Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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javier grillo-marxuach @okbjgm.bsky.social · 13h

the degree to which i feel like i am living in the pre-title montage of a post-apocalyptic movie cannot be overstated.

Eric Reinhart @eric-reinhart.com · 15h

This is an alarming compression of the planetary destruction timeline: with the massive growth of the AI bubble, data centers are expected to consume up to 12% of total US electricity by 2028, up from 4.4% in 2023.
www.cnn.com/2025/10/13/t...

Sora 2 and ChatGPT are consuming so much power that OpenAI just did another 10 gigawatt deal | CNN Business

OpenAI is partnering with Broadcom to design and develop 10 gigawatts of custom AI chips and systems, a massive amount of power that will use as much electricity as a large city. The move further high...

www.cnn.com

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Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 3d

every single tech idea is like “soon our robots will be capable of playing catch with your kid, freeing you up to spend more time working on your employers’ spreadsheets”

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Bugs, Beleaguered Babysitter of the Booger Brothers @bugsmaytrix.bsky.social · 2d

let's see paul allen's labubu

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Alan Dettlaff @alandettlaff.com · 2d

Yesterday I was told that the class I’m scheduled to teach this month, Confronting Oppression & Injustice, is no longer part of our curriculum. This is a required class yet there was no discussion, no faculty vote, just an email saying the class no longer exists. This is what it’s like in Texas now.

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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 5d

PM Carney announces Charter of Rights to be renamed Charter of Optional Ideas

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney held a press conference today to announce a renaming of the “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms”, the document that enshrined our foundational set of rights in...

www.thebeaverton.com

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Vinny Francois @vinnyfrancois.bsky.social · 5d

I get that the Jays are playing but I can’t believe how many empty seats are at the Leafs home opener. That would never happen in Montreal (because we only have one major sport).

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old uncle BATface @catfacejoe.bsky.social · 7d

tweet screenshot
Matt the outlaw
@cursedgloryhole
Lady behind me at the thing screening last night to her partner "why are they shooting at the dog?" and her partner says very firmly "have you never seen a film before? you watch and information is revealed"

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Laura Lopez @ohdearz.bsky.social · 7d

Valuable info about the Physics Nobel Prize today from Prof. Joseph Barranco at SFSU on Martinis and Devoret being a grad student and postdoc in Clarke's lab at UC Berkeley & Clark and Devoret being immigrants. "California *public* education made this happen. Immigration made this happen." ⚛️

Joseph Barranco posted on social media: Go Bears! Nobel Prize in Physics goes to 3 physicists studying mesoscopic quantum phenomena... Work was done in the 1980s in UC Berkeley Professor John Clarke's lab with his graduate student John Martinis and postdoctoral fellow Michel Devoret... all 3 share the Nobel Prize. Must also point out that both Clarke and Devoret are immigrants from the UK and France, respectively. All 3 are pioneers in the race to build the most powerful quantum supercomputers. California *public* education made this happen. Immigration made this happen.

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Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 7d

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

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Vinny Francois @vinnyfrancois.bsky.social · 8d

Her and Ellison can form a human ourobouros.

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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 12d

1. Led by Elon Musk, the far-right has exploded in a campaign to get Netflix to remove shows with queer and trans characters.

If Netflix capitulates to their demands, an already strained market for LGBTQ+ animators might become even more dire.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

Elon Musk Leads Campaign To Force Netflix To Remove Shows With Trans Characters

Musk's posts have been seen by tens of millions of users, and many conservatives are now attempting to force Netflix into a removal of LGBTQ+ content.

www.erininthemorning.com

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Neale @ajimagic.bsky.social · 12d

I'm genuinely proud of our latest few episodes of @untappedlibraries.bsky.social. We've pulled in great guests and had some great chats. We have a lot more to come!

Also: our last two interviews ended with food-based bookend callbacks.

