Chloë Lum
@compulsiveobserver.bsky.social
Installation artist. Perfume fanatic. Chronically ill. Concordia University PhD student(disability studies + performance studies + practice-based research.) Ex jammer, current failure. She/her Montréaler in Edmonton. https://linktr.ee/ChloeLum
Pinned
Chloë Lum
@compulsiveobserver.bsky.social
· Nov 14
New folks following me from starter packs, hi! Unfollow if you find me boring. I’m a chronically ill middled-aged grad student & artist in Edmonton. I’m not famous & I’m not especially funny. I don’t have a newsletter but I might post about sickness, vegan snacks, prog rock, or performance art.
I’m still working on my PhD and think genAI is a giant scam to strip us of our humanity and talents.
Calling all the PhDs I know to make monumental annoyances of themselves (and honestly, who better)
January 21, 2026 at 9:38 PM
I’m still working on my PhD and think genAI is a giant scam to strip us of our humanity and talents.
I have no patience for people creating or sharing AI slop but from the left.
You are using the tool of facism, the tool of alienation. A tool built on the stolen labour of millions for the surveillance and disenfranchisement of millions more.
It’s not clever, it’s not cute.
You are using the tool of facism, the tool of alienation. A tool built on the stolen labour of millions for the surveillance and disenfranchisement of millions more.
It’s not clever, it’s not cute.
January 21, 2026 at 6:16 PM
I have no patience for people creating or sharing AI slop but from the left.
You are using the tool of facism, the tool of alienation. A tool built on the stolen labour of millions for the surveillance and disenfranchisement of millions more.
It’s not clever, it’s not cute.
You are using the tool of facism, the tool of alienation. A tool built on the stolen labour of millions for the surveillance and disenfranchisement of millions more.
It’s not clever, it’s not cute.
Reposted by Chloë Lum
STOP using Hootsuit
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Vancouver social media company Hootsuite looking to work with ICE to ‘build trust’
Company has secured a project with ICE that involves ‘social listening’ after cancelling a contract in 2020 over employee backlash
www.theglobeandmail.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:59 PM
STOP using Hootsuit
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...
Reposted by Chloë Lum
For all the Mark Carney praise for his speech, let's remember his domestic agenda remains neoliberalism on steroids. It's a plan that makes us poorer and weaker, despite his rhetoric.
January 21, 2026 at 6:53 AM
For all the Mark Carney praise for his speech, let's remember his domestic agenda remains neoliberalism on steroids. It's a plan that makes us poorer and weaker, despite his rhetoric.
First tutorial of the semester is tomorrow, showing my students the News aria from Nixon in China at the Met. Fingers crossed!
January 21, 2026 at 4:21 AM
First tutorial of the semester is tomorrow, showing my students the News aria from Nixon in China at the Met. Fingers crossed!
I couldn’t be more pleased to have McPherson as my MP.
Today, Mark Carney delivered a speech worth watching. But a good speech is not foreign policy. The Prime Minister now needs to follow his words with action.
As a start, Mark Carney must:
1/4
As a start, Mark Carney must:
1/4
January 20, 2026 at 11:51 PM
I couldn’t be more pleased to have McPherson as my MP.
Reposted by Chloë Lum
Pyramid scheme could falter without new rubes.
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
Big tech boss tells delegates at Davos that broader global use is essential if technology is to deliver lasting growth
www.irishtimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Pyramid scheme could falter without new rubes.
You all know what to do.
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
AI boom could falter without wider adoption, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella warns
Big tech boss tells delegates at Davos that broader global use is essential if technology is to deliver lasting growth
www.irishtimes.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:22 PM
You all know what to do.
Can someone show this to all upper level university admin and the Prime Minister?
“One notable MIT study found that 95 percent of companies that integrated AI saw zero meaningful growth in revenue. For coding tasks, one of AI’s most widely hyped applications, another study showed that programmers who used AI coding tools actually became slower at their jobs.”
AI Completely Failing to Boost Productivity, Says Top Analyst
AI may or may not excel at a lot of things, but from an economic standpoint, it's definitely not making us more productive.
futurism.com
January 20, 2026 at 7:04 AM
Can someone show this to all upper level university admin and the Prime Minister?
Edmontonians and fans of small, indépendant music venues, The Aviary has sustained fire damage and needs community support.
The Aviary in Edmonton needs our support after fire damage.
They are asking folks to buy gift certificates, and plan to reopen soon.
This size of venue is very important for the arts community here.
Please support as you are able...sharing helps!
#Edmonton #yeg #yegArts
#TheAviary
the-aviary.net
They are asking folks to buy gift certificates, and plan to reopen soon.
This size of venue is very important for the arts community here.
Please support as you are able...sharing helps!
#Edmonton #yeg #yegArts
#TheAviary
the-aviary.net
January 20, 2026 at 3:02 AM
Edmontonians and fans of small, indépendant music venues, The Aviary has sustained fire damage and needs community support.
Vaccination protects you and everyone you come in contact with. I believe that’s called a win-win.
Getting a flu shot is a small yet deeply profound act of Canadian community care
healthydebate.ca/2026/01/topi...
healthydebate.ca/2026/01/topi...
Getting a flu shot is a small yet deeply profound act of Canadian community care - Healthy Debate
Canadians know the flu is here. And we know that getting a seasonal flu vaccination is one of the best ways to protect ourselves and our community from illness.
healthydebate.ca
January 20, 2026 at 2:57 AM
Vaccination protects you and everyone you come in contact with. I believe that’s called a win-win.
Did *anyone* seriously think this was going to go otherwise?
“Foreign exporters absorbed only 4% of last year’s U.S. tariff increases by lowering prices, while American consumers and importers absorbed 96%.
