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Reposted by The Questionable Authority

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 11h

Huge improvement! Now let's talk casting

The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 17h

Key point here:
Not all AI is generative AI. More conventional machine learning is still a thing, and still extremely useful in these contexts.

Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 17h

FYI, for those who are concerned that the AI/ML systems that Bluesky uses to scan huge volumes of posts for harmful content might also be used to train Gen AI systems, here's what Bluesky has said about this in the past:

Bluesky @bsky.app · Nov 15

Bluesky uses AI internally to assist in content moderation, which helps us triage posts and shield human moderators from harmful content. We also use AI in the Discover algorithmic feed to serve you posts that we think you’d like.

None of these are Gen AI systems trained on user content.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 18h

Wait, doesn't tariff revenue go into the treasury like other revenue? And don't you need an appropriation to spend money?

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 18h

"Get away with" what?

The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 19h

Definitely distinct, in part because (aside from its use in trolling), adult content has often largely operated outside conventional IP schemes for very independent reasons.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 20h

The extent to which Patreon has effectively permitted creatives to monetize their work in a manner that is largely indifferent to intellectual property law protections* is underappreciated and understudied.

*In large part because it's basically a "Distributed de' Midici" compensation model.

Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 23h

This week for @wired.com Big Interview pod, I talk to Patreon CEO Jack Conte, who wants to carve a different path in this era of IP theft and AI slop.

"We're sending rockets into space; we got self-driving cars. We should figure out how to get creative people paid for their work."

Patreon CEO Jack Conte Wants You to Get Off of Your Phone

The man who cofounded Patreon is tired of influencers making content to get clicks. He’d rather creators earn lifelong fans—and he has a plan for that.

www.wired.com

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 20h

Yeah, looking at your initial post, inadvertently or not, I think you did adopt and advance the administration's framing.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 20h

Curing cancer is a universal benefit and the costs are still local. So even if it cures cancer, they are still worse off relative to everyone else - they're bearing the costs, in effect, of our cured cancers as well as their own.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 22h

The thing about "high-value" is that value is very relative in this scenario.

That kind of manufacturing might be high-value to the shareholders, maybe even to state and national governments. But if its bringing higher bills to locals with few jobs to offset that, it's got negative value for them.

Conor Sen @conorsen.bsky.social · 23h

The data center angst feels like a leading indicator of a broader economic development question about if the public will ever support high-value industrial activity that:
-uses a lot of power
-doesn’t create many jobs

Because that seems like the future of manufacturing.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 22h

I don't know. If the big square boxes that got built in your neighborhood aren't adding many jobs (and even fewer high-paying ones) to your community while it simultaneously makes you personally worse off, I'm not sure if you care whether it's making AI slop or curing cancer.

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Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 22h

me: fandom is so weird you get super invested in the doings of these other people who don't even care about your opinion most of the time and your entire day is based on whether they did good or feel bad and then you have to feel the same way

mom: This is just parenthood

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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 22h

Adjuncts who actually teach the classes: not in picture, not invited to meeting. Busy actually teaching the classes.

Evangeline Warren @evangelinewarren.com · 1d

assistant professor, associate professor, grad student

the coach of the KC Chiefs, Travis Kelce, and Patrick Mahomes. From left to right they are wearing (1) a very normal grey suit with red tie, (2) a newsboy cap in brown with a shirt that looks like a bad motel wallpaper, and (3) a barbie-esque italian table cloth vest

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 22h

Some help needed here, y'all.

Space Witches, Esq. @popelizbet.bsky.social · 23h

If Sonia doesn't get $1138 TODAY she runs the risk of getting evicted and her car is already marked for repossession #HelpSky #UrgentNeed #HelpFolksLive2025 #MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #ShowUpForWishes 💸 💕

Space Witches, Esq. @popelizbet.bsky.social · 12d

The court didn't award Sonia any of the damages her abuser did that she had to pay for. Help her restart her life: paypal.me/MsSoniaD cashapp $spunkylilminx or www.gofundme.com/f/sonias-fig...

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Reposted by The Questionable Authority

Space Witches, Esq. @popelizbet.bsky.social · 23h

If Sonia doesn't get $1138 TODAY she runs the risk of getting evicted and her car is already marked for repossession #HelpSky #UrgentNeed #HelpFolksLive2025 #MutualAid #MutualAidRequest #ShowUpForWishes 💸 💕

Space Witches, Esq. @popelizbet.bsky.social · 12d

The court didn't award Sonia any of the damages her abuser did that she had to pay for. Help her restart her life: paypal.me/MsSoniaD cashapp $spunkylilminx or www.gofundme.com/f/sonias-fig...

Pay Sonia Hale using PayPal.Me

Go to paypal.me/MsSoniaD and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure. Don’t have a PayPal account? No worries.

paypal.me

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 22h

The thing about "high-value" is that value is very relative in this scenario.

That kind of manufacturing might be high-value to the shareholders, maybe even to state and national governments. But if its bringing higher bills to locals with few jobs to offset that, it's got negative value for them.

Conor Sen @conorsen.bsky.social · 23h

The data center angst feels like a leading indicator of a broader economic development question about if the public will ever support high-value industrial activity that:
-uses a lot of power
-doesn’t create many jobs

Because that seems like the future of manufacturing.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 22h

Took me a second or two to realize you were talking about word count rather than grimdark.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 1d

If they had dug in on "threat," there's much more of a chance I'd agree. But the shift in their response to the appeal kinda killed that for me.

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Vituperative Erb @vituperativeerb.bsky.social · 1d

Like if Van Halen gets to the dressing room and instead of the candy they asked for someone has taken a shit in the bowl, Eddie is not feeling optimistic about the wiring

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah, I don't think it was a stunning exemplar of good judgment or anything. But the ban coming over a day later, immediately after a dust-up with Jay, and their shift on the reason for the permaban from "threat" to "hostile/disruptive" make me strongly question the good faith nature of the ban.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 1d

Or I could construct a series of probing questions the way I would for a deposition or cross-examination. Ones that are designed not to engage with you in good faith, but to lead you into making self-defeating and discrediting statements. That would be superficially polite, but probably more toxic.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 1d

To put it another way, I could respond to your initial post with something like "damn, you've got to figure out hostility, what did you do to deserve getting that kind of shit sandwich assignment," but follow that with something substantive - hopefully that wouldn't read as toxic.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 1d

Depends on what we're characterizing as hostile. It's possible for there to be slightly rude or disrespectful responses that are also productive, and contribute minimally to toxicity. And there are things like sealioning that can be reasonable in appearance, but contribute much more to toxicity.

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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 1d

lol. ok, i laughed.

Taku @takunava.bsky.social · 1d

Miss

a computer screen shows a game being played with ships and ice

ALT: a computer screen shows a game being played with ships and ice

media.tenor.com

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 1d

It's an area with little existing law where the facts on the ground are critical, and where courts have historically been reluctant to intrude.

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The Questionable Authority @questauthority.bsky.social · 1d

There are over 500 pages of materials in the national guard one already. Reading takes time. And decisions without reading are....sub-ideal.

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