Pinned
Shirley0401
@shirley0401.bsky.social
· Sep 19
In retrospect maybe it wasn't so great for society that we spent a half-century telling ourselves we're all basically selfish pieces of shit and need to accept that we're selfish pieces of shit, and therefore we should encourage being a selfish piece of shit and reward being a selfish piece of shit.
Reposted by Shirley0401
They don’t work.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
if nothing else, understanding how and why they work might actually help people understand why and how they fail!
nobody serious is asking for people to put blind faith in the models, what we’re asking for is actually engaging with the realm of the possible.
nobody serious is asking for people to put blind faith in the models, what we’re asking for is actually engaging with the realm of the possible.
December 22, 2025 at 5:32 PM
They don’t work.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
And it’s not my job to teach students how to use them (when that “teaching” mostly revolves around how to avoid the tools lying to you and making you dumber.
Reposted by Shirley0401
If an academic depends on a LLM hallucinated study in their work, it's embarrassing and could mean wasted time and lost prestige.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
suspect a big reason why many academics and others who work in areas where getting facts RIGHT is key are disinterested in using LLMs for research:
they’ve tried it, they keep noticing major errors in output, and they conclude that having to verify all that doesn’t actually save them time.
they’ve tried it, they keep noticing major errors in output, and they conclude that having to verify all that doesn’t actually save them time.
December 21, 2025 at 7:41 PM
If an academic depends on a LLM hallucinated study in their work, it's embarrassing and could mean wasted time and lost prestige.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
If an attorney depends on a LLM hallucinated precedent or law, it's potentially career ending and already has been for some. I like my license to practice, thanks.
Reposted by Shirley0401
This isn't a coherent reason to pull a story. If they reached out for comment in a reasonable time frame and got none, they should run the story. If they want to pursue follow up interviews with admin officials, OK. But this is a bizarre justification for pulling a finished story.
somebody realized that she was looking like too much of a admin lackey....
December 22, 2025 at 5:00 PM
This isn't a coherent reason to pull a story. If they reached out for comment in a reasonable time frame and got none, they should run the story. If they want to pursue follow up interviews with admin officials, OK. But this is a bizarre justification for pulling a finished story.
Reposted by Shirley0401
During their White House meeting, Zohran Mamdani tried to explain FDR’s legacy to Donald Trump: “I spoke about how transformative the New Deal had been for our country and how that is the legacy of politics that I seek to draw upon in the work that I'm doing in New York City.”
Zohran Mamdani on FDR, LaGuardia—and Trump
In an exclusive interview with The Nation, the mayor-elect goes behind the scenes of his meeting with the president and talks about some of his political heroes.
www.thenation.com
December 22, 2025 at 5:04 PM
During their White House meeting, Zohran Mamdani tried to explain FDR’s legacy to Donald Trump: “I spoke about how transformative the New Deal had been for our country and how that is the legacy of politics that I seek to draw upon in the work that I'm doing in New York City.”
Reposted by Shirley0401
Just got told off by an AI bro for refusing to engage with those with zero knowledge or experience in translation who claim AI will make it easier, when it has already demonstrably entered the field like a wrecking ball, making things worse not only for translators but also for readers.
AI advocates: you really need to learn to stop coming off to subject matter experts in other fields as if you’re Kool-Aid manning into the room and going “you’re dumb not to use these tools for your trivially easy jobs”
you may think this is an unfair read on your intentions, but life is unfair.
you may think this is an unfair read on your intentions, but life is unfair.
You absolutely will not convince a bunch of historians and sociologists and whoever else is in this thread that you know more than we do about this and we should use it. I wish you AI enthusiasts would stop wading into our conversations. You have nothing helpful to contribute and are snarky.
December 21, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Just got told off by an AI bro for refusing to engage with those with zero knowledge or experience in translation who claim AI will make it easier, when it has already demonstrably entered the field like a wrecking ball, making things worse not only for translators but also for readers.
