Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 5h

It turns out that making things more expensive makes them more expensive.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 9h

We were actually getting somewhere, too. 😞

@sbmitche.bsky.social
www.library.hbs.edu/working-know...

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 3h

Meta has removed a Chicago ICE-tracking Facebook page.

The move follows Apple and Google removing ICE activity tracking apps from their app stores.

The removals came after a demand from Trump’s DOJ.

Once again, Big Tech is bending the knee to our tyrant-in-chief to protect its bottom line.

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Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 6h

You’ll notice that new developments in generative AI are always accompanied by new ways of depicting women without their consent—undermining their autonomy and harassing them—almost like it’s a pillar of the technology and its evolution

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karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 9h

Every time a Democrat gets caught on tape saying like “Some Trump voters are racist” we have a national scandal and JD Vance demands an entirely new kind of apology and meanwhile every Republican group chat is like “Good morning fellow SS members. Who’s ready to respect Hitler today?”

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Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 7h

Almost like we founded the entire country on opposing this exact sentence.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7h

Bessent: "No kings equals no paychecks"

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Sexy Henry Kissinger Costume @mightygodking.com · 7h

"a lot of people are saying I'm racist, and I'm not! I'm just stupid"

Screenshot of Dustin Rhodes tweeting that he isn't MAGA, he's a libertarian

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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 9h

We need to talk about how social media algorithms push moms down a slippery slope of distrust.

From "Are my kids getting enough support in school?" To "Maybe I should homeschool." To "Maybe modern medicine is bad."

I've seen this first-hand in research I'm doing on parenting apps. 1/🧵

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Maureen Jice @jane.meangirls.online · 9h

You are out of your mind if you think young republicans in the early aughts weren’t bigots. They were saying the n-word all the time, too, they just didn’t have group chats to get leaked.

Amanda Marcotte @amandamarcotte.bsky.social · 11h

My parents' generation was super racist, but they took pains to hide it from us. So a lot of young conservatives in the 90s and early aughts were earnest small government and/or evangelical types.

As I said, the overt racists and radicals had to form their own orgs.

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Typewriter Skeleton @tpwrtrmnky.bsky.social · 10h

Oops! "Ironic" bigotry against software already speedran turning into real bigotry against people

Selene 🏳️‍⚧️ | ⚸ @selene.euyis.me · 14h

apparently there are now ppl calling those with prosthetics half clankers so oh that sure is going well

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Smooth Dunk @smoothdunk2.bsky.social · Jan 23

right winger identifying fascism

A 3 panel comic featuring Right Wing Red Guy

Panel 1:
Purple Guy: The LGBTQ+ community?
Angry Red Guy: Nazis

Panel 2:
Purple Guy: The pride flag?
Angry Red Guy: Fascist propaganda

Panel 3:
Purple Guy gestures to a nazi doing a nazi salute: This nazi doing a nazi salute?
Red Guy: Awww. He’s pwobbably waving at his mommy

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Dieselbrain @dieselbrain.bsky.social · 1d

‪
#SaveSpeech

If you're like me and you are struggling to contact your senators re: KOSA via their phone lines this week, I recommend attempting to send physical letters or emails in the meantime.

Here is a script you can use to contact your reps!

www.commoncause.org/find-your-re...

Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [LOCATION]
I'm messaging to demand [SENATOR] oppose S. 1748, the Kids Online Safety Act, also known as KOSA. This broad legislation does not protect anyone and instead will be used to block any speech that the Trump administration’s partisan FTC disagrees with. It pushes the “duty of care” onto websites and social media platforms to remove content that is “harmful to children”. It would lead to overcompliance, mass censorship, and remove access to crucial information re: everything from mental health, LGBT topics, substance abuse, eating disorders and more.
Additionally, while large, corporate platforms like X can shoulder the weight of “duty of care”, smaller websites cannot, leading to greater and greater concentrations of power online into giant corporate platforms rather than small and medium sized businesses.
KOSA will not make kids safer. It will make the internet more dangerous for anyone who relies on it to learn, connect, or speak freely. Lawmakers should reject it, and fast.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
IF SENATOR COSPONSORED KOSA: Additionally, I want to remark on [SENATOR]’s cosponsorship of this bill. I think it is shameful that [SENATOR] has backed a bill as transparently bad as KOSA. This will not keep kids safe, it is an excuse to censor the free and open internet. I will not be voting for nor donating to [SENATOR] in any future campaigns if they do not drop their co-sponsorship of this bill, and I will encourage everyone in my life to do the same.
Do the right thing.

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Lyle Lewis @race2extinct.bsky.social · 21h

Corpus Christi lured industry with “cheap energy and abundant water.” Now both are running out. The myth of infinite resources always ends in the same place: drought, denial, and disbelief.
apple.news/A5FIymjzIRiy...

This Texas Town Is an Energy Powerhouse. It’s Running Out of Water. — The Wall Street Journal

Severe drought has Corpus Christi scrambling to meet growing demand from companies like Exxon and Tesla

apple.news

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Brendan Keogh @brkeogh.bsky.social · 1d

Visa and Mastercard have the opportunity to do something really funny.

Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 1d

Oh good, ChatGPT is getting "erotica for verified adults" later this year

We made ChatGPT pretty restrictive to make sure we were being careful with mental health issues. We realize this made it less useful/enjoyable to many users who had no mental health problems, but given the seriousness of the issue we wanted to get this right.

