James Ashford
@jelashford.bsky.social
Researcher in Machine Learning and Genetics. Here to explore projects in ALife and machine learning - particularly interested in self organising systems and interpretability! (he/him)
I'm just going to keep yelling this louder and louder until it clicks: weird overpaid AI nerds hand-wringing about human extinction are trying to distract you from the extremely deadly and serious harms they are causing yesterday, today and tomorrow www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Such an amazing turnout to get @zackpolanski.bsky.social elected! Lovely to see @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social and hear from @mothinali.bsky.social too. There are loads more events you can help out at. Sign up here: linktr.ee/HSP_6thGreenMP
Cllr Dr Alex Powell@apowelllaw.bsky.social · 2w agoIncredible turnout today in support of @zackpolanski.bsky.social in Holborn and St Pancras. 16 activists came down to London from Oxford, including several councillors 💚 #getgreenselected
Between the PRs of (largely likely stolen) math breakthroughs, claims of "rogue AI" (actually cybercrimes by companies, but whatevs), and doomerist "whistleblowers", it feels like we've been subjected to a gish gallop of hype recently. >>
Tapping the sign
Mark Dingemanse@markdingemanse.net · 4mo agoWhen an "AI" provider announces a new result, remember they have a product to sell. Watch for the careful and systematic ways human labour is elided at every step and claims about the model and the 'discovery' process are shielded from direct inspection Today's specimen: openai.com/index/model-...
It seems like there's a new round of "stochastic parrots has been proven wrong" discourse going on, so I'm going to re-up this: medium.com/@emilymenonb... >>
Stochastic Parrots 🦜: Frequently Unasked Questions
It’s been a bit over five years since the Stochastic Parrots paper (Bender, Gebru et al 2021) was published (and somewhat longer since…
medium.com
Take a break from being depressed that everything you love is being destroyed by slop for a moment and let me tell you about the beautiful symbiotic relationship between graffiti writers, train yard workers, and model train enthusiasts.
NASA's live coverage of the launch of the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope begins in about 1/2 an hour, 8.20 pm AEST! Watch here: 🧪 🔭
NASA Live - NASA
NASA live: Follow live television broadcasts on NASA+, the agency's streaming service, and NASA's social media channels with this schedule of upcoming live events including news briefings, launches an...
nasa.gov
"LibreOffice 26.8 contains no generative AI features. Documents are not transmitted to remote services for processing, and no component of the suite requires network access to function. This is a deliberate position."
Linuxiac@linuxiac.bsky.social · last mo.LibreOffice 26.8 is now available with a new Paragraph Composer in Writer, native OpenType variable font support, Calc improvements, and better document compatibility. linuxiac.com/libreoffice-... #OpenSource #OfficeSuite
He's gone to the one place uncorrupted by capitalism. Bless him.
Tim Curry Says SPACE!
Alt: Tim Curry Says SPACE!
static.klipy.com
🐒 look at it. it's got anxiety 🏆 something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve, 🌪️ At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus 🧮 someone who is good at the economy please help me budget this. my family is dying
My Pun Killed Steve Albini@texannolongerinnyc.bsky.social · 2mo agoWhat would you put on the Mount Rushmore of all time Tweets? (Mount Rushmore means 4. Do not be a coward and hedge by saying more than 4. Make a decision. (Less than 4 is fine though))
This statement from Codeberg maintainers, after their community voted to not use any code for LLM training and banned vibe-coded projects, is really good. blog.codeberg.org/protecting-o...
I love you all but you are incredibly (understandably) reactive. It’s making you SO easily manipulated by rage baiters. When you see something without context, a headline or a snippet of a quote, take a deep breath and look into it to see if you really should be upset. Please protect your hearts.
The "rocket impact is only 1 tiny event, but it portends far more consequential impacts..More spacecraft, discarded hardware..proposals to mine...commercial activity...decisions in the name of progress without truly considering what is being sacrificed" kelseyjohnson367.substack.com/p/what-makes...?
What Makes a Rock Worth Protecting?
A rocket, the Moon, and the ethics of place.
kelseyjohnson367.substack.com
At astonishing speed, our rights are being cancelled, worldwide. In the UK, the prosecution of Rajiv Menon KC is the latest example of blatant authoritarianism. Why? Because this is what billionaires and corporations demand. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Think our basic rights are safe? In the age of oligarchs and corporate lobbying, think again | George Monbiot
The global assault on our freedoms is coming ever closer to home. Just look at the sinister prosecution of UK lawyer Rajiv Menon, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
theguardian.com
A wee group of angry balaclava and mask-wearing anti-immigration guys tried to stop the good people of Glasgow showing solidarity with migrants and standing up to racism and fascism. Well, the far right are far outnumbered... #RefugeesWelcome #MigrantsWelcome #NeighboursNotStrangers #Glasgow
In an era of multiparty politics - first past the post is utterly broken. It is time for Proportional Representation. The climate crisis & our inequality crisis cannot wait for another general election. Failing to fix our democracy immediately will betray future generations.
Pope Leo quoting Tolkien in his encyclical on AI seems like a pointed reference for the tech oligarchs who have appropriated LOTR for their own ends.
Bruno Dias@brunodias.dev · 4mo agoOne of the many sources cited in the new papal encyclical is... Gandalf
With the new Papal Encyclical on AI, workers can potentially cite religious freedom to not be evaluated by AI or forced to use it. Let's see how long before a lot of the religious freedom crowd goes "no, not like that."
Mia Sato@miasato.bsky.social · 4mo agoExclusive: Unionized tech workers at the New York Times have filed grievances accusing management of using AI-powered performance tools to track and discipline staff. The Tech Guild says recent disciplinary notices appear to be generated using one of the tools. 🎁 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Hold onto your passports, everyone, because the self-proclaimed "man of the people" is redefining the English language! Nigel Farage has officially claimed a historic victory in a "national election." How absolutely grand. Let us just ignore the minor, insignificant detail
quote from the "hobbies" section of Will Wright's article (creator of The Sims)
A toxic combination of low wages and high bills is crushing this country. Today is Starmer's last chance to set out a plan that will end Rip-Off Britain: rent controls, nationalising water, freezing energy prices, and taxing wealth. No more half measures.
No one expected Keir Starmer to solve our pressing problems overnight. But what we did expect – and had every right to expect – was that he would lay out a clear vision and roadmap for doing so. Instead, we’ve had drift, appeasement and a startling absence of ideas, values and ambition. 🧵1/6
I find it incredibly telling when men like Dawkins are convinced that the LLMs are ‘intelligent’ because it ‘agrees’ with them or tells them how insightful or clever they are
It's very convenient that the Labour Govenrment are starting to talk about rent freezes days before an elections against the Green Party. Notice they've not actually announced it so they'll pretend it was never the plan. For real rent controls & council housing - Vote Green.
