Jeff Sharlet
@jeffsharlet.bsky.social
I wrote a book about now, THE UNDERTOW: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, & 2 about how we got here, THE FAMILY & C ST, also a Netflix series. Also THIS BRILLIANT DARKNESS & SWEET HEAVEN WHEN I DIE. Professing @ Dartmouth. That's not my cat.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
This is completely fucked but good news: The writer of the column put his email at the bottom.
“We plan to hire an AI rewrite specialist to ingest the reporting by Hannah and others and use AI to convert it into stories.”
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
February 16, 2026 at 5:22 PM
This is completely fucked but good news: The writer of the column put his email at the bottom.
I live in the sparsely populated upper valley of VT & NH. Hanover, NH, w/ 10 k & Dartmouth College, is as close as we get to a city. But there's a little cold regions research hub across from our middle school. Recently, they discovered 26 new species of life... www.miamiherald.com/living/artic...
These Ancient Microbes Survived the Ice Age — Now the U.S. Military Wants Their Secrets
Scientists revived new species frozen for 40,000 years — and the U.S. military believes their survival secrets could protect troops in extreme cold.
www.miamiherald.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:53 PM
I live in the sparsely populated upper valley of VT & NH. Hanover, NH, w/ 10 k & Dartmouth College, is as close as we get to a city. But there's a little cold regions research hub across from our middle school. Recently, they discovered 26 new species of life... www.miamiherald.com/living/artic...
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
“We plan to hire an AI rewrite specialist to ingest the reporting by Hannah and others and use AI to convert it into stories.”
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
February 16, 2026 at 12:13 PM
“We plan to hire an AI rewrite specialist to ingest the reporting by Hannah and others and use AI to convert it into stories.”
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Hey, journalist friends: The Maine Monitor is hiring an environment reporter! The position can be remote, but you must be based in Maine.
Environment Reporter
The Maine Monitor is seeking a reporter to cover environmental issues and policies in Maine as part of our nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization.
themainemonitor.org
February 15, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Hey, journalist friends: The Maine Monitor is hiring an environment reporter! The position can be remote, but you must be based in Maine.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
“.. The youngest was 27 years old; the oldest was 90 and had dementia. Some were homeless. Some died with drugs or alcohol in their system. All found themselves at the bitter mercy of the cold.”
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
February 15, 2026 at 2:25 PM
“.. The youngest was 27 years old; the oldest was 90 and had dementia. Some were homeless. Some died with drugs or alcohol in their system. All found themselves at the bitter mercy of the cold.”
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
North Carolina lawmakers have voted to remove all college campus voting sites. Specifically at the largest HBCU in the US NC A&T. They now have to walk 30 minutes to their nearest polling place. Students are protesting this - pls share and support.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
Even without an on-campus voting site, NCAT students still marched to the polls. 💙💛 Students at North Carolina A&T showed that barriers won’t stop their voices. When access isn’t easy, they organize. ...
TikTok video by HBCU Student Action Alliance
www.tiktok.com
February 14, 2026 at 1:55 PM
North Carolina lawmakers have voted to remove all college campus voting sites. Specifically at the largest HBCU in the US NC A&T. They now have to walk 30 minutes to their nearest polling place. Students are protesting this - pls share and support.
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
www.tiktok.com/t/ZThx29BJ9/
Shock around Rubio speech seems a variation of same delusion that led legacy media to inaccurately declare it a softer touch, as if Rubio, a Latino man who once disputed Trumpism, is an alternative voice. He’s not. He joined fascism; now he’s a fascist; he gave a fascist speech, because fascism.
February 15, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Shock around Rubio speech seems a variation of same delusion that led legacy media to inaccurately declare it a softer touch, as if Rubio, a Latino man who once disputed Trumpism, is an alternative voice. He’s not. He joined fascism; now he’s a fascist; he gave a fascist speech, because fascism.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Good morning!
February 15, 2026 at 11:34 AM
Good morning!
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Our story @chicagotribune.com: Chicago teen Ofelia Torres, whose father was detained by ICE while she fought cancer, dies. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/14/c...
February 15, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Our story @chicagotribune.com: Chicago teen Ofelia Torres, whose father was detained by ICE while she fought cancer, dies. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/14/c...
