Todd Battistelli
@fromtherostra.com
How do our disagreements go? #rhetoric, #writing, and #education.
Viewpoints that I express are my own and do not represent the views of organizations with which I'm affiliated. Reposts are not endorsements.
Denver, Colorado metro area
he/him
Viewpoints that I express are my own and do not represent the views of organizations with which I'm affiliated. Reposts are not endorsements.
Denver, Colorado metro area
he/him
Pinned
Todd Battistelli
@fromtherostra.com
· Nov 13
Hello!
My main interests are writing and learning, particularly as they relate to productive disagreement in rhetoric, organizational & workplace communication, emergent strategy, coalition work, and facilitation.
More here: fromtherostra.com/2023/03/10/w...
1/3
My main interests are writing and learning, particularly as they relate to productive disagreement in rhetoric, organizational & workplace communication, emergent strategy, coalition work, and facilitation.
More here: fromtherostra.com/2023/03/10/w...
1/3
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
A coalition of Colorado progressive and environmental groups are backing new legislation to more strictly regulate large data centers, countering an industry-endorsed bill that would pair a handful of safeguards with tax breaks to incentivize development.
By @chasewoodruff.bsky.social
By @chasewoodruff.bsky.social
New bill to regulate data centers backed by Colorado environmental groups | Colorado Newsline
Senate Bill 26-102 would require data center operators to generate or purchase renewable electricity to meet their annual power consumption.
coloradonewsline.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:44 PM
A coalition of Colorado progressive and environmental groups are backing new legislation to more strictly regulate large data centers, countering an industry-endorsed bill that would pair a handful of safeguards with tax breaks to incentivize development.
By @chasewoodruff.bsky.social
By @chasewoodruff.bsky.social
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
Let big tech pay for their own data centers. Xcel is already asking for 10% hike. My rep is a sponsor of the tech-backed bill. Makes me furious.
February 13, 2026 at 1:09 AM
Let big tech pay for their own data centers. Xcel is already asking for 10% hike. My rep is a sponsor of the tech-backed bill. Makes me furious.
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
Does your university use ChatGPT Edu? Please send me a DM if you do. I have identified a potential data breach affecting students' data that has not yet been fixed and I'm trying to compile further examples from other universities.
Reposts appreciated!
Reposts appreciated!
February 12, 2026 at 9:08 PM
Does your university use ChatGPT Edu? Please send me a DM if you do. I have identified a potential data breach affecting students' data that has not yet been fixed and I'm trying to compile further examples from other universities.
Reposts appreciated!
Reposts appreciated!
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
As a former writing teacher, I am constantly amazed by how thoroughly we have destroyed people's confidence in their ability to use the written word to express themselves.
It's no wonder people at all educational levels turn to generative AI.
It's no wonder people at all educational levels turn to generative AI.
February 12, 2026 at 3:53 PM
As a former writing teacher, I am constantly amazed by how thoroughly we have destroyed people's confidence in their ability to use the written word to express themselves.
It's no wonder people at all educational levels turn to generative AI.
It's no wonder people at all educational levels turn to generative AI.
Homan: My "we're not a goon squad" t-shirt is raising a lot of questions already answered by the shirt.
Homan: "ICE is a legitimate federal law enforcement agency. We're not out scouring the streets to disappear people or deny people their civil rights or due process."
February 12, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Homan: My "we're not a goon squad" t-shirt is raising a lot of questions already answered by the shirt.
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
I only need AI to generate ideas.
And then I need AI to generate text describing those ideas.
And then I need AI to generate images based on that text.
And then I need AI to generate nice comments when I post all of this because real people are mean to me.
And then I need AI to generate text describing those ideas.
And then I need AI to generate images based on that text.
And then I need AI to generate nice comments when I post all of this because real people are mean to me.
February 12, 2026 at 4:21 PM
I only need AI to generate ideas.
And then I need AI to generate text describing those ideas.
And then I need AI to generate images based on that text.
And then I need AI to generate nice comments when I post all of this because real people are mean to me.
And then I need AI to generate text describing those ideas.
And then I need AI to generate images based on that text.
And then I need AI to generate nice comments when I post all of this because real people are mean to me.
Municipality road construction notice: Alternate routes are advised.
Me: What alternate routes?
Municipality:
Me: What alternate routes?
Municipality:
February 12, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Municipality road construction notice: Alternate routes are advised.
Me: What alternate routes?
Municipality:
Me: What alternate routes?
Municipality:
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
no, it simply isnt.
People are talking about capital using gAI as an excuse to conduct mass lay-offs, about students losing learning because theyre being lied to about gAI in education, about the mass theft of the work of artists and authors to train LLMs, about CSAM and nonconsensual sexual images.
