Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Antijen

The Grim Spectre of Christian Lipski @christianlipski.bsky.social · 8h

They say that a group of ravens is called an "unkindness" but I think maybe someone misheard. After some disappointing trick-or-treating excursions I am more inclined to consider an unkindness of raisins.

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 8h

The eyelashes.

This is amazing.

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Erin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 8h

You know what tool existed when I was in high school that no one ever taught me how to use? Excel. A thing I use all the time now, mostly self-taught, existed in the late 1990s and no one was upending the curriculum to make sure I knew how to use it.

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 9h

Spoons are spoons. So weird how some people need specific ones for ice cream vs soup vs cereal vs yogurt.

You've been kidnapped

Your kidnappers allow you keep posting on social media to pretend everything is alright.

What would you post that would alarm your followers, without the kidnappers knowing you're asking for help?

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 10h

If you're thinking of going to a protest this weekend but you're hesitating because you don't have time to make a clever sign, or find an American flag, or don't know what to wear, or can't stay long.. just go. Just show up. It matters.

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 10h

You are wise.

These are excellent guidelines.

Making this a great place to be isn't actually that hard!

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alison says reinstate Link! @alisonborealis.bsky.social · 11h

To all the new arrivals, I thought I'd re-share my guidelines for being on Bluesky.

Whether you choose to use any of them is up to you, but your experience here depends entirely on how you set up your feed and how you interact with people.

... you know, just like in-person life.

alison says reinstate Link! @alisonborealis.bsky.social · Nov 10

Hello newskies!

I've seen a number of these things go around, and I've finally decided to jump on the bandwagon...

So here we are: alison's rules of Bluesky:

(It's a short list with many (hopefully) straight-forward explanatory sub-points)

Use Alt-Text
- We are making an inclusive space here.
- Alt text loads even when images don’t load (so people can still understand what’s going on during low bandwidth episodes)
- Disabled people (including blind, vision-impaired, and folks with reading glasses) deserve to be included.
- Many people won’t like or share non-alt-texted image posts
- Use alt-text to describe the image not to post links, credits, jokes or other stuff

Block early and often
- Do not quote dunk, do not engage the trolls, just block.
- Block people who annoy you.
- Block reply guys.
- Block anybody you want; this is YOUR social media experience.
- Join as many blocklists as you want!
- Do not try to evade a block.

Gas people up
- Want to have a positive experience here? BE a positive experience here.
- Cheer people on!
- Support them in challenging times!
- Tell them why you think they’re awesome!
- Compliment the things they’re sharing (like if they made a cake and post photos, etc)
- Say the things you wish others told you - they’ll probably return the favour!

Don’t be a reply guy
- Treat people with respect
- Assume that no advice is wanted unless advice is specifically asked for
- Do not assume other people you’re talking with lack expertise just because you’ve never heard of them before.

Amplify others
- See a post you think is awesome? Repost it!
- Quote-post your support for others and their ideas or concerns.
- Help increase the reach of other people’s posts and projects (particularly help marginalized voices reach more people)
- Do not copy, screenshot, or empty-quote-post people just to get your name on the material instead. Don’t take credit for other people’s work. Bluesky doesn’t do analytics; you don’t have engagement stats.

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Amy Rae Hill @amyraehill.bsky.social · 11h

I'm probably not alone as an artist who's a bit burnt out and drained right now. But this. This right here keeps the fire going. Science like Doug's allows my art to exist. We all have to keep working and making and showing up so everybody gets to do what they want to do.

Doug Ellison @dougellison.bsky.social · 11h

On Monday I braced for this most recent round of JPL layoffs by looking around my office for what I cared about most to take it home in case I never got to return. I grabbed just one thing - the beautiful bowl by @amyraehill.bsky.social inspired by the false color postcard I took with Curiosity.

A circular bowl decorated with a landscape scene. The inner surface of the bowl is painted to resemble a landscape with mountains. The top portion is a bright, clear blue sky transitioning into a warm yellow-gold sun. The lower portion depicts dark, rugged terrain. The bowl is sitting on a dark surface with a pattern of bright, colorful, geometric dots and lines.

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Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg @theradr.bsky.social · Jul 4

Please believe me when I tell you:

Double the fuck down on your spiritual practice now.

You are going to need it.

And no, that doesn't have to be a prayer-god thing.

The thing that sustains and nourishes you.

That makes you more alive to yourself, the world, others.

More present.

More:

fortify inside

why spiritual practice matters during the rising authoritarian tide

www.lifeisasacredtext.com

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 11h

Didn't take my little mental health walk today because my schedule was too packed. Surprising to notice how big of a difference it makes, even when I have to drag myself out of the house because I didn't want to go.

Need to make up for it tomorrow.

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Jeremy @floregonian.com · 11h

Hey, tell someone you appreciate them, if you have a minute. Folks could use to know.

