Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Slight clarification to my last post:
It's more accurate to say that text is appearing in Google searches that neither I nor the cosplayers pictured wrote. It's mediocre and sounds as if an LLM was involved.

Whether it's generated by Google or Instagram is unclear. But it's problematic either way.

December 7, 2025 at 4:16 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Saw this on my feed and remembered this post lol

www.instagram.com/p/DLiedBfzzTg/

A screenshot from the instagram account of shan_4rt with an image of a Rumi from KPOP Demon Hunters in a 'mecha' style. The description reads, "2,172 likes | shan_4rt | Demon Hunters is cool and all but I can't help but notice the lack of transforming robots in the movie. That's when I come in and do my thing.

#kpopdemonhuntersrumi #kpopdemonhuntersnetflix #rumi #kpopdemonhuntersfanart #transformers #transformersart #transformerscrossovers #fanart #drawing #art #characterdesign"

July 1, 2025 at 11:21 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Cosplay previews from WA Summer Con Day 1:

Francois from Dr. Stone (@tunguskaevent.bsky.social)
Daisuke from Mouthwashing
Sniper from Team Fortress 2

A layout of 3 tightly cropped photos in a vertical column. From top to bottom: a cosplay photo of Francois with their hand over their chest in a bowing stance, Daisuke with his fist up in the air, and Sniper.with hands together like a gun.

June 24, 2025 at 10:24 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Both WA Senators Murray and Cantwell are 'AI'-accelerationists.

They may say they support labor, but generative 'AI' is inherently an anti-labor technology.

'AI' accelerationism transcends party. Contacting your Senators makes a difference because they are not warning people enough about 'AI'.

A screenshot of a tweet from Senator Patty Murray on Aug 18, 2023 that reads, "I had a great visit with AI experts at @UW to learn more about how the federal funding I secured is helping the school continue to lead on AI and ensure Washington state stays at the forefront of innovation, research, and scientific achievement."

A screenshot of a tweet from Senator Maria Cantwell on Oct 30, 2023 that reads, "I applaud President Biden for his swift response to the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence."

June 7, 2025 at 4:18 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

"And we would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those MEDDLING @404media.co REPORTERS!!"

A meme of a Scooby Doo villain being unmasked by Fred. The text reads, "And we would've gotten away with it if it weren't for those 'activist reporters'!"

June 6, 2025 at 5:17 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

6 cameras by Medina Park (Bellevue, WA)
1 camera by Lowe's (Seattle, WA - Atlantic)
1 camera near Discovery Park (Seatte, WA)
4 cameras in Newcastle, WA

A screenshot of a map showing 6 cameras near the intersection of Northeast 12th Street and 84th Avenue Northeast near Medina Park.

A screenshot of a map showing a camera on Rainier Avenue South near Lowe's

A screenshot of a map showing a camera by 40th Avenue West and West Commodore Way.

A screenshot of a map showing 4 cameras by the intersection of Newcastle Way and Coal Creek Parkway Southeast.

February 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

NPR made a graphic to illustrate how exaggerated the DOGE claims were:

A graphic of nested rectangles comparing the size of each claim: 1) DOGE claim of estimated overall savings $55 billion, 2) Savings initially claimed from a subset of terminated contracts $16.5 billion, 3) Savings after fixing a data entry error $8.5 billion, 4) Savings from contracts that haven't been terminated yet $6.5 billion, 5) Estimated savings from contracts NPR confirmed as cancelled $2 billion.

February 20, 2025 at 5:44 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Seattle Children's Hospital released a statement about why it canceled gender-affirming care for at least 3 teens, and it's as disappointing as you'd expect.

Translation: "Seattle Children's Hospital is obeying an illegal Executive Order in advance."

Article: www.fox13seattle.com/news/protest...

A screenshot from the linked article that reads, "FOX 13 reached out to the hospital and they sent us this statement:

"Seattle Children’s is supporting the Washington State Attorney General’s Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in response to President Trump’s January 28th Executive Order directing federal agencies to revoke funding for institutions providing gender-affirming care (GAC) to minors.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the orders legal authority, we are seeking clarity to safeguard the best interests of Seattle Children’s patients and families, and our workforce, so we can continue to deliver on our mission. We remain committed to caring for our patients and families who need us and engaging in life changing research, while ensuring we operate within all applicable laws.""

February 12, 2025 at 6:25 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Why is Microsoft, which has struggled to gain much usage in schools, not immediately jumping on this moment to offer themselves as a better alternative to Google??

A screenshot from CBS news from Feb 10 with the headline "Google Calendar no longer includes start of Black History Month, Pride Month"

February 11, 2025 at 6:31 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

@support.bsky.team Bug Report: my Discover feed is stuck in a refresh loop where it tries to surface new posts about the S*per B*wl, but I've muted related words because my feed was full of it.

Q: Can you omit the muted words/phrases *during* the query instead of after they're retrieved?

A screenshot of the Discover feed on Bluesky that is empty. The feed shows a message that reads, "This feed is empty! You may need to follow more users or tune your language settings." Below that is a button to "Find accounts to follow."

February 11, 2025 at 6:17 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

I'm telling the world right now that I am willing to pay for an ad-free, privacy-first search engine AND I will pay it more than the Kagi subs if they simply DON'T DO 'AI'.

I am not alone in wanting that.

That would've been Kagi if they weren't deluded in thinking an LLM's answers can be trusted.