People are talking about capital using gAI as an excuse to conduct mass lay-offs, about students losing learning because theyre being lied to about gAI in education, about the mass theft of the work of artists and authors to train LLMs, about CSAM and nonconsensual sexual images.
The predominent anti-AI position on bsky is that AI is useless, fake, shit and basically the same as NFTs, destined to collapse in months once everyone sees how poor it is. So anyone who suggests that it could improve or be useful to any boss in any situation in the future must be evil.
February 12, 2026 at 1:19 PM
no, it simply isnt.
People are talking about capital using gAI as an excuse to conduct mass lay-offs, about students losing learning because theyre being lied to about gAI in education, about the mass theft of the work of artists and authors to train LLMs, about CSAM and nonconsensual sexual images.
People are talking about capital using gAI as an excuse to conduct mass lay-offs, about students losing learning because theyre being lied to about gAI in education, about the mass theft of the work of artists and authors to train LLMs, about CSAM and nonconsensual sexual images.
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
This is key--because this hype is already disempowering workers.
nobody-wants-this.ghost.io/ai-is-alread...
nobody-wants-this.ghost.io/ai-is-alread...
![Workers afraid of losing their jobs aren’t necessarily able to work harder or smarter. Fear is counterproductive if the goal is improved performance. A sense of safety and being valued allows people to feel inspired, to develop and achieve. Unsurprisingly, there is a “negative correlation between overall [workplace] stress and productivity.”
Panic about impending job loss can, however, prepare people to accept less from employers. Almost two-thirds of those surveyed by MarketWatch said that under mass layoffs they would be willing to take a pay cut to stay employed. Large numbers said they would accept a relocation (42%) or a demotion (37%). About half of those who work from home would be willing to return to the office if it meant keeping their job.
AI hype could enable companies to cut headcount and increase productivity — or the illusion of it — by overworking staff: 53% would “accept additional responsibilities without additional pay.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:jpjyorpadryoa6vnwwsnnyq5/bafkreieqzvaonrrjqxlcxks2aglq7aj3uwruk64hmqsaf6wqlccr2igrpe@jpeg)
February 11, 2026 at 7:55 PM
This is key--because this hype is already disempowering workers.
nobody-wants-this.ghost.io/ai-is-alread...
nobody-wants-this.ghost.io/ai-is-alread...
On this Darwin Day, check out notebooks in which the theory of evolution was developed.
Scans of the B notebook at the University of Cambridge Digital Library: cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-DAR-...
Transcript of that notebook at the American Museum of Natural History: www.amnh.org/research/dar...
Scans of the B notebook at the University of Cambridge Digital Library: cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-DAR-...
Transcript of that notebook at the American Museum of Natural History: www.amnh.org/research/dar...
February 12, 2026 at 1:34 PM
On this Darwin Day, check out notebooks in which the theory of evolution was developed.
Scans of the B notebook at the University of Cambridge Digital Library: cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-DAR-...
Transcript of that notebook at the American Museum of Natural History: www.amnh.org/research/dar...
Scans of the B notebook at the University of Cambridge Digital Library: cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-DAR-...
Transcript of that notebook at the American Museum of Natural History: www.amnh.org/research/dar...
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
February 12, 2026 at 12:13 PM
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
Once again: people are angry for very good reason, and this brand of post is perhaps one of the most tedious and bewildering. Practically every social media platform is rabidly pro-‘AI’ so are govts, academia, companies. This one small space being critical of AI is okay, I think.
February 11, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Once again: people are angry for very good reason, and this brand of post is perhaps one of the most tedious and bewildering. Practically every social media platform is rabidly pro-‘AI’ so are govts, academia, companies. This one small space being critical of AI is okay, I think.
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
Tech executives have finally amassed their ultimate, long dreamed-of power: to summarily fire anyone who speaks ill of their desire to have sex with robots
OpenAI fired one of its top safety execs, on the grounds of sexual discrimination, after she voiced opposition to the controversial rollout of AI erotica in its ChatGPT product.
OpenAI told her the term was related to her sexual discrimination against a male colleague.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...
OpenAI told her the term was related to her sexual discrimination against a male colleague.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...
Exclusive | OpenAI Executive Who Opposed ‘Adult Mode’ Fired for Sexual Discrimination
Ryan Beiermeister, who served as the vice president leading OpenAI’s product policy team, had raised concerns about the upcoming launch of erotic content.
www.wsj.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Tech executives have finally amassed their ultimate, long dreamed-of power: to summarily fire anyone who speaks ill of their desire to have sex with robots
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
Thousands laid off across the UK by senior university management. Management who keep getting richer & who never suffer insecurity, who never have to worry about their mortgages or about finding another job. Management who so often got their own jobs because they went to the right private school.
