Jax Jacobsen
@jaxjacobsen.bsky.social
Freelance science features journalist covering mining, earth sciences, and oceans | Content strategist for Science & Tech co's | Cyclist | Green urbanist | NYC-born, heart in UK/France, feet in Montreal | je parle français | www.jaxjacobsen.com
This is great.
I am deeply uncomfortable about my 8yo having to use a Chromebook at school. Let the kids develop their skills first.
I am deeply uncomfortable about my 8yo having to use a Chromebook at school. Let the kids develop their skills first.
It's a movement!
Great piece from @tktk.bsky.social on the parents pushing back against the edtech that has taken over K-12 teaching and learning over the past decade-plus.
Great piece from @tktk.bsky.social on the parents pushing back against the edtech that has taken over K-12 teaching and learning over the past decade-plus.
Parents opt kids out of school computers, insisting on pen-and-paper instead
A loose network of parents are teaching one another how to get their kids off of school-issued Chromebooks and iPads.
www.nbcnews.com
February 16, 2026 at 7:20 PM
This is great.
I am deeply uncomfortable about my 8yo having to use a Chromebook at school. Let the kids develop their skills first.
I am deeply uncomfortable about my 8yo having to use a Chromebook at school. Let the kids develop their skills first.
At my last job, they really pushed AI for writing.
It hallucinated all sorts of policy stuff, like a moratorium in Alberta on nuclear power (the reality was, the moratorium applied to renewables).
It's just an unholy mess.
It hallucinated all sorts of policy stuff, like a moratorium in Alberta on nuclear power (the reality was, the moratorium applied to renewables).
It's just an unholy mess.
February 16, 2026 at 7:18 PM
At my last job, they really pushed AI for writing.
It hallucinated all sorts of policy stuff, like a moratorium in Alberta on nuclear power (the reality was, the moratorium applied to renewables).
It's just an unholy mess.
It hallucinated all sorts of policy stuff, like a moratorium in Alberta on nuclear power (the reality was, the moratorium applied to renewables).
It's just an unholy mess.
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
We did this experiment at my former job. The highest paid employees (editors) ended up putting hours into editing and fact checking stories because the AI was wrong in unpredictable ways. Between coming up with the story idea, prompting, and editing they were the most expensive stories we did.
“We plan to hire an AI rewrite specialist to ingest the reporting by Hannah and others and use AI to convert it into stories.”
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
February 16, 2026 at 6:28 PM
We did this experiment at my former job. The highest paid employees (editors) ended up putting hours into editing and fact checking stories because the AI was wrong in unpredictable ways. Between coming up with the story idea, prompting, and editing they were the most expensive stories we did.
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
Robert Duvall, the legendary actor whose career has spanned over six decades, has died at 95, his wife announced
February 16, 2026 at 6:04 PM
Robert Duvall, the legendary actor whose career has spanned over six decades, has died at 95, his wife announced
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
Rhetorical question of the moment: "Why should I bother to read something someone else couldn't be bothered to write?
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
There's a Grim New Expression: "AI;DR"
The slang is a sign of how overrun the internet is with AI slop — and how the real humans using it are fed up.
futurism.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Rhetorical question of the moment: "Why should I bother to read something someone else couldn't be bothered to write?
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
I love seeing everyone's spring pictures, but we won't see leaves until early May in Quebec.
Depresses me that I used to live somewhere where I saw trees budding in late February. I miss it, every day.
These months are the hardest.
Depresses me that I used to live somewhere where I saw trees budding in late February. I miss it, every day.
These months are the hardest.
Rejoice, spring has sprung and the frogs are back.
February 16, 2026 at 4:33 PM
I love seeing everyone's spring pictures, but we won't see leaves until early May in Quebec.
Depresses me that I used to live somewhere where I saw trees budding in late February. I miss it, every day.
These months are the hardest.
Depresses me that I used to live somewhere where I saw trees budding in late February. I miss it, every day.
These months are the hardest.
