Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 16m

OK I've just seen it advertised that LLMs can be used to create coherent new artificial languages. But apart from helping write new fantasy novels or film scripts, what use is this? [I'm not @ing those involved in the posts because it's impolite and maybe I'm not seeing something I should].

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 31m

Why? Are you referring to the fact that now they have an independent source of defence because it's home grown? Or some technological breakthrough?

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 10h

Unless, that is, people understand the threat Farage poses, in which case the doom loop is broken. If they understood that now, of course, he would not be polling so well in the first place.

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 10h

UK is a highly uncertain prospect because Farage is polling so well, and his program is potentially so disruptive and damaging, and might even threaten our normal democratic politics. This is going to take its toll now, making it even more likely that Farage wins in 2029.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 10h

Talk up UK economy or risk Farage, Treasury tells business leaders on.ft.com/4nL962h

Talk up UK economy or risk Farage, Treasury tells business leaders

Rachel Reeves is pushing a positive narrative on Britain in the run-up to her November Budget

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Tony Yates

Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 11h

Hot new item. Flying off the shelves.

Silence 🇺🇦🇺🇸 @b-dogood.bsky.social · 13h

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 12h

Only one saucy reply - what a wholesome lot they are!

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 12h

Also we need a killjoys doomsayers starter pack

The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 15h

With the world being… gestures wildly at everything… one of the most important things we can still do is laugh - sometimes hysterically, sometimes just to stay sane.

So, with that in mind, I present to you:

People Who Make Me Laugh.

Let me know in the comments who rlse should be added.

🐻

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Reposted by Tony Yates

The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 15h

With the world being… gestures wildly at everything… one of the most important things we can still do is laugh - sometimes hysterically, sometimes just to stay sane.

So, with that in mind, I present to you:

People Who Make Me Laugh.

Let me know in the comments who rlse should be added.

🐻

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 13h

Should we do another letter Ken?

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 13h

That would be a huge change in the story. Previous story was they can 'make Brexit work'... no case for joining Single Market... This is very close to saying that Brexit can't work and that there is a case for joining the SM/CU.

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 13h

MIT reject the Trump compact restricting universities, a short time after Nobel laureates Dufflo and Banerjee announce they are leaving MIT for Zurich, presumably because of the overall threat to research funding and the US crisis in general.

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 14h

Bit of a schlepp to get the planes back to defend the home airspace isn't it? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

US says Qatar to build air force facility in Idaho

The facility in Idaho will be used to train Qatari pilots to fly F-15 fighter jets, the US defence secretary says.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Tony Yates

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 15h

“we are reneging on previous deals you’ve made with us until you make another deal with us” wow l can’t think of any reason this strategy ain’t working

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 15h

Is that a coincidence I was presuming it was

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Reposted by Tony Yates

Steve Randy Waldman @interfluidity.com · 15h

kind of fun that frog is now both a fascist-adjacent and antifascist-adjacent icon.

slippery little guy, that one!

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Reposted by Tony Yates

Rob Manuel @robmanuelyeah.bsky.social · 16h

Some people say, ok AI is 80% right and 20% hallucinations, and if you know that then you can work with it.

Out of curiosity I asked AI to summarise the last b3ta newsletter & every single bit of this, other than the title, isn't true. Not just a distortion, but absolutely untrue. Pure fantasy.

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 17h

Another reminder why it the value of giving concessions in pursuit of a deal is lower than you think. Time and again he feels the need to walk away, out of petulance or boredom.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 18h

Nasdaq down 2%.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 18h

Breaking news: Donald Trump warned that he was considering a 'massive increase' in tariffs on China and suggested he could cancel his planned summit with Xi Jinping as he lashed out at Beijing’s trade policy. on.ft.com/4nDpBNQ

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 17h

Seems like it has the potential to catch on. Also Trump's lot hate being ridiculed.

Elizabeth Picciuto @epicciuto.bsky.social · 18h

Blown away by how good an idea the costumes are. More shareable and fun than pics of a regular protest, and it’s immediately clear that the protestors are non-violent.

dr. caitlin m. green @caitlinmoriah.bsky.social · 1d

there are SO many more inflatable costumes tonight. clearly we have settled on a motif

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 17h

I had a go at watching the originals but too many people on here post spoilers. Got v annoying. Probably better off for it I guess.

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Reposted by Tony Yates

Elizabeth Picciuto @epicciuto.bsky.social · 18h

Blown away by how good an idea the costumes are. More shareable and fun than pics of a regular protest, and it’s immediately clear that the protestors are non-violent.

dr. caitlin m. green @caitlinmoriah.bsky.social · 1d

there are SO many more inflatable costumes tonight. clearly we have settled on a motif

Wide shot of many people in inflatable costumes

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Reposted by Tony Yates

John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18h

The perpetual puzzle of this lot is the Emperor's New Clothes thing that stops everyone in the audience going "Yeah, but that's mental isn't it?"

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 18h

Exclusive: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel warned that Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and critics of AI are “legionnaires of the Antichrist” in private lectures that connected government oversight of Silicon Valley to an apocalyptic future.

Inside billionaire Peter Thiel’s private lectures: Warnings of ‘the Antichrist’ and U.S. destruction

In leaked recordings of private lectures by tech billionaire Peter Thiel he argued that “the Antichrist” is likely to take the form of a critic of technology.

wapo.st

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 18h

Weird how in every context Trump sets aside the option of encouraging - through negotiation or incentives - the other party to do what you want [and not fire missiles on the homeland in this case].

Max Boot @maxboot.bsky.social · 8d

Trump claims Golden Dome will cost $175B, be built in 3 years and protect the US with a “success rate … very close to 100%.” CSIS found that Trump’s vision would actually cost $3.6 trillion over 20 years and still fall “short of creating a nearly impenetrable shield.” wapo.st/4pMJuDL

Opinion | Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ sounds the nuclear alarm

If a nuclear missile were headed toward the U.S. right now, how would the White House respond?

wapo.st

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 23h

I bet she also does phone calls on top of this

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 23h

Everything he says worth paying heed to has been said before less glibly, and everything that hasn’t isn’t worth reading… except to participate in the JG discourse.

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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 23h

This is a bit harsh on Yes Minister tbh

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