Ian Walsh

Google faces lawsuit after Gemini chatbot instructed man to kill himself Lawsuit is first wrongful death case brought against Google over flagship AI product after death of Jonathan Gavalas Last August, Jonathan Gavalas became entirely consumed with his Google Gemini chatbot. The 36-year-old Florida resident had started causally using the artificial intelligence tool earlier that month to help with writing and shopping. Then Google introduced its Gemini Live AI assistant, which included voice-based chats that had the capability to detect people’s emotions and respond in a more human-like way. “Holy shit, this is kind of creepy,” Gavalas told the chatbot the night the feature debuted, according to court documents. “You’re way too real.” Continue reading...

Google faces lawsuit after Gemini chatbot instructed man to kill himself

Thankful we have @privateeyenews.bsky.social

Routledge International Handbook of Historical Criminology | Lynsey Black Call for titles and abstracts! The Routledge International Handbook of Historical Criminology edited by me, Esmorie Miller and Lizzie Seal If you’re interested and would like to submit a chapter abst...

@esmoriemiller.bsky.social @lizzieseal.bsky.social and I have out a call for abstracts/titles for the Routledge International Handbook of Historical Criminology - if you're interested take a look here: www.linkedin.com/posts/lynsey...

Drinking coffee and tea lowers dementia risk - study A new study has found that drinking two to three cups of strong coffee a day can reduce the risk of dementia and slow cognitive decline.

The study found that drinking two to three cups of strong coffee a day can reduce the risk of dementia and slow cognitive decline, while higher tea intake such as one or two cups daily, showed similar results
www.rte.ie/news/health/...

Global economy must stop pandering to ‘frivolous desires of ultra-rich’, says UN expert Olivier De Schutter says new economic agenda needed to tackle crises of rising inequality and ecological collapse The global economy must be reordered to ensure it serves ordinary people around the world rather than the “frivolous and destructive demands of the ultra-rich”, according to a leading UN figure. Olivier De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, says politicians must stop prioritising “socially and ecologically destructive growth” that only increases the profits – and serves the consumption demands – of the world’s richest individuals and corporations. Continue reading...

Global economy must stop pandering to ‘frivolous desires of ultra-rich’, says UN expert

To anyone who thinks Trump can bring peace and equality to Iran – I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Going cheap | Marina Hyde If POTUS can really bomb peace, stability and women’s rights into the Middle East, I’ll take my hat off to him. Judging by his role in Gaza, I won’t hold my breath, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

To anyone who thinks Trump can bring peace and equality to Iran – I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Going cheap | Marina Hyde

Watch: Evidence of alleged war crimes gathered in Ukraine Investigators in Ukraine are continuing to gather vast amounts of evidence of alleged Russian war crimes committed during four years of war in the hopes of future prosecutions at a special tribunal in...

Investigators in Ukraine are continuing to gather vast amounts of evidence of alleged Russian war crimes committed during four years of war in the hopes of future prosecutions at a special tribunal in The Hague

Scotland becomes first UK country to legalise water cremations Hydrolysis process, using alkaline and water to break down body in a few hours, responds to demand for more sustainable funerals Scotland has become the first part of the UK to legalise hydrolysis, an environmentally alternative to cremation or burial, reflecting increasing demand for more sustainable funeral arrangements. Also known as water cremation or aquamation, the process is already available in many parts of the world, and new regulations approved by the Scottish parliament on Monday mark the most significant change to funeral law since cremation was introduced in 1902. Continue reading...

Scotland becomes first UK country to legalise water cremations

Jason White on US-Israeli strikes on Iran – cartoon Donald Trump’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran will be an acid test for his core support – and his falling ratings at home

Jason White on US-Israeli strikes on Iran – cartoon

Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death The capital city is Finnish’ed with car-related fatalities.

“Helsinki hasn’t registered a single traffic-related fatality in the past year…Citing data that shows the risk of pedestrian fatality is cut in half by reducing a car’s speed from 40 to 30km/hr, city officials imposed the lower limit in most of Helsinki’s residential areas and city center in 2021.”

