Olav Elgvin
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olavelgvin.bsky.social
Olav Elgvin
@olavelgvin.bsky.social
980 followers 700 following 600 posts
Social scientist doing research on religion&politics and Muslims in Europe. On the 'we should improve society somewhat' team
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olavelgvin.bsky.social
Olav Elgvin @olavelgvin.bsky.social · Feb 16
It's official: my first book is coming out! End July, hopefully earlier. The topic is representative Muslim councils, a kind of organization which governments often rely on to deal with Muslims. But why are these councils so plagued by conflicts and splits? This book is an attempt to answer
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
hagenblix.bsky.social
Language models are models of a corpus, not cognition
hagenblix.bsky.social Hagen Blix @hagenblix.bsky.social · 5d
I do, of course, have a paragraph from "Why We Fear AI" for this
An LLM is an abstraction over the status quo (or rather, the text of the status quo) that has, at its core, no other aim than producing more text that is just like the text already in existence. One result is that the dominant ideas, the dominant textual patterns of our time, are recast as “intelligence” per se. We might call the complex mass of concepts and ideas, the channels into which ideas flow often and easily, or the boundaries of what is reasonable to debate in so-called “polite society”—the dominant ideology of an age. An age’s dominant ideology tends to presuppose that the power of that age is natural; the hallmark of ideology, in this sense, is that it is easy to recognize only when it’s past its time. We may no longer think that an almighty god appointed a king to rule us, that women are naturally unfit to vote, or that sex outside of a heterosexual marriage is immoral. But at various times, to think otherwise (to think of replacing the monarchy with a republic, to affirm that women are people, or being in favor of sexual or gay liberation) was the far more difficult, even dangerous thought—if not to have, then at the very least to put in writing. Ideology, of course, is never complete, other thoughts are always possible. But ideology is easy to think, it’s what our thoughts are already marinated in. And hence, ideology will be dominant in the textual patterns of an age. Seen in this light, what is called “intelligence” in a language model, is really that—ideology as a thing that can pretend to be a person.
November 15, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
trulsgulowsen.bsky.social
Her er Cecilie Hellestveit farlig god.

Stortingsflertallet bør gjenopprette etikken minst like raskt som de fjernet den. Stoltenbergs hastverk var et overdrevet ideologisk ekko fra 90-tallet, og skader både Norge og #Oljefondet. www.morgenbladet.no/samfunn/hell...
(+) – Stoltenbergs frykt har ingen rot i virkeligheten
Et flertall på Stortinget har avviklet den uavhengige vakthunden til oljefondet, mener folkerettsekspert Cecilie Hellestveit. Dermed sier hun takk og farvel etter 11 år som medlem av Etikkrådet.
www.morgenbladet.no
November 12, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
owasow.bsky.social
A recent @nytimes.com analysis found that over the last three presidential elections "Republicans are overwhelmingly making gains in working-class counties. Democrats are improving almost exclusively in wealthier areas." Our research shows similar patterns among donors. 🧵 cup.org/4cfm0Az
Plutopopulism: Wealth and Trump’s Financial Base SEAN KATES, ERIC MANNING, TALI MENDELBERG and OMAR WASOW Comparative scholarship suggests authoritarian candidates often rely on backing from the wealthy. The wealthy are also said to play an important role in American campaign finance. Studies of Donald Trump, however, found that he drew significant support from white Americans with less education and privilege. We evaluate wealthy and non-wealthy Americans’ financial support for Trump, compared to other candidates, by constructing a comprehensive dataset of property values matched to contributions and voter files. We find Trump underperformed among wealthy Republican donors while mobilizing new non-wealthy donors. Trump also diversified the donorate, especially by education. That is, Trump built an unusual coalition of wealthy and non-wealthy donors. Our results support an alternative, “plutopopulist” model of Trump’s financial base.
June 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
rodman.bsky.social
*This* is what antisemitism looks like. *This* is what leads to pogroms and roundups.

What don’t the major Jewish organizations in the US spend half as much time on this as they do spreading fear of Mamdani?
sethcotlar.bsky.social Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 8d
There’s no daylight between what Candace says here about “the Jews” & what Nazi propagandists & Father Coughlin said about the Jews in the 1930s. Her show is one of the top 5 “conservative” podcasts in the US. She has 5.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 7.3 million followers on X.
November 8, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
sethcotlar.bsky.social
There’s no daylight between what Candace says here about “the Jews” & what Nazi propagandists & Father Coughlin said about the Jews in the 1930s. Her show is one of the top 5 “conservative” podcasts in the US. She has 5.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 7.3 million followers on X.
November 8, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
eriksteinskog.bsky.social
Today it is 55 years since the recording of Alice Coltrane's album Journey in Satchidananda (except for the track "Isis and Osiris," which was recorded July 4, 1970).
Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda (1971) [Full Album]
YouTube video by Cubensis Records
www.youtube.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
ketanjoshi.co
Something I've really noticed among institutional "responses" to generative technologies is that "DO NOT USE THIS TOOL, IT'S COMPLETELY INAPPROPRIATE" is fudamentally erased from any possibility of ever being an option

