this is really interesting because it's both easier than ever to "experience" war (Telegram drone footage snuff films) but more difficult than ever to perceive the costs of war (economic malaise, diplomatic sclerosis, security state brutality)

NERV IRB Coordinator@professormusgrave.bsky.social · 8h ago

I don’t think Americans know what it’s like to lose lose a war. Yes sure the US lost in Vietnam but obviously the costs were way bigger for uh the Vietnamese

was discussing with a fellow traveler today -- but programmers, coders, developers are having an *entirely* different experience of LLM-based products and services than the rest of us, especially the plagiarized plebeians among us (writers, reporters).

It seems pretty problematic that the experience we're having with LLMs is diverging so sharply depending on what you're using it for. My husband (software engineer) recently told a coworker that my experience attempting to use LLMs for research was terrible and the coworker was shocked.

Lora Kolodny@lorak.bsky.social · 5h ago

was discussing with a fellow traveler today -- but programmers, coders, developers are having an *entirely* different experience of LLM-based products and services than the rest of us, especially the plagiarized plebeians among us (writers, reporters).

this is going to end up banal but what a world it would have been if the people who YOLO'd consumer LLMs with the pitch "this can automate the boring shit you don't want to do" had a definition of "boring shit" that was "set up AWS creds" instead of "art, music, socializing, raising children"

Eugene Vinitsky 🍒@eugenevinitsky.bsky.social · 7h ago

I actually configure AWS correctly now due to embedded chatbots

why isn’t the future the way we thought it would be

Superman II is about the dangers of Euros

NERV IRB Coordinator@professormusgrave.bsky.social · 6h ago

well in fairness we know Sam Moyn has no ability to recognize a fascist, so the presence of literal neo-Nazis like Nina Power and Orbanist puppets like Pappin presumably didn't disturb him.

Joe Stieb@joestieb.bsky.social · 6d ago

This piece was mentioned by @sharonk.bsky.social earlier, and I think it should be stuck to all the hacks/jerks who signed it: www.compactmag.com/article/away...

Vietnam was much longer, killed far more people but with a blank check and a massive ground force the USA smashed every PAVN/VC major offensive with sledgehammers (while losing to a few smaller ones). This? USA just throws death around for LULZ and gets nothing for it.

Ok unironic idea- Slotkin analogue and El-Sayed analogue are the only two senators not to be captured when ICE analogue takes the Capitol during the 2029 Yoon moment. With her intel experience and his muscles they must sneak around the occupied Capitol and save democracy

1st Minnesota Volunteers Stan Account@himdogson.bsky.social · 10h ago

Buddy cop idea

Doesn't help that the war in question was a war of choice roughly no one asked for and they spent zero time building support for. And the MAGA political promise is all about never having to sacrifice for someone else. They've made normally trivial wartime sacrifice politics essentially fatal.

"We love our troops don't we folks support the troops our brave men and women in uniform stand for them stand for the troops their sacrifice inspires us" it was all bullshit this entire time. A joke to all of them

FinTwitter@fintwitter.bsky.social · 10h ago

TRUMP IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN DETAINS 50+ FAMILY MEMBERS OF U.S. TROOPS: AP

Yeah, we know what it's like to give up and go home having failed strategically, but we act as if any costs of war are something we can just unilaterally turn off at will. You Must Kneel and Plead Before the Ayatollah or Face an Oil Shock is just not something our psyche is prepared for.

Munitions hole is already being filled, we are already putting metric buttloads of money into this and MRO capabilities and the overall SRM chain, it’s already happening. They are the easier parts of this to remedy it will just take time

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux@bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 8h ago

I know it sucks, but Dems have got to be prepared to inherit a munitions-and-readiness hole that is going to be expensive to fill, but which will need to be filled. Hardly the only such hole, but it will be a big one.

