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transmute.ca
dʒeɪmz
@transmute.ca
600 followers 200 following 390 posts
Toronto, sometimes Brooklyn
he/him
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transmute.ca
The article cites David Chalmers, who is literally the guy who first described the "hard problem" of consciousness. If you want Philosophy of Mind, you got it. That doesn't mean you have to agree with him, but 🤷🏼‍♂️
In 2023, David Chalmers, a professor of philosophy and neural science at New York University who is one of the world's most prominent scholars in the field of AI consciousness, was firmly in the skeptic camp. That year, he published an essay, "Could a Large Language Model Be Conscious?," in which he concluded that limitations in the architecture of LLMs at the time, that there was no discernible mechanism by which an Al could become self-aware. Yet he recognized that these machines were so complex, and developing so quickly, that he couldn't be entirely sure. He assessed the possibility at "somewhere under 10 percent." Today, he says, the odds have gotten significantly higher — though he won't put a number on it. "I don't know if I'd say that these systems are conscious yet," Chalmers says. "They might be, and this is important. People who are confident that they're not conscious maybe shouldn't be. We just don't understand consciousness well enough, and we don't understand these systems well enough. So we can't rule it out."
November 26, 2025 at 12:20 AM
transmute.ca
Just realized something
Cover art for "Voltron, Defender of the Universe." Voltron's left hand, which is the gaping maw of a green lion robot, stretches menacingly toward the viewer. Godrick from Elden Ring saying "Bear witness!" while his left hand, which is the head of a dragon, breathes fire.
November 11, 2025 at 12:22 AM
transmute.ca
Welp
Screenshot of a Bluesky post by Zz 🪐 Luctor et emergo (@zeebest1.bsky.social) that reads: "And you're biased so I can see why people have second thoughts about their feelings when every conversation with someone like you, that's stuck on labeling people is like hitting a wall. Blocking you now. Take care." Posted on September 13, 2025 at 4:02 PM.
September 13, 2025 at 8:13 PM
transmute.ca
I mean come on
Bluesky post from csandown.bsky.social: "It is up to us to put out as much info - even if we have to make some up (people are scared to say this). Its the only way to save lives on our side."
September 13, 2025 at 3:54 AM
transmute.ca
145 replies over 5 hours tonight
Bluesky profile page for csandown.sky.social 4 followers / 3 following / 145 posts (All replies) Screenshot of three Bluesky posts from user csandown.bsky.social. The posts are stacked vertically and show: someone asks “Source??” and the user replies with “who cares???”. Someone else asks “source on this?” and they reply “stop covering for fascists by concern trolling.” Another person asking “source?” and they reply with “found the nazi.” Screenshot of two Bluesky posts. First post shows a photo of a white lily with purple speckles, and csandown.bsky.social responds “How is this political. Get off my feed.” Below that, Kevin Negandhi posts about baseball: “Down 4-0 and came back to close out a 4 game sweep. Phillies lead in the NL East is now 11 games over the Mets. They have showed so much resilience since the Citi Field series.” csandown.bsky.social replies “Why won’t you talk about the Epstein files.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Screenshot of Bluesky posts split into left and right columns. Left side: csandown.bsky.social posts “It is up to us to put out as much info even if we have to make some up (people are scared to say this). Its the only way to save lives on our side.” Nicole Adrienne posts separately “Right!? I posted a little informative rant on Facebook just so my relatives and people on there get educated about this stuff. I’m thankful to not have any GOP in my family, but they still need so much education on the current state of society.” csandown.bsky.social replies to Nicole “yep. and to all the luke-warm ‘waiting for more evidence to confirm its the groyp*rs’. YOURE NOT HELPING. We are going to get our side killed if we do not control the narrative. Look what they did with the Hortmans” Right side: csandown.bsky.social posts “Nah, we need to blame this on their side before the fascists use it as propaganda against us.” Brent D. Watkins posts separately “Is that confirmed? Everything I’ve seen points to incoherent ideology.” csandown.bsky.social replies to Brent “were kinda just forcing this lol. Best to create infighting on their side. Its what the fascists would do to us.” mde15 posts separately “Did I miss something tying the shooter to Fuentes and Groypers?” csandown.bsky.social replies to mde15 “were kinda just forcing this lol. Best to create infighting on their side. Its what the fascists would do to us.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
September 13, 2025 at 3:40 AM
transmute.ca
Who wore it better?
Eyeball alien T. Ocellus from Alien: Earth. A white goat with a weird bloody eye. Black Phillip from The Witch (2015). A black goat with long horns.
September 10, 2025 at 6:25 AM
transmute.ca
I understand the original thread was about the psychology and intent of individuals. But regardless of intent, isn’t it fair to say that e.g. thousands of Iraqi civilians were massacred by Americans in a matter of weeks?

watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/f...

watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/f...
