Cal Birch
@cal-v-btree.bsky.social
Experiencing endless whiplash.
Reposted by Cal Birch
I’m a writer who was recently laid off from my full time job and “replaced” by AI.
Spoiler alert, AI can’t produce quality content the way humans can, and any journalist worthy of the title would never submit anything without fact checking.
Fortunately, I’m available for hire! 😊
Spoiler alert, AI can’t produce quality content the way humans can, and any journalist worthy of the title would never submit anything without fact checking.
Fortunately, I’m available for hire! 😊
May 20, 2025 at 11:11 PM
I’m a writer who was recently laid off from my full time job and “replaced” by AI.
Spoiler alert, AI can’t produce quality content the way humans can, and any journalist worthy of the title would never submit anything without fact checking.
Fortunately, I’m available for hire! 😊
Spoiler alert, AI can’t produce quality content the way humans can, and any journalist worthy of the title would never submit anything without fact checking.
Fortunately, I’m available for hire! 😊
“Greer said that she was informed Khalil had been sent to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but was not there when she attempted to visit on Sunday. By Sunday night, it was still unclear where Khalil was.”
Disappearing people is a war crime.
Disappearing people is a war crime.
Trump Border Czar Ready to Deport Green Card Holder Over Palestine
Tom Homan is weighing in on Mahmoud Khalil.
newrepublic.com
March 11, 2025 at 11:54 AM
“Greer said that she was informed Khalil had been sent to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, but was not there when she attempted to visit on Sunday. By Sunday night, it was still unclear where Khalil was.”
Disappearing people is a war crime.
Disappearing people is a war crime.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more industry-specific “exemptions”. In fact, these tariffs make more sense when you see them as extortion. It’s a way to make CEOs kiss the ring (and pay for the favor?) if they want to keep their prices down.
Trump grants one-month exemption for US automakers from new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada
President Donald Trump is granting a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers.
apnews.com
March 5, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more industry-specific “exemptions”. In fact, these tariffs make more sense when you see them as extortion. It’s a way to make CEOs kiss the ring (and pay for the favor?) if they want to keep their prices down.
If you're looking for a Google alternative, I love Kagi.com. And even though they're not a giant mega tech corp they can at least get the names right in their maps app. Can't say the same for Google or Apple.
February 17, 2025 at 11:07 PM
If you're looking for a Google alternative, I love Kagi.com. And even though they're not a giant mega tech corp they can at least get the names right in their maps app. Can't say the same for Google or Apple.
Reposted by Cal Birch
Expanding on this. The word “coup” is accurate to describe what’s happening because a) it is an extensive takeover, b) *it’s happening really fast*. Gov’t acts and monitors the impacts on its actions. If they control the actions *and* the info impact we can’t hold them accountable. /1
April 4th is when the BLS releases their Employment Situation report for March. It’s when we’ll really start to see the impact of all this chaos. If Elon gets inside BLS before then they could stop or alter the report. That’s the really scary scenario.
February 12, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Expanding on this. The word “coup” is accurate to describe what’s happening because a) it is an extensive takeover, b) *it’s happening really fast*. Gov’t acts and monitors the impacts on its actions. If they control the actions *and* the info impact we can’t hold them accountable. /1
When the internet was starting out people said, “Information wants to be free”—that you can’t stop the flow of digital information in a network. But this was a hypothesis, not a fact.
Trump wants to erase inconvenient information. So we’ll see if the hypothesis holds up. I hope it does.
Trump wants to erase inconvenient information. So we’ll see if the hypothesis holds up. I hope it does.
February 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM
When the internet was starting out people said, “Information wants to be free”—that you can’t stop the flow of digital information in a network. But this was a hypothesis, not a fact.
Trump wants to erase inconvenient information. So we’ll see if the hypothesis holds up. I hope it does.
Trump wants to erase inconvenient information. So we’ll see if the hypothesis holds up. I hope it does.
I don't think AI is all it's cracked up to be, but I do think it should be regulated. Not like this though.
"The EU’s AI Act uses ‘free and open source AI’ without defining it … this lets big companies claim openness while maintaining control through indemnification clauses and insurance barriers."
"The EU’s AI Act uses ‘free and open source AI’ without defining it … this lets big companies claim openness while maintaining control through indemnification clauses and insurance barriers."
