attacus || Lilly Ryan
@attacus.net
Computational entomologist, privacy enthusiast, historian. Perpetually raging against the ghost in the machine.
Mastodon: @[email protected]
👁 Digital Rights Watch | 🎙 Byte Into IT on 📻 3RRR FM | 🐍 PyCon AU
Mastodon: @[email protected]
👁 Digital Rights Watch | 🎙 Byte Into IT on 📻 3RRR FM | 🐍 PyCon AU
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
My father was supposedly one of the smartest people in the world, and he hated that elitist nonsense.
He loathed the idea that intelligence is something you're born with, a single trait that can be measured. It leads to eugenics and bad policy.
My latest newsletter:
buttondown.com/charliejane/...
He loathed the idea that intelligence is something you're born with, a single trait that can be measured. It leads to eugenics and bad policy.
My latest newsletter:
buttondown.com/charliejane/...
You're Not as Smart as You Think You Are
First, some housekeeping! I have written a novel about a trans witch who teaches her broken-hearted mother how to do magic. She also researches a mysterious...
buttondown.com
October 6, 2025 at 7:18 PM
My father was supposedly one of the smartest people in the world, and he hated that elitist nonsense.
He loathed the idea that intelligence is something you're born with, a single trait that can be measured. It leads to eugenics and bad policy.
My latest newsletter:
buttondown.com/charliejane/...
He loathed the idea that intelligence is something you're born with, a single trait that can be measured. It leads to eugenics and bad policy.
My latest newsletter:
buttondown.com/charliejane/...
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
In food history, we notice how super-refined foods--gelatin, vienna sausage, white bread--lose class and become horrifying once they become industrialized. Suddenly, fingermarks in bread dough demonstrate skill, not clumsiness.
Post-chatGPT, I'm feeling this about writing. Smoothness feels gross.
Post-chatGPT, I'm feeling this about writing. Smoothness feels gross.
October 1, 2025 at 3:05 AM
In food history, we notice how super-refined foods--gelatin, vienna sausage, white bread--lose class and become horrifying once they become industrialized. Suddenly, fingermarks in bread dough demonstrate skill, not clumsiness.
Post-chatGPT, I'm feeling this about writing. Smoothness feels gross.
Post-chatGPT, I'm feeling this about writing. Smoothness feels gross.
Last weekend I gave a talk at #PyConAU.
It’s about quality, scale, LLMs, science, systems thinking, hype, & what happens when the subjective nature of reality meets the assumption that the human experience can be accurately represented to or by machines.
You should watch it!
youtu.be/GBHGHrlRlKs
It’s about quality, scale, LLMs, science, systems thinking, hype, & what happens when the subjective nature of reality meets the assumption that the human experience can be accurately represented to or by machines.
You should watch it!
youtu.be/GBHGHrlRlKs
"Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Reality" - Lilly Ryan (PyCon AU 2025)
YouTube video by PyCon AU
youtu.be
September 23, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Last weekend I gave a talk at #PyConAU.
It’s about quality, scale, LLMs, science, systems thinking, hype, & what happens when the subjective nature of reality meets the assumption that the human experience can be accurately represented to or by machines.
You should watch it!
youtu.be/GBHGHrlRlKs
It’s about quality, scale, LLMs, science, systems thinking, hype, & what happens when the subjective nature of reality meets the assumption that the human experience can be accurately represented to or by machines.
You should watch it!
youtu.be/GBHGHrlRlKs
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
nosu, f.n: nose. (NO-zuh / ˈnɔ-zʌ)
Image: Bible; France, c. 1270-1290; Bibliothèque d'Agglomération de Saint-Omer, Ms. 5, f. 246r.
#OldEnglish #WOTD
Image: Bible; France, c. 1270-1290; Bibliothèque d'Agglomération de Saint-Omer, Ms. 5, f. 246r.
#OldEnglish #WOTD
September 19, 2025 at 7:02 AM
nosu, f.n: nose. (NO-zuh / ˈnɔ-zʌ)
Image: Bible; France, c. 1270-1290; Bibliothèque d'Agglomération de Saint-Omer, Ms. 5, f. 246r.
#OldEnglish #WOTD
Image: Bible; France, c. 1270-1290; Bibliothèque d'Agglomération de Saint-Omer, Ms. 5, f. 246r.
#OldEnglish #WOTD
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Maybe the real Ship of Theseus was the Ship of Theseus we made along the way
July 21, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Maybe the real Ship of Theseus was the Ship of Theseus we made along the way
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
important context for headlines like this: Altman also runs a company (Worldcoin) that he claims will solve this problem he also created
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the world may be on the precipice of a "fraud crisis" because of how artificial intelligence could enable bad actors to impersonate other people.