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
We should do this too, but we won't, because our federal government has been captured by the fossil fuel industry:
www.eenews.net/articles/can...
www.eenews.net/articles/can...
Canada eyes boosting fines for industrial emissions
Prime Minister Mark Carney is turning to factories and power plants to cut emissions, after scrapping a consumer carbon tax last year.
www.eenews.net
February 16, 2026 at 3:38 PM
We should do this too, but we won't, because our federal government has been captured by the fossil fuel industry:
www.eenews.net/articles/can...
www.eenews.net/articles/can...
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
“The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning,” said Margo T. Oge, who served as the E.P.A.’s top vehicle emissions regulator under three presidents and has since advised both automakers and environmental groups…
“Nothing. Zero,” she added. “Not many countries have zero.”
“Nothing. Zero,” she added. “Not many countries have zero.”
With Latest Rollback, the U.S. Essentially Has No Clean-Car Rules
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2026 at 12:28 PM
“The U.S. no longer has emission standards of any meaning,” said Margo T. Oge, who served as the E.P.A.’s top vehicle emissions regulator under three presidents and has since advised both automakers and environmental groups…
“Nothing. Zero,” she added. “Not many countries have zero.”
“Nothing. Zero,” she added. “Not many countries have zero.”
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
We lost Charles Kennedy ten years ago today.
A decade on I will campaign with his spirit in my heart
I/we WILL stand up for liberal values, even if it’s to stand up to our own in the process, and I/we WILL change hearts and minds via the grassroots and up.
Ripower Charlie
A decade on I will campaign with his spirit in my heart
I/we WILL stand up for liberal values, even if it’s to stand up to our own in the process, and I/we WILL change hearts and minds via the grassroots and up.
Ripower Charlie
June 1, 2025 at 1:18 PM
We lost Charles Kennedy ten years ago today.
A decade on I will campaign with his spirit in my heart
I/we WILL stand up for liberal values, even if it’s to stand up to our own in the process, and I/we WILL change hearts and minds via the grassroots and up.
Ripower Charlie
A decade on I will campaign with his spirit in my heart
I/we WILL stand up for liberal values, even if it’s to stand up to our own in the process, and I/we WILL change hearts and minds via the grassroots and up.
Ripower Charlie
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
omg
February 15, 2026 at 3:15 PM
omg
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
wealth concentration is already 200% as bad at is was in 2020. think about that
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 3:20 PM
wealth concentration is already 200% as bad at is was in 2020. think about that
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
February 12, 2026 at 2:26 PM
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
Tech bro cultists believe that people earning an income is a "burden of employment red tape"
Quite apart from the panelists’ un evidenced views that AI controlled cars will reduce congestion and support growth by “reducing the burden of employment red tape”.
Small nod to the impact on cabbies’ and private hire drivers’ jobs and a simplistic expectation that driverless cars are safer. 😬
Small nod to the impact on cabbies’ and private hire drivers’ jobs and a simplistic expectation that driverless cars are safer. 😬
February 15, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Tech bro cultists believe that people earning an income is a "burden of employment red tape"
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
Again, the unifying 🧵 about this WH’s foreign policy is not realism or neo-royalism. It’s the extension of sexual assault/predation to IR. If they think you’re their macho pal, they’ll respect your sovereignty. If they don’t, they’ll try to violate you & humiliate you. Epstein-ism, if you like.
One of the most distinctive aspects of this WH’s foreign policy is to combine an extremely ecumenical Westphalianism about broad regime type (which I’m fine with TBF) with an extremely precise set of ideological preferences about who should win elections in the Western Hemisphere & Western Europe.
February 14, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Again, the unifying 🧵 about this WH’s foreign policy is not realism or neo-royalism. It’s the extension of sexual assault/predation to IR. If they think you’re their macho pal, they’ll respect your sovereignty. If they don’t, they’ll try to violate you & humiliate you. Epstein-ism, if you like.
