CouldThisHappen?
@couldthishappen.bsky.social
Science/tech writer, professional plant fanatic (esp. orchids), space enthusiast, sci-fi geek, probable cylon, ice hockey fan, tree-hugger, animal lover, and lecturer of writing / rhetoric at Boston University. www.joellerenstrom.com
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Just decline the peer review invitation.
What are you people even doing?
What are you people even doing?
More than half of researchers now use AI for peer review — often against guidance
A survey of 1,600 academics found that more than 50% have used artificial-intelligence tools while peer reviewing manuscripts.
www.nature.com
December 16, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Just decline the peer review invitation.
What are you people even doing?
What are you people even doing?
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Not comprehending a principled stance against A.I. in late 2025 is NOT the kind of socialism we need.
It's not "anti-technology"
It's anti-climate disaster, anti sycophantic suicide machine, anti tech-fascist eugenicist freaks.
It's not "anti-technology"
It's anti-climate disaster, anti sycophantic suicide machine, anti tech-fascist eugenicist freaks.
December 16, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Not comprehending a principled stance against A.I. in late 2025 is NOT the kind of socialism we need.
It's not "anti-technology"
It's anti-climate disaster, anti sycophantic suicide machine, anti tech-fascist eugenicist freaks.
It's not "anti-technology"
It's anti-climate disaster, anti sycophantic suicide machine, anti tech-fascist eugenicist freaks.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
I've been reporting on the criminal justice system for over a decade and have lived in an authoritarian country overseas, but I've never seen anything like the police presence in ICE-occupied Memphis. Here's my dispatch: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis.
“It’s about as sad as you can possibly imagine."
www.motherjones.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I've been reporting on the criminal justice system for over a decade and have lived in an authoritarian country overseas, but I've never seen anything like the police presence in ICE-occupied Memphis. Here's my dispatch: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
I'm so damn sick of being forced to answer the AI help prompts with either "yes" or "maybe later."
Never. I will *never* want this!
I'm now regularly sending in scathing hateful feedback about this...but I'm sure they're deleting them while rolling their eyes.
Never. I will *never* want this!
I'm now regularly sending in scathing hateful feedback about this...but I'm sure they're deleting them while rolling their eyes.
Co-Pilot is making Word unusable .. and I consider myself a Word “fan” (I’ve written a couple books with it).
One flinch. One wrong move and it’s there like f*cking “Clippy”. They need a “permanently NO” setting.
One flinch. One wrong move and it’s there like f*cking “Clippy”. They need a “permanently NO” setting.
December 16, 2025 at 2:56 PM
I'm so damn sick of being forced to answer the AI help prompts with either "yes" or "maybe later."
Never. I will *never* want this!
I'm now regularly sending in scathing hateful feedback about this...but I'm sure they're deleting them while rolling their eyes.
Never. I will *never* want this!
I'm now regularly sending in scathing hateful feedback about this...but I'm sure they're deleting them while rolling their eyes.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
It's structural racism for the future
Did you know that Workday is being sued because an AI tool they sell for hiring actually discriminates against marginalized people?
This is my shocked face.
This is my shocked face.
AI Bias Lawsuit Against Workday Reaches Next Stage as Court Grants Conditional Certification of ADEA Claim
A closely watched class and collective action against the HR management services company Workday, Inc. reached a new milestone recently, when the Northern
www.lawandtheworkplace.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:44 PM
It's structural racism for the future
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
🌱 "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." —Native American Proverb
December 16, 2025 at 3:00 PM
🌱 "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." —Native American Proverb
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Australia's leaders agreed on Monday to tougher gun laws after the country's worst mass shooting in almost three decades.
America? Just thoughts.
Y’all see how weak we are? We won’t even have a discussion on mass shootings!
Vote better!
#DemVoice1
#wtpBLUE
#Pinks
#Voices4Victory
America? Just thoughts.
Y’all see how weak we are? We won’t even have a discussion on mass shootings!
Vote better!
#DemVoice1
#wtpBLUE
#Pinks
#Voices4Victory
December 15, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Australia's leaders agreed on Monday to tougher gun laws after the country's worst mass shooting in almost three decades.
America? Just thoughts.
Y’all see how weak we are? We won’t even have a discussion on mass shootings!
Vote better!
#DemVoice1
#wtpBLUE
#Pinks
#Voices4Victory
America? Just thoughts.
Y’all see how weak we are? We won’t even have a discussion on mass shootings!
Vote better!
#DemVoice1
#wtpBLUE
#Pinks
#Voices4Victory
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
If Bezos is going to run the Post into the ground I'm just glad he's doing it in such a ham-handed, incompetent way that nobody will lend its carcass any credibility.
