We just moved and have only set up one cat bed so far. This is how that's going.

Excellent decision from Mississauga City Council. It doesn't matter what tech companies want; communities and their government representatives need to put the brakes on these data centre projects and take the time to properly assess.

Isaac Callan@isaaccallan.bsky.social · 7d ago

Mississauga, Ont., city council voted to approve a one-year moratorium on artificial intelligence data centres Wednesday. #OnPoli globalnews.ca/news/1200006...

Just spent a long time filling out Canada's "Enhancing trust in AI through increased transparency" public consultation, knowing full well that my detailed answers will likely be fed into AI to be simplified and misinterpreted. Survey's open 'til September 23rd! ised-isde.canada.ca/site/ised/en...

I know many people feel home phones are passé, but Canada's loss of true landlines that didn't require an internet connection and continued to work in power outages is a tragedy we don't talk about enough.

That feeling when you get exciting news about something but it's not going to happen until 2028 and your first thought is, gee I hope society lasts that long.

As bad as this article sounds regarding cheating and genAI, the reality is so much worse. Here we go: The value of the university degree, the main way we certify academic *and professional* competence, is being destroyed because genAI usage degrades skills and it‘s endemic. Students know this.

A U.S. prof suspects most of his students used AI to cheat. It's a growing concern here, too | CBC News

A Brown University professor has gone public about what appears to be a large-scale case of cheating using generative AI. The case isn't uncommon, according to Canadian educators and academic integrit...

cbc.ca

I was struggling with this yesterday while preparing to photograph an event at @humberarb.bsky.social summer day camp - do I show the yellow tinge of the wildfire smoke, or adjust the white balance to make it look like a normal day? I opted to adjust, but am still not sure if it was the right call.

James McLeod@jamespmcleod.ca · 3w ago

There is an interesting conversation to be had about the nature of how we process through photography, and the choices that photographers make about colour, lens and framing.

And a good morning to you too, Climate Crisis.

Ok so let me get this straight - mass outrage in Hamilton led to Councillors proposing a ban on data centres, then suddenly one day before the vote, Mayor Horwath calls a special "informational" session of council and *exclusively invites industry lobbyists*, then today the vote suddenly fails?

For a moment I mistook the sickly grey orange of the sky for the color of defeat. But then I dug deep and recommitted. This is the color of motivation and sacred obligation.

Kids need/deserve traumatic films. Films that show death or lasting consequences that aren't resolved almost instantly. Fear, anger, grief and frustration should be part of kids movies. Kids arent stupid, they feel big emotions just like adults, they deserve to see those experiences reflected back.

News outlets continue to insist on calling animals "it", while this thing gets a "her". 🙄

John Sanbonmatsu@jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social · 4w ago

The very framing of this story is itself a problem. www.cbsnews.com/news/tilly-n...

We have been working with the Canadian Wildlife Federation @cwf-fcf.bsky.social and the BC Community Bat Program to create a new Bat-friendly Communities certification program! Check it out! 🦇 bit.ly/4fdaUiE

Bat-friendly Community Certification

Uniting communities in the conservation of bats and the habitat we share.

bit.ly

Thank you to PBS News Hour @pbsnews.org for giving me the time and space to say this last night: “What we're seeing is a manifestation of climate change. What we're doing is living in the future that climate scientists have been warning us warning us about for 50 years.”

The growing dangers of record heat waves like the one engulfing July 4th celebrations

Americans across the East Coast are preparing for one of the hottest Independence Days in recorded history. Triple-digit temperatures have disrupted travel, strained the energy grid and forced some co...

pbs.org

How many solar panels could $40 billion build? How much bike infrastructure could be installed, or how many EV charging stations? How many buildings could we retrofit or homes could we insulate? How far away from fossil fuel dependency could we get with that money? www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

Taxpayers could be on hook for West Coast pipeline, but it's a 'good investment': Energy minister | CBC News

Energy Minister Tim Hodgson says a second pipeline to the West Coast will be money well-spent for the federal government but can't say how much Ottawa would be on the hook for.

cbc.ca

There's a small town named Tottenham in Ontario, Canada which has a bluegrass festival every year and for a moment I was very, very confused.

Jeremy Schmidt@jeremyjschmidt.bsky.social · last mo.

