Zappini
@zappini.bsky.social
Recovering activist. It's just Rooster and me. My biggest immediate concern is somehow divining a theory of change. How do we transmute outrage into (effective) action? Please advise.
AI, ML, LLMs, etc. have always had intrinsic bias. Because the training data itself is biased. (h/t James Mickens PhD, many others). Dr Tanksley's update wrt the harms caused by these tools is both entirely predictable and terribly sad.
I need everyone, esp anyone working in education or tech (but really everyone) to WATCH THIS CLIP of @drtanksley.bsky.social discussing the technologies infiltrating our schools & psyches and how she is addressing it with our young people. youtu.be/5mtcSL4S3HQ
Howard University AI Panel
YouTube video by Tiera Tanksley
youtu.be
November 22, 2025 at 3:53 PM
AI, ML, LLMs, etc. have always had intrinsic bias. Because the training data itself is biased. (h/t James Mickens PhD, many others). Dr Tanksley's update wrt the harms caused by these tools is both entirely predictable and terribly sad.
November 8, 2025 at 5:23 PM
No uncontested races. A meager filing fee buys you column space in a voters guide. Editorial boards and endorsing orgs will at least talk to you. Cheapest, widest, easiest way to promote our values, platform, and positions.
Democrats contested all 100 Virginia House of Delegates races. Part of the party’s statewide success is due to the synergies between the legislative and statewide campaigns—even the losing ones. This is a big reason why Jay Jones won comfortably. This is a model the Dems should emulate everywhere
November 5, 2025 at 5:11 PM
No uncontested races. A meager filing fee buys you column space in a voters guide. Editorial boards and endorsing orgs will at least talk to you. Cheapest, widest, easiest way to promote our values, platform, and positions.
Reactionary beliefs in a nutshell.
So Elon can demand Grok be fed a bunch of training data where it has conversations that skew it conservative, but they simply do not have enough text describing a world that aligns with right wing ideology to actually make it have reasoning that holds together
October 1, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reactionary beliefs in a nutshell.
...to be more plagiary and less insightful. @the-downballot.com
Another huge special election overperformance for Democrats last night, who are running 15.7% ahead of Harris this year in specials.
I'm resolving to be more constructive and less trolly in my engagement with the Bluesky audience. This is a topic where folks should consider the implications.
I'm resolving to be more constructive and less trolly in my engagement with the Bluesky audience. This is a topic where folks should consider the implications.
September 15, 2025 at 5:53 PM
...to be more plagiary and less insightful. @the-downballot.com
Just like the NY Times, Roberts thinks SCOTUS is above the fray, and sometimes regrettably gets politicized by others. Murc's Law yadda yadda.
Roberts (through his counselor) making a point of saying that his criticism of rising threats against judges had nothing to do with Trump. Fascinating.
NEW: A top aide to Chief Justice John Roberts spilled some tea today on how and how much Roberts chooses to use his "megaphone" to defend the federal judiciary against attacks from Trump & other political figures www.politico.com/news/2025/09...
September 4, 2025 at 12:53 AM
Just like the NY Times, Roberts thinks SCOTUS is above the fray, and sometimes regrettably gets politicized by others. Murc's Law yadda yadda.
Yup. Ask yourself: Do you want be right? Or do you want to win?
For those asking what more Pritzker (sp) could do ... it's not clear rhetoric will do more than rally lefties, but this has done more to engage right wingers.
www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/02/a...
www.emptywheel.net/2025/09/02/a...
A Tale of Two Governors: Confronting versus Dick-Wagging - emptywheel
Far too many late adherents to Gavin Newsom's trolling believe it works solely because he confronts Trump. How he's confronting Trump matters. Newsom is eschewing mere recital of facts and instead pre...
www.emptywheel.net
September 3, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Yup. Ask yourself: Do you want be right? Or do you want to win?
