Janelle Shane
@janelleshane.com
I write about the strange side of AI at aiweirdness.com
Also a laser scientist.
She/her. Colorado, USA
Also a laser scientist.
She/her. Colorado, USA
Pinned
Janelle Shane
@janelleshane.com
· Dec 14
Book: You Look Like A Thing — Janelle Shane
www.janelleshane.com
When I wrote a book on AI in 2019, it focused on AIs making sneaky shortcuts.
Aside from the vintage generative text (Pumpkin Trash Break ice cream, anyone?), the algorithmic shortcutting is still completely recognizable today.
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
Aside from the vintage generative text (Pumpkin Trash Break ice cream, anyone?), the algorithmic shortcutting is still completely recognizable today.
www.janelleshane.com/book-you-loo...
Reposted by Janelle Shane
My grandma told me that she saw a movie at around age 6 in which a big dinosaur rampaged through a city and picked up skyscrapers in its hand. For years she was afraid of “dinosawers”.
This would have been around 1933 or 1934 so NOT Godzilla which was my 1st guess.
Any ideas what film it was?
This would have been around 1933 or 1934 so NOT Godzilla which was my 1st guess.
Any ideas what film it was?
February 9, 2026 at 6:19 PM
My grandma told me that she saw a movie at around age 6 in which a big dinosaur rampaged through a city and picked up skyscrapers in its hand. For years she was afraid of “dinosawers”.
This would have been around 1933 or 1934 so NOT Godzilla which was my 1st guess.
Any ideas what film it was?
This would have been around 1933 or 1934 so NOT Godzilla which was my 1st guess.
Any ideas what film it was?
Ooh get this deal! I enjoyed all these books, and both Automatic Noodle and Lessons in Magic and Disaster were books I absolutely needed this year.
Plus it supports an awesome cause!
Plus it supports an awesome cause!
HI! Every Tor Books release from @annaleen.bsky.social and me is available thru @humblebundle.com for a few weeks!
Get 2 books for at least $3
Get 4 books for at least $10
Get all our stuff for at least $18
This bundle supports the amazing TGI Justice Project!
www.humblebundle.com/books/charli...
Get 2 books for at least $3
Get 4 books for at least $10
Get all our stuff for at least $18
This bundle supports the amazing TGI Justice Project!
www.humblebundle.com/books/charli...
February 4, 2026 at 5:37 AM
Ooh get this deal! I enjoyed all these books, and both Automatic Noodle and Lessons in Magic and Disaster were books I absolutely needed this year.
Plus it supports an awesome cause!
Plus it supports an awesome cause!
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Wayang purbakala
The iconic myth from my hometown (a shark fighting a crocodile) depicted as Javanese wayang shadow puppets of Permian animals.
#wayang #wayangkulit #3D #blender3d #Surabaya #Indonesia #Permian #paleoart #SciArt
The iconic myth from my hometown (a shark fighting a crocodile) depicted as Javanese wayang shadow puppets of Permian animals.
#wayang #wayangkulit #3D #blender3d #Surabaya #Indonesia #Permian #paleoart #SciArt
February 2, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Wayang purbakala
The iconic myth from my hometown (a shark fighting a crocodile) depicted as Javanese wayang shadow puppets of Permian animals.
#wayang #wayangkulit #3D #blender3d #Surabaya #Indonesia #Permian #paleoart #SciArt
The iconic myth from my hometown (a shark fighting a crocodile) depicted as Javanese wayang shadow puppets of Permian animals.
#wayang #wayangkulit #3D #blender3d #Surabaya #Indonesia #Permian #paleoart #SciArt
The rangers are likely just about to check Rakiura the kakapo's eggs on live webcam! First time this has been captured on webcam www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfGL...
Kākāpō Cam: Rakiura the kākāpō – 2026 nest
YouTube video by Department of Conservation
www.youtube.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:43 PM
The rangers are likely just about to check Rakiura the kakapo's eggs on live webcam! First time this has been captured on webcam www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfGL...
