Every university administrator who's eagerly shilling for LLMs needs to answer the question "what happens when ChatGPT starts saying climate change is fake?"

Mike Ludwig@mludwig.bsky.social · 6h ago

Trump’s Federal Trade Commission Is Threatening to Punish Big Tech for “Woke AI” Free speech groups sound alarm about a proposal from Trump's FTC to jawbone companies into training AI models on white nationalist narratives and undermine state laws. Meanwhile, Elon Musk wants his nude deepfakes...

Roses are red Trump’s hand leaks ooze

New deal expected to open the Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices plunged after reports that the US, Iran, and Oman had agreed the countours of a deal that would allow traffic through the key waterway.

semafor.com

We investigated and identified several skin-derived bacteria that antagonize common pathogenic species: www.nature.com/articles/s41... A cool highlight was that bacteria from feet, where fungi are particularly diverse, tended to be more broadly antifungal than those from other body sites! #microevo

Large-scale investigation for antimicrobial activity reveals newly-identified defensive species across the healthy skin microbiome - Nature Communications

Authors present the EPithelial Isolate Collection (EPIC), a large skin microbiome culture collection, uncovering new species, widespread antifungal activity, and hidden biosynthetic diversity, reveali...

nature.com

lololol

Bruno J. Navarro@brunojnavarro.bsky.social · 24m ago

If someone constantly claims "aliens exist because they landed at roswell" they would not, in fact, be proven right if microbes are discovered on Mars. Again, the evidence is very strong that he is also wrong in entirety on the topic, but on this secondary point we are all being gaslit too

Yeah, this is not some otherwise respectable professional who leans towards 'lab origin' as part of a passive elite consensus. Quay has written (and published!) pretty much every insane false CT on SARS-COV-2 origins you maybe have only heard in passing. Dude has dined at the lab leak buffet.

Alex Crits-Christoph@acritschristoph.bsky.social · 16h ago

So, something that the media will sanewash as this story develops is Quay isn't just a lab origin proponent. He has for 5 years sold an endless stream of very specifically wrong and silly ideas on the topic. He's not right, but even if he was, that wouldn't excuse his fabrications along the way!

Whenever one of these freaks goes off on a tangent about their trans conspiracy of the day, the proper response -- from an interviewer or anyone else -- is "well, it seems like you're having some sort of mental breakdown here, so we'll wrap it up"

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 30m ago

Royce White is now ranting about "transgender sex dolls" during a forum that is supposed to be about agricultural issues. This guy is a serious Republican in Minnesota who had the party's nomination for a Senate seat two years ago. Insanity.

Taking my time to really listen and learn from the very valid concerns of the MAHA movement:

Memento (artemis) Morty 🌙@mementomorty.bsky.social · 3h ago

we should hear MAHA out about this they might be onto something

When this is all over, we are going to need a massive De-Trumpification campaign.

Kevin M. Kruse@kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 2h ago

Gonna go out on a limb here and say racist cranks who write for extremist white nationalist websites like VDARE should not, in fact, be confirmed to top roles in the Department of Justice.

Gonna go out on a limb here and say racist cranks who write for extremist white nationalist websites like VDARE should not, in fact, be confirmed to top roles in the Department of Justice.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2h ago

SCHIFF: You told my staff you stood by your article in white nationalist website VDARE where you wrote, 'Muslim immigrants & their kids seem prone to terrorism' C: I wrote that article in support of Trump's travel ban S: Do you stand by it? C: I stand by that article S: That's all I need to know

That’s a good one!!

Mike the Mad Biologist and PM of the "Islamic Republic of Japan"@mikethemadbiol.bsky.social · 5h ago

CAST EMILY BLUNT AS JAMIE BOND YOU COWARDS.

You are overlooking the obvious casting choice:

Been waiting for this

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2h ago

holy shit -- Schiff ties Trump's judicial nominees in knots by asking them who won the 2016 before *before* asking them who won in 2020, which results in them sounding like election deniers about Trump's victories!

Stanley Tucci as Moneypenny

Then cast Anne Hathaway as Q, and Meryl Streep as M, and call it The Devil Wears Bulletproof Prada

With the National Guard in D.C., There Is Always the Threat of Completely Unaccountable Violence They're not always just standing around like people claim.… https://mikethemadbiologist.com/2026/08/05/with-the-national-guard-in-d-c-there-is-always-the-threat-of-completely-unaccountable-violence/

With the National Guard in D.C., There Is Always the Threat of Completely Unaccountable Violence

They're not always just standing around like people claim. There is always the threat of unaccountable violence. While I'm not naive about the various immunities and protections police departments receive, there are still some safeguards in place and some political response to dissent by the governed. But when it comes to the National Guard deployment, there is no political authority to which the residents of the mainland colony known as the District of Columbia can turn.

mikethemadbiologist.com

This is why I say you're underestimating Vance. He routinely expresses hate for the people the GOP base hates. That can easily get him the nomination. The mainstream media's "Democrats are icky" bias and inclination to bend over backwards for Republicans can get him elected.