Because Mamdani threatens Jeffries' power and Trump does not.
hakeem jeffries has expressed more willingness to work with donald j. trump than mamdani
mamdani had his fourth meeting with jeffries, and jeffries continues to withhold an endorsement in a race against a corrupt cop, a fascist, and a sex criminal who intentionally handed the state senate to republicans and gerrymandered against the democrats.
September 3, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Because Mamdani threatens Jeffries' power and Trump does not.
Too much kayfabe
September 3, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Too much kayfabe
Soon, we'll use ad-blockers with browser extensions, instead of browsers with ad-blocker extensions.
September 3, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Soon, we'll use ad-blockers with browser extensions, instead of browsers with ad-blocker extensions.
aka paramilitary
ICE agents view themselves as an expressly political goon squad in service of an expressly political project. When Dems get into power they need to understand this and treat ICE like a political opposition group in need of reconstruction, because that's what it is.
While masked agents were violently attacking a delivery worker this morning, bystanders repeatedly asked to see their badge numbers but they refused.
Bystander: You guys are ruining this country, you know that, right?
Agent: Liberals already ruined it.
Bystander: You guys are ruining this country, you know that, right?
Agent: Liberals already ruined it.
August 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
aka paramilitary
Yes but: That "blindspot" is their business model. h/t Sinclair Lewis, yadda yadda.
Pundit brain is very US focused: the points of reference are US left/right, and the Smart Take is always saying the right has a point that the left refuses to acknowledge. This is a huge blindspoint when "the point" is a is a bad-faith misdirection to justify authoritarianism.
Oh my fucking god has anyone in the national media ever read a single book about authoritarianism
August 17, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Yes but: That "blindspot" is their business model. h/t Sinclair Lewis, yadda yadda.
Someone should tell A.G. Sulzberger.
The point of journalism is to tell people the truth! If the population and political leaders are panicking about something that isn't happening, your job as a reporter is to loudly debunk it — not plead with the other party to join the panic.
"but crime is a real issue, people are worried about crime and you have to take that seriously"
No you don't! If people are getting more scared about crime while crime is happening less frequently, it's a made up issue and you should make a point of yelling that all the time
No you don't! If people are getting more scared about crime while crime is happening less frequently, it's a made up issue and you should make a point of yelling that all the time
August 17, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Someone should tell A.G. Sulzberger.
Nicely spotted, terrific analogy. Could Project Runway's narrative form illustrate our profession's customary sage advice? a la Goldratt's The Goal and the The Phoenix Project. (I haven't watched Halt & Catch Fire. Maybe I should. Having lived it, I haven't felt compelled to relive it.)
I was watching Project Runway last night (don't judge 😄), and this particular season's dysfunction-for-entertainment aligns closely with the problems of many (certainly not all) software shops. Let's discuss.
1/11
1/11
August 15, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Nicely spotted, terrific analogy. Could Project Runway's narrative form illustrate our profession's customary sage advice? a la Goldratt's The Goal and the The Phoenix Project. (I haven't watched Halt & Catch Fire. Maybe I should. Having lived it, I haven't felt compelled to relive it.)
WTF. No (Dem) chair/leader should even comment on a (Dem) contest. My (very professional) local party chair does not, will not comment on candidates, campaigns, issues. They even abstain from all votes. @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social stay in your lane, FFS. (h/t @lebassett.bsky.social)
Hakeem Jeffries says of Cuomo's attacks on Mamdani for living in a rent controlled apartment: "It's a legitimate issue that has been raised, and the [Mamdani] campaign is going to have to address it."
August 15, 2025 at 4:36 PM
WTF. No (Dem) chair/leader should even comment on a (Dem) contest. My (very professional) local party chair does not, will not comment on candidates, campaigns, issues. They even abstain from all votes. @hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social stay in your lane, FFS. (h/t @lebassett.bsky.social)
@pmarca has never forgiven UIUC for suing him (and winning) for stealing the source code for Mosaic. His blather about DEI is just payback.
What discrimination did Andreessen face? He went to a public university & was able to work on early federally funded research projects on computing, and turn that into a career.