Read more: cnn.it/3GVwPg7
Read more: cnn.it/3GVwPg7
July 23, 2025 at 12:41 AM
important context for headlines like this: Altman also runs a company (Worldcoin) that he claims will solve this problem he also created
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Melbourne Folks! I will be hosting a book launch to celebrate The Mechanic and the Luddite! Come hear me chat about the book with Lizzie O'Shea and Chris O'Neill — and have a free drink!
• August 14th, 6pm, Victorian Trades Hall
• Register for free: events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-th...
• August 14th, 6pm, Victorian Trades Hall
• Register for free: events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-th...
Book Launch, 'The mechanic and the luddite'
Jathan Sadowski in conversation with Lizzie O'Shea and Chris O'Neill for the launch of 'The Mechanic and the Luddite'.
events.humanitix.com
July 22, 2025 at 4:11 AM
Melbourne Folks! I will be hosting a book launch to celebrate The Mechanic and the Luddite! Come hear me chat about the book with Lizzie O'Shea and Chris O'Neill — and have a free drink!
• August 14th, 6pm, Victorian Trades Hall
• Register for free: events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-th...
• August 14th, 6pm, Victorian Trades Hall
• Register for free: events.humanitix.com/sadowkski-th...
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
We should be putting a gargantuan amount of money into solar and storage. War economy levels. It should be free to have a guy from the government solar your house up. Electricity should basically cost nothing.
July 14, 2025 at 10:18 PM
We should be putting a gargantuan amount of money into solar and storage. War economy levels. It should be free to have a guy from the government solar your house up. Electricity should basically cost nothing.
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Sleep-deprived Effy has proven too much for Zoom's meeting summary AI, which has managed to produce something significantly less coherent than even my babbling. ft @attacus.net
July 3, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Sleep-deprived Effy has proven too much for Zoom's meeting summary AI, which has managed to produce something significantly less coherent than even my babbling. ft @attacus.net
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
David R. Hagen just solved a small mystery that I mentioned 13 years ago in the mouseover text of a comic drhagen.com/blog/the-mis...
The Missing 11th of the Month - David R Hagen
Personal website of David R Hagen, scientific software engineer
drhagen.com
June 19, 2025 at 11:40 AM
David R. Hagen just solved a small mystery that I mentioned 13 years ago in the mouseover text of a comic drhagen.com/blog/the-mis...
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
You counter evil with real life.
June 12, 2025 at 11:04 AM
You counter evil with real life.
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Recently I found myself on Antipope Instagram, where there are endless reels of the current Antipope of the Palmarian Catholic Church.
This is, of course, extremely my jam, and I started reading up on them hoping to find some wild theology, but instead I found something WAY better...
This is, of course, extremely my jam, and I started reading up on them hoping to find some wild theology, but instead I found something WAY better...
April 30, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Recently I found myself on Antipope Instagram, where there are endless reels of the current Antipope of the Palmarian Catholic Church.
This is, of course, extremely my jam, and I started reading up on them hoping to find some wild theology, but instead I found something WAY better...
This is, of course, extremely my jam, and I started reading up on them hoping to find some wild theology, but instead I found something WAY better...
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
African workers labeling data and providing content moderation are the invisible backbone of AI development. They perform critical labor under challenging conditions, often for minimal pay, yet remain absent from our conversations about the AI value chain.
"A new dataset, visualized as maps, reveals the extent to which African workers are indirectly employed in the tech sector, doing content moderation, customer service, and data annotation for AI models, among other jobs." restofworld.org/2025/big-tec...
April 28, 2025 at 11:55 AM
African workers labeling data and providing content moderation are the invisible backbone of AI development. They perform critical labor under challenging conditions, often for minimal pay, yet remain absent from our conversations about the AI value chain.
April 24, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Just had a sudden mental image of a melting moment shortbread cookie, but they were called “teachable moments” and filled with faux pas and the experience of sticking a fork in a toaster
April 23, 2025 at 5:24 AM
Just had a sudden mental image of a melting moment shortbread cookie, but they were called “teachable moments” and filled with faux pas and the experience of sticking a fork in a toaster
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
I don't think that "bikeshedding" is a good name for what it represents, we should discuss alternatives
March 31, 2025 at 2:37 PM
I don't think that "bikeshedding" is a good name for what it represents, we should discuss alternatives
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
I was interviewed by @attacus.net for last night's broadcast of Byte into IT on RRR Melbourne Independent Radio. This is such a great conversation about my new book! Honestly one of my favorites so far. Huge thanks to @attacus.net. Listen to the episode here. www.rrr.org.au/explore/prog...
