"Civil War" < "Slaveholder's Rebellion": "Conventions shifted only decades after the war, when white Southerners and their reps in Congress collaborated to rewrite the history... '“Civil War' became a compromise solution, mollifying Confederate nostalgics." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/o...

Opinion | The ‘Civil War’ Is a Lie. Let’s Call It the ‘Slaveholders’ Rebellion’ Again. (Gift Article)

To face our history, we must be honest about it.

nytimes.com

Great and hilarious obliteration of LLM hype and flimflam by @doctorow.pluralistic.net on @weeklyshowpodcast.bsky.social that surely needs to be widely shared before a clutch of hype dweebs trying to birth God from a next letter predictor crash the global economy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dAI...

AI and the Enshittification Era w/ Cory Doctorow | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

YouTube video by The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

youtube.com

Great and hilarious obliteration of LLM hype and flimflam by @doctorow.pluralistic.net on @weeklyshowpodcast.bsky.social that surely needs to be widely shared before a clutch of hype dweebs trying to birth God from a next letter predictor crash the global economy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dAI...

AI and the Enshittification Era w/ Cory Doctorow | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

YouTube video by The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

youtube.com

What new-ish @secondlife.bsky.social brands (launched 2020 or later) deserve more publicity? Because I want to feature them in an upcoming "Second Life's Hot New Brands" column! Suggest your favorites in my anonymous Google Form below. 👇 Please include MP links! docs.google.com/forms/d/1JEP...

I’m fucking dying

Patreon supporter shout-out to @jason.themetamovie.com of @themetamovie.com, creating a new live role-playing adventure in @resonite.com. 15 players. 10 live actors. One Mission. Secrets of Gara. Coming 2027! Watch the teaser below, follow on YouTube for updates! www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeNF...

MetaMovie Update: Building Secrets of Gara, June 2026

YouTube video by TheMetaMovie

youtube.com

Excited for today's early access launch of @seedgame.bsky.social, in development for nearly 10 years & easily one of the most ambitious MMOs ever launched. Single-shard, fully persistent, sorta multiplayer Civilization meets The Sims, I talk with the lead dev here: www.patreon.com/u4843285/pos...

Excited for today's early access launch of @seedgame.bsky.social, in development for nearly 10 years & easily one of the most ambitious MMOs ever launched. Single-shard, fully persistent, sorta multiplayer Civilization meets The Sims, I talk with the lead dev here: www.patreon.com/u4843285/pos...

Note the date

Ryan Marino, MD@ryanmarino.bsky.social · 11mo ago

CDC is no longer surveilling outbreaks caused by campylobacter, cyclospora, listeria, shigella, vibrio and Yersinia. What could go wrong?

LOL I love this. "Backrooms" is so huge it inspired a creepy shopping hunt in @secondlife.bsky.social: www.patreon.com/u4843285/pos...

Not that I'm complaining, but holy shit. And I feel like there's still at least 50 more hours of nerdery left to go.

Do Sexbots Dream of Electric Negs?

Miles Klee 🦉@milesklee.bsky.social · 4w ago

The 2000s-famous pickup artist Mystery (remember him?) is posting AI-generated animations of a female character he says he’s fallen in love with. He even “wrote” a book about their relationship. I read it and found out that he thinks they’ve actually smoked weed and had sex together:

Who remembers Greenies?! Here's some classic video and a tribute to the 2007 sim, the most viral @secondlife.bsky.social region of all time. 👇 www.patreon.com/u4843285/pos...

Monday Machinima Memory: Exploring Greenies, Second Life's Most Viral Sim / Immersive Brand Experience | Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Happy Monday! Since I obscurely referenced "Greenies" in Friday's post about a new Second Life recreation of Andy's room from Toy Story 1, h

patreon.com

Very sad to read this. Om was a mentor to me, teaching me how to understand the tech industry and cut through the bullshit. But more than that, a very warm, lovely, generous guy.

Mike Masnick@masnick.com · last mo.

Oh no. Very sad to learn that @om.co has passed. He and I started tech reporting (and blogging) around the same time, and we used to compare notes frequently back in the day. om.co/2026/06/24/1...

Important @awexr.com tip: Sonoratown, one of LA’s very best tacos, is a very short walk from AWE. Thank me later!

Important @awexr.com tip: Sonoratown, one of LA’s very best tacos, is a very short walk from AWE. Thank me later!

I'll be @awexr.com speaking & selling/signing books with a new afterword to "Making a Metaverse That Matters". Join my Patreon for schedule! If you're attending, hit my DMs -- would love to connect, especially if you're working on amazing virtual world projects! www.patreon.com/u4843285/pos...

