Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 6h

Accidentally came up with a book idea when I said was done with books

a man with a beard is holding his nose while wearing a baseball cap

ALT: a man with a beard is holding his nose while wearing a baseball cap

media.tenor.com

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 1d

News that shocks no one: Carbon offsets do nothing for climate.

Carbon offsets fail to cut global heating due to ‘intractable’ systemic problems, study says

Analysis of 25 years of evidence shows most schemes are poor quality and fail to lower emissions

www.theguardian.com

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Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 1d

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 2d

“An additional perspective” LLMs don’t have a “perspective” 🤣🤣

Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 2d

Oh FFS. Because what overburdened peer review systems really need is more noise between the reviewers & ACs. Yeah, that's the ticket.

aaai.org/aaai-launche...

>>

Screenshot of AAAI automated review announcement reading:

1. Supplementary First-Stage Reviews: LLM-generated reviews will be included as one component of the
initial review stage, providing an additional perspective alongside traditional human expert evaluations.
2. Discussion Summary Assistance: LLMs will assist the Senior Program Committee (SPC) members by
summarizing reviewer discussions, helping to highlight key points of consensus and disagreement among
human reviewers.

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Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 2d

Speaking of — got a book idea about AI infrastructure and writing. Just putting that out there for the vibes and such. Ya know - classic qualitative research that I can’t do now unless I quit a few things I said yes to 🤣

Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 2d

Why is the economy still doing relatively well? We invested money in AI infrastructure which I’m sure has a few loose nuts and bolts on its legs 👀

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 2d

"The hundreds of billions of dollars companies are investing in AI now account for an astonishing 40 per cent share of US GDP growth this year... In a way, then, America has become one big bet on AI."

America is now one big bet on AI

It’s seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy

www.ft.com

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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 2d

1. 4 months ago, The Supreme Court gave families a right to opt out of LGBTQ+ education in schools.

Now, in Montgomery County, Maryland, where the case originated, the results are in.

Only 43 families out of 160,000 students have exercised that new right.

Subscribe to support our journalism.

Only 0.03% Opt Out Of LGBTQ+ Education In Maryland After SCOTUS Gives Them A Right To

After SCOTUS gave families a right to opt out of LGBTQ+ education, Montgomery County, Maryland is reporting only 43 families took them up on it.

www.erininthemorning.com

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Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 4d

Loved #BonAppetitYourMajesty. Last episode went a bit too fast for me BUT peak the ending! Let’s just say the writers threw logic out the window and decided to get the ending they wanted and said to viewers, “look you got the pay off. Don’t question how we got here.” 🤣🤣

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 7d

A bus of Bronx middle schoolers pulled up to the Capitol this morning for a long-planned field trip just a few hours after the government shut down.

All Capitol tours were cancelled as the guides can’t work in shutdown.

So I escorted them in myself and gave them a personal tour. They were great!

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Democracy Now! @democracynow.org · 7d

All monthly donations started today will be TRIPLED, which means your initial $15 gift is worth $45. If you believe freedom of speech is essential to the functioning of a democratic society, please become a monthly sustainer today.

Please donate today! Your support is vital to sustain and grow Democracy Now!

A daily independent global news hour with Amy Goodman & Juan González

www.democracynow.org

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Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 7d

Yay! I thought about you while writing the syllabus and thought to throw you support that way. And the students would learn something lol

Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 8d

Speaking of which! I’m teaching an online class about writing games next semester— nothing advanced or anything and I wonder if my students could teach play your games as an assignment 👀

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Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 9d

👀 what business?

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Nichole Hiltz @nicholehiltz.bsky.social · 11d

Has anyone tried unplugging The United States of America and plugging us back in? 🔌

a man wearing a t-shirt that says ptfm talking on a phone

Alt: a man wearing a t-shirt that says ptfm talking on a phone

media.tenor.com

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Kageyama Satsuki @kagesatsuki.com · 11d

Chat, there was a time when the internet was young and fresh. When people made their own little websites using free hosting (Geocities, Angelfire, Altavista etc), and put up little guestbooks for passerby viewers to sign and leave links to their own websites.

It was an odd, but fun bygone era.

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Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 12d

When I saw they were putting stuff in the oven I was like “Who bakes pancak—ooooooohhhhhh. I see” 🤣

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Antonio Byrd @writesantonio.bsky.social · 12d

Guess I don’t know the difference between pancakes and flapjacks because I thought they were the same #GreatBritishBakingShow

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Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 12d

A mass walkout of the UN General Assembly as Netanyahu prepares to speak.

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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 15d

"Provisional trust" is a stopgap, not the solution. Demand step-by-step reasoning, confidence scores, interactive workflows, built-in verification tools, etc. The shift from co-intelligence to conjuring isn't inevitable. It's what happens when we let companies prioritize speed over transparency.

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Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · 15d

Appreciate these insights from @emollick.bsky.social.

But the "wizard problem" isn't that AI is too opaque. It's that we're designing systems that hide their processes. We could build AI that shows its work, explains, and lets us intervene. Instead we're choosing black boxes and calling it magic.

Miles Riven @rivenbydesign.bsky.social · 21d

Mollick argues we are drifting from co-intelligence to wizards. Strong results, opaque steps. I try to ask for receipts and name what must stay in my hands. Worth reading for #AI practice.
www.oneusefulthing.org/p/on-working... #Writing

On Working with Wizards

Verifying magic on the jagged frontier

www.oneusefulthing.org

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Alex Hanna-ween @alexhanna.bsky.social · 16d

stopped when gf and I couldn't beat Deep Blue. this was 44 games in, where did the evening go. sorry Garry

Mike Masnick @mmasnick.bsky.social · 17d

Just got sucked into @neal.fun's "Not a Robot"

neal.fun/not-a-robot/

I'm Not a Robot

Prove your humanity once and for all

neal.fun

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 19d

Disney/ABC have a responsibility to refuse to participate in corruption.

Kimmel must be reinstated. If Disney/ABC agree to this extortion then perhaps creatives + workers should consider collective action to push back. Same w/buying park + cruise tickets if they bow.

People have power. Ask Target

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Dr. Johnathan Flowers, Blade Wielding Bisexual (Lordean arc) @shengokai.blacksky.app · 19d

"Take responsibility for your fear," is a goddamned word.

To paraphrase Audre Lorde, I have no constructive use for your fear unless your fear is used as a clarifying agent, a tool to help you understand how we got here and where we can go.

Vicky ACAB @vickyacab.bsky.social · 19d

The point isn't to scold you for being afraid but to ask you to take responsibility for your fear as a service to yourself and your community, because so many of us who have struggled with, under and against criminalization have long had to use those skills to help one another 💕

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Vicky ACAB @vickyacab.bsky.social · 19d

So many people I share spaces and/or identities with really believed they would never be criminalized and are experiencing the horror of the looming system for the first time and yes, it fucking sucks, your response is understandable. But think about how many ppl u know have always lived with this

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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 20d

IT'S OFFICIAL: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York State, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New York City have formed the Northeast Public Health Collaborative.

The collaborative will issue their own vaccine recommendations and coordinate public health efforts.

Map of Regional Public Health Coalitions

Northeast Public Health Collaborative (Blue)

West Coast Health Alliance (Yellow)

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