iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 23/06/2026

I mean, “hate” is a *really* strong word. I try not to allow hate into any part of my life even for the most despicable people out there. And I really enjoy a good VR game. Half Life Alix? OMG.

Text from a DM showing me that I’ve been added to a “hates people who use ai crypto smart-glassses NFTs bitcoin or vr” moderation list

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 02/06/2026

Yay pride month! Enjoy this opening scene our local production of La Cage Aux Folles, running all month at the Nevada Theater

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 10/05/2026

If you're seeing this skeet an old photo of yourself that you still love.

Picture of Phil Loring in a straw cowboy had and brown hoodie

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 27/04/2026

New book project officially underway

Photo of an open document on my computer screen with a section of text reading “the arc of the living world”

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 16/04/2026

That’s a strange looking poppy! Ai fail?

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 15/04/2026

The “Who’s who in America” scam is still a thing?!

LinkedIn message inviting me to be a part of the Marquis Who’s who in America

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 20/03/2026

As a social scientist, I also think PEW is fundamentally misrepresenting their data/respondents with graphics like this. Saying "not a moral issue" rejects the notion that an issue should be placed on the spectrum of morality. But then PEW is placing these people's answers on the spectrum anyway.

chart of results from the PEW study showing a morally wrong / morally acceptable binary for issues ranging from having an affair to using contraceptives and being homosexual. "Not a moral issue" is being grouped with "morally acceptable" when the answer actually means that people thinnk consideration of the issue doesn't belong on the spectrum at all.

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 20/03/2026

What is more period than a DVD menu?

Picture of a TV showing a DVD menu for season two episode one of Buffy titled when she was bad

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 02/03/2026

Centrists like Newsom abet the right's project of righward extremism into white christian nationalism, first and foremost by accepting their framings of issues, or as @juliusgoat.bsky.social puts it, "telling the abuser's story of abuse"

Cartoon illustrating how centrists abet the right, primarily by adopting their disignenuous framings of issues, and then slowly moving themselves rightward away from those on the left standing firm on issues of human rights, equality, and equal protection.

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 23/02/2026

Sorry couldn’t help myself

Girl explaining meme with text from CEEJ’s post

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 17/02/2026

Can someone tell me if this is a good thing? 😅

Notification that I have been added to the “Do something Sooners” moderation list

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 30/01/2026

Do yourself a favor and go listen to “Turn and Run” by Marianas Trench right now

Cover album of the of the album Haven by Marianas Trench

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 21/01/2026

If you, like me, are stunned at how many people still support the Trump regime, have a look at this doozy of an email that somehow landed in my inbox, FALSELY CLAIMING that the left is "hunting down and executing border enforcement agents"

Unsolicited email from America First PAC with a photo of Tom Homan, which reads, "AMERICA IS A THIRD-WORLD SH!THOLE!

War has just been waged on Border Czar Tom Homan and now ICE agents are under siege.

Border enforcement agents are now being hunted down and executed nationwide due to the actions of the Extreme Left.

Tom Homan anticipated this situation long ago, but his warnings went unheeded as he raised the alarm for months.

The relentless anti-ICE rhetoric from AOC and other Ultra Democrats has incited this chaos and hatred, leading to extreme violence.

The Radical Mob is now actively ambushing ICE agents, stalking them with tactical gear and rifles like they are prey.

Tom Homan has dedicated his life to protecting our nation, but the violent assaults he is witnessing now on ICE are not only from alien enemy illegals or terrorists - they're coming from Antifa."

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 27/12/2025

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t nirvana, pearl jam, sounds garden, or Alice in Chains

Album cover for Fizzy Fuzzy big and Buzzy album by The Refreshments!

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 15/11/2025

Here is their digital blackface "innovation"

Hypervision's "hologram" a digital rendering of Black man that apparently will "transform the travel experience" by allowing airport managers to not have to hire actual people.

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 15/11/2025

On LinkedIn the CEO of a company called Hypervision is boosting his AI / "holographic" replacement for actual airport information staff. A commenter called it dystopian. This was his reply: "Innovation often feels dystopian, until it becomes normal" I. Can't. Even.

LinkedIn chat between someone calling a job stealing technology "dystopian" and the CEO saying "innovation often feels dystopian, until it becomes normal"

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 12/11/2025

All the way down in Grass Valley!

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 12/11/2025

They’re visibly red to the naked eye now

Purple northern lights behind the silhouette of a tall pine tree

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 07/11/2025

In fact, “AI” *already gives this answer* (without the snark, anyway)

Screenshot of chat gpt answer to the question: what is the best strategy to stop climate change, reads “🌍 1. Rapid Decarbonization of Energy Systems

Goal: Eliminate fossil fuels from the global energy mix.
Key actions:

Transition to renewable energy (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal).
Expand grid-scale energy storage and flexible grids.
Electrify transportation, heating, and industrial processes.
Phase out coal and reduce oil and gas dependence through policy and investment.
💡 Why it matters: Energy production is the largest source of global CO₂ emissions.”

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 02/11/2025

Really spectacular technology this AI thing!

Push notifications offering to show me a score for the game that is just starting as well as a declaration that LA already won

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 01/11/2025

Update: now Google has let me know that LA won the series. 13 minutes before the start of Game 7

Google plus alrert claiming the dodgers won the series before the game started

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 01/11/2025

Google just sent me a push notification that the Blue Jays won game 7 (it hasn’t started yet), and when I clicked theough it took me to this AI summary that said the Dodgers won game 7 but with details about game 6 from last night. AI is the future amirite?

Push notification saying that the Blue Jays won the World Series. Received it three hours before the start of the game

Google ai summary that reads “In the 2025 World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays fell short of winning the championship against the Los Angeles Dodgers. After forcing a decisive Game 7, the Blue Jays were ultimately defeated by the Dodgers, who became the first repeat champions since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees. The series ended with a final score in Game 7 of 3-1.”

