Ken Sinclair
@khsinclair.bsky.social
Retired techie, from MIT AI to robotics and speech and back to AI. Lifelong lib, built affordable housing but otherwise didn't understand the political stakes until too late.
As the United States transitions to a scam-based economy, it is only natural that scam-based governments encourage scam-based schools to replace real ones, as ProPublica demonstrates.
ProPublica@propublica.org · yesterdayNEW: We’re reporters, not teachers. We have no business running a private school. But to show you just how easy it is to start one, we decided to test the process ourselves.
They'll be funding 17 Democratic candidates to replace Senator Warren, one Republican, and Seth Moulton. A jungle indeed.
Handmaid@handmaid.bsky.social · yesterdayIt's true that Mass Ballot Q-3 to establish "Jungle Primaries" is funded almost entirely by Private Equity Vultures, all of whom will not defend their investment to the press. Their silence, and fact that Q3 contributors have spent the most behind any of all 9 Questions, screams "No on 3" to me.
Between this and other major security breaches, Social Security numbers are no longer the secret identifiers we've thought they were. Assume that anyone motivated to steal your identity can easily find it. One important defense: Freeze your credit file.
Anonymous@youranoncentral.bsky.social · 2d agoA Pentagon breach left the unencrypted personal records of more than 3 million people accessible for nine months, exposing Social Security numbers, addresses and military roles. Days later, FBI staff data containing similar information was also breached.
Altman says he wants "intelligence" to be a utility, so treat it like one. Note, however, that even your water utility bears real responsibility for the safety of their product.
Ed@ed3d.net · 4d agoobserving for no particular reason that you should be treating inference providers as dumb pipes because their only way to ramp up the extraction machine on you is to sell a product that you can't get out of
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
In Massachusetts, we have a responsibility to protect the vulnerable and stand up for those who need it. We don’t throw trans kids under the bus for political points. We protect them—and all of our neighbors—because trans rights are human rights.
Setting aside all the civil liberties, privacy, and free expression concerns, online ID checks / “age verification” laws are just a massive massive security risk. Every time I read one of these bills I ask “did an identity thief write this?!”
Alejandra Caraballo@esqueer.net · last mo.This is an absolutely catastrophic data breach of an identity verification vendor 150+ million drivers license scans that includes photos, address, license numbers etc. It includes Pete Hegseth, security researchers, and even the deputy director of the FBI. krebsonsecurity.com/2026/09/fbi-...
The “head of strategic futures” at OpenAI just went on an unhinged rant against social security sometimes I feel like these tech companies are actively trying to alienate as many normal people as possible
This is what we mean when we say AI is destroying the Earth.
molly taft@mollytaft.com · last mo.NEW: gas power in development in the US explicitly for data centers have nearly doubled in less than a year, soaring from 97GW at the end of 2025 to more than 189GW mid-2026, according to shocking new figures from @globalenergymon.bsky.social that's up from just 4 GW in 2024:
Underappreciated: US farmland *already substantially produces energy, not food*, and does so very inefficiently. Corn ethanol (~40% of all US corn) requires about 100 times more land per vehicle-mile driven than solar photovoltaics -> electric vehicles. Shifting corn to solar *would free up land*.
Cameron 🇺🇸🗽🦅@cameroncorduroy.bsky.social · last mo.anytime people raise concerns about land use for solar projects or anything like that i just want to point out that half the corn we grow in this country gets used to make gasoline slightly worse
We (some of us at least) have seen the headlines about the state and federal government ignoring the climate-change caused calamitous power outage in Gary, Indiana. But you know who IS there? @wck.org wck.org/news/gary-in...
First Alert: WCK Responds to Extended Power Outages in Gary, IN | WCK
World Central Kitchen is responding in Gary, Indiana, where thousands of residents have been without power for over a week. On August 11, a storm whipped through the state, damaging power lines and ro...
wck.org
Some of the electoral failure of Democratic policies can be blamed on timing error. Policies take months or years to develop, to defend, to pass, then to implement. Even if there is benefit, constituents never perceive the cause and effect behind it.
standupandbebold.bsky.social@standupandbebold.bsky.social · 2mo agoTrump’s victory-lapping the 3.1% drug price drop Medicare’s first negotiated prices just hit: 38-79% cuts on 10 major drugs. Plus the out-of-pocket cap. That’s Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Not. One. Republican. Voted. For. It. They always love Democratic legislation once there’s a ribbon to cut.
The good news is these silly colonization and exploitation ideas are now being discussed as privately funded venture (though we'll have to fight to keep it that way). Public funding of space exploration should be aimed at advancing science.
Zach Weinersmith@zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 2mo agoOnce again "there's aluminum" is not a strong argument for going to the Moon. If there were bars of gold on the Moon's surface, it would not be worth it to get them. Why don't these articles ever talk to an economist? Or just a boring person? fortune.com/2026/08/06/p...
I had thought Iran was savvy enough to realize that Trump's interests and the US don't fully align, and their primary goal was to damage the US. The Guardian report suggests they're more focused on Trump, which is somewhat good news.
