Pinned
mags
@ritavonbees.bsky.social
· Jan 19
The Second Law of Thermodynamics (Archived)
The magazine that published this poem seems to have disappeared into the void, which happens sometimes. It took me a while to get this published – I wrote the first draft when I was twenty an…
thepresenttenser.wordpress.com
i guess i should have the same pinned post on here as twitter so people have some idea of my political philosophy
thepresenttenser.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/t...
thepresenttenser.wordpress.com/2019/03/13/t...
Reposted by mags
I've seen some bullshit at CES, but I've never seen such an aggressive gaslighting - AI that doesn't work but is reported as if it does, robots that do not exist that are discussed as if they do, broken demos that are reported as functional. It's a disgrace, I am disgusted.
January 10, 2026 at 2:25 AM
I've seen some bullshit at CES, but I've never seen such an aggressive gaslighting - AI that doesn't work but is reported as if it does, robots that do not exist that are discussed as if they do, broken demos that are reported as functional. It's a disgrace, I am disgusted.
Reposted by mags
Every single "the robots are here" story from CES is wrong
January 10, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Every single "the robots are here" story from CES is wrong
Reposted by mags
doing it out of spite (against myself)
January 6, 2026 at 7:57 PM
doing it out of spite (against myself)
got a fork and butter knife right in the elbow when I walked into a waitress cos I wasn't looking where I was going while chatting on the way to an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party, for which i was dressed as the Cheshire Cat, by which I mean Twink Semi-Formal except with a huge face paint smile
What's the most ridiculous way you ever hurt yourself? I got out of the tub, skidded in water and tripped over the toilet. Ankle sprain.
😅
😅
January 6, 2026 at 8:05 PM
got a fork and butter knife right in the elbow when I walked into a waitress cos I wasn't looking where I was going while chatting on the way to an Alice in Wonderland themed tea party, for which i was dressed as the Cheshire Cat, by which I mean Twink Semi-Formal except with a huge face paint smile
Reposted by mags
Next test for America: pick up & distribute Crave’s upcoming lesbian softball mockumentary sitcom co-exec produced by Elliot Page & Stevie from Schitt’s Creek with Nadine Bhabha - Kip’s friend Elena from Heated Rivalry - both as a guest star & one of the writers.
www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/pre...
www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/pre...
Beer, Lesbians and Baseball! Casting Announced for New Crave Original Comedy Series, SLO PITCH - Bell Media
TORONTO (October 2, 2025) – Crave announced today casting details for its new original series SLO PITCH, produced by Shaftesbury in association with Boss & Co, and Elliot Page’s PAGEBOY Productions. T...
www.bellmedia.ca
December 31, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Next test for America: pick up & distribute Crave’s upcoming lesbian softball mockumentary sitcom co-exec produced by Elliot Page & Stevie from Schitt’s Creek with Nadine Bhabha - Kip’s friend Elena from Heated Rivalry - both as a guest star & one of the writers.
www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/pre...
www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/pre...
Reposted by mags
>looking for a new cheetah
>ask one of the Franks of Haifa if their big cat is a cheetah or a leopard
>he doesn’t understand
>pull out diagram explaining what is a cheetah and what is a leopard
>he laughs and says “its a good big cat sir”
>buy a big cat
>its a leopard
>ask one of the Franks of Haifa if their big cat is a cheetah or a leopard
>he doesn’t understand
>pull out diagram explaining what is a cheetah and what is a leopard
>he laughs and says “its a good big cat sir”
>buy a big cat
>its a leopard
July 22, 2025 at 1:35 PM
>looking for a new cheetah
>ask one of the Franks of Haifa if their big cat is a cheetah or a leopard
>he doesn’t understand
>pull out diagram explaining what is a cheetah and what is a leopard
>he laughs and says “its a good big cat sir”
>buy a big cat
>its a leopard
>ask one of the Franks of Haifa if their big cat is a cheetah or a leopard
>he doesn’t understand
>pull out diagram explaining what is a cheetah and what is a leopard
>he laughs and says “its a good big cat sir”
>buy a big cat
>its a leopard
Reposted by mags
This is just a note to say
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
December 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
This is just a note to say
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
Reposted by mags
please let “bugs bunnying” become the slang for manipulating an LLM into ignoring its guardrails, i have never seen a more succinct and evocative term for it
Highly amused by the stories of companies using agentic AI chatbots to run their internal company stores, only for their employees to immediately Bugs Bunny the chatbot into giving them free stuff www.aiweirdness.com/when-a-chatb...
When a chatbot runs your store
You may have heard of "agentic AI", which is basically the idea that you can hook up a large language model to controls that do real things. The controls might run internet searches, run commands to o...
www.aiweirdness.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:20 PM
please let “bugs bunnying” become the slang for manipulating an LLM into ignoring its guardrails, i have never seen a more succinct and evocative term for it
Reposted by mags
Harlequin’s global growth in the 70s was made possible by local translators who not only converted the language but also the idioms and symbols of love into things locals would understand. This is a penny wise, pound foolish move by HC, another in a long line.
