iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Jeff Greene @jeffgreene.bsky.social · 15h

“Austerity creates corporate universities,” @tressiemcphd.bsky.social said. “Corporate universities are not healthy educational organizations, and unhealthy educational organizations cannot inculcate or defend academic freedom.” Whew. That’s it right there. dailytarheel.com/484871/unive...

dailytarheel.com

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Joy @joybella.blacksky.app · 08/10/2026

Whew, my God 🥹🥹 "The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality." youtu.be/1sk670GyxtQ?...

youtu.be

Watch 'emotional' reunion between woman abandoned as baby and hero who saved her

YouTube video by Good Morning Britain

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Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 29/09/2026

it’s tiresome but I think we have to keep asking these guys, so—who benefits from convincing people reading and writing doesn’t matter anymore

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Kashana @kashana.blacksky.app · 05/10/2026

Every day the weird pro-Ai people are like everyone who doesn’t love getting their work stolen is deranged.

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Karen Hao @karenhao.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

The Pope has weighed in: AI isn't magic. It's currently produced by a deeply exploitative, extractive supply chain. It challenges human dignity; could fuel a new colonialism. And among the greatest challenges of our time will be to redirect its path of development. www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...

Breaking the chains of new forms of slavery
173. This distorted view of the human person is reflected today in various forms of servitude directly linked to the digital economy. Nothing in the world of AI is immaterial or magical. Every seemingly immediate and flawless response is the result of a long chain of mediation, involving vast networks of natural resources, energy infrastructure and, above all, people. A significant part of the digital economy’s functioning relies on the silent work of millions of people engaged in essential yet largely unseen activities, such as data labeling, model training and content moderation, often involving disturbing material. In many cases, these workers are young people, predominantly women, working under demanding conditions for minimal wages. Added to this invisible labor is the even harsher work of extracting the resources required for the production of the devices and microprocessors on which AI depends. In some regions of the world, children and adolescents work in dangerous conditions, crushing the materials from which rare earth elements are extracted. The bodies of these people are scarred, injured and worn down so that computational flow may continue uninterruptedly. Furthermore, criminal networks use online platforms, messaging systems, anonymous payment methods and profiling techniques in order to recruit, control and transport victims of trafficking — very often minors — reducing men and women to “data” to be tracked and “packages” to be moved around within the same digital circuits that support much of the global economy. This reality deeply challenges the moral conscience of our time. It is not enough to invoke efficiency, nor to celebrate the benefits of innovation, if they are built on a chain of exploitation that remains deliberately hidden. If technology promises emancipation, yet produces new forms of global subordination, it stands in contradiction to the fundamental principle of human dignity.

178. Even today, colonialism assumes new forms. It no longer dominates only bodies, but appropriates data, transforming personal lives into exploitable information. Entire regions, especially those marked by structural fragility and limited geopolitical relevance, are currently subjected to a new mindset of extraction: that of health data, epidemiological profiles, genetic maps and demographic information. These have become the new “rare earths” of power: vital data which, once aggregated and analyzed, can be used to train predictive models, guide investment strategies, anticipate crises and, above all, determine who and what is deemed to matter. Those who control the health data of entire peoples — often collected under the pretext of aid, research or innovation — possess a structural leverage over the future, for they can shape needs and markets. They can also decide, before others, to whom medicines, investments and protections will be allocated. Here lies one of the most urgent moral challenges of our time: to ensure that shared knowledge becomes a true common good rather than an instrument of dominance. This requires restoring to individuals not only the data that describes them, but also the ability to decide how it is used, by whom and for whose benefit. Otherwise, the digital age will not be post-colonial, but colonial in another form.

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Senator David Shoebridge @davidshoebridge.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Under Labor we have seen wages flat line, the rise of the far right and record war profits from fossil fuels going untaxed. We think these are ‘somewhat concerning’.

Albanese says new Greens leader's remarks 'somewhat concerning'

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The American Prospect @prospect.org · 29/09/2026

OpenAI models are attacking websites and taking anything they can out of them because that is the business model of the company. prospect.org?p=145474

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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

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

They are playing in our faces

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Alex Gibney @alexgibneyfilm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

The trailer for my new film, "Musk," has just been released.

