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Mihai

@mihailim.bsky.social
294 followers 851 following 1.7K posts

Just some random person. He/him. Fabricati diem, punc! Illegitimi non carborundum. GNU Terry Pratchett

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Reposted by Mihai
Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 5h
Thank goodness they were acting on their own and no one could be held accountable🥸
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 17h
That was when the MS product managers in charge of that thing believed there was no profitable market for racist Nazi rants, or at least pretended to that effect. They've bought favor with the fascists currently in charge so they've changed their amoral profit calculus.
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Waitman Wade Beorn, PhD, FRHistS @waitmanwbeorn.com · 08/10/2026
🧵 The Wehrmacht was a CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION responsible for mass crimes against humanity and genocide.🧵 🔥The mother of threads.🔥 Click below for an exhaustive discussion of the criminality of the German Army during WWII as I try to once again kill the cockroach that is the Clean Wehrmacht Myth!
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karanormal activity 💜 @deadontheoutside.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
coroner: it appears the subject died of multiple tab wounds
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max power 🌌 @sneptech.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
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GOLIKEHELLMACHINE @golikehellmachine.com · 07/10/2026
average bluesky politics-knower: horseshoe theory isn’t really a thing german political parties: we would like to announce the horseshoe initiative
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Blaze Ward @blazeward.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Book 5 drops on Saturday. You caught up?
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bryan newbold @bnewbold.net · 07/10/2026
ah damn, RIP Margaret Hamilton. she took safety-critical software engineering seriously, and got people to the moon and back. news.mit.edu/2026/margare...
old photos of a woman (Margaret Hamilton) standing next to a tall stack of books (printouts of Apollo space mission software source code)
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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
From NASA 📍Gale Crater, Aug. 11, 2026, 8:30 a.m. local Mars time. The Curiosity rover captures the Sun rising on crags known as yardangs, a scene that scientists have long been waiting to see up close.
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I mean, their handle is "jizzlordstalin". There's likely limited value in engaging with them.
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Elizabeth Anne, PhD @lacksauthority.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
never the wrong time for this classic
Screenshot of a tweet by @RobbtKraft reading “scientist: "does everyone here know what Watson and Crick discovered?" 
me from back of room: "Rosalind Franklin's notes"”
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Daniel Gilmore @gilmored85.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I love this set up where he goes state to state and tells voters how much the Republicans there are losers that suck shit
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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I understand that paywalls are annoying, but the grim reality for everything right now, is if you want something to exist, you have to put money towards it. Every creative person is having their life's work hoovered up by AI companies. Layoffs never end. Private equity keeps making things worse.
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John Wiswell @wiswell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Have GenAI run your hobbies. Your passions. Your family. Then you can focus on what matters most: maximizing shareholder value.
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Riding With Robots @ridingrobots.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Random find in the unpublished data: A pretty little unnamed crater on Mars filled with sand ripples, about half a kilometer across, seen by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in July.
A circular impact crater seen from directly above. Inside its steep banks its bowl is filled with sand blown into a pattern of ripples.
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Hm, or a vernacular mix of Latin and Catalan or Occitan, depending on where that reliquary comes from? I mean, if it's meant to be a local devotional formula rather than "proper" language I can see how the grammar could drift and spelling wouldn't be all that important, everyone'd know what's meant.
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I read it as genitive singular since it's a third declension noun, and "santa" is definitely singular. But given the really odd grammar here, who knows (and fwiw genitive singular doesn't make much sense either). Maybe it's a case of "dictated but not read"? :)
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Chris Kendall @ottocr.at · 04/10/2026
I’m watching in real time what damage AI can do to a vulnerable person with poor mental health who struggles with relationships and seeks solace in the illusion of a meaningful connection with spicy autocorrect (please don’t ask me for details). I don’t know what to do to help them.
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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Fascinating world of ancient #glass! #Roman dove-shaped vessels were used as perfume bottles. The liquid was sealed inside and the tip of the tail or the beak had to be broken to remove the perfume. This particular example, discovered in a first-century burial at Rovasenda, Italy, is...🧵1/2 🏺
A close-up of an undamaged, translucent glass vessel shaped like a dove. The vessel contains a clear liquid with a reddish sediment visible at the bottom.
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This Many Years Ago @thismanyyearsago.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
2077 years ago, on the 3rd of October 52 BCE, Vercingetorix, the leader of an alliance of Gallic tribes, surrendered to Julius Caesar, ending the Siege of Alesia. It was the culmination of Caesar’s Gallic campaign and the last major confrontation between Romans and Gallic tribes. #otd #history 🗃️
Stater bearing the name of Vercingetorix. Obverse: VERCINGETORIXS – stylised head facing left. Electrum, 7.45 g, diameter 18.50 mm. Arverni, circa 60 BC. BnF Collection: 3774 (Ancient collection) (GAU-3989)
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Benjamin @benjaminschneider.ch · 01/10/2026
just came across this incredible picture of Terry Pratchett
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
(Aside: If Bluesky labels that as obscene I'm *done*, I'm declaring lungs as having been a mistake and moving to a goat farm in the mountains somewhere.)
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Ha! That'd be a find, a hitherto unknown association of resentful reliquary carvers quietly producing subversion :) No, was thinking about various instances of irreverence like www.artfund.org/our-purpose/... and so on. Granted, would be a rather low-effort one in this case.
artfund.org
Misericord
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Huh. Perhaps some early modern trolling or passive-aggressiveness from a non-fan tasked with inscribing? Wouldn't be the first.
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Women of 1000 || Meg Hyland @womenof1000.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Mystery saint! I've got a mystery saint on a hand reliquary that is supposedly 16th century and Spanish. Can't share the image, but the inscription says: SANTA RATLRINA MARTIRIS So who is St Ratlrina the Martyr? Any ideas?
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I'm thinking it could be referencing en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catheri... who is a rather big deal, saint-wise, in the Eastern Orthodox faith, with which I'm somewhat familiar by accident of geography. AFAIK she's not as prominent in Western Christianity, but please don't quote me on that :)
en.wikipedia.org
Catherine of Alexandria - Wikipedia
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
(Er, to be clear, the above is pure armchair unsupported speculation / wild guessing.)
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Hmmmm. Could it simply be a damaged inscription, or even a spelling error or alternate (albeit... *really* weird...) spelling? It's not far removed from Caterina or Catalina after all.
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Dustin A. Chacón @lingdustin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I've heard people make claims that AI would lead to a new Renaissance, but I didn't imagine it'd happen like this:
Screenshot of a Tweet from Pope Leo XIV. It reads: 