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Untapped Libraries @untappedlibraries.bsky.social · 12d

For episode TEN (the big one-oh!) we have Magic content creator, @mikecarrozza.bsky.social . Mike explains why he keeps sending his creatures to the ‘yard. We also talk Commander Sealed weekend, garbage plates, and asking your parents to buy you a booster.

untappedlibraries.com/mike-carozza...

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Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 13d

One of my favorite anecdotes from THE PREHISTORY OF THE FAR SIDE: "That doesn't sound like the Jane Goodall we know."

A few days after this cartoon was published, my syndicate received a very indignant letter from someone representing the Jane Goodall Institute.
Not only did my syndicate and I both get read the Riot Act, there was a vague implication that litigation over this cartoon might be around the corner.
I was horrified. Not so much from a fear of being sued (I just couldn't see how this cartoon could be construed as anything but silly, but because of my deep respect for Jane Goodall and her well-known contributions to pri-matology. The last thing in the world I would have intentionally done was offend Dr. Goodall in any way.
Before I had a chance to write my apology, another complication arose.
The National Geographic Society contacted my syndicate and expressed a

desire to reprint the cartoon in a special centennial issue of their magazine. My editor, aware of what had just occurred, declined, explaining why.
Apparently, whoever it was that sent the inquiry from National Geographic was shocked. They told my editor that "that doesn't sound like the Jane Goodall we know." They did some checking themselves, and an interesting fact was eventually discovered: Jane Goodall loved the cartoon. Furthermore, she was totally unaware that any of this "stuff" was going on. Some phone calls were made, and the cartoon was not only reprinted in the centennial issue of National Geographic, but was also used by her Institute on a T-shirt for fund-raising purposes.
I've since had an opportunity to visit Dr. Goodall at her research facility in Gombe. It's a wonderful place (sort of like right out of National Geographic).
"To refer to Dr. Goodall as a tramp is inexcusable even by a self-described 'loony' as Larson. The cartoon was incredibly offensive and in such poor taste that readers might well question the editorial judgment of running such an atrocity in a newspaper that reputes to be supplying news to persons with a better than average intelligence. The cartoon and its message were absolutely stupid." —Excerpt from the above-mentioned letter that started the ruckus

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Robert Taylor 🔥 @fireshoes.bsky.social · 13d

I have codes for free gems on @mtgarena.com! Retweet this post for a chance at one of them! It could be 200 gems or even 10,000 gems. Picking from here, Twitter, and Midwest Tournament Updater on FB.💎💎💎

And check out the other creators below for their giveaway too! #mtg

Robert Taylor 🔥 @fireshoes.bsky.social · 13d

Standard Metagame for the @mtgarena.com x Alienware Content Creator Tournament (16 players with 2 decks each) #mtg #mtgStandard

Additional bans in effect. Individuals will be streaming starting at 10am PT today! Gem code giveaways and custom Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop grand prize giveaway!

5 Sultai Reanimator (Standard Living End)
4 Mono-Red Aggro
3 Selesnya Kona
2 Azorius Control
2 Orzhov Pixie
2 Simic Aggro
5-color Spiders
Boros Mice
Boros Tokens/Pingers
Dimir Control/Mill
Dimir Control/Reanimator
Dimir Reanimator (Standard Living End)
Golgari Roots
Gruul Random Encounter
Gruul Surprise Onslaught
Jeskai Black Control
Mono-Green Aggro
Mono-White Tokens/Control
Orzhov Burn (Caustic Bronco + Duskmourn's Claim)
Selesnya Gearhulk

Since we had some ties, the methodology we used to decide final bans was "All cards with at least 4 points that received at least 2 votes"

That brings us to the following 10 cards banned for this event:
Vivi Ornitier
Kaito, Bane of Nightmares
Screaming Nemesis
Enduring Curiosity
Omniscience
Stock Up
Agatha's Soul Cauldron
Temur Battlecrier
No More Lies

MTG Arena x Alienware Content Creator Showdown

Cheer on your favorite MTG Arena content creators as they go head to head in a special community tournament! They'll be battling for bragging rights in a modified Standard format, and every round earns them prizes they can share with their viewers.

