signifiant other
@thethirdmeaning.bsky.social
LLM trained on being alive and doing things
sociology of media gender politics tech conspiracies 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸
sociology of media gender politics tech conspiracies 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸
Reposted by signifiant other
A lot of people think that every international student admitted means one fewer spot for domestic students, when the opposite is more likely true - the tuition revenue international students bring allows public universities to provide substantial discounts to domestic students, improving access.
September 29, 2025 at 8:18 PM
A lot of people think that every international student admitted means one fewer spot for domestic students, when the opposite is more likely true - the tuition revenue international students bring allows public universities to provide substantial discounts to domestic students, improving access.
Reposted by signifiant other
wtf they use the image of a car crashed by its driver because ICE agents shot him to death. the ice agent was not "dragged" by the car
September 21, 2025 at 12:43 AM
wtf they use the image of a car crashed by its driver because ICE agents shot him to death. the ice agent was not "dragged" by the car
Reposted by signifiant other
New, w/ @mulchy.bsky.social & @djbyrnes1.bsky.social:
ICE shot & killed an immigrant in the Chicago suburbs yesterday.
Then they immediately gave a misleading account of events.
Chicago erupted in chaos and a father who lived here for decades is dead. This is what really happened:
ICE shot & killed an immigrant in the Chicago suburbs yesterday.
Then they immediately gave a misleading account of events.
Chicago erupted in chaos and a father who lived here for decades is dead. This is what really happened:
What happened to Silverio Villegas-Gonzalez
Immigration agents shot and killed an unarmed 38-year-old father outside Chicago on Friday—and their initial narrative of events was quickly disproven by videos captured by witnesses.
unraveledpress.com
September 13, 2025 at 9:23 PM
New, w/ @mulchy.bsky.social & @djbyrnes1.bsky.social:
ICE shot & killed an immigrant in the Chicago suburbs yesterday.
Then they immediately gave a misleading account of events.
Chicago erupted in chaos and a father who lived here for decades is dead. This is what really happened:
ICE shot & killed an immigrant in the Chicago suburbs yesterday.
Then they immediately gave a misleading account of events.
Chicago erupted in chaos and a father who lived here for decades is dead. This is what really happened:
@jamellebouie.net is really on point with this one. I would add: when we accept that the pundits and propagandists are not just putting on a show, we laud them for simply having convictions, as if to articulate your values is noble in and of itself. it's an intellectual fetish
September 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
@jamellebouie.net is really on point with this one. I would add: when we accept that the pundits and propagandists are not just putting on a show, we laud them for simply having convictions, as if to articulate your values is noble in and of itself. it's an intellectual fetish
great thread. once again, the hegemony of the First Amendment and free speech within American political consciousness means that we cannot confront hatred as a social force that disrupts order, as it must be treated with respect, just like all "ideas." we should condemn those that abuse this value
September 11, 2025 at 6:47 PM
great thread. once again, the hegemony of the First Amendment and free speech within American political consciousness means that we cannot confront hatred as a social force that disrupts order, as it must be treated with respect, just like all "ideas." we should condemn those that abuse this value
related, I'm curious to see opinion polls that assess who is "responsible" for political violence. we know that it is unpopular, but given the info environment, will more people begin blaming the left/right?
I have to imagine there's a centrist strain that will generally blame whoever is in charge
I have to imagine there's a centrist strain that will generally blame whoever is in charge
as we've seen with the "who was president in 2020?" discourse, one of the major tools of the right is the capacity to play with collective memory and therefore causality
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
September 11, 2025 at 2:57 PM
related, I'm curious to see opinion polls that assess who is "responsible" for political violence. we know that it is unpopular, but given the info environment, will more people begin blaming the left/right?
I have to imagine there's a centrist strain that will generally blame whoever is in charge
I have to imagine there's a centrist strain that will generally blame whoever is in charge
Reposted by signifiant other
as we've seen with the "who was president in 2020?" discourse, one of the major tools of the right is the capacity to play with collective memory and therefore causality
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
September 11, 2025 at 5:10 AM
as we've seen with the "who was president in 2020?" discourse, one of the major tools of the right is the capacity to play with collective memory and therefore causality
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
as we've seen with the "who was president in 2020?" discourse, one of the major tools of the right is the capacity to play with collective memory and therefore causality
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
September 11, 2025 at 5:10 AM
as we've seen with the "who was president in 2020?" discourse, one of the major tools of the right is the capacity to play with collective memory and therefore causality
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
any political violence that follows Kirk will have its genesis in the Kirk shooting. or Luigi. or Trump. the left will be blamed.