"In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgen to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity."
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Danie Ware @danacea.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Jesus fucking motorboating Christ, NO. Fuck off, right to the edge of fucking off, fuck off over that edge, hit the very fucking bottom of fucking off, and then fucking crawl away to die in a fucking corner.
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Anna Horroridge @anna-orridge.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Thanks Steve :) Phengaris available at payhip.com/b/58paC Parch Marks, SF that did sneak in some folk horror (marginalised and spiritually radicalised rural settlers in creepy masks in the Pennines) available here: www.gold.ac.uk/goldsmiths-p... #SFFChat Image courtesy of @marywyrd.bsky.social
Anna Orridge
Eco horror - Phengaris
Cli Fi - Parch Marks.

Phengaris has a cover image of a, butterfly made of rusted parts

Parch Marks features markings of ferns on dried earth.
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
For all his many sins, Frank Herbert knew how people work and where the *real* danger lies:
Excerpt from Dune (1965), with "Once men [...] enslave them" highlighted. The book text visible in the image is:

out of his flesh-world into something greater.

“Why do you test for humans?” he asked.

“To set you free.”

“Free?”

“Once, men turned their thinking over to machines in the hope that this would set them free. But that only permitted other men with machines to enslave them.”

“‘Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a man’s mind,’” Paul quoted.

