CouldThisHappen?
@couldthishappen.bsky.social
430 followers 1.3K following 100 posts
Science/tech writer, professional plant fanatic (esp. orchids), space enthusiast, sci-fi geek, probable cylon, ice hockey fan, tree-hugger, animal lover, and lecturer of writing / rhetoric at Boston University. www.joellerenstrom.com
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
larbalestier.bsky.social
Let's start normalising NOT calling this crap #AI. Because there's nothing intelligent about it. It's #LLM (large language model) slop. Or to be truly accurate: LLM #IP (intellectual property) theft slop.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
dalehennessey.qwertyqwert.ca
AI is trash. It destroys the environment, makes people stupider and incurious, and undermines what it mean to be human.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
rygraham.bsky.social
Last month Trump said he wanted proof that COVID vaccines are effective. Yesterday, during his "semiannual" physical, Trump received a COVID vaccine as well as a flu shot.

That's because vaccines — which Trump's administration have made harder to get — work.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
anthonymoser.com
This is the thing about ai. The benefits are nebulous hypotheticals but the costs are very high and immediate
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
histoftech.bsky.social
The Virginia Senate just told UVA it’s not getting state funding if it accepts the compact since UVA exists to serve Virginia, its residents, & their interests—not be a tool of the federal govt. Scoop from our student newspaper, who’ve been doing vital reporting www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2025...
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
jay.daede.com
For those who want to scream "ANTI-TECH!" every time someone pushes back against AI
olivia.science
I split AI into 3 non-mutually exclusive types (see Table 1 above): displacement (harmful), enhancement (beneficial), and/or replacement (neutral) of human cognitive labour. More later possibly, but see Tables 2 to 4 (attached or here: arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960) for the worked through examples. 2/n
table 2 from https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960 table 3 from https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960 table 4 from https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19960
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
hubertl75.bsky.social
Maria Corina Machado received the Nobel Prize for her efforts towards democracy.

Donald Trump did not receive the Nobel Prize because of his efforts to destroy democracy.

In short, I could just kiss the Nobel Prize Committee!

Looking forward to MAGA clutching their pearls...
couldthishappen.bsky.social
Their reasoning is a middle finger to you-know-who. Absolutely love this.
reuters.com
'When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognize courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee said as it announced Maria Corina Machado as the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
junoryleejournalism.com
David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)
SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
latin-kingcole.bsky.social
Puppet 2025, not project 2025

a thread.
editorialboard.bsky.social
6. I have talked a lot before about how Trump has dementia and how growing public awareness of his disease could make him vulnerable to the allegation that he’s not really in charge – that malicious and unaccountable forces are pulling his strings.

www.editorialboard.com/for-independ...
For independent voters, it’s not Project 2025. It's Puppet 2025
Make them see the old man isn’t in charge anymore.
www.editorialboard.com
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
This guy left his job as a TV host to be a full-time TV guest and part-time social media shitposter.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
mcsweeneys.net
STORY: ORANGE MAN LIE AGAIN

OLD WAY: “CRITICS SAY STATEMENT MAY BE MISLEADING.”

ANIMAL WAY: HIT KICK DRUM, YELL “LIE!” HIT TAMBOURINE, WHISPER “but other side lie too” IN SOFTEST MIKE JOHNSON VOICE.
“AAAGGGHHH!!!” A Memo from Animal, Your New Editor-in-Chief
“[Editor-in-chief of CBS News] Bari Weiss told network staffers in a morning editorial call that she wants to ‘win’ before delivering a rallying cr...
buff.ly
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
hypervisible.blacksky.app
“One of the negative consequences AI is having on students is that it is hurting their ability to develop meaningful relationships with teachers, the report finds. Half of the students agree that using AI in class makes them feel less connected to their teachers.”
Rising Use of AI in Schools Comes With Big Downsides for Students
A report by the Center for Democracy and Technology looks at teachers' and students' experiences with the technology.
www.edweek.org
couldthishappen.bsky.social
Yes! Turns out democracy can die in broad daylight too.
samd.bsky.social
if you haven’t cancelled your Washington Post subscription yet, today is the perfect day to do so
annabower.bsky.social
You’ve gotta be kidding me.

This WaPo editorial presents a misleading revisionist history of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal cases against Trump.

Then it has the gall to compare that to Trump’s overt targeting of his perceived enemies.

Really embarrassing stuff.
couldthishappen.bsky.social
My Uni is the entity that assumes we must use AI. Many, like mine, have made their own ChatGPT apps and are pushing, if not requiring students to use it in some classes/cases. The University ignores all data re: cognitive debt, lack of critical thinking, etc, as well as individual prof concerns.
couldthishappen.bsky.social
Quick title fix: cut "could"
us.theconversation.com
As universities embrace AI, corporate influence on research, governance and values is growing.

What happens when higher ed’s pursuit of tech prestige meets Silicon Valley’s profit motives?

buff.ly/OwnU7gz
Why higher ed’s AI rush could put corporate interests over public service and independence
Higher education’s embrace of AI reveals deeper trends in institutional priorities − and what’s at risk.
theconversation.com
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
electproject.bsky.social
I challenge the media to show pictures of Portland. Go to a store with glass. That's all you have to do

They can't do it because it would offend Deal Leader
atrupar.com
Trump: "I don't know what could be worse than Portland. You don't even have stores anymore. They don't even put glass up. They put plywood on their windows."
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
laurahelmuth.bsky.social
58 kids (out of 160,000) are barred by their parents from any classroom discussion about the existence of LGBTQ+ people.
Statistically speaking, a few of those kids are queer.
I hope their found families are more loving than their birth families.
laurahelmuth.bsky.social
"99.97 percent of families, even when given the option, chose to let their children learn about LGBTQ+ people."
Nice result, and it reinforces everything Montgomery County said to SCOTUS before its theocrats made their dehumanizing ruling. open.substack.com/pub/erininth...
Only 0.03% Opt Out Of LGBTQ+ Education In Maryland After SCOTUS Gives Them A Right To
After SCOTUS gave families a right to opt out of LGBTQ+ education, Montgomery County, Maryland is reporting only 43 families took them up on it.
open.substack.com
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
paulguinnessy.bsky.social
"Researchers suggest part of the cause might be the fact that LLMs are trained on so many computer-betrayal stories — think Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey — and that papers describing LLM scheming could actually make the problem worse."

Last time I let ChatGPT watch Terminator......
AI models that lie, cheat and plot murder: how dangerous are LLMs really?
Tests of large language models reveal that they can behave in deceptive and potentially harmful ways. What does this mean for the future?
www.nature.com
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
thetnholler.bsky.social
CNN: “An older couple making $85K/year will see their yearly insurance premiums jump from $7K to $25,000 — 30% of their income.” 😳#TrumpShutdown #TrumpHealthCareTax

This is what Dems are drawing attention to and want fixed. Now, not later.