@smellystudent.bsky.social
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Grew up as rurally as it possible to be in Kent and the local Hunt was nearly universally despised as townies cosplaying on an idea of countryside that belonged to the 18th century. Ban hunting with horses instead and make the fuckers keep up with the hounds on foot.
Labour ‘alienating rural people’ with plan to ban trail hunting, says Countryside Alliance
Labour ‘alienating rural people’ with plan to ban trail hunting, says Countryside Alliance
Poll released by group as people gather for traditional Boxing Day hunts finds 76% of voters believe Labour prioritises urban issues over rural ones
Keir Starmer’s government has been told it has “alienated rural people” as traditional Boxing Day hunts gathered across the UK ahead of plans to ban trail hunting.
The warning came from the Countryside Alliance pressure group, which released a poll suggesting 65% of voters think the Labour administration unfairly neglects country communities. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Grew up as rurally as it possible to be in Kent and the local Hunt was nearly universally despised as townies cosplaying on an idea of countryside that belonged to the 18th century. Ban hunting with horses instead and make the fuckers keep up with the hounds on foot.
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We need to start talking about the radicalisation of the older generation by the internet: perhaps we should have upper age limits on social media like Facebook, or an age-related ban on owning mobile phones.
"Foreign-born doctors and nurses were being put off by antagonism by politicians towards migrants, media coverage of immigration, the racist abuse of international medical graduates by NHS colleagues and racist aggression by patients toward minority ethnic NHS staff, she said."
Foreign medics shunning NHS because of anti-migrant rhetoric, says top doctor
Exclusive: UK now an ‘unwelcoming, racist’ country for overseas health workers, according to medical colleges leader
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 8:22 PM
We need to start talking about the radicalisation of the older generation by the internet: perhaps we should have upper age limits on social media like Facebook, or an age-related ban on owning mobile phones.
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Imagine watching Sinatra, son of Dolly & Antonini born in Genoa & Sicily, respectively, and Martin, son of Gaetano & Angela, born in Montesilvano, Italy & Ohio respectively, (Angela to parents born in Monasterolo, Italy), and crusading against the value of children of immigrants to the U.S.
December 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Imagine watching Sinatra, son of Dolly & Antonini born in Genoa & Sicily, respectively, and Martin, son of Gaetano & Angela, born in Montesilvano, Italy & Ohio respectively, (Angela to parents born in Monasterolo, Italy), and crusading against the value of children of immigrants to the U.S.
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The AI the tech Bros thought they were making vs the AI they actually made
December 26, 2025 at 9:34 AM
The AI the tech Bros thought they were making vs the AI they actually made
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The comments on this are all about how sweet it is and I feel insane. Using AI to make fake memories of your grandma with dementia and telling her they happened and then filming her reaction
December 26, 2025 at 3:23 AM
The comments on this are all about how sweet it is and I feel insane. Using AI to make fake memories of your grandma with dementia and telling her they happened and then filming her reaction
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look at how little effort it takes for someone on the conservative grievance circuit to destroy a life
millions of college kids have half assed an assignment at the last minute, you eat the F and move on
but the effort to push trans people out of public life will use whatever it can get
millions of college kids have half assed an assignment at the last minute, you eat the F and move on
but the effort to push trans people out of public life will use whatever it can get
Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.
December 23, 2025 at 5:53 PM
look at how little effort it takes for someone on the conservative grievance circuit to destroy a life
millions of college kids have half assed an assignment at the last minute, you eat the F and move on
but the effort to push trans people out of public life will use whatever it can get
millions of college kids have half assed an assignment at the last minute, you eat the F and move on
but the effort to push trans people out of public life will use whatever it can get
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wait I’m sorry I just learned that the Oklahoma professor who was fired because the student wrote a shitty paper in twenty minutes
that professor is also trans
why I am just now learning this for the first time. I feel like this is a key detail
that professor is also trans
why I am just now learning this for the first time. I feel like this is a key detail
December 25, 2025 at 8:28 PM
wait I’m sorry I just learned that the Oklahoma professor who was fired because the student wrote a shitty paper in twenty minutes
that professor is also trans
why I am just now learning this for the first time. I feel like this is a key detail
that professor is also trans
why I am just now learning this for the first time. I feel like this is a key detail
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The government failed at actually redacting the Epstein files because DOGE cancelled the feds adobe acrobat premium subscription is the funniest shit.
December 24, 2025 at 8:28 PM
The government failed at actually redacting the Epstein files because DOGE cancelled the feds adobe acrobat premium subscription is the funniest shit.
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President Free Speech has struck again!
Trump wants to cancel TV licenses because he doesn't like what late night TV hosts are saying about him.
What happened to "stop cancel culture" and buck up "snowflakes?" And what happened to the First Amendment?