Unfortunately Ford's business model for this vehicle probably includes relying on dealer financing and unnecessary service intervals to compensate dealers, who will still refuse to sell them.
The Verge@theverge.com · 2mo agoFathom translates as “six feet deep,” which is probably where Ford would like to bury the Slate Truck. www.theverge.com/transportati...
MA residents: I believe Senator Warren still intends to support KOSA, which would provide new mechanisms for censorship of LGBTQ content, and collect personal info for inevitable abuse by criminal and government actors. Please let her know your opposition.
Fight for the Future@fightforthefuture.org · 2mo agoThe Senate Commerce Committee just passed KOSA out of committee with zero debate & failed to move the SCREEN Act. punchbowl.news/article/tech...
50 years ago we were camping in the big thompson canyon when an officer came through raising the alarm: get off the island and up to safety, now. Saved our lives. I was fifteen but always remember that night and those who were lost.
Colorado Climate Center@climate.colostate.edu · 2mo agoToday is the 50th anniversary of the Big Thompson flood of July 31, 1976: one of the deadliest disasters in Colorado history. An intense rainstorm led to a rapid flood wave down the canyon where many people were commemorating Colorado's centennial. 144 people lost their lives. #cowx 1/
$292m to rent 2000 apartments for a year is $12k monthly!! Aside from the immoral and illegal priority given to soldiers, this would cause problems in the DC housing market.
Phil Lewis@phillewis.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe National Guard Bureau will spend $292 million to provide a "long-term housing solution" for thousands of troop members deployed in DC in "apartment-style lodging units"
Fixing these small-scale corporate abuses is good, but it's something that a Dem executive should Just Do, like this. It's not a "Project 2029" centerpiece, or something you need to build constituency for. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
New York City seeks to implement ban on deceptive subscription practices
Rule from Mamdani administration would target streaming services, gym memberships and other recurring charges
theguardian.com
Jaylen Brown traded to Philadelphia. Good move for him, he and Embiid will be a serious force. Lousy move for Celtics and Boston.
Thought provoking piece from Dean today. "Wealth" is not just billionaires with expensive toys and hobbies. For most Americans, "wealth" is the security to meet basic needs in an uncertain future. It doesn't have to be this way, society can do a better job of meeting those needs directly.
Dean Baker@deanbaker13.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe focus on wealth can create confusion. We need to reduce the political and economic power of the rich and ensure decent services (education, housing, pensions, healthcare) for the masses. Wealth is a sidebar deanbaker22.substack.com/p/quick-thou...
Exactly. You don't need to "build political constituency" to do things that already have popular support. Just do it. The marginal Dem in the next majority Congress should be made to feel very vulnerable, not omnipotent.
Better Things Are Possible@internethippo.bsky.social · 4mo agoHow long it takes and how hard it is to undo the damage will depend in large part on the political will of the people elected to do it. If you get hand-wringing caveat peddlers who want to deliberate for years before acting it'll never happen. Plan has to be ready on day one
It's time to start questioning the depreciation schedules of the gas power plants on the drawing boards for data center power. If the turbines can't be installed until 2030, and are economically nonviable by 2035, they'll need to be depreciated faster than the computing hardware.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4mo agoWHITESIDES: The truth is the cheapest form of energy on a per unit basis is daytime solar. Is that not true? CHRIS WRIGHT: It depends-- WHITESIDES: No it doesn't depend! It's true. You are amazingly misleading the American public. WRIGHT: It depends-- WHITESIDES: No!
One issue with machine learning is that algorithms can identify patterns, but not mechanisms. It’s statistical pattern matching, which can be powerful in many applications, but ultimately identifies correlation, not causation.
Jennifer Ouellette@jenlucpiquant.bsky.social · 4mo agoThe weather and climate science AI revolution isn’t revolutionary arstechnica.com/science/2026...
Landing site for 400 terabits of undersea fiber...
Tyler, from the Internet (Haunted)@tylerfromtheinternet.com · 4mo agowhere I'm from
Trans people have been around your whole life. You’ve been sharing bathrooms with them your whole life. They’ve been in your communities your whole life. They’ve even been playing sport your whole life. And you didn’t care *at all* till a few years ago when every right wing org decided you should
Talking Heads Grateful Dead Parliament David Bowie Ziggy Marley Depeche Mode Bruno Mars Buddy Guy Beyonce Janelle Monae
Adam Rutherford@adamrutherford.bsky.social · 4mo agoIntroduce yourself with 10 bands you’ve seen live Björk x4 Radiohead x9 Springsteen x8 Night in Athens Wolf Alice x3 Underworld Dylan Belle and Sebastian Sharon Van Etten 65daysofstatic
This -- not new natural gas pipelines -- is what's going to rescue New England's energy system & bring down bills.
Big grid batteries are finally on a roll in New England
The region's largest battery yet recently came online in Massachusetts, where state climate policies aimed at cleaning up the grid are boosting the tech.
canarymedia.com
An inspiring ecumenical Easter message from our President this year.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 6mo agoPresident Trump: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP”