I voted for Pritzker (2x) and would support him for president, but: I wouldn't call this a masterclass, he defers to legalese and needs to explicitly address the purported crime drop with stronger language that appeals to commonsense values: this is a police state, "safety" at the cost of freedom.
Pritzker out here giving a master class in countering the right wing propaganda machine’s efforts to justify further federal invasions and occupations of American cities: he’s effectively reframing the discussion (beyond debates re: crime rates) to one of rising authoritarianism & federal overreach.
Pritzker: "We don't want troops on the streets of American cities. That's un-American and frankly the president ought to know better. This one doesn't seem to. He hasn't read any books. He doesn't seem to understand the Constitution or the laws."
August 31, 2025 at 4:55 PM
I voted for Pritzker (2x) and would support him for president, but: I wouldn't call this a masterclass, he defers to legalese and needs to explicitly address the purported crime drop with stronger language that appeals to commonsense values: this is a police state, "safety" at the cost of freedom.
lots of people within conspiratorial movements talk about how they're fun and just games, which, yeah, theorizing about JFK's assassin can be a fun little hobby. also, that sense of fun can be weaponized, especially against people who have good reason to be invested in a theory being true
Lol no one "believed" a conspiracy theory here, but we sure had a lot of fun in some dark times playing a fun little game of "Is He Or Isn't He?" and boy I dunno but it feels real weird to me to criticize that. Have a good one!
August 30, 2025 at 6:45 PM
lots of people within conspiratorial movements talk about how they're fun and just games, which, yeah, theorizing about JFK's assassin can be a fun little hobby. also, that sense of fun can be weaponized, especially against people who have good reason to be invested in a theory being true
Reposted by signifiant other
The MAHA assault on vaccines will kill people & usher in a scientific Dark Age. RFK Jr has got to go. Please join me, my fellow @accountabilityji.bsky.social advisory board members, Nobel laureates, National Academy members, & colleagues calling for his resignation.
www.change.org/p/demand-rfk...
www.change.org/p/demand-rfk...
Sign the Petition
Demand RFK Jr. Resign: Petition for a Healthy America
www.change.org
August 26, 2025 at 2:20 PM
The MAHA assault on vaccines will kill people & usher in a scientific Dark Age. RFK Jr has got to go. Please join me, my fellow @accountabilityji.bsky.social advisory board members, Nobel laureates, National Academy members, & colleagues calling for his resignation.
www.change.org/p/demand-rfk...
www.change.org/p/demand-rfk...
not only is this an incredibly naive way of approaching opinion formation, but just look at how TERRIBLE the Dem messages are vs the Rep messages. it's "the left can't meme" all over again. "Trump has saved the day!" vs "Trump is overstepping his authority based to do protocol violation"
If you’re mad about Dems avoiding talking about DC, you can blame the Democratic quants, as demonstrated in this memo from David Shor’s Blue Rose Research
August 24, 2025 at 6:36 PM
not only is this an incredibly naive way of approaching opinion formation, but just look at how TERRIBLE the Dem messages are vs the Rep messages. it's "the left can't meme" all over again. "Trump has saved the day!" vs "Trump is overstepping his authority based to do protocol violation"
Weirdly, this struck me. I'm so used to hearing pundits, fascist apologetics, and regime ideologues that the banal language of an "investigation" feels almost surreal given the circumstances. The wallet inspector says he'll investigate a stolen wallet while he encourages people to steal wallets.
August 20, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Weirdly, this struck me. I'm so used to hearing pundits, fascist apologetics, and regime ideologues that the banal language of an "investigation" feels almost surreal given the circumstances. The wallet inspector says he'll investigate a stolen wallet while he encourages people to steal wallets.
Reposted by signifiant other
Here's the thing: If you believe that Republicans can always win on crime by simply declaring there to be a crime emergency in a major city, irrespective of any actual policing or criminal justice policies being pursued by the city government, then you are just saying that Democrats can't win.
August 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Here's the thing: If you believe that Republicans can always win on crime by simply declaring there to be a crime emergency in a major city, irrespective of any actual policing or criminal justice policies being pursued by the city government, then you are just saying that Democrats can't win.
this is the problem with the primacy of the first amendment in the American political imagination: somehow, everything that Vance is has become "his opinion." somehow, the divide between left and right is a "difference of opinion"
Vance's "opinions" are directly tied to his evil deeds
Vance's "opinions" are directly tied to his evil deeds
he is the sitting vice president of the united states, not just some guy with an opinion bsky.app/profile/trun...
