Lauren Woolsey
@cgsunit.bsky.social
Earthling, she/her, teacher of science, reader of books, player of board games, and more. Avatar by Corinne Roberts :) These days, I post a lot about how AI sucks, see zines and info at padlet.com/laurenUU/antiAI
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Lauren Woolsey
@cgsunit.bsky.social
· Oct 3
Today's the day for my anti-AI zine volume 2: "Human Perspectives on the Latest AI Hype Cycle" 🎉
Enjoy the fruits of my focus these past few months and learn from many great people!
Scanned zine to print your own and the full text and references are available at padlet.com/laurenUU/antiAI
Enjoy the fruits of my focus these past few months and learn from many great people!
Scanned zine to print your own and the full text and references are available at padlet.com/laurenUU/antiAI
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
Trying to be an ethical human under kyriarchy*, trying to figure out how to dismantle it all without causing even more human suffering, is really fucking hard.
*interlocking systems of oppression (capitalism, white supremacy, imperialism, colonialism, cisheteropatriarchy, etc)
*interlocking systems of oppression (capitalism, white supremacy, imperialism, colonialism, cisheteropatriarchy, etc)
November 24, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Trying to be an ethical human under kyriarchy*, trying to figure out how to dismantle it all without causing even more human suffering, is really fucking hard.
*interlocking systems of oppression (capitalism, white supremacy, imperialism, colonialism, cisheteropatriarchy, etc)
*interlocking systems of oppression (capitalism, white supremacy, imperialism, colonialism, cisheteropatriarchy, etc)
I *love* the torn one that just has "you don't have to accept this future" written in regular handwriting. That's what I keep repeating to anyone who will listen to me at my institution. We don't have to participate in reinforcing this one possible future; there are others we can imagine and make.
Yesterday my partner and I counted all the ads along Chicago's Brown Line for "Friend," a company selling an AI chatbot pendant, and tallied how many of those ads were defaced.
Still working on a longer piece on this, but here's the quick and dirty: we counted 104 "Friend" ads total, 42 defaced.
Still working on a longer piece on this, but here's the quick and dirty: we counted 104 "Friend" ads total, 42 defaced.
November 24, 2025 at 12:36 AM
I *love* the torn one that just has "you don't have to accept this future" written in regular handwriting. That's what I keep repeating to anyone who will listen to me at my institution. We don't have to participate in reinforcing this one possible future; there are others we can imagine and make.
Haymarket has so many incredible authors and titles, one of my favorite publishers. Support a great book ecosystem and get some holiday shopping done :)
Our Holiday Sale is here early this year! ALL Haymarket Books are 40% Off through Friday, January 2nd!
Happy Holidays! 40% OFF ALL Haymarket Books
Our Holiday Sale is here early this year! ALL Haymarket Books are 40% Off through Friday, January 2nd!
For one-stop shopping, check out our eleven curated gift bundles: each includes 5 books for $5...
www.haymarketbooks.org
November 23, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Haymarket has so many incredible authors and titles, one of my favorite publishers. Support a great book ecosystem and get some holiday shopping done :)
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
if you think of colonialism as economic, physical and ideological domination, you'll see that the planet is colonised by a handful men
also, the goal of colonisation is not to keep earth habitable. it's the opposite: take, extract, and destroy
also, the goal of colonisation is not to keep earth habitable. it's the opposite: take, extract, and destroy
Humans will NEVER colonize another planet. Never.
If we can’t even agree to do the minimum to keep Earth habitable, there’s no way in hell we’ll cooperate to make another planet habitable.
If we can’t even agree to do the minimum to keep Earth habitable, there’s no way in hell we’ll cooperate to make another planet habitable.
November 23, 2025 at 8:16 AM
if you think of colonialism as economic, physical and ideological domination, you'll see that the planet is colonised by a handful men
also, the goal of colonisation is not to keep earth habitable. it's the opposite: take, extract, and destroy
also, the goal of colonisation is not to keep earth habitable. it's the opposite: take, extract, and destroy
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
November 23, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I think the shortest version of why LLMs are an anti education technology is that education is fundamentally about making shared context to understand ourselves, each other, and the world
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
And by design LLMs destroy shared context
I picked Valerie Kaur's memoir See No Stranger as the audiobook for my drive to my in-laws. I'm not yet finished upon arrival (92%). It broke me open, even though it was published before Trump's second wave of hate began. Very meaningful storytelling weaving her life and her activism work together.
November 23, 2025 at 3:59 AM
I picked Valerie Kaur's memoir See No Stranger as the audiobook for my drive to my in-laws. I'm not yet finished upon arrival (92%). It broke me open, even though it was published before Trump's second wave of hate began. Very meaningful storytelling weaving her life and her activism work together.
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
There is one more post to be written here, about how AI is now often an austerity technology, inserted into a human process to compensate for the fact that there is just not enough time and money, and many workers are expected to do more and more with less and less.
November 21, 2025 at 7:59 AM
There is one more post to be written here, about how AI is now often an austerity technology, inserted into a human process to compensate for the fact that there is just not enough time and money, and many workers are expected to do more and more with less and less.