And the grand prize? A custom Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop that the winning creator will give away to someone in their community!

Who's Playing?

We've brought together sixteen incredible creators for this event:

Amazonian
ashlizzlle
AliasV
Voxy
AliEldrazi
CovertGoBlue
NumotTheNummy
Saffron Olive
CarloMTG
HamHocks42
Headology Magic
JustLolaman
fireshoes
isaiah_mtg
TheWillHallExp
theeebfg

Cheer them on! When they win, you win!

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Magic: The Gathering @magic.wizards.com · 12d

Wizards of the Coast is hosting a Twitch stream to support Trans Lifeline, a hotline and non-profit organization offering direct support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.

Tune in to twitch.tv/magic on Oct 4th at 10am PT to play games with us and support!

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J. Kelly Nestruck @nestruck.bsky.social · 14d

Russell Peters, standing up for jokes, had this to say about playing the Riyadh Comedy Festival: “We’re not going to play by their rules. You’re ruining free speech.”

Oh wait, no - that’s what he said about playing universities. He’s playing Riyadh of course. www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/arti...

For comedians playing the controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival, punchlines are negotiable

Performers agreed to restrictions on material at festival held in Saudi Arabia, which has dismal human-rights record

www.theglobeandmail.com

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The Beaverton @thebeaverton.com · 17d

Netanyahu calls Canadian recognition of Palestine the worst thing anyone has ever done to Palestine

NEW YORK - In a speech before the UN General Assembly, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Canada officially recognizing Palestine as a state is worse than anything else he could imagine happe...

www.thebeaverton.com

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Jason Wight @astrowright.bsky.social · 19d

She basically invented astrophysics.
She proved the laws of chemistry, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics, not just gravity, applied universally.
She determined the composition of the sun and primacy of hydrogen in the universe.
She advised the PhDs of Frank Drake and Frank Kameny.

Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 20d

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin ✨ figured out what stars are made of ✨ when she was just 25. 🔭🧪

Her PhD thesis basically established the Harvard astro department — at a time when Harvard didn't officially allow woman students.

I wrote this little profile to mark the 100th anniversary of her thesis:

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Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 22d

The @washingtonpost.com story on Tylenol & autism leaves out a MAJOR 2.5M sibling-controlled study of children in Denmark, which "found no evidence that acetaminophen use during pregnancy was associated with children’s risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability." jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability

This nationwide cohort study with sibling control analysis examines the association of acetaminophen use during pregnancy with children’s risk of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.

jamanetwork.com

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Vinny Francois @vinnyfrancois.bsky.social · 22d

Pretty sure this is gonna be my favourite deck of yours, regardless of how it plays.

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Neale @ajimagic.bsky.social · 22d

Some neon alters for my Rakdos deck.

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Vinny Francois @vinnyfrancois.bsky.social · 22d

You can't fire me. I quit. IN MY OWN MIND.

(sotto voce) Where it really matters.

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 22d

By using reason to understand his emotions, the 17th-century philosopher Baruch Spinoza “canceled his cancelers where it really mattered: in his own mind,” Arthur C. Brooks writes. His techniques reveal how to prevent emotional hijack:
https://theatln.tc/hfT0S2m2

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Vinny Francois @vinnyfrancois.bsky.social · 22d

Apathy would be preferable to the recklessness, the teeth-baring zeal with which people amplified the suffering of others. It's what gives so many permission to stab at every noise in the dark of their closed and feverish imaginations.

Too many agreed to be selfish so they could redefine community.

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Spooky Back From the Dead Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · 23d

We're at the point where the Trump does something worse than Watergate daily, often multiple times a day. And none of it makes news; it's just normal now.

Ahmed Baba @ahmedbaba.bsky.social · 23d

In a less insane time, if it was discovered that the President of the United States said this privately to their AG, it would’ve triggered an all-encompassing, impeachable corruption scandal.

Here, Trump is saying it publicly and it’s just another Saturday.

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