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Reposted by michael lascarides

Iron Spike @ironspike.bsky.social · 11h

The one that always gets me is that the last American born into slavery died the year John Lennon released “Imagine.”

rax ‘levon honkers’ king @raxkingisdead.bsky.social · 18h

you ever think about those real weird overlaps. like tennessee williams might have listened to the ramones

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michael lascarides @mlascarides.bsky.social · 14h

I've been using this slide in library presentations for a decade and a half now. Still more relevant than ever.

Chart showing the switch from information scarcity to information abundance (around 2000), and that both situations make libraries necessary.

michael lascarides @mlascarides.bsky.social · 19h

LLM bots crawling our sites in accordance with our rules; in contravention of our rules; as agents answering a thousand real-time chat questions; trying to appear human to evade firewalls; submitting slop that taints our collections; harvesting repeat content due to poor configuration… it's a drag.

Daryl Green @ilikeoldbooks.bsky.social · 6d

by the way, all those benign AI bots crawling the internet for for-profit LLMs, yeah it turns out when 9,000 hit your archive catalogue or image database all at once they break the system. This is an emerging sector issue.

The last weeks have literally seen humans labouring to feed the machines...

Reposted by michael lascarides

Terry Baucher @trabaq.bsky.social · 21h

Quite probably. And just a reminder that 30% of all single parent families have an effective marginal tax rate of 50% or more. So let's just add to that problem eh?

www.treasury.govt.nz/publications...

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michael lascarides @mlascarides.bsky.social · 21h

I hope you make this series into a book someday. They are lovely.

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 1d

I see pieces like this a lot, often w/ a spin of lamenting cultural degeneration, but reading is a LABOR issue, it’s declined because so many people are working overtime or two jobs & employers expect after hours work. France has Earth’s highest reading rate b/c long lunch breaks & labor protections

After Dinner Conversation® @afterdinnerconversation.com · 1d

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 1d

wait it's possible to move from pilot studies to permanent implementation of basic income? please tell everyone except Andrew Yang about this

Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 1d

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

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Reposted by michael lascarides

☠️deadward niedermurder☠️ @niedermeyer.online · 1d

what if I told you that taking accountability for your actions was traditionally considered a load-bearing feature of masculinity?

Rolling Stone @rollingstone.com · 1d

“I voted for none of this."

Prominent influencers, including Theo Von, Joe Rogan, and Andrew Schulz, are starting to distance themselves from the president they helped propel to the White House.

Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

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Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi @christchurchlib.bsky.social · 1d

We have two awesome jobs open now!
Community Library Team Leader – Ōmōkihi South Library & Spreydon Library
and Head of Libraries & Information
Find out more: my.christchurchcitylibraries.com/jobs/
#libraryjobs

Jobs at Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi

If you are passionate about making a difference in your community, then working with us could be perfect for you. All vacancies at…

my.christchurchcitylibraries.com

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michael lascarides @mlascarides.bsky.social · 1d

A lovely thing about the state of Wellington birding is that there's a large predator-free reserve (visitzealandia.com) established a couple of decades ago right in the centre of town. So a bunch of species have recently reappeared on the parliament grounds, especially the kākā (big parrots).

Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne | Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington

Discover how conservation and tourism work hand in hand at Zealandia. Wander forest trails, spot rare wildlife, and support conservation.

visitzealandia.com

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 1d

Really want to encourage libraries - especially school libraries - to put no-AI content into your collection development policy. At the very least, if you have a clause in there about requiring accurate information, you can use that to weed out or prevent genAI purchases.

Jack Tripper @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 1d

“When you get a suspicious book, “you look it up to see what else the [author] has written. And you see there's 30 things, and none of them have any reviews, and they were all written in the last two years,” DeMeester-Lane says.”

How Local Librarians Keep AI Slop Off the Shelves

AI is being used to create nonsensical, sometimes dangerously inaccurate books. Local librarians are tasked with keeping these volumes out of their collections.

www.governing.com

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 2d

Big tech is laying off user researchers in droves, because it believes that coercing its customers is more profitable than silly things like "making good products people want to buy."

But now the FAFO pendulum is coming around, with Amazon's $2.5B dark pattern settlement and #a11y lawsuits galore.

UX so bad that it's illegal

Big tech is divesting from user-centered design, and getting into hot water with the law.

productpicnic.beehiiv.com

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michael lascarides @mlascarides.bsky.social · 2d

Nerd-in-laws are the best. 🥰

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michael lascarides @mlascarides.bsky.social · 2d

VOTE.

Andrew Frame @napierinframe.bsky.social · 2d

Did you get water from a tap? That’s pipes. Council.

Did you drive on a road? Council.

Did you use a pedestrian crossing? Council.

Did you go on a bus? Again, council.

@haydendonnell.bsky.social Opinion: City is made of council

thespinoff.co.nz/politics/06-...

