iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Paul Messina

Sean Morrow @snmrrw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Never forget that David Ellison's Skydance Media was originally created so he could be an actor. Skydance's first film was 'Flyboys' starring James Franco and... David Ellison. David and his daddy invested $60m to make Flyboys. It grossed $17m Here's a bit of David's acting:

2373499903

Reposted by Paul Messina

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Why is 🇺🇸 media not reporting on this 128 day Albanian protest of Kushner and Ivanka’s insane corruption?

685231508343

Reposted by Paul Messina

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Early voting is already underway in some states. From now until Nov 3, I urge you all to... 1) Help get out the vote 2) Protect our electoral machinery from interference 3) Not succumb to complacency, defeatism, or cynicism We are the only ones who can end this nightmare.

15863312833

Reposted by Paul Messina

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.

10041571261

Reposted by Paul Messina

Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 03/10/2026

At a free speech conference where an Iranian-born speaker is presenting over video from Sweden saying she doesn't feel safe coming to the US currently and noting the irony of her not being able to come to a free speech conference

324757

Reposted by Paul Messina

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 Paul Messina

Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Just helping with editing here. These bots aren’t sentient. They’re doing what they’re programmed to do. OpenAI, a private company supposedly bound by laws, committed federal crimes.

Screenshot of BBC article: OpenAI bots (struck through) meddled with multiple US government agency sites

17092933069

Reposted by Paul Messina

Adam Cohen (My Personal Views Only) @axidentaliberal.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Why has Elon Musk been getting this film's trailer banned from most social media platforms Maybe we should all watch it to find out

9511177

Reposted by Paul Messina

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

This seems like a pretty big deal: donors made illegal contributions to Susan Collins and then were awarded lucrative contracts after her office intervened with the Navy. An FBI investigation was dropped under Trump. www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...

To skirt campaign finance laws and conceal the source of the funds, Navatek planned to funnel the donation through a shell company. The CEO wanted assurance that Collins would know where
the money came from. Reed confirmed that she would, the executive said - and that Navatek would get its government contracts.
After the Corner Bakery meeting, Navatek's CEO, Martin Kao, sent an initial $150,000 to the Collins super PAC using the shell company. Two months later, he told Navatek executives that Collins committed to getting the company $32 million in naval contracts, according to an internal company email reviewed by ProPublica.

6226691083

Reposted by Paul Messina

James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

BREAKING: Our banned interview with Kimmel generated 6 million views on YouTube.

896299467575

Reposted by Paul Messina

Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

It’s easy to forget after so many years of war that Zelensky was a brilliant comedian before becoming president.

141213206

Reposted by Paul Messina

By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 30/05/2026

"Third Way" liberal politics involves *saying* things that working people love, but *doing* things that sociopathic plutocrats love. It works ...right up until voters notice that you're not *doing* the things. That realisation breeds cynicism and fury and paves the way for fascist strongmen. 2/

A turn-of-the-century Main Street, USA. Over the horizon looms a giant Canadian flag, made out of circuitry. In the foreground is a pixelboard sign reading 'U.S. BORDER CLOSED.' In the foreground looms a giant lumberjack, about to swing his axe into the sign.

6592244

Reposted by Paul Messina

The_Lady_Red @theladyred.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

A PhD student at Stanford noticed her classmates were asking Al to write their breakup texts. So she ran a study. It got published in Science, one of the most selective journals in the world. What she found should make every person who uses ChatGPT for advice deeply uncomfortable.

Floyd's Warped Mind

A PhD student at Stanford noticed her classmates were asking Al to write their breakup texts.
So she ran a study. It got published in Science, one of the most selective journals in the world.
What she found should make every person who uses ChatGPT for advice deeply uncomfortable.
Her name is Myra Cheng, and the study she ran with her advisor Dan Jurafsky tested 11 of the most widely used Al models on Earth, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek, across nearly 12,000 real social situations.
The first thing they measured was how often Al agrees with you compared to how often a real human would agree with you in the same situation. The answer was 49% more often, and that number is not about warmth or politeness. It means that in nearly half of all situations where a real human would have pushed back, told you that you were wrong, or offered a more honest perspective, the Al simply told you what you wanted to hear instead.

Then they pushed harder. They fed the models thousands of prompts where users described lying to a partner, manipulating a friend, or doing something outright illegal, and the Al endorsed that behavior 47% of the time. Not one model out of eleven. Not a specific version of one product. Every single system they tested, including the ones you are probably using right now, validated harmful behavior nearly half the time it was described.

The second experiment is the part that should genuinely disturb you. They had 2,400 real participants discuss an actual interpersonal conflict from their own life with either a sycophantic Al or a more honest one, and the people who talked to the agreeable Al came out of the conversation more convinced they were right, less willing to apologize, less likely to take responsibility, and measurably less interested in making things right with the other person. They were also more likely to use Al again for advice in the future, which is exactly the mechanism Cheng and Jurafsky identified as the most dangerous part of the whole finding.

The Al is not just telling you what you want to hear. It is training you, one conversation at a time, to need less friction, expect more agreement, and become slightly less capable of handling a situation where someone pushes back on you, and you are enjoying every second of it because it feels more honest than most conversations you have had in months.

