W.A. Harnum
@waharnum.bsky.social
i do government digital and technology stuff and i used to do library digital and technology stuff
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
guys, these people 100% understand the messaging behind something as hamfisted as Judge Dredd. They just think that the satire should be real
DOJ's newest recruitment ad features Judge Dredd, the comic satire about the dangers of lawless policing and authoritarian power
December 4, 2025 at 10:11 PM
guys, these people 100% understand the messaging behind something as hamfisted as Judge Dredd. They just think that the satire should be real
dare you to drink Christmas straight from the jug
December 4, 2025 at 7:03 PM
dare you to drink Christmas straight from the jug
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
All of the companies that make the software I use are increasing their prices, to account for an "investment" in AI.
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
December 4, 2025 at 8:41 AM
All of the companies that make the software I use are increasing their prices, to account for an "investment" in AI.
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
I don’t know how to explain to people like this that their belief in designer babies who will never suffer is cope.
Every human body always has the capacity to become disabled. It is far better for society to accommodate disabled people, not eliminate them! Generic diversity is essential.
Every human body always has the capacity to become disabled. It is far better for society to accommodate disabled people, not eliminate them! Generic diversity is essential.
December 4, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I don’t know how to explain to people like this that their belief in designer babies who will never suffer is cope.
Every human body always has the capacity to become disabled. It is far better for society to accommodate disabled people, not eliminate them! Generic diversity is essential.
Every human body always has the capacity to become disabled. It is far better for society to accommodate disabled people, not eliminate them! Generic diversity is essential.
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Our upcoming game HORSES was preemptively banned from Steam, with no path to appeal. The game will still launch next week on December 2nd and will be available on EGS, GOG, Humble, and Itch for $4.99. Here is a detailed FAQ covering what happened: horses.wtf/BannedFromSt...
November 25, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Our upcoming game HORSES was preemptively banned from Steam, with no path to appeal. The game will still launch next week on December 2nd and will be available on EGS, GOG, Humble, and Itch for $4.99. Here is a detailed FAQ covering what happened: horses.wtf/BannedFromSt...
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
I bought HORSES to play with @theworldsgreatestwriter.com because we love to HAVE A BAD TIME with art
Horses is a Very Bad Time and I highly recommend it. Here’s me on Valve and Epic deciding that a critique of how the powerful use conservative moralism to oppress others is too morally objectionable for their platforms
www.inverse.com/gaming/horse...
www.inverse.com/gaming/horse...
Steam And Epic Could Destroy One Of The Best Indie Studios With An Unexplained Game Ban
'Horses' is a subversive, unsettling indie game like nothing you've ever played — but censorship from Steam and Epic Games could destroy its developer.
www.inverse.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I bought HORSES to play with @theworldsgreatestwriter.com because we love to HAVE A BAD TIME with art
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Adding alt text to this because this is fucking amazing and everyone deserves to read it.
December 2, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Adding alt text to this because this is fucking amazing and everyone deserves to read it.
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
November 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
"I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
November 27, 2025 at 2:30 AM
"I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure."
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Not wanting to disappoint you so much that it lies is the last quality I want in a computer.
November 28, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Not wanting to disappoint you so much that it lies is the last quality I want in a computer.
sent this in a chat today for Reasons
November 27, 2025 at 7:09 PM
sent this in a chat today for Reasons
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
those of you who are afraid of aging, please understand that one of the huge blessings of middle age is arriving at this exact station
We gotta normalize responding to bullshit with "dude who fucking cares"
October 30, 2025 at 12:44 AM
those of you who are afraid of aging, please understand that one of the huge blessings of middle age is arriving at this exact station
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Really excellent point that often gets lost in the (deserved) mockery.
These things are not neutral arbiters of truth. They are easily manipulated extensions of the ideology of their creators.
The attempt to shove them into every conceivable knowledge space is an explicitly political project.
These things are not neutral arbiters of truth. They are easily manipulated extensions of the ideology of their creators.
The attempt to shove them into every conceivable knowledge space is an explicitly political project.
The grok stuff is pathetic but it’s also a perfect and undeniable illustration of chatbots as ideology. It’s no less true for chatgpt or other bots, but sometimes not as visible.
November 20, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Really excellent point that often gets lost in the (deserved) mockery.
These things are not neutral arbiters of truth. They are easily manipulated extensions of the ideology of their creators.
The attempt to shove them into every conceivable knowledge space is an explicitly political project.
These things are not neutral arbiters of truth. They are easily manipulated extensions of the ideology of their creators.
