Liz Ahl
@surlyacres.bsky.social
it's a coup
https://linktr.ee/lizahl
https://linktr.ee/lizahl
Pinned
Liz Ahl
@surlyacres.bsky.social
· Dec 6
Find Out Why Health Insurance Denied Your Claim
You likely have the right to access records that explain why your insurer denied your claim or prior authorization request. Use ProPublica’s free tool to generate a letter requesting your claim file f...
projects.propublica.org
Reposted by Liz Ahl
One way I have found to mourn someone is to set up a monthly sustaining donation to a mutual aid effort they cared about. If you can join me in honoring Alice Wong, @sfdirewolf.bsky.social with a sustaining donation today, please do. Thank you Alice, and I will not let the bastards grind me down.
November 15, 2025 at 12:34 PM
One way I have found to mourn someone is to set up a monthly sustaining donation to a mutual aid effort they cared about. If you can join me in honoring Alice Wong, @sfdirewolf.bsky.social with a sustaining donation today, please do. Thank you Alice, and I will not let the bastards grind me down.
Reposted by Liz Ahl
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.”
November 15, 2025 at 6:15 AM
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.”
Here's one of two poems I'm happy to have included in the new "Birds of a Feather" issue of The Fourth River --
www.thefourthriver.com/o16-poetry/2...
www.thefourthriver.com/o16-poetry/2...
The Crows and My Mother — The Fourth River
by Liz Ahl
www.thefourthriver.com
November 15, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Here's one of two poems I'm happy to have included in the new "Birds of a Feather" issue of The Fourth River --
www.thefourthriver.com/o16-poetry/2...
www.thefourthriver.com/o16-poetry/2...
Reposted by Liz Ahl
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Reposted by Liz Ahl
No one will ever sum up Bari Weiss's career more succinctly than "what's the point of standards"
“Standards will be eliminated or severely cut back. Bari has told people that she wants to get rid of standards and is shocked that they have so much power. She asks ‘What’s the point of standards?’
November 11, 2025 at 3:46 PM
No one will ever sum up Bari Weiss's career more succinctly than "what's the point of standards"
Reposted by Liz Ahl
From the outside it might look like ICE officers wear masks to avoid accountability, but in reality they are a way to avoid accountability.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
November 11, 2025 at 3:54 PM
From the outside it might look like ICE officers wear masks to avoid accountability, but in reality they are a way to avoid accountability.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Call volume is currently very high forever.
November 10, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Call volume is currently very high forever.
Reposted by Liz Ahl
a few months ago I said "having generative AI handle absolutely anything with regards to healthcare is a nightmare and should be banned" and a bunch of people made fun of me and called me stupid. anyways,
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
a few months ago I said "having generative AI handle absolutely anything with regards to healthcare is a nightmare and should be banned" and a bunch of people made fun of me and called me stupid. anyways,
Reposted by Liz Ahl
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
OpenAI in Danger After Authors Suing It Gain Access to Its Internal Slack Messages
Authors and publishers, who are suing OpenAI, secured access to internal Slack messages and emails discussing the deletion of pirated books.
futurism.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:35 AM
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
Reposted by Liz Ahl
A friend recently texted me the same thing. “Do you really not use ChatGPT?!” It was a sign of where we are culturally on this. People are compelled to use it but also starting to question the normalcy?
Recently met someone who was very surprised to hear I didn’t use ChatGPT or any LLM.
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
I said my job depended on doing distinctive work. That was my selling point. If I started to sound like ChatGPT and turn out what it did, then how on earth could I justify doing it? What would that make me?
November 8, 2025 at 12:32 PM
A friend recently texted me the same thing. “Do you really not use ChatGPT?!” It was a sign of where we are culturally on this. People are compelled to use it but also starting to question the normalcy?
I didn't know when I chose them that these treasures by Natalie Diaz & @ired0mi.bsky.social would be the last books I taught as an English prof (taking a last minute buyout in grim conditions). These books, individually, are terrific. Together, in conversation? Holy smokes. Revelation & balm, both.
November 6, 2025 at 2:06 PM
I didn't know when I chose them that these treasures by Natalie Diaz & @ired0mi.bsky.social would be the last books I taught as an English prof (taking a last minute buyout in grim conditions). These books, individually, are terrific. Together, in conversation? Holy smokes. Revelation & balm, both.
Reposted by Liz Ahl
NEW: Mississippi Democrats broke the Republican Party's supermajority in the state Senate tonight for the first time since 2011.
It came as Democrats flipped 2 Senate seats and 1 House seat.
“Mississippi just broke the supermajority—and the people have taken back their power,” the party says.
It came as Democrats flipped 2 Senate seats and 1 House seat.
“Mississippi just broke the supermajority—and the people have taken back their power,” the party says.
Mississippi Democrats Break Republican Senate Supermajority, Flipping 3 Legislative Seats
After 13 years, Mississippi Democrats broke the Republican Party's supermajority in the Mississippi Senate, flipping 3 legislative seats.
www.mississippifreepress.org
November 5, 2025 at 7:25 AM
NEW: Mississippi Democrats broke the Republican Party's supermajority in the state Senate tonight for the first time since 2011.
