Dana Cairns Watson
@danacairnswatson.bsky.social
I love to read but not sit still. I grow vegetables, support native ecosystems, swim, gaze at birds, and walk with dogs. I teach writing at UCLA to scientists, engineers, and future professional writers. I care about community and doing the right thing.
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
To state the obvious, doctors lawyers and priests are not products offered by a company that generates statistically likely text
November 10, 2025 at 3:57 PM
To state the obvious, doctors lawyers and priests are not products offered by a company that generates statistically likely text
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
"World's first potential trillionaire has killed 600,000 people, including 400,000 children" is the only headline that anyone should ever read about Elon Musk
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 7, 2025 at 1:33 AM
"World's first potential trillionaire has killed 600,000 people, including 400,000 children" is the only headline that anyone should ever read about Elon Musk
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
If Musk meets all the benchmarks of his new $1 trillion pay package from Tesla he will be paid $274 MILLION EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS
This is his part-time job
This is his part-time job
November 7, 2025 at 1:59 AM
If Musk meets all the benchmarks of his new $1 trillion pay package from Tesla he will be paid $274 MILLION EVERY DAY FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS
This is his part-time job
This is his part-time job
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
Happy Four Seasons Total Landscaping Day to all who celebrate. I hope you make a Four Seasons Total Landscake.
November 7, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Happy Four Seasons Total Landscaping Day to all who celebrate. I hope you make a Four Seasons Total Landscake.
We must start cancelling corporate charters right and left!
I fully believe in the corporate death penalty and believe we would be a better world if OpenAI lost its corporate charter and was forcibly dissolved.
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
ChatGPT encouraged college graduate to commit suicide, family claims in lawsuit against OpenAI | CNN
A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT ‘goaded’ him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit.
www.cnn.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:36 AM
We must start cancelling corporate charters right and left!
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
If they hadn’t purchased most of it already, OpenAI would be dragged before Congress for this.
There are no words for how evil this is
November 7, 2025 at 2:46 AM
If they hadn’t purchased most of it already, OpenAI would be dragged before Congress for this.
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
A million seconds is 11.6 days
A billion seconds is nearly 32 years
A trillion seconds is nearly 32,000 years
A billion seconds is nearly 32 years
A trillion seconds is nearly 32,000 years
I know most of my followers probably know this, but just in context:
A billion is a thousand million.
A trillion is a thousand billion.
A billion is a thousand million.
A trillion is a thousand billion.
November 6, 2025 at 11:11 PM
A million seconds is 11.6 days
A billion seconds is nearly 32 years
A trillion seconds is nearly 32,000 years
A billion seconds is nearly 32 years
A trillion seconds is nearly 32,000 years
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
We may have installed eyes, ears, cameras and satellites all over Earth’s surface, but we remain blind to the greed that is choking life to extinction
November 4, 2025 at 7:51 AM
We may have installed eyes, ears, cameras and satellites all over Earth’s surface, but we remain blind to the greed that is choking life to extinction
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
The complete annihilation of entire ecosystems was not a side effect of civilisation. It was a deliberate crime perpetrated by the greatest minds, leaders and technologies humanity produced
November 5, 2025 at 7:20 PM
The complete annihilation of entire ecosystems was not a side effect of civilisation. It was a deliberate crime perpetrated by the greatest minds, leaders and technologies humanity produced
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
“The creation of corporations was one of the biggest self-annihilation moves of civilisation.These entities exploit humans and the Earth and are governed not by humans or ethics, but by profit. Humanity is now owned by something abstract and inhuman, and this should be of grave concern to all of us”
November 5, 2025 at 8:11 PM
“The creation of corporations was one of the biggest self-annihilation moves of civilisation.These entities exploit humans and the Earth and are governed not by humans or ethics, but by profit. Humanity is now owned by something abstract and inhuman, and this should be of grave concern to all of us”
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
See the film and my update on the ongoing, pointless, man-made loss of life here: bsky.app/profile/agaw...
Today @TheNewYorker released our short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” online.
It traces the ongoing effects of the sudden shutdown of US foreign aid through the story of one mother in Kenya as she seeks to save her daughter from sickness and starvation. 🎥 1/ www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
It traces the ongoing effects of the sudden shutdown of US foreign aid through the story of one mother in Kenya as she seeks to save her daughter from sickness and starvation. 🎥 1/ www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
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.
www.newyorker.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:34 PM
See the film and my update on the ongoing, pointless, man-made loss of life here: bsky.app/profile/agaw...
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
And now read this!
Because AI can run the economy right?
Because AI can run the economy right?
Might I also recommend our article on AI & political/economic projects?
Deflating “Hype” Won’t Save Us
The problem with AI isn’t hype. The problem is who and what it’s useful for.
www.liberalcurrents.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:14 PM
And now read this!
Because AI can run the economy right?
Because AI can run the economy right?
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
Maybe dumping poop on voters from an airplane is not a surefire electoral strategy
November 5, 2025 at 3:04 AM
Maybe dumping poop on voters from an airplane is not a surefire electoral strategy
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of workers who rely on food stamps.
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
November 4, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of workers who rely on food stamps.
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.
Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.
See the problem?
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
Sora 2 is not being “misused” when people use it to produce racist, transphobic, misogynistic, & otherwise vile images—it exists to make it easier to put these images out into the world. Calling it a “misuse” is a grave misunderstanding of what these companies are up to, & lets OpenAI off the hook.