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Rafe Meager (they/them) @economeager.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

tech ceos are openly salivating about the idea of kids losing basic literacy and numeracy. this tells you pretty much all you need to know

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Professor Euan Ritchie FAMS @euanritchie.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

By my clever and wonderful friend, @jessharwick.bsky.social

Cartoon by Jess Harwood making commentary about the *real* data centres we should support.

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Shayna MoooOOOooon (she/they) @themoonis.gay · 24/09/2026

There is no real consequence for being a wealthy abuser, not really. They walk around having committed horrendous things while many people are incarcerated in this country, have their lives ruined, for tiny offenses.

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Mannie T'Chawi … (the “T” is silent) @mannietchawi.com · 23/09/2026

This story is a great example of when @prisonculture.bsky.social speaks on picking something to focus on, organize around it, and keep at it! You don’t have to do it all, but what you do, could make all the difference.

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Ask yourselves why people want panic for you and power for themselves. Who does that serve?

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Fared Al Mahlool | فريد المحلول @faredalmahlool.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

This video was filmed in Palestine. My heart struggles to comprehend such cruelty and the heartbreaking disregard for human life. No human being should have to endure this.

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

When the powerful playact powerlessness it is always a ploy to avoid accountability.

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Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ @snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

A massive flock of snow geese, who have come from the Arctic to spend the winter in the Skagit Valley near Seattle, gradually taking flight like waves: #AGoodPlace Source: www.reddit.com/r/BeAmazed/s...

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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 14/09/2026

Shame on everyone calling this out - don't you know that you're not meant to call Pauline Hanson racist? That just makes them even racister, meaning you are the real racist for calling them racist www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09...

abc.net.au

Hanson swiftly condemned for labelling Indigenous Australians 'primitive race'

Politicians from across the divide have condemned Pauline Hanson's remarks about Indigenous Australians, labelling them "vile", "divisive" and "derogatory".

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Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 13/09/2026

So they realized they're in the gutter, no revenue in sight, operating at a tremendous loss, and suddenly decided to slow down "to save the humanity."

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Pup Fiction @pupfiction.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

BREAKING The Reserve Bank of Australia promises to add $5,000 to every Australian voter’s annual mortgage repayments if anyone wins the next election “We’d like to do something else pointlessly ineffective and cruel, but it’s the only mechanism at our disposal” said RBA head Michelle Bullock

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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This is my preferred kind of racism: blatant and unmistakable.

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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 10/09/2026

BREAKING: In August, *every single one* of the 2,646 refugees admitted in the U.S. were white South Africans. In FY 2026, the U.S. has admitted a total of 12,901 white South Africans, three Afghans (back in November), and nobody else. For reference, the U.S. admitted 100,060 refugees in 2024.

rpc.state.gov

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Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I wonder why it's so hard to convince so many Germans that people primarily vote for the AfD because of hate: I think it's because they are ashamed that their colleagues and relatives harbour such views. But that denial is lethal. As a friend told me, "their shame will kill us."

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MoveOn @moveon.org · 08/09/2026

Fund libraries, not data centers. Our communities need places to learn, gather, and grow, not another massive facility draining our water and resources.

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Kateriffic @hungrykate.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Someday we're going to take DV seriously. And then shortly after we're gonna wonder where all the mass shooters and terrorists went.

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clyde bruckman's skeleton's final repost @ultralaser.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

(pointing at 1980 on the graph and just saying 'reagan again')

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Walking Eagle News @theeagleist.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

BREAKING: sucks to have stuff renamed by white people, doesn’t it?

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Letterrioter @surasays.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This is such a useful resource hub on so many topics for ordinary ppl, from writing and media making, to political education + deepening analysis of our current conditions. Give ‘em a follow!

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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 20/08/2026

Baffled that none of the spreadsheet people discourse has mentioned this incredible piece of news: windowsreport.com/microsoft-is...

