James Tinged Words
@jameswords.bsky.social
Thinking about my dog 🐶, nerdy ways to have fun, and occasionally tech policy from Aotearoa New Zealand. Views my own.
Reposted by James Tinged Words
At New Zealand's Kawaiican cybersecurity convention, organizers hacked together a way for attendees to track CO2 levels throughout the venue—even before they arrived. www.wired.com/story/this-h...
This Hacker Conference Installed a Literal Anti-Virus Monitoring System
At New Zealand's Kawaiican cybersecurity convention, organizers hacked together a way for attendees to track CO2 levels throughout the venue—even before they arrived.
www.wired.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:06 AM
At New Zealand's Kawaiican cybersecurity convention, organizers hacked together a way for attendees to track CO2 levels throughout the venue—even before they arrived. www.wired.com/story/this-h...
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Give the wonderful folks on your systems and security teams lots of pats on the back.
This is the hellscape they inhabit daily.
This is the hellscape they inhabit daily.
November 20, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Give the wonderful folks on your systems and security teams lots of pats on the back.
This is the hellscape they inhabit daily.
This is the hellscape they inhabit daily.
Reposted by James Tinged Words
My full analysis of the proposal to revamp EU data protection standards (#GDPR/#ePrivacy). So, changing the definition of personal data? blog.lukaszolejnik.com/the-gdpr-pro..., techletters.substack.com/p/techletter...
The GDPR proposal unveiled officially
European Union is on a route to simplify regulations. Some measures in the past decade have been criticised as overbroad. European Commission plans to modify the General Data Protection Regulation.
S...
blog.lukaszolejnik.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:30 PM
My full analysis of the proposal to revamp EU data protection standards (#GDPR/#ePrivacy). So, changing the definition of personal data? blog.lukaszolejnik.com/the-gdpr-pro..., techletters.substack.com/p/techletter...
Reposted by James Tinged Words
wasn’t my most out-there take, but still… called it
October 28, 2025 at 12:22 AM
wasn’t my most out-there take, but still… called it
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Why do some parts of the internet seem more robustly democratic than others?
"A big piece of it is that they have a higher purpose. Wikipedia editors, at their best, they really do believe that there’s something more than partisan politics—and that’s the accurate reflection of reliable sources."
"A big piece of it is that they have a higher purpose. Wikipedia editors, at their best, they really do believe that there’s something more than partisan politics—and that’s the accurate reflection of reliable sources."
Elon Musk Has His Own Encyclopedia Now. Well, We Read Some of the Entries …
He tried to buy Wikipedia. When that didn’t work, he made his own version—and it’s a mess.
slate.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Why do some parts of the internet seem more robustly democratic than others?
"A big piece of it is that they have a higher purpose. Wikipedia editors, at their best, they really do believe that there’s something more than partisan politics—and that’s the accurate reflection of reliable sources."
"A big piece of it is that they have a higher purpose. Wikipedia editors, at their best, they really do believe that there’s something more than partisan politics—and that’s the accurate reflection of reliable sources."
Reposted by James Tinged Words
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
holy shit: “Among the 2,000 UK adults surveyed, 85% were unaware that Britain forcibly transported more than 3 million Africans to the Caribbean, 89% did not know that Britain enslaved people in the Caribbean for more than 300 years” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Caribbean reparations leaders in ‘historic’ first UK visit to press for justice
CRC mission will seek to deepen public understanding of Britain’s colonial legacy and its lasting impact
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
reminded of eric williams's observation about britain's relationship to its history with slavery. "British historians wrote almost as if Britain had introduced Negro slavery solely for the satisfaction of abolishing it."
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Important to understand the Epstein stuff and the fascism and the corruption are, in a lot of ways, really all the same story from different angles: powerful men who can and do abuse vulnerable people around them because they can, and because systems of elite accountability catastrophically failed
November 12, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Important to understand the Epstein stuff and the fascism and the corruption are, in a lot of ways, really all the same story from different angles: powerful men who can and do abuse vulnerable people around them because they can, and because systems of elite accountability catastrophically failed
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Good apples (provisional) www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Revealed: The senior cops who exposed the Jevon McSkimming police 'cover-up'
The watchdog that found serious misconduct at the highest levels of police also commended the work of several police staff who stood up. Here's who they are.
www.rnz.co.nz
November 12, 2025 at 3:53 AM
Good apples (provisional) www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...
Reposted by James Tinged Words
In an Australia first, I used FOI to get the AI chat logs of Australia's top national security bureaucrat.