Joel S.@joelhs.bsky.social · 5h ago

This is just rank Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, based on the bigoted idea that there is something inherently scary about a president with the last name "El-Sayed." It is incumbent on all of us to call it out.

CAST EMILY BLUNT AS JAMIE BOND YOU COWARDS.

The Independent@the-independent.com · 9h ago

James Bond producer shares update on 007 casting: ‘It’s got to be really different’

1. the whole "disappointing night" thing is pure cope. El-Sayed beat the establishment candidate despite being outspent 10:1, that's an earthquake 2. primary polls are just not great and everyone needs to spend the next week going really, really hard for Peggy Flanagan

Narcissists gonna narcissist. This is par for the course. Trump also might be experiencing the initial stages of age-related cognitive decline, but, if they are able, young(er) narcissists behave like this all the time to avoid narcissistic break.

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · 7h ago

It's funny that Jeanine Pirro brought a box of evidence to WH to persuade Trump. He wants her to consciously *throw out* exculpatory facts and *knowingly* prosecute innocent people. So facts can't persuade him by definition. Me and @barbmcquade.bsky.social on this: newrepublic.com/article/2139...

My ice-cold boring take that will definitely not go viral is that a primary result with a margin of victory of roughly 1 percent tells you precisely nothing about The Future Of The Party.

They could always sign up to give comment at a public meeting.

The Wall Street Journal@wsj.com · 17h ago

New York City’s business elites are long accustomed to direct access to City Hall, where even Democratic mayors felt the need to court the city’s wealthiest and most influential corporate leaders. That access is getting shredded by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Coda: www.offmessage.net/p/27-thought...

Brian Beutler@brianbeutler.bsky.social · 6h ago

Twenty-seven thoughts on the Michigan race, and the unofficial end of a brutal primary season. www.offmessage.net/p/27-thought...

Even if she had assaulted a National Guard member as they claim, why would the NG be investigating or arresting her? That's MPD's job, or possibly federal law enforcement's. NG members are not supposed to be doing law enforcement, especially on their own.

Please roll back the word processors, spreadsheet, and graphic tools to their pre-monthly subscription fee versions.

Mike the Mad Biologist and PM of the "Islamic Republic of Japan"@mikethemadbiol.bsky.social · 7h ago

…just have to return to doing work the way they did it in 2022 (not all jobs etc.). Though I wouldn't mind it if most word processors, spreadsheet, and graphics tools rolled back to their 2022 versions either…

With the National Guard in D.C., There Is Always the Threat of Completely Unaccountable Violence They're not always just standing around like people claim.… https://mikethemadbiologist.com/2026/08/05/with-the-national-guard-in-d-c-there-is-always-the-threat-of-completely-unaccountable-violence/

With the National Guard in D.C., There Is Always the Threat of Completely Unaccountable Violence

They're not always just standing around like people claim. There is always the threat of unaccountable violence. While I'm not naive about the various immunities and protections police departments receive, there are still some safeguards in place and some political response to dissent by the governed. But when it comes to the National Guard deployment, there is no political authority to which the residents of the mainland colony known as the District of Columbia can turn.

mikethemadbiologist.com

We should never forget that Politico is actually pretty right wing and evaluate their editorializing & other coverage in light of that.

A.R. Moxon@juliusgoat.bsky.social · 9h ago

Pretty sure when you win the election it's a big election night. Pretty sure when your party's leadership all endorses the loser, it means the leadership is out of touch with the electorate.

Re the Michigan senate race, has anyone seen any explanations for the poor polling performance? I wonder to what extent this was driven by unexpected turnout patterns versus unexpected behavior by various groups.

In Biden's last year, homicides dropped 32% in D.C. In Trump's first year, homicides in D.C. dropped… 32%. This year, to date, homicides are down 38% in D.C. Then again, taking credit for something you had little to do with *is* par for the course for Trump. (data from: crimecards.dc.gov)

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

Trump on Washington DC: "This was the crime capital, frankly, of the world. It was the most unsafe capital of any country anywhere in the world."