Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 6d

Heehee

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 6d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 8d

Umm... That's not how copyright works

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 8d

Exclusive: OpenAI is planning to release a new version of its Sora video generator, which creates videos featuring copyrighted material unless copyright holders opt out of having their work appear.

OpenAI’s New Sora Video Generator to Require Copyright Holders to Opt Out

Executives at the startup notified talent agencies and studios over the last week.

on.wsj.com

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 9d

Some of the white pines, symbols of peace, that are around my house located on the traditional land of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ may have been here in the 1820s when Erie canal was built and the Haudenosaunee were cheated out of their lands, displaced, and largely decimated.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/n...

New York Faces Painful History as It Marks the Erie Canal’s Bicentennial

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Aija Leiponen

Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 11d

Only in Finland: the single biggest taxpayer criticises government for cutting taxes

Miki Kuusi: Hallituksen leikkaukset ovat vieneet suomalaisten uskon tulevaisuuteen

Suomen kovin veronmaksaja, Woltin toimitusjohtaja Miki Kuusi sanoo, että Suomi on jumiutunut menneisiin menestyksiin ja lamauttavaan leikkauskierteeseen.

yle.fi

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Reposted by Aija Leiponen

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 21d

Far as I can tell, Robert Redford was:
* successful at everything he tried
* genuinely intelligent & insightful
* desired by women
* envied by men
* an absolute mensch to everyone he dealt with
* a tireless, lifelong philanthropist
... and he died peacefully in his sleep.

10/10 life. No notes.

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 21d

I hope this is accurate

James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 22d

Despite all the noises off, most big corporates are still increasing investment in sustainability, because climate risks and real and clean tech is competitive. www.businessgreen.com/news-analysi...

Why reports of the demise of corporate climate action have been greatly exaggerated

Global survey of corporate executives shows capital investment in sustainability and climate risk efforts is increasing - and so are the financial returns

www.businessgreen.com

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 22d

No way

Tobias Wilson-Bates @phdhurtbrain.bsky.social · 23d

Just FYI to fellow rapidly aging academics attempting to hold onto cultural references our students understand. College seniors this year were born after all three Lord of the Rings movies.

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 22d

We seem to circling back to this

Missing The Point @missingthept.bsky.social · Oct 25

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 24d

Global business should be all over climate change, particularly the financial sector. Risk management is their core.

Climate change is very bad for business and their economic analysts see the writing very clearly on the wall.

Gernot Wagner @gwagner.com · 24d

Financial Times, not Nature

FT climate graphic: Northern Pacific and Atlantic seas show record August heat

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 24d

Why are the Nordics happier and healthier than most countries? Lower inequality. It's costly but generates huge benefits for all.

Aarne Granlund @aarnegranlund.bsky.social · 28d

(Which eventually results from unregulated capitalism and socio-economic inequality)

Status competition leads to social dominance hierarchies and conspicuous consumption.

There are always alternatives.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Unequal outcomes - Nations with high inequality tend to have dysfunctional societies. U.S. at the top.

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 24d

A keeper

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 24d

"…and Magda Goebbels made a great strudel.”

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 25d

Research agents are here!

Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham @paulgp.com · 25d

If you'd like an economist's introduction to Agentic AI:

www.genaiforecon.org/JEL-2025-Aug...

www.genaiforecon.org

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 25d

Awesome!

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 25d

Powering up: how Ethiopia is becoming an unlikely leader in the electric vehicle revolution

A country plagued by power cuts has become the first to ban imports of petrol and diesel cars, as a new dam brings hopes of cheap green energy

www.theguardian.com

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 26d

Small government, eh?

Justin Wolfers @justinwolfers.bsky.social · 26d

Even after DOGE, the tariffs, and all the performative stuff, the reality is that they're blowing out the budget deficit, and this year is on track to be the largest in the post-pandemic period.

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · 29d

JFC. Chatbots don't "lie" or "roleplay", they predict what sequence of words you want to hear/read.

Dr. Casey Fiesler @cfiesler.bsky.social · Jul 16

This is fascinating: www.reddit.com/r/OpenAI/s/I...

