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Vance Ricks

@ricksva.bsky.social
533 followers 1.4K following 508 posts

Philosophy/Comp. Sci. at Northeastern University in Boston No relation to Frozone, Gervase Peterson, or Kevin Garnett

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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Seems like the kind of thing you'd want to find out for yourself, though; no? :-)
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
of needing to use those funds to help mitigate the need for substantial climate resilience is appreciated.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Anguilla is making bank on sales of its .ai TLD name. Its government is considering using the revenues to provide free healthcare and a sovereign wealth fund. It might be okay to utter ".ai" while on leave there, as long as the "dot" is always clearly enunciated and the irony
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Like this one? www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
TechScape: How cheap, outsourced labour in Africa is shaping AI English
Workers in Africa have been exploited first by being paid a pittance to help make chatbots, then by having their own words become AI-ese. Plus, new AI gadgets are coming for your smartphones
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Rejects Talk of A.I. Regulation and Calls Out Anthropic’s CEO
The president again rejected calls to try to regulate the industry, even as some of its leaders are speaking more openly about the risks of rapidly developing artificial intelligence.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Oh no "Trump Says a Smart President Is All That’s Needed to Rein In A.I."
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Diversify Microbiology @diversifymicro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
UNC Greensboro Department of Biology is hiring for three positions this year including one in microbiology! spartantalent.uncg.edu/postings/35918
spartantalent.uncg.edu
Assistant Professor Microbiology
The Department of Biology at UNC Greensboro (UNCG) seeks an individual with a strong record of accomplishment in microbiology broadly defined for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of Assista...
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A good friend who's read all the books appreciates how closely the show has been following them. I'm enjoying the show, but probably not enough to investigate the source material!
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It's time to send in an abstract for WeRobot 2027! The deadline is 05 October. More details are here: www.oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk/we-robot-2027
oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk
We Robot 2027 | Ethics in AI
We Robot 2027 is an international platform to discuss current and future robotics and AI policy. We bring together academics, policymakers, business leaders and the broader expert community to discuss...
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bianca wylie @biancawylie.com · 08/09/2026
…perhaps making a decision to turn the recording off for discussion, or for other parts of the agenda. Create a consensual approach for the use of these tools on a meeting-by-meeting basis to get away from defaulting to constant surveillance. time-and-space-studios.ghost.io/agendas-are-...
time-and-space-studios.ghost.io
Agendas are a Power Tool
Making consent an agenda item One of the chapters of my career was working as a professional facilitator, running public engagement processes for governments and government agencies. In doing this wo...
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ACLU of Massachusetts @aclum.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Flock's dragnet surveillance technology and nationwide data sharing model put our civil liberties and privacy at risk. And Massachusetts residents across the state are fighting back. Find out if your community is included: www.aclum.org/campaigns-in...
Green graphic reads, "Massachusetts communities are saying: Get the Flock Out!" by ACLU of Massachusetts.
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Jeff Chang @zentronix.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
For Labor Day, listen to Notes from the Edge of Work and Care! ➡ Ai-Jen Poo ➡ Jenny Odell ➡ Valerie June Tonight at 7pm on KALW 91.7 San Francisco Bay Area Or anytime at KALW.org or wherever you get your podcasts! Go deeper with the Notes From The Edge newsletter: zentronix.substack.com
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The Monkeywrench Gang author
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The Boston LOL 💜 🚲 ⚡ @thebostonlol.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The @streets.boston.gov has decided to repave the high crash corridor of Hyde Park Av without any safety improvements. Boston Better Streets Coalition is asking for letters from the community to go to the mayor to call for FIXING the streets not paving over the problem foresthills.boston#write
foresthills.boston
Hyde Park Avenue: No repaving without safety improvements
Compare Boston’s current resurfacing plan with safer alternatives and tell Mayor Wu’s Streets Team to do better.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Same work, in the same city, for the same employer but different wages: global inequality manifested in pay grades. data-workers.org/luciana/
data-workers.org
“This is Capitalism”: Apple’s Hidden Data Workers at the Shadows of the AI Boom, by Luciana
The working conditions and resistance of Apple's outsourced data workers in Spain.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"Apple relies on data work for its AI technologies and voice assistants....Data workers in Spain face systematic wage discrimination and violations of the principle of equal treatment depending on the language region.