Going to AWE This Week? Here's How & Where to Meet Me! | Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Going to AWE This Week? Here's How & Where to Meet Me! by Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon. Join Wagner James Au / New World Notes's community for exclusive content and updates.

patreon.com

Seriously big opportunity here 👇

Seamus Blackley@seamus.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Are you a build engineer? Want to get in on something fucking astounding? DM me. Last chance. I’m trying not to hire the usual suspects here. Be someone different and amazing. Hit me. Let’s go.

Hey! I'm creator of Resonite and I'm hosting a live stream where you can ask me anything about it and its development! Come join me: twitch.tv/resoniteapp #Resonite #livestream #gamedev #socialVR

ResoniteApp - Twitch

Enter a novel digital universe with infinite possibilities. Whether you resonate with people around the world in a casual conversation, playing games and socializing or you riff off each other when cr...

twitch.tv

Excited to be speaking and signing books at AWE soon! Here's a sneak peek of a chart I'll be sharing there (plus analysis): The rise and fall (and rise) of metaverse platforms over the last three years. Join my Patreon to read for free! 👇 www.patreon.com/posts/sneak-...

Sneak Peek: The Rise & Fall (& Rise) of Metaverse Platforms, 2023-2026 | Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Sneak Peek: The Rise & Fall (& Rise) of Metaverse Platforms, 2023-2026 by Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon. Join Wagner James Au / New World Notes's community for exclusive content and upd...

patreon.com

I've seen dozens of "Scorsese is getting into AI!" posts on Other Social Networks but not ONE of them mention a key disclosure at the bottom of the NYT story on it: Scorsese's business partner is an investor in the AI company! And so they will both likely get a huge payout if it's acquired/IPOs.

Wow are you telling me a leaderboard was totally gamed in a way that defeated its very purpose? That's never ever happened before! Who could have seen that coming?!

Harry McCracken@harrymccracken.com · 2mo ago

Eventually, the world will figure out that AI use should be all about quality, not quantity. I’m surprised it’s not obvious to everyone already. https://www.ft.com/content/b1a62a7f-6df5-4c90-94ce-64ce9c9961b6

Huge news: The new @secondlife.bsky.social ad campaign showcases live in-world building, including the creative UX, so viewers can see how the creation is done. IE "Minecraft for grown-ups". Here's my chat with Fausto Linden & the first ad's creator: 👇 www.patreon.com/posts/159314...

Watch: New Second Life Ad Campaign Launches Featuring Real Time In-World Building -- Including the Creative User Interface! | Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Watch: New Second Life Ad Campaign Launches Featuring Real Time In-World Building -- Including the Creative User Interface! by Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon. Join Wagner James Au / New ...

patreon.com

Tribute Tuesday: Remembering Alina Lyvette, creator the popular Lumiya Android app for Second Life, who unexpectedly disappeared from the grid about a decade ago. In last my interview with her 👇, she shared her experiences as an LGBT person in Putin's Russia. www.patreon.com/posts/157374...

Remembering Alina: Before Disappearing from Second Life, the Creator of the Groundbreaking Lumiya App Told Me About Her Life as a LGBT Person in Putin's Russia | Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Remembering Alina: Before Disappearing from Second Life, the Creator of the Groundbreaking Lumiya App Told Me About Her Life as a LGBT Person in Putin's Russia by Wagner James Au / New World Notes on ...

patreon.com

My 10 favorite films, off the top of my head Mad Max: Fury Road Tree of Life Oldboy Days of Being Wild Blue Velvet Blade Runner Network Godfather Seven Samurai Open City

Sean T. Collins@seantcollins.com · 3mo ago

My 10 favorite films, off the top of my head (one per director, more or less) (i even alphabetized mine) Birth Eyes Wide Shut Hellraiser/Hellbound: Hellraiser II The Lord of the Rings Lost Highway The Master Road House Speed Racer The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Velvet Goldmine

I am begging anyone interested in AI, working in AI, and reporting on AI -- begging with tears in my eyes -- to read John Searle's "Chinese Room", or at least watch this fun video. LLMs may have some utility, but at core they are multi-billion dollar Chinese Rooms. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TryO...

The Chinese Room - 60-Second Adventures in Thought (3/6)

YouTube video by OpenLearn from The Open University

youtube.com

Sign of the times: Fantasy Faire, one of Second Life's top user-run shopping events, BANS all uses of Gen AI, even in promotional material. Lead organizer Elizabeth Tinsley tells me why & how they plan to enforce this. Join my Patreon to read for free! 👇 www.patreon.com/posts/fantas...

Fantasy Faire Prohibits ALL Gen AI-Made Content in Second Life's Massive Fundraising Event -- Here's Why and How | Wagner James Au / New World Notes

Get more from Wagner James Au / New World Notes on Patreon

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