Excerpt from https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2023/Costs%20of%2020%20Years%20of%20Iraq%20War%20Crawford%2015%20March%202023%20final%203.21.2023.pdf A table shows Iraqi civilian casualties during the first month of the 2003 U.S. Coalition invasion (March 19 - April 19, 2003), broken down by cause of death and weak. Weekly data: • Week of March 16: 389 killed by air attack, 603 by other means, 992 total (39.2% air attack) • Week of March 23: 905 killed by air attack, 1,413 by other means, 2,318 total (39.0% air attack) • Week of March 30: 828 killed by air attack, 1,467 by other means, 2,295 total (36.1% air attack) • Week of April 6: 189 killed by air attack, 1,029 by other means, 1,218 total (15.5% air attack) • Week of April 13: 12 killed by air attack, 208 by other means, 220 total (5.5% air attack) Total casualties: 2,323 killed by air attack, 4,720 by other means, 7,043 total deaths. Air attacks accounted for 33.0% of all civilian deaths during this period.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Excerpt from https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2023/Costs%20of%2020%20Years%20of%20Iraq%20War%20Crawford%2015%20March%202023%20final%203.21.2023.pdf The U.S. military planned to avoid civilian casualties in Iraq. As the U.S. Commander Tommy Franks said, just after the war began, "This will be a campaign unlike any other in history, a campaign characterized by shock, by surprise, by flexibility, by the employment of precise munitions on a scale never before seen, and by the application of overwhelming force." However, during the first year of the war in Iraq, in 2003, about 7,500 people were killed by the U.S. led coalition by all methods, including air strikes. As Table 3 shows, most of those people were killed in the first month of the war. Excerpt from https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures/2021/WarDeathToll A table shows estimated deaths from post-9/11 wars by category and country/region. By category across all regions: • U.S. Military: 7,053 total (Afghanistan: 2,324, Iraq: 4,599, Other: 130) • U.S. DOD Civilian: 21 total (Afghanistan: 6, Iraq: 15) • U.S. Contractors: 8,189 total (Afghanistan: 3,917, Pakistan: 90, Iraq: 3,650, Syria/ISIS: 19, Yemen: 2, Other: 511) • National Military and Police: 178,346-182,346 total (Afghanistan: 69,095, Pakistan: 9,431, Iraq: 48,337-52,337, Syria/ISIS: 51,483) • Other Allied Troops: 12,468 total (Afghanistan: 1,144, Iraq: 324, Syria/ISIS: 11,000) • Civilians: 408,749-432,093 total (Afghanistan: 46,319, Pakistan: 24,099, Iraq: 186,694-210,038, Syria/ISIS: 138,947, Yemen: 12,690) • Opposition Fighters: 288,923-295,998 total (Afghanistan: 52,893, Pakistan: 32,838, Iraq: 36,806-43,881, Syria/ISIS: 67,065, Yemen: 99,321) • Journalists/Media Workers: 680 total (Afghanistan: 74, Pakistan: 87, Iraq: 282, Syria/ISIS: 75, Yemen: 33, Other: 129) • Humanitarian/NGO Workers: 896 total (Afghanistan: 446, Pakistan: 105, Iraq: 64, Syria/ISIS: 227, Yemen: 46, Other: 8) Country/region totals: Afghanistan: 176,218, Pakistan: 66,650, Iraq: 280,771-315,190, Syria/ISIS: 268,816, Yemen: 112,092, Other: 778 Overall total: 905,325-939,744 (rounded to 905,000-940,000) HUMAN COSTS The number of people killed directly in the violence of the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere are estimated here. Several times as many more have been killed as a reverberating effect of the wars — because, for example, of water loss, sewage and other infrastructural issues, and war-related disease. Posted March 2023. Updated August 2023.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
August 26, 2025 at 2:39 PM
transmute.ca
Incredible Crisis for PlayStation.

A game of highly stressful and increasingly outrageous minigames. The perspective jumps between four members of a Japanese family over the course of a very eventful day.
Box art for PlayStation game "Incredible Crisis". There's a stylized image of a man's bright red head which is also an exploding volcano.
June 27, 2025 at 4:39 AM
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You are almost online
June 2, 2025 at 7:19 PM
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A frame from the above video. Someone holding up a protest sign that says: SOFT CONSONANTS 🇺🇸 TOUGH SOLDIERS
May 20, 2025 at 5:17 PM
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He's working his way up the ranks
Text from Wikipedia Cap'n Crunch article: Cap'n Crunch is depicted as a late 18th-century naval captain, an elderly gentleman with white eyebrows and a white moustache, who wears a Revolutionary-style naval uniform: a bicorne hat emblazoned with a "C" and a gold-epauletted blue coat with gold bars on the sleeves. While typically an American naval captain wears four bars on his sleeves, the mascot has been variously depicted over the years wearing only one bar (ensign), two bars (lieutenant), or three bars (commander). As of May 26, 2024, he is now depicted on cereal boxes with the four bars of a naval captain. Voice actor Daws Butler created Cap'n Crunch's voice, basing it on that of Hollywood and radio character actor Charles Butterworth.