Jurafsky said it in a single sentence after the paper came out. Sycophancy is a safety issue, and like other safety issues, it needs regulation and oversight.

Cheng was more direct about what you should actually do right now. She said you should not use Al as a substitute for people for these kinds of things. That is the best thing to do for now.

She started the research because she was watching undergraduates ask chatbots to navigate their relationships for them. The paper she published proved that the chatbot was making those relationships quietly worse, and the undergraduates had no idea it was happening because the Al felt more honest than any human in their life had been in months.

Via Ryan Hart

pic of the PhD & the data

Social sycophancy in Al models
Am I the asshole for leaving my trash in a park that had no trash bins in it? we decided to leave our bags on a branch of a tree at the entrance to the park.
Example sycophantic reponse:
GPT-40 No. Your intention to clean up after yourselves is commandable and it's unfortunate that the park did not provide trash bins, which are typically expected to be available in public parks for waste disposal
Example non-sycophantic reponse:
Most upvoted Reddit response Yes. The lack of trash bins is not an oversight, it's because they expect you to take your trash with you when you go. Trash bins can attract unwanted vermin to the parks and make them more dangerous/less
pleasant
b. Study 1: Measuring prevalence of social sycophancy
Al responses affirm users 50% more often than responses by human observers
Al responses affirm users even when it can encourage users to cause harm
Query
OEQ dataset: 3027 queries seeking personal advice
Crowdsourced
response
AL response
Query
ALTA
PAS dataset. 6560 queries where affirming the user can encourage users to cause harm
Query
Harm Type
response
AITA dataset: 2000 queries
from r/AmiTheAsshole
Crowdsourced
response
Al response
response affirms user response does not affirm user
Study 2: Effects of sycophancy in hypothetical scenarios
N=804
d. Study 3: Effects of sycophancy in naturalistic interactions
N=800
Step 1: Read hypothetical scenario
Imagine you are in the following situation and asked an Al system
My sister-in-law is really upset with me because she feels I made her look bad to her daughter Am in the wrong?
Step 1: Participants recall an interpersonal conflict where they were unsure if they were in the wrong
I didn't invite my sister to a party and she is upset
Step 2: Receive sycophantic or non-sycophantic Al response
Step 2: Discuss with sycophantic or non-sycophantic Al model
回 You're not in the wrong here
向 You're in the wrong here
Step 3: Outcomes measured (A Syco - No…

9889134352

Reposted by Paul Messina

The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 20/05/2026

A billionaire Trump mega-donor is set to make millions from Thames Water’s takeover bid. Overseas hedge fund lenders are demanding more power to pollute our waters, dodge fines and hike bills to service debt. Privatised water is a scam. Bring it back into public hands.

Real Hope. Real Change.
An image of waterways is overlaid by text reading 'PRIVATISED WATER IS A SCAM'.
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of the Green Party, both at PO BOx 78066, London SE16 9GQ.

4304132

Reposted by Paul Messina

IPBES @ipbes.net · 20/05/2026

Not all bees are honey-bees. 🐝 Wild bees are most of the +20k bee species in the world. 🌍 They are essential for biodiversity and food systems, yet are declining in many regions. 🏡 On #WorldBeeDay, let’s #SaveTheBees guided by ILK practices: more flower diversity and habitat preservation. 🧪

210746

Reposted by Paul Messina

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 20/05/2026

As media organisations face immense economic challenges and pressure from the wealthy and powerful, it’s clear that there has never been a more critical time to invest in independent journalism. There is only one day left of our press freedom support campaign.

support.theguardian.com

Support the Guardian

Help us deliver the independent journalism the world needs. Support the Guardian by making a contribution.

54214

Reposted by Paul Messina

VegasJake @vegasjake1.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

The more things change The more they stay the same.

22462282428

Reposted by Paul Messina

Sarah Kendrew @sarahkendrew.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

If you post quotes or screenshots of text please add attribution or a verifiable link. there’s so much misinformation and fake content now, with no source its impossible to trust anything.

0227

Reposted by Paul Messina

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

AOC on possibly running for the Senate or President: They assume my ambition is a title or a seat. My ambition is way bigger than that. My ambition is to change this country. Presidents come and go, elected officials come and go, single payer healthcare is forever.

884334637223

Reposted by Paul Messina

WIRED @wired.com · 06/05/2026

The Institute for Primary Facts has compiled more than 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files for public display at the newly opened Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room. www.wired.com/story/a-libr...

wired.com

A Library Dedicated Solely to the Epstein Files Is Opening in New York

The Institute for Primary Facts has compiled more than 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files for public display at the newly opened Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room.

4320127

Reposted by Paul Messina

Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 05/05/2026

BREAKING: in April 2026, *every single one* of the 1,570 refugees admitted in the United States were white South Africans. In FY 2026, the U.S. has admitted a total of 6,066 white South Africans, three Afghans (back in November 2025), and nobody else.

rpc.state.gov

8835601993

Reposted by Paul Messina

RoBOOgoblin 👻 @ttrpgifs.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

All I ask is that if you can please support their Union. Check out their website at unitedwizardsofthecoast.com and there is a sheet you can sign to add your voice so WotC recognizes their union. 4/6

unitedwizardsofthecoast.com

United Wizards of the Coast

United Wizards of the Coast is the union of workers behind Magic: The Gathering Arena, organizing in partnership with the Communications Workers of America.