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Meta is putting a "Name Tag" feature in Ray-Bans - facial recognition through the glasses' camera. You look at someone, AI tells you who they are.
In an internal document, the company wrote that the timing is good because civil society groups are busy with politics and won't cause problems.
In an internal document, the company wrote that the timing is good because civil society groups are busy with politics and won't cause problems.
February 14, 2026 at 5:19 PM
Meta is putting a "Name Tag" feature in Ray-Bans - facial recognition through the glasses' camera. You look at someone, AI tells you who they are.
In an internal document, the company wrote that the timing is good because civil society groups are busy with politics and won't cause problems.
In an internal document, the company wrote that the timing is good because civil society groups are busy with politics and won't cause problems.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Universities buying into this shit under the guise of "equity" makes me SO angry
Equity for my students would be access to the databases and journals we've dropped subscriptions for. It'd be having a paid human to caption videos and make PDFs screen-reader compatible. Not this shit.
Equity for my students would be access to the databases and journals we've dropped subscriptions for. It'd be having a paid human to caption videos and make PDFs screen-reader compatible. Not this shit.
My employer, Univ. Colorado will pay OpenAI $2M/year under the banner of “equity”. That’s 54 full scholarships / year. Plus, our IT will be able to read our chatGPT logs, and our chats can be requested under public records law. No thanks. Surveillance is not equity
www.axios.com/local/boulde...
www.axios.com/local/boulde...
CU signs $2M OpenAI deal for ChatGPT access
Students and faculty will gain access to ChatGPT Edu starting in March under a three-year deal.
www.axios.com
February 14, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Universities buying into this shit under the guise of "equity" makes me SO angry
Equity for my students would be access to the databases and journals we've dropped subscriptions for. It'd be having a paid human to caption videos and make PDFs screen-reader compatible. Not this shit.
Equity for my students would be access to the databases and journals we've dropped subscriptions for. It'd be having a paid human to caption videos and make PDFs screen-reader compatible. Not this shit.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
My Trump-supporting cousin-in-law just texted my husband to say he encountered this Mother Jones on social media, read it, realized I wrote it, and told him to tell me I’m doing good work and to keep going.
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
ICE deportation flights are getting longer and crueler
A private equity–owned airline profits off Trump’s migrant crackdown.
www.motherjones.com
February 14, 2026 at 4:54 PM
My Trump-supporting cousin-in-law just texted my husband to say he encountered this Mother Jones on social media, read it, realized I wrote it, and told him to tell me I’m doing good work and to keep going.
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Things are changing, y’all.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
"An evening stroll with friends. I would so enjoy that." Ray MacKinnon's portrayal of Reverend Smith in season 1 of Deadwood moves me so fully. (I'm rewatching as a form of rest from the news, a slant rhyme for the present horrors that permits a perspective.)
February 14, 2026 at 12:06 AM
"An evening stroll with friends. I would so enjoy that." Ray MacKinnon's portrayal of Reverend Smith in season 1 of Deadwood moves me so fully. (I'm rewatching as a form of rest from the news, a slant rhyme for the present horrors that permits a perspective.)
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
And the young profs just getting started need to know that the comfort of administrators to reach down and set our assignments is a new thing and they better start pushing back now.
February 13, 2026 at 2:22 AM
And the young profs just getting started need to know that the comfort of administrators to reach down and set our assignments is a new thing and they better start pushing back now.
Today, I learned: Open AI fired its head of safety for objecting to porn -- no, wait, excuse me, for "discriminating against men"; Anthropic's head of safety quit to study the poetry his company hoovered up from the world's library; and Trump said to every stinking factory, smoke em if you got em.
February 13, 2026 at 1:36 AM
Today, I learned: Open AI fired its head of safety for objecting to porn -- no, wait, excuse me, for "discriminating against men"; Anthropic's head of safety quit to study the poetry his company hoovered up from the world's library; and Trump said to every stinking factory, smoke em if you got em.