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S.T.O.P.—Surveillance Technology Oversight Project @stopspyingny.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Learn the basics of how to protect your rights against surveillance at S.T.O.P.'s next Power Down webinar, September 16 from 3 to 4 p.m. Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I love it. How do you enforce it? (Or is that an issue?)
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Thank you!
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
That links to the repository of their videos. Can you link to that one? (I'm having trouble finding it.)
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Next step in the "evolution": why should they be glasses? Why not contact lenses? :-|
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Counterpoint: "Flock's annual revenue run rate increased to $500 million in June from $300 million in January,he said. More than half of the increase came from newer and lesser-known products such as surveillance drones,mobile trailers and audio detection systems" finance.yahoo.com/technology/a...
finance.yahoo.com
'We're Not Big Brother': Flock CEO Unveils New Privacy Guardrails After Backlash
Flock Safety plans to establish new guardrails for its technology following backlash over allegations that its automated license plate readers are being misused and enabling mass surveillance.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
She got the "burn it down" part correct, just not the target.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
"[T]he new Chinese rules require companies to send warnings to users showing signs of excessive dependence [?], and remind them every two hours that they are speaking with AI." restofworld.org/2026/china-a...
restofworld.org
Beijing is forcing a mass breakup with AI lovers
Beijing is pioneering regulations that could shape how governments around the world govern emotionally intelligent chatbots.
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City of Boston Streets Cabinet @streets.boston.gov · 10/08/2026
♻️ Join us this Saturday, August 15, at 315 Gardner St. in West Roxbury to safely drop off unwanted household items, including: 🔌 Electronics 💡 Light bulbs 🛢️ Paint & motor oil 🛞 Tires 👕 Clothing & textiles 📄 Old documents/paper for shredding For more information: boston.gov/zero-waste-day
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Thank you! We'll see...
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Iran War Enters 6th Justification — theonion.com/iran-war-ent...
theonion.com
Iran War Enters 6th Justification
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Can you recommend something that they (and I) should read about this? Perhaps even something that you've written? :-)
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
@lollardfish.bsky.social From a student: "back in the day books were extremely expensive because they where hand written and took years to make, but once the printing press dropped, it was probably like AI getting invented, I imagine people where [sic] having debates like this back then as well".
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Aren’t all Black people, and indeed all other people, half-Indian? QED
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I've bought from Big&Tall catalog since adolescence, and to me "tall" has always meant "tall" and/or "long-limbed" and/or "big-appendaged", though it's true that the catalog models included tall people, "large-framed" people, and people who were both.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
They should have a "big and/or tall" version...
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
For the big-faced and/or big-headed among us, I can recommend these: www.ppe-supply.com/products/big...
ppe-supply.com
Big & Tall (Large) KN95 Respirator Face Mask Individually Sealed (Extended Earloops)
Canada's Favourite Mask, now available in Big & Tall size! Recommended for those who are 6'2" and up or those who have a larger body frame. The ear loops have been extended to allow for more room and ...
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Peter Cheung @bostonaruban.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Join Boston Cyclists Union for a first hand tour of the new “cast in place” concrete bike lane buffers on Congress Street. Meet on Sunday July 19th at 11:30am at Better Bagels, 211 Congress Street, Boston. @bikeboston.bsky.social
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
To this day, I’m annoyed that she isn’t named and didn’t get to give her own published account.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
theonion.com/maha-voter-f...
theonion.com
MAHA Voter Feels Betrayed   By Continued Survival Of Own Children
DAYTON, OH—Expressing disappointment with what she described as unfulfilled campaign promises, local Make America Healthy Again voter Sandra Murrow told reporters Tuesday that she felt betrayed by the...