"Hope is essential to any political struggle for radical change when the overall social climate promotes disillusionment and despair." – bell hooks, from Talking about a Revolution
This quote and so many more from linked @guante.info zine 💜. Some folks need to remember to imagine a better future!
This quote and so many more from linked @guante.info zine 💜. Some folks need to remember to imagine a better future!
Hope Does Not Glimmer; It Burns: Quotes on Hope, Resistance & Possibility
A zine full of quotes on the concept of hope, compiled by Kyle "Guante" Tran Myhre
guante.info
November 21, 2025 at 9:04 PM
"Hope is essential to any political struggle for radical change when the overall social climate promotes disillusionment and despair." – bell hooks, from Talking about a Revolution
This quote and so many more from linked @guante.info zine 💜. Some folks need to remember to imagine a better future!
This quote and so many more from linked @guante.info zine 💜. Some folks need to remember to imagine a better future!
I'm not going to repost screenshots from Grok for the same reasons I don't use any LLMs even when they're outputting silly/ amusing synthetic text.
(This image is great for so many purposes. I first saw it posted by @redeyedjedi.bsky.social so I am hoping that's the right credit for its source!)
(This image is great for so many purposes. I first saw it posted by @redeyedjedi.bsky.social so I am hoping that's the right credit for its source!)
November 20, 2025 at 10:19 PM
I'm not going to repost screenshots from Grok for the same reasons I don't use any LLMs even when they're outputting silly/ amusing synthetic text.
(This image is great for so many purposes. I first saw it posted by @redeyedjedi.bsky.social so I am hoping that's the right credit for its source!)
(This image is great for so many purposes. I first saw it posted by @redeyedjedi.bsky.social so I am hoping that's the right credit for its source!)
Current generative AI products are *BAD*
...and ALSO they will not be able to be made better for the reason Sanders brings up here. But there's no nuance: the popular AI examples causing this discussion are definitely not good.
...and ALSO they will not be able to be made better for the reason Sanders brings up here. But there's no nuance: the popular AI examples causing this discussion are definitely not good.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) at GU Politics: "the struggle is not whether AI is good or bad. It's who controls it and who benefits from it."
#bernieatgu #aisystem #ai #berniesanders #geoffreyhinton #computerscience #gupolitics #gupoliticsforum #georgetown
#bernieatgu #aisystem #ai #berniesanders #geoffreyhinton #computerscience #gupolitics #gupoliticsforum #georgetown
November 20, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Current generative AI products are *BAD*
...and ALSO they will not be able to be made better for the reason Sanders brings up here. But there's no nuance: the popular AI examples causing this discussion are definitely not good.
...and ALSO they will not be able to be made better for the reason Sanders brings up here. But there's no nuance: the popular AI examples causing this discussion are definitely not good.
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
#BREAKING: Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties | News | The Harvard Crimson
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
www.thecrimson.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:30 AM
#BREAKING: Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
I saw the video where he asks half-empty lecture hall of students for their permission to keep teaching them, but without actual student input. Student/faculty power dynamic already makes that permission impossible in normal circumstances. This is just a way for him to feel like he's "okay" to stay.
I personally would be EXTREMELY uncomfortable being taught by someone who regularly communicated with a sex trafficker.
But that’s just me.
But that’s just me.
November 19, 2025 at 8:08 PM
I saw the video where he asks half-empty lecture hall of students for their permission to keep teaching them, but without actual student input. Student/faculty power dynamic already makes that permission impossible in normal circumstances. This is just a way for him to feel like he's "okay" to stay.
Out with friends last Friday, one asked why everyone (not just our group) seemed to be so run down. I half joked, do you think maybe it could be the steady unraveling of democracy?
This paragraph hit hard this morning. From Aaron Goggans' letter in the collection "Read This When Things Fall Apart"
This paragraph hit hard this morning. From Aaron Goggans' letter in the collection "Read This When Things Fall Apart"
November 19, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Out with friends last Friday, one asked why everyone (not just our group) seemed to be so run down. I half joked, do you think maybe it could be the steady unraveling of democracy?
This paragraph hit hard this morning. From Aaron Goggans' letter in the collection "Read This When Things Fall Apart"
This paragraph hit hard this morning. From Aaron Goggans' letter in the collection "Read This When Things Fall Apart"
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
I looked up to see if my old therapist was around (we wrapped up regular sessions a few years ago), and I learned she moved out of state this past summer. I'm feeling heavier now. She was one of the coolest people I've met and helped me build skills and find smooth waters after a stormy phase.
November 18, 2025 at 4:10 AM
I looked up to see if my old therapist was around (we wrapped up regular sessions a few years ago), and I learned she moved out of state this past summer. I'm feeling heavier now. She was one of the coolest people I've met and helped me build skills and find smooth waters after a stormy phase.
I am feeling incredibly run down today.
A whole weekend trying to connect with beloveds and not do work wasn't enough to reset to engaged/motivated with my work. Interacting with students always reminds me of my purpose, but today is a grading only day and I just couldn't bring myself to the task.