Hard no to this: French publisher Harlequin has told translators that their work will now be done by AI. They can ‘revise’ AI translations at much lower rate. It’s a subsidiary of Harper Collins so treat this as a test for rollout elsewhere
"Bradage de la traduction, plan social invisible : Harlequin passe à l’IA"
Faites tourner, parce qu'il va falloir se battre encore plus. :/
#traduction #IA #Harlequin #ATLF
Faites tourner, parce qu'il va falloir se battre encore plus. :/
#traduction #IA #Harlequin #ATLF
December 19, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Harlequin’s global growth in the 70s was made possible by local translators who not only converted the language but also the idioms and symbols of love into things locals would understand. This is a penny wise, pound foolish move by HC, another in a long line.
Reposted by mags
Everyone knows about Ahmed al-Ahmad, the Syrian Muslim migrant who took down one gunman. Another man, a Middle Eastern refugee, ran into a firefight and kicked the gun away from the other gunman. Police shot him, and bystanders kicked him in the head while he was down, thinking he was the terrorist.
December 18, 2025 at 6:34 AM
Everyone knows about Ahmed al-Ahmad, the Syrian Muslim migrant who took down one gunman. Another man, a Middle Eastern refugee, ran into a firefight and kicked the gun away from the other gunman. Police shot him, and bystanders kicked him in the head while he was down, thinking he was the terrorist.
Reposted by mags
The comorbidity of neo-Nazism and transphobia isn't just a kind of "one bad belief leads to all bad beliefs". At its core, it's the same belief: belief in a rigid societal order where your station at birth determines your future, your role, and how you must labor.
A belief in biodestiny, in short.
A belief in biodestiny, in short.
Today, I examine how the boundaries of the Nation are co-constituted by race, disability, and sexuality, but also---notably---gender and control over reproduction.
And ask everyone to stop saying transfeminism is 'imperialist'. For fuck's sake.
Read: taliabhattwrites.substack.com/p/understand...
And ask everyone to stop saying transfeminism is 'imperialist'. For fuck's sake.
Read: taliabhattwrites.substack.com/p/understand...
December 16, 2025 at 9:25 AM
The comorbidity of neo-Nazism and transphobia isn't just a kind of "one bad belief leads to all bad beliefs". At its core, it's the same belief: belief in a rigid societal order where your station at birth determines your future, your role, and how you must labor.
A belief in biodestiny, in short.
A belief in biodestiny, in short.
Reposted by mags
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
'Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey.'
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
December 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
nm just doing some online shopping
December 7, 2025 at 9:00 AM
nm just doing some online shopping
Reposted by mags
I fucking love memes you can understand through the language barrier, holy shit
December 6, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I fucking love memes you can understand through the language barrier, holy shit
Reposted by mags
JFC - have they learned nothing
“Funding & support plans for NDIS participants will be generated by a computer program and staff will have no discretion to amend them, under a major overhaul of the NDIS to be rolled out next year, Guardian Australia can reveal.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
“Funding & support plans for NDIS participants will be generated by a computer program and staff will have no discretion to amend them, under a major overhaul of the NDIS to be rolled out next year, Guardian Australia can reveal.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
NDIS plans will be computer-generated, with human involvement dramatically cut under sweeping overhaul
Exclusive: Staff were told of major changes to the way NDIS funding and support plans will be made during a recent internal briefing
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:19 PM
JFC - have they learned nothing
“Funding & support plans for NDIS participants will be generated by a computer program and staff will have no discretion to amend them, under a major overhaul of the NDIS to be rolled out next year, Guardian Australia can reveal.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
“Funding & support plans for NDIS participants will be generated by a computer program and staff will have no discretion to amend them, under a major overhaul of the NDIS to be rolled out next year, Guardian Australia can reveal.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by mags
"Much Ado About Nothing: Unmotivating "Gender Identity"" by Hernandez and Bell gives @floralashes.bsky.social a run for their money in the "best/funniest footnote in a paper on transness" category.
Paper: journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article...
Paper: journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article...
November 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
"Much Ado About Nothing: Unmotivating "Gender Identity"" by Hernandez and Bell gives @floralashes.bsky.social a run for their money in the "best/funniest footnote in a paper on transness" category.
Paper: journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article...
Paper: journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article...
Reposted by mags
They're also responsible for one of the best emails I've ever received, when the college office sent out a plea for sightings of Professor Biscuit while conveniently forgetting to mention that he was a cat...(I won't comment on how often a similar email might have gone out about human Professors...)
November 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
They're also responsible for one of the best emails I've ever received, when the college office sent out a plea for sightings of Professor Biscuit while conveniently forgetting to mention that he was a cat...(I won't comment on how often a similar email might have gone out about human Professors...)
