Dr. Tanya Samman

Modern-Day Oracles or Bullshit Machines: Introduction A free online humanities course about how to learn and work and thrive in an AI world.

Thank you so much, April. We’d like to write an update too—so much has happened in a mere five years—but I think we have to tackle the bullshit machines first.

IF the staff and leadership of an organization struggle with this in a public facing way, they need to reevaluate their public-facing strategy.

While it may be fun and feasible to play with your users (customers) in a small organization, the larger you grow, the less you can do that.

Arguably, an organization's CEO wanting to treat the website they've created for everyday regular people as a fun playground is toxic.

The inability to take criticism is toxic.

THIS feels incredibly toxic after the behaviour of Bsky leadership this last week.

How often do I see toxicity?
I see Palestinians get deleted for asking for help.
I see sex workers harassed.
I see Jewish people brigaded.
I see trans people put on irl watchlists.
I see white supremacists lauded.

Let me break it down in simple terms:

If Motion C-242 was adopted, someone could FALSELY ACCUSE you of a crime you didn’t commit and you’d need to rot in a jail cell for possibly months or years until your actual trial to prove your innocence.
Or a bail set so high you’d never be able to pay it.
Let that sink in.
#cdnpoli

[internal screaming continues]

What?!😱

UNLESS you have literally built a tiny message board for your 20 closest friends to rant about hockey, plan outings, and post their gundam sketches (yes, this is a personal example), you do not have the ability to exist on your social media site as a regular person AND also be in charge.

If there is one thing social media managers, owners, and operators need to understand, it is this: your users are not your friends.

You need to divorce yourself from the idea that the social media corporation you build is your playground.

This way lies madness.

And greed

We really need to start caring about lying, as a society

The wellness industry makes lots of dollars for its quackticans. 🦆💰Thank you Dr.Stea

PP completely lacks self awareness.

Vehicles registered to Ford cabinet ministers caught by speed cameras more than 20 times | Globalnews.ca Documents obtained by Global News reveal that, over three years, vehicles registered to Ford’s cabinet minister received more than $3,300 in fines for speeding.

This made me laugh for ~40 seconds.

People are allowed to be their whole selves!

If you don't want to see it, don't follow them!

Paramount Buys Bari Weiss’s the Free Press for $150 Million Weiss, who once said she was done with legacy media, is to take control of CBS News’s editorial vision, aiming for “news that reflects reality.”

You work hard as a journalist. You lead with empathy, and you sweat details. You operate in good faith. You believe in honesty and truth. You get yelled at by the president of the United States. You worry that you'll get laid off. Again and again.

And then you see this. www.wsj.com/business/med...

The grand unified “Everyone is Twelve” theory is a legit contribution to contemporary thought and critique. We really are ruled by evil adult children!

It's not coincidental that a white dude can be a transphobic piece of shit over and over again (JS) and maintain his social media platform but a Black man makes one questionable joke about a white dude who called for the euthanasia of queer people being killed and the Black dude gets full nuked.

No Resistance Without People
Vidha Saumya, 2024
Vía PPPA

Rewatching Lower Decks and I like that they got George Takei to say “the horsie’s going to bite you now” like this show knows what to do with a guest voice.

Manitoba government unveils plan to make net-zero greenhouse gas emission decisions The provincial government is sharing how it hopes to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Manitoba government unveils plan to make net-zero greenhouse gas emission decisions

This is an ongoing theme with #PierrePoilievre. He covertly spreads MAGA propaganda (see next post/skeet) while pretending to be ‘tough’ on Trump. While at the same time, Poilievre apes Pete Hegseth and is followed by the worst Trump Nazis & Kremlin propagandists. #cdnpoli #CanadaSky #NeverPoilievre

Three more old white Republican guys excited about violence against women

“When a Guardian reporter pointed out on social media that the image was not a genuine photograph… the Oregon Republican Party’s X account replied: ‘We’re not reporters, just bad memers.’”

Because no one besides reporters has an obligation to not lie?

A photo of the Matterhorn rising above an Alpine landscape. The colours are a little washed out, but do not appear artificially tinted

Ahead of tomorrow’s #NobelPrize announcement, I went on a deep dive in search of the most obscure physics Nobel Prizes in history. That means it's time for a thread on...🧵

PHYSICS NOBEL PRIZES YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF – PART 1

(1/n)

Quebec and Alberta united in pushing back against Ottawa, Premier Danielle Smith says MONTREAL - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Monday that her province and Quebec are united in their desire to resist federal overreach, as she pushed for closer economic ties between

We don't want the federal government to overreach!
Erm, except when we demand they override BC's wishes and force a pipeline through. That's perfectly fine. But nothing else!

Danielle Smith: You can't build Canada without a pipeline

I think she'll find that Canada was built just fine without a pipeline. A railroad on the other hand...

That ... makes sense to me. It's a matter of adulting and how adulting is designed. I know many people who, once in retirement, suddenly throw tons of books at me and want to book club with me and I am like...when am I supposed to be reading all of this?!