Someone “worked on a book with ChatGPT” for weeks and then sought help on Reddit when they couldn’t download the file. Redditors helped them realized ChatGPT had just been roleplaying/lying and there was no file/book…

From the OpenAI community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the OpenAI community

www.reddit.com

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · Sep 6

Will the absence of functioning public transport in the US mark the moment it's citizens notice how far their continent has fallen behind?

The Economist @economist.com · Sep 5

Will the absence of robotaxis in Europe mark the moment its citizens notice how far their continent has fallen behind?

Robotaxis will be the Sputnik Moment for a declining Europe

A slow-motion car crash on Europe’s roads

econ.st

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · Sep 6

Wow. All scientific journals appear to be in LibGen

Ryan Estrada @ryanestrada.com · Sep 6

Just a reminder to check for your name in this list of books that OpenAI trained from. If your name is there, they probably owe you several thousand dollars.

OpenAI cried that if everyone eligible author files, the company will go bankrupt, so I'm alerting every author I have ever spoken to.

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Aija Leiponen

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · Sep 3

enshittification | noun | when a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · Aug 29

This is a helpful take

Stephen Turner @stephenturner.us · Aug 29

All models are wrong; some are useful.

All LLM outputs are hallucinations. Some are useful.

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Reposted by Aija Leiponen

Andrea Pitzer @andreapitzer.bsky.social · Aug 28

"I'll alsso ssay that the pressident is in incredibly good health."

Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · Aug 28

Once you start noticing how thirsty Vance is for Trump's job, it's quite something. Obsequious, sure. But also snaky.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Aug 28

“.. if, God forbid, there's a terrible tragedy, I can't think of better on-the-job training than what I've gotten over the last 200 days,” he added.

@usatoday.com
www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...

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Reposted by Aija Leiponen

Ben Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · Aug 26

Just received this statement from Lisa Cook:
"President Trump purported to fire me 'for cause' when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign. I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have been doing since 2022."

Ben Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · Aug 26

President Trump said he is firing Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, "effective immediately." It's his most direct assault yet on Fed independence -- and a step that it is far from clear he can legally take.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/u... #EconSky

Trump Says He Is Removing Lisa Cook From Federal Reserve Board

www.nytimes.com

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · Aug 26

Je suis Lisa

Tim Bresnahan @timobres.bsky.social · Aug 26

The president has now "fired" Governor Cook. Neither does he have that authority nor is there evidence of the allegations nor is presidential control of Federal Reserve policy a good idea. Stand tall and unbullied, Lisa Cook.

Tim Bresnahan @timobres.bsky.social · Aug 20

There are accusations of impropriety against Lisa Cook, a fine economist, once again. Last time (around her confirmation as a Fed Board Governor) the specifics were public and obviously nonsense. This time, they may be buried in lawfare for a while. I stand with Lisa D. Cook.

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Aija Leiponen @aijaleiponen.bsky.social · Aug 16

Gen AI as the wah-wah pedal!

Tim Harford @timharford.ft.com · Aug 15

What Jimi Hendrix teaches us about generative AI
timharford.com/2025/08/what...

Reposted by Aija Leiponen

Andrew B. Watkins @windjunky.bsky.social · Aug 16

AMS State of the Global Climate in 2024.
Continent Scorecard
Nth America: Hottest on Record
Sth America: Hottest on Record
Europe: Hottest on Record
Africa: Hottest on Record
Asia: 2nd Hottest on Record
Australia: 2nd Hottest on Record
Antarctica: 2nd lowest sea ice
www.ametsoc.org/ams/publicat...

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Reposted by Aija Leiponen

Gretchen Goldman, PhD @gretchentg.bsky.social · Aug 14

My new @science.org editorial on the role of scientists in defending democracy is out today. As authoritarianism takes hold in the US, we must fight for the democratic principles that enable a free society and scientists have a key role. I hope you'll join us.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Scientists’ role in defending democracy

The United States’ democratic leadership, commitment to freedom of expression, and investment in the pursuit of knowledge have long enabled its preeminence in science and technology. Yet today we are ...

www.science.org

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