They show how he used Microsoft Copilot to ghostwrite speeches and messages to colleagues.
This comes as the government looks to push AI use in the public service.
www.crikey.com.au/20...
They show how he used Microsoft Copilot to ghostwrite speeches and messages to colleagues.
This comes as the government looks to push AI use in the public service.
www.crikey.com.au/20...
November 12, 2025 at 2:01 AM
In an Australia first, I used FOI to get the AI chat logs of Australia's top national security bureaucrat.
They show how he used Microsoft Copilot to ghostwrite speeches and messages to colleagues.
This comes as the government looks to push AI use in the public service.
www.crikey.com.au/20...
They show how he used Microsoft Copilot to ghostwrite speeches and messages to colleagues.
This comes as the government looks to push AI use in the public service.
www.crikey.com.au/20...
Reposted by James Tinged Words
uhhh this actually reminds me a lot of how LLMs function at a basic level too - predicting tokens based on proximity & context, etc 😬 ...so we're teaching kids to read like AI & saying AI level is good enough
November 11, 2025 at 6:25 PM
uhhh this actually reminds me a lot of how LLMs function at a basic level too - predicting tokens based on proximity & context, etc 😬 ...so we're teaching kids to read like AI & saying AI level is good enough
Reposted by James Tinged Words
I'm sure there's been Discourse on this today that I've missed, but my $0.02: I think it conflates three distinct concepts - privacy laws, privileges in court proceedings, and professional ethics rules governing confidentiality. They don't all protect the same thing!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Opinion | If You Tell ChatGPT Your Secrets, Will They Be Kept Safe?
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 9:46 PM
I'm sure there's been Discourse on this today that I've missed, but my $0.02: I think it conflates three distinct concepts - privacy laws, privileges in court proceedings, and professional ethics rules governing confidentiality. They don't all protect the same thing!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/o...
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Reposted by James Tinged Words
This is huge news in @cameronwilson.bsky.social's @thesizzle.com.au- Microsoft is being forced by the Aus regulator refund all the ultra-dodgy AI plan pushing it was doing for Office 365
Wild that other regions aren't also using regulatory power to punish Microsoft
thesizzle.com.au/p/google-sur...
Wild that other regions aren't also using regulatory power to punish Microsoft
thesizzle.com.au/p/google-sur...
November 6, 2025 at 12:02 PM
This is huge news in @cameronwilson.bsky.social's @thesizzle.com.au- Microsoft is being forced by the Aus regulator refund all the ultra-dodgy AI plan pushing it was doing for Office 365
Wild that other regions aren't also using regulatory power to punish Microsoft
thesizzle.com.au/p/google-sur...
Wild that other regions aren't also using regulatory power to punish Microsoft
thesizzle.com.au/p/google-sur...
Reposted by James Tinged Words
my take on this growing "roblox should be in the teen social media ban" discourse is that this is what happens when a government tells the electorate/the world that the way to deal with online harms is to ban something for kids, and let everyone else suffer.
Roblox shocks: online gaming platform should be snared by Australia’s social media ban for under-16s, experts and MPs say
Pressure mounts on Labor after Guardian Australia report documenting reporter’s week of virtual sexual harassment and violence while posing as a child avatar
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:22 PM
my take on this growing "roblox should be in the teen social media ban" discourse is that this is what happens when a government tells the electorate/the world that the way to deal with online harms is to ban something for kids, and let everyone else suffer.
Reposted by James Tinged Words
This week's @unbreaking.org update on immigration is *also* an update on data security because the administration is using immigration enforcement as a way to trial and operationalize a full-on surveillance state.
Our Immigration and Data Security teams worked together this week to understand how immigration-linked data grabs and shoddy facial recognition apps are laying the groundwork for a surveillance state.
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
This week at Unbreaking, November 6 — Unbreaking
Unbreaking is built to be an antidote to information overload. Since we launched, we have been meticulously documenting lawsuits, executive orders, court rulings, countermoves, and other key events.
unbreaking.org
November 6, 2025 at 10:13 PM
This week's @unbreaking.org update on immigration is *also* an update on data security because the administration is using immigration enforcement as a way to trial and operationalize a full-on surveillance state.
Reposted by James Tinged Words
The Authoritarian Stack
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
h/t @gilduran.com
www.authoritarian-stack.info
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
h/t @gilduran.com
www.authoritarian-stack.info
The Authoritarian Stack
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
www.authoritarian-stack.info
November 6, 2025 at 1:17 AM
The Authoritarian Stack
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
h/t @gilduran.com
www.authoritarian-stack.info
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
h/t @gilduran.com
www.authoritarian-stack.info
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Found this on the AO3 subreddit, and I'm about to let it change my whole life (or at least work really hard to internalize it wrt my writing).