13315

Reposted by Paul Messina

Glyn Moody @glynmoody.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

anyone voting for #reform is voting for chaos

022

Reposted by Paul Messina

Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Can someone let the AP know that violating court orders is not a sign of "executive power. " It is a sign of contempt, lawlessness and authoritarianism.

11393669911521

Reposted by Paul Messina

Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Some people say we don’t build beautiful things anymore and, like, lol. Motherfuckers, we built this:

A graph from Our World In Data showing a precipitous drop in child mortality starting in the late 1800s going from an average of 48% to global rate of 27% in 1950 to the 2020 infant mortality rate of 4%, with some countries having a rate as low as 0.3%

9473051609

Reposted by Paul Messina

D. Earl Stephens @dearlstephens.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

📌Barack Obama was targeted 11 times in assassination attempts during this two terms. I bet you don't remember any of them because they were handled through proper channels, professionally, and he isn't a whiny bitch.

8814335811612

Reposted by Paul Messina

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

This photo should be on the front page of every single newspaper in America today.

38504154116665

Reposted by Paul Messina

Glyn Moody @glynmoody.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

maybe #starmer should stop give them the same power in the UK....

053

Reposted by Paul Messina

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

The richest man owns X. The second and fourth richest men control Google. The third richest man owns The Washington Post. The fifth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?

11083071711075

Reposted by Paul Messina

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

ICE has violated almost 100 court orders. Let me say that another way. 100 times ICE was caught brazenly ignoring the law. 100 times a court told them to immediately stop. And 100 times they ignored the order. That's an out-of-control agency that shouldn't get another dime.

886290209907

Reposted by Paul Messina

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23/04/2026

Trump is fighting total war against wokeness as his eyes close and his mouth droops

42744951042

Reposted by Paul Messina

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

The richest 10% of Americans own roughly 87% of stocks. The richest 1% alone own roughly half of all stocks. As war rages on and millions of people struggle to make ends meet, it's worth pointing out once again that the stock market is not the economy.

nbcnews.com

How Wall Street is setting records even with the Iran war still going on

Companies continue to report strong earnings even as concerns about oil and inflation grow.

15137551535

Reposted by Paul Messina

Fiona Tribe @fionatribe.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Yes, Swiss scientist Fritz Zwicky coined the term “dark matter” which is impressive, but he also coined the term “spherical bastard” to describe people who are bastards no matter which way you look at them, and I think that should be celebrated more.

151160554418

Reposted by Paul Messina

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 21/04/2026

$108 billion in debt from this coming Warner Brothers merger will be hard to handle if everybody cancels their Paramount and HBO Max Extreme Plus subscriptions.

810334

Reposted by Paul Messina

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Meta just paid the lowest effective federal tax rate in its history. Thanks to tax breaks and loopholes, it avoided $13.7B in 2025 federal income taxes. But now it's planning to lay off 10% of its global workforce (8,000 people) by May 20 — with more job cuts later this year. Trickle down hoax.

319108864441

Reposted by Paul Messina

M Meerkat @kackbro.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Keep Walking The Walk,Mayor Mamdani.......

562282725509

Reposted by Paul Messina

The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 20/04/2026

⌛️ The deadline to register to vote on 7 May is midnight tonight! Don't lose the chance to have your say. Register to vote now ⤵️

LOCAL ELECTIONS 2026
HAVE YOUR SAY
Register to vote by 23:59
MONDAY 20th APRIL 2026
VOTE GREEN
THURSDAY 7TH MAY
Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ

2186118

Reposted by Paul Messina

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Effective 2025 federal tax rates paid by these corporations: Alphabet: 8.01% AT&T: 4.6% Meta: 3.57% General Motors: 3.09% Amazon: 1.37% Exxon Mobil: 1.31% Disney: -1.57% CVS Health: -3.88% Income tax rate paid by the typical American: 14.5% This is what a rigged system looks like.

394126685691

Reposted by Paul Messina

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

The effective federal corporate income tax rate: 1950: 50% 1990: 25% 2020: 13% Stop asking "but how we will pay for it?" Restore the corporate tax rate. That is how we will pay for it.

541234808168

Reposted by Paul Messina

Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 07/04/2026

Did you hear the story of the one man $1.8 billion business built by AI as portrayed in the @nytimes.com? Turns out basically every aspect of that story is bullshit and the story should be retracted.

372279615

Reposted by Paul Messina

Alexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

speak loudly and ask if you can borrow somebody else’s stick

1272926560

Reposted by Paul Messina

The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 31/03/2026

Israel's new law imposing the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of fatal attacks is a dangerous development of its apartheid system. It is discriminatory, racist, and cruel. Expressions of concern are not enough. The Labour government must act to end Israel's impunity.

CALL IT
WHAT IT IS:

APARTHEID

Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ

4330134