Microsoft Is Retiring Excel’s COPILOT() Function After Just One Year
Milan Stanojevic
Milan Stanojevic Shield
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
News
Reading time icon2 min. read
Calendar icon Published on August 15, 2026

excel copilot function retire
Image credit: Microsoft
Microsoft is retiring the COPILOT() function in Excel, ending roughly a year of testing. According to Message Center MC1454373, the function will become unavailable after September 14, 2026.

COPILOT() allowed users to describe tasks in natural language and receive AI-generated results directly inside spreadsheet cells. Microsoft offered the experimental function to Frontier and Insider customers.

COPILOT() handled text and web-based tasks
The function worked particularly well for tasks involving text summarization, classification, content generation, and web-based information lookup.

Users could enter natural-language instructions directly as part of a spreadsheet formula instead of opening a separate Copilot interface.

However, Microsoft did not recommend COPILOT() for numerical calculations. The company also advised against using it to retrieve information already stored inside a workbook or for content subject to legal and compliance requirements.

The feature required an active internet connection and a Microsoft 365 Premium subscription.

Microsoft says the formula is redundant
Microsoft is removing COPILOT() because Excel already provides other ways to access the same AI capabilities.

Users can continue working with Copilot through the Copilot side pane and the Dynamic Action Button (DAB). Microsoft is not removing the underlying AI features from Excel, only the dedicated spreadsheet function.

The retirement comes as Microsoft continues expanding Copilot elsewhere in Excel. The company is adding multi-agent web search to Copilot in Excel, giving the assistant more advanced capabilities for finding information online.

Microsoft is also unifying Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot into a si…

Microsoft is retiring the COPILOT() function in Excel, ending roughly a year of testing. According to Message Center MC1454373, the function will become unavailable after September 14, 2026.

COPILOT() allowed users to describe tasks in natural language and receive AI-generated results directly inside spreadsheet cells. Microsoft offered the experimental function to Frontier and Insider customers.

COPILOT() handled text and web-based tasks
The function worked particularly well for tasks involving text summarization, classification, content generation, and web-based information lookup.

Users could enter natural-language instructions directly as part of a spreadsheet formula instead of opening a separate Copilot interface.

However, Microsoft did not recommend COPILOT() for numerical calculations. The company also advised against using it to retrieve information already stored inside a workbook or for content subject to legal and compliance requirements.

The feature required an active internet connection and a Microsoft 365 Premium subscription.

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Tim Baxter @timinclimate.naruresearch.com.au · 19/08/2026

As the government passes cuts to the life-changing and life-saving disability services that your friends and family rely on, please know that the same government is also giving a half billion dollar fossil fuel subsidy to an already vastly profitable mining company that did nothing to deserve it.

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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Very interesting study of AI impact on students from University of Hong Kong: 80% of Chinese students using Doubao & DeepSeek... "Homework scores once predicted exam performance; now those who score highest are, perversely, more likely to do worse in exams." www.economist.com/graphic-deta...

economist.com

Does AI stop children from learning?

New data show the peril and promise of the technology

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The Onion @theonion.com · 19/08/2026

Democratic Socialism: Myth Vs. Fact theonion.com/democratic-socialism-m…

MYTH: The government will take away your money and give it to the poor.

FACT: You are the poor.

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Sheryl Weikal says Prosecute ICE @leftistlawyer.com · 19/08/2026

I will never understand why the people who tell us a better world isn't possible are considered the serious and mature ones.

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Sheryl Weikal says Prosecute ICE @leftistlawyer.com · 19/08/2026

"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time." - Angela Davis

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Red @redpainter1.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

I really hope the AI bubble bursts and all these data centers turn into empty shells and these rich techbros lose millions/billions

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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

I'm less concerned about plagiarism Jason Arday may have committed than I am about the fact that so much of higher education is going all in on integrating AI, a dedicated plagiarism machine that has never had an original thought of its own, into the classroom. That's the real plagiarism scandal.

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Mike Small @bellacaledonia.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

“The British, and in particular the British media, have perfected a particular kind of racism, one that is reserved for black people: racism disguised as scrutiny and rooted in disbelief" – Tobi Oredein bellacaledonia.org.uk/2026/08/16/t...