Reposted by Shirley0401
this is yet another great example of how fascinatingly terrible the big GenAI industries public roll-out and marketing/PR/sales strategy has been
every time I bring this up in conversations with proselytizers I get "but the newer versions are better" but if that's so then how come, for just one example, Google's AI summary is making things up wholecloth every single time I glance at it
December 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
this is yet another great example of how fascinatingly terrible the big GenAI industries public roll-out and marketing/PR/sales strategy has been
Reposted by Shirley0401
I am not personally interested in running for office, but if I ever ended up in that position, I would be totally willing to bet whatever time I had on the climate equivalent of a Hail Mary for the well-being of every single person on earth regardless of their ideology or politics. YOLO!
December 18, 2025 at 7:05 PM
I am not personally interested in running for office, but if I ever ended up in that position, I would be totally willing to bet whatever time I had on the climate equivalent of a Hail Mary for the well-being of every single person on earth regardless of their ideology or politics. YOLO!
Reposted by Shirley0401
You know what hasn't been tried in any of the countries cited here? A full on push to a globally-leading clean energy economy and a better future. Does no one think that's worth trying at least once? After all, "you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face while sitting in front of a window .
Alt: a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face while sitting in front of a window .
media.tenor.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:59 PM
You know what hasn't been tried in any of the countries cited here? A full on push to a globally-leading clean energy economy and a better future. Does no one think that's worth trying at least once? After all, "you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Reposted by Shirley0401
Since this op-ed specifically cites the example of other countries let me remind you that Canadian liberals' decades-long attempt to reconcile with the oil and gas industry and the province of Alberta have yielded no benefits for climate whatsoever and I'm not aware of any economic benefits either.
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Since this op-ed specifically cites the example of other countries let me remind you that Canadian liberals' decades-long attempt to reconcile with the oil and gas industry and the province of Alberta have yielded no benefits for climate whatsoever and I'm not aware of any economic benefits either.
Reposted by Shirley0401
Also the evidence that people don't care about climate change is thin and best. It's just a talking point a bunch of pundits have spent a year repeating, trying to brainwash us all.
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
December 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Also the evidence that people don't care about climate change is thin and best. It's just a talking point a bunch of pundits have spent a year repeating, trying to brainwash us all.
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
Also his points about Canadian leftists loving fossil fuels are HILARIOUSLY wrong lol.
Appreciate you!
Reposted by Shirley0401
Thank you for this. A few external thoughts here. bsky.app/profile/kath...
Since this op-ed specifically cites the example of other countries let me remind you that Canadian liberals' decades-long attempt to reconcile with the oil and gas industry and the province of Alberta have yielded no benefits for climate whatsoever and I'm not aware of any economic benefits either.
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Thank you for this. A few external thoughts here. bsky.app/profile/kath...
This is a good thread, and also a good reminder that while I admit MY sometimes makes a good point, I am increasingly confident whether a point is good or not is almost entirely secondary in MY's mind to the question of how much "engagement" it will or won't lead to.
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:46 PM
This is a good thread, and also a good reminder that while I admit MY sometimes makes a good point, I am increasingly confident whether a point is good or not is almost entirely secondary in MY's mind to the question of how much "engagement" it will or won't lead to.
Reposted by Shirley0401
i really hope next year we can find some way of counterbalancing the focus on evil, stupidity, and greed by highlighting more people who are doing good
December 20, 2025 at 5:01 AM
i really hope next year we can find some way of counterbalancing the focus on evil, stupidity, and greed by highlighting more people who are doing good
Reposted by Shirley0401
Nate Silver when JD Vance loses the 2028 election
December 20, 2025 at 5:40 AM
Nate Silver when JD Vance loses the 2028 election
This is so good.
Today on Volts: I've got a nerdy one for you! I talk with political scientist @samuel-bagg.bsky.social about the epistemic crisis & its roots in social identity. He explains why factchecking & media literacy classes will never solve misinformation -- why something deeper & stronger is required.
The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers
Political scientist Samuel Bagg explains why social identity is at the root of the misinformation crisis -- which calls for something deeper than factchecking.
www.volts.wtf
December 20, 2025 at 5:55 AM
This is so good.
Reposted by Shirley0401
Remember, his children’s grandparents are refugees. When I say this man’s a piece of shit, it’s impossible to overstate the depth of my sincerity.