Programs: Byte Into IT – 19 March 2025, Byte Into IT — Triple R 102.7FM, Melbourne Independent Radio
An episode of Byte Into IT on 19 March 2025
www.rrr.org.au
March 20, 2025 at 3:26 AM
I was interviewed by @attacus.net for last night's broadcast of Byte into IT on RRR Melbourne Independent Radio. This is such a great conversation about my new book! Honestly one of my favorites so far. Huge thanks to @attacus.net. Listen to the episode here. www.rrr.org.au/explore/prog...
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Tonight hear @jathansadowski.com in conversation with @attacus.net on his latest 📕 release
‘The Mechanic and the Luddite’. production by @rowenamurray.bsky.social 👏
Dan and me live from 7pm AEDT tonight for tech news & events too! @3rrrfm.bsky.social 📻 ❤️
‘The Mechanic and the Luddite’. production by @rowenamurray.bsky.social 👏
Dan and me live from 7pm AEDT tonight for tech news & events too! @3rrrfm.bsky.social 📻 ❤️
March 19, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Tonight hear @jathansadowski.com in conversation with @attacus.net on his latest 📕 release
‘The Mechanic and the Luddite’. production by @rowenamurray.bsky.social 👏
Dan and me live from 7pm AEDT tonight for tech news & events too! @3rrrfm.bsky.social 📻 ❤️
‘The Mechanic and the Luddite’. production by @rowenamurray.bsky.social 👏
Dan and me live from 7pm AEDT tonight for tech news & events too! @3rrrfm.bsky.social 📻 ❤️
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
If there is one leap that the infosec community consistently fails to make, it is this: people who are not like me, who have different needs and priorities, who have less time or are less technical, STILL DESERVE PRIVACY AND SECURITY.
March 18, 2025 at 5:52 PM
If there is one leap that the infosec community consistently fails to make, it is this: people who are not like me, who have different needs and priorities, who have less time or are less technical, STILL DESERVE PRIVACY AND SECURITY.
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Also feel bad for Nikolai. Done dirty first by Edison, then by Elon
I feel bad for the band Tesla
March 11, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Also feel bad for Nikolai. Done dirty first by Edison, then by Elon
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
so, I got a bit sick of people asking me about generative AI and @yarnspinner.dev, so I wrote some LinkedIn-style (sorry) thought leadership on the matter
hey.paris/posts/genai/
hey.paris/posts/genai/
The Empty Promise of AI-Generated Creativity
“Are you going to add AI writing to Yarn Spinner?” It’s a question I hear almost weekly these days. Whether at game development conferences, online, or during meetings, there’s an assumption that ever...
hey.paris
March 3, 2025 at 1:05 AM
so, I got a bit sick of people asking me about generative AI and @yarnspinner.dev, so I wrote some LinkedIn-style (sorry) thought leadership on the matter
hey.paris/posts/genai/
hey.paris/posts/genai/
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
Amy Kurzweil, daughter of Ray Kurzweil, apparently following into her dad's wild bullshit by mimicking dead people with computers
ahahaha why does every defender of the idea of generative AI chatbots OF THE DEAD start by being like "don't worry, it doesn't have to be a horrifying dystopia!" and then continue by describing a horrifying dystopia
Are chatbots of the dead a brilliant idea or a terrible one? | Aeon Essays
We can now create compelling experiences of talking with our dead. Is this ghoulish, therapeutic or something else again?
aeon.co
February 25, 2025 at 1:10 AM
Amy Kurzweil, daughter of Ray Kurzweil, apparently following into her dad's wild bullshit by mimicking dead people with computers
Reposted by attacus || Lilly Ryan
If you've got any interest at all in Australian history, please write a word in support of Tim Sherratt - his API keys for national archives services have been revoked, cutting off years of work building tools around them. Contact info at bottom of post.
updates.timsherratt.org/2025/02/24/y...
updates.timsherratt.org/2025/02/24/y...
15 years of work on Trove threatened by the NLA
On Friday, without warning, I received an email from the National Library of Australia informing me that my Trove API keys had been suspended. This threatens the future of 15 years of work helping peo...
updates.timsherratt.org
February 24, 2025 at 3:19 AM
If you've got any interest at all in Australian history, please write a word in support of Tim Sherratt - his API keys for national archives services have been revoked, cutting off years of work building tools around them. Contact info at bottom of post.
updates.timsherratt.org/2025/02/24/y...
updates.timsherratt.org/2025/02/24/y...