It came as Democrats flipped 2 Senate seats and 1 House seat.
“Mississippi just broke the supermajority—and the people have taken back their power,” the party says.
It came as Democrats flipped 2 Senate seats and 1 House seat.
“Mississippi just broke the supermajority—and the people have taken back their power,” the party says.
Reposted by Liz Ahl
This person took this when they called the race
November 5, 2025 at 6:07 AM
This person took this when they called the race
"You have had days like this, no doubt. And wasn’t it
wonderful, finally, to leave the room? Ah, what a
moment!
As for myself, I swung the door open. And there was
the wordless, singing world. And I ran for my life."
www.medhumchat.com/discussiongu...
wonderful, finally, to leave the room? Ah, what a
moment!
As for myself, I swung the door open. And there was
the wordless, singing world. And I ran for my life."
www.medhumchat.com/discussiongu...
Mary Oliver: Work, Sometimes — MedHumChat
I was sad all day, and why not. There I was, books piled on both sides of the table, paper stacked up, words falling off my tongue. The robins had been a long time singing, and now it was begin...
www.medhumchat.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:34 PM
"You have had days like this, no doubt. And wasn’t it
wonderful, finally, to leave the room? Ah, what a
moment!
As for myself, I swung the door open. And there was
the wordless, singing world. And I ran for my life."
www.medhumchat.com/discussiongu...
wonderful, finally, to leave the room? Ah, what a
moment!
As for myself, I swung the door open. And there was
the wordless, singing world. And I ran for my life."
www.medhumchat.com/discussiongu...
Reposted by Liz Ahl
In this November edition of Prisons, Prose & Protest, I give a brief history of a radical higher education experiment from late-1960s Berkeley. I recommend two podcast episodes, several good recent articles and essays, and more… open.substack.com/pub/prisoncu...
Prisons, Prose & Protest - #32
Rants, Musings and More
open.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 3:02 PM
In this November edition of Prisons, Prose & Protest, I give a brief history of a radical higher education experiment from late-1960s Berkeley. I recommend two podcast episodes, several good recent articles and essays, and more… open.substack.com/pub/prisoncu...
Reposted by Liz Ahl
New awareness campaign
November 3, 2025 at 3:23 PM
New awareness campaign
Reposted by Liz Ahl
"You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be, and you do choose how you want to think." –
Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs
October 29, 2025 at 2:52 AM
"You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be, and you do choose how you want to think." –
Grace Lee Boggs
Grace Lee Boggs
Reposted by Liz Ahl
If I were running the DNC, there would be Democratic Party sponsored food relief banks across the country right now that specifically welcomed anyone regardless of party affiliation.
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
October 26, 2025 at 9:03 PM
If I were running the DNC, there would be Democratic Party sponsored food relief banks across the country right now that specifically welcomed anyone regardless of party affiliation.
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Along with the food, there could be voter registration and links to runforsomething.net
Reposted by Liz Ahl
Belgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Belgian AI scientists resist the use of AI in academia
Several AI scientists have published an open letter calling for a ban on AI use by students.
apache.be
October 24, 2025 at 9:34 AM
Belgian AI scientists are advocating *against* the use of AI in academia. “If independent thinking is no longer encouraged at university, where would it?” apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
Reposted by Liz Ahl
Reposted by Liz Ahl
“the president got mad at a television commercial so now your maple syrup is more expensive” is no way to run a country
October 26, 2025 at 2:10 AM
“the president got mad at a television commercial so now your maple syrup is more expensive” is no way to run a country
Every time we ft/tt professors voluntarily use AI to (poorly attempt to) do pretty much any of the human work of teaching, we are telling (teaching?) the world that we are replaceable. Begging to be “right”-sized, to be downsized. To be replaced by the automation we embrace.
October 20, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Every time we ft/tt professors voluntarily use AI to (poorly attempt to) do pretty much any of the human work of teaching, we are telling (teaching?) the world that we are replaceable. Begging to be “right”-sized, to be downsized. To be replaced by the automation we embrace.
Reposted by Liz Ahl
After adding new data to our spreadsheet, our central estimate of turnout for the No Kings Day protests yesterday has risen to 5.5 million, with an upper bound of 8.7 www.gelliottmorris.com/p/second-no-...
Second "No Kings Day" protests likely the largest single-day political demonstration since 1970, with 4.2-7.6 million participants
Here are the initial results from our crowdsourced crowd-counting estimates
www.gelliottmorris.com
October 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
After adding new data to our spreadsheet, our central estimate of turnout for the No Kings Day protests yesterday has risen to 5.5 million, with an upper bound of 8.7 www.gelliottmorris.com/p/second-no-...
Reposted by Liz Ahl
I feel that some of you need regular reminders of how unpopular this man is. And frankly I see him getting even more so as the economy worsens. Again, this doesn't mean that he will give up any power but it does mean that WE HAVE POWER TOO.
October 18, 2025 at 12:13 AM
I feel that some of you need regular reminders of how unpopular this man is. And frankly I see him getting even more so as the economy worsens. Again, this doesn't mean that he will give up any power but it does mean that WE HAVE POWER TOO.