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Rachel Hands @rachelhands.com · 29/06/2026
hey Medford/Somerville pals, reminder that if you have an AC lying around that you’re not using, especially one that can cool a bigger space like a kitchen, @mutualaidmamas.bsky.social can redistribute it to a neighbor who needs one
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The War on Cars @thewaroncars.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
NEW EPISODE: Is the way we think about criminal consequences for drivers who harm pedestrians and cyclists another form of motonormativity? A study from Professor Ian Loader of the University of Oxford challenges how the law sees driving and offers solutions. podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/r...
Crashed black SUV behind yellow police tape in crosswalk on city street. A NYPD officer stands in the left side of the picture.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
One person’s modus tollens is another’s modus ponens.
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Rahul Bhargava @rahulbot.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Remember that every Big Data / AI revolution is powered by an army of under paid global workers with strong domain specific expertise… the World Cup is no exception!
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I read "the inaugural permanent director", paused, then realized there's no reason that they can't have several permanent directors.
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alice e marwick @alicetiara.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I am hiring a qualitative postdoc to start this fall for the @datasociety.bsky.social project AI-Enabled Scams as a Systemic Security Challenge. Fully remote but must be US-based. Interested in youth, scams, hustle/financial/consumer culture? More here: job-boards.greenhouse.io/datasocietyr...
job-boards.greenhouse.io
Post-Doctoral Fellow, AI-Enabled Scams as a Systemic Security Challenge
Remote
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Science-fiction writer Octavia E. Butler was born #OTD in 1947. A multiple recipient of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, she became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship (1995). #booksky #litsky #scifi #SpeculativeFiction
A color portrait of Octavia Estelle Butler (1947–2006), the visionary Black science fiction author and pioneer of Afrofuturism. She looks directly at the camera with a calm, deeply thoughtful, and serene expression. Resting her chin on her right hand, her fingers curl gently beneath her jaw. She wears thin, metal-framed glasses and a colorful, multi-patterned blazer featuring bold geometric blocks of red, yellow, purple, blue, and black. The foreground features a neatly arranged horizontal line of books facing forward. Prominently displayed are four teal spine copies of her acclaimed trilogy compilation, Lilith's Brood. To their left are other sci-fi and speculative titles, including Bitten and Catch the Lightning. The background is softly out of focus, revealing tall library bookshelves tightly packed with vibrant book spines. The vertical composition, rich colors, and academic setting create a warm, intellectual mood. This emphasizes her historical significance as a ground-breaking, award-winning literary figure.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"Work is one of 17 interwoven concepts that are the pillars of the course’s curriculum. Others include freedom, justice, truth, language and happiness. Teachers can design their courses as they see fit, dipping into a huge list of philosophers along the way." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/19/w...
nytimes.com
What Does It All Mean? Once a Year, French Students Try to Explain.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
"'I can’t solve the human behavior issue that is cheating or pushing the easy button...It is out of our realm'" says the button seller.
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
"want to solve two hard problems: create a good-looking wearable and measure hormones to help women understand their health better" One of those things is very much not like the other.
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Migration and Technology Monitor @migrationtechmonitor.com · 16/06/2026
The AI Resist List is LIVE 🎉 Co-built w/ @weandai.bsky.social, @dairinstitute.bsky.social, @karenhao.bsky.social, & @refugeelab.ca, this database highlights global efforts to challenge AI, showing how we can resist, refuse, reimagine, and reclaim from Big Tech's dominance. airesistlist.org
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Grace Lindsay @neurograce.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
I've seen a lot of info for specialized audiences (e.g. scientists, non-profits) on how to comment on the proposed OMB rule change for grants, but less for the general public. So I made this one-pager that can be shared more widely. docs.google.com/document/d/e...
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
?? the-decoder.com/landmark-ger...
the-decoder.com
Landmark German ruling declares Google's AI Overviews are Google's own words and makes it liable for false answers
A German regional court has ruled that Google is directly liable for the content of its AI search overviews. According to the court, previous limited liability protections for search engine operators ...
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Vance Ricks @ricksva.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
"every lawyer involved in the case is implicated, leading Aycock to pause the proceedings, cancel the trial, and disqualify all four lawyers involved. Two of the lawyers were barred from appearing before the court for two years"
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