What happened to "stop cancel culture" and buck up "snowflakes?" And what happened to the First Amendment?
December 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM
President Free Speech has struck again!
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Anti-trans demagogue and fifth place swimmer Riley Gaines earned $470,000+ last year from a conservative non-profit.
Notably, $420k was incentive-based.
A neat little window into the way the transphobic grift is being compensated.
I wonder what the per-post rate is?
Notably, $420k was incentive-based.
A neat little window into the way the transphobic grift is being compensated.
I wonder what the per-post rate is?
December 24, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Anti-trans demagogue and fifth place swimmer Riley Gaines earned $470,000+ last year from a conservative non-profit.
Notably, $420k was incentive-based.
A neat little window into the way the transphobic grift is being compensated.
I wonder what the per-post rate is?
Notably, $420k was incentive-based.
A neat little window into the way the transphobic grift is being compensated.
I wonder what the per-post rate is?
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No one says to legit business owners, "hey I see there's an underground market selling toxic knock-offs of your product: how will you incorporate the toxic product AND protect your customers against its harms?" But apparently it's fine to make this suggestion to educators with respect to AI.
December 24, 2025 at 7:56 PM
No one says to legit business owners, "hey I see there's an underground market selling toxic knock-offs of your product: how will you incorporate the toxic product AND protect your customers against its harms?" But apparently it's fine to make this suggestion to educators with respect to AI.
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If you actually read the student's essay, it doesn't cite any verses from the Bible, or attempt any explication of where Biblical views of gender might derive from. It just asserts "this is the Biblical worldview" without any evidence. That's not just bad psychology; it's bad religion scholarship.
December 24, 2025 at 6:12 PM
If you actually read the student's essay, it doesn't cite any verses from the Bible, or attempt any explication of where Biblical views of gender might derive from. It just asserts "this is the Biblical worldview" without any evidence. That's not just bad psychology; it's bad religion scholarship.
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He turned right in anticipation of all this shit coming out so he could play victim and whine about cancel culture and find himself among allies, friends, and apologists.
Mission accomplished.
Mission accomplished.
Just want to point out that this man was leading the whole Turning Point USA crowd in prayer last week.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...
Russell Brand charged with further counts of rape and sexual assault
The alleged offences took place in 2009, the Crown Protection Service said
www.independent.co.uk
December 23, 2025 at 9:32 PM
He turned right in anticipation of all this shit coming out so he could play victim and whine about cancel culture and find himself among allies, friends, and apologists.
Mission accomplished.
Mission accomplished.
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direct api use of llms in tailored use cases — aka NOT CHATBOTS — have some uses
but the chatbots are *intentionally* designed in such a way to break human brains
all the sycophancy, the more "random" answers designed to "sound more human" etc are *choices* they added to the chatbot interface
but the chatbots are *intentionally* designed in such a way to break human brains
all the sycophancy, the more "random" answers designed to "sound more human" etc are *choices* they added to the chatbot interface
people are not built for having an evil genie whispering in their ear about how amazing and perfect they are and confirming every bias they ever had, to say nothing of the constant vigilance for lies and misinformation
basically if you do not have an extremely resilient sense of self/theory of mind and a strong willingness to repeatedly impose behavioral rules on the agent, extended interaction with the free tier of chatgpt is designed to make you psychotic. its psycho-affectively akin to licking a car battery
December 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
direct api use of llms in tailored use cases — aka NOT CHATBOTS — have some uses
but the chatbots are *intentionally* designed in such a way to break human brains
all the sycophancy, the more "random" answers designed to "sound more human" etc are *choices* they added to the chatbot interface
but the chatbots are *intentionally* designed in such a way to break human brains
all the sycophancy, the more "random" answers designed to "sound more human" etc are *choices* they added to the chatbot interface
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people are not built for having an evil genie whispering in their ear about how amazing and perfect they are and confirming every bias they ever had, to say nothing of the constant vigilance for lies and misinformation
basically if you do not have an extremely resilient sense of self/theory of mind and a strong willingness to repeatedly impose behavioral rules on the agent, extended interaction with the free tier of chatgpt is designed to make you psychotic. its psycho-affectively akin to licking a car battery
June 15, 2025 at 10:53 PM
people are not built for having an evil genie whispering in their ear about how amazing and perfect they are and confirming every bias they ever had, to say nothing of the constant vigilance for lies and misinformation
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please let “bugs bunnying” become the slang for manipulating an LLM into ignoring its guardrails, i have never seen a more succinct and evocative term for it
Highly amused by the stories of companies using agentic AI chatbots to run their internal company stores, only for their employees to immediately Bugs Bunny the chatbot into giving them free stuff www.aiweirdness.com/when-a-chatb...