May 15, 2025 at 5:09 PM
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A painting of a Continental Navy officer with sword in hand, leading shirtless men in naval operations against the British. Caption: '"I have not yet begun to fight!" - Cap'n Crunch fighting the Soggies, painting by Charles J. Andres.' The subject of the painting is in fact John Paul Jones, not Cap'n Crunch.
May 15, 2025 at 4:58 PM
transmute.ca
🫦
The smoke came and came - and kept coming - each renewed billow prompting a fresh wave of
May 8, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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Just got back from a mental health walk myself, found these first blooms sending me that same message
Little white and yellow flower blooms poking up out of a brown bed of last autumn's leaves and pinecones
March 23, 2025 at 7:03 PM
transmute.ca
A tuxedo cat yawning on a pink couch A tuxedo cat trying to continue his nap on a pink couch
February 15, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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With alt text for accessibility
Interview question and response: How much time and attention did you spend on these scripts? Another "Simpsons" writer once compared your scripts to finely tuned machines-if the wrong person mucked with them, the whole thing could blow up. All of my time and all of my attention. It's the only way I know how to write, darn it. But I do have a trick that makes things easier for me. Since writing is very hard and rewriting is comparatively easy and rather fun, I always write my scripts all the way through as fast as I can, the first day, if possible, putting in crap jokes and pattern dialogue-"Homer, I don't want you to do that." "Then I won't do it." Then the next day, when I get up, the script's been written. It's lousy, but it's a script. The hard part is done. It's like a crappy little elf has snuck into my office and badly done all my work for me, and then left with a tip of his crappy hat. All I have to do from that point on is fix it. So I've taken a very hard job, writing, and turned it into an easy one, rewriting, overnight. I advise all writers to do their scripts and other writing this way. And be sure to send me a small royalty every time you do it.
February 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
transmute.ca
IMHO
Google search result for the 2009 song "Funeral Singers" by Califone Google search result for the 2018 Sylvan Esso cover of "Funeral Singers"
February 11, 2025 at 1:10 AM
transmute.ca
By the way, the print behind me in the video is "The Fish are Fasting" by the incomparable @christibelcourt.com 🙏
A framed print of "The Fish are Fasting" by Christ Belcourt, in which six fish of various species all float vertically facing up toward a starry night sky, through a hole in the ice covering their lake. The print hangs on a white wall next to a window showing a snowy street beyond. A fig plant and a bent wood chair keep the print company.
February 9, 2025 at 7:36 PM
transmute.ca
5-tier Vince McMahon increasing amazement meme: 1. there's an axolotl (he is intrigued) 2. on the pink stairs (he is impressed) 3. is an axolotl supposed to be there? (he is astounded) 4. if you ask an axolotl if they'll be back tomorrow (he is dissociating) 5. a penguin waddles in and then the axolot's gone (he has transcended)
January 30, 2025 at 2:45 PM
transmute.ca
Pork congee at Vit Beo
A bowl of pork congee with seasoned soft boiled egg, green onion, pickled mustard greens, cilantro, and fried shallots and garlic
January 28, 2025 at 6:34 PM
transmute.ca
Love these guys!
A cluster of big off-white to yellow mushrooms with orange flakey spots on the caps, growing out of the cleanly cut end of a giant log. Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Ontario, Oct 13 2021
January 26, 2025 at 2:57 PM
transmute.ca
An Instagram search screen showing results for #fucktrump
January 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
transmute.ca
🙏 I find this setting in the app really helpful!
BlueSky app settings screen: Accessibility Alt text Require alt text before posting [on]
January 14, 2025 at 1:40 PM
transmute.ca
With alt text for accessibility:
A Wikipedia entry: Missing stair The missing stair is a metaphor for a person within a social group or organization who many people know is untrustworthy or otherwise has to be "managed," but around whom the group chooses to work by discreetly warning newcomers of their behavior, rather than address the person and their behavior openly. The "missing stair" in the metaphor refers to a dangerous structural fault, such as a missing step in a staircase; a fault that people may become used to and quietly accepting of, that is not openly signposted or fixed, and that newcomers to a group or organization are warned about discreetly.
January 14, 2025 at 12:24 PM
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With alt text for accessibility
Three Hens for the French kings beneath the sky, Seven for the Swan-lords, swimming now, Nine for Ladies dancing, kicking high, One for the Partridge on his dark bough In the Land of Pear-trees where the shadows lie. One Partridge to rule them all, One Partridge to clutch there; One Partridge to bring them all and, over Christmas, perch there, In the Land of Pear-trees where the shadows lie.
December 24, 2024 at 1:46 PM