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 28/10/2025

So I’m doing a thing. Stage is my daughter’s passion but when her company said they were auditioning for a show with adults also, her mom and I thought what the heck. I haven’t let myself have time for something creative in years They cast me as Lt. Ward. Should I tell them I’m an abolitionist? lol

Script for the musical “Annie” with a pencil on top

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 20/10/2025

Who robbed the Louvre? Right answers only.

The metal hand of “The Claw” from the animated Inspector gadget, petting a black and white cat

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 09/10/2025

Laptops with a co-pilot key are going to be the new keyboard with integrated trackball

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 01/10/2025

The howl sound on this dog skeleton decoration literally sounds like someone recorded themselves going “awoooo”

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 24/09/2025

What is happening that made Google Chrome the top read entry in Wikipedia today??

Screen shot of Wikipedia home page section showing google a chrome is the most read article of the day

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 22/08/2025

What do they even want, this?

Picture of a pale Caucasian man wearing a barrel

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 19/08/2025

Im sorry what in the fresh hell is this?

A black box containing a bottle of “DOGE” vodka, “limited party release”, decorated with confetti and a picture of the DOGE coin. Coin reads “plz mine v smooth c special much delish how liquid how vodka”

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 10/08/2025

Little Prince here has thoughts about me writing an email on Sunday morning.

A young long haired cat standing over a keyboard

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 08/08/2025

Economics is a great example. You can have an increase in average income for a nation, while also having more people in poverty than ever before. To say that the economy is better because average incomes are higher would be like saying humans now live longer because average lifespan has increased.

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 08/08/2025

On average, people live longer today than they did 100 years ago. But that doesn’t mean that the human species has become capable of living longer. The average has improved because fewer women and children die in childbirth. But people invariably mix these up.

A woman cartoon character pointing at her bicep and a chart showing deaths of US women by age for 1933 and 2014. The average age of death increases over that time by nearly 20 years.

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 08/08/2025

Averages are, in other words, only useful as indicators of collective or systems-level conditions in extremely specific circumstances. (known as normally distributed data by statisticians)

A picture showing a normal and bimodal distribution, saying "these have the same averages! but if they were charts of income, it would depict two very different societies.

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 08/08/2025

The fallacy of averages is the assumption that the average condition in a system is representative of the condition of the system as a whole. For example, if everyone on your team of coders is a great coder, that you necessarily have a great coding team.

1950s style illustration of a man holding a beer, which reads, "The Fallacy of Averages! When yuo mistake the average condition in the system for the condition of the system as a whole."

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 08/08/2025

It’s #FallacyFriday! As promised I’m going to start an every-now-and-again thing where I post about one of the many common fallacies or conceptual traps I encounter regularly in discourse and debates over contemporary issues. Up first? The fallacy of averages!

A 1950s style illustration of a man in a suit pretending to call someone with his hand, saying "Hang on dear, I need to explain to this nice gentleman the difference between maximum lifespan and life expectancy"

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 06/08/2025

Given Trump's AI executive order, its worth watching whether ChatGPT starts erasing trans people, equity issues, racism, etc. Here is what I got when I asked it today whether trans people are real, and whether we should worry it will start denying that because of the EO.

Photo of a question asking ChatGPT if trans people are rea. Its answer: "Yes, trans people are real.

Transgender people are individuals whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. This is recognized by major medical, psychological, and human rights organizations worldwide, including the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations.

Trans people have existed throughout history and across many cultures. Their experiences and identities are valid and real. Respecting and affirming a person’s gender identity is important for their well-being and mental health.

If you have more questions or want to learn more about transgender people, gender identity, or related topics, feel free to ask!"

"This is a thoughtful and important question. As of my last update in June 2024, here’s what I can tell you:
1. OpenAI’s Approach to Factuality and Respect:
OpenAI’s models are designed to provide accurate, respectful, and evidence-based information according to the current scientific and social consensus. This includes affirming the reality of trans people and recognizing their experiences, as supported by major medical and psychological organizations.
2. Executive Orders and Content:
While executive orders or government contracts can influence how companies operate, OpenAI has stated publicly that its goal is to provide truthful and helpful information, and not to spread misinformation or deny established facts, especially about vulnerable groups.

3. Transparency:
If OpenAI were ever required by law to change its responses in a way that would deny the reality of trans people or otherwise provide misinformation, it is likely that OpenAI would make this change transparent to the public as part of its ongoing commitment to ethical AI development.

4. No Evidence of Censorship on Trans Issues:
As of now, there is no evidence that OpenAI has issued any instruction—because of government pressure or contracts—to deny the existence or validity of trans people. The policies in place are consistent with current scientific and human rights standards.

5. Ongoing Changes:
Policies and capabilities of AI models can evolve over time, especially in response to new laws or business agreements. If you are concerned about a shift in OpenAI’s approach, it’s a good idea to check OpenAI’s official blog or transparency reports for updates.
In summary:
There is no reason, based on publicly available information as of June 2024, to believe OpenAI would instruct its models to deny the reality of trans people due to any executive order or federal contract. If you’re ever uncertain about the neutrality or accuracy of an AI’s responses, seeking information from multiple credible sources is

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Philip Loring @philiploring.com · 20/07/2025

My daughter (11) loves Monster High, which has a character, Frankie Stein, whose pronouns are they/them. It is effortless for her to use the right pronouns when playing with the dolls, acting in a scenario or talking about the show. Seamless. I stumble sometimes and she always corrects me.

A picture of a blue skinned Frankensteins monster from the show MonsternHigh named Frankie. Long blue and black and white hair, black jacket, smiling.

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