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Niles Gazic

Niles Gazic

@nilesgazic.bsky.social

94 followers 85 following 360 posts

Politically I am either liberal or moderate, depending on how much people on the far left are pissing me off on any particular day. As a member of Generation X, I try to live by the words of E.T. and Bill & Ted: "Be good" and "Be excellent to each other".

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Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · May 28

The change in this modern era that I never saw coming was the complete abandonment of ethical, legal and moral principles by conservative and religious Americans. I find this change profoundly shocking. Ideology is now more important to these people than corruption, crime, decency and truth.

Reposted by Niles Gazic

Steve Benen @stevebenen.com · 2h

It’s come to this: Two federal prosecutors faced immediate punishment because they used accurate words about Jan. 6 that were at odds with Trump-approved phrasing.

No, seriously. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

DOJ put prosecutors on leave after they described Jan. 6 in ways Trump doesn’t like

Some prosecutors are now being punished for writing a sentencing memo using accurate words and phrases that are at odds with Trump-approved language.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 11h

Apologies for being so negative, by the way. I just watched "A House of Dynamite" on Netflix yesterday, and although I did find it pretty distressing, I still find these AI advancements way more distressing. Maybe because I see nuclear war as destroying us, but AGI/ASI as devaluing or obsoleting us.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 11h

If billionaires and politicians were more benevolent and responsible, I could see advanced AI leading to a happier, less stressful future for humankind. But, these types of people tend to be narcissists who don't give a damn about others. So here we are, on the precipice of disaster, it feels like.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 11h

Of course, like you were saying, the 1990s weren't great for everyone, although they were awesome for me. And the forces of evolution, nature, etc. have always been brutal to life on this planet. But a human or superhuman AI... if/when that becomes self-sustaining, that is a civilization destroyer.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 11h

How in the hell will people survive? And that's just in the more benign scenario where humankind manages to stay in control of AI. It's the kind of menace that will affect everybody everywhere on Earth – much like nuclear war – but with the potential to persist even longer than radioactive fallout.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 11h

I could deal with the descent into tyranny and degrading biosphere, but what I really can't deal with psychologically is where these rapid AI advancements are taking us. I mean, imagine a world where billionaire oligarchs control AI, and human knowledge and skills become nearly worthless.

Reposted by Niles Gazic

The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · 15h

"Horror isn’t merely about being scared: It’s about hopelessness and misery. What else is there to be frightened of? They’re the basis of the genre." www.thebulwark.com/p/hopeless-h...

The Hopeless Horror of Charles Beaumont

The writer died before his fortieth birthday—but left behind an influential catalogue of stories and unforgettable Twilight Zone episodes.

www.thebulwark.com

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 14h

I feel like the 1990s were the greatest decade in human history, and then a rapid spiraling decline began on September 11th, 2001. And I feel like I've had a really good life, but I weep for the future of our children, and for all of the species that can't adapt fast enough to survive these shocks.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 14h

I've spent a lifetime reading & watching science fiction and horror stories... and to me, "Hopeless Horror" is being a reasonable person living in the United States in 2025. I feel forced to witness a tyrant strangling democracy, generative AI destroying careers, and a poisoned & dying biosphere.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 1d

Note to Tom – great article, but Fort Greely is in Alaska, and Greeley is in Colorado – i.e. there's a typo.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 1d

You know Anne, it's interesting... just now I was listening to Donald Trump giving a speech, live from Japan. And it's so weird, because lately I find myself imagining: "what if this guy was just a bit less immature and sadistic?" I think that I feel sad that I wish I could like and respect him.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 1d

Even if our defenses were "100 percent accurate", at some point you're going to run out of anti-ballistic missiles. Not to mention that our adversaries have multiple delivery systems with capabilities and tactics that we probably aren't fully prepared for.

Reposted by Niles Gazic

Tara Palmeri @tarapalmeri.bsky.social · 2d

The most optimistic estimate for the shutdown to end circulating among Democratic senior staffers? Late November. If you ask Republicans, it’s worse — December.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 1d

As someone old enough to have witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, I can't help but feel that maybe Putin has so much damning sexual kompromat on Trump that maybe he's the one pulling the strings on this shutdown. Because Putin would surely love to see the collapse of the United States.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 2d

(¹ aside from the inadvertent presence of any magnetically attracted objects)

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 2d

Okay, Dr. Gupta, I have to ask – why *isn't* there such a thing as a screening MRI? I mean, let's say you're a billionaire and you can afford the machine and personnel. Since an MRI scan doesn't involve ionizing radiation, or other health risks that I'm aware of ¹, why not scan for bodily anomalies?

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 3d

I feel like the average American is so saturated with free or inexpensive entertainment options in 2025 that they can't be bothered to pay attention to current events, much less be compelled to think hard or use their imagination. There are just too many distractions and temptations out there.

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 4d

It is for this reason that I am happy that a few other democracies possess sizable arsenals of nuclear weapons, like France and the UK. Also, I sincerely hope that Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea start building their own, because they clearly can't rely on or trust the USA anymore.

Reposted by Niles Gazic

Julia Davis @juliadavisnews.bsky.social · 4d

Meanwhile in Russia: military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok admits to being a rabid warmonger and a nuclear maniac, along with Vladimir Solovyov and fellow panelists. He argues that Russia is being forced to use nuclear weapons against the West and Ukraine.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG3w...

Mikhail Khodaryonok says Russia is being forced to use nuclear weapons

YouTube video by Russian Media Monitor

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Niles Gazic

Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 4d

"Federal agents fired a pepper round that struck the pastor of the College Heights United Church of Christ. The impact caked his face in orange powder...

“I’m in a lot of pain,” the pastor texted from the emergency room, “He clearly was aiming for the face.”

www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/arti...

Reposted by Niles Gazic

Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · 4d

"The president’s statement announcing the relief funding emphasized the number of times he won Missouri’s electoral votes, as if there were some kind of connection between his political support in the state and his eagerness to provide disaster aid..."

www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

Trump approves disaster declarations for red states, as blue states go without

“President Trump and his administration have politicized disaster relief,” one governor said, “and our communities are the ones who will pay the price.”

Niles Gazic @nilesgazic.bsky.social · 4d

Grr, the writer got Kathryn Bigelow's name wrong in the first paragraph.

Reposted by Niles Gazic

Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 4d

Sorry, but it *is* unnerving. I agree with @rieckhoff.bsky.social that this idea that the military is Trump's personal muscle, and should kill anyone he points at, should be among the biggest stories in America right now.

suzannenotsusan.bsky.social @suzannenotsusan.bsky.social · 4d

Hey Tom, saw you on MSNBC earlier today.
That conversation was a bit unnerving.

Reposted by Niles Gazic

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 5d

Stephen Miller on Fox threatens to arrest JB Pritzker for "seditious conspiracy" and says, "to all ICE officers: you have federal immunity in the conduct of your duties. And anybody who lays a hand on you or tries to stop or obstruct you is committing a felony."

Reposted by Niles Gazic

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 7d

If I were ever elected president, the first thing I’d do is take a sledgehammer to that ballroom.