November 4, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Sora 2 is not being “misused” when people use it to produce racist, transphobic, misogynistic, & otherwise vile images—it exists to make it easier to put these images out into the world. Calling it a “misuse” is a grave misunderstanding of what these companies are up to, & lets OpenAI off the hook.
Trump says he won’t be extorted into ending the shutdown. It seems like more of a hostage-taking situation, and the hostages are people on SNAP and people who want to take an airplane safely (and the rest of us).
November 4, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Trump says he won’t be extorted into ending the shutdown. It seems like more of a hostage-taking situation, and the hostages are people on SNAP and people who want to take an airplane safely (and the rest of us).
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
Jeffries: "All Republicans care about it the opinion of one man -- the puppet master of the Republican Party, Donald J Trump. They don't care about anything else. How else can you explain the fact that they are weaponizing hunger?"
November 3, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Jeffries: "All Republicans care about it the opinion of one man -- the puppet master of the Republican Party, Donald J Trump. They don't care about anything else. How else can you explain the fact that they are weaponizing hunger?"
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
apparently we’re getting sidetracked worrying about the cognitive decline that comes from reliance on AI & the impossibility of real research when students have to wade through a sea of AI slop. What is the foundational work we are skipping over? Training teachers to shove AI down students’ throats
November 2, 2025 at 1:35 PM
apparently we’re getting sidetracked worrying about the cognitive decline that comes from reliance on AI & the impossibility of real research when students have to wade through a sea of AI slop. What is the foundational work we are skipping over? Training teachers to shove AI down students’ throats
I recommend noticing the real and lovely bits of the world around you. I got to hear a black Phoebe, Bewick’s wren, Anna’s hummingbird, yellow-rumped warbler, and lesser goldfinch tuning up this morning. All from my desk while reading about THz spectroscopy and noticing the light come up. Not bad.
November 1, 2025 at 2:16 PM
I recommend noticing the real and lovely bits of the world around you. I got to hear a black Phoebe, Bewick’s wren, Anna’s hummingbird, yellow-rumped warbler, and lesser goldfinch tuning up this morning. All from my desk while reading about THz spectroscopy and noticing the light come up. Not bad.
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
the base salary for members of the house is $174k, which they are still getting during the shutdown. the speaker gets $223k. these are the same people trying to shame others for eating without working.
Speaker Johnson officially announces another week off for the House. That means 20 work days in 18 weeks since July 4. The House is currently scheduled to be out the week of Nov. 10. It's not clear if that will change.
October 31, 2025 at 5:39 PM
the base salary for members of the house is $174k, which they are still getting during the shutdown. the speaker gets $223k. these are the same people trying to shame others for eating without working.
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
La Brea @tarpits.org in LA! This is my happy place, the fossils are stunning and gorgeously displayed, the models and animatronics are delightful, and it viscerally links the ancient past and the present—when you visit you can literally SMELL THE TAR (and even get stuck in it if you're not careful)
October 20, 2025 at 4:30 PM
La Brea @tarpits.org in LA! This is my happy place, the fossils are stunning and gorgeously displayed, the models and animatronics are delightful, and it viscerally links the ancient past and the present—when you visit you can literally SMELL THE TAR (and even get stuck in it if you're not careful)
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
Calling all Homeschool Teachers and Students! Thursday, October 30, join us at the #TarPits for our fall Homeschool Day, “Terrific Taphonomy!”, and learn how organisms become fossilized or preserved! Learn more and RSVP today: go.nhm.org/lbtp-hsd-1030
October 22, 2025 at 9:59 PM
Calling all Homeschool Teachers and Students! Thursday, October 30, join us at the #TarPits for our fall Homeschool Day, “Terrific Taphonomy!”, and learn how organisms become fossilized or preserved! Learn more and RSVP today: go.nhm.org/lbtp-hsd-1030
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
People who got the 2024-2025 Covid booster had a 44% lower symptomatic infection rate and more than a 50% lower rate of death and hospitalization than those who did not receive the booster, and did not experience a higher rate of adverse outcomes. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Evidence, Opinion, and Uncertainty About COVID-19 Vaccines
This issue of JAMA Internal Medicine includes a Research Letter by Du and colleagues1 reporting findings that once again demonstrate that vaccination with a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine booster with an updated ...
jamanetwork.com
October 27, 2025 at 6:20 PM
People who got the 2024-2025 Covid booster had a 44% lower symptomatic infection rate and more than a 50% lower rate of death and hospitalization than those who did not receive the booster, and did not experience a higher rate of adverse outcomes. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
Could we just see the night sky, please?
October 27, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Could we just see the night sky, please?
Reposted by Dana Cairns Watson
“Walmart was the top employer of SNAP recipients in five states and one of the top four employers in the remaining four states. McDonald’s was among the top five employers of Medicaid enrollees in five of six states and SNAP recipients in eight of nine states.”
www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/w...
www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/w...
Whenever people complain about the number of folks relying on food stamps, it is worth reminding them that SNAP is, by too large of a degree, a subsidy for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage and their political allies who reject public policy prescriptions to reduce income inequality.
October 27, 2025 at 2:10 AM
“Walmart was the top employer of SNAP recipients in five states and one of the top four employers in the remaining four states. McDonald’s was among the top five employers of Medicaid enrollees in five of six states and SNAP recipients in eight of nine states.”
www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/w...
www.cnbc.com/2020/11/19/w...