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social
February 14, 2026 at 2:37 AM
Yesterday morning kids were sent running from their bus stop in panic because ICE showed up. This guy at today’s ICE Out of Lindenwold protest is a must watch 😭. @maddow.bsky.social
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
Whenever you read a horrifying list like this about people who are critically ill or died in ICE concentration camps it’s important to remember that these are just the stories that got out because they were lucky enough to have lawyers who could tell their stories.
February 14, 2026 at 2:55 PM
Whenever you read a horrifying list like this about people who are critically ill or died in ICE concentration camps it’s important to remember that these are just the stories that got out because they were lucky enough to have lawyers who could tell their stories.
Really hoping my (first-ever) Canadian passport arrives soon, bc I *really* do not want to travel on my US one (we're going to France).
February 14, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Really hoping my (first-ever) Canadian passport arrives soon, bc I *really* do not want to travel on my US one (we're going to France).
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
M&Ms CEO: 'most, if not all' meals can be replaced by M&Ms within 12-18 months
Microsoft AI CEO: 'Most, if not all' white-collar tasks can be replaced by AI within 12-18 months
Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's AI chief, says AI can automate white-collar jobs within 12-18 months, as tech reaches human-level performance in tasks.
www.businessinsider.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:49 PM
M&Ms CEO: 'most, if not all' meals can be replaced by M&Ms within 12-18 months
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
"Trump’s EPA can’t simply erase climate change — and we’ll all pay the price" | My op-ed with Bob Ward in @sfchronicle.com: www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...
Trump’s EPA can’t simply erase climate change — and we’ll all pay the price
On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency reversed its “endangerment finding," which found that greenhouse gases are a threat to human health.
www.sfchronicle.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:46 PM
"Trump’s EPA can’t simply erase climate change — and we’ll all pay the price" | My op-ed with Bob Ward in @sfchronicle.com: www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
February 14, 2026 at 12:14 PM
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
The government keeps doing it nonetheless.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 7:41 PM
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
So female associates of Epstein in the files are resigning or in jail like Maxwell, but men are going to keep their jobs.
This what happens when rape culture is policy
This what happens when rape culture is policy
BREAKING:
Goldman Sachs's top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, has just resigned in the wake of the Justice Department's release of emails and other material that revealed her extensive relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/b...
Goldman Sachs's top lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, has just resigned in the wake of the Justice Department's release of emails and other material that revealed her extensive relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/b...
Goldman’s Top Lawyer Departs Amid Revelations About Her Ties to Epstein
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:20 AM
So female associates of Epstein in the files are resigning or in jail like Maxwell, but men are going to keep their jobs.
This what happens when rape culture is policy
This what happens when rape culture is policy
All I can think when business leaders say this:
They really, really do not want to pay people's salaries, and are willing to believe any fiction that says they won't have to.
(Also, that their co growth is limited, and can only be achieved through cuts)
They really, really do not want to pay people's salaries, and are willing to believe any fiction that says they won't have to.
(Also, that their co growth is limited, and can only be achieved through cuts)
Robots are coming for our jobs: Microsoft AI chief said he predicts most, if not every, task in white-collar fields will be automated by AI within the next year or year and a half www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-ai...
Microsoft AI CEO: 'Most, if not all' white-collar tasks can be replaced by AI within 12-18 months
Mustafa Suleyman, Microsoft's AI chief, says AI can automate white-collar jobs within 12-18 months, as tech reaches human-level performance in tasks.
www.businessinsider.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:08 PM
All I can think when business leaders say this:
They really, really do not want to pay people's salaries, and are willing to believe any fiction that says they won't have to.
(Also, that their co growth is limited, and can only be achieved through cuts)
They really, really do not want to pay people's salaries, and are willing to believe any fiction that says they won't have to.
(Also, that their co growth is limited, and can only be achieved through cuts)
Reposted by Jax Jacobsen
someone explain "confidential" to him pls
MERZ SAYS I HAVE BEGUN CONFIDENTIAL TALKS WITH THE FRENCH PRESIDENT ON EUROPEAN NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
February 13, 2026 at 1:26 PM
someone explain "confidential" to him pls