Now that we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues and have new tools, we are going to be able to safely relax the restrictions in most cases.

In a few weeks, we plan to put out a new version of ChatGPT that allows people to have a personality that behaves more like what people liked about 4o (we hope it will be better!). If you want your ChatGPT to respond in a very human-like way, or use a ton of emoji, or act like a friend, ChatGPT should do it (but only if you want it, not because we are usage-maxxing).

In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our “treat adult users like adults” principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults.

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Lunar Twilight VA @lunartwilightva.bsky.social · 21h

the dollar store is doing ten dollars off delivery for spooky season, so if anyone would like to give me money for snacks that would be super pogged up. im filled up on groceries for at least a week for now
ko-fi.com/lunartwiligh...

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Ghostin this Hell @hoovybaby.bsky.social · 21h

@GrayAthene
darkly funny that the media insists that only democrats have a problem with overly online staffers/ activists while ignoring the fact that ur average young republican is some groyper with a copy of bronze age pervert and porn on their hard drive that'd get you 20 to life

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Kenzie [DENMOTHER] Zero @hivezero.net · 1d

was going so smoothly, just got my new job, moving in to the new place on Oct 24th, small paycheck arrives, I think I've budgeted it all properly...

my card got compromised & my bank account has been plunged to -$400, with several urgent bills ($350) that need to be paid by Oct 17th

Support Kenzie Zero

You can support me meeting my basic expenses; bills, travel for interviews, HRT, food

ko-fi.com

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Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 1d

at this point it would be interesting journalism if someone could locate a Young Republican groupchat that was not full of overt Nazis

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Lumin @screwy.bsky.social · 22h

Just buy your favorite artists' albums where available (and Soulseek them if they're not)

They already get paid practically nothing from Spotify listens, allocate your subscription money for better support lmao

SFGATE @sfgate.com · 23h

Spotify responded that the ads do not violate its policies.

Spotify is running ICE hiring ads boasting wild signing bonuses

Spotify responded that the ads do not violate its policies.

bit.ly

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PAL @paladin42.bsky.social · 22h

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Alex Brown 🇵🇸 (they/them) @bookjockeyalex.bsky.social · 1d

Setting aside graverobbing woman who died in no small part due to men exploiting her image, copyright violations aren't "growing pains." It's literally the law. They’re breaking the law. Without copyright law, there is no creative industry, and without a creative industry, there is no genAI.

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 2d

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

www.scientificamerican.com

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Dicefunctional | TTRPG Nerds, Actual Plays, and Streamers | 🦀 @dicefunctional.bsky.social · 6d

This is a great time to remind everyone that you should in fact, still be calling MasterCard, Visa, Stripe, and other payment processors to annoy the shit out of them.

Because I'll tell you right now, that shitheel? Not gonna have to worry about them accepting payment.

*Artists will.*

Phone Numbers
• Stripe (California): +1 888 926 2289 (Say you're based in California before continuing.)
• Stripe (Headquarters): +1 (888) 963-8955
• Stripe (US): +1 (877) 887-7815
• Stripe (France): +33 805-11-19-67
Mastercard (Headquarters): +1 914-249-2000 • Mastercard (US): +1 (800)-627-8372
Mastercard (US): +1 (800)-307-7309
• Mastercard (Int.): +1 (636)-722-7111
• Mastercard (AUS): +61 1800 120 113
• Mastercard (UK): 0-800-96-4767
All region numbers for Mastercard Visa (Headquarters): +1 (650)-432-3200
• Visa (US+ Can): +1 (800)-847-2911
• Visa (AUS): +61 1800 125 440 All region numbers for Visa
• PayPal (US): +1 (888)-221-1161
• PayPal (UK): +44 (0203)-901-7000
PayPal Customer Service: +1 (877)-569-1116

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PAL @paladin42.bsky.social · 1d

MULTIPLE TIMES.

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Oh hey Chels! @chelsisright.bsky.social · 1d

If you want to see an economy, really take off and hit the stratosphere. Try this.

s. eek smith 👻 @sesmith.lol · 1d

Big fan of universal free child care!

New Mexico Is Providing Free Childcare for All. It’s Time for Others to Do the Same

The state is setting a powerful example with its first-in-the-nation plan. But the policy has support across the US.

www.thenation.com

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AltSSA @altssa.altgov.info · 1d

This article does a great job of explaining exactly how the administration can make policy changes that results in fewer people having access to benefits while still getting to say they didn’t make cuts. It’s semantics. Don’t let them fool you. It’s a cut. Period.

Kathleen Romig @kathleenromig.bsky.social · 1d

The stakes of the deep Social Security disability cuts the Trump Admin is planning:

"approval for benefits reduces the likelihood of bankruptcy, foreclosure... For low-income beneficiaries, disability benefits reduce mortality, effectively saving lives."

www.americanprogress.org/article/the-...

The Trump Administration’s Plans To Covertly Cut Social Security Disability Benefits

An upcoming regulatory proposal would change the rules of Social Security disability programs to make it harder to qualify, particularly harming older adults.

www.americanprogress.org

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Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 2d

Spotify is now running recruitment ads for ICE.

It’s time to cancel your account.

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