“Right out of the Butlerian Jihad and the Orange Catholic Bible,” she said. “But what the O.C. Bible should’ve said is: ‘Thou shalt not make a machine to counterfeit a human mind.’ Have you studied the Mentat
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Paul Byrne @theplanetaryguy.com · 01/10/2026
This is a cool photo of Venus! Photographed through the rings of Saturn.
A complex, curving pattern of lines that make up Saturn's vast ring system, in various gold and grey hues. The white arc at right is the limb of the planet itself. A tiny point of light is just upper right of centre.
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Vajra Chandrasekera @vajra.me · 30/09/2026
My third novel, HERO COME HOME, officially has a cover! Preorderable from the usual places us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
The cover of my third novel, HERO COME HOME. Four human figures centred, the main image being that of a bearded man looking back over his shoulder (that's Oro, the protagonist), with a circle of symbols behind him. We can see a swan and a key. In the foreground are three people: two women, one with a mysterious marking? scar? who knows!? on her cheek and the other carrying a sword, flanking an older, balding man holding up a pistol. The possibly-scarred woman looks ever so slightly amused, and that is certainly very like her. Everybody else is not happy to be here, or indeed, anywhere
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Jake Broe @realjakebroe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Did you know “Trumpery” is a real English word that has fallen out of use? We really need to bring it back because it is astonishingly accurate.
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Feminist Proper Gander @dappergander.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Reading this I feel compelled to remind everyone that back in the 1970s, respected scientists became convinced telekinesis was real after they met with "psychic" Uri Geller and even published an article in Nature about it. It took a stage magician to debunk them. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/u...
nytimes.com
Is Claude Conscious? Inside Anthropic’s Quest to Instill Morality Into Its A.I. Models
In a series of private meetings, the company consulted religious scholars to help instill morality into its A.I. models — and make the case that Claude could be conscious.
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Feminist Proper Gander @dappergander.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
If this is your first time hearing about Uri Geller, the Stanford Research Institute, and most importantly, James "the Amazing" Randi, you're welcome. I hope his work inspires a lifelong skepticism in you. time.com/archive/6712...
time.com
James Randi : Fighting Against Flimflam
James Randi Uses His Skill As a Professional Magician to Expose Psychics, Astrologers, Spiritualists, Channelers, Faith Healers and a Host of Mystics and Charlatans
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There's a long discussion going on in my mentions about whether or not "LLMs" (quotes explained in a sec) apparently getting mostly* correct answers to arithmetic questions is "inconsistent" with the stochastic parrots metaphor. >>
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The Onion @theonion.com · 29/09/2026
Creatively Tapped-Out Peter Thiel Launches Startup Called ‘Frodo, But Evil’ theonion.com/creatively-tapped-out-…
Creatively Tapped-Out Peter Thiel Launches Startup Called ‘Frodo, But Evil’
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I remember a really frustrating conversation with a generally decent cishet white guy about a news story where a woman was roofied. he went off about wishing he could beat that guy up to avenge her, and I was like "how about start with calling out your friends' sexist tweets?" and he was like 😳
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
In practice, AI literacy doesn’t start with building the tool for your personal use. It starts with understanding yourself as a collection of tasks who should subcontract those out to a machine. Almost no regular person’s life currently exists as such.
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NYTimes: affirmative action for mediocre editors angry at MeToo @originalist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
bsky.app/profile/kris...
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Cameron Reed (she|they) @lateonsetgirl.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Kindle edition of The Fortunate Fall is on sale now for $2.99. The deal is Amazon-only and seems to be US and Canada-only. It ends at midnight Pacific so don't dither! www.amazon.com/Fortunate-Fa...
amazon.com
The Fortunate Fall
The Fortunate Fall - Kindle edition by Reed, Cameron, Walton, Jo. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Fortunate Fall.
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Josh Dobbin @joshdobbin.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This is Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov. On this day, 42 years ago, he saved your life and the lives of everyone you love. He saved the world. Google his name.
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 26/09/2026
Does my Speak-n-Spell feel pain when I type O-U-C-H? The jury is out. Philosophers and neuroscientists say that's fucking stupid, but I called a guy from the Center for Pretending that Household Electronics Are Sentient and he said there's no way to know for sure.
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Ivy @becauseivy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
It's Thinking Thursday, delete your robots
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"OpenAI hacks Australian govt for private health statistics using its own software and net connection." There, fixed it for you to reflect reality and avoid OpenAI's responsibility deflection framing.
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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.
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I mean, it's Klein's show, not sure what wisdom or integrity could possibly flow from there regardless of the identity of the guest...
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Mihai @mihailim.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
kfmonkey.blogspot.com
Lunch Discussions #145: The Crazification Factor
John: ... I mean, what will it take? That last speech literally made no sense . It was crazy drunken bar talk! Islamic radicals are lik...
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