Doctora Malka Older
@older.bsky.social
nerd with narrative disorder • humanitarian • sociopunk • evidence-based creativity • speculative resistance • predictive fictions • INFOMOCRACY • THE MIMICKING OF KNOWN SUCCESSES • …AND OTHER DISASTERS • GlobalVoices.org • ASU-CSI • opinions my own
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
What a superb owl! Perky pre-Colombian finial.
February 8, 2026 at 11:04 PM
What a superb owl! Perky pre-Colombian finial.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
February 7, 2026 at 5:01 AM
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Knowing which problems are common or uncommon itself requires significant domain knowledge
i feel compelled to remind everyone that chatgpt/LLMs are functionally the *opposite* of an actual expert.
the more your problems are unusual or novel, the more likely LLMS are to be wrong. they are least helpful when it's most important
the more your problems are unusual or novel, the more likely LLMS are to be wrong. they are least helpful when it's most important
February 8, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Knowing which problems are common or uncommon itself requires significant domain knowledge
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
The thing about LLMs is that answers that are correct and answers that are wildly wrong are presented with *exactly the same level of confidence*
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
February 8, 2026 at 10:58 PM
The thing about LLMs is that answers that are correct and answers that are wildly wrong are presented with *exactly the same level of confidence*
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
If you're informed enough to know the difference you don't need the answer
If you aren't you can't trust what you get
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
And they aren't all crowing about it on social media, so let's not assume that all the people in hats and buttons passing out whistles are doing nothing else. People - "wine moms," "knitters," who else do you think has ready access to breast milk? - are working behind the scenes for good.
A detail I don't want to get lost in this: So far, Bri and her network have helped more than 500 families with grocery deliveries and more than 300 with diapers and wipes. In just two months.
In Minneapolis, for every story detailing the fallout of the federal crackdown, there are as many stories of people like Bri, a mom donating breastmilk for babies whose mothers are detained by ICE.
Bri's story:
19thnews.org/2026/02/minn...
Bri's story:
19thnews.org/2026/02/minn...
February 8, 2026 at 10:33 PM
And they aren't all crowing about it on social media, so let's not assume that all the people in hats and buttons passing out whistles are doing nothing else. People - "wine moms," "knitters," who else do you think has ready access to breast milk? - are working behind the scenes for good.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
A couple of Eastern Bluebirds overwintering here in Michigan. A female is in the foreground with a male tucked into the branches in the background.
February 8, 2026 at 10:13 PM
A couple of Eastern Bluebirds overwintering here in Michigan. A female is in the foreground with a male tucked into the branches in the background.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
around portland in the blessed rain don't be bringing that sunshine around
February 8, 2026 at 10:14 PM
around portland in the blessed rain don't be bringing that sunshine around
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
From Mrs Tiggy-Winkle to Sonic the Hedgehog
We love hedgehogs 🦔 in fiction — but in real life they’re disappearing fast & they’re now vulnerable to extinction. #HedgehogWalk
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
We love hedgehogs 🦔 in fiction — but in real life they’re disappearing fast & they’re now vulnerable to extinction. #HedgehogWalk
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
February 8, 2026 at 10:15 PM
From Mrs Tiggy-Winkle to Sonic the Hedgehog
We love hedgehogs 🦔 in fiction — but in real life they’re disappearing fast & they’re now vulnerable to extinction. #HedgehogWalk
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
We love hedgehogs 🦔 in fiction — but in real life they’re disappearing fast & they’re now vulnerable to extinction. #HedgehogWalk
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
The music museum in Barcelona is cheap, undervisited and absolutely top tier. Here, have a reminder that dorky guitar nerds have existed about as long as the guitar has
February 8, 2026 at 12:25 PM
The music museum in Barcelona is cheap, undervisited and absolutely top tier. Here, have a reminder that dorky guitar nerds have existed about as long as the guitar has
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Y'all, we did it. 💕 This crew of chaotic nerds has sent half a million whistles to people requesting them, for free. With your help!
Need whistles?
linktr.ee/3Dwhistles
Need whistles?
linktr.ee/3Dwhistles
February 8, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Y'all, we did it. 💕 This crew of chaotic nerds has sent half a million whistles to people requesting them, for free. With your help!
Need whistles?
linktr.ee/3Dwhistles
Need whistles?
linktr.ee/3Dwhistles
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
first rule of whistle goblin club is that you just keep talking about giving away whistles
Today the crew of weirdo printers that I call the whistle goblins passed A HALF MILLION whistles printed and shipped. I wrote about how we got there and how you can start printing whistles yourself. dansinker.com/posts/2026-0...
Whistle Up 2: Rise of the Whistle Goblins | dansinker.com
dansinker.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:04 PM
first rule of whistle goblin club is that you just keep talking about giving away whistles
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
You might 'win the race' of getting a book out if you write with Ai (or use a ghostwriter, for that matter), but you're damaging your credibility and potentially damaging the market you want to sell in. You'll lose in the end.
Because someone writing their own book...
Because someone writing their own book...
February 8, 2026 at 10:03 PM
You might 'win the race' of getting a book out if you write with Ai (or use a ghostwriter, for that matter), but you're damaging your credibility and potentially damaging the market you want to sell in. You'll lose in the end.
Because someone writing their own book...
Because someone writing their own book...
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
One of my (many) little soap boxes is the concept of winning the hand but losing the game.
It's easy to get so focused on 'winning' one particular thing that you fail to realise that, in doing so, you're wrecking the bigger picture.
Ai writing is a classic example of this.
It's easy to get so focused on 'winning' one particular thing that you fail to realise that, in doing so, you're wrecking the bigger picture.