Often paired with fatalist stuff like "this isn't going away"
View Steve Little’s graphic link Steve LittleSteve Little • 2ndPremium • 2nd AI Program Director, National Genealogical Society; Founder/Owner: AI Genealogy Insights; United Methodist ClergyAI Program Director, National Genealogical Society; Founder/Owner: AI Genealogy Insights; United Methodist Clergy 1d • 1 day ago • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn Follow This spring, genealogists discovered a problem: new AI "photo restoration" tools and techniques using GPT-4o and Nano Banana don't actually "restore" historical images—they generate plausible new images that can permanently corrupt our historical record. The image below shows the issue. One is a historical photograph. The other is an AI-generated face based on that photograph—convincing, but completely fabricated. The man on the left is my grandfather; the man on the right is not. By August, when Google's Nano Banana made this technology instantly accessible to millions, unlabeled AI "restorations" began appearing throughout online family trees. Many were being treated as authentic historical photographs. Expert genealogists responded. The Coalition for Responsible AI in Genealogy—led by genealogists who deeply understand evidential standards and the Genealogical Proof Standard—developed practical guidelines to address this challenge. Today they released their statement: "Protecting Trust in Historical Images." Three core recommendations: 1. Always label modified images 2. Always cite the original source 3. Use as illustration, not evidence These aren't restrictive rules—they're practices that let us explore what these technologies offer while protecting the integrity of our shared historical record. As a technical advisor to the Coalition, I'm grateful to the expert genealogists who led this work and to our broader community for taking these challenges seriously. Read the full story of how the genealogy community identified and addressed this challenge: https://lnkd.in/eTgZtTW4 I’ve been privileged to serve as a technical advisor to the Coalition, but the real work here was done by genealogists who deeply understand evidential standards and the Genealogical Proof Standard. This statement reflects their expertise. The Coalition’s three core recommendations are simple and practical: Always Label modified images. Always Cite the original source. Use as Illustration, Not Evidence. For detailed guidance on implementing these recommendations, see the educational articles linked at the bottom of the statement. When we use AI tools—and many of us will—we're accountable for accuracy, transparency, and ethical practice. Our Responsibility These tools aren’t going away. As genealogists, our responsibility is clear: we must be the “humans in the loop.” When we use AI tools—and many of us will—we’re accountable for accuracy, transparency, and ethical practice. The Coalition’s guidelines help us meet that responsibility. They protect the integrity of our shared historical record while allowing us to explore what these technologies might offer.
November 8, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
akbarshahidahmed.huffpost.com
NEW: Inside the Biden administration debates in late 2024 that could have changed the course of the Gaza war

-top intel official sought to cut support for Israel but Brett McGurk pushed back
-talk of "very likely" US liability
-Blinken spoke of "ethnic cleansing"

www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-...
Biden Discussed Potential Israeli War Crimes In Gaza. He Kicked The Can To Trump.
New intelligence shocked officials in late 2024, spurring heightened fear of U.S. liability, HuffPost has learned. The period saw Secretary of State Antony Blinken ask if Israel’s actions constituted ...
www.huffpost.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
prospect.org
“OpenAI is getting ready to run hat in hand to the taxpayer for subsidies.” After losing more than $13 billion this year, OpenAI officials are angling for a bailout. From @ryanlcooper.com:

trib.al/CUazMCQ
OpenAI Is Maneuvering for a Government Bailout - The American Prospect
For artificial intelligence to ever pencil out, some truly enormous revenue streams will be required. And if you need trillions of dollars for data centers forever, there’s only one entity to turn to: Uncle Sam.
trib.al
November 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
70sbachchan.bsky.social
Elon Musk Is repsonsible for the deaths of 600,000 human beings and yet is being rewarded by capitalists with 1000 billion dollars
bsky.app/profile/newy...
newyorker.com The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 10d
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
loristinson.bsky.social
News: 🌍 #research finds 90% of wild animal #extinction caused by habitat loss mainly for #agriculture: #beef #palmoil, #timber, soy and cocoa. Reduce demand when you shop and fight back! Be #Vegan 🥦🍅 and #BoycottPalmOil 🔥🌴🙊⛔️ #Boycott4Wildlife @palmoildetect.bsky.social wp.me/pcFhgU-alG
Beef, Palm Oil and Timber: How Wealthy Nations Fuel Deforestation
Beef palm oil, and timber consumption in wealthy nations is driving mass deforestation and species extinction in tropical regions. EUDR is vital to stop this!
wp.me
November 4, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
volvo240.bsky.social
Ok dette er den beste nyhetssaken jeg har sett i hele år

frifagbevegelse.no/ntlmagasinet...
November 4, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
georgemonbiot.bsky.social
Partly because so many formerly leftwing parties have turned to the right, there's a lot of confusion about what right and left mean in politics. I hope this helps:

The right defends economic power.

