TheVargo
@thevargo.bsky.social
writer, English professor, biker, skier
Reposted by TheVargo
EVERY problem plaguing education is ultimately one of class size and teacher compensation There is no learning problem human teachers can't solve if they are given enough time and resources. That's the definition of "teaching" as a human behavior!
November 29, 2025 at 2:48 PM
EVERY problem plaguing education is ultimately one of class size and teacher compensation There is no learning problem human teachers can't solve if they are given enough time and resources. That's the definition of "teaching" as a human behavior!
Reposted by TheVargo
There are those of us who have been saying that the best preparation for "prompt engineering" is likely to learn how to read, write, and think and, well, here you go.
Quite an opening.
November 20, 2025 at 8:36 PM
There are those of us who have been saying that the best preparation for "prompt engineering" is likely to learn how to read, write, and think and, well, here you go.
Reposted by TheVargo
Health misinformation ain't new!
Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem www.popsci.com/health/black...
"Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem."
Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem www.popsci.com/health/black...
"Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem."
Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem
A 14th century trickster tale was misread as fact.
www.popsci.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Health misinformation ain't new!
Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem www.popsci.com/health/black...
"Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem."
Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem www.popsci.com/health/black...
"Centuries of Black Death misinformation started with a poem."
Reposted by TheVargo
Jeanine Pirro tried to make an example of Sean Dunn.
She ended up delivering a hero to Washington, D.C.
www.huffpost.com/entry/dc-san...
She ended up delivering a hero to Washington, D.C.
www.huffpost.com/entry/dc-san...
DC ‘Sandwich Guy’ Found Not Guilty After Defense Successfully Highlights Absurdity Of It All
Jeanine Pirro tried to make an example of Sean Dunn. She ended up delivering a hero to Washington, D.C.
www.huffpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Jeanine Pirro tried to make an example of Sean Dunn.
She ended up delivering a hero to Washington, D.C.
www.huffpost.com/entry/dc-san...
She ended up delivering a hero to Washington, D.C.
www.huffpost.com/entry/dc-san...
Reposted by TheVargo
November 5, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Reposted by TheVargo
[P] Found a higher-quality photo; IT *IS* TAPED UP SHEETS OF PAPER!
November 5, 2025 at 7:22 PM
[P] Found a higher-quality photo; IT *IS* TAPED UP SHEETS OF PAPER!
Reposted by TheVargo
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
OpenAI in Danger After Authors Suing It Gain Access to Its Internal Slack Messages
Authors and publishers, who are suing OpenAI, secured access to internal Slack messages and emails discussing the deletion of pirated books.
futurism.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:57 AM
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Reposted by TheVargo
Very proud to have worked on this statement of the Modern Language Association with @annamillsoer.bsky.social and other colleagues on the MLA’s task force on AI in Research and Teaching. It is a direct call for faculty input into Ed Tech decision-making, especially AI: www.mla.org/Resources/Ad... 🧵
November 4, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Very proud to have worked on this statement of the Modern Language Association with @annamillsoer.bsky.social and other colleagues on the MLA’s task force on AI in Research and Teaching. It is a direct call for faculty input into Ed Tech decision-making, especially AI: www.mla.org/Resources/Ad... 🧵
Reposted by TheVargo
Neglected to tag @modernlanguage.bsky.social !
Very proud to have worked on this statement of the Modern Language Association with @annamillsoer.bsky.social and other colleagues on the MLA’s task force on AI in Research and Teaching. It is a direct call for faculty input into Ed Tech decision-making, especially AI: www.mla.org/Resources/Ad... 🧵
November 4, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Neglected to tag @modernlanguage.bsky.social !
Reposted by TheVargo
2nd Nov. 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the ongoing human presence off-world.
That is, humans have continuously occupied the ISS for exactly 25 years today.
So if you're <= 24 years old, you've never lived in a world where humans were *only* terrestrial-based.
Image by HEO (from above!)
🔭🧪
That is, humans have continuously occupied the ISS for exactly 25 years today.
So if you're <= 24 years old, you've never lived in a world where humans were *only* terrestrial-based.
Image by HEO (from above!)
🔭🧪
November 2, 2025 at 4:35 AM
2nd Nov. 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the ongoing human presence off-world.
That is, humans have continuously occupied the ISS for exactly 25 years today.
So if you're <= 24 years old, you've never lived in a world where humans were *only* terrestrial-based.
Image by HEO (from above!)
🔭🧪
That is, humans have continuously occupied the ISS for exactly 25 years today.
So if you're <= 24 years old, you've never lived in a world where humans were *only* terrestrial-based.
Image by HEO (from above!)
🔭🧪
Reposted by TheVargo
Reminder: the $600 billion per year that the IRS doesn't collect in taxes owed is enough to pay for universal school meals (~$50 billion) and the child care /preschool (~$40 billion) and paid family leave (~$20 billion) provisions of build back better...six times over!
www.crfb.org/blogs/irs-es...
www.crfb.org/blogs/irs-es...
IRS Estimates a $606 Billion Tax Gap for 2022 | Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
2024-10-24-The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently published its p
www.crfb.org
November 20, 2024 at 2:01 AM
Reminder: the $600 billion per year that the IRS doesn't collect in taxes owed is enough to pay for universal school meals (~$50 billion) and the child care /preschool (~$40 billion) and paid family leave (~$20 billion) provisions of build back better...six times over!
www.crfb.org/blogs/irs-es...
www.crfb.org/blogs/irs-es...
Reposted by TheVargo
The frog is sweating.
The frog is informed that this is due to a natural variation in temperature.
“He’s clearly boiling the frog,” say the other frogs.
All books about frogs have vanished from the library.
The frog is informed that this is due to a natural variation in temperature.
“He’s clearly boiling the frog,” say the other frogs.
All books about frogs have vanished from the library.
Signs the Frog Has Been Boiled
A large pot sits in plain sight. There’s a frog in it. Every day, Leader announces his plans to boil the frog. His campaign slogan was “BOIL THAT F...
buff.ly
June 18, 2025 at 1:40 AM
The frog is sweating.
The frog is informed that this is due to a natural variation in temperature.
“He’s clearly boiling the frog,” say the other frogs.
All books about frogs have vanished from the library.
The frog is informed that this is due to a natural variation in temperature.
“He’s clearly boiling the frog,” say the other frogs.
All books about frogs have vanished from the library.
Dear @philadelphiaeagles.bsky.social, instead of telling fans NOT to tailgate, did you consider sponsoring the express trains to the sports complex? Public transit benefits EVERYONE, including you. @septaphilly.bsky.social @septaphilly.bsky.social @phillies.com @phillies.bsky.social
September 3, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Dear @philadelphiaeagles.bsky.social, instead of telling fans NOT to tailgate, did you consider sponsoring the express trains to the sports complex? Public transit benefits EVERYONE, including you. @septaphilly.bsky.social @septaphilly.bsky.social @phillies.com @phillies.bsky.social
Reposted by TheVargo
So new studies showcase that the more you know how GenAi works, the less likely you are to use it! 😌
This reminds me of ai advocates who claim that those who refuse to use GenAi do so because they dont know how it works, yet it’s the opposite!
The less you know the more you are likely to use GenAi
This reminds me of ai advocates who claim that those who refuse to use GenAi do so because they dont know how it works, yet it’s the opposite!
The less you know the more you are likely to use GenAi
The Less You Know About AI, the More You Are Likely to Use It
AI can seem magical to those with low AI literacy, a new study finds. That, in turn, might make them more willing to try it.
www.wsj.com
September 2, 2025 at 10:23 PM
So new studies showcase that the more you know how GenAi works, the less likely you are to use it! 😌
This reminds me of ai advocates who claim that those who refuse to use GenAi do so because they dont know how it works, yet it’s the opposite!
The less you know the more you are likely to use GenAi
This reminds me of ai advocates who claim that those who refuse to use GenAi do so because they dont know how it works, yet it’s the opposite!
The less you know the more you are likely to use GenAi
Reposted by TheVargo
“The bubble bursting was never going to be one event, but a series of sentiment shifts against technology that has never proven its worth outside of specious hype” @edzitron.com
The AI vibe shift is upon us | CNN Business
Rather suddenly, there’s been a vibe shift around artificial intelligence, the tech that’s hypnotized Wall Street and inspired cultish devotion across Silicon Valley over the past three years.
www.cnn.com
August 23, 2025 at 12:39 AM
“The bubble bursting was never going to be one event, but a series of sentiment shifts against technology that has never proven its worth outside of specious hype” @edzitron.com
Today I rewrote yesterday’s rewrite. I think I’m finally getting somewhere.
If only I’d stayed put.
If only I’d stayed put.
July 23, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Today I rewrote yesterday’s rewrite. I think I’m finally getting somewhere.
If only I’d stayed put.
If only I’d stayed put.
Reposted by TheVargo
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
July 10, 2025 at 7:47 PM
We ran a randomized controlled trial to see how much AI coding tools speed up experienced open-source developers.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
The results surprised us: Developers thought they were 20% faster with AI tools, but they were actually 19% slower when they had access to AI than when they didn't.
In today's #AIFail. Asked Copilot to generate a report from a Word document that included headings, page numbers, and the length of each section--basically a table of contents that also included the length of each section. Multiple attempts. No dice.
July 10, 2025 at 12:54 PM
In today's #AIFail. Asked Copilot to generate a report from a Word document that included headings, page numbers, and the length of each section--basically a table of contents that also included the length of each section. Multiple attempts. No dice.
Reposted by TheVargo
"On the map we have a castle, a geodesic dome, a haunted house, and a Chinese pavilion with a dragon poking out of it. What thematic concept, in the abstract, are you going for? Amusement? Yes, but what about amusement are you saying?"
Excuse Me, But Your Theme Park Is Actually a Motif Park
I just had a tour of your newly renovated theme park. I hate to be that guy, but I just want to mention that, while you refer to your destination a...
buff.ly
July 9, 2025 at 12:31 PM
"On the map we have a castle, a geodesic dome, a haunted house, and a Chinese pavilion with a dragon poking out of it. What thematic concept, in the abstract, are you going for? Amusement? Yes, but what about amusement are you saying?"
Reposted by TheVargo
I got to take a look, it was pretty cool (if depressing)
July 8, 2025 at 7:54 PM
I got to take a look, it was pretty cool (if depressing)
Reposted by TheVargo
A new app lets you know when ICE agents are in your area.🧪
'I wanted to do something to fight back': New app lets users know when ICE agents are in their area
The creator launched the platform, called ICEBlock, in early April after watching the Trump administration begin its immigration crackdown.
abc7ny.com
July 1, 2025 at 7:45 PM
A new app lets you know when ICE agents are in your area.🧪
Reposted by TheVargo
here’s what the onion’s full page spot is running next to this morning
June 22, 2025 at 3:06 PM
here’s what the onion’s full page spot is running next to this morning
Reposted by TheVargo
Reposted by TheVargo
You know how tech support lines ask you to take a survey about the customer service? When do we get to start doing that for AI voice bots? Because right now, they’re all trash.
June 22, 2025 at 6:12 PM
You know how tech support lines ask you to take a survey about the customer service? When do we get to start doing that for AI voice bots? Because right now, they’re all trash.