Reposted by mags
It’s also fun because it’s both resonating and in tension with one of my previous papers.
(Free version: www.florenceashley.com/uploads/1/2/...)
(Free version: www.florenceashley.com/uploads/1/2/...)
What Is It like to Have a Gender Identity?
Abstract. By attending to how people speak about their gender, we can find diverse answers to the question of what it is like to have a gender identity. To
academic.oup.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
It’s also fun because it’s both resonating and in tension with one of my previous papers.
(Free version: www.florenceashley.com/uploads/1/2/...)
(Free version: www.florenceashley.com/uploads/1/2/...)
Reposted by mags
This cool paper by my friends is finally officially out!
Much Ado About Nothing: Unmotivating "Gender Identity"
Recently, the concept of "gender identity" has enjoyed a great deal of attention in gender metaphysics. This seems to be motivated by the goal of creating trans-inclusive theory, by explaining trans p...
journals.publishing.umich.edu
November 20, 2025 at 6:35 PM
This cool paper by my friends is finally officially out!
Reposted by mags
💔 Alice Wong’s last words: “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
We can never thank Alice enough for fighting all the good fights and especially all the hard fights. We all learned so much from your brilliance, your courage, and your indefatigable leadership. We will never forget you.
We can never thank Alice enough for fighting all the good fights and especially all the hard fights. We all learned so much from your brilliance, your courage, and your indefatigable leadership. We will never forget you.
November 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
💔 Alice Wong’s last words: “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.”
We can never thank Alice enough for fighting all the good fights and especially all the hard fights. We all learned so much from your brilliance, your courage, and your indefatigable leadership. We will never forget you.
We can never thank Alice enough for fighting all the good fights and especially all the hard fights. We all learned so much from your brilliance, your courage, and your indefatigable leadership. We will never forget you.
Reposted by mags
One of the great heartbreaks of being in the disability community is how often we lose people and how many of our most powerful voices have gone silent. We must live our lives loudly and joyously in their honor and remember that our very existence is resistance.
Oh no I just heard we lost Alice. This is terribly sad. She was an incredible, talented, powerful voice of the disability community. She stood strong for herself and for all of us. She will be missed immensely.
‘Death remains my intimate shadow partner. It has been with me since birth, always hovering close by. I understand one day we will finally waltz together into the ether. I hope when that time comes, I die with the satisfaction of a life well-lived, unapologetic, joyful, & full of love.’
—Alice Wong
—Alice Wong
November 15, 2025 at 4:45 PM
One of the great heartbreaks of being in the disability community is how often we lose people and how many of our most powerful voices have gone silent. We must live our lives loudly and joyously in their honor and remember that our very existence is resistance.
Reposted by mags
"I insist on resisting with joy and finding pleasure where I can such as with my friends and two cats, Bert and Ernie. Yes, life is a complete dumpster fire, but I am reminded that I am not alone, that I am in this with many others." — Alice Wong, January 2025: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Disability advocate Alice Wong on resistance in the new year: ‘Life is a dumpster fire, but I’m not alone’
The activist, who received a 2024 MacArthur ‘genius’ grant, reflects on a moment that changed her life – and why she finds hope in sci-fi
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 7:42 PM
"I insist on resisting with joy and finding pleasure where I can such as with my friends and two cats, Bert and Ernie. Yes, life is a complete dumpster fire, but I am reminded that I am not alone, that I am in this with many others." — Alice Wong, January 2025: www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by mags
HOLY SHIT. They found the genes for fibromyalgia - and it's *not* autoimmune, it's the central nervous system. It's very cool to see some progress made on the thing that's ruined my life since late teenage years!
Medical Republic: 'Fibromyalgia finally gets a genetic fingerprint'
'Additionally, certain risk loci overlapped with long covid (BPTF) and ME/CFS (OLFM4, RABGAP1L/GPR52), two poorly characterised disorders, albeit with different lead variants.'
www.medicalrepublic.com.au/fibromyalgia...
'Additionally, certain risk loci overlapped with long covid (BPTF) and ME/CFS (OLFM4, RABGAP1L/GPR52), two poorly characterised disorders, albeit with different lead variants.'
www.medicalrepublic.com.au/fibromyalgia...
Fibromyalgia finally gets a genetic fingerprint - Medical Republic
A massive global study links the chronic pain condition to 26 genes associated with brain signalling, marking a turning point in understanding its biological roots.
www.medicalrepublic.com.au
November 14, 2025 at 4:09 AM
HOLY SHIT. They found the genes for fibromyalgia - and it's *not* autoimmune, it's the central nervous system. It's very cool to see some progress made on the thing that's ruined my life since late teenage years!
Reposted by mags
Lots of folks captioning aurora photos like "for a few minutes we didn't think about politics"
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
November 13, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Lots of folks captioning aurora photos like "for a few minutes we didn't think about politics"
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation