Rebecca Blood 🇺🇦
@rebeccablood.bsky.social
Smallholder in the North, Rebel Among Hipsters, former Goth Babe of the Week. Somewhat original.
Not exactly surprising: www.geekwire.com/2026/he-it-b...
He, it, but rarely she: When AI models write kids’ stories about animals, female characters vanish
A new University of Washington study testing leading AI models across nearly 24,000 story completions found that AI guardrails designed to reduce bias have accidentally erased female characters — defa...
geekwire.com
Meta has made it repeatedly clear that one of their growth strategies is sexualizing kids. Mark Zuckerberg and his leadership team deserve to face personal liability for this, and the company deserves sanctions up to and including corporate dissolution
WIRED@wired.com · 6h agoOver the last nine months, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has run dozens of paid ads that include explicit AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and images of minors alongside sexually suggestive statements, according to details of the ads shared with WIRED.
Lidar and other discoveries continue to show that the Amazon rainforest was home to a “sprawling ancient civilization much bigger than researchers expected” (possibly up to 3 million people around 100-300 CE). [smithsonianmag.com]
Mysterious Shapes Hidden Beneath the Amazon Canopy Reveal a Sprawling Ancient Civilization Much Bigger Than Researchers Expected
Scientists recently discovered hundreds of monumental, geometric earthworks known as "geoglyphs" in northern Brazil from the Aquiry civilization
smithsonianmag.com
AI can't do social labor. A virtual receptionist, while great for fulfilling structured workflows, cannot do substantial social labor. Nor can AI replace skilled tradesmen. Asking, "Would you ever give up AI?" is the wrong question. The question is, "What value does AI bring to existing labor?"
"Meta Ran Ads That Contained AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Imagery" should be the kind of headline that prompts congressional hearings. Should.
Matt Burgess (WIRED)@mattburgess1.bsky.social · 6h agoNEW: Over the last few months, Meta has run dozens of paid ads that included AI-generated CSAM. The ads, some of which were linking out to “nudify” apps, targeted men in the US, UK, and a dozen European countries. Some were running in the last few days
There’s a horror prompt for you. A Kafkaesque nightmare of being the only human employee at an increasingly automated AI data center.
*I agree with my colleague James Patrick Kelly here, and I also think that getting thoughtful people into the same room to breathe the same air is an excellent response to AI writing
notoai.org for a comprehensive list on how to disable intrusive AI across devices, platforms, and apps. Created by a librarian so you know it's good!
How to disable or avoid intrusive AI – librarian.net
notoai.org
Last night I was thinking that this is Bradbury’s “Ozymandias.”
Matt Zoller Seitz@mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · 24h ago"The events of Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” occur today: August 4, 2026. Like so many dates in science fiction, this one probably seemed far away when it was chosen, but once it was finally upon us, it passed like all days." www.rogerebert.com/mzs/silhouet...
San Francisco’s Exploratorium will require N95 or KN95 masks during special morning hours designed for immunocompromised visitors.
This S.F. museum is requiring masks again. Here’s when
San Francisco’s Exploratorium will require N95 or KN95 masks during special morning hours designed for immunocompromised visitors.
bit.ly
WA workers under UFW contract are clearing off leaves for better growth and production of the wine grapes. "Miguel" says: Chateau Ste Michelle cares about us. When temps reach 95° we're sent home. In hot weather they bring us in early so we can work when it's safer." #WeFeedYou
You may already know about this, but, just in case... www.youtube.com/watch?v=OumN...
Watch: There Will Come Soft Rains (1984) | The Rediscovered Soviet Animated Warning
YouTube video by Trailer HQ
youtube.com
While our events section is being fixed, why not take a look through our archive of lectures. From lectures about Danish warships to biscuit art, we've got a huge array of topics to explore. www.youtube.com/@SocAntiquar... The biscuit lecture, for reference: www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr7p...
Edible Research: Exploring the Material Past through Biscuit Art by Dr Ella Hawkins
YouTube video by SocAntiquaries
youtube.com
My God.
Jason Leopold@jasonleopold.bsky.social · 23h agoBOMBSHELL story by Olivia Carville @bloomberg.com Internal Report Shows TikTok Kept Safety Feature From Millions A confidential document says an algorithm adjustment was kept from many users “by design,” as part of an experiment to measure engagement NO PAYWALL www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
Whether someone realizes it or not, accepting the "liberal bubble" framing at all is a way of granting the utterly absurd notion that the globally reviled and increasingly unpopular views of the reactionary right are the norm
Ian Boudreau@ianboudreau.com · 2d ago"Liberal bubble" has only ever meant anywhere where right wing perspectives aren't artificially elevated and forced into everyone's feeds.
@themerl.bsky.social Did you know about SMoRL?
Siobhán McElduff@siobhanmcelduff.bsky.social · 23h agoTo add to basement of museums knowledge, the Scottish Museum of Rural Life has Europe's biggest collection of combine harvesters in its. You have to ask to go down and view their magnificence, but it's so worth it.
The GOP goes on about protecting women in sports and then goes on to protect Max Miller.
Oregon folks: If you are looking for a space with cleaner and cooler air, go to this site and enter "Wildfire Related Clean Air Shelters" and your location and search radius. Also, your closest space may be your local public library, so check their website, too. Masks help with smoke, too.
211info | Connect. Inform. Empower.
211info is a community-based nonprofit organization funded by state and municipal contracts, foundations, United Ways, donations and community partners in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
211info.org
I wrote about the Trojan horse, and what we can learn from her mouth about different cultural attitudes towards deception and violence. As someone comments below, the phrase GIFT ARTICLE is pretty scary in this context.
Chris Suellentrop@suellentrop.bsky.social · yesterdayTurns out @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social knows a lot about ancient epics www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
For me at least, the two things I don't want a giant robot centaur with horns to do are hold a chainsaw and stare menacingly at me through a door.
If you're in line to play Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!, stay in line!
carly rae jesse@mutablesoul.bsky.social · yesterdayBOWEN YANG IS THE NEXT MARY TODD!!!!
in insane local news, the 26 year old director of a rocky horror production was arrested for sending threatening messages to himself in order to get the play shut down bc he didn’t want to deal with cast drama www.mynbc5.com/article/rock...
VT musical director of planned 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' created fake threats, police say
The director of a planned production of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" admitted to sending himself threatening texts that eventually got the play canceled out of safety concerns.
mynbc5.com
![Comic. [Person 1 with short hair on stage behind podium reading off paper while addressing audience. People are shown sitting in chairs while Person 2 with ponytail and Person 3 waving are walking toward stage.] PERSON 1: This year’s Nobel Prize in “calibrating your equipment carefully and not embarrassing yourself by publishing spurious results” goes to Dr. Adams and Dr. Smith, who did *not* announce the discovery of microbes on Titan. PERSON 3: Thank you, thank you.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreihztdrvxjeyzmz6dmz3xb4vi6wiwwtge6fwdoxjcum5aptndv3kfm)
