Sarah Florini
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florini.bsky.social
Sarah Florini
@florini.bsky.social
2.2K followers 1K following 500 posts
Associate Prof of Film and Media Studies at ASU. Studying technology, race, power, and ethics. Lover of general shenanigans. I refuse to call them “skeets.”
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florini.bsky.social
Meanwhile, my other cat is just sitting here like “Thank you for your patience. There is approximately one cat ahead of you for the lap. Your wait time is until I have to get up to pee.”
In the foreground is the belly of a cat who is laying on someone’s lap. Behind this, there is a gray cat with white on his chest. He is sitting on the arm of the sofa. He is in loaf position, looking at the person taking the picture.
October 18, 2025 at 9:13 PM
florini.bsky.social
I’ve been sick, and I have so much work to catch up on. But my cat is zonked out so hard on my lap, I don’t have the heart to move him.
A close up of the face of a gray tabby with a white muzzle. He is asleep with his mouth open. You can see his bottom teeth and a little bit of his tongue. He looks slightly disheveled.
October 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
florini.bsky.social
Behold the democratization! Nationwide promotion of Workday-owned products by the AI company that makes them and some tech investors.
The image is a screen capture from the article in the previous post. It reads: The furthest along is Sweden, where a homegrown champion is offering AI access to around a quarter of the population through a foundation established at a summit in Stockholm earlier this year by tech investors Olof Hernell and Nicklas Berild Lundblad, and tech founder Joel Hellermark. Sweden’s AI Reform initiative is co-funded by Sana Labs, Hellermark’s AI unicorn, recently purchased by HR software company Workday for a reported $1.1 billion. The company has matched 12 million Swedish krone ($1.3 million) of private donations to fund access to Sana’s AI agent and chatbot for public sector workers, teachers, students, non-profits and research institutions in Sweden.
October 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM
florini.bsky.social
The purging of the Turkish universities happened concurrently with the expulsion of civil servants.
The state of emergency lasted for two years—from July 21, 2016 to July 19, 2018. During this period nearly 150,000 civil servants were expelled through emergency decrees without any juridical oversight. The largest share of this enormous purge took place in the educational field: 41,705 employees (30 percent of total expulsions) were expelled from educational institutions.[9] 6,081 academics and 1,427 administrative staff from 122 universities including 300 graduate students studying abroad with state scholarships were also dismissed.[10] 15 private universities were shut down. 2,808 academics working in these universities lost their jobs and 64,533 students were transferred to other universities. Even though the majority of expulsions were of civil servants accused of association with the Gülen organization, many Academics for Peace, civil servants associated with the Kurdish movement, trade unionists and leftist activists were also added to the expulsion lists. A total of 407 Academics for Peace signatories were dismissed from their positions by the emergency decrees, bringing the total number who lost their jobs to 519. The dismissal of so many academics during the state of emergency was a chaotic and arbitrary process without any judicial oversight. The “to be expelled” lists were prepared by the university administrations. The few universities where massive dismissals did not take place were the ones who did not submit any “to be expelled” lists to the YÖK. The majority of university rectors, however, submitted “to be expelled lists” with great eagerness in order to ingratiate themselves with the government.
September 13, 2025 at 2:24 AM
florini.bsky.social
But roadside America remains undefeated.
A picture of a row of vintage Cadillacs partially buried in the desert. The car stick up from the ground and are covered in spray paint graffiti. The bottom of a large faded vintage sign that says “Trading Post ROCKS wholesale” on a concrete pedestal. To the right there is a poorly fashioned green concrete dinosaur on its hind legs. A storefront with a sign that reads “Pecan Shed” and that has a drawing of a squirrel with an acorn. The front of a Buc-ee’s gas station.
August 2, 2025 at 1:07 AM
florini.bsky.social
We drove from AZ to FL last week. And it’s surprising how many gas stations have instructional signage about appropriate toilet paper disposal.
August 2, 2025 at 12:56 AM
florini.bsky.social
Gotta love these AZ street names. Really captures the charm of the old West.
Green street sign that reads BUCKET OF BLOOD RD. Green highway sig that reads Exit 259 Bloody Basin Rd 1/2 mile
July 22, 2025 at 3:53 AM
florini.bsky.social
Smoothie got a bow tie from the vet for being a perfect patient.
July 20, 2025 at 11:29 PM
florini.bsky.social
Prompt: How does generative AI harm the environment?
Summary: Generative AI harms the environment by consuming large amounts of energy (often fossil-fuel-based), requiring hardware that depends on environmentally damaging mining, creating e-waste, and indirectly boosting resource use through digital and consumer activity. That said, with advances in renewable energy, energy-efficient AI, and better hardware recycling, the industry is working to reduce these harms. Would you like to know how to minimize generative AI’s environmental impact?