Ai writing is a classic example of this.
February 8, 2026 at 10:03 PM
One of my (many) little soap boxes is the concept of winning the hand but losing the game.
It's easy to get so focused on 'winning' one particular thing that you fail to realise that, in doing so, you're wrecking the bigger picture.
Ai writing is a classic example of this.
It's easy to get so focused on 'winning' one particular thing that you fail to realise that, in doing so, you're wrecking the bigger picture.
Ai writing is a classic example of this.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
2/2 Guercino selfie, 1635. He was born OTD in 1591, but his day got eaten up by Mary Queen of Scots, poor he.
February 8, 2026 at 9:52 PM
2/2 Guercino selfie, 1635. He was born OTD in 1591, but his day got eaten up by Mary Queen of Scots, poor he.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Portrait of Guercino, his mother Elena Ghisellini, black cat, and their totally A+ Lagotto Romagnolo dog. Here we also see his troubled eye from which he got his nickname. Today is his birthday.
February 8, 2026 at 9:24 PM
Portrait of Guercino, his mother Elena Ghisellini, black cat, and their totally A+ Lagotto Romagnolo dog. Here we also see his troubled eye from which he got his nickname. Today is his birthday.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show will be interpreted by Celimar Rivera Cosme into Puerto Rican Sign Language, a unique dialect used on the island that academic researchers and other experts consider endangered.
Bad Bunny’s Sign Language Interpreter Will Make Super Bowl History, Too
Puerto Rican Sign Language is not the same as American Sign Language. Celimar Rivera Cosme will uniquely capture the rapper’s slang for the game’s deaf viewers.
trib.al
February 8, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show will be interpreted by Celimar Rivera Cosme into Puerto Rican Sign Language, a unique dialect used on the island that academic researchers and other experts consider endangered.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Something that Cosme shows in her interview for this article is that high quality interpretation is only possible when the interpreter has a rich and nuanced understanding of the cultural context. She lived the experiences Bad Bunny is singing about and that is not something you can learn in school.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show will be interpreted by Celimar Rivera Cosme into Puerto Rican Sign Language, a unique dialect used on the island that academic researchers and other experts consider endangered.
Bad Bunny’s Sign Language Interpreter Will Make Super Bowl History, Too
Puerto Rican Sign Language is not the same as American Sign Language. Celimar Rivera Cosme will uniquely capture the rapper’s slang for the game’s deaf viewers.
trib.al
February 8, 2026 at 9:52 PM
Something that Cosme shows in her interview for this article is that high quality interpretation is only possible when the interpreter has a rich and nuanced understanding of the cultural context. She lived the experiences Bad Bunny is singing about and that is not something you can learn in school.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Hey so just wondering if we’ve considered having an economy that *isn’t* almost entirely based around deranged hype-fueled grifts, that’s the only economy I’ve ever experienced but I feel like there’s gotta be a better option
February 8, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Hey so just wondering if we’ve considered having an economy that *isn’t* almost entirely based around deranged hype-fueled grifts, that’s the only economy I’ve ever experienced but I feel like there’s gotta be a better option
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
I can't pay for every publication under the sun, so I haven't read this article. I hope it notes that these tactics are also a product of our violent, racist policing system. You don't get ICE without impunity for decades upon decades of police killings/deaths in custody. They're foundational.
As ICE and Border Patrol grow more integrated, aggressive practices shaped by decades of border enforcement are showing up in US cities.
ICE’s Aggressive Urban Tactics Were Forged Along the Southern Border
The convergence of two historically distinct agencies is redefining how immigration law is enforced inside the US.
bloom.bg
February 8, 2026 at 9:49 PM
I can't pay for every publication under the sun, so I haven't read this article. I hope it notes that these tactics are also a product of our violent, racist policing system. You don't get ICE without impunity for decades upon decades of police killings/deaths in custody. They're foundational.
they're all good bunnies Tom
February 8, 2026 at 9:52 PM
they're all good bunnies Tom
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
I’m always anti-LLM but today especially…the last couple of days, been watching a brilliant, elderly SF writer and retired professor sharing fake-news slop-videos, believing they’re real, and refusing to believe his supporters who are trying to tell him they’re not.
February 8, 2026 at 9:49 PM
I’m always anti-LLM but today especially…the last couple of days, been watching a brilliant, elderly SF writer and retired professor sharing fake-news slop-videos, believing they’re real, and refusing to believe his supporters who are trying to tell him they’re not.
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
Iran : Narges Mohammadi, prix Nobel de la Paix, condamnée à sept années de prison supplémentaires
Iran : Narges Mohammadi, prix Nobel de la Paix, condamnée à sept années de prison supplémentaires
Les partisans de Narges Mohammadi, qui a reçu le prix Nobel de la paix en 2023, ont fait savoir qu'elle était en grève de la faim depuis le 2 février.
fr.euronews.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Iran : Narges Mohammadi, prix Nobel de la Paix, condamnée à sept années de prison supplémentaires
Reposted by Doctora Malka Older
I'm reading "We Will Rise Again," an anthology of resistance fiction curated by @older.bsky.social and others, and I find myself hoping for a similar volume of "it's hard but necessary work" stories about processing individual and collective guilt without narcissistically centering the guilty. 4/4🧵
February 8, 2026 at 4:03 PM
I'm reading "We Will Rise Again," an anthology of resistance fiction curated by @older.bsky.social and others, and I find myself hoping for a similar volume of "it's hard but necessary work" stories about processing individual and collective guilt without narcissistically centering the guilty. 4/4🧵