It's funny because so many cultures have some version of "God Willing" and they're all normal and inoffensive, but the chuds who are upset by hearing "Inshallah" have a lot of overlap with users of the one version that is a huge red flag, the phrase tattooed on our Secretary of Defense: "Deus Vult".

this is truly motivating me to use inshallah even more than I already do after all it’s the faster and more fun way to say “if the good lord’s willing and the creek don’t rise,” speaking as someone with Southern roots.

✨queer commie terrorist✨@britculpsapp.bsky.social · 7h ago

starting my compilation/collage of right wing white dipshits losing their shit over the word “inshallah”

I'm hearing Iran is trying to redirect people to use their mobile app for this now.

𝚂𝙿𝙾𝚁𝙺𝙱𝙾𝙾𝚃@sporkboot.bsky.social · 7h ago

oh great now iran wants me to make an account at HormuzStrait dot com so i can easily pay my fees and earn rewards

JD vs MD

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 10h ago

JD Vance: "We don't want the next administration, whoever -- god forbid you're gonna have President El-Sayed in three years ... "

I know it sucks, but Dems have got to be prepared to inherit a munitions-and-readiness hole that is going to be expensive to fill, but which will need to be filled. Hardly the only such hole, but it will be a big one.

Secretary of Defense Rock@sodrock.bsky.social · 8h ago

Who knew ridiculously long deployments and demanding op tempos run a ship and crew into the ground!

I fundamentally do not know how to square the politics whereby Democrats will essentially have to tell the American people that because they (the voters) made an extremely stupid decision, they need to lower their expectations substantially for the foreseeable future, but here we are.

I don’t think Americans know what it’s like to lose lose a war. Yes sure the US lost in Vietnam but obviously the costs were way bigger for uh the Vietnamese

Obviously I’m on Mockingjay now, & marveling at how well the universe anticipates the role video & propaganda would play in wars like Syria & Ukraine. “Would a rebel army actually risk real resources to film a propaganda video?” Turns out absolutely yes

Matthew Downhour @matthewdownhour.bsky.social · 2d ago

Made it to Catching Fire - truly, Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the most profound ‘gone too soon’ actors of my lifetime

Imagine

Amalia Sancha@amalias.bsky.social · 8h ago

Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to know the names of -or much think about-most senators?

My desktop machine has some sort of electrical feedback that manifests as a low rumble from the speakers every 2 seconds or so. This would be annoying except that it's the perfect pitch and period to sound like a purring cat.

as noted yesterday, Trump has now come around to treating an Iranian toll system covering the Strait of Hormuz as a given. Hard to overstate the level of strategic failure. US started the war purely as a war of choice and ends up dramatically empowering Iran and given the Iranian govt big wins.

Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 9h ago

Reuters: Iran wants fees of 5%-7% of the price of cargo from ships using the strait; Oman wants 3%. "Making fees voluntary, at least nominally, could be a way out of the impasse, although an implied threat of Iranian attacks could mean shippers would be ​unlikely to risk transit without paying."

Reminded today that large corporates are oral cultures.

Every six years I’m reminded of the existence of one Gary Peters

Thomas HD@degolierthomas.bsky.social · 9h ago

Gary Peters endorses El-Sayed

This is the conclusion I’ve reached after years of seeing this. At this point I’m convinced people are three-cuing the passage

Matt Darling@besttrousers.bsky.social · 10h ago

Like this seems like an instance of thinking "Boots theory" is the claim "being poor is hard" and not a specific claim about the *mechanisms* under which being poor is hard.

It simply does not follow that because the cost per unit good is cheaper if you buy in bulk, the cost of a cheap version of a good times how often you have to replace it is greater than the cost of the expensive version of the same. These are two different things.

Andrew Lawrence@ndrew.bsky.social · 11h ago

it’s more expensive to be poor than rich, thats all the theory is and its not complicated and its obviously true for example buy toilet paper in singles instead of bulk for a year and see how much money you waste

I will not investigate further and I’m glad the happiest high school literature teacher will be in the General Court

Progressive Mass@progressivemass.bsky.social · 10h ago

Our members voted, and we're proud to endorse @evanforcambridge.bsky.social for the 25th Middlesex. #mapoli