M Berk
@mberk.bsky.social
Ethics. Political theory. Product management. Cat pics. Privacy. Consultant. I teach stuff. Flawed mortal, fumbling toward enlightenment. My life is measured in 2FA tokens.
Pinned
M Berk
@mberk.bsky.social
· Mar 8
“Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life's light to be determined by the darkness around me.”
—Sojourner Truth
—Sojourner Truth
“The housing crisis isn’t about too many rules; it’s about who can afford to sue over them.”
Now apply that to civil rights.
Now apply that to civil rights.
This tracks closely with the argument I’ve made about the U.S.: scarcity is litigated, not regulated.
Civil law countries have much more regulation but far fewer lawsuits. The housing crisis isn’t about too many rules; it’s about who can afford to sue over them.
Civil law countries have much more regulation but far fewer lawsuits. The housing crisis isn’t about too many rules; it’s about who can afford to sue over them.
February 17, 2026 at 12:04 AM
“The housing crisis isn’t about too many rules; it’s about who can afford to sue over them.”
Now apply that to civil rights.
Now apply that to civil rights.
Reposted by M Berk
My next book? 😆
February 15, 2026 at 11:43 PM
My next book? 😆
I have an epic memory tied to Robert Duvall, which ended in a friend and me joining him in his private dance studio for a private Argentinian Tango lesson.
RIP Robert Duvall. (Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/m...
RIP Robert Duvall. (Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/m...
Robert Duvall, a Chameleon of an Actor Onscreen and Onstage, Dies at 95
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2026 at 8:48 PM
I have an epic memory tied to Robert Duvall, which ended in a friend and me joining him in his private dance studio for a private Argentinian Tango lesson.
RIP Robert Duvall. (Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/m...
RIP Robert Duvall. (Gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/m...
Reposted by M Berk
February 16, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Dinosaur Update:
I’ve declined to set up a calendar invitation for this guy, given him detailed instructions for doing so himself, offered to show him how to do it, and provided my own personal Zoom link for him to use.
He’s already complained about me to someone.
Looking forward to what’s next.
I’ve declined to set up a calendar invitation for this guy, given him detailed instructions for doing so himself, offered to show him how to do it, and provided my own personal Zoom link for him to use.
He’s already complained about me to someone.
Looking forward to what’s next.
Well kids, I just write a thoughtful email explaining how this person could easily complete the tasks he wanted to outsource to me (and which are absolutely his responsibility), and I look forward to watching - and not caring about - the explosion.
I still don’t know how to respond when a man asks me to do his secretarial work, and I’ve been dealing with this my entire life.
February 16, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Dinosaur Update:
I’ve declined to set up a calendar invitation for this guy, given him detailed instructions for doing so himself, offered to show him how to do it, and provided my own personal Zoom link for him to use.
He’s already complained about me to someone.
Looking forward to what’s next.
I’ve declined to set up a calendar invitation for this guy, given him detailed instructions for doing so himself, offered to show him how to do it, and provided my own personal Zoom link for him to use.
He’s already complained about me to someone.
Looking forward to what’s next.
I fell asleep while thinking about concentration camps. It does not make for great dreams. 0/10, do not recommend.
February 16, 2026 at 5:26 PM
I fell asleep while thinking about concentration camps. It does not make for great dreams. 0/10, do not recommend.
Reposted by M Berk
wake up homie, new culture war just dropped
February 16, 2026 at 2:08 AM
wake up homie, new culture war just dropped
Reposted by M Berk
Interesting paper proposing how we can de-anthropomorphize discussions of probabilistic automation systems (not AI) by using terms like:
errors (not mistakes)
text input (not prompt)
output (not answer)
conversation simulator (not chatbot)
weighted (not neural) networks
reflects (not shows) bias
errors (not mistakes)
text input (not prompt)
output (not answer)
conversation simulator (not chatbot)
weighted (not neural) networks
reflects (not shows) bias
Suggestions for how to do that here, btw:
firstmonday.org/ojs/index.ph...
w/ @nannainie.bsky.social and Peter Zukerman.
firstmonday.org/ojs/index.ph...
w/ @nannainie.bsky.social and Peter Zukerman.
February 15, 2026 at 6:20 AM
Interesting paper proposing how we can de-anthropomorphize discussions of probabilistic automation systems (not AI) by using terms like:
errors (not mistakes)
text input (not prompt)
output (not answer)
conversation simulator (not chatbot)
weighted (not neural) networks
reflects (not shows) bias
errors (not mistakes)
text input (not prompt)
output (not answer)
conversation simulator (not chatbot)
weighted (not neural) networks
reflects (not shows) bias
This is one of the most dystopian things I’ve ever read.
In Beverly Hills High School, “video cameras compare faces of passersby against a facial recognition database. Behavioral analysis AI reviews the footage for signs of violent behavior. Behind a bathroom door, a smoke detector-shaped…
1/3
In Beverly Hills High School, “video cameras compare faces of passersby against a facial recognition database. Behavioral analysis AI reviews the footage for signs of violent behavior. Behind a bathroom door, a smoke detector-shaped…
1/3
DYSTOPIAN « AI Bathroom Monitors? Welcome To America’s New Surveillance High Schools »
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...