The left resists economic power.
November 3, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
ioppublishing.bsky.social
Climate intervention may not be enough to save coffee, chocolate and wine, new study finds
Climate intervention may not be enough to save coffee, chocolate and wine, new study finds
A new study published in Environmental Research Letters reveals that even advanced climate intervention strategies may not be enough to secure the future of wine grapes, coffee and cacao. These crops are vital to many economies and provide livelihoods for farmers worldwide. However, they are increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures […] The post Climate intervention may not be enough to save coffee, chocolate and wine, new study finds appeared first on IOP Publishing.
dlvr.it
November 4, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
vonblefjell.bsky.social
Ikke så bra
met.no Meteorologisk institutt @met.no · 13d
Vi har oppsummert oktober 👇

📍Temperaturen endte nesten to grader over normalen.
📍I 18 måneder på rad har månedstemperaturen vært over normalen.
📍Aldri før er det registrert en så lang periode med gjennomsnittstemperatur over normalen.

Les hele saken: www.met.no/nyhetsarkiv/...
November 4, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
andersskyrud.bsky.social
Tror de fleste er enige i at det er absurd at medisinstudenter og de som tar PPU og lignende skal jobbe ved siden av. De skal lære for mye og det de skal lære er for viktig. Men hvorfor mener vi som samfunn at statsvitenskap, materialkjemi eller idéhistorie er så mye mindre viktig?
November 4, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
ftm.eu
Google, the world’s largest search engine operating three in four smartphones, has played Brussels like a fiddle – shaping laws, silencing rivals, and calling it "innovation". The chart shows how Big Tech bankrolls Brussels’ top think tanks.

Read our latest story here: www.ftm.eu/articles/goo...
November 3, 2025 at 7:18 AM
olavelgvin.bsky.social
90-tallet ringte og vil ha Jens Stoltenberg tilbake
magnusforsberg.no Forsberg™ @magnusforsberg.no · 24d
Det er ganske «interessant» at Jens Stoltenberg kom ut av de siste månedenes kalabalik om oljefondets etiske retningslinjer med lærdommen «retningslinjene er FOR STRENGE».
November 4, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
arildher.bsky.social
Dette er rett og slett ikke greit. Ap serverer frp en blank oljefondsseier når de nå vil svekke etikken. Statsbudsjettforhandlingene hadde allerede fått en trang start, men det er visst ingen grenser for hvor langt ned på minussiden Ap ønsker å starte. www.nrk.no/norge/kilder...
Kilder til NRK: Mot flertall for å endre reglene for oljefondet
Arbeiderpartiet vil gjøre det vanskeligere å kaste selskaper ut av oljefondet. Partiet går tirsdag sammen med Frp, Høyre og Sp inn for å endre reglene for fondet, ifølge NRKs kilder.
www.nrk.no
November 3, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
drjoehanson.bsky.social
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.

Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.

academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning
Abstract. The effects of using large language models (LLMs) versus traditional web search on depth of learning are explored. A theory is proposed that when
academic.oup.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
doctorvive.bsky.social
I can think of at least seven ways fossil fuel producers could wiggle out of this, but still: holy shit this is huge.
European human rights court sets climate limits for the oil industry Greenpeace International 28 Oct 2025 • 2 min read • ©0 Comments Strasbourg - Today, The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that Norway must assess the global climate impacts of oil and gas before opening new oil fields on the Norwegian continental shelf in order to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights. The ruling establishes new, binding legal obligations that will reshape how governments approach fossil fuel development.
October 28, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
thrasherxy.bsky.social
Muslim British Journalist Sami Hamdi has been abducted by ICE. He was already in the U.S. legally on a visa, but was abducted while attempting to fly from San Francisco to Florida on a domestic flight. Laura Loomer is taking credit for getting him abducted due to his criticism of Israel and the US.
Sami Hamdi
October 26, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Olav Elgvin
erikskare.no
“If de Waal is anywhere close to right, this conflict will have killed 7.5 percent of the prewar population of Gaza in just two years. It already is, in proportional terms, deadlier than the wars in Yemen, Syria, Sudan and Ukraine.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/o...
Opinion | What Happened in Gaza Might Be Even Worse Than We Think
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 8:00 PM
olavelgvin.bsky.social
For meg har Myhrvold vært den rike og eksentriske fyren som startet modernist cuisine-bevegelsen, der man brukte moderne vitenskap for å perfeksjonere avansert kokekunst. Fyren har et kjøkkenlab til en mill. i huset sitt og finansierte flere kokebok-prosjekt. Så viser det seg at han bare er ufyselig
October 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM