Sam Bakkila
@sbakkila.bsky.social
MFA student and writing instructor at Stony Brook University. Former Edtech worker. Interested in digital pedagogy.
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
if I see another academic describe LLMs - a tech owned by a small elite of white billionaires, built from extracting data from humans and minerals from the earth, and refined by the labor of underpaid workers in the global south - as an ‘important tool for decolonization’ I may simply just explode
December 9, 2025 at 2:32 AM
if I see another academic describe LLMs - a tech owned by a small elite of white billionaires, built from extracting data from humans and minerals from the earth, and refined by the labor of underpaid workers in the global south - as an ‘important tool for decolonization’ I may simply just explode
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
I find it amusing how AI evangelists assume both
1) LLMs will rapidly progress and evolve (potentially to AGI supergods)
2) Future advanced AI will work in the exact same way as today's programs.
It seems like assuming DOS prompting skills would be essential to use smartphone apps.
1) LLMs will rapidly progress and evolve (potentially to AGI supergods)
2) Future advanced AI will work in the exact same way as today's programs.
It seems like assuming DOS prompting skills would be essential to use smartphone apps.
“Self-styled experts are racing to generate checklists, frameworks, and guidance for the knowledge and skills to productively use AI. When educators rush to publish the skills of technology literacy before they actually have evidence about what those skills are, things can go very poorly”
Opinion | Stop Pretending You Know How to Teach AI
Colleges are racing to make students ‘fluent.’ One problem: No one knows what that means.
www.chronicle.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
I find it amusing how AI evangelists assume both
1) LLMs will rapidly progress and evolve (potentially to AGI supergods)
2) Future advanced AI will work in the exact same way as today's programs.
It seems like assuming DOS prompting skills would be essential to use smartphone apps.
1) LLMs will rapidly progress and evolve (potentially to AGI supergods)
2) Future advanced AI will work in the exact same way as today's programs.
It seems like assuming DOS prompting skills would be essential to use smartphone apps.
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
dystopian ass weather report
Chicago may experience less tear gas use as Operation Midway Blitz winds down. Cold and wet weather reduce effectiveness, while wind adds unpredictability.
Wind, cold temps can change the impact of tear gas and pepper balls, experts say
chicago.suntimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:40 PM
dystopian ass weather report
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
My personal story of trying to consistently only do “tech for good” type work for as much of my career as I could swing is that 100% of the “good” that I ever did has already been fully reverted by the tech industry itself. (In this case, sucks to have previously worked in climate tech, oh well!)
A new state-by-state evaluation of the projected energy and water use of "AI" data centers in the US. Looks… real bad. Like, "undoing tech sector climate gains" bad.
Strongly recommends immediately ensuring any & all new "AI" data centers to run on existing & expanded renewables grids. Which… yeah.
Strongly recommends immediately ensuring any & all new "AI" data centers to run on existing & expanded renewables grids. Which… yeah.
Environmental impact and net-zero pathways for sustainable artificial intelligence servers in the USA - Nature Sustainability
The rapid expansion of AI server installations in the United States poses sustainability challenges in terms of water usage and carbon emissions. A study now quantifies these potential impacts and out...
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:28 AM
My personal story of trying to consistently only do “tech for good” type work for as much of my career as I could swing is that 100% of the “good” that I ever did has already been fully reverted by the tech industry itself. (In this case, sucks to have previously worked in climate tech, oh well!)
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
There is something really wrong with people who need workers to be not just competent, but slavishly fake-happy. "Slavishly" used on purpose, bc that's where this grotesquerie comes from.
"Store employees are now required to smile if they are within 10 feet of a shopper.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
Target is now requiring its employees to smile more
As the holiday season fast approaches, Target is urging its employees to add a little more “jolly” to their work routine.
www.wilx.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
There is something really wrong with people who need workers to be not just competent, but slavishly fake-happy. "Slavishly" used on purpose, bc that's where this grotesquerie comes from.
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
1 yr anniversary of this post.
I have had much of the kumbaya aggressively beaten out of me over the past several years but if it’s any comfort whatsoever, I can at least say that every single time I thought nothing good would happen again I was wrong, and I’ve never looked back and thought “so glad I spent my time panicking!”
November 7, 2025 at 9:38 PM
1 yr anniversary of this post.
The NYTimes opeds (and some reporting too) have been so absurd that they are indistinguishable from this satire
"Look, Mamdani's win is both the worst thing to ever happen and totally meaningless; his supporters are stupid rich kids and also dedicated communist-terrorist infiltrators; and, as I argue in this, my 12th op-ed on him, it's strange that we all keep talking about him so much."
November 6, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The NYTimes opeds (and some reporting too) have been so absurd that they are indistinguishable from this satire
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
Something crazy about the US and international copyright enforcement regime is that they consistently criminalize digital archiving when it is done for pro-social reasons, but consistently protect the reuse of archived materials by other parties when it is for commercial reasons
The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.
FBI Tries to Unmask Owner of Infamous Archive.is Site
The FBI has subpoenaed the domain registrar of archive.today, demanding information about the owner.
www.404media.co
November 6, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Something crazy about the US and international copyright enforcement regime is that they consistently criminalize digital archiving when it is done for pro-social reasons, but consistently protect the reuse of archived materials by other parties when it is for commercial reasons
It's so absurd that we have like two major newspapers that haven't been ruined by acquisitions and layoffs and the biggest one is spending its time during the second Trump term multi-crisis running opeds like this:
the question nobody with a soul is asking, answered by people nobody wants to hear from
November 6, 2025 at 3:46 PM
It's so absurd that we have like two major newspapers that haven't been ruined by acquisitions and layoffs and the biggest one is spending its time during the second Trump term multi-crisis running opeds like this:
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
basically every 2024 truism is dead. Trump did not build a lasting multiracial coalition or turn young men into committed Republicans. You don’t need to cave on trans rights to win. The pundits have nothing left to tell you.
November 5, 2025 at 1:57 PM
basically every 2024 truism is dead. Trump did not build a lasting multiracial coalition or turn young men into committed Republicans. You don’t need to cave on trans rights to win. The pundits have nothing left to tell you.
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
Turn the volume up!!!!
November 5, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Turn the volume up!!!!
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
Zohran Mamdani caught lying that he understood Plato’s allegory of the cave, yet when asked to explain it, he seemed to instead explain Baudrillard’s theory of Simulacra and Simulation where reality has been replaced by symbols and signs, which seems similar to Plato’s theory but is not the same
October 29, 2025 at 3:28 AM
Zohran Mamdani caught lying that he understood Plato’s allegory of the cave, yet when asked to explain it, he seemed to instead explain Baudrillard’s theory of Simulacra and Simulation where reality has been replaced by symbols and signs, which seems similar to Plato’s theory but is not the same
This is basically the plot of Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin except more exploitative...
So the $20,000 humanoid robot housekeeper actually just webcams your house to a random person in a call center with an Xbox controller www.wsj.com/tech/persona... @joannastern.bsky.social
I Tried the Robot That’s Coming to Live With You. It’s Still Part Human.
1X’s Neo wants to be your housekeeper. First, it needs to be controlled by a human in your home. Cool with you?
www.wsj.com
October 29, 2025 at 2:44 AM
This is basically the plot of Little Eyes by Samanta Schweblin except more exploitative...
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
the democratic party’s basic problem is it has almost no control over how its message reaches the ears of voters, especially outside of presidential election years. but rather than devote serious time, attention and cash to that problem its consultants and pundits want to fight factional battles
October 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
the democratic party’s basic problem is it has almost no control over how its message reaches the ears of voters, especially outside of presidential election years. but rather than devote serious time, attention and cash to that problem its consultants and pundits want to fight factional battles
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
It’s only populism when people are getting paid fedsoc money to do outrage kayfabe with bot farms on social media, otherwise it’s time to just focus on the content and not the count
October 18, 2025 at 10:57 PM
It’s only populism when people are getting paid fedsoc money to do outrage kayfabe with bot farms on social media, otherwise it’s time to just focus on the content and not the count
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
NYT leading with some story about Santos rather than the largest protest event since 1970. A reminder that the collapse of news into entertainment is one of the reasons we got here.