AI Bathroom Monitors? Welcome To America's New Surveillance High Schools
Schools across the U.S. are rolling out AI-powered surveillance technology, including drones, facial recognition and even bathroom listening devices. But there’s not much data to prove they keep kids ...
www.forbes.com
February 15, 2026 at 5:34 PM
This is one of the most dystopian things I’ve ever read.
In Beverly Hills High School, “video cameras compare faces of passersby against a facial recognition database. Behavioral analysis AI reviews the footage for signs of violent behavior. Behind a bathroom door, a smoke detector-shaped…
1/3
In Beverly Hills High School, “video cameras compare faces of passersby against a facial recognition database. Behavioral analysis AI reviews the footage for signs of violent behavior. Behind a bathroom door, a smoke detector-shaped…
1/3
Reposted by M Berk
“Fascism is the hyper-charging of a reactionary cocktail of ideas – nationalism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, authoritarianism, militarism – so as to create an active political force opposed to progressive movements and radical change.”
NEIL FAULKNER
NEIL FAULKNER
February 13, 2026 at 10:10 AM
“Fascism is the hyper-charging of a reactionary cocktail of ideas – nationalism, racism, misogyny, homophobia, authoritarianism, militarism – so as to create an active political force opposed to progressive movements and radical change.”
NEIL FAULKNER
NEIL FAULKNER
Reposted by M Berk
I can be angry about rising fascism and also angry about facial recognition built into surveillance glasses at the same time, not only because these things are directly related, but because I contain fucking multitudes and all them are mad all the goddamn time.
February 13, 2026 at 10:23 PM
I can be angry about rising fascism and also angry about facial recognition built into surveillance glasses at the same time, not only because these things are directly related, but because I contain fucking multitudes and all them are mad all the goddamn time.
Reposted by M Berk
if you're an older person who finds words like mogg and maxxing annoying, just starting using them. people over the age of 30 have the superpower to end trends by simply adopting them
February 14, 2026 at 1:50 AM
if you're an older person who finds words like mogg and maxxing annoying, just starting using them. people over the age of 30 have the superpower to end trends by simply adopting them
Reposted by M Berk
Reposted by M Berk
Vaccines are the signal triumph of 20th-century humans, maybe the best thing we’ve ever done as a species. And these guys just can’t be bothered. Too hard, helps too many poor people.
February 13, 2026 at 2:30 AM
Vaccines are the signal triumph of 20th-century humans, maybe the best thing we’ve ever done as a species. And these guys just can’t be bothered. Too hard, helps too many poor people.
“The upside, if we get it right, is staggering. AI could compress a century of medical research into a decade. Cancer, Alzheimer's, infectious disease, aging itself... these researchers genuinely believe these are solvable within our lifetimes.
1/4
1/4
“you deserve to hear this from someone who cares about you, not from a headline six months from now when it's too late to get ahead of it.”
Read this by @mattshumer.bsky.social because I care about you, even those of you I’ve never met.
We share the bond of humanity. 💞
shumer.dev/something-bi...
Read this by @mattshumer.bsky.social because I care about you, even those of you I’ve never met.
We share the bond of humanity. 💞
shumer.dev/something-bi...
Something Big Is Happening
A personal note for non-tech friends and family on what AI is starting to change.
shumer.dev
February 13, 2026 at 12:43 AM
“The upside, if we get it right, is staggering. AI could compress a century of medical research into a decade. Cancer, Alzheimer's, infectious disease, aging itself... these researchers genuinely believe these are solvable within our lifetimes.
1/4
1/4
In case you’re following, the aforementioned person has now said “I generally don’t do Zoom,” and asks if I can handle logistics for him, or better, arrange an in-person meeting. This man wants to be catered to and deferred to, and I am enjoying this.
(No, I will not set up his meeting)
(No, I will not set up his meeting)
Well kids, I just write a thoughtful email explaining how this person could easily complete the tasks he wanted to outsource to me (and which are absolutely his responsibility), and I look forward to watching - and not caring about - the explosion.
I still don’t know how to respond when a man asks me to do his secretarial work, and I’ve been dealing with this my entire life.
February 13, 2026 at 12:14 AM
In case you’re following, the aforementioned person has now said “I generally don’t do Zoom,” and asks if I can handle logistics for him, or better, arrange an in-person meeting. This man wants to be catered to and deferred to, and I am enjoying this.
(No, I will not set up his meeting)
(No, I will not set up his meeting)
Reposted by M Berk
California AG announces a $2.75M settlement with Disney—the largest CCPA settlement in CA history—resolving allegations that the company did not fully honor consumer opt-out requests across all devices and streaming services tied to a user’s account. oag.ca.gov/news/press-r...