The insanity of the last 8 years? Workers or online posters who disagreed with him? A government that dared regulate him?
The insanity of the last 8 years? Workers or online posters who disagreed with him? A government that dared regulate him?
July 14, 2025 at 2:47 AM
@pmarca has never forgiven UIUC for suing him (and winning) for stealing the source code for Mosaic. His blather about DEI is just payback.
aka Corporatocracy
Both democracy and capitalism are experiencing a crisis of confidence: Rising levels of inequality, corruption, and an overall lack of accountability have led citizens to seek alternatives.
www.journalofdemocra...
www.journalofdemocra...
Is Capitalism the Problem? Or the Solution? | Journal of Democracy
A free market can foster pluralism and insulate civilians from authoritarian coercion. But money used the wrong way has enormous potential for destruction. The Journal of Democracy essays below…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
July 13, 2025 at 11:07 PM
aka Corporatocracy
Can anyone on @nytimes.com's ed board define "journalism". Simple: Show your work, cite your sources, and then SIGN YOUR NAME. Otherwise its just gossip, agitprop, trolling. @patrickhealynyt.bsky.social
NYT responds to criticism of its Mamdani story, likening the concerns about their source to “Wikileaks or Edward Snowden” (lol)
July 4, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Can anyone on @nytimes.com's ed board define "journalism". Simple: Show your work, cite your sources, and then SIGN YOUR NAME. Otherwise its just gossip, agitprop, trolling. @patrickhealynyt.bsky.social
Yup. Return to the pre-Sputnik arrangement, where uni was finishing school for the rich.
This is so so sad.
And I don’t see many people talking about the student loan shit they jammed in that bill. They’ve ensured only the rich can go the college. They capped the amount you can borrow over 4 years AND cut Grad Plus loans (which is how I paid my rent during law school).
And I don’t see many people talking about the student loan shit they jammed in that bill. They’ve ensured only the rich can go the college. They capped the amount you can borrow over 4 years AND cut Grad Plus loans (which is how I paid my rent during law school).
July 4, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Yup. Return to the pre-Sputnik arrangement, where uni was finishing school for the rich.
Revenge of the Sophists
One of my most pointless activities is speculating about what the fuck is going on the minds of people like this. It is very, very easy to learn that this is false. Does he really believe it? Is he just flat lying? What is the mental state?
Markwayne Mullin: "When we start talking about we are reforming Medicaid, not cutting Medicaid, meaning we're gonna kick people off that are just lazy."
July 4, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Revenge of the Sophists
Please curate my feed. Like uBlock + EasyList, but for bsky.
The Alt National Park Service account calls itself the official "resistance" team of the US National Park Service. With 887k followers, is one of the biggest accounts on Bluesky. It is the 11 most followed account according to some trackers.
This thread will dive into its activity.
🧵 1/x.
This thread will dive into its activity.
🧵 1/x.
June 19, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Please curate my feed. Like uBlock + EasyList, but for bsky.
Profiles should show counts for both blockers and followers.
just block him, starving these guys of the social media oxygen they crave is — and has been from the beginning — the fastest way to get them to leave
Nope!
June 19, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Profiles should show counts for both blockers and followers.
Like prior oligarchs, peter decided its cheaper to simple own govt.
makes me think of how peter thiel initially framed paypal as a way to displace banks and break government control over currency, until it came time to actually make money off it
just checking in on the financial revolution that was meant to sidestep banks, tech giants, and the state
June 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Like prior oligarchs, peter decided its cheaper to simple own govt.
aka nutpicking
No. It is not the job of ordinary citizens to show perfect message discipline.
It is the responsibility of actors with agenda-setting power — like, say, national newspapers — not to treat random-ass people exaggerating as a threat equivalent to the madman president.
It is the responsibility of actors with agenda-setting power — like, say, national newspapers — not to treat random-ass people exaggerating as a threat equivalent to the madman president.
June 16, 2025 at 5:01 PM
aka nutpicking