Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Luke Stark @lukestark.bsky.social · 3h

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𝕍∃, Cyber closed shell syndrome relief fund coordinator @vortexegg.com · 6h

I’ve been thinking for a bit that we’ve moved not only into a post-material perspective of the world, but also a post-informational one that privileges collective make-believe and imagining over any other mode of reality

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Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 6h

I also wonder if the habit many AI boosters (both professional and enthusiast) have developed of essentially dismissing the entire non-online world + information not legible to LLMs as *irrelevant and unimportant* is linked to this Excruciating Onlineness Uptick

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 6h

as soon as the pandemic social distancing hit, I predicted that this would ignite the most terminally online era in human history - and I do think I nailed that

William B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 10h

I think it’s because this is the first disruption that was paired with widespread, mature internet entertainment platforms. Some latent “hyper online” tendency got activated in lots of population where it was previously dormant.

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Bar Mageddon @barmageddon.bsky.social · 4h

image from the movie jaws showing a sweaty chief brody in the cockpit of a boat with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. text should say "we're gonna need a bigger boat" but the last part has a box over it so it says "we're gonna need a bigger nursing home"

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Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 4h

We could have replaced actual football games with AI players on a simulated field a LONG time ago - we could have pulled this off by simply televising people playing Madden even before that.

Imagine the money executives would save!

How mysterious that this never took off.

Peace, Truth, Science @mrchompchomp.bsky.social · 4h

Analogy: Imagine a robot could play really good golf. Would you watch? Maybe as a curiosity. Would you want it competing against humans? Ofc not. Now imagine the robot played good golf sometimes but sometimes threw all its clubs off a cliff. That’s gen AI doing art. Misses the point & also sucks.

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Mél Hogan / The Data Fix @melhogan.bsky.social · 4h

thenarwhal.ca/ai-data-cent...

What will the AI data centre boom mean for Canada? | The Narwhal

Sprawling AI data centres, like Kevin O’Leary’s plans for Wonder Valley in Alberta, are hungry for land, water and power

thenarwhal.ca

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Will Bunch @willbunch.bsky.social · 5h

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Luke Stark @lukestark.bsky.social · 6h

Sagan, Nunberg, Postman - they all called it. Farewell to the Information Age.

Mark Harris @markharris.bsky.social · 6h

This administration is a dull-minded, paranoid, gullible old man surrounded by twenty cranks, thousand-year-reich zealots, and single-issue lunatics, all with phones, running around saying, "Show him this! He'll like this! Make sure he sees this!"

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 9h

Besides linking Tylenol in pregnant women to autism, RFK Jr. now says circumcision is part of the reason why kids are autistic.

"Children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it's highly likely because they're given Tylenol. None of this is positive..."

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Josh Gondelman @joshgondelman.bsky.social · 12h

Whenever anyone says how much of the U.S. economy is tied to AI right now, I'm like...damn, what if a single rich person had any idea other than "try to zero out labor costs through theft."

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J.D. Connor @jdconnor.bsky.social · 9h

When I saw Godot with Aasif Mandvi and Rainn Wilson last year the couple next to me also squirmed through the first act and then left at intermission. Sam’s still got it

Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 1d

TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it

One Star Review of Waiting for Godot on Broadway
I recently attended Waiting for Godot on Broadway and spent over $1,400 for two Row C seats (103 and 104). I'm a longtime admirer of Broadway productions and even hold a season pass for Shea's Performing Arts Theatre, so I came in with genuine enthusiasm and high expectations. Unfortunately, this show was unlike anything ! have ever experienced —and not in a good way.
What I encountered was not the artistry, music, or emotional storytelling I usually associate with Broadway, but instead what felt like an endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness. I tried-truly tried-to find meaning, symbolism, or even a thread of emotional resonance. I stayed through the first half hoping the second would offer clarity. But by intermission, it was clear: this was a waste of both time and money.
Keanu Reeves is an actor I respect greatly, but I cannot fathom why he would agree to participate in such a disjointed, inaccessible production. His talent was lost in a performance that defied reason rather than provoked insight.
To anyone considering attending: unless you are drawn to highly abstract, nearly incomprehensible theater, I strongly caution you against this show. For the average, educated, thoughtful theatergoer, it is far more frustrating than fulfilling. In my opinion, this was the single most disappointing Broadway experience I've ever had - an unfortunate waste of money and, more importantly, of time.

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Lisa 🇨🇦 @peacewind.aero · 9h

CBC's Quirks & Quarks filmed their 50th Anniversary Episode of in front of a live audience at @perimeterinstitute.ca.

Guests include @feeding9billion.bsky.social, @astrokatie.com, @lukestark.bsky.social, Laura Tozer, Ana Luisa Trejos & @yvonnebombard.bsky.social.

Check it out!

CBC Radio Quirks & Quarks: 50th Anniversary Episode at Perimeter Institute

YouTube video by Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

www.youtube.com

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Sumita Pahwa @sumitapahwa.bsky.social · 9h

Research from Arab countries and democratization also suggests that a fair bit hinges on whether armies see themselves as national forces, accountable to the people, vs. the enemies of the people.