New: When the Washington Post ran tests on its AI personalized podcasts, the paper found that between 68% and 84% (!!) of the pods had potential issues.
Still, the paper decided to release the product anyway, saying it would “iterate through the remaining issues”
www.semafor.com/article/12/1...
Still, the paper decided to release the product anyway, saying it would “iterate through the remaining issues”
www.semafor.com/article/12/1...
December 15, 2025 at 3:34 PM
If Bezos is going to run the Post into the ground I'm just glad he's doing it in such a ham-handed, incompetent way that nobody will lend its carcass any credibility.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
“What I’ve been feeling most is just, like, how dare this country allow this to happen to someone like me twice?” Weissman told the New York Times.
"Weissman was in her dorm room at Brown when a friend called to warn her that a shooting was under way. Her initial feelings of panic soon turned to anger, she told NBC. “I’m angry that I thought I’d never have to deal with this again, and here I am eight years later,” Weissman told NBC News."
Two survivors of Brown University attack escaped other school shootings
Mia Tretta was shot in the abdomen in 2019 at a school near LA and Zoe Weissman witnessed a Florida shooting in 2018
www.theguardian.com
December 14, 2025 at 2:44 PM
“What I’ve been feeling most is just, like, how dare this country allow this to happen to someone like me twice?” Weissman told the New York Times.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
There is some discrepancy in reporting on whether or not the the man is Muslim. In any case, Ahmed is a 43-year-old local fruit seller and father who was shot while protecting his community and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
‘Hero’ Bystander Who Tackled Bondi Beach Gunman Identified
The bystander who tackled and disarmed one of the gunmen has been identified by local media as 43-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed.
time.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:11 PM
There is some discrepancy in reporting on whether or not the the man is Muslim. In any case, Ahmed is a 43-year-old local fruit seller and father who was shot while protecting his community and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Wanted to make a longer post about the mass shooting at Brown and found this post about Sandy Hook from 2012 and how sad is it that I can literally copy paste the exact same post because gun violence has only gotten worse without federal legislation to stop the ~40K annual preventable gun deaths.😓
December 14, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Wanted to make a longer post about the mass shooting at Brown and found this post about Sandy Hook from 2012 and how sad is it that I can literally copy paste the exact same post because gun violence has only gotten worse without federal legislation to stop the ~40K annual preventable gun deaths.😓
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
They're not just requiring that students learn how to use the bullshit machine.
They're requiring students to "defend" the decisions made by AI.
Remind me, which one of them is supposedly getting the degree there?
They're requiring students to "defend" the decisions made by AI.
Remind me, which one of them is supposedly getting the degree there?
December 14, 2025 at 7:13 PM
They're not just requiring that students learn how to use the bullshit machine.
They're requiring students to "defend" the decisions made by AI.
Remind me, which one of them is supposedly getting the degree there?
They're requiring students to "defend" the decisions made by AI.
Remind me, which one of them is supposedly getting the degree there?
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Signaling their bold new commitment to AI, Purdue is changing its mascot from the Boilermakers to the Bullshitters.
It’s been fun while it lasted: “Purdue University will begin requiring that all of its undergraduate students demonstrate basic competency in artificial intelligence starting with freshmen who enter the university in 2026.”
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
www.forbes.com/sites/michae...
Purdue University Approves New AI Requirement For All Undergrads
Purdue University will begin requiring that all of its undergraduate students meet an AI competency requirement starting with freshmen who enter the university in 2026.
www.forbes.com
December 14, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Signaling their bold new commitment to AI, Purdue is changing its mascot from the Boilermakers to the Bullshitters.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Trump grifters and AI scammers support one another.
AI slop makes the information landscape unusable, which helps hide the various Trump cons; the lack of regulation from an administration too busy lining its own pockets gives the AI slop lords free rein to do whatever they want.
AI slop makes the information landscape unusable, which helps hide the various Trump cons; the lack of regulation from an administration too busy lining its own pockets gives the AI slop lords free rein to do whatever they want.
The titans of artificial intelligence have fired the first shot in a regulatory battle poised to dominate the 2026 midterms, and the industry’s prospects for victory are already looking good.
AI Billionaires' 2026 Intimidation Campaign Is Already Working
bit.ly
December 14, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Trump grifters and AI scammers support one another.
AI slop makes the information landscape unusable, which helps hide the various Trump cons; the lack of regulation from an administration too busy lining its own pockets gives the AI slop lords free rein to do whatever they want.