May 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
florini.bsky.social
Prompt: How does rare mineral mining relate to generative AI?
Summary: Generative AI needs specialized, powerful hardware. That hardware depends on rare minerals mined under often environmentally and socially problematic conditions. Increased AI development leads to greater demand for these minerals, linking generative AI indirectly to the environmental and ethical issues around rare mineral mining. This is why efforts are growing to develop more energy- and resource-efficient hardware, promote recycling of rare minerals, and seek sustainable sourcing of materials. Want me to share how the tech industry is addressing these challenges?
May 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
florini.bsky.social
Prompt: What are the environmental dangers of generative AI?
Summary: The carbon footprint of generative AI is significant due to energy-intensive training and massive inference demand. Without conscious management, generative AI could contribute noticeably to global carbon emissions. But advances in efficiency, renewable energy, and smarter AI design are helping reduce this footprint. If you want, I can share more detailed numbers, or examples of efforts to green AI. Would that be useful?
May 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
florini.bsky.social
Prompt: Tell me about the environmental impact of AI.
Summary: AI has a double-edged environmental impact: it consumes significant resources and energy today but also offers powerful tools to fight environmental problems. Balancing these effects requires innovation, transparency, and conscious choices about how AI is developed and deployed. Would you like to explore specific AI projects that help the environment, or perhaps how to reduce the carbon footprint of AI usage?
May 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
florini.bsky.social
Prompt: Is generative AI going to accelerate climate change?
Bottom line: Yes, generative AI currently does increase energy use and emissions, which can accelerate climate change if not managed responsibly. But with conscious efforts around efficiency and clean energy, plus the positive climate applications of AI, its net impact could be balanced or even beneficial in the long run. Would you like me to share numbers or case studies on the energy footprint of generative AI?
May 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
florini.bsky.social
Prompt: What is the long term climate impact on AI?
Summary: Climate change poses risks to AI’s physical and operational ecosystem. AI development might be forced to become more sustainable and energy-efficient. AI can be a powerful tool to fight climate change but also risks worsening it if energy use isn’t managed responsibly. Do you want to dive deeper into any of these points? Or maybe explore how AI can specifically help in climate adaptation?
May 17, 2025 at 2:23 AM
florini.bsky.social
Look who was one of the winners of the #DouglassDay cake competition!
@drericaoneil.bsky.social
February 14, 2025 at 7:58 PM
florini.bsky.social
Stop what you are doing and look at this cake that @drericaoneil.bsky.social made for #DouglassDay2025 #DouglassDay
February 14, 2025 at 7:25 PM
florini.bsky.social
One thing I will always appreciate about TikTok is that people are going to get their jokes off.
January 20, 2025 at 3:05 AM
florini.bsky.social
This is upsetting. But, also, this is likely the world we are going into tomorrow. Trump has shown a willingness to respond to flattery and to punish his “enemies.” so public praise of Trump is likely to become a normative part of every company’s business strategy going forward
A pop-up on the TikTok app that says “thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! you can continue to create, share, and discover all of the things you love on TikTok.”
January 19, 2025 at 6:58 PM
florini.bsky.social
Please enjoy this video of my cat snoring and dreaming.
December 26, 2024 at 2:17 PM
florini.bsky.social
The energy Arizona is planning on producing just for data centers is gobsmacking.
December 24, 2024 at 10:26 PM
florini.bsky.social
Happy Caturday, to those who celebrate.
A gray cat with white on his paws curled up on his side and sleeping. A gray tabby with white around his mouth and nose, curled up on his side and looking at the camera.
December 7, 2024 at 10:43 PM
florini.bsky.social
Show me a picture on your phone that has your energy that isn’t a selfie.
A white cartoon cat on a black background hold a knife. The image says “I am small and sensitive. But also fight me.” A possum holding a cigarette in its hand and drinking from a styrofoam cup through a bendy straw. A ball python wearing a cute stuffed unicorn head as a hat sitting in a white room with a rainbow across the floor. A close up of the original Godzilla’s face. He looks like he might be smiling a bit. Above him, it says “Saying ‘my life stinks’ when things go wrong is self deprecating, defeatist, and fills you with sadness. Saying ‘this isn't the life Godzilla wants for me’ is motivating, makes you think about Godzilla, and reminds you that Godzilla cares about you.”
November 29, 2024 at 6:00 AM
florini.bsky.social
Also, this guy. They are taking turns on the lap.
A gray tabby cat sleeping on a quit on a person’s lap.
November 23, 2024 at 8:05 PM
florini.bsky.social
Same.
A close up of a gray cat with white patch on his chest sitting on a quilt on someone’s lap. His eyes are closed and he looks content.
November 23, 2024 at 4:38 PM
florini.bsky.social
I had the audacity to go to the bathroom alone.
November 16, 2024 at 7:47 AM