Judah Grunstein @judah-grunstein.bsky.social · 9h

"Rather than antagonize the servicemembers in their midst, citizens .. could instead seize this rare opportunity to bridge the civil-military divide with constructive, respectful, nonconfrontational conversations with them."

Sharing a gift link to this important one by @charlicarpenter.bsky.social.

The Value of Engaging With Troops Deployed to U.S. Cities

The recent deployments of servicemembers to U.S. cities give citizens a rare opportunity to bridge the civil-military divide.

www.worldpoliticsreview.com

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David William @nrvscrcts.bsky.social · 14h

"Education now risks becoming the next frontier: Starve the public system, watch it struggle, then present privatization as the solution. Alberta’s actions follow that script." #ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli

Opinion: Crisis capitalism comes for Alberta’s classrooms

When teachers are supported, students thrive, families prosper, and the province grows stronger.

edmontonjournal.com

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Dan Greene @dmgreene.bsky.social · 12h

Absolutely the case. It's a mass media phenomenon, just a different mass media from what everyone else likes (which angers them to no end). The titanic chintz of the megachurch is replicated in books, movies, tv, MLMs, camps, etc. The Bible is more a source of authority than a piece of the program.

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 14h

Based on the interviews I've done with conservative Evangelical moms, I'd say--a lot of them aren't engaging with the Bible directly. They're reading Evangelical self-help and parenting books like Your Best Life Now and Growing Kids God's Way that selectively interpret the Bible for them.

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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 1d

“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

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 14h

Generative AI, in both form and content, and whether looked on favourably or critically, seems to embody a collective hopelessness about the prospect of human learning and creativity, if not human knowledge altogether. It’s as if climate change had fans.

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 14h

It is also remarkable how far what is essentially advertising copy has penetrated into ostensibly neutral, scholarly contextualizations even of critical studies — rote invocations of AI’s “power,” “potential,” and ubiquity, untethered to any specific sources or data, are just background noise now.

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 14h

Imagine studying a technology whose presence in the classroom is so detrimental to the development of writing and research skills (including even the will to know the sources behind claims!) that mitigating its effects becomes a central goal of course design, and concluding with tips on adopting it.

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irina cerić @irinaceric.bsky.social · 1d

This is a really clear yet meaty interview with @mark-bray.bsky.social about the actual tactics and history of antifa movements. Will be sharing with students! www.cbc.ca/radio/frontb...

What exactly is Antifa? | CBC Radio

In late September, Donald Trump designated Antifa a domestic terror organization. Today, we’re tracking the meaning and history of antifascist protest — from 1930’s Europe, to today — and asking: how ...

www.cbc.ca

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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 15h

It cannot be made clearer.

If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.

JK Rowling pledges to keep up fight against SNP trans policies

Author vows to bankroll campaigners after Scottish government fails to pay group's legal fees in Supreme Court equality case

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WIRED @wired.com · 16h

The online trend takes a comedic approach to spreading anti-AI messaging, but some creators are using racist references to make their point. www.wired.com/story/the-ai...

The AI Slur ‘Clanker’ Has Become a Cover for Racist TikTok Skits

The online trend takes a comedic approach to spreading anti-AI messaging, but some creators are using racist references to make their point.

www.wired.com

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Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 7d

Since it resonated with the audience, I’ll recap my main argument against AGI here. ‘General intelligence’ is like phlogiston, or the aether. It’s an outmoded scientific concept that does not refer to anything real. Any explanatory work it did can be done better by a richer scientific frame. 1/3

Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 7d

This was a truly heartening day, with deeply thoughtful challenges to the dominant narrative framed around AGI, coming from across disciplines and perspectives. Felt like the tide might finally be turning a bit, at least among the scientific community. Thanks @royalsociety.org!

Anil Seth @anilseth.bsky.social · 8d

1/2 I'm looking forward to taking part in a panel on AGI and the Turing Test, tomorrow afternoon (Thurs 2nd Oct) at the @royalsociety.org, w/ Dame Wendy Hall, Shannon Vallor, William Isaac, & Sir Nigel Shadbolt. royalsociety.org/science-even...

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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 1d

Right. This is why we say what Trump and Vought are doing is lawless.

The Calvinball Supreme Court is acting lawlessly, but not always illegally. The Court violates long-held legal principles— rule of law, statute over executive action—even while it can declare them legal.

Adam Bonica @adambonica.bsky.social · 1d

This is why Dems’ legalistic framing—like at Bondi’s hearings—can feel so inadequate. “Show me the statute” is a trap when SCOTUS can rewrite law. More effective opposition comes through the language of morality and documented harm—not legal claims that can be swept away with a 6-3 vote.

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Zach Halper @zanath.bsky.social · 1d

"We took freedom of speech away" should be in every campaign ad moving forward.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 1d

TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it

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