Tech (ux, infosec, facepalms), ethics, science, US politics, climate action, public health, social justice, human rights. Visuals on art, crafts, weird stuff, living things, archaeology, landscapes. Beauty and curiosities.
Left Coast, US
Following behind you adding ALT text so I can boost your images.
...testosterone to boost muscle mass and bone density, the peptides BPC-157 and thymosin to speed up recovery, and ipamorelin and CJC-1295 to increase the release of growth hormone in the body. #posthumanOlympics
https://www.wired.com/story/enhanced-games-freestyle-record-las-vegas-steroids/
Meiselas: The right wing and Fox teamed up Friday to run a smear campaign against Gavin Newsom. In the past, he may have said, "These are just crazy right-wing people—why respond to online trolls?"
But during the wildfires, he saw how those trolls work with Fox and the New York Post to shape a false narrative. If you don’t respond quickly, the lies become the story and you lose the chance to fight back.
So Newsom responds immediately—and his team doesn’t hesitate.
SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is seeking to team up with TSMC to realize what could be his biggest bet yet — a trillion-dollar industrial complex in Arizona to build robots and AI. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/20/companies/masayoshi-son-ai-hub-us/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #softbank #tsmc #masayoshison #us #arizona #ai #tech
The national debt is approaching $37 trillion. This week, #Senate Republicans unveiled #legislation that would raise the debt limit by $5.1 trillion, higher than the $4 trillion increase that #House Republicans voted for in their bill last month. Such an increase would likely extend the nation’s ability to borrow into 2028.
#SouthAfrica Built a #Medical #Research Powerhouse. #Trump Cuts Have Demolished It.
The #budget cuts threaten #global progress on everything from #HeartDisease to #HIV — & could affect American #drug companies, too.
#law #science #medicine #SoftPower #Humanitarian #DOGE #Musk #RFKJr #eugenics
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/health/south-africa-medical-research-trump.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
@timnitGebru this quote was also particularly brilliant imho:
“First, you kill the environment in the process of getting to so-called AGI, and then that AGI is going to somehow magically stop forest fires and storms and the wind?” Gebru asks, dumbfounded. “It doesn’t make any sense. There are no specifics of how this could happen.”
Edit: the full article is definitely worth reading, just in case you haven't yet: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/billionaires-psychology-tech-politics-1235358129/
Study: Meta’s Llama 3.1 can recall 42 percent of the first Harry Potter book
The research could have big implications for generative AI copyright lawsuits.
https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/06/study-metas-llama-3-1-can-recall-42-percent-of-the-first-harry-potter-book/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social
@angusm
For anyone concerned about microplastics, here's a guide to eco-friendly glitter courtesy of @PhoenixSerenity
@gedeonm @femme_mal @angusm Throwing anything at them is illegal and can get people killed. I suspect that’s not the issue.
Apparently, protesters have started throwing glitter at ICE agents. You can picture the scene at home.
Agent's wife: Why do you have glitter all over you?
Agent (sweating anxiously): I … I went to a strip club with the guys. And … I got a lap dance from a stripper.
Wife: Huh. I guess that's OK then. For a moment I was worried that you'd started working for ICE.
Relieved to see Mahmoud has been released https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/564779/pro-palestinian-activist-mahmoud-khalil-walks-free-after-us-judge-orders-release
TRANS PEOPLE IN THE US who are thinking of leaving: seriously consider Thailand.
The culture here has a long history of indigenous LGBTQ-acceptance, with indigenous forms of gender diversity that are still a part of everyday life. There has also been major progress in the legal side of trans rights in the last several years, and this is looking like it will continue as the trans rights movement here is very strong. And a lot of people speak English in the capital and other places, probably even more so than in Japan or some other areas of Asia.
TIL that “speed friending” events are a thing.
These speed-friending questions seem both unnecessarily difficult and inane. I would definitely move to another bar stool if someone started chatting to me with the questions on it.
We could easily brainstorm a better list.
When qualifying people for research, it’s helpful to start with the biggest disqualifiers first, to stop wasting time ASAP.
Here it should be “So, what do you think about limiting my civil rights?”
https://www.thenarratologist.com/best-fun-speed-friending-questions/
‘Martyrdom or Bust:’ Texas Man Caught Plotting Terror Attack Through Roblox Chats
Denmark deploying US-made 'sail drones' in the Baltic to monitor for maritime activity that threatens submarine cable infrastructure, Russian activity in particular.
While good on paper, not everyone is happy with the supplier.
Jacob Herbst, head of the Danish Cybersecurity Council, said: “With the international situation we are currently seeing, you obviously have to think very carefully when choosing American suppliers in this area.”
Protect Yourself From Meta’s Latest Attack on #Privacy
Researchers recently caught #Meta using an egregious new #tracking technique to #spy on you. Exploiting a technical loophole, the company was able to have their apps snoop on users’ web #browsing. This tracking technique stands out for its flagrant disregard of core #security protections built into phones & browsers. This is yet another reason to distrust Meta, block web tracking, & end #surveillance #advertising.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/protect-yourself-metas-latest-attack-privacy
Mahmoud Khalil has been ordered to be released!!!
A federal court has ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian political prisoner and Columbia student detained as punishment for his advocacy for Palestinian human rights.
Today marks 104 days since Khalil was first abducted by ICE and DHS on Columbia University property. Since his abduction by the state, Khalil has spent months in immigration detention in Louisiana, a long ways away from his wife Dr. Noor Abdallah. Khalil also missed the birth of his newborn son Deen and has been separated from his wife and newborn since his arrest.
If your country's police force dresses like this, you may live in a military dictatorship.
So, remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted about visiting the #AtlanticOcean in #Maine, and the water was very warm? I was *not* imagining it!
#Atlantic #HurricaneSeason is almost here, and conditions are primed for 'rapid intensification'
How many hurricanes will there be this year? Will this season be worse than 2024? AccuWeather meteorologists have the answers to these questions and more ahead of the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season on June 1.
By Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior content editor
Published May 21, 2025
"One of the biggest factors for tropical development in 2025 is the abundance of warm water available to fuel storms. 'The water temperatures across most of the Atlantic are above average for this time of the year,' AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. 'They're not quite as warm as what we saw last year and in 2023, but they're still well, well above average.'
"Waters are expected to stay warm throughout most of the hurricane season, which will prime storms for explosive development. "
#ClimateChange #WarmingOceans #AtlanticHurricaneSeason #HurricaneSeason2025 #USWx #ExtremeWx #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #AtlanticOcean #GlobalWarming