Why Fitting Open Source and AI Together Is So Messy
Even the experts have trouble fitting open source and AI neatly together in one package, said a panel at State of Open Con.
thenewstack.io
February 10, 2025 at 4:25 AM
I don't think AI is all it's cracked up to be, but I do think it should be regulated. Not like this though.
"The EU’s AI Act uses ‘free and open source AI’ without defining it … this lets big companies claim openness while maintaining control through indemnification clauses and insurance barriers."
"The EU’s AI Act uses ‘free and open source AI’ without defining it … this lets big companies claim openness while maintaining control through indemnification clauses and insurance barriers."
Reposted by Cal Birch
February 9, 2025 at 2:09 AM
These are internment camps. The legal procedures for “illegal immigrants” has little to no due process and will eventually become a flimsy pretense for locking up any political enemies. Our neighbors will begin disappearing in the night and never heard from again. This should terrify people.
Trump announces an executive order authorizing a 30,000 capacity migrant detention center in Guantanamo.
"Some of them are so bad we don't even trust the countries to hold them because we don't want them coming back, so we're going to send them out to Guatanamo Bay."
"Some of them are so bad we don't even trust the countries to hold them because we don't want them coming back, so we're going to send them out to Guatanamo Bay."
January 29, 2025 at 11:54 PM
These are internment camps. The legal procedures for “illegal immigrants” has little to no due process and will eventually become a flimsy pretense for locking up any political enemies. Our neighbors will begin disappearing in the night and never heard from again. This should terrify people.
1. MSFT makes faustian bargain with Sam Altman.
2. Altman ousts key technologists, stops real research, focuses on gimmicks.
3. Trump promises $500B to build AI infra and data centers.
4. A Chinese startup *actually* innovates on LLM models, reducing the need for infra.
5. MSFT stock tanks.
😂😂😂
2. Altman ousts key technologists, stops real research, focuses on gimmicks.
3. Trump promises $500B to build AI infra and data centers.
4. A Chinese startup *actually* innovates on LLM models, reducing the need for infra.
5. MSFT stock tanks.
😂😂😂
January 28, 2025 at 8:44 AM
1. MSFT makes faustian bargain with Sam Altman.
2. Altman ousts key technologists, stops real research, focuses on gimmicks.
3. Trump promises $500B to build AI infra and data centers.
4. A Chinese startup *actually* innovates on LLM models, reducing the need for infra.
5. MSFT stock tanks.
😂😂😂
2. Altman ousts key technologists, stops real research, focuses on gimmicks.
3. Trump promises $500B to build AI infra and data centers.
4. A Chinese startup *actually* innovates on LLM models, reducing the need for infra.
5. MSFT stock tanks.
😂😂😂
A 1,500-per-day quota. That is an NFL stadium worth of detainees every 40 days.
Poor Ratings. (WaPo) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have been directed to aggressively ramp up the number of people they arrest, from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200 to 1,500, b/c the president has been disappointed with the results of his mass deportation campaign so far
Trump officials issue quotas to ICE officers to ramp up arrests
The administration wants to increase the number of arrests from a few hundred per day to at least 1,200 to 1,500, increasing the chances that non-criminals will be detained.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 27, 2025 at 6:34 AM
A 1,500-per-day quota. That is an NFL stadium worth of detainees every 40 days.
Reposted by Cal Birch
For Those Interested In Grassroots Resistance Efforts 👇
January 27, 2025 at 5:02 AM
For Those Interested In Grassroots Resistance Efforts 👇
This is the start of a Reign of Terror. This will not have a meaningful impact on reducing the immigrant population. That’s not the point. The point is to be seen hurting his enemies (blue states) and whoever white nationalists view as “other” or “lesser” (Hispanics, for now). /1
‘We are terrified’: ICE begins long-promised immigration blitz in Chicago
With two top Trump administration officials in Chicago, federal law enforcement began a “targeted” immigration blitz Sunday, according to a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs En…
www.chicagotribune.com
January 27, 2025 at 5:18 AM
This is the start of a Reign of Terror. This will not have a meaningful impact on reducing the immigrant population. That’s not the point. The point is to be seen hurting his enemies (blue states) and whoever white nationalists view as “other” or “lesser” (Hispanics, for now). /1
Reposted by Cal Birch
HELL YEAH!
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announces he Will NOT COMPLY to Donald Trump’s demands for the DMV to turn over data about undocumented immigrants without due process.
