I'm reading a novel and the writing is... fine, I guess?... but I can tell the author is an insufferable dudebro. Just the absolute worst. It's in the way he constructs statements and the way he thinks bad communication is cool. I just know it we met I'd find him infinitely, irresistibly punchable.

You partnered with Palantir for using your model in warfare and espionage. Your product has been implicated in a handful of high profile hacks. If your researchers were still there "for the mission" I'd simply assume they're working on their villain origin story.

Anthropic’s CEO says staff want money over mission

Elite AI researchers keep jumping between labs despite huge pay. Anthropic’s CEO fears people join for money not mission, though his lab pays the most.

thenextweb.com

I can't stress this enough: Your local library. You would be amazed how many different groups, clubs, and orgs use your local library for holding events, publicity, teaching classes, or just a communal space. Libraries have never been more tech savvy. Go to their website. Look on their calendar.

Gretchen McCulloch@gretchenmcculloch.com · 4h ago

[Someone asked how I find classes but has quotes off and I think it's a Q of broader interest] Sometimes I just pay attention to what friends are doing or what orgs around me are offering, sometimes I think of a thing I might enjoy and then I search for whether classes are available in my city

More folks need to be asked "Do you support trans/Muslim/Jewish/etc people?" immediately followed by "How? Describe the steps you've done to actualize that support." Because holding a kind position in your heart isn't support. It doesn't feed people or get them shelter or protect their families.

For the record, I'm a spiteful, petty bitch. I have a list best post-humorous and a slushfund for parties and visits to graves to dance and piss on. I'm not sure who this "Be Kind" mob is, but it ain't me fam. If you were shitty in life, I'm happy to see you go. I'm Team "Be Kind (of an Asshole)."🤷🏿‍♂️

Mic Wright@brokenbottleboy.bsky.social · 15h ago

I was wondering why I’d got 19 clickthroughs from The Daily Telegraph…

I hate articles like this. Yes, a model trained to average samples from professional writers is likely to be better than the average of a random sampling of writers. Duh. All you've said is that professional writers aren't accidentally succeeding.

AI-generated stories rated better quality than human-written ones, study finds

Researcher says simpler writing by AI is easier to read and digest, but this does not mean human authors are obsolete

theguardian.com

I feel like you shouldn't be able to bet on something you could have been a part of, and betting platforms should bear real, brutal consequences for disasters that are influenced by people betting.

Jacob Gellman@jacobgellman.com · yesterday

There is no way that betting on wildfires should be legal. www.oregonlive.com/wildfires/20...

A huge part of learning to cook a LOT of different sophisticated dishes is getting so used to the ingredients they have in common and the shared heritages that you eventually recognize when recipes end up converging or when historical substitutions ended up becoming modern recipes.

I really feel the worst change in Congress is the lack of violence. People used to get the shit kicked out of them right on the House floor.

Chris Hayes@chrislhayes.bsky.social · 23h ago

A congressman sent his staffer a box with a puzzle inside. Once she put the puzzle together it revealed a hand-written note inviting her on a date to an Adam Sandler show.

Max Miller was told his release of sensitive information about his ex-wife and child (including some inadvertent CSAM) was "shockingly reckless" but denies this characterization. Sir, if this isn't shocking or reckless to you, I think you're proving their case.

You really find out how your kids perceived you as a parent when they get to the point of choosing whether or not to tell you things.

Big Bad Booty Daddy@bamaslymm.blacksky.app · yesterday

You really find out how your parenting held up when your kids get to the point of making decisions on their own.

Also, hot take: It will forever irk me that WandaVision and Agatha All Along nailed the quirky, trippy, reality-as-allegory vibes that define Doctor Strange's comics better than Doctor Strange's movies ever have.

What a weird framing. Agatha All Along did stellar work deconstructing what a superhero origin needed to look like, making them their own worst enemies in a very real sense and the writer's takeaway here is "thank goodness Wandavision is restoring the formula." Bizarre takeaway.

2026's WandaVision Sequel Will Officially Avoid 1 Major Issue With 'Agatha All Along'

The final chapter in the WandaVision trilogy is fixing a major issue from its predecessors.

thedirect.com

I frequently do little politics education sessions with highschoolers. I'm upfront with my own political leanings but I tell them "I'm not going to try to convince you any side are the bad guys. Everyone is making the decisions they think are best, even if it hurts others. I'm here to give context."