Bad Bunny is playing a couple miles (as the crow flies) from here in Tottenham...it sounds like an amazing time.

I enjoy watching the #BlueJays games on TV (even when we're losing). What I do NOT enjoy is having to sit through all the online gambling ads. They are both bad for society *and* annoying as all get out. I'd love to see them dissappear entirely. www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/poli...

‘The time to do something is now’: Ontario looking at changes to online gambling ads

Ontario’s minister responsible for gambling says potential changes to the laws governing ads for online gambling are coming soon.

ctvnews.ca

We are on a one month countdown to moving and dear god do I own too much stuff.

Got an author scam email about a book I didn't write. Assumed it was one by the romance novelist who shares my name (and who's one of two reasons I use my middle name in my writing), but nope. Just someone with a similar name. Swing and a miss, scammer. Wish I knew where they got my email, though.

As per yesterday's Reuters on the heatwave: 'At least 18 people died in France, including two children left in a hot car' - and this is the picture they chose It's not new that the media is complicit in climate denialism, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it.

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

Write a story about, and show picture of, the vulnerable Parisians dying in their apartments from the extreme heat you cowards.

The rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks, with their taller hoods and larger blind zones, has contributed to a 75% increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths since 2009. Until we design better streets and ban these vehicles, people outside these vehicles will keep dying.

The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s (Gift Article)

The vehicles on American roads have grown larger — and they are killing thousands more pedestrians, a Times investigation found.

nytimes.com

I love the library but it also keeps costing me money. I checked out The Omnivore's Deception by @jsanbonmatsu.bsky.social but was taking *so many* notes from this truly insightful and well-written book about our broken relationship with #animals that I finally gave up and ordered my own copy.

Most evenings I sit in this armchair and George hops up onto what we now call his petting stool. Earlier this week I laid on the couch instead, which is where I was when I took this picture. I'm not sure if this was just a hint or if he was actually trying to will me into the chair with his mind.

Can't believe I almost missed this news on itty bitty bat surgery. 👍🦇 #Animals #WildlifeRehab www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/arti...

Tiny bat recovering after orthopedic surgery, Alberta wildlife rehab centre says

An Alberta wildlife rehabilitation centre is celebrating the recovery of a tiny bat after it had to undergo surgery to heal a broken femur.

ctvnews.ca

"and it could be more accurate to say she didn’t read ayn rand, so much as smelled and tasted her. and what she thought was that ayn smelled and tasted awful, like a rotted flower bud that would make her colony sick."

Orion Magazine@orionmagazine.bsky.social · 2mo ago

(Hint: the ant—that ultimate symbol of teamwork and self-sacrifice—wasn't into her.) A micro-story from K.A. Hughes.

I used to try and keep a list on here of people who were vocally against gen AI but now it's like, ALL OF YOU, and it warms my heart with embers of revolution---er, joy. I mean joy

one anecdote: I was searching for a link to one of my old papers on Google, and the automated Gemini summary attributed all of my lab's work to my husband

Mel Andrews@bayesianboy.bsky.social · 2mo ago

When utilized in literature review, LLMs consistently 1. fail to mention female authors in female-led literatures, 2. insist that men are more influential or more heavily cited when this is contradicted by objective citation counts, and 3. attribute women’s work to hallucinated male scholars.

Since I did do my PhD in cyanobacteria growth and treatment optimization modeling AND work in the water treatment industry, I’m gonna share my theory as to what’s happening here and how to fix it. People are focusing on the painted bottom of the pool increasing residual heat, and while that 1/19

derek guy@dieworkwear.bsky.social · 2mo ago

RIP Mark Rothko. You would have loved how the hydrogen peroxide bleach is only turning the Reflecting Pool blue around the perimeter

Hang on, hang on, hang on - do Toronto Bike Share bikes have names? And if not, why not?

Tom Flood@tomflood.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Ok Trevor you look a bit rough but I’m taking a chance on you.

Ontario residents, it's time for another Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre 50/50 Fundraiser! Help some turtles, and maybe win a little something for yourself. 🐢💰 www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/otcc-...

Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre 50/50 Fundraiser JULY 2026 draw

Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre 50/50 Fundraiser JULY 2026 draw

rafflebox.ca