Nearly 800 staff left the University of Edinburgh last year as senior management pushes a £140m savings drive
This hits precarious staff hardest
It's a great comfort to learn that senior management pay & bonuses are unaffected 😉
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2582884...
This hits precarious staff hardest
It's a great comfort to learn that senior management pay & bonuses are unaffected 😉
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2582884...
800 staff leave Edinburgh University amid £140m cuts drive
Bosses at the institution want to cut £90m from their annual salary bill, which unions say could result in as many as 1,400 jobs being lost.
www.heraldscotland.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Thousands laid off across the UK by senior university management. Management who keep getting richer & who never suffer insecurity, who never have to worry about their mortgages or about finding another job. Management who so often got their own jobs because they went to the right private school.
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
The potential for upheaval is precisely why economic elites wield AI as a weapon to threaten workers, even as we've seen time and again that AI cannot actually replace what humans do.
You can take these dynamics seriously without buying into the framing of the people doing the threatening.
You can take these dynamics seriously without buying into the framing of the people doing the threatening.
I'm not even saying that's the most *likely* possibility, but it's just very clear that the likelihood of that outcome as increased and even if there's, like, a 1 in 10 change that "AI replaces most to all white collar jobs in 10 years" that's an *enormous* risk to the social order!
February 11, 2026 at 5:45 PM
The potential for upheaval is precisely why economic elites wield AI as a weapon to threaten workers, even as we've seen time and again that AI cannot actually replace what humans do.
You can take these dynamics seriously without buying into the framing of the people doing the threatening.
You can take these dynamics seriously without buying into the framing of the people doing the threatening.
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
Will everything change all at once, with workers gaining greater autonomy than ever before? Probably not. Will they try to grind down your autonomy such that your input is no longer required at your job? Probably, but they probably won't fully succeed because they never do.
February 11, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Will everything change all at once, with workers gaining greater autonomy than ever before? Probably not. Will they try to grind down your autonomy such that your input is no longer required at your job? Probably, but they probably won't fully succeed because they never do.
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
It's #DarwinDay tomorrow - a day celebrated by many humanists. But where and why do humanists find inspiration in what Darwin's work revealed to us about human nature? understandinghumanism.org.uk/articles/dar...
Darwin Day
What is Darwin Day and why might humanists celebrate it? Where might they find inspiration in Darwin's discoveries?
understandinghumanism.org.uk
February 11, 2026 at 3:02 PM
It's #DarwinDay tomorrow - a day celebrated by many humanists. But where and why do humanists find inspiration in what Darwin's work revealed to us about human nature? understandinghumanism.org.uk/articles/dar...
If Frederick Winslow Taylor showed up at the Wonka factory, what candy-related industrial accident would befall him?
February 11, 2026 at 2:03 AM
If Frederick Winslow Taylor showed up at the Wonka factory, what candy-related industrial accident would befall him?
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
I have never read a more useful footnote. (From Michael D.C. Drout’s The Tower and the Ruin.)
February 10, 2026 at 5:06 AM
I have never read a more useful footnote. (From Michael D.C. Drout’s The Tower and the Ruin.)
Could I be Principal Skinner in the “Am I So Out of Touch” meme?
No, it’s the posters who are wrong.
No, it’s the posters who are wrong.
February 10, 2026 at 3:08 PM
Could I be Principal Skinner in the “Am I So Out of Touch” meme?
No, it’s the posters who are wrong.
No, it’s the posters who are wrong.
Power meets opposition with retaliation.
In your theory and practice of change, how do you support those facing retaliation?
Within your coalition, are those best positioned to weather retaliation taking on their fair share of risk?
In your theory and practice of change, how do you support those facing retaliation?
Within your coalition, are those best positioned to weather retaliation taking on their fair share of risk?
February 10, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Power meets opposition with retaliation.
In your theory and practice of change, how do you support those facing retaliation?
Within your coalition, are those best positioned to weather retaliation taking on their fair share of risk?
In your theory and practice of change, how do you support those facing retaliation?
Within your coalition, are those best positioned to weather retaliation taking on their fair share of risk?
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
But fwiw DSA membership is still quite small. It is also unfathomably much bigger than pretty much every other dues paying political organization outside of labor unions. This is largely because civil society in the US is uniquely hollowed out and parties basically do not exist
February 10, 2026 at 2:03 AM
But fwiw DSA membership is still quite small. It is also unfathomably much bigger than pretty much every other dues paying political organization outside of labor unions. This is largely because civil society in the US is uniquely hollowed out and parties basically do not exist
Reposted by Todd Battistelli