It gets even better.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announces he Will NOT COMPLY to Donald Trump’s demands for the DMV to turn over data about undocumented immigrants without due process.
It gets even better.
January 23, 2025 at 5:51 PM
HELL YEAH!
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announces he Will NOT COMPLY to Donald Trump’s demands for the DMV to turn over data about undocumented immigrants without due process.
It gets even better.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announces he Will NOT COMPLY to Donald Trump’s demands for the DMV to turn over data about undocumented immigrants without due process.
It gets even better.
Reposted by Cal Birch
"Masculine Energy"
January 20, 2025 at 4:43 AM
"Masculine Energy"
Reposted by Cal Birch
So... I got a notification from the State Department at like 8 PM Pacific that my passport was approved, and I was quietly thankful and stunned bc my legal gender is X, and that's what's on my passport. I'm pretty sure someone worked late to get the X passports done today.
Thank you, random worker.
Thank you, random worker.
January 18, 2025 at 9:03 AM
So... I got a notification from the State Department at like 8 PM Pacific that my passport was approved, and I was quietly thankful and stunned bc my legal gender is X, and that's what's on my passport. I'm pretty sure someone worked late to get the X passports done today.
Thank you, random worker.
Thank you, random worker.
Reposted by Cal Birch
You have got to admit it is kind of funny that Mark Zuckerberg did all this stuff to curry favor with Trump only for Trump to save TikTok
January 19, 2025 at 5:55 PM
You have got to admit it is kind of funny that Mark Zuckerberg did all this stuff to curry favor with Trump only for Trump to save TikTok
Reposted by Cal Birch
Who is up for a short thread on the intriguing parallels between OpenAI and Enron, as told by one of Enron's investment bankers -- that is to say, me? Here goes...
January 6, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Who is up for a short thread on the intriguing parallels between OpenAI and Enron, as told by one of Enron's investment bankers -- that is to say, me? Here goes...
Reposted by Cal Birch
To turn off, go to Settings > Apps > Photos on iOS and turn off Enhanced Visual Search. On Mac, open Photos and go to Settings > General to do the same. You must do it on each of your Apple devices.
January 4, 2025 at 10:25 PM
To turn off, go to Settings > Apps > Photos on iOS and turn off Enhanced Visual Search. On Mac, open Photos and go to Settings > General to do the same. You must do it on each of your Apple devices.
Reposted by Cal Birch
Stop Forcing A.I. into Fucking EVERYTHING!
December 24, 2024 at 3:11 AM
Stop Forcing A.I. into Fucking EVERYTHING!
Reposted by Cal Birch
We were seeing a 98% drop in exposure over on Twitter. The censorship was so extreme we thought it best to start over somewhere else. We chose Bluesky.
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
December 20, 2024 at 11:36 PM
We were seeing a 98% drop in exposure over on Twitter. The censorship was so extreme we thought it best to start over somewhere else. We chose Bluesky.
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
Reposted by Cal Birch
Excited to announce Better Offline’s upcoming 2024 finale.
12/30 I'm joined by FTC Chair Lina Khan, then finish with a solo two-parter on 1/1 & 1/3 where I’ll lay out the massive scale of the Rot Economy's damage to the tech industry- and how we fight back.
Subscribe here: linktr.ee/betteroffline
12/30 I'm joined by FTC Chair Lina Khan, then finish with a solo two-parter on 1/1 & 1/3 where I’ll lay out the massive scale of the Rot Economy's damage to the tech industry- and how we fight back.
Subscribe here: linktr.ee/betteroffline
betteroffline - Listen on Spotify - Linktree
View betteroffline’s Linktree. Listen to their music on Spotify here.
linktr.ee
December 12, 2024 at 8:32 PM
Excited to announce Better Offline’s upcoming 2024 finale.
12/30 I'm joined by FTC Chair Lina Khan, then finish with a solo two-parter on 1/1 & 1/3 where I’ll lay out the massive scale of the Rot Economy's damage to the tech industry- and how we fight back.
Subscribe here: linktr.ee/betteroffline
12/30 I'm joined by FTC Chair Lina Khan, then finish with a solo two-parter on 1/1 & 1/3 where I’ll lay out the massive scale of the Rot Economy's damage to the tech industry- and how we fight back.
Subscribe here: linktr.ee/betteroffline