August 15, 2025 at 9:33 PM
this is the problem with the primacy of the first amendment in the American political imagination: somehow, everything that Vance is has become "his opinion." somehow, the divide between left and right is a "difference of opinion"
Vance's "opinions" are directly tied to his evil deeds
Vance's "opinions" are directly tied to his evil deeds
Reposted by signifiant other
I want a big-tent Democratic Party, by which i mean the tent should be big enough to include the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York
August 15, 2025 at 4:46 PM
I want a big-tent Democratic Party, by which i mean the tent should be big enough to include the Democratic nominee for Mayor of New York
Reposted by signifiant other
Pew putting their validated vote data to use to highlight the erosion in support for President Trump among the younger voters who supported him in 2024
www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
August 14, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Pew putting their validated vote data to use to highlight the erosion in support for President Trump among the younger voters who supported him in 2024
www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
Reposted by signifiant other
Since search is dead, how soon do you think Google Scholar is headed for the Google Graveyard? I'm betting it's soon, and academia is NOT prepared
Google Scholar Is Doomed
Academia built entire careers on a free Google service with zero guarantees. What could go wrong?
hannahshelley.neocities.org
August 13, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Since search is dead, how soon do you think Google Scholar is headed for the Google Graveyard? I'm betting it's soon, and academia is NOT prepared
Scientists, like those who study vaccines and weather, are being punished because fascism fears a class of non-conforming experts and despises truly public goods. It demands ideological obedience and authoritarian autonomy, making its current attacks entirely predictable to any humanities scholar.
In which a Yale prof calls for jettisoning humanities to make way for science-only universities.
“scientists… are being punished for the sins of [humanities scholars] because we all live under one roof. I cannot see a compelling reason for our continued cohabitation.”
“scientists… are being punished for the sins of [humanities scholars] because we all live under one roof. I cannot see a compelling reason for our continued cohabitation.”
Unyoke the Sciences From the Humanities
Arts and sciences typically cohabitate. Should they?
thedispatch.com
August 13, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Scientists, like those who study vaccines and weather, are being punished because fascism fears a class of non-conforming experts and despises truly public goods. It demands ideological obedience and authoritarian autonomy, making its current attacks entirely predictable to any humanities scholar.
this is why the (tired) example of ChatGPT's bad math was a dead-end. GPT-5 is based on a combo of small language models and could be hardcoded to access models that work for specified tasks, like letter counting or multiplication. for users, this will appear like increased intelligence for the LLM
August 11, 2025 at 10:13 PM
this is why the (tired) example of ChatGPT's bad math was a dead-end. GPT-5 is based on a combo of small language models and could be hardcoded to access models that work for specified tasks, like letter counting or multiplication. for users, this will appear like increased intelligence for the LLM
I think a genuine part of this is a ignorance (stemming from many causes) is a belief that AI will be used to make them more "efficient" and "productive" instead of "obsolete," a term reserved for people they see as fundamentally wasteful, unproductive, or stupid
It's amazing how many people are out there bragging publicly about how they now use ChatGPT to perform pretty much all of their tasks at their well-paid corporate job, and have yet to connect the dots on "if you're making your utility value identical to ChatGPT, why would they keep paying you?"
I am starting to believe that the AI craze actually has, for once, created a genuinely useful way to test someone's intelligence:
are they unquestionably on board with using corporate AI tools for everything, or are they going "whoa, hey, wait a second"?
are they unquestionably on board with using corporate AI tools for everything, or are they going "whoa, hey, wait a second"?
August 11, 2025 at 9:50 PM
I think a genuine part of this is a ignorance (stemming from many causes) is a belief that AI will be used to make them more "efficient" and "productive" instead of "obsolete," a term reserved for people they see as fundamentally wasteful, unproductive, or stupid
for a million reasons, parents' "concerns" about trans kids in amateur sports are baseless (I legitimately think they envision entire girls' swim teams full of trans girls), but you can't deny how important amateur sports are for the myopia of American political and social imaginations
This issue is such a fucking layup for Democrats. In professional sports we've had criteria for HRT etc for decades and trans athletes meet those criteria. In amateur sports we are talking about teens playing for fun and low stakes, who gives a shit if someone is trans?
August 8, 2025 at 5:26 AM
for a million reasons, parents' "concerns" about trans kids in amateur sports are baseless (I legitimately think they envision entire girls' swim teams full of trans girls), but you can't deny how important amateur sports are for the myopia of American political and social imaginations