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 12h

I have tried so hard (and mostly failed) to convince family and friends to stop paying attention to those posts and links. They distort/exaggerate everything and it feels like their goal is to kill us all off with high blood pressure.

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 12h

I try not to repost news from Meidas because, and this is important, they click bait and rage bait and honestly I don't think any of us need that shit.

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Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 20h

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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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 19h

You are worth it. 100%.

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Ward Q. Normal (he/him) @wardqnormal.bsky.social · 20h

Everyone going on Saturday, make sure you bring American flags. I wanna see lots of kids, lots of cringe, and the whole thing smothered in a thick, syrupy layer of wholesome. I want it to be impossible for these people to process what they see.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21h

Johnson: "We call it the Hate America Rally that will happen Saturday. Let's see who shows up for that. I bet you you'll see Hamas supporters, I bet you'll see antifa types, I bet you'll see Marxists on full display, people who don't want to stand and defend the foundational truths of this republic"

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Andrew Karre @andrewkarre.bsky.social · 21h

The Texas law @heykellyjensen.bsky.social describes in this article effectively abolishes school libraries in Texas. Libraries rely on the curatorial expertise of professional librarians; otherwise they’re just buildings full of books.
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bookriot.com/new-braunfel...

A Texas District Has Just Banned Students from Secondary School Libraries

In order to ban books from its libraries, New Braunfels Independent School District has just closed its libraries to middle and high schoolers.

bookriot.com

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Andrew Karre @andrewkarre.bsky.social · 21h

I am begging people outside the book industry to understand that what we’re experiencing is not merely a surge in book banning but a coordinated effort to end libraries and librarianship in America. 4/4

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 22h

This is it. People use the genAIs instead of search engines now and trust the answer - so why not do the same for images?

I hate it.

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leupagus @leupagus.bsky.social · 23h

Or if you live somewhere now that you believe doesn't need your donations, look up your hometown or those of your relatives—or any rural area that you think would benefit in the next five years from having quality news and programming for free—and donate there.

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Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 1d

1)You may remember the articles criticizing liberal students for their hesitancy to make friends with conservative students—alleging that they were less open-minded than their conservative counterparts.

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 1d

Here are the little darlings they’ve created. Horrifying.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Micah @rincewind.run · 1d

I know the headline everyone's running with is "erotica" but "we have been able to mitigate the serious mental health issues" and "we are putting personality back in ChatGPT so it will act like a friend" are diametrically opposed statements

that's the cause of most of the mental health issues

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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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 1d

What can the average nobody do to try and insulate their families against this impending doom?

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 6d

“Concerns over an AI bubble bursting have grown lately, with analysts recently finding that it’s 17 times the size of the dotcom-era bubble and four times bigger than the 2008 financial crisis.”

Hang onto your butts. This “correction” is gonna hurt.
futurism.com/artificial-i...

Bank of England Warns of Impending AI Disaster

The Bank of England has sounded the alarm, warning of an intensifying risk of a "sudden correction" due to an AI spending frenzy.

futurism.com

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Mikki Kendall @karnythia.bsky.social · 1d

I just want you all to know that when we told you that they wanted to destroy everything and you thought Black women were exaggerating? This was the "ironic" racism you said we were overreacting to 10 years ago. Racism has never had generational limits

Politico @politico.com · 1d

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Kaitlin Is Just Getting Started @gothamgirlblue.com · 1d

I can also confirm that many white people care more about harm to dogs than harm to Black/brown people, so this is not a bad way to draw them in to the evils being done by this regime.

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 1d

“This heckin’ pupperino fucking hates La Migra,” to paraphrase from @weratedogs.com

Rate Dogs & • Follow
...
2h •
This is Chop. He was shot and killed by masked assailants in plain clothes who go by ICE. They showed up at his door "looking for migrants after receiving a tip." The son of the family asked if they could wait before entering the home while he put Chop away in the bathroom, as the dog can be aggressive with strangers.
According to the family, it is at this point that the son went to his pickup truck to retrieve his ID and a Border Patrol agent entered the home, opened the bathroom door, and shot Chop. None of the agents helped the family, who desperately tried to render aid to Chop, as he bled to death on the kitchen floor. Unsurprisingly, the agent who shot their dog then hid from them and refused to give his name. Even more unsurprising, they did not find any evidence of the migrants they were there to terrorize in the first place.
Do not open your door for these fucking losers. Rest easy Chop
14/10
CBP Office of Professional Responsibility:
202-344-1808
JointIntake@cbp.dhs.gov
El Paso Border Patrol Sector:
915-834-8400
fpfelpaso@cbp.dhs.gov
Rep. Veronica Escobar (El Paso):
915-541-1400
veronica.escobar@mail.house.gov
https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/el-paso-family-claims-border-patrol-killed-their-dog-during-search-cbp-

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Antijen @antijen.bsky.social · 1d

So. Much.

laura olin @lauraolin.bsky.social · 1d

The “Oops, protein powder is full of lead” thing would explain so much.

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