Today we'll double you! Reminder that every time you click “weekly” or “monthly” on a survival fund, it means a slice of dignity as well as dependable help in harsh, fragile conditions. This is our main ask for these six families, but do it for ANY family. chuffed.org/project/hope...
It’s tiring that we are increasingly stuck organizing our intellectual lives around arguing for the value of having an intellectual life
so many people have headed calls to move off Google to places like proton. Actual useful advice is that you try to keep as much sensitive info offline as possible.
“Employees in Kenya doing AI "annotation" told the journalists that they've seen people nude, using the toilet and engaging in sexual activity, along with credit card numbers and other sensitive information.”
Authors,
When sharing pictures of your book or event with no alt-text, it's impossible for people who rely on screen readers to get that info.
And people actively searching BSky for the book, topic, or concern won't see it .
And including a link to buy book or register for event just makes sense.
Alt-text recommendations *Keep it short and sweet. If it’s too long to Tweet it’s probably too long to be alt text. This means authors of quotes or books. *Ask yourself: What visual elements are essential in order to understand the image? That’s your alt text. EXCEPTION: *If an image has text in it, make sure to write out or copy/paste the image text verbatim as alt text. Use correct spelling, grammar, etc. *Is there vital information contained in this image? (e.g. URL, date/time of an event) If yes, then it should go in your alt text. *Include the names of people when their identities are important to the image’s context.
Some folks rely on screen readers. Adding a description of any images in the alt-text is the kind thing to do.
This means copying any text VERBATIM into the alt-text, or a SUMMARY with key info if it's too long. Esp. for important messages.
For events, books, mobilizing, etc., a link helps. 🫶🏾
If the line between poison and remedy is shaped by power, whose health—and soil—gets sacrificed for the promise of progress? This book responds by tracking Tanzanian plants and healers who refuse to let “toxicity” remain invisible.
By Stacey A. Langwick on @dukepress.bsky.social
buff.ly/HSjrjeY
The government played Anthropic’s game better than Anthropic could; destroyed the plausible deniability Anthropic (and all these companies) depend on to maintain their “respectable” image while they create products that are designed for destruction.
SHUT UP
Literally cannot keep up with the AI news cycle. Jesus. It's so exhausting.
I so desperately want folks who teach Parable of the Sower to also teach Parable of the Talents. There's so much to learn from the two books, together.
Just a reminder that governments can invalidate or destroy the things you rely on to be seen as a valid, legal participant in society pretty much at will. So if you think you’re good bc you’re not trans or not in Kansas or whatever you’re lying to yourself while danger gets closer to your community.
I've been saying for almost 2 decades now that it should the current paradigm of "AI" acting as a helpmeet to fascism should be no surprise, when the drivers of fascism— militarism, capitalism, carcerality, white supremacy, &c— are the soil, the water, & roots from which this idea of "AI" was grown.
i’m tired of every paper (even critical ones) on societal impact of AI starting by both-siding the “benefits” and risks/harms of AI
in academia, i would like us to arrive at a collective reckoning that we don’t need to play both sides. it's totally legit to clearly state just the harms. period
I was just saying yesterday that if my role is to be the only AI pessimist in the room reminding folks of the actual harm they are willing accept because "AI is useful," then so be it.
A tumblr post from user nitewrighter: Me: I don't get it. I thought I was doing a lot better than I was a few years ago. I'm like 10 times more on top of things than I used to be. How does everything feel terrible now? The Tiny Me in OSHA-approved Hi-Vis Gear Who lives in my brain and pulls all the levers: Boss, it's the fascism. You're completely gunked up with cortisol due to the fact that your entire daily life is now underscored with a haunting awareness of the rapid erosion of your rights, dignity, and any and all social safety nets, and you're also bearing witness to the most vulnerable people immediately being persecuted. This creates a natural stress response that basically means you're going to continue having memory and organizational problems, as well as emotional imbalances. Me: BUT I HAVE A BULLET JOURNAL AND I MEDITATE NOW. Tiny OSHA Me: BOSS, THE FASCISM.
Boss, it's the fascism.
These are “low enrollment” majors but the classes are regularly at capacity. They changed the funding structure a few years ago here, switching the allocation from course enrollments to majors then blamed these departments for a structural, top-down change. This is entirely a political choice.
Of course after I submit my extended abstract critiquing the empty promises of private AI developers, this news drops.
Can't believe this would happen with tech built by indiscriminately vacuuming up all of the Internet, running a billion Plinko simulations, then training by sociopaths who can't even understand culture much less appreciate humanity.
Also, bring back video rental stores! I miss strolling up and down the aisles and stumbling upon random, interesting movies. Plus, you only have so many options! It helps when you don't have hundreds upon hundreds of titles to scroll through.
There's something so nice about cracking open a DVD case, sliding a record out of its cover, breaking the spine of a book.
I love this so much. I encourage my students to get physical media when they can!
Whoa-ohh, we're halfway there:
"This App Warns You if Someone Is Wearing Smart Glasses Nearby"
www.404media.co/this-app-war...
bsky.app/profile/wolv...
👀
I hate it. Video is not the same as written media. It doesn't do the same thing and it does serve the same purpose. Also it is so damn slow, I read so much faster than people talk, I don't have enough minutes to waste on all the ado you do after saying without further ado
These thieves keep stealing blueprints from my theft empire!
I'm listening....
Thank you! I'm hoping to do it again soon with a few tweaks. It was really enlightening and encourages us all to be more present with how we're spending time online and on our mobile devices.
