Below are posts associated with the “link” type.
🔗 linkblog: What’s the Difference Between Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads?'
This is a helpful EFF overview that I’m posting to bookmark for later.
🔗 linkblog: Amazon-Powered AI Cameras Used To Detect Emotions of Unwitting UK Train Passengers - Slashdot'
This sucks on so many levels.
🔗 linkblog: On What We Lose: Chai, AI and Nostalgia | Punya Mishra's Web'
I appreciate Punya’s essay here. I’m very grumpy about generative AI, but that doesn’t change the fact that some grumpiness has more to do with moral panic than a reasoned response—but THAT doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for some of this kind of careful nostalgia that Punya is sharing.
🔗 linkblog: My Encounter With the Fantasy-Industrial Complex'
We should all be worried about what’s happening here.
🔗 linkblog: Mozilla Defies Kremlin, Restores Banned Firefox Add-ons in Russia - Slashdot'
Now, this is more the Mozilla I know.
🔗 linkblog: UK board votes to dissolve university Senate, outlines role of new faculty body'
I have tried to be open minded about this, and I am always hesitant to take a position on something that I haven’t done all the homework on. I also agree with the point the president’s made that staff, students, and non-tenure-track faculty don’t have enough of a voice, so I’m open to changing what inclusive governance looks like at UK.
This doesn’t seem to me to be it, though. Even without having done all the homework, the president’s arguments don’t land for me, and I don’t see how removing the faculty’s voice gives staff and students more of a voice. Even when the president outlines issues that I can get on board with, the solutions don’t seem to fix those issues. I’m worried about what “nimbleness” might be a euphemism for, and I really don’t want to find out.
🔗 linkblog: Cop busted for unauthorized use of Clearview AI facial recognition resigns'
Scary stuff. I don’t think I’ll ever be convinced that facial recognition tech does more good than harm.
🔗 linkblog: Lexington’s 2-mile downtown trail system wins another national award'
Lexington has lots of room to improve, but I’m glad they’re getting credit for the good work they’ve done.
🔗 linkblog: Firefox Browser Blocks Anti-Censorship Add-Ons at Russia’s Request'
This sucks. If even Mozilla is selling out, then we’re in a real bad place.
🔗 linkblog: Pluralistic: An end to the climate emergency is in our grasp (12 Jun 2024) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow'
I’ve been thinking recently that I need to reread Doctorow’s The Lost Cause (about beating back the climate catastrophe), so this blog post was welcome. Doctorow’s hopefulness—all while rejecting naïve optimism—is what I needed to read this morning.
🔗 linkblog: AI Detectors Get It Wrong. Writers Are Being Fired Anyway'
Generative AI suuuucks, but AI detection software may suck even more.
🔗 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: UK, KCTCS create pathways allowing community college students to transfer into UK'
I’m all for this, but in line with earlier posts from today, I wish it weren’t just about workplace readiness. Higher ed needs to be more than that.
🔗 linkblog: Academia’s emphasis on job training harms free speech, bodes ill for democracy | Opinion'
Some important points in this op-ed from a UK colleague. I was just thinking earlier today how I have trouble getting concerned about the “summer slide” when I know that even K-12 education is increasingly seen as an economic—not democratic—priority.
🔗 linkblog: Wallace & Gromit's New Movie Will Bring Back the Greatest Villain In Animation History'
I suspect the return of Feathers McGraw will ultimately be a disappointment, but I love the character enough to be very excited in the meantime.
🔗 linkblog: Missouri joins other red states in trying to stamp out ranked choice voting'
I had forgotten Kentucky did this, and that just makes me more mad.
🔗 linkblog: Journalists “deeply troubled” by OpenAI’s content deals with Vox, The Atlantic'
In a roundabout way, I think this helps demonstrate why scraping data for generative AI isn’t a question of copyright. Even when there is a legal agreement, it can still be exploitative—it’s a question of digital labor.
🔗 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: YouTuber Has Video Demonitized Over Washing Machine Chime'
Bookmarking so I have enraging examples to show my students.
🔗 linkblog: Systems: The Purpose of a System is What It Does - Anil Dash'
I appreciate Anil’s perspective here and want to try to start thinking this way.