October 19, 2025 at 4:10 AM
NYT leading with some story about Santos rather than the largest protest event since 1970. A reminder that the collapse of news into entertainment is one of the reasons we got here.
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
The Horror Zine in question
October 2, 2025 at 11:11 PM
The Horror Zine in question
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
Thinking about how human cloning technology could be used to not only revive famous musical acts, but make them even better. Just imagine Crosby, Crosby, Crosby, Crosby, Stills, Stills, Nash, Young & Young
October 6, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Thinking about how human cloning technology could be used to not only revive famous musical acts, but make them even better. Just imagine Crosby, Crosby, Crosby, Crosby, Stills, Stills, Nash, Young & Young
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
i think the key to understanding a lot of establishment discourse is that basically only the left and liberals are capable of being viewed as subjects capable of judgement which is why GOP rule is essentially treated as a force of nature
The media trots out the "deplorable" comment from a decade ago to castigate the left. Once a week now Trump implies that the military should destroy democrats, and it is just how things are.
Trump to the Navy: "We have to take care of this little gnat that's on our shoulder called the Democrats."
October 6, 2025 at 12:39 AM
i think the key to understanding a lot of establishment discourse is that basically only the left and liberals are capable of being viewed as subjects capable of judgement which is why GOP rule is essentially treated as a force of nature
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
great news! you're not actually seeing karl rove, john yoo, and david frum criticize the administration's lawlessness more stridently than dem leadership. you, reader, were infected with rabies by a brown bat 36 hours ago and this is all just the virus working its way through your nervous system
September 18, 2025 at 2:11 AM
great news! you're not actually seeing karl rove, john yoo, and david frum criticize the administration's lawlessness more stridently than dem leadership. you, reader, were infected with rabies by a brown bat 36 hours ago and this is all just the virus working its way through your nervous system
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
Today, JD Vance urged Republicans to put on the "full armor of god" to fight their opponents.
Tonight, some of the most powerful people in tech will gather to hear Peter Thiel—who created Vance—give a secret lecture on the Antichrist.
It's all the same talking point, folks: politics as holy war
Tonight, some of the most powerful people in tech will gather to hear Peter Thiel—who created Vance—give a secret lecture on the Antichrist.
It's all the same talking point, folks: politics as holy war
September 15, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Today, JD Vance urged Republicans to put on the "full armor of god" to fight their opponents.
Tonight, some of the most powerful people in tech will gather to hear Peter Thiel—who created Vance—give a secret lecture on the Antichrist.
It's all the same talking point, folks: politics as holy war
Tonight, some of the most powerful people in tech will gather to hear Peter Thiel—who created Vance—give a secret lecture on the Antichrist.
It's all the same talking point, folks: politics as holy war
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
Grok is being sent to the reeducation camp
September 14, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Grok is being sent to the reeducation camp
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
It’s also indicative of the problematic way the administration blurs the lines between elected officials and pundit, television personality, model, podcaster, etc. It positions whoever is favourable of Trump as if they have been elected democratically to officially represent or serve in office.
September 11, 2025 at 11:01 AM
It’s also indicative of the problematic way the administration blurs the lines between elected officials and pundit, television personality, model, podcaster, etc. It positions whoever is favourable of Trump as if they have been elected democratically to officially represent or serve in office.
Reposted by Sam Bakkila
For everyone saying political violence has no place in this country…
Remember two Democratic legislators were shot in Minnesota just this year.
And America shrugged and moved on.
Remember two Democratic legislators were shot in Minnesota just this year.
And America shrugged and moved on.
September 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
For everyone saying political violence has no place in this country…
Remember two Democratic legislators were shot in Minnesota just this year.
And America shrugged and moved on.
Remember two Democratic legislators were shot in Minnesota just this year.
And America shrugged and moved on.