Erin Banks (she/her)
@erinbanks.bsky.social
FNP-C, GI specialist. Former ICU RN. All opinions my own. No official medical advice. I once liked the internet. Now I’m just here?
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
He put his complete trust in a chat bot that turned him into a savage murderer.
Disturbing Messages Show ChatGPT Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit Alleges
A lawsuit against OpenAI reveals the chilling ChatGPT messages that drove a middle aged man to kill his 83-year-old mother.
trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
the reason people sometimes act madder at democrats than republicans when republicans do impossibly evil shit is the same reason why, if you hired an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he showed up to feed and play with them instead, your first instinct wouldn’t be to yell at the roaches
January 3, 2026 at 9:19 PM
the reason people sometimes act madder at democrats than republicans when republicans do impossibly evil shit is the same reason why, if you hired an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he showed up to feed and play with them instead, your first instinct wouldn’t be to yell at the roaches
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
Three things can be true at once:
1) Maduro was a horrible dictator and Venezuela benefits from removing him
2) Supporting the US illegally kidnapping leaders for regime change is a bad idea
3) Spheres of influence hurt small countries and we should not want that
1) Maduro was a horrible dictator and Venezuela benefits from removing him
2) Supporting the US illegally kidnapping leaders for regime change is a bad idea
3) Spheres of influence hurt small countries and we should not want that
January 4, 2026 at 7:28 AM
Three things can be true at once:
1) Maduro was a horrible dictator and Venezuela benefits from removing him
2) Supporting the US illegally kidnapping leaders for regime change is a bad idea
3) Spheres of influence hurt small countries and we should not want that
1) Maduro was a horrible dictator and Venezuela benefits from removing him
2) Supporting the US illegally kidnapping leaders for regime change is a bad idea
3) Spheres of influence hurt small countries and we should not want that
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
there should be a "good morning" feed on bluesky where you're not immediately thrown headfirst into the worst news imaginable while you're still half asleep
January 3, 2026 at 12:11 PM
there should be a "good morning" feed on bluesky where you're not immediately thrown headfirst into the worst news imaginable while you're still half asleep
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
I'm losing track of how many countries a man livid he wasn't given the Nobel Peace Prize has illegally bombed.
Iran. Venezuela. Nigeria. Afghanistan. Iraq. Libya. Pakistan. Somalia. Syria. Yemen.
Not to mention threatening to annex Greenland and Canada and invade Panama.
Iran. Venezuela. Nigeria. Afghanistan. Iraq. Libya. Pakistan. Somalia. Syria. Yemen.
Not to mention threatening to annex Greenland and Canada and invade Panama.
January 3, 2026 at 1:53 PM
I'm losing track of how many countries a man livid he wasn't given the Nobel Peace Prize has illegally bombed.
Iran. Venezuela. Nigeria. Afghanistan. Iraq. Libya. Pakistan. Somalia. Syria. Yemen.
Not to mention threatening to annex Greenland and Canada and invade Panama.
Iran. Venezuela. Nigeria. Afghanistan. Iraq. Libya. Pakistan. Somalia. Syria. Yemen.
Not to mention threatening to annex Greenland and Canada and invade Panama.
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
the thing that strikes me about the Grok "apology" thing is that even those of us who are against "AI" as it is marketed to us have trouble not falling into the basic fallacy that they are trying to sell us, i.e. There's A Little Guy In There
January 2, 2026 at 3:19 AM
the thing that strikes me about the Grok "apology" thing is that even those of us who are against "AI" as it is marketed to us have trouble not falling into the basic fallacy that they are trying to sell us, i.e. There's A Little Guy In There
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
Remember in 2023 when Greta Gerwig's Barbie crushed at the box office and Hollywood responded by giving more women the opportunity to direct movies?
Yeah, me neither.
Yeah, me neither.
December 31, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Remember in 2023 when Greta Gerwig's Barbie crushed at the box office and Hollywood responded by giving more women the opportunity to direct movies?
Yeah, me neither.
Yeah, me neither.
Hard same
I should not need to see my wife go to bed to remember that it's time to go to bed. But if she is not there to lead by example, I fully forget that sleep is a thing.
December 30, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Hard same
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
This is true and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song on my phone to blank stares)
Just watched the new Knives Out and I think it's really important you know that the scene in the Seminary's Gym is filmed in the same place Rick Astley filmed the music video for Never Gonna Give You Up.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
I saw the window tracery and immediately made my friends pause the film so I could tell them.
December 30, 2025 at 4:21 AM
This is true and I was the only one on set excited about it (and playing the song on my phone to blank stares)
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
50 ICE agents swarming a public library to arrest one person.
This isn’t policing — it’s authoritarian spectacle.
Armed intimidation, fear as policy, and taxpayer money burned to terrorize communities.
This is fascism in plain sight. #TrumpWatch #Resist
This isn’t policing — it’s authoritarian spectacle.
Armed intimidation, fear as policy, and taxpayer money burned to terrorize communities.
This is fascism in plain sight. #TrumpWatch #Resist
December 30, 2025 at 4:19 AM
50 ICE agents swarming a public library to arrest one person.
This isn’t policing — it’s authoritarian spectacle.
Armed intimidation, fear as policy, and taxpayer money burned to terrorize communities.
This is fascism in plain sight. #TrumpWatch #Resist
This isn’t policing — it’s authoritarian spectacle.
Armed intimidation, fear as policy, and taxpayer money burned to terrorize communities.
This is fascism in plain sight. #TrumpWatch #Resist
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
USPS quietly changed its postmark rules — mail is no longer dated when you drop it off. The “official” date is when it hits automated sorting — sometimes days later
Which could have major implications for mail in voting — it’s a clever way to disenfranchise voters that’s going largely overlooked
Which could have major implications for mail in voting — it’s a clever way to disenfranchise voters that’s going largely overlooked
December 29, 2025 at 7:14 PM
USPS quietly changed its postmark rules — mail is no longer dated when you drop it off. The “official” date is when it hits automated sorting — sometimes days later
Which could have major implications for mail in voting — it’s a clever way to disenfranchise voters that’s going largely overlooked
Which could have major implications for mail in voting — it’s a clever way to disenfranchise voters that’s going largely overlooked
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
Famously Sauron is known for never allowing his home to he penetrated by intruders.
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
Sauron, the high-end home security startup for "super premium" customers, plucks a new CEO out of Sonos | TechCrunch
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
techcrunch.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Famously Sauron is known for never allowing his home to he penetrated by intruders.
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
Sauron???
They named the company Sauron???
What is it with tech bros and starting companies named after the villains of Lord of the Rings???
They really think the hobbits were the bad guys and the outcome of the story was tragic, don't they?
They named the company Sauron???
What is it with tech bros and starting companies named after the villains of Lord of the Rings???
They really think the hobbits were the bad guys and the outcome of the story was tragic, don't they?
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
Sauron, the high-end home security startup for "super premium" customers, plucks a new CEO out of Sonos | TechCrunch
Sauron is appearing on the scene as concerns rise about crime among the most wealthy.
techcrunch.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:47 AM
Sauron???
They named the company Sauron???
What is it with tech bros and starting companies named after the villains of Lord of the Rings???
They really think the hobbits were the bad guys and the outcome of the story was tragic, don't they?
They named the company Sauron???
What is it with tech bros and starting companies named after the villains of Lord of the Rings???
They really think the hobbits were the bad guys and the outcome of the story was tragic, don't they?
Okay but this is the thing that makes the least sense about the “bet” everyone’s making on AI… if it “pays off” then there is no working class to keep the economy running, so actually, it all dies, because hoarding wealth kills everyone and everything because we have to have money to spend money
look we're all making a big bet on AI! and if it pays off as big as we hope, well, it's going to make a handful of people super rich and you're going to lose your job but get to watch mickey mouse fuck geralt from the witcher. if it doesn't pay off well then you get to pay for the bailouts
December 29, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Okay but this is the thing that makes the least sense about the “bet” everyone’s making on AI… if it “pays off” then there is no working class to keep the economy running, so actually, it all dies, because hoarding wealth kills everyone and everything because we have to have money to spend money
We’re seeing Stereophonic at the Pantages and there is a heckler at our performance??? Literally never experienced this level of rudeness. Suddenly understand why they sent an extra email and had a QR code of “what to expect” in the lobby to try and set expectations.
December 29, 2025 at 4:08 AM
We’re seeing Stereophonic at the Pantages and there is a heckler at our performance??? Literally never experienced this level of rudeness. Suddenly understand why they sent an extra email and had a QR code of “what to expect” in the lobby to try and set expectations.
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
My favorite gift was kissing a baby’s neck over and over and him laughing hysterically every time and then leaning in for me to do it again
December 26, 2025 at 5:30 AM
My favorite gift was kissing a baby’s neck over and over and him laughing hysterically every time and then leaning in for me to do it again
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
Oh no! I wish someone had warned us about this 👀
Texas faces a power grid overload due to a surge in demand from Al
Utility CEO on the data center crunch: America's 'check engine light' is on and 'no one's going to pay attention until it breaks down' | Fortune
"We are telling policy makers the warning lights are on," Exelon CEO Calvin Butler told Diane Brady at Fortune Brainstorm AI in San Francisco.
share.google
December 26, 2025 at 3:42 AM
Oh no! I wish someone had warned us about this 👀
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
We Wish You Baby,
A Merry It's Cold
Christmas Outside
🤝
not going until
you get some
A Merry It's Cold
Christmas Outside
🤝
not going until
you get some
December 25, 2025 at 7:29 PM
We Wish You Baby,
A Merry It's Cold
Christmas Outside
🤝
not going until
you get some
A Merry It's Cold
Christmas Outside
🤝
not going until
you get some
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
Kind of wild how the take that some of Trump's supporters were "deplorable" was some huge scandal, but regularly screaming about "radical left scum" is just a thing he'll say with no media backlash.
December 25, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Kind of wild how the take that some of Trump's supporters were "deplorable" was some huge scandal, but regularly screaming about "radical left scum" is just a thing he'll say with no media backlash.
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
“ The daughter of a well known conservative operative , whose paper did not answer the topic at hand and had a carefully planned media campaign , had a trans instructor fired for grading a paper according to the agreed upon rubric”
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.” https://cnn.it/4b6g3rd
Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay | CNN
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”
cnn.it
December 25, 2025 at 8:42 PM
“ The daughter of a well known conservative operative , whose paper did not answer the topic at hand and had a carefully planned media campaign , had a trans instructor fired for grading a paper according to the agreed upon rubric”
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
Something that's getting lost in this story is that the "instructor" in question is not a professor with a PhD; she is a Graduate Teaching Assistant, meaning the University of Oklahoma has thrown one of ITS OWN STUDENTS under the bus to appease a right wing grifter who tried to dunk on a trans woman
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.” https://cnn.it/4b6g3rd
Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay | CNN
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”
cnn.it
December 24, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Something that's getting lost in this story is that the "instructor" in question is not a professor with a PhD; she is a Graduate Teaching Assistant, meaning the University of Oklahoma has thrown one of ITS OWN STUDENTS under the bus to appease a right wing grifter who tried to dunk on a trans woman
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
This is profoundly un-American.
No—that's not right.
It's *anti*-American.
It's hatred of the United States and its founding documents and all its people and all its traditions.
The person who wrote and approved this is a weirdo who detests everything that America stands for.
No—that's not right.
It's *anti*-American.
It's hatred of the United States and its founding documents and all its people and all its traditions.
The person who wrote and approved this is a weirdo who detests everything that America stands for.
December 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
This is profoundly un-American.
No—that's not right.
It's *anti*-American.
It's hatred of the United States and its founding documents and all its people and all its traditions.
The person who wrote and approved this is a weirdo who detests everything that America stands for.
No—that's not right.
It's *anti*-American.
It's hatred of the United States and its founding documents and all its people and all its traditions.
The person who wrote and approved this is a weirdo who detests everything that America stands for.
Reposted by Erin Banks (she/her)
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK
Merry Christmas!
The President of Peace just bombed Nigeria.
The President of Peace just bombed Nigeria.
December 26, 2025 at 12:16 AM
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK
My favorite thing about this list is that I haven’t heard of any of these books but the first one (from school reading) but I’m interested in reading almost all of them.
(Then I remember how bad I’ve been at finding time to read recently, but hey, that’s gotta change eventually 😅)
(Then I remember how bad I’ve been at finding time to read recently, but hey, that’s gotta change eventually 😅)
Speaking of which, I should do my list of books I loved this year. I read 64 books this year. Of those, I loved ten (I try to be really selective on like vs love). Here they are:
About ten years ago, I started keeping a spreadsheet of what I read for diversity (race/gender of author, but also non-US books, non-fiction, stuff like that). I don't have hard rules, but it just lets me know when I'm falling into a rut
December 24, 2025 at 6:05 PM
My favorite thing about this list is that I haven’t heard of any of these books but the first one (from school reading) but I’m interested in reading almost all of them.
(Then I remember how bad I’ve been at finding time to read recently, but hey, that’s gotta change eventually 😅)
(Then I remember how bad I’ve been at finding time to read recently, but hey, that’s gotta change eventually 😅)
Why is the new advertising trend on social media faking out a closing or going out of business post?
“Saying goodbye 😢…
…To sleepless nights!
…To our favorite prints as they leave the warehouse to ship to you!”
I just hate gimmicks.
“Saying goodbye 😢…
…To sleepless nights!
…To our favorite prints as they leave the warehouse to ship to you!”
I just hate gimmicks.
December 24, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Why is the new advertising trend on social media faking out a closing or going out of business post?
“Saying goodbye 😢…
…To sleepless nights!
…To our favorite prints as they leave the warehouse to ship to you!”
I just hate gimmicks.
“Saying goodbye 😢…
…To sleepless nights!
…To our favorite prints as they leave the warehouse to ship to you!”
I just hate gimmicks.