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Sam Ladner

@sladner.bsky.social
2.4K followers 2.7K following 1.4K posts

Industry-based sociologist and adjunct professor. Future of work. Innovation. Strategic Foresight. Enterprise Software. Ethnography and qual methods. A few books. www.samladner.com

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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 3h
I can't believe I hadn't even thought of using AI as a READER. As a writer of 2 1/2 books (number three is in press!!!), I used zero AI in my writing. But as a reader...AI books? OMG never. WHY.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 4h
When I think about the US treating Canada like an enemy, I’m reminded that David Foster Wallace saw this coming in Infinite Jest. Sure we don’t have Québécois assassins (afaik) but look at what he described
L a post-Soviet and -Jihad era when—somehow even worse—
there was no real Foreign Menace of any real unified potency to hate and fear, and the U.S. sort of turned on itself and its own philosophical fatigue and hideous redolent wastes with a spasm of panicked rage that in retrospect seems possible only in a time of geopolitical supremacy and consequent silence, the loss of any external Menace to hate and fear.
Infinite Jest
David Foster Wallace
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Reposted by Sam Ladner
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 5h
The United States is deporting parents without their children, leaving babies behind in America, @caitlindickerson.bsky.social reports. She spoke with the parents who don’t know if they’ll see their kids again, and the caretakers left to watch the children: theatln.tc/j6Df5aTI
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 5h
There was a residential school near our house. It closed in the early 80s. One of the former students burned it down, rumor has it. It had some bad ghosts lemme tell you.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Trump says Canada is "one of the worst countries in the world." The World:
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As a Canadian, I am used to seeing informative news pieces. Shocked to see this from CNN.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Agree! Still very useful book
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
We all know the old saying: “How does a journalist count?” A: 1,2…TREND!!!!
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Americans, this is your government. You may have not voted for this specifically, but it's being done in your name. The whole world is watching while your abuser in chief demands an apology for his abuse. www.ctvnews.ca/world/trumps...
ctvnews.ca
Trump says he expects Canada to apologize to U.S., agree to ‘fair’ trade deal
With just hours to go before his import bans on certain Canadian goods take effect, U.S. President Donald Trump says he thinks he can make a trade deal with Canada in the coming weeks.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Since 2022, not a single day goes by without my thinking about Kyiv. I walk around my city and I think of Kyiv. I go to the museum and I think about Kyiv. I go to the university and I think about Kyiv. This is Kyiv today.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
As a former Big Tech employee, i see this as partly true. Work inside tech companies is the same as every other large org— willful ignorance is part of the equation but also is extreme temporal compression. Time poverty makes everyone stupid but esp so with motivated reasoning.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Sarah Connor is the hero we all need right now. There’s nothing inevitable about AI usage.
static.klipy.com
Sarah Connor's 'Wake Up' Call
ALT: Sarah Connor's 'Wake Up' Call
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This is a beautiful building. Think of that today when you walk past your city’s beautiful buildings.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
If being happy is contingent upon doing things like going for walks and cooking, then this explains the destructiveness of billionaires. They’re just terribly unhappy and therefore incorrigibly destructive. Being happy is a skill hard to develop when every self- destructive whim is indulged.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
This should be a scandal, yes. What are ordinary Germans doing about it? Are they “good Germans”?
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Sarah T Roberts, PhD @ubiquity75.xyz · 25/09/2026
I see. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/w...
nytimes.com
Netanyahu Said to Have Been Warned by Emirati Leader About Hamas Attack Before Oct. 7 (Gift Article)
The warning from the leader of the United Arab Emirates, which lacked specific details about the nature of an attack, never reached the chiefs of Israel’s security establishment, Israeli officials sai...
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Well, at least Lavrov looks terrible and walks with pain.
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FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Tom Homan: They're gonna say I'm racist or a Nazi. I don't give a shit
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Merit is determined by one’s peers, as is the case with the Soybean Board. But the Trump admin wouldn’t know anything about merit, now would it. www.reuters.com/world/americ...
reuters.com
Trump’s DEI purge reaches farm country? Women picked for soybean board all replaced by men
The Trump administration rejected all four women farmers chosen by their peers to represent them in an industry group called the United Soybean Board earlier this year, a rare intervention by the U.S....
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I can't be the only person who reads stories like these and sees this as human trafficking. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | They Had No Connection to Costa Rica. America Sent Them There Anyway. (Gift Article)
The Trump administration’s policy of deporting migrants to third countries is undermining a bedrock notion of international law for the past 75 years.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Congratulations to Justice Brett Kavanaugh for another successful Kavanaugh Stop! Your legacy is now as secure as Rick Santorum’s. Impressive!!
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Heads up, folks. Once again, we can be sure that a good portion of what we see and read online can be traced to Russian chaos agents. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/u...
nytimes.com
Russia Aims to Inject Chaos Into Elections, U.S. Intelligence Finds (Gift Article)
The Kremlin is once again seeking to undermine confidence in American democracy with online influence campaigns, U.S. officials said.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
There are more canes in this photo than women.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
“Police reported seeing blood on the agent’s hands, who EPD said told officers he was ‘injured while attempting to handcuff the individual’”
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I couldn't even finish reading this article. Stephen Miller is a disgusting, rotten human being who should be in jail. You might even call this child trafficking www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump ally Stephen Miller leads sweeping push to accelerate removal of migrant children