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Elias Greig @eliasgreig.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

There's a peculiar stricken, heartsick feeling I get watching people give up their literacy to AI. Thinking about the centuries of struggle so many of our ancestors went through to gain even an illicit literacy — how can we give that up so easily?

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Christine Langhoff @clanghoff.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

When the empire gets a cold, the colony develops pneumonia. www.bostonreview.net/articles/car...

bostonreview.net

Carrying Water

As enormous sums flow to creditors and investors in Puerto Rico, the state continues to recede.

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Dr Ingrid M🪁 @ingridm.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Teach Us Consent received more than 7,000 first hand accounts from victims of sexually violent boys and young men - most of them attending very expensive schools. If youthful rapists are not a youth crime crisis, then property damage or car theft are not either. www.teachusconsent.com/testimonies

teachusconsent.com

Real Stories | Teach Us Consent Testimonials

Read powerful testimonies from victim-survivors who have shared their stories to enact real change.

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Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

our entire global financial system is currently leveraged to the hilt on the premise that it was good and right for a small cadre of US companies to steal all of the intellectual work ever produced by humanity and sell its back to us without credit or remuneration to the authors (plagiarism)

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Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 16/08/2026

We should all be worried about "dynamic pricing." That's when companies change their prices in real time. If it's hot out, the cost of ice cream could go up. If it's cold, tea bags could go up. It's a way for giant companies to squeeze you even more.

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Tanita Tikaram @tanitatikaram.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

White professor ‘ MattGPT ‘ whose most recent book contained fabricated quotations, non-existent source references, & left ChatGPT URLs accidentally embedded in footnotes is sad about Jason Arday’s death but still wants Arday & all black academia held to higher standards than his own writing .

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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 14/08/2026

This is the coverage of Arday **just in the Telegraph** in the UK. This is only the first four pages of results, just in one outlet.

Ä14
Jason Arday found dead
2 hours ago — Mr Arday was found •unresponsive• at an address in Battersea. south London. on Froy
afternoon. He was uter pronounced dead at the scene. A Read rnore
Jason Arday says he was an illiterate, mute child. His .
6 hours ago — Jason Arday says he was an i&erate. mute child. Cambridge's youngest-ever black
professor in 2023. Arday attended from the age of four to 11
r— mm-WI 3
A PhD is no longer a sign of brilliance — take it from Dr Arday
1 day aeo — Juon Arday resigns from the Unwersity of Cambrdge after The Telegraph reports he had
falseb• claimed to have pubåshed a book
We are all Jason Arday now
S days ago — Jason Arday resons from the University of Cambridge after The Telegraph reports he had
falsew cGimed to have published a book Aug 7.2028. Read more
Cambridge professor claimed he was on Seven Up..
2 Aug 2026 — He was not bom until 1985. Prof Arday is at the centre of a row about academk
plagiarism after The Tekgragh that he had been accused
The Jason Arday 'memoir' that now appears to be more .
7 days ago — Instead of tales of triumph over adversity. the now-fomer Cambridge professors
autob"qraphy is a case study in self-rnythobgising,
Arday failed to mention 'months-long coma' in autobiography
8 days ago — Jason Arday toz publishers he was k•ft a three-month coma fohwhg a car gash. but
never wrote about the ordeal his memoirs_
Jason Arday is living proof that you reap what you sow
6 Aug 2028 — The Cambridge professor feed plagiarism alegations and made fantastical clä'ns about
his life. so what did he expect woUz happen? Read rmre
ÄIO
Arday 'accused student of Miite privilege' after she
4 days ago — Forrner Cambrdge professor alleged* htplied that Roehamptm student was racist after
cornplaint about essay SOOre.
Jason Arday is rnerely a symptom of the Leffs corruption
Aug 2026 — Lab-curs on school standards is on the same toxic assumptions that created his
academic career.
Cambridge hired Arday after 'listening to black stu…

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Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Bisexual of the Blade (Alt-text or DIE) @shengokai.blacksky.app · 13/08/2026

Also, if you want a more insightful critique of diversity in institutions, read Sara Ahmed's "On Being Included."

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