When a chatbot runs your store
You may have heard of "agentic AI", which is basically the idea that you can hook up a large language model to controls that do real things. The controls might run internet searches, run commands to o...
www.aiweirdness.com
December 21, 2025 at 4:20 PM
please let “bugs bunnying” become the slang for manipulating an LLM into ignoring its guardrails, i have never seen a more succinct and evocative term for it
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None of the things they claim are "AI" are intelligence, artificial or otherwise. They're all programmed actions, algorithms, aggregation of real information, theft, etc. Things like LLM's are not "intelligent". There's no independent thought or thought.
December 21, 2025 at 7:46 PM
None of the things they claim are "AI" are intelligence, artificial or otherwise. They're all programmed actions, algorithms, aggregation of real information, theft, etc. Things like LLM's are not "intelligent". There's no independent thought or thought.
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I've said it before but there is no such thing as "AI". It's a deliberate misnomer that functions as propaganda for "the brain is just a computer" arm of tech. And there's a whole fucked up ouroboros of dehumanization/misogyny/racism involved in that sphere.
December 21, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I've said it before but there is no such thing as "AI". It's a deliberate misnomer that functions as propaganda for "the brain is just a computer" arm of tech. And there's a whole fucked up ouroboros of dehumanization/misogyny/racism involved in that sphere.
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The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
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If you're not trans, I don't think I can fully explain how important this is.
It's so powerful that one of the most circulated science media publications in the world has come out and said "trans children are real and providing transition care improves their lives." That's groundbreaking.
It's so powerful that one of the most circulated science media publications in the world has come out and said "trans children are real and providing transition care improves their lives." That's groundbreaking.
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
And trans lives are grounded in reality.
We see y'all. No matter what.
www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:58 PM
If you're not trans, I don't think I can fully explain how important this is.
It's so powerful that one of the most circulated science media publications in the world has come out and said "trans children are real and providing transition care improves their lives." That's groundbreaking.
It's so powerful that one of the most circulated science media publications in the world has come out and said "trans children are real and providing transition care improves their lives." That's groundbreaking.
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Canceling the northern leg of HS2 was an act of insane self-harm
Industry insiders are concerned that fewer, shorter non-tilting trains are on order for HS2 — and that journey times will return to those of the 1990s
Why HS2 may lead to smaller, slower trains on west coast main line
Industry insiders are concerned that fewer, shorter non-tilting trains are on order for HS2 — and that journey times will return to those of the 1990s
www.thetimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Canceling the northern leg of HS2 was an act of insane self-harm
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My mom does this. She’s legally blind, and managing leading her and holding onto luggage and getting through a terminal and not losing things is too much for my dad to manage on his own. This is the only way they can get help, so that’s what they do.
Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines. on.wsj.com/3N6apva
They Get Wheeled on Flights and Miraculously Walk Off. Praise ‘Jetway Jesus.’
Travelers bemoan a rise of able-bodied passengers who game the system to skip the lines.
on.wsj.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:31 AM
My mom does this. She’s legally blind, and managing leading her and holding onto luggage and getting through a terminal and not losing things is too much for my dad to manage on his own. This is the only way they can get help, so that’s what they do.
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It is trivial to do translation badly, so people don't realise how difficult it is to do well.
It isn't about "this word means that word" but understanding cultural references & deeper meanings; to believe it can be automated is a failure of thinking caused by prioritising STEM over the Humanities.
It isn't about "this word means that word" but understanding cultural references & deeper meanings; to believe it can be automated is a failure of thinking caused by prioritising STEM over the Humanities.
People really do not appreciate the skill required to translate even passibly accurately let alone WELL and it's deeply annoying
French publishing house Harlequin decided to use AI translation instead of human translations.
All their freelance translators (some of whom had been working with Harlequin for +30y!!!) were told they would no longer receive work from Harlequin
All their freelance translators (some of whom had been working with Harlequin for +30y!!!) were told they would no longer receive work from Harlequin
December 18, 2025 at 9:21 PM
It is trivial to do translation badly, so people don't realise how difficult it is to do well.
It isn't about "this word means that word" but understanding cultural references & deeper meanings; to believe it can be automated is a failure of thinking caused by prioritising STEM over the Humanities.
It isn't about "this word means that word" but understanding cultural references & deeper meanings; to believe it can be automated is a failure of thinking caused by prioritising STEM over the Humanities.
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The way to restart the idea machine is PAY CREATIVES FOR THEIR WORK
America, you have spoken loud and clear: You do not like AI. But what if AI is the way to restart the world’s idea machine?
We’re running out of good ideas. AI might be how we find new ones.
What if the best use of AI is restarting the world’s idea machine?
www.vox.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:34 AM
The way to restart the idea machine is PAY CREATIVES FOR THEIR WORK