A whole weekend trying to connect with beloveds and not do work wasn't enough to reset to engaged/motivated with my work. Interacting with students always reminds me of my purpose, but today is a grading only day and I just couldn't bring myself to the task.
November 18, 2025 at 1:32 AM
I am feeling incredibly run down today.
A whole weekend trying to connect with beloveds and not do work wasn't enough to reset to engaged/motivated with my work. Interacting with students always reminds me of my purpose, but today is a grading only day and I just couldn't bring myself to the task.
A whole weekend trying to connect with beloveds and not do work wasn't enough to reset to engaged/motivated with my work. Interacting with students always reminds me of my purpose, but today is a grading only day and I just couldn't bring myself to the task.
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
We finally get to see @adambecker.bsky.social nerd out about astrophysics! He neatly covers light travel time back to the CMB and time itself forward to the heat death of the universe and discussion of entropy (p177-182).
"The impermanence of the universe does not make existence meaningless."
"The impermanence of the universe does not make existence meaningless."
July 26, 2025 at 2:50 AM
We finally get to see @adambecker.bsky.social nerd out about astrophysics! He neatly covers light travel time back to the CMB and time itself forward to the heat death of the universe and discussion of entropy (p177-182).
"The impermanence of the universe does not make existence meaningless."
"The impermanence of the universe does not make existence meaningless."
Great choice by Kirkus!
For those that missed it three months ago, I did a long thread read of this book, too!
Here's the start: bsky.app/profile/cgsu...
For those that missed it three months ago, I did a long thread read of this book, too!
Here's the start: bsky.app/profile/cgsu...
MORE EVERYTHING FOREVER was selected by Kirkus as one of their best books of 2025! "Come what may, artificial intelligence won’t save us during interesting times, nor will a far-fetched idea like colonizing Mars." www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-fea...
Best Books of 2025: Our Favorite Nonfiction | Kirkus Reviews
John McMurtrie highlights some standout titles on our list of the year’s best nonfiction.
www.kirkusreviews.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Great choice by Kirkus!
For those that missed it three months ago, I did a long thread read of this book, too!
Here's the start: bsky.app/profile/cgsu...
For those that missed it three months ago, I did a long thread read of this book, too!
Here's the start: bsky.app/profile/cgsu...
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
So saddened by the news that we have lost Alice Wong. It was an honor to know her and learn from her. May the lessons she shared continue to guide us for years to come.
November 15, 2025 at 4:36 PM
So saddened by the news that we have lost Alice Wong. It was an honor to know her and learn from her. May the lessons she shared continue to guide us for years to come.
"The predator is the idea that we can somehow live our lives without being in relationship to the Earth [...]used by a predatory idea, the spiritual weight of that is unbearable. We think the whole societal crisis is the result of falling out of a relational way of seeing the world" (amb, Ancestors)
November 15, 2025 at 3:51 PM
"The predator is the idea that we can somehow live our lives without being in relationship to the Earth [...]used by a predatory idea, the spiritual weight of that is unbearable. We think the whole societal crisis is the result of falling out of a relational way of seeing the world" (amb, Ancestors)
Here's the full thread in a scroll-able format, can click back into any post to interact with it! tbsky.app/profile/cgsu...
This will be my thread for thoughts while reading Disabling Intelligences by @fractalecho.bsky.social this week.
I'm all wrapped up in a fleece blanket, I have my highlighter and page flags, and on page 2 I'm already love their writing style.
🧵
I'm all wrapped up in a fleece blanket, I have my highlighter and page flags, and on page 2 I'm already love their writing style.
🧵
November 15, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Here's the full thread in a scroll-able format, can click back into any post to interact with it! tbsky.app/profile/cgsu...
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
People are basically good, and if we as a society provided everyone with a baseline level of comfortable housing, good food, and good healthcare, without fear for the future, life would be chill
"my least woke opinion is---"
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.
Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 4:59 PM
People are basically good, and if we as a society provided everyone with a baseline level of comfortable housing, good food, and good healthcare, without fear for the future, life would be chill
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
It’s an exercise in infantilization to do everything you can to prevent a student from taking a shortcut. Let them develop their own agency if they want to. Use your time as an educator to come up with assignments that are good on their own merits & not bc they flummox a probability machine.
November 14, 2025 at 3:13 PM
It’s an exercise in infantilization to do everything you can to prevent a student from taking a shortcut. Let them develop their own agency if they want to. Use your time as an educator to come up with assignments that are good on their own merits & not bc they flummox a probability machine.
Reposted by Lauren Woolsey
It is literally not your job to mount defensive maneuvers against LLM vomited essays. Give those papers the grades the words deserve (generally it's a 'C'). Take a deep breath and decompress after the sense of disappointment. Move on.
November 14, 2025 at 2:49 PM
It is literally not your job to mount defensive maneuvers against LLM vomited essays. Give those papers the grades the words deserve (generally it's a 'C'). Take a deep breath and decompress after the sense of disappointment. Move on.