Wow they’re really doing new things with Bose-Einstein Condensates these days
many things are bad. my boring hot take is since airport restaurants already charge so much more, they should offer breakfast items all day. sometimes people are flying in from other time zones. sometimes you want a BEC on a bagel at 1:30pm before boarding your plane.
January 31, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Wow they’re really doing new things with Bose-Einstein Condensates these days
This was a very fun episode! I love a good spicy science rant where you learn something - this time, about geology field expeditions and caving safety!
If you all haven’t listened to last week’s episode yet, you are missing out! @mikamckinnon.bsky.social was so game and funny, but also so smart that you’ll come out of listening to it with a new appreciation for rocks. Bet you didn’t expect that from a Star Trek Enterprise podcast!
In our episode today, with guest geologist @mikamckinnon.bsky.social, @mariadsouza.bsky.social tells us about the #StarTrekENT episode “The Breach” where the guys do some incompetent spelunking, getting Travis injured again, & Phlox treats an alien from a species that are enemies with the Denobulans
January 29, 2026 at 3:48 PM
This was a very fun episode! I love a good spicy science rant where you learn something - this time, about geology field expeditions and caving safety!
Reposted by Janelle Shane
In case anyone wants a little break, here are a few of my favorite facts that I learned in 2025, in no particular order.
Some trees benefit from, and may even encourage, getting struck by lightning because it kills their nearby competitors nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Some trees benefit from, and may even encourage, getting struck by lightning because it kills their nearby competitors nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
January 28, 2026 at 3:44 PM
In case anyone wants a little break, here are a few of my favorite facts that I learned in 2025, in no particular order.
Some trees benefit from, and may even encourage, getting struck by lightning because it kills their nearby competitors nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Some trees benefit from, and may even encourage, getting struck by lightning because it kills their nearby competitors nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
I regret to inform you that lasers are mostly not soft
Being a journalist is sick: I just contacted a pre-eminent jaguar conservationist in Argentine with a question that has been weighing on me for ages and he wrote back right away with an informed answer.
January 26, 2026 at 6:54 PM
I regret to inform you that lasers are mostly not soft
I agree with the several experts quoted in this article: this is nuts.
Turning AI generated text into “good enough” for critical safety regulations will require so much expert work that they might as well pay the experts to write the regulations in the first place.
Turning AI generated text into “good enough” for critical safety regulations will require so much expert work that they might as well pay the experts to write the regulations in the first place.
January 26, 2026 at 5:52 PM
I agree with the several experts quoted in this article: this is nuts.
Turning AI generated text into “good enough” for critical safety regulations will require so much expert work that they might as well pay the experts to write the regulations in the first place.
Turning AI generated text into “good enough” for critical safety regulations will require so much expert work that they might as well pay the experts to write the regulations in the first place.
This was great! Worth starting with “That Time With Bob and the Unicorn” which is one of the Other Stories in Jackalope Wives and Other Stories
I was falling over laughing reading this one, highly worth your time.
For fans of Doctor Williams, there IS a sequel! escapepod.org/2025/05/15/e...
January 25, 2026 at 5:42 PM
This was great! Worth starting with “That Time With Bob and the Unicorn” which is one of the Other Stories in Jackalope Wives and Other Stories
[V1cam] Kīlauea volcano, Hawaii (west Halemaʻumaʻu crater)
YouTube video by USGS
www.youtube.com
January 24, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Laser prom! He’s not wrong though. Needs more LED festooned formalwear though
Yes, I know there's a shitload of almost identical looking optics, mounts, diodes and such every year at Laser Prom but there's legitimately interesting things too. I might not know what they're for yet, but got my attention.
In this respect, I think Photonics West did better than CES this year.
In this respect, I think Photonics West did better than CES this year.
January 23, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Laser prom! He’s not wrong though. Needs more LED festooned formalwear though
Adding that even if you already set up bookshop.org to benefit a different small bookshop, if you buy through a second bookshop’s affiliate page it benefits the second bookshop for that purchase.
Some of the bookstores on this list have bookshop.org affiliate pages, in case you want to buy from them and aren’t in Minneapolis. Just ordered a book through Birchbark Books
Patronize as many of these businesses as you can before and after Friday.