October 2, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Found this on the AO3 subreddit, and I'm about to let it change my whole life (or at least work really hard to internalize it wrt my writing).
Reposted by James Tinged Words
I made a "barebones" version of Cairn. Sort of. It's the 2e rules but with swingy and random character generation (no tables, no implied setting). I'm still tweaking it a lot so expect some changes.
It's SRD only now, but here you go I guess.
cairnrpg.com/barebones/
It's SRD only now, but here you go I guess.
cairnrpg.com/barebones/
Barebones
cairnrpg.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:25 AM
I made a "barebones" version of Cairn. Sort of. It's the 2e rules but with swingy and random character generation (no tables, no implied setting). I'm still tweaking it a lot so expect some changes.
It's SRD only now, but here you go I guess.
cairnrpg.com/barebones/
It's SRD only now, but here you go I guess.
cairnrpg.com/barebones/
Reposted by James Tinged Words
The people currently in govt want to companies to be able to assign value to you based on this kind of surveillance data to automatically allow or deny certain things: an algorithmic value status that instead of ad targeting it decides like if you’re worth sending an ambulance.
I wonder: over time what is the effect of the machine inaccurately reporting to you your daily activities?
November 4, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The people currently in govt want to companies to be able to assign value to you based on this kind of surveillance data to automatically allow or deny certain things: an algorithmic value status that instead of ad targeting it decides like if you’re worth sending an ambulance.
Reposted by James Tinged Words
The world changes in ways we don't understand, leaving us confused to deal with the consequences. Happens now more than ever.
I watched a courier bot the other day and then I did some research on the company. Where did it come from? Who made it? Let's journey into the world of Joel.
🧵1/14
I watched a courier bot the other day and then I did some research on the company. Where did it come from? Who made it? Let's journey into the world of Joel.
🧵1/14
Just watched this bot, Joel, struggle to navigate through six points in Chicago. They're allowed here?
November 3, 2025 at 8:00 PM
The world changes in ways we don't understand, leaving us confused to deal with the consequences. Happens now more than ever.
I watched a courier bot the other day and then I did some research on the company. Where did it come from? Who made it? Let's journey into the world of Joel.
🧵1/14
I watched a courier bot the other day and then I did some research on the company. Where did it come from? Who made it? Let's journey into the world of Joel.
🧵1/14
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Violent crime peaked in 1995 according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales..
November 3, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Violent crime peaked in 1995 according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales..
Reposted by James Tinged Words
Great read. Makes me thing of ways we can preserve/archive ttrpgs.
Here is the first draft to my brief guide to the digital preservation of Actual Play, from a digital archives perspective, targetted at AP producers.
allmyfriendsarestories.neocities.org/posts/2025-1...
I say "brief guide" but, you know, I'm me.
allmyfriendsarestories.neocities.org/posts/2025-1...
I say "brief guide" but, you know, I'm me.
October 31, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Great read. Makes me thing of ways we can preserve/archive ttrpgs.
Reposted by James Tinged Words
"Here’s what sticks out about my experience: being put in the back of an unmarked SUV and with handcuffs that were put on so tight, I have permanently lost feeling in my thumb; not being read my rights or being told what I was being charged with beyond not minding my business."
“I’m a law-abiding citizen who never thought I’d be of such interest that the U.S. government would use my tax dollars & yours to try to send me to prison…[after being] manhandled by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent trying to remove my phone from my hand.”
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | A jury of my peers agreed that the feds wrongly charged me for watching ICE
I believe that filming what federal agents were doing that day counted as basic human decency.
www.msnbc.com
November 2, 2025 at 10:49 PM
"Here’s what sticks out about my experience: being put in the back of an unmarked SUV and with handcuffs that were put on so tight, I have permanently lost feeling in my thumb; not being read my rights or being told what I was being charged with beyond not minding my business."
Reposted by James Tinged Words
It's one of the things I think folks struggle with is that you're not actually nostalgic for an era of factory work, you're nostalgic for an era of union jobs, massive-scale construction of affordable housing, and mass immigration
November 2, 2025 at 10:24 PM
It's one of the things I think folks struggle with is that you're not actually nostalgic for an era of factory work, you're nostalgic for an era of union jobs, massive-scale construction of affordable housing, and mass immigration