Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Rachel Vorona Cote @rvoronacote.bsky.social · 38m

An actual opposition party sure would be useful at a time like this

Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 11h

NEW: @CDCgov hit hard by massive firings that several staff describe to me as a “bloodbath.”
Among those RIFd:
—leadership of the center for immunization and respiratory diseases;
—leadership of global health center
—leadership of the measles outbreak response; 1/4

3 41 190

Reposted by Sean Mannion

kat, ghost of helenruthsghost @chaoskat.bsky.social · 1h

Salvation Army seen feeding ICE today. For anyone who doesn't already know about their bigotry, here is more, No need to give them your money this Christmas, or ever.

unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 2h

It’s dinner time for the police. Appears to be pizza from a Salvation Army van.

Broadview’s “free speech” curfew starts soon, at 6pm.

2 850 1.5K

Sean Mannion @unclesean.bsky.social · 3h

I love Tron but I think its legacy was best summed up in the Treehouse of Horror Episode when Homer goes to the third dimension and asks if anyone has seen Tron. youtu.be/-3Mm8wDH9Fk?...

Did Anyone See The Movie Tron? (The Simpsons)

YouTube video by ThingsICantFindOtherwise

youtu.be

2

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 12h

"free speech zone" is such a bullshit phrase

according to the constitution, the entire country is a free speech zone

Miriam Posner @miriamposner.com · 1d

Found this just incredibly depressing, more than anything.

An easel sign reads, “UCLA
ATTENTION
No events are permitted in this area today. Per Policy 852, this location is NOT designated for public expression activities.
Individuals participating in an event or a public expression activity in this area are subject to discipline and/or arrest.
Scan for policy information.”

2 39 160

Reposted by Sean Mannion

The Pleasure Vice Principle (he/him/his) @hannibaltabu.bsky.social · 17h

I saw the dot coms crash from a front row seat. AI is running out of money way faster.

The evangelism is insecurity from people who made the wrong bet. I’ve seen it before. futurism.com/future-socie...

AI Data Centers Are an Even Bigger Disaster Than Previously Thought

An investment manager realized he made a crucial mistake — and that his grim prediction about AI investments may not have been cynical enough.

futurism.com

29 520 1.3K

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 12h

They're literally installing Racism Dial bsky.app/profile/numb...

Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · Jan 15

vox populi

Altman: thanks a lot for these! some common requests:

AGI (a little patience please)
GPT-5
better voice mode
higher rate limits
better GPTs
better reasoning
control over degree of wokeness/behavior
video
personalization
better browsing
'sign in with openai
open source

Quoting:
what would you like openai to build/fix in 2024?

15 210 750

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 12h

hi consumer-facing “A.i.” is a tool for racist, fascist propaganda - ban it from you lives!

Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 12h

They're literally installing Racism Dial bsky.app/profile/numb...

Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · Jan 15

vox populi

3 57 250

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 23h

disgusting

TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 23h

Though Benioff's shift mirrors Silicon Valley's broader accommodation of Trump, the exchange offered a rare glimpse of just how far that repositioning can go. The question now: will other Bay Area tech CEOs follow Benioff's lead and call for federal troops in their own backyard?

Salesforce CEO says National Guard should patrol San Francisco -- stunning his own PR team | TechCrunch

Though Benioff's shift mirrors Silicon Valley's broader accommodation of Trump, the exchange offered a rare glimpse of just how far that repositioning can go. The question now: will other Bay Area tech CEOs follow Benioff's lead and call for federal troops in their own backyard?

techcrunch.com

4 18 80

Reposted by Sean Mannion

👋🏻I’m working on follow backs😊 @beaches1.bsky.social · 11d

27 120 240

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 1d

Here's the full memo.

210 180 960

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Adam Mallinger @bitterscriptreader.bsky.social · 1d

Every A.I. CEO is like “We invented a robot that can fuck your wife so you have more free time to mow the lawn!”

45 540 2.5K

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 2d

you'd think a prominent news outlet like the New York Times might mention that "antifa" isn't an actual organization in a long story about antifa, but nope!

and the subhead helps props up a false claim this professor was up to something seedy as something up for debate

NYT headline: "Rutgers Expert on Antifa Tries to Flee to Spain After Death Threats"

subheadline: "Mark Bray was teaching courses on antifascism. Turning Point USA accused him of belonging to antifa, which he denies. His flight to Spain was canceled abruptly on Wednesday night."

490 2.8K 11K

Reposted by Sean Mannion

A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 1d

I've noticed the opposing team's fans only cheer when the opponents score on us. To win those fans over, I recommend we score on ourselves repeatedly; that will surely make them so happy they'll start supporting us. And I'm sure all our fans will keep cheering for us—who else is there to cheer for?

34 1.2K 4.4K

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 1d

Picture how big the Hoover Dam is. An absolute unit. The Hoover Dam has a power capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW).