Anthropic head of AI safety quits, warning of "world in peril" & announces plan to study creative writing, as my college charges ahead in deal with Anthropic, which trained its tech on at least 25 books taken without permission from our Creative Writing faculty. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Anthropic AI safety researcher quits with 'world in peril' warning
It comes in the same week an OpenAI researcher resigned amid concerns about its decision to start testing ChatGPT ads.
www.bbc.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Anthropic head of AI safety quits, warning of "world in peril" & announces plan to study creative writing, as my college charges ahead in deal with Anthropic, which trained its tech on at least 25 books taken without permission from our Creative Writing faculty. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Greetings from UW - Madison, where the two biggest initiatives of our university in the last four years have been <checks notes> an initiative to hire 50 faculty “innovators” in AI & the creation of <checks notes> a College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence 🤔
Glad to see a Columbia administrator speaking the plain sense about AI so many college leaders refuse to contend with. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/o...
Opinion | A.I. Companies Are Eating Higher Education
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Greetings from UW - Madison, where the two biggest initiatives of our university in the last four years have been <checks notes> an initiative to hire 50 faculty “innovators” in AI & the creation of <checks notes> a College of Computing & Artificial Intelligence 🤔
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Glad to see a Columbia administrator speaking the plain sense about AI so many college leaders refuse to contend with. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/o...
Opinion | A.I. Companies Are Eating Higher Education
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Glad to see a Columbia administrator speaking the plain sense about AI so many college leaders refuse to contend with. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/o...
It's not an exaggeration to say this will result in genocidal-scale death. And I don't mean in the distant, speculative future. Just the tens of thousands of pollution deaths in the relative near-term (Free link.) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Trump Administration Erases the Government’s Power to Fight Climate Change
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:50 PM
It's not an exaggeration to say this will result in genocidal-scale death. And I don't mean in the distant, speculative future. Just the tens of thousands of pollution deaths in the relative near-term (Free link.) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/c...
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
My apologies, Charles Darwin. I wasn’t familiar with your Hater Game
Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
February 12, 2026 at 10:18 PM
My apologies, Charles Darwin. I wasn’t familiar with your Hater Game
Direct parallel to denialism around fascism. Too many tell themselves “we’re winning”—as if acknowledging scale of fascism’s assault means submitting to it, or as if democracy is a pep rally. It’s a struggle, we’re not winning, but we can, so let’s fight harder—against the anti-human in govt & tech.
I understand why people are exhausted by AI hype, and why those of us squarely in the corner of "human dignity uber alles" see AI doomerism as self-serving hype, but I *really* think people on the left broadly need to start thinking seriously about the possibiltiy of the hype being...true.
February 11, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Direct parallel to denialism around fascism. Too many tell themselves “we’re winning”—as if acknowledging scale of fascism’s assault means submitting to it, or as if democracy is a pep rally. It’s a struggle, we’re not winning, but we can, so let’s fight harder—against the anti-human in govt & tech.
Reposted by Jeff Sharlet
Excellent @washingtonpost.com piece on the signs that global warming is accelerating by @shannonosaka.bsky.social and @johnmuyskens.bsky.social, featuring @hausfath.bsky.social @rarohde.bsky.social @cjsmith.eu
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
February 11, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Excellent @washingtonpost.com piece on the signs that global warming is accelerating by @shannonosaka.bsky.social and @johnmuyskens.bsky.social, featuring @hausfath.bsky.social @rarohde.bsky.social @cjsmith.eu
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Especially bad news for Atlantans, but also bad news for all of us and democracy. As more and more cities become increasingly unreported, ordinary corruption has an ever more open field into which to cohere into local authoritarianisms, rippling out and up.
Even more bad news for Atlanta local journalism: @atlpresscollective.com, which has extensively covered "Cop City", ICE, and Flock cameras, and a finalist for the @inn.org Insight Award for Visual Journalism, announced today that they have run out of cash to stay open beyond the end of March.
More bad news for Atlanta local journalism: Mariann Martin, Co-founder, Operations and Editorial Director of @canopyatl.bsky.social, announced her departure from the newsroom yesterday.
The award-winning nonprofit and Press Forward grantee has not published a single story since Dec. 2025.
The award-winning nonprofit and Press Forward grantee has not published a single story since Dec. 2025.
February 11, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Especially bad news for Atlantans, but also bad news for all of us and democracy. As more and more cities become increasingly unreported, ordinary corruption has an ever more open field into which to cohere into local authoritarianisms, rippling out and up.