Here’s the final part of our four part Better Offline case against generative AI. I walk you through how there’s not enough money in the world to pay for OpenAI’s $1 trillion 4-year burn, and how retail investors are at risk as a result.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Linktr.ee/betteroffline

Be aware that when the Missouri AG says protect children from "online pornography," the law actually reads "material harmful to minors" — the same legal term used to pressure Target to discontinue Pride merchandise.

hoodline.com/2025/09/miss...

If *your department head and your dean* can be removed for supporting your colleague in teaching in their area of expertise, then you have no academic freedom. In a functional sense, you don't work at a university at all.

What other horror stories of people's experiences with AI startups are we underestimating the prevalence of? What's going to be uncovered in court discovery documents a decade from now?

It took 8 years for the claims of victims of sexual assault to get this documentation of the systemic nature of Uber's negligence.

"From 2017 to 2022, a total of 400,181 Uber trips resulted in reports of sexual assault and sexual misconduct in the United States, court documents show. Uber has not released data for the years since then, though the court records indicate reports of incidents have increased."

"Still, Uber delayed or did not require its drivers to adopt some of the most promising programs, nor did it warn passengers about factors it linked to attacks, according to interviews with more than a dozen current and former employees."

"The company tested tools that proved effective at making trips safer, including sophisticated matching algorithms, mandatory video recording and pairing female passengers with female drivers."

Can't get this horrific stat from Emily Steel's article on Uber's sexual assault problem out of my head: "Uber received a report of sexual assault or sexual misconduct in the United States almost every eight minutes on average between 2017 and 2022". www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/b...

We've had a MAGA governor in VA stocking the GMU board with Heritage Foundation folks for years now. We're all exhausted but also battle hardened. Thanks for sharing the story. Things are about to get crazy here so we need the 👀

Extremely depressing to see how mainstream the Sinophobic “we might lose the ai race to China” narrative has become.

"It is acceptable to engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual." Meta removed that language from its internal guidelines after I raised it.

AI experts worry financial incentives will blur the line between human relationships and bot engagement.
www.reuters.com/investigates...

This is why I don’t spend much time on Meta’s Threads.

So beyond repulsive.

meta's strategy these days seems to be: get away with as much abhorrent shit as possible for as long as possible, wait for the press to find out, say oops, keep printing money, repeat

Spotify is now instituting face scans and ID checks ... to listen to music.

Porn was only ever the excuse. The only thing that surprises me is how quickly the government surveillance mandate has spread to absolutely every service we use.

www.404media.co/spotify-uk-a...

Go get a copy now from @mitpress.bsky.social or download the open access version here: mitpress.mit.edu/978026255186...

Congrats again on the book, Oliver. Hope to bump into you again soon to say so in person!

Just finished @haimson.bsky.social's new book Trans Technologies over the weekend and really enjoyed it. If you want an insightful and comprehensive ethnographic account of trans tech - its creators, its creation, its affordances and constraints, and ideas for a better future, it's a must read.

"The MAGA movement and its allies aim to seize control of public higher education in Virginia . . . They don’t want independent thought — they seek obedience."

www.chronicle.com/article/the-...

The conference reception going to be like:

When @zeerak.bsky.social shared this I thought it was satire like RocketAI @ NeurIPS 2016. I recognize some names listed as organizers. This can't be real. Right?

"The 1st open conference where AI serves as both primary authors & reviewers of research papers"

agents4science.stanford.edu/index.html

📣 CFP ALERT 📣 SIGCIS 2025: ⚡POWER SURGE⚡ // CFP Due 7/14 📆

get in the car losers, the BEST conference in the history of computing IS BACK

ONLINE!
PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN registration!
v v grad student friendly!

If your work is anywhere close to the history of computing, you should apply!!!

"This is part of a coordinated attack from the highest branches of the federal government down through the state...through the Governor & Attorney General's office to the Board of Visitors at our campus. This is an attack on our institution. We know the game.”

— Bethany Letiecq, George Mason AAUP

Tremendous, meticulous, disturbing reporting here on India’s Hindu nationalist government deporting Muslim citizens by literally forcing them to walk the plank into the sea. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Good day as any to delete Facebook, Instagram, and/or Threads if you have not already

The fact that Meta will not rule out using private photos on your camera roll to train AI is abominable, full stop

futurism.com/meta-sketchy...