'AI definitely won't destroy the world in the next 40 months' is an oddly specific statement. If I was your chef & I promised that your dinner definitely wouldn't contain poison before Saturday, then I'd be fired by Saturday, no matter how delicious the food I made. #ai #apocalypse2030

Nvidia boss says there is ‘0% chance’ AI destroys the world by 2030

Jensen Huang dismisses warnings from former Anthropic researcher and others as ‘doomsday narratives’

theguardian.com

Which European alternative to Google Maps do people recommend? I'm looking for something reliable (in the UK) & straightforward with no logging. My research has me leaning towards HERE WeGo, but I'm interested in other people's experiences! #europeanalternatives #maps #privacy #degoogle

Every fibre of my soul wants to somehow contact JD Vance & shout "FRANKENSTEIN WAS THE DOCTOR!". The #AI firms are Frankenstein. I also love his argument that if people ask for help to stop the monster, you should help them. The AI firms are asking for precisely this help, & Vance is saying "no".

‘If you’re building Frankenstein, stop’: JD Vance dismisses calls for AI regulation

US vice-president’s comments come as former Anthropic researcher revisits recent claim AI could destroy humanity

theguardian.com

Friendly reminder that Corps use news, social media & elected officials to push their agendas so they enter ur social circles and become “world view” and “culture.” Which is how most ppl don’t know this is coming: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The incoming ‘super’ El Niño will create chaos around the world. And we are far from ready for it | Bill McGuire

One of the biggest upheavals in a millennium is on its way, strengthened by the climate crisis. We need leaders who make things better not worse, says climate professor Bill McGuire

theguardian.com

Between this, the rise of fascism & the apparent 10% chance that AI will "kill all humans" (per numerous former & current Anthropic researchers), it's increasingly hard to view our future (my kids' future) as anything other than survivalism. And it's so hard to know where to even start with that.

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · last mo.

I resigned from ExxonMobil today. I spent the last three years doing fossil fuel extraction research at both BP and ExxonMobil. Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing to maximize extraction while the window to act closes, and gambling with our lives. More below.

A home security question for the #privacy minded - is there a video doorbell with local storage where your data is guaranteed to stay on-site? I need one for when I'm working outside in the office, but don't want to join the surveillance state by giving footage or access to a third party.

As a data protection manager who also drums in a doom metal band, it makes me absurdly happy to be follower 666 of @seriousprivacy.eu 😂

Some of the solutions to so many of our problems mean going 'backwards' instead of forwards. Many people think that AI will solve the #climatecrisis, but traditional knowledge & techniques provide space for ecosystems to heal.

Guardian Environment@environment.theguardian.com · 2mo ago

Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show

An excellent piece by Adam McKay (@ghostpanther.bsky.social). I think a lie evolves when people spread it without knowing it's a lie - when they're honest but wrong, after believing a lie. Call a person a liar & they'll fight you. Say they're wrong & how, & maybe a conversation is more possible.

Adam McKay@ghostpanther.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Piece I just wrote for Current Affairs. www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-mas...

I'm learning French, but it's difficult without being able to Just Move To France. Book learning is one thing, but what I really need is conversation practice! There are so many apps and courses, it's hard to know what's good. Does anyone have any recommendations? #learningfrench #learnfrench

Sadly we ran out of cereal during the #eclipse. Lovely spot for it though.

In the summer of 2013, two esoteric, technical, incredibly important texts were published within weeks of one another: the first is the Snowden leaks, which revealed a system of global, pervasive digital surveillance. 1/

My son asked me for a pen before bed, and then wrote this. Whenever my hope takes a knock, my kids give it back to me threefold and I'm so incredibly proud of them. "We're all in this together whether we're together or not" ♥️ But more importantly, more food options for pets

Is there a better word we can use for the establishment/ruling class than "Elites"? Any word not implying they're the best of us would be an improvement. Is that class/group referred to in other ways in different languages and countries?

We were in Bordeaux at the start of the Gironde wildfires, watched them grow from the beach at Arcachon. It was terrifying & alien. I don't know how to get this message across to people here in the UK - so often the #climatecrisis still feels like something happening somewhere else, to other people.

Guardian Environment@environment.theguardian.com · 2mo ago

‘I couldn’t breathe’: the deadly health burden of wildfire smoke

Always best to start with a picture of the cat! Feeling cautiously optimistic about W - looking forward to connecting with people and sharing ideas. And cat photos. Mostly cat photos.