Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

André Alessi

@andrealessi.bsky.social

1.5K followers 1.1K following 3.3K posts

Philosophy PhD student at the University of Waikato (working on how regular people figure out when to trust experts) but I mainly joke about tech and cats. Former telco product manager, data guy and financial crime analyst. https://ko-fi.com/andrealessi

ko-fi.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · Mar 17

Onion headline: Guy In Philosophy Class Needs To Shut The Fuck Up

7 3 42

Reposted by André Alessi

Nate Patrin @natepatrin.bsky.social · 10h

things bullets say

Ian @brocktoon.bsky.social · 10h

Almost every time I go thru JFK something weird happens.

6 680 4.1K

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 5h

This guy.

Reposted by André Alessi

Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 6h

I think you should be able to put on your resumé that you know the names of all the space marines from Aliens. Maybe your business needs to know about Wierzbowski.

23 13 300

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 7h

"Before" isn't relevant to Madam Web.

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 8h

youtu.be/7nRvbiCHTCs?...

1 1 3

Reposted by André Alessi

Des Fitzgerald @desfitzgerald.bsky.social · 13h

Seeing people nonchalantly post stuff like makes me feel like I'm going crazy honestly.

A post from an academic on blue sky that says: "I'm learning about "prompt engineering" when asking LLMs to extract data. I now add this to all instructions:

Style
Be concise, analytic, and specific (cite page/figure if provided). If essential info is missing, keep going but flag Unclear and exact data needed. Never invent data.

#academicsky"

45 85 650

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 10h

That's right.

Billy Bragg - There Is Power in a Union (Pride Original Soundtrack Version)

YouTube video by Billy Bragg

youtu.be

2 6

Reposted by André Alessi

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 15h

yearly reminder to people insisting that we view Christopher Columbus as "a man of his time" that *the people responsible for the Spanish Inquisition* thought Columbus was out of pocket

Thomas Lecaque @tlecaque.bsky.social · 17h

Christopher Columbus was dragged back to Spain in chains by a crusading knight, convicted of tyranny and immeasurable cruelty, pardoned by Isabella but banned from returning to Hispaniola.

Fuck Columbus.

89 2.3K 7.5K

Reposted by André Alessi

Dennis B. Hooper @dennisbhooper.bsky.social · Jul 6

For just $30 an hour I will watch streaming shows with your parents and tell them whether something is a flashback

43 170 1.8K

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 10h

Unfortunately, we live in one.

Reposted by André Alessi

Angus Johnston @angus.bsky.social · 11h

Just a quick reminder that the disagreement over the globe between Columbus and his peers wasn't about the SHAPE, but about the SIZE—and that in that dispute, Columbus was the one who was wrong.

Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 11h

No he didn’t and no we shouldn’t.

“no educated person in the history of Western Civilization from the third century B.C. onward believed that the Earth was flat”

5 46 190

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 10h

The only exceptions are novels that do have interesting things to say about time and memory (e.g. Milan Kundera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, etc.)

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 10h

Novels that use a non-chronologically linear structure are almost always covering up a weak plot without adding anything interesting to the narrative. This is just as true of mystery/noir novels as any other genre.

Rachel Feder @rachelfeder.bsky.social · 19h

Tell me your most unhinged literary opinion, as a little treat

1 1

Reposted by André Alessi

John Holbein @johnholbein1.bsky.social · 1d

This is your periodic reminder that you can add coffee stains to your LaTeX documents.

6 21 130

Reposted by André Alessi

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 1d

‘Wait, this is happening to ME so we need to do something about it.’ -ancient Republican mantra

onion person @junlper.beer · 1d

just found out that about a week ago, while george santos has been in solitary confinement, that he wrote that due to the inhuman conditions he is facing he is now pro prison reform. just unreal stuff honestly

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, I paced in circles like a restless ghost.
The windows were frosted, allowing only a faint suggestion of daylight and nightfall, enough to remind me that time was passing, though I had little sense of how.
The shower water was always cold, and my only amenities were the steel toilet and sink fused together in the corner. It was a miserable existence. Yet, as I soon learned, misery can always be deepened
On September 7th, the warden's office saw fit to move me into something far worse, an even smaller cell, no more than seven by nine feet, coated in filth, reeking of neglect, and utterly devoid of natural light or ventilation.
In that suffocating shoebox, there is no room to walk, no hint of the sun, no trace of humanity. The silence is crushing.
The air feels stale. The walls themselves seem to close in. I keep asking myself: will this barbaric confinement ever end? Is this legal under our Constitution, or have I simply been erased from the protections of due process?
Most haunting of all, will I survive it? With no access to my family, no calls, no emails, and with letters that may never leave this building, I live in total darkness, cut off from the world I once fought to serve.
Let me be blunt: I find Warden Kelly's so-called "protection" not only unpalatable, but cruel and unjustifiable. My time here has opened my eyes to a truth far too many ignore: America desperately needs prison reform.

17 150 930

Reposted by André Alessi

Micah @rincewind.run · 1d

every time someone discovers the joys of What If A Man Was Large: The Show it brings me great pleasure

rat king 🐀 👑 @mikeisaac.bsky.social · 1d

literally one episode in and this dumb fucken show rules

13 29 540

Reposted by André Alessi

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 22h

A miracle they’re still alive. Elated for their families. Can’t help but think of all the hostages who would have also come home two years ago had Netanyahu chosen his own people over his thirst for war.

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 23h

Hamas has released all 20 remaining living hostages.

The Israeli military says it has taken custody of them and will transport them onward to Israel. Follow AP's live updates.

Live updates: Israel says Hamas hands over first 7 hostages to Red Cross as part of Gaza ceasefire

The key exchange follows a breakthrough ceasefire after two years of war. U.S. President Donald Trump was also arriving in the region along with other leaders to discuss the U.S.-proposed deal and postwar plans.

bit.ly

67 600 4.1K

Reposted by André Alessi

Byron C Clark @byroncclark.bsky.social · 23h

A little more about the planned podcast project. We're just about over the line to meet the goal now; 165 more people pledging $5 and we'll be there

www.feijoadispatch.nz/p/podcast-pr...

Podcast Project: Quit Paris?

How pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords went from fringe media to the mainstream

www.feijoadispatch.nz

8 9

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 23h

Which idiot called it "genital herpes" instead of Hogwarts?

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 1d

Some of those that weigh masses
Are the same that work asses.

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 1d

Sea Shanty rights holders. 🤔

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 1d

1 2

Reposted by André Alessi

Kirsty Johnston @kirstyjohnston.bsky.social · 1d

I thought I’d have a go at answering the question: what’s the flow on effect on emissions budgets from the methane cuts?

The answer was worse than I had anticipated

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Scientists fear weaker methane target signals wider retreat from climate action

After cutting methane targets, New Zealand has a choice: shoulder the burden at huge cost - or cause more warming to the planet.

www.rnz.co.nz

14 130 210

André Alessi @andrealessi.bsky.social · 1d

Everyone in my old philsci reading group had at least one "Kim asked a question at a talk I gave" story.

Reposted by André Alessi

amanda moore 🐢 @noturtlesoup17.bsky.social · 1d

This really fucking sucks!!! I’m not even paid to be here by an outlet, so doing this is just fucking me personally!

18 270 1.9K