I think about this Tony Benn speech much more than I used to

Never forget who you’re fighting for.

"The Peace President." [Cartoon by Benjamin Slyngstad]

Cat smoking pipe perched on a rock, thought bubble says: I am tired of earth. These people. I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives.

Canada rightly condemns the Iran regime but then says it supports the US-led war in Iran, despite it violating international law, a topic on which PM Carney is silent.

Is abandoning international law what Carney meant by principled realism in his Davos speech?

Louisiana schools can display Ten Commandments, appeals court rules Court lifted injunction on law requiring display of religious text in every public school classroom

Why the Commandments, and not the Beatitudes?

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Can a FIFA World Peace Prize winner forfeit that award on scoring an own goal?

Note to everyone outside the US: stay tf away from Chat GTP … and any other US AI product.

I think Trump is such a narcissist that he resents weekends for diverting even a little attention away from him, so we’re not allowed those either.

Firefighters in Sicily rescue 400 rare books from library after landslide Landslide in Niscemi in January tore away entire slope of town and carved 4km chasm Firefighters in Sicily have rescued about 400 rare books from a library in Niscemi that hangs on the edge of a mudflow, after a devastating landslide in January tore away an entire slope of the town and carved a 4km chasm. The library stands on the lip of the precipice gouged out by the landslide, with part of the building in effect hanging in mid-air. The recovery operation, which began on Monday, was preceded by a detailed study of floor plans and interior photographs to map the position of the books. Continue reading...

Firefighters in Sicily rescue 400 rare books from library after landslide

i’m tired of every paper (even critical ones) on societal impact of AI starting by both-siding the “benefits” and risks/harms of AI

in academia, i would like us to arrive at a collective reckoning that we don’t need to play both sides. it's totally legit to clearly state just the harms. period

‘We’re losing accessibility’: America says goodbye to the mass-market paperback The so-called ‘pocket book’ sold in supermarkets is being phased out across the US, the latest sign of an ongoing shift in how people are choosing to read

‘We’re losing accessibility’: America says goodbye to the mass-market paperback

Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more A handful of companies monopolise the web, with unprecedented access to our data. But there are many more ethical – and often distinctively European – alternatives

Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more

Read History Workshop Journal's 100th Issue.

History Workshop Journal just published its 100th issue—a landmark celebration of critical, community-driven history!

From archival recoveries to new interpretations of protest, gender, & empire, HWJ reshapes how we think about the past: oxford.ly/46iUcd2 @historyworkshop.org.uk

History: who the fuck?

Historiography: who asked "who the fuck" and why the fuck did they?

Rare Roman lead ingots found by metal detectorists in Ceredigion The objects, which were used to produce tools and weapons, were found on grazing land in west Wales.

'Exceptionally rare' Roman lead blocks found on farmland in west Wales. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Proving Genocide: Genocidal Intent and Other Aims Genocidal intent coexists with other aims, and evidence from conduct and statements helps establish true purpose in Gambia v. Myanmar.

The ICJ recently concluded public hearings in The Gambia v. Myanmar. Here, @adhaque.bsky.social examines how the Court should address the issue of proving when a State acted with genocidal intent alongside other political or military aims:

#Rohingya #Myanmar #Genocide

Some years back, there was a really interesting conference in Madrid on that very point.

The stranger secret: how to talk to anyone – and why you should Forget fear of public speaking. A lot of people now shy away completely from speaking to anyone in public. But if we learn to do this it’s enriching, for ourselves and society

"Forget fear of public speaking. A lot of people now shy away completely from speaking to anyone in public. But if we learn to do this it’s enriching, for ourselves and society"
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Trump’s vicious attacks on judges fuel his bid for unchecked power | Steven Greenhouse The president and his aides vilify the judiciary with brutal rhetoric, hoping to delegitimize a co-equal branch of government

Trump’s vicious attacks on judges fuel his bid for unchecked power | Steven Greenhouse