A screenshot from the Kagi website that lists its AI features, "All top LLMs, one home
Best AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google - included in one $25/mo subscription with our Ultimate plan.

Powered by superior search
While other AI guess, we know. Every response is grounded in Kagi's premium search technology, delivering answers you can trust.

Designed to enhance, not replace
This isn't just another chatbot. It's a sophisticated tool that amplifies your capabilities, working alongside you to deliver better results, faster."

January 25, 2025 at 8:16 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

This is NOT organic. Instagram is suggesting that I follow two accounts that neither I nor my mutuals would ever be interested in.

Meta *specifically* limits what they deem as 'political' content, and I've never mentioned vp or flotus in my posts/stories.

A screenshot from Instagram of the list of suggested accounts to follow including Vice President JD Vance and the First Lady Melania Trump.

January 22, 2025 at 8:09 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

The top most-viewed bill on the Congress website is one that passed the House attempting to ban TikTok.

There were SO MANY bills like it, but the TikTok ban ultimately made its way as a rider on H.R.815 which became law.

A screenshot of the congress.gov website showing H.R. 7521 as the top most-viewed bills. The text reads, "Most-Viewed Bills | Top 10
H.R.7521 [118th] Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act
H.Res.7 [119th] Recognizing the importance of access to comprehensive, high-quality, life-affirming medical care for women of all ages.
H.R.28 [119th] Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025"

January 20, 2025 at 2:57 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

As an admin, you can either turn ON the smart features for Gmail, Chat, and Meet OR you can turn ON the smart features for other Google Products.

YOU CANNOT JUST SET THE DEFAULT TO OFF WTF TECH INDUSTRY WTF

January 18, 2025 at 4:18 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

I turned OFF the Gemini app AND I disabled making requests for the Gemini app in my org (it's literally just me).

The Gemini app is still in my Gmail. They're fucking cockroaches who refuse to let this useless tech die.

A screenshot from the Google Workspace admin page showing that the Status of the Gemini app is OFF for everyone.

January 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Gemini 'AI' is turned ON by default in your Google Workspace.

Depending on your licensing, chats by people in your org could be reviewed by a human. And instead of just keeping the feature OFF by default, Google suggests telling your workers not to enter any confidential or sensitive information.

A screenshot of a doc about Google Gemini for Google Workspace that reads, "As an additional Google Service
Users without a qualifying Google Workspace edition or Gemini for Google Workspace license are subject to the Google Terms of Service and the Gemini Apps Privacy Notice when they use the Gemini app. Their chats may be reviewed by human reviewers and used to improve Google’s products, services, and machine-learning technologies. Tell these users to avoid entering confidential or sensitive information when using the Gemini app."

January 16, 2025 at 6:52 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Don't you dare turn your eyes away from history, even the awful, scary parts. If you don't watch it with your own eyes, you rely on others to tell you what you saw. We must all bear witness to what's coming

A screenshot from the video game Mouthwashing. Swansea says "Back in my day we didn't have to go through a dog and pony show for every little thing." Beside him is Daisuke standing stuck in white foam.

January 15, 2025 at 6:27 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

2024 Recap - May, Anime Impulse
Big Boss from the Metal Gear series
Cosplayer: @darksundew.bsky.social

A photo of darksundew as Big Boss from the Metal Gear series. He is holding a prop gun in his right hand and is looking up to his right. The image is shot from a low angle towards him and in the background behind him is warm sunlight coming through a high glass window at around sunset.

January 5, 2025 at 12:46 AM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

April - Sakura-Con
Plain Doll from Bloodborne
@/spookachu.x_x (IG)

A photo of Spookachu as Plain Doll from Bloodborne. She has her head tilted looking down to her left and she's holding an old lantern with a candle inside. Behind her is a dark scene with some smoke. The image is color graded dark blue and green in the shadows for effect.

January 1, 2025 at 10:44 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

March - Emerald City Comic Con
Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service
@/cupcake.waffles (IG)

A photo of Anna in cosplay as Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. She is holding out the corners of her dress and is standing on a wooden staircase at the Seattle Convention Center Summit building. In the background the staircase continues going up.

December 31, 2024 at 7:23 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

February - Fan Expo Vancouver
Makima from Chainsawman
@mythfey.bsky.social

A photo of Myth as Makima from Chainsawman. She is standing tall with her left hand on her hip and looking down at the camera. In the background are tall city buildings.

A photo of Myth as Makima from Chainsawman. This time she is in front of a bunch of orange bokeh at night. Her right hand holds a chain leash and her left hand is brushing her left bangs out. She is looking down towards the leash.

A photo of Myth as Makima from Chainsawman. This time she is leaning against the hand bars of a staircase at night which has a red glow. She is looking off into the distance off-camera.

December 31, 2024 at 7:18 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

Ok, I'll finally do my cosplay photography roundup for 2024 😅

January - Animé Los Angeles
Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
@/jordanjcosplay (IG)

Check out the roundup from @sarscosplay.bsky.social below!

A photo of Jordan in cosplay as Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. She has a menacing look on her face and is wielding a staff pointed towards the camera for effect. In the background is the night sky and the Long Beach Convention Center building which has an orange glow on its semicircle top.

December 31, 2024 at 7:08 PM

mrdang 🍥

@mrdang.photos

I thought Defender was a Windows feature, but it's exclusively included in the Microsoft 365 plan now and offers a VPN.

Your regular reminder that VPNs may not necessarily make you 'safer'. Ex: Do you trust Microsoft not to sell you out for looking up abortion or gender affirming care?