The solar farm that the Admin just cancelled could have produces 6.2 GW of power. That's more than 3 Hoover Dams.

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 1d

SCOOP: The Bureau of Land Management says the largest solar project in Nevada — the Esmeralda 7 mega-farm — has been canceled

The news was quietly dropped via a sudden website update with no public word from any of the companies involved or a statement from the agency

@heatmap.news

Esmeralda 7 Solar Project Has Been Canceled, BLM Says

It would have delivered a gargantuan 6.2 gigawatts of power.

heatmap.news

130 2.3K 4.5K

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Kickstarter United @kickstarterunited.org · 9d

‼️🚨KICKSTARTER WORKERS ARE ON STRIKE🚨‼️

As of 8am this morning, the workers of Kickstarter United/OPEIU Local 153 are on strike.

WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR A BOYCOTT! Creators and allies, please continue using and supporting the platform.

Kickstarter United is on strike!
We are not asking for a boycott! Creators & Allies: Please continue to support & use the platform
swipe for ways to show your solidarity

Why We're Striking
A codified 4-day work week.
We simply want to protect the way we've been working for over 3.5 years. The 4dww has proven benefits, such as increased productivity and improved employee satisfaction. It's part of what makes Kickstarter a special, innovative place to work.
Fair pay for our lowest-paid workers.
We're fighting for livable minimum salaries for roles that are undervalued by the market but crucial to keeping Kickstarter running. We believe none of our workers should struggle to make ends meet.

9 920 1.1K

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Greg Pak @gregpak.net · 2d

Ban this anti-human tech from your life.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 3d

“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

1 73 330

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 3d

One of the most perverse ideas on the anti-trans side is that trans people are instantly affirmed and celebrated by everyone when they come out and that acceptance is driving a social contagion.

It's the ultimate form of gaslighting against our community.

www.erininthemorning.com/p/pew-survey...

Pew Survey: Only 31% Of Trans People Report Being Accepted By Their Parents

The survey comes as transgender people experience a legal assault from the far-right in the United States.

www.erininthemorning.com

20 280 1.2K

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Evan Dorkin @evandorkin.bsky.social · 3d

Jim Lee openly disparaging AI in no way guarantees anything, no one knows what the future of AI is and no one knows who will be in charge at DC Comics down the line. But I think it's important that a popular artist publicly shot AI down. Fans and artists ignorant of or using AI need to hear this.

6 260 980

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 2d

If you live in NYC and you would like to plug into public library organizing, you can join NYC Public Library Action Network @nycplan.org. Information is here: nycplan.org

We're kicking off a City Council focused campaign this month so it's a good time to join in and do some work.

NYC Public Library Action Network

Join NYC PLAN at our upcoming Public Library People’s Assembly It will be held at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on the Upper West Side on Saturday, October 4th from 12:45pm-4:30pm.

nycplan.org

3 44 72

Sean Mannion @unclesean.bsky.social · 2d

That’s for people who don’t work in AI garbage. Those people are just grifters.

Sean Mannion @unclesean.bsky.social · 2d

I guarantee one of three things is true of anyone claiming AI in the arts is “inevitable” and we should “embrace it”:

1) They just got a big check from an AI company.

2) They are heavily invested in AI companies.

3) Options 1 or 2 applies to one of their gurus/consultants who has their ear

1 1

Sean Mannion @unclesean.bsky.social · 2d

This dumbass attitude towards the audience says two things to me:
1) Explains why so many Blumhouse productions feel like they’re half-baked/missing part of act two.

2) Blum doesn’t know the audience because the horror community he built his brand on has been raging against CGI for two plus decades

Culture Crave 🍿 @culturecrave.co · 3d

Jason Blum says Hollywood should 'embrace AI' and viewers 'don't care if what they’re looking at is AI"

"it’s here to stay. It’s very important to use it ethically and legally, and for studios and guilds to protect the copyright of the artists"

(via Variety)

2

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Ashley Lynch ✂️🎞️ @ashleylynch.bsky.social · 2d

It's so depressing that all the people who are in the position of being able to be tastemakers are instead saying, "what if we just ceded all taste."

2 6 41

Reposted by Sean Mannion

Ashley Lynch ✂️🎞️ @ashleylynch.bsky.social · 2d

Saying audiences "don't care" is a such a sick burn on your entire filmography.

Culture Crave 🍿 @culturecrave.co · 3d

Jason Blum says Hollywood should 'embrace AI' and viewers 'don't care if what they’re looking at is AI"

"it’s here to stay. It’s very important to use it ethically and legally, and for studios and guilds to protect the copyright of the artists"

(via Variety)

6 26 100

Sean Mannion @unclesean.bsky.social · 2d

I dunno. It seems like a solid plan.