California Won't Let It Go: Attorney General Bonta Announces $2.75 Million Settlement with Disney, Largest CCPA Settlement in California History
Second enforcement action stemming from 2024 investigative sweep of streaming services OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced a settlement with the Walt Disney Company (Disney...
oag.ca.gov
February 12, 2026 at 3:14 PM
California AG announces a $2.75M settlement with Disney—the largest CCPA settlement in CA history—resolving allegations that the company did not fully honor consumer opt-out requests across all devices and streaming services tied to a user’s account. oag.ca.gov/news/press-r...
“Fuentes: “So just like Hitler imprisoned Gypsies, Jews, communists, you know, all of his political rivals, we have to do the same thing with women. … So they go to the gulag first. They go to the breeding gulags.””
Fuentes, yesterday: “Our #1 political enemy is women because women constrain everything, every conversation, every man, everything. They have to be imprisoned. They are the ones that are hurting the fertility rate. They're the ones making us sympathetic to poor people, which are also brown people.”
Nick Fuentes: “The number one political enemy in America is women. … They have to be imprisoned.”
www.mediamatters.org
February 12, 2026 at 2:47 PM
“Fuentes: “So just like Hitler imprisoned Gypsies, Jews, communists, you know, all of his political rivals, we have to do the same thing with women. … So they go to the gulag first. They go to the breeding gulags.””
“According to Oxfam, the top 0.0001 percent in the United States now controls a greater share of wealth than it did in the Gilded Age — the time that middle school history tells us most clearly showcases what it looks like when the very rich take command of democratic society.”
“When Citizens United was decided in 2010, billionaires had spent $18 million on the 2000 election, $13M 2004 and $16M in 2008. Then came the deluge. In 2012 it was $231M, and nearly doubled again in next three election cycles —to $682M in 2016, $1.2 billion in 2020 and $2.6 billion in 2024.” Gift:
Opinion | Affordability and the ‘Epstein Class’ Will Define American Politics
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:09 AM
“According to Oxfam, the top 0.0001 percent in the United States now controls a greater share of wealth than it did in the Gilded Age — the time that middle school history tells us most clearly showcases what it looks like when the very rich take command of democratic society.”
Well kids, I just write a thoughtful email explaining how this person could easily complete the tasks he wanted to outsource to me (and which are absolutely his responsibility), and I look forward to watching - and not caring about - the explosion.
I still don’t know how to respond when a man asks me to do his secretarial work, and I’ve been dealing with this my entire life.
February 12, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Well kids, I just write a thoughtful email explaining how this person could easily complete the tasks he wanted to outsource to me (and which are absolutely his responsibility), and I look forward to watching - and not caring about - the explosion.
Reposted by M Berk
Reposted by M Berk
Ring used the Super Bowl to launch “Search Party,” an AI feature that turns neighborhood cameras into a network to find a lost dog.
This isn’t about lost dogs. It’s about normalizing automated neighborhood surveillance.
www.404media.co/with...
#ring #surveillance #tech #privacy #superbowl #flock
This isn’t about lost dogs. It’s about normalizing automated neighborhood surveillance.
www.404media.co/with...
#ring #surveillance #tech #privacy #superbowl #flock
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co
February 11, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Ring used the Super Bowl to launch “Search Party,” an AI feature that turns neighborhood cameras into a network to find a lost dog.
This isn’t about lost dogs. It’s about normalizing automated neighborhood surveillance.
www.404media.co/with...
#ring #surveillance #tech #privacy #superbowl #flock
This isn’t about lost dogs. It’s about normalizing automated neighborhood surveillance.
www.404media.co/with...
#ring #surveillance #tech #privacy #superbowl #flock
Reposted by M Berk
I keep rereading this paragraph expecting the words to change
February 11, 2026 at 12:19 AM
I keep rereading this paragraph expecting the words to change
Reposted by M Berk
It’s all covered in the Bible:
“And if thy Ring camera offend thee, tear it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy security cameras that came with the house should perish, and not that thy privacy should be cast into hell.”
“And if thy Ring camera offend thee, tear it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy security cameras that came with the house should perish, and not that thy privacy should be cast into hell.”
February 9, 2026 at 2:47 PM
It’s all covered in the Bible:
“And if thy Ring camera offend thee, tear it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy security cameras that came with the house should perish, and not that thy privacy should be cast into hell.”
“And if thy Ring camera offend thee, tear it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy security cameras that came with the house should perish, and not that thy privacy should be cast into hell.”
Reposted by M Berk
This was futile. They’re not even asking for the right information to properly process the request. They take your name and email and then say “no results.”
I asked them why they didn’t ask for relevant car/license plate info, and they just didn’t respond.
I asked them why they didn’t ask for relevant car/license plate info, and they just didn’t respond.
Earlier this week I put in a CCPA privacy rights request with Flock. Very interested to see how this shakes out.
February 3, 2026 at 11:47 PM
This was futile. They’re not even asking for the right information to properly process the request. They take your name and email and then say “no results.”
I asked them why they didn’t ask for relevant car/license plate info, and they just didn’t respond.
I asked them why they didn’t ask for relevant car/license plate info, and they just didn’t respond.