City is made of council

Please vote. I do not know how else to say this.

thespinoff.co.nz

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Dr. Cassandra Mudgway @legallyfeminist.bsky.social · 3d

Virtually all NZ based experts who work with AI or have work that is threatened by AI have now signed our open letter calling on Parliament to regulate it. We shouldn't have to wait for an election, given the speed of dev & the harm already threatening people & jobs. #nzpol

Dr. Cassandra Mudgway @legallyfeminist.bsky.social · Aug 31

We’ve published an Open Letter calling on NZ leaders to deliver risk-based AI regulation & a national oversight body. AI has huge potential, but harms (deepfakes, gendered abuse, bias) are real and rising. Read the Letter (and sign it if you agree!) #nzpol

regulateai.nz

Home

A call to the NZ Parliament to regulate AI

regulateai.nz

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Aaahh! bstract Tesseract @abstracttesseract.bsky.social · 2d

I remember working in tech and asking how we interpret user research when users' stated preferences conflict with their values, or with ours. Usually people would just stare, confused

Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 2d

Preliminary results show that the current framework of "AI" makes ppl less likely to help or seek help from other humans, or to seek to soothe conflict, and that people actively prefer that framework to any others, literally serving to make them more dependent on it.

Sycophantic AI Decreases Prosocial Intentions and Promotes Dependence

Both the general public and academic communities have raised concerns about sycophancy, the phenomenon of artificial intelligence (AI) excessively agreeing with or flattering users. Yet, beyond isolat...

arxiv.org

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Dr. Damien P. Williams Wants A Better Sociotechnical Paradigm @wolvendamien.bsky.social · 3d

Like… it's kind of right there, no?

"AI" generated image of woman with dark hair sitting in a chair in front of posters with random shapes and symbols meant to look like images and text on movie posters, all superimposed with a post from k.w.bogen reading
"AI actresses can't negotiate. They can't say they'd prefer their bodies not be shown certgain ways. They can't refuse degrading scenes. They can't express distress about disturbing content. They can't ask the creators :why would you do that to me? Why put any woman through watching that? If AI film winds up being the path, we're about to see an entirely new generation (and more brutal depiction) of media misogyny."

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Yell In a War @jelenawoehr.bsky.social · 5d

Good summary of what the process of getting rid of an authoritarian requires. Should have way more than 15K views. (Addresses the Wild Swings issue we’re currently dealing with.)

youtu.be/3mxR2WQHeUc?...

Phases of Successful Authoritarian Resistance

YouTube video by Walking Each Other Home

youtu.be

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Jessica de Heij @jdeheij.bsky.social · 5d

This week has been a big week. 😅

We launched a bold plan to attract unlock new opportunities. From health and education, to innovation, tourism, and sustainability, this is Ōtepoti Dunedin’s blueprint for a thriving future. Next steps will be a city masterplan 😍👏

Check out www.investdunedin.com

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Hayley @writagal.bsky.social · 5d

This is what hate speech from people in power does.

This is relevant to NZ, and relevant to our elections.

It’s never been more important to vote - and to vote with those you love from vulnerable communities in mind.

Deliberate lack of representation is deliberate erasure - happening here, too.

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 5d

1. Led by Elon Musk, the far-right has exploded in a campaign to get Netflix to remove shows with queer and trans characters.

If Netflix capitulates to their demands, an already strained market for LGBTQ+ animators might become even more dire.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

Elon Musk Leads Campaign To Force Netflix To Remove Shows With Trans Characters

Musk's posts have been seen by tens of millions of users, and many conservatives are now attempting to force Netflix into a removal of LGBTQ+ content.

www.erininthemorning.com

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Data Bear 🏳️‍🌈 @dataandpolitics.net · 6d

My mother had an emergency triple bypass.

Her surgeon was Irish.

Anesthesiologist Nigerian.

Cardiac expert Chinese.

Nurses from everywhere on earth.

My mom is only alive because good people decided to come to America.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

Vance: "If you're an American citizen & you've been to the hospital in the last few years, you've probably noticed wait times are especially large & very often somebody who's there in the ER is an illegal alien. Why do those people get healthcare benefits at hospitals paid for by American citizens?"

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Reposted by michael lascarides

Dylan Reeve @dylanreeve.com · 6d

A good thing for New Zealanders to consider every time a local politician starts to make noises about moving toward privatized healthcare, or a "competitive insurance market"

Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock @warnock.senate.gov · 6d

I was sent this by a Georgian this morning. 2025 premiums vs 2026 premiums for someone making $65k a year.

Republicans in Washington did this.

This is what I'm fighting to stop. This is what’s at stake in this shutdown fight.

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Lew @lewsos.bsky.social · 6d

Nice democracy you got here. But don't worry, we're only planning to disenfranchise an entire electorate's worth of people

This time www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Government explored ban on people voting outside their electorate

The justice minister had said it was “worth exploring” requiring people to be in their electorate to vote, one of the ideas for cutting down on the number of special votes.

www.thepost.co.nz

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Reposted by michael lascarides

ali alkhatib @ali-alkhatib.com · 6d

i'm not saying we shouldn't talk about all the ways in which AI fails in the market. it just seems like we've clearly gone way past that point and we should think about what it will look like when a failed project has already been internalized by an empire or an oppressive settler colonial project

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michael lascarides @mlascarides.bsky.social · 6d

This article does a great, thorough job of explaining the impact of deploying AI in a messy, human context.

Melanie Mitchell @melaniemitchell.bsky.social · 7d

In 2016 Hinton predicted that AI would replace all radiologists in five years. Ten years later, why hasn't it happened? This post is a great explainer.

www.understandingai.org/p/ai-isnt-re...

AI isn't replacing radiologists

Radiology combines digital images, clear benchmarks, and repeatable tasks. But demand for human radiologists is at an all-time high.

www.understandingai.org

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