January 21, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Adding that even if you already set up bookshop.org to benefit a different small bookshop, if you buy through a second bookshop’s affiliate page it benefits the second bookshop for that purchase.
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.
January 20, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.
Some of the bookstores on this list have bookshop.org affiliate pages, in case you want to buy from them and aren’t in Minneapolis. Just ordered a book through Birchbark Books
Patronize as many of these businesses as you can before and after Friday.
When we started this list of Minnesota businesses taking part in the Jan. 23 economic blackout we didn't realize quite what an undertaking it would be, but we are now at more than 250 and counting.
Keep 'em coming!
Keep 'em coming!
January 21, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Some of the bookstores on this list have bookshop.org affiliate pages, in case you want to buy from them and aren’t in Minneapolis. Just ordered a book through Birchbark Books
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Have any of you seen laser-marked fruit in the grocery store? Trying to get a rough idea of how widespread it is. www.electrooptics.com/news/europea...
European supermarkets stock laser-marked fruit & veg to reduce plastic packaging | Electro Optics
Supermarkets across Europe are introducing fruit and vegetables that have been labelled using a laser rather than plastic stickers. The laser branding process, which is being trialled on avocados and ...
www.electrooptics.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Have any of you seen laser-marked fruit in the grocery store? Trying to get a rough idea of how widespread it is. www.electrooptics.com/news/europea...
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Reposted by Janelle Shane
Truly one of the greatest scientific images I have ever seen
Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 19, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Truly one of the greatest scientific images I have ever seen
Have any of you seen laser-marked fruit in the grocery store? Trying to get a rough idea of how widespread it is. www.electrooptics.com/news/europea...
European supermarkets stock laser-marked fruit & veg to reduce plastic packaging | Electro Optics
Supermarkets across Europe are introducing fruit and vegetables that have been labelled using a laser rather than plastic stickers. The laser branding process, which is being trialled on avocados and ...
www.electrooptics.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Have any of you seen laser-marked fruit in the grocery store? Trying to get a rough idea of how widespread it is. www.electrooptics.com/news/europea...
✅ Machine learning driven weather models that boost forecast accuracy
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
The National Weather Service used AI to create a forecast for Idaho. Low chances of wind for the nonexistent towns of Cocrerrireod, Orangeotild and Whata Bod www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
January 7, 2026 at 5:50 PM
✅ Machine learning driven weather models that boost forecast accuracy
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
❌ Displaying those accurate reports via generative AI
Some people at NWS understand AI very well… and some clearly don’t.
Doesn’t matter how good your models are if they get all whatabodded in the graphics
Reposted by Janelle Shane
This is one of the wildest deep-sea mining stories to me.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Recovery of Paleodictyon patterns after simulated mining activity on Pacific nodule fields - Marine Biodiversity
Since the late 1980s, various experiments have been conducted in polymetallic nodule fields of the Pacific Ocean to assess the potential environmental impacts of future mining, specifically in two are...
link.springer.com
January 5, 2026 at 5:21 PM
This is one of the wildest deep-sea mining stories to me.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Paleodictyon is a 500-million-year-old trace fossil from an unknown organism. In the last 50 years, we've found their honeycomb traces on the seafloor. There is a living organism that has been doing its thing for half a billion years.
Reposted by Janelle Shane
“What's interesting about this apology is not only did it write that it had definitely let the dinosaurs loose, it detailed concrete steps it was already taking to mitigate the situation.”
New AIWeirdness post: ChatGPT will apologize for anything, including stuff that didn't happen. It's not reflecting on stuff it did wrong, it's improv.
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
January 3, 2026 at 4:32 AM
“What's interesting about this apology is not only did it write that it had definitely let the dinosaurs loose, it detailed concrete steps it was already taking to mitigate the situation.”
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
New AIWeirdness post: ChatGPT will apologize for anything, including stuff that didn't happen. It's not reflecting on stuff it did wrong, it's improv.
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
www.aiweirdness.com/chatgpt-will...
January 3, 2026 at 4:06 AM
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv
You can never change or guilt it
Just go find the guys who built it
When a chatbot says it’s sorry it’s improv