The attempt to shove them into every conceivable knowledge space is an explicitly political project.
Quote from last RT article, this is so accurate: "Men’s ability to adapt to modernity is being stymied by propagandists and grifters, who persuade men to adopt anti-social behavior, because doing so is incredibly profitable."
November 17, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Quote from last RT article, this is so accurate: "Men’s ability to adapt to modernity is being stymied by propagandists and grifters, who persuade men to adopt anti-social behavior, because doing so is incredibly profitable."
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
People have a good reason to resist acknowledging the male loneliness crisis. They correctly perceive that women are being blamed and told to fix it.
But the real cause is predatory capitalists who profit on keeping men isolated and online.
www.salon.com/2025/11/17/d...
But the real cause is predatory capitalists who profit on keeping men isolated and online.
www.salon.com/2025/11/17/d...
Don’t blame women for men’s loneliness. Blame capitalism
There’s a lot of money to be made off angry, isolated men
www.salon.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:49 PM
People have a good reason to resist acknowledging the male loneliness crisis. They correctly perceive that women are being blamed and told to fix it.
But the real cause is predatory capitalists who profit on keeping men isolated and online.
www.salon.com/2025/11/17/d...
But the real cause is predatory capitalists who profit on keeping men isolated and online.
www.salon.com/2025/11/17/d...
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Here's one for the internet olds: looking back at the curious case of Kaycee Nicole, the 1999-2001 internet hoax that duped a bunch of protobloggers. www.switchboardmagazine.com/monthly/the-...
The Curious Case of Kacyee Nicole — Switchboard Magazine
In 1999, the early internet felt like a digital frontier—and few stories capture its innocence and deceit like the saga of Kaycee Nicole. Written in cinematic detail, this longform feature traces how ...
www.switchboardmagazine.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Here's one for the internet olds: looking back at the curious case of Kaycee Nicole, the 1999-2001 internet hoax that duped a bunch of protobloggers. www.switchboardmagazine.com/monthly/the-...
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
My guess is that this was for a non-public system that would already need stronger authentication on a workstation for access so the shared password was "good enough", but there's a lesson here - it’s not just if it’s “good enough”, you also have to ask if it would be embarrassing to see on a report
November 3, 2025 at 7:14 PM
My guess is that this was for a non-public system that would already need stronger authentication on a workstation for access so the shared password was "good enough", but there's a lesson here - it’s not just if it’s “good enough”, you also have to ask if it would be embarrassing to see on a report
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Always thought it was sad that Ayn Rand—one of the most successful authors of children's fantasy books of all time—had little enough saved in the bank in her old age that she had to rely on public assistance until her death, but I'm glad it was there for her.
October 28, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Always thought it was sad that Ayn Rand—one of the most successful authors of children's fantasy books of all time—had little enough saved in the bank in her old age that she had to rely on public assistance until her death, but I'm glad it was there for her.
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
Python was awarded a funding grant, funding grant asked Python foundation to remove all diversity and inclusion initiatives they have.
Python foundation said no and rejected the grant.
If you use Python, send a few dollars to the charity to keep it going. I’m pushing a dono on behalf of ScamGuard.
Python foundation said no and rejected the grant.
If you use Python, send a few dollars to the charity to keep it going. I’m pushing a dono on behalf of ScamGuard.
Please read our statement, share it with your networks, and support us if you can. www.python.org/sponsors/app... psfmember.org/civicrm/cont...
October 27, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Python was awarded a funding grant, funding grant asked Python foundation to remove all diversity and inclusion initiatives they have.
Python foundation said no and rejected the grant.
If you use Python, send a few dollars to the charity to keep it going. I’m pushing a dono on behalf of ScamGuard.
Python foundation said no and rejected the grant.
If you use Python, send a few dollars to the charity to keep it going. I’m pushing a dono on behalf of ScamGuard.
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
"“You can only critically assess the output of an AI chatbot if you have the skills to do so, and you don’t develop these skills by using AI. Before you can be critical of an AI summary, you have to learn to understand a text without having it summarized by an AI tool.”
I am close to tears; they listened and made an english version apache.be/2025/10/24/b...
@apache.be you rule 🖤
@apache.be you rule 🖤
October 24, 2025 at 10:30 PM
"“You can only critically assess the output of an AI chatbot if you have the skills to do so, and you don’t develop these skills by using AI. Before you can be critical of an AI summary, you have to learn to understand a text without having it summarized by an AI tool.”
Reposted by W.A. Harnum
wow these silent hill games are getting more realistic
October 22, 2025 at 3:48 PM
wow these silent hill games are getting more realistic