David DeGusta

I did. But I tried to structure it so that the first few minutes of class weren’t critical for following the rest of the session. That way latecomers could still participate. Also, just because students are in their seats doesn’t mean they are fully “there” yet, so a little warmup is nice for all.

“Fiction: Bringing Game Theoretic Predicaments to Life Since the Second Millennium BC”

Might still need to workshop that slogan a bit.

OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...

And for those who might respond to such concerns with, “But AI is going to be way better soon,” it’s worth noting that OpenAI’s own researchers just released a research paper showing mathematically that errors (hallucinations) are inevitable in LLMs.

www.computerworld.com/article/4059...

It struck me as a fake thing that Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat would get a bunch of C-list comedians to agree to with all kinds of over-the-top requirements (“You must do one knock-knock joke - our leader really loves those. Knock knock, who’s there, hit squad! So funny!”).

Fwiw, the article just says that the center will offer classes in digital content, so the poster seems to have invented the idea that they are adding a new degree/major. But yeah, the notion of something like “The Jake and Logan Paul Endowed Chair of Trolling” is pretty hilarious.

The article just says the center will be offering courses, no mention of any new degrees or majors (which would typically come through a department rather than a center).

Thank you for mentioning Oromay!

I probably shouldn’t admit this (note to other entities, this only applies to Scriptnotes!), but … it actually did prompt me to go back and re-listen to episode 633 with John Gatins on “dormant” projects. 🤷

Admitting and correcting mistakes is exactly the kind of journalistic good practice* that one worries might be jettisoned under the rumored new leadership at CBS News.

* also good human practice.

Jane Goodall, Eminent Primatologist Who Chronicled the Lives of Chimps, Dies at 91

Jane Goodall was a gem. I only met her a few times, but was struck by how she had both a strong sense of purpose and real kindness - a rare combination.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/o...

Yes, I remember that from one of your early Valkyries newsletters and, being statistically minded, it struck me as an excellent and underappreciated point. Though I can understand how players and commentators might naturally resist that idea, at least emotionally.

And there’s the free throw lane violation in Q3 by Natasha Howard that took a point off the board for Indy. Obviously a game that goes to OT means that every point in regulation mattered, and LV would have played differently down 1 at end of regulation, but free throw violations are really rare.

Love it when someone digs into a minor local mystery and finds all kind of interesting tidbits behind it … it’s great that @coyotemedia.org and Reo Eveleth are on it.

More of this in life too please!

Come live and write with us in Sewanee! The Department of English & Creative Writing's is seeking applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Poetry position! Apply by Nov. 3.

Also, support literary magazines, especially if you submit to them. As you are able, amplify them on social media, subscribe, or volunteer as a reader. I learned a ton reading for @themassreview.bsky.social. The lit mag ecosystem needs balance between submissions and readers, else the latter drown.

Also, support literary magazines, especially if you submit to them. As you are able, amplify them on social media, subscribe, or volunteer as a reader. I learned a ton reading for @themassreview.bsky.social, and the lit mag ecosystem needs a balance between submissions and readers.

Same!

The cover of the novel We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad.

My “to read next” is a match …

This should be a regular feature on McSweeney’s: “Isaac Chotiner Interviews Things That Aren’t People.”

I’ve had the good fortune to have once been in the same workshop with @nafissa.bsky.social, and some of her observations have stuck with me to this day. If you have a chance to work with her, I highly recommend doing so.

Earthquakes seem to happen on the same schedule as the low battery warning on smoke alarms.

My prediction has been that Al, as implemented in LLMs, will fall far short of the hype. A common reply has been,
"but imagine how much better it will be in X years!" To which I say not all digital things improve exponentially (e.g. self-driving cars). Now a new study suggests LLMs have a ceiling.

The post you quoted would make a good final exam question in a class on privacy law: “Is it still a HIPAA violation if you are lying about the personal medical information a healthcare provider supposedly disclosed?”

(and for the pedants in the back, yes, HIPAA applies after death, for 50 years)

Jeremiah Tower dishing on the early days of Chez Panisse, sans editor? Yes please! (Not that I’d take it as gospel, but bound to be entertaining.)

I have such respect for people who acknowledge that they are fallible.

Maybe that has something to do with the phrase “he can handle his liquor”? (Sorry if everyone already knows that; I just now made the connection.)

That, sadly, is a benepropism (a term I just made up to refer to a malapropism that is more apt than the intended phrase).

Definitely! I imagine you are already aware of them, but there are two new local independent media outfits @oaklandreviewofbooks.org and @coyotemedia.org.

“He mutters something I don’t quite catch about Mossad and excuses himself to buy a hot dog.” Great line by @xlenc.bsky.social.