AI slop makes the information landscape unusable, which helps hide the various Trump cons; the lack of regulation from an administration too busy lining its own pockets gives the AI slop lords free rein to do whatever they want.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Outside of being lazy, AI images always look fake. There's an uncanny valley to it that is jarring and distracting. Who likes this? It improves nothing.
December 14, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Outside of being lazy, AI images always look fake. There's an uncanny valley to it that is jarring and distracting. Who likes this? It improves nothing.
good thing plenty of outlets are publishing this research
Four sources close to the situation claim OpenAI has become hesitant to publish research on the negative impact of AI. The company says it has only expanded the economic research team’s scope.
OpenAI Staffer Quits, Alleging Company’s Economic Research Is Drifting Into AI Advocacy
Four sources close to the situation claim OpenAI has become hesitant to publish research on the negative impact of AI. The company says it has only expanded the economic research team’s scope.
wrd.cm
December 14, 2025 at 9:26 PM
good thing plenty of outlets are publishing this research
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
The Washington Post, everyone
December 14, 2025 at 8:47 PM
The Washington Post, everyone
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
"ICE and CBP must be abolished" is the only reasonable position. We can debate the specifics of new agencies for immigration functions, but these agencies are simply too infected with a culture of impunity, racism, and fascism to continue. They're gangs with badges.
Armed ICE agents trapped US citizens in a restaurant and demanded their papers. Federal agents walked into East African restaurants in Cedar-Riverside, MN. They closed and blocked the doors. Then they demanded to see everyone’s papers. Every person present was a US citizen.
Federal agents use chemical irritant on crowd in Somali neighborhood of Minneapolis amid Trump crackdown
Federal agents have used chemical irritant to disperse a crowd in a heavily Somali neighborhood in Minneapolis. This happened Tuesday during a identification checks amid the Trump administration's cra...
www.mprnews.org
December 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
"ICE and CBP must be abolished" is the only reasonable position. We can debate the specifics of new agencies for immigration functions, but these agencies are simply too infected with a culture of impunity, racism, and fascism to continue. They're gangs with badges.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
What could go wrong?
From the Oklahoma U student paper: the school is now saying it will automatically suspend faculty (with pay) in response to student complaints
www.oudaily.com/news/ou-poli...
www.oudaily.com/news/ou-poli...
December 13, 2025 at 10:48 PM
What could go wrong?
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
December 13, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
This is your reminder that nothing human-made is inevitable and you hereby have all the permission you need to reject bad/harmful social, technological, and political paradigms and to work toward something better.
June 20, 2025 at 5:14 PM
This is your reminder that nothing human-made is inevitable and you hereby have all the permission you need to reject bad/harmful social, technological, and political paradigms and to work toward something better.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
December 10, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Excerpt taken from an article on Verge.
The fact that the ad took so much longer, with so much extra effort only to come out so much worse than it would be to shoot it traditionally. GenAI videos proving themselves not as useful as most techbros dream them to be.
The fact that the ad took so much longer, with so much extra effort only to come out so much worse than it would be to shoot it traditionally. GenAI videos proving themselves not as useful as most techbros dream them to be.
December 10, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Excerpt taken from an article on Verge.
The fact that the ad took so much longer, with so much extra effort only to come out so much worse than it would be to shoot it traditionally. GenAI videos proving themselves not as useful as most techbros dream them to be.
The fact that the ad took so much longer, with so much extra effort only to come out so much worse than it would be to shoot it traditionally. GenAI videos proving themselves not as useful as most techbros dream them to be.
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Reposted by CouldThisHappen?
Going Vegan Can Cut Your Carbon Footprint In Half
#SciComm🧪 by @grrlscientist.bsky.social
#GoVegan #Vegetarian #MediterraneanDiet #food #CarbonFootprint #Ecology #ClimateChange grrlscientist.medium.com/going-vegan-...
#SciComm🧪 by @grrlscientist.bsky.social
#GoVegan #Vegetarian #MediterraneanDiet #food #CarbonFootprint #Ecology #ClimateChange grrlscientist.medium.com/going-vegan-...
Going Vegan Can Cut Your Carbon Footprint In Half
Comparisons of four diets revealed a clear pattern: the more plant foods consumed, the smaller the ecological footprint.
grrlscientist.medium.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Going Vegan Can Cut Your Carbon Footprint In Half
#SciComm🧪 by @grrlscientist.bsky.social
#GoVegan #Vegetarian #MediterraneanDiet #food #CarbonFootprint #Ecology #ClimateChange grrlscientist.medium.com/going-vegan-...
#SciComm🧪 by @grrlscientist.bsky.social
#GoVegan #Vegetarian #MediterraneanDiet #food #CarbonFootprint #Ecology #ClimateChange grrlscientist.medium.com/going-vegan-...