Zuck continues to back away from causes he previously championed. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Zuckerberg Cut Ties With Pro-Immigration Organization He Founded
Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy has cut ties with the pro-immigration advocacy group that he founded more than a decade ago, a move that parallels other sweeping changes he’s made to his company’s poli...
www.bloomberg.com
December 19, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Remember, his children’s grandparents are refugees. When I say this man’s a piece of shit, it’s impossible to overstate the depth of my sincerity.
FWIW (not much): this is pretty emblematic of some of the many ways Dem leadership fundamentally misunderstands not just the base and the wider electorate and how the news cycle works in 2026, but just basic cause and effect.
not really convinced this matters, very little of anything from 2024 will be applicable to 2028, but it will definitely make the discourse toxic and insufferable for a couple days
BREAKING: The Democratic National Committee will NOT release its long-awaited autopsy on Trump's 2024 win. The report is completed but Dem leaders decided it could distract from their winning streak, so it will remain secret. Not good.
Details here:
newrepublic.com/article/2045...
Details here:
newrepublic.com/article/2045...
December 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
FWIW (not much): this is pretty emblematic of some of the many ways Dem leadership fundamentally misunderstands not just the base and the wider electorate and how the news cycle works in 2026, but just basic cause and effect.
Reposted by Shirley0401
AOC: I want to remind you where the real crime is. It's in the oligarchs taking $170 billion of our money from health care and food assistance and public programs and taking that and funneling it into a secret police program.
December 16, 2025 at 4:20 PM
AOC: I want to remind you where the real crime is. It's in the oligarchs taking $170 billion of our money from health care and food assistance and public programs and taking that and funneling it into a secret police program.
Reposted by Shirley0401
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
December 17, 2025 at 2:52 AM
An absolute bedrock institution for understanding how the planet works, just civilization-scaled vandalism by the most incurious morons on Earth
Reposted by Shirley0401
Here's an idea: Rob Reiner's daughters should sue Trump for $20 billion dollars (evidently Trump's favorite number) for slander, defamation, inciting violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
December 16, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Here's an idea: Rob Reiner's daughters should sue Trump for $20 billion dollars (evidently Trump's favorite number) for slander, defamation, inciting violence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Reposted by Shirley0401
I really don't think it's great for our society that we place such high value on degrees from a few select universities with a small number of slots. The final decisions will basically always be determined by a borderline random process and leave perfectly qualified applicants out.
December 16, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I really don't think it's great for our society that we place such high value on degrees from a few select universities with a small number of slots. The final decisions will basically always be determined by a borderline random process and leave perfectly qualified applicants out.
Reposted by Shirley0401
also you kind of definitionally can't be a doormat for someone who. isn't talking to you.
i also notice none of these moms discuss why their kids don't talk to them 👀👀
i also notice none of these moms discuss why their kids don't talk to them 👀👀
December 16, 2025 at 10:21 PM
also you kind of definitionally can't be a doormat for someone who. isn't talking to you.
i also notice none of these moms discuss why their kids don't talk to them 👀👀
i also notice none of these moms discuss why their kids don't talk to them 👀👀
Reposted by Shirley0401
Everyone who watched it is also profiled in that article about estranged parent influencers
Bari Weiss’ much-hyped CBS News town hall with Erika Kirk was a massive ratings flop
Bari Weiss’ much-hyped CBS News town hall with Erika Kirk was a massive ratings flop
www.independent.co.uk
December 16, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Everyone who watched it is also profiled in that article about estranged parent influencers
Reposted by Shirley0401
This professional wrestler has a stronger moral and ethical grounding than the leaders of most civil society institutions, and I think it’s worth reflecting on why.
Mick Foley has parted ways from the WWE because of their close ties with Trump.
December 16, 2025 at 10:27 PM
This professional wrestler has a stronger moral and ethical grounding than the leaders of most civil society institutions, and I think it’s worth reflecting on why.
Reposted by Shirley0401
Again I say: how fucking interesting that remote work technology is bad and not worth adopting despite all research pointing to productivity gains, but genAI which offers NOTHING is so important to adopt and force on people who have no use for it despite all the horrible things genAI does
December 16, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Again I say: how fucking interesting that remote work technology is bad and not worth adopting despite all research pointing to productivity gains, but genAI which offers NOTHING is so important to adopt and force on people who have no use for it despite all the horrible things genAI does