Below are posts associated with the “theverge.com” source.
🔗 linkblog: xAI posts Grok’s behind-the-scenes prompts
The “You do not blindly defer to mainstream authority or media” system prompt is raising questions already answered by the system prompt. Also, lol that they have to explicitly tell Grok not to call it “Twitter.”
🔗 linkblog: Elon Musk’s apparent power play at the Copyright Office completely backfired
None of this is good, and I think there are dangers in using copyright as the bulwark against AI. Conversely, I will take a bit of pleasure in administration infighting, especially if it gets in the way of the AI companies.
🔗 linkblog: Pope Leo XIV names AI one of the reasons for his papal name
Again, more of religious commentary on AI that emphasizes labor issues.
🔗 linkblog: Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive
Look, I have some sympathy for Mozilla because it’s Mozilla… but Mozilla’s dependence on Google is a real problem.
🔗 linkblog: Duolingo will replace contract workers with AI
I have already been skeptical about Duolingo (as a company—the app is mostly not bad) for a while, but this is the sort of thing that makes me want to find an alternative for kiddo to use fast.
🔗 linkblog: Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin flop is bigger than Katy Perry
I haven’t paid much attention to gestures at all this before now, but this critique convinces me.
🔗 linkblog: They’re putting A1 in the classrooms.
This video has been on my mind all morning, and it makes me so sad.
🔗 linkblog: Trump says the future of AI is powered by coal
This sort of thing reminds me why I’m so entrenched in my skepticism of generative AI. There’s an uncritical insistence that the world needs AI, that America should be first in AI, and that we’re just going to have to increase energy production instead of ask ourselves if that’s worth the cost. Credit to Trump, I guess, for illustrating just how dangerous all these attitudes are.
🔗 linkblog: OpenAI and Anthropic are fighting over college students with free AI
I was already planning to voice skepticism about Apple partnerships with universities in a manuscript I’m writing, but now I’ve got this to cite as well.
🔗 linkblog: Trump’s new tariff math looks a lot like ChatGPT’s
Well, if he’s going to ruin the economy, at least he can come by his strategy in the dumbest possible way.
🔗 linkblog: Best printer 2025: just buy a Brother laser printer, the winner is clear, middle finger in the air
I didn’t need to read a printer recommendation article today, but I’m so glad I did. The rage about the world we live in is great.
🔗 linkblog: No DEI allowed for US mergers and acquisitions, says the new FCC chair
What a dumb, petty administration this is.
🔗 linkblog: The future of search isn’t Google — and it’s $10 a month
I have been meaning for months to embrace Kagi, and this is pushing me further over that edge.
🔗 linkblog: Mozilla is already revising its new Firefox terms to clarify how it handles user data'
Posting this in the interest of fairness, but I’m still not happy with Mozilla right now.
🔗 linkblog: How close is Elon Musk to controlling a nuclear weapon?'
The headline is a little provocative, but it’s scary that we live in a world where it makes some sense.
More broadly, though, I found that the first Trump administration converted me to nuclear disarmament—yes, this president is scary, but that any president has access to that much destructive power is scarier still. I expect I’ll go further in that direction this time around.
🔗 linkblog: Can anyone stop President Musk?'
I’m teaching a social media research methods class this semester, and I’m pretty sure I need to bring this article up in this week’s class.
🔗 linkblog: The NTSB chooses Elon Musk’s X to update the press on plane crashes'
Lots of bad things are happening right now, but this one stands out. There’s no good reason for this except to make Musk happy.
🔗 linkblog: Meta abandons fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in favor of Community Notes'
Personally, I’ve come around to the idea that fewer restrictions, “Community Notes”-style responses, and lots of personal control over what one sees could work better as content moderation. It’s interesting to see Bluesky take some of these approaches, for example!
Here, though, this seems like it’s bending the knee to the Trump administration, and I can’t imagine any of this being done in good faith. What a disappointment Meta continues to be.
🔗 linkblog: Flipboard’s Surf app is a big new idea about the future of social'
I don’t see myself pivoting away from Reeder, but this looks interesting, and I want to see more of this kind of app out there.
🔗 linkblog: Wallace & Gromit studio Aardman is working on a Pokémon project'
Look, I’m a bit hesitant here, but Aardman’s take on Star Wars was great, so fingers crossed!!
🔗 linkblog: Six hours under martial law in Seoul'
I’ll admit that I haven’t read much on all of this, but I can’t imagine any coverage better than this article.
🔗 linkblog: A vote for Donald Trump is a vote for school shootings and measles'
Some powerful stuff in here.
🔗 linkblog: The Internet Archive just lost its appeal over ebook lending'
In a weird kind of Streisand effect, I’ve only started using the Internet Archive library since this lawsuit began and it’s a fantastic service. I won’t pretend to know the ins and outs of copyright law, but this sucks.
🔗 linkblog: Ex-Google CEO says successful AI startups can steal IP and hire lawyers to ‘clean up the mess’'
What reckless hubris. As I wrote earlier today, I’m in favor of more liberal IP law, but not so that businesses can swallow up content to profit from it.
🔗 linkblog: Apple’s new custom emoji come with climate costs'
I am very grumpy about this. Also, the point of emoji is that they exist within Unicode, yeah? So these aren’t really emoji in the way that those icons are useful—they’re just a fun trick that’s helping advance the climate crisis.
🔗 linkblog: Apple WWDC 2024: the 13 biggest announcements'
I’ve been feeling for a while like I need to move away from Apple eventually, but I’m so entangled in the ecosystem that I’m dragging my feet on it. Seeing the company drink the AI Kool-Aid is definitely accelerating my plans—and will even more so if there’s no easy way to turn these featutes off.
🔗 linkblog: OpenAI launches programs making ChatGPT cheaper for schools and nonprofits'
Oh, please no no no. I usually read a whole article before posting it, but just the first few paragraphs are giving me such a visceral reaction that I don’t know if I’ll make it through the rest. The existing tech giants already have such a hold on us, let’s please not let OpenAI in the door.
🔗 linkblog: PayPal is building an ad network based on your Venmo data'
This is why I include nonsense descriptions for all my Venmo transactions.
🔗 linkblog: Microsoft’s AI obsession is jeopardizing its climate ambitions'
Such a depressing article.