by J Cortazar
W.E.D.em Boyz @leftistwonk.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Probably unintentionally, the Trump administration played the perfect strategy for our broken media and "opposition" party. They did all the most boisterous, spectacle-driven stuff early and now that they're just casually running an immigrant exterminationist regime the press is bored by it.
5636159
Reposted by J Cortazar
Zach Everson @zacheverson.com · 27/08/2026
New: Donald Trump's crypto ventures have left investors at least $4.7 billion underwater. me, for @publiccitizen.bsky.social
citizen.org
‘Thin Air,’ Real Money: Donald Trump’s Crypto Products Have Left Investors at Least $4.7 Billion Underwater - Public Citizen
Introduction  “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly…
67985443
Reposted by J Cortazar
Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 26/08/2026
The Trump administration arrested and deported a record number of immigrants in July, according to newly released government data – apprehending an average of 1,500 people and removing 1,100 people daily. 🧵
Two bar charts showing record immigration arrests (49,750) and removals (33,990) in July 2026.

The charts show Trump admin data in red next to Biden admin data in gray, in which the Trump numbers are significantly higher.

Source: Deportation Data Project

Notes: Monthly totals rounded to nearest 10. 'Removals' includes detentions where the stated release reason is 'removed', 'voluntary departure' or 'voluntary return'
1614699
Reposted by J Cortazar
Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The world’s oceans hit 21.10 degrees Celsius last Saturday, breaking a record set in 2024. And it's only going to get worse.
scientificamerican.com
Earth’s oceans just hit their hottest temperature ever recorded
The world’s oceans hit 21.10 degrees Celsius last Saturday, breaking a record set in 2024
291012643
Reposted by J Cortazar
Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
“”Local media has been dying all over America, which means that there’s essentially no real way to hold local governments accountable—& they can do whatever they want,’ Kevin DeAnna told an invitation-only gathering of [about] 50 white nationalists in Rome,” before adding, “This is a good thing.” 1/
confrontthehate.com
As Local News Dies, White Nationalists See an Opening
At an invitation-only gathering in Italy, far-right leaders mapped out strategies to target rural America while local press coverage vanishes.
16312187
Reposted by J Cortazar
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
NEW: What Monday’s Supreme Court election order ruling is and is not. The Republican majority gave Trump a temporary win. It could be short-lived — or it could “foment chaos,” as Justice Jackson wrote, calling out the majority in unusually direct terms. Tonight, at Law Dork:
lawdork.com
What Monday’s Supreme Court election order ruling is and is not
The Republican majority gave Trump a temporary win. It could be short-lived — or it could “foment chaos,” as Justice Jackson wrote, calling out the majority in unusually direct terms.
19649244
Reposted by J Cortazar
Get To Know Nature @gettoknownature.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
THIS IS A MUPPET OK, actually it’s a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. But it’s so muppety! #birds 🌿
A chunky brown and white streaked bird with yellow legs and a chunky beak stands in a tangle of green shrubbery. It looks very serious in a muppet-like way.
831845