Exclusive: key White House loyalist orchestrating multi-agency effort condemned by critics as cruel and racist
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Economists once again discover sociology. In this case, Bourdieu, though of course the article makes zero mention if habitus www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/b...
nytimes.com
The Working Class Face a ‘Class Ceiling’ in Elite Occupations (Gift Article)
Being female or a person of color has long been seen as a disadvantage in hiring and promotion. A new study of college professors shows that class may loom as large.
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Sharon 🪳🌹 @sharonk.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Heidegger, Being and Time:
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Honestly been listening to this song on repeat. This is how Canadians feel about That Man, for reals.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Every Canadian understands her line “I am sorry that you don’t like your life.” She is done with that crap. Also: Vancouver scenery is top notch.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Useful descriptive and inferential stats in this article from Nature. Doesn't compare to the old article "Who Goes Nazi?" in terms of wit but it seems to come to the same conclusions: people who go Nazi have weak social connections (and constitutions, tbh) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Predictors and prevalence of support for white nationalism in the United States - Nature
Explicit support for white nationalism is uncommon overall, but higher among young white men, disadvantaged and politically disaffected white people, conservatives, Republicans, and those with primari...
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
I have kept my commitment to flip the bird to every cybertruck I see.
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Darren Dahly @statsepi.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
😡
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/t...
static.klipy.com
I Think You Should Leave Hot Dog Suspect
ALT: I Think You Should Leave Hot Dog Suspect
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Toronto, 2026.
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We started a trade war with these people because the president, who has some sort of degenerative brain disease with visible bruises on his hand's injection site that the press doesn't talk about, was bored.
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Since 1961, eight presidents have used the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office and it is one of the most famous pieces of furniture in the United States. Did you know that the origin of this famous desk is directly connected to Canada? This is the story! 📸 Barbara Kinney 🧵 1/9
The photo depicts the Resolute Desk, a historic piece of furniture, situated in the White House Oval Office. The desk, crafted from ornate wood with intricate carvings, stands prominently on a blue carpet. Behind it, a black leather chair is positioned, facing large windows with yellow curtains that frame a view of trees outside. Two American flags are placed on either side of the desk, adding a patriotic touch. The room is adorned with green plants in pots, a side table holding a bust and framed photos, and two additional chairs with blue and gold upholstery. The overall ambiance is formal and elegant, reflecting the office's significance.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This story brought tears to my eyes. Americans: we would still take care of you like we did on 9/11. But we will never trust you will do the same for us. We hope you change our minds one day. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/w...
nytimes.com
Gander Welcomed Americans in 2001. Now, U.S.-Canada Tensions Hit Home. (Gift Article)
The Newfoundland town welcomed thousands of frightened airline passengers on Sept. 11, but 25 years later, mixed emotions run through anniversary plans amid an escalating trade war.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10/09/2026
Carney standing by Zelenskyy: "Ukraine will never submit"
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
He's still alive.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Bring it on!
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“We take no stance as to whether repression is good or bad,” the researcher said. Ummm. Ok. The playbook to stop collective action. news.mccombs.utexas.edu/research/how...
news.mccombs.utexas.edu
How Companies Quietly Undercut Dissent - McCombs News and Magazine
A new theory maps a common playbook to prevent stakeholder activism from gaining momentum
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
We watched this last night. I said after, “Mark Carney is a serious person.”
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Synthetic users, aka digital twins, are hitting market and UX research like a tsunami. Turns out, they are basically a more rational, less diverse representation of the people they purportedly represent. New paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Digital twins are funhouse mirrors: Five systematic distortions
Scientists and practitioners are aggressively moving to deploy digital twins—large language model (LLM)-based models of individuals—across social science and policy research. We conducted 19 preregist...
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Just had a cafe conversation with a fellow patron who is doing his master's thesis at age 66. He accidentally used Gemini to write it because it was embedded in Google Docs. He literally offered me $1000 to read it for him and remove the AI.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Canadian here. This is so horribly insulting. No mention of threatened annexation. No mention of belittling our leaders, naming them "governors." Americans, do you treat Canadians like this? Is this your policy now?
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
As a former researcher working in tech, I am here to tell to that Tech Bros only listen to users when they attend their depositions during law suits. You think I'm joking? I personally know THREE researchers who have been deposed about their research that found user harm.
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 06/09/2026
"I am an Associate Slop Doula for Mondo Mayo, founded as a mayonnaise company, which now sells consumer packaged goods, software as a service, and surveillance technology, and is one of three large corporations remaining on Earth." buff.ly/RbEQoJg
mcsweeneys.net
Why We Must Return to the Office to Use AI in Person
“I didn’t think a full, six-day-per-week, fourteen-hour-per-day, in-office schedule was necessary to discharge my duties clicking the ‘generate’ button, foll...
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Carney having lunch with Bryan Adams in Thunder Bay. I guess the Canadian government is about to rescind that apology over Bryan Adams.
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Give this hero a raise!
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Sam Ladner @sladner.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Rick Steves is a real one. Such a role model.
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