Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

jonl @weblogsky.com · 4h

Apparently she's been released...

Reposted by jonl

John Schwartz @jswatz.bsky.social · 7h

From “Vineland”: "it's the whole Reagan program, isn't it—dismantle the New Deal, reverse the effects of World War II, restore fascism at home and around the world, flee into the past, can't you feel it, all the dangerous childish stupidity—'I don't like the way it came out, I want it to be my way’”

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 4h

LLMs are neural networks trained to model the probability of the next token from context; they learn rich representations of language and world knowledge, and chat systems often augment them with tuning, sampling, and external tools. So say we all.

jonl @weblogsky.com · 1d

I looked into that "cyber incident" in Sugar Land, TX (since we're both Texans). Check out the big honking alert on Sugar Land's website. There's a link to a page with more info: www.sugarlandtx.gov/2957/Cyber-I... Not much about the nature of the attack, though.

Cyber Incident Response | Sugar Land, TX - Official Website

www.sugarlandtx.gov

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 3d

RFK Jr. clearly hates people on the spectrum, probably because they’re so much smarter than he is.

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Reposted by jonl

Plutopia News Network @plutopia.io · 4d

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: Vincent Price is Robur, the "Master of the World" in this 1961 steampunk film, about as epic as American International Pictures could get with its low budget vibe. Robur is like Captain Nemo, but airborne. youtu.be/AsJruGxyHBE?...

Master of the World - Vincent Price (1961) - Official Trailer (HD)

YouTube video by ScreamFactoryTV

youtu.be

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 5d

Heh - I tried a similar prompt here...

jonl @weblogsky.com · 6d

Scoop Sweeney and I have published 450 videos on our Plutopia News Network channel at YouTube - check it out, poke around, watch a few! And subscribe if you like what you see! www.youtube.com/@PlutopiaNew...

Plutopia News Network

News and interviews from the fringes, reporting from the bleeding edges of culture and technology. Plutopia News Network is a podcast featuring conversations with cool and interesting people explor...

www.youtube.com

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 7d

Here's the conversation we had about A Natural History of Empty Lots when it was first released: plutopia.io/christopher-...

Christopher Brown: A Natural History of Empty Lots - Plutopia News Network

Christopher Brown discusses his latest book, "A Natural History of Empty Lots," which blends nature writing, memoir, and nonfiction.

plutopia.io

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Reposted by jonl

ejgertz she/her/hers @ejgertz.bsky.social · 8d

When the president and his party keep making stuff up to justify military occupation of cities, it oughta lead the news coverage. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America

A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland

www.theguardian.com

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 9d

No doubt they're slaves or slave-adjacent. You'd have to maintain a huge volume of these idiotic phishing messages to find enough takers to make a dime. (Though some phishing operations are far more sophisticated, and I wonder especially about those...)

jonl @weblogsky.com · 11d

No doubt.

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Reposted by jonl

Plutopia News Network @plutopia.io · 11d

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: David Cronenberg's "The Shrouds" is a meditation on death, loss, and the power of grief. A grieving tech entrepreneur creates "GraveTech" for a live, 3D view of the decomposing corpse of loved ones. youtu.be/vwh1Fob4VKs?...

THE SHROUDS - Official Trailer

YouTube video by Janus Films

youtu.be

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 11d

I suspect he made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

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Reposted by jonl

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 16d

Utilities, groceries, health care premiums all going sky high, and he’s blabbering on like he’s Louis XIV in Versailles.

The post from @realDonaldTrump claims that 24 Karat Gold was used in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room of the White House, impressing foreign leaders and others with its quality and beauty. It describes this as the "Best Oval Office ever" in terms of success and appearance, signed by "President DJT."

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 16d

Apparently they've finally rounded up enough rakes and yard bags to deploy troops to Portland. www.opb.org/article/2025...

From passing mention to authorized deployment: a timeline of the president’s pressure on Portland

On the streets, in phone calls, letters, press conferences and a lawsuit — many Oregonians are opposing President Donald Trump’s planned use of the National Guard in Portland.

www.opb.org

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 18d

Acclaimed journalist and New Yorker staff writer John Seabrook discusses his deeply personal and provocative book, "The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty." We explore themes of power, family dysfunction, and historical memory. tinyurl.com/spinach-king

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Reposted by jonl

Plutopia News Network @plutopia.io · 18d

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: In "Long Distance," an asteroid mining vessel crashes into a barren planet, and a survivor learns that he's not alone. Fast-paced, intense tale of tale of endurance. youtu.be/zPDGiJGIgyo?...

Long Distance Trailer Remake | Universal Pictures

YouTube video by FrameFusion

youtu.be

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 19d

Hilarious! I've been added to a block list called "AI Slop."

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jonl @weblogsky.com · 20d

If you recruit survey participants by asking them to "share your workslop story," as these folks are doing, *of course* your respondents will report that they've encountered workslop. It's a leading question.

jonl @weblogsky.com · 23d

My wife and I are trying to decide how to handle merch for our funerals.

Reposted by jonl

Plutopia News Network @plutopia.io · 25d

Plutopia News Network Sci-Fi Saturday: 1961 Italian sci-fi potboiler "Battle of the Worlds" pits Claude Rains against a zombie planet threatening Earth. Full color, cool 'lectronic soundtrack, low budget but fun to watch. Full movie: youtu.be/FEhUitAddYs?...

Battle of the Worlds (1961 Sci-Fi) An armed meteor is sent to destroy Earth... in 4K

YouTube video by Cult Cinema Classics

youtu.be

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Reposted by jonl

Lane Becker @lanebecker.bsky.social · 26d

“Fascism is a temper tantrum disguised as an ideology.” www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8SHcorw/

there’s no such thing as hypocrisy when you’re worldview is that you can just do whatever you want. * * * enjoy my rant. views are my own

TikTok video by Abbie Richards

www.tiktok.com

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jonl @weblogsky.com · Sep 14

People who are super-concerned about data center energy use but keep their thermostats set at 68 degrees in the heat of summer don't have much credibility with me.

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jonl @weblogsky.com · Sep 13

Is this the radical left he was talking about?