If asked most brown people, based on our histories, what defines the shared human experience I think they'd agree it is "Blame." Because when our lands were colonized, our resources plundered, our people put into servitude, it's "Us" and "Them." But when it's time for consequences? Magically "We."

No, I knew. We don't like to discuss it because you never know what might set such a being off, but if she says "eat more iodine" who am I to argue, y'know?

Derek Faraci@whwoolhat.bsky.social · 2d ago

Bet you didn't know that the Little Morton Salt Girl is an immortal being who existed before there was life on Earth.

Certain phrases are true but almost never the way people are using them. Example: "Scientific Facts" in the sense that some facts are proven via the scientific method and "Religious Faith" in the sense that some faith arises from religious beliefs, but nobody is using either for those distinctions.

I just saw some lil indie studio's ad for their game and it was pumped full of genAI. It was doubly depressing because the brief screenshots of their game didn't look anything like that and actually had a much stronger creative voice. Sad that they lacked the vision and confidence to deliver on it.

Games media: Beast of Reincarnation provides a comfortable jump in point for Soulslikes without the punishing difficulty curve. Also Games Media: Beast of Reincarnation is tough, here are five tips to help you survive this challenging Soulslike!

(1/2) I had to explain to a parent recently why we switched the tutoring plan for their student. It did not occur to them that their child, who already struggles in regular classes, might need a different approach. I had to explain about task realignment to help focus-challenged kids; planning tasks

If you want to build better communication skills and, through them, better relationships there is such a simple exercise you can do: Before you speak to this person ask yourself "what is the purpose of what I'm about to say? What expectation do I hold about what it will produce?" Then compare after.

I actually don't care if someone marries a new partner a day after their last passes. Assuming things were healthy and copacetic before the passing, I don't think you owe anyone some kind of waiting period or proof of care. The dead don't need that. You can love multiple people. That isn't wrong.

I remain convinced that militant queer White folks who reply-guy in to perform accusatory whataboutisms have deep-seated issues with their own prior complacency and they cope with their self loathing by projecting it onto other people as proof that they are Good and Right and their anger is just.

Something I think some folks aren't told enough: Your behavior can be a product of deep trauma and you're still an asshole to strangers who don't and shouldn't know about it. What was done to you is wrong and damage you've suffered is not your fault but how you act out towards others afterwards is.

I get visceral flashbacks every time someone says this kind of shit. Bodies being stacked like cordwood in freezer vans to make room for more people in the NYC hospitals. Waiting to hear if friends had died alone because we weren't allowed to be at their side. Nurse neighbors coming home to sob.

Gabriel Bosslet@gbosslet.bsky.social · 3d ago

RFK Jr said these words today on national television "There were ICUs that were empty all over the country including in New York at the height (of the pandemic)" hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha You are a fucking idiot hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha <sobs silently>

Beyond the topic of narrative vs social environment... If I had a nickel for every time Twin Peaks influenced the design of the Legend of Zelda series...

sawyer 🌲@kagoutis.bsky.social · 3d ago

crying a lil bit over LRP because Miyamoto has actually mentioned in interviews that Twin Peaks was one of their inspirations while developing OoT and LA. specifically because he and Tezuka liked all the weirdo characters in it, and not because of anything plot-related whatsoever

Downplay a book or movie: The Hitchhiker's Guide to a Star Cluster.

Jake_Vig@jakevig.bsky.social · 6d ago

Downplay a book or movie: "Reasonable Expectations"

At this point I'm ready to hear what actually happened to the fucker. I wonder if Elaine is sitting next to the plug waiting for the signal.

C. Robert Cargill@crobertcargill.bsky.social · 3d ago

Tomorrow is the last day to file for a special election replacing McConnell in Kentucky, so I expect sometime after Five o' clock tomorrow night he might suddenly pass away due to complications from a fall he suffered some weeks back.

Variation and tempo. In music we love hearing a soaring crescendo and a beautiful harmonic resolution, but that's not possible unless there's a quiet interlude to build that tension or an unresolved chord waiting for the last note to fall into place. So much of pleasure is about the transition.

Brendel@brendelbored.bsky.social · 3d ago

It’s hard to explain but tv was better when you couldn’t watch the show you wanted whenever you wanted to watch it and most of the shows were worse and the TVs were worse and the entire experience was worse, that’s when it was better

I distrust the media opinions of people who think games are pointless, music is just noise, or visual art has to resemble something real.