“Rather than acting as a tax on foreign producers, the tariffs functioned as a consumption tax on Americans.”
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
“Rather than acting as a tax on foreign producers, the tariffs functioned as a consumption tax on Americans.”
www.wsj.com/economy/trad...
Americans Are the Ones Paying for Tariffs, Study Finds
New research contradicts President Trump’s claim that foreigners are footing the bill.
www.wsj.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:44 AM
Did *anyone* seriously think this was going to go otherwise?
I think it’s likely that the capacity of most animals has been *vastly* underestimated by humans.
January 19, 2026 at 7:33 PM
I think it’s likely that the capacity of most animals has been *vastly* underestimated by humans.
Reposted by Chloë Lum
January 15, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Essential reading.
For @msnownews.bsky.social, I wrote an article about how ICE Watch is grounded in sociological theories of violence prevention.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
Opinion | I'm a Minneapolis sociologist who studies violence. Here's how ICE observers are helping.
Research into how violence occurs shows that disapproval from the people around you can help reduce it.
www.ms.now
January 17, 2026 at 9:21 PM
Essential reading.
Reposted by Chloë Lum
It's a shame more white men over 35 aren't yelling at them then. Get to work.
ICE seems to get completely flummoxed when they’re being yelled at by white men over 35. They kind of put their heads down and shuffle their feet. It’s like their kryptonite.
January 17, 2026 at 6:08 PM
It's a shame more white men over 35 aren't yelling at them then. Get to work.
For the past two week, FB keeps shoving Threads posts in my feed from total randos that are all along the lines of ‘I though Canadians were supposed to be super kind‽ now I see how cruel you all are, fuck Canada forever!’ and I’m not about to join Threads to find out but I’m *very* confused.
January 17, 2026 at 8:47 PM
For the past two week, FB keeps shoving Threads posts in my feed from total randos that are all along the lines of ‘I though Canadians were supposed to be super kind‽ now I see how cruel you all are, fuck Canada forever!’ and I’m not about to join Threads to find out but I’m *very* confused.
Making pizza for the first time in a while. Last time I used whole wheat flour and it was *awful* and put me off my pizza game but I’m back baby!
I’m going with mushrooms, field roast Italian sausage, roast potatoes, and capers.
I’m going with mushrooms, field roast Italian sausage, roast potatoes, and capers.
January 17, 2026 at 12:06 AM
Making pizza for the first time in a while. Last time I used whole wheat flour and it was *awful* and put me off my pizza game but I’m back baby!
I’m going with mushrooms, field roast Italian sausage, roast potatoes, and capers.
I’m going with mushrooms, field roast Italian sausage, roast potatoes, and capers.
Conservatives really showing where they stand.
Among Those Who Say To Defend Our Nation:
All: 59%
New Democrats: 78%
Liberals: 73%
Bloc Quebecois: 46%
Conservatives: 38%
All: 59%
New Democrats: 78%
Liberals: 73%
Bloc Quebecois: 46%
Conservatives: 38%
"If Canada were ever to face a situation in which the United States used military force against Canadian territory, what do you believe should be Canada primary response?"
Defend and Fight: 59%
Avoid Fighting - Make Concessions: 24%
EKOS / Jan 14, 2026 / n=1012 / MOE 3.1% / IVR
Defend and Fight: 59%
Avoid Fighting - Make Concessions: 24%
EKOS / Jan 14, 2026 / n=1012 / MOE 3.1% / IVR
January 16, 2026 at 10:27 PM
Conservatives really showing where they stand.
Reposted by Chloë Lum
Among other things, LLMs appear to be an incredibly effective accelerant for mental illness.
He Was Indicted for Cyberstalking. His Former Friends Tracked His ChatGPT Meltdown
Brett Dadig faces up to 70 years in prison on charges of cyberstalking and interstate threats.
www.rollingstone.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Among other things, LLMs appear to be an incredibly effective accelerant for mental illness.
Reposted by Chloë Lum
Canada’s AI Minister “has been accused of naively embracing AI rather than working to mitigate its harms, and of listening mostly to voices from the tech sector—those who stand to benefit most from rapid AI adoption.”
Good article on the issues with Evan Solomon’s approach to tech and AI.
Good article on the issues with Evan Solomon’s approach to tech and AI.
Evan Solomon Wants Canada to Trust AI. Can We Trust Evan Solomon? | The Walrus
The journalist-turned-minister says the tech will make us richer and regulation should be “light”
thewalrus.ca
January 16, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Canada’s AI Minister “has been accused of naively embracing AI rather than working to mitigate its harms, and of listening mostly to voices from the tech sector—those who stand to benefit most from rapid AI adoption.”
Good article on the issues with Evan Solomon’s approach to tech and AI.
Good article on the issues with Evan Solomon’s approach to tech and AI.
Seems like being held hostage by oil and fas is bad for Alberta and bad for jobs.
"But O & G is the only industry employing people and keeping food on tables so we have to hold our entire society hostage to fossil fuels!" 🫠
Alberta's oilpatch cut 10,000 jobs last year — even as production soared | Edmonton Journal
#ableg #abpoli #ClimateChange
https://edmontonjournal.com/business/energy/albertas-oilpatch-cut-10000-jobs-last-year-even-as-production-soared
#ableg #abpoli #ClimateChange
https://edmontonjournal.com/business/energy/albertas-oilpatch-cut-10000-jobs-last-year-even-as-production-soared
January 15, 2026 at 3:34 AM
Seems like being held hostage by oil and fas is bad for Alberta and bad for jobs.
I keep seeing posts about how the police should do something about ICE, and months ago I kept seeing posts about how the police should do something about DOGE. It’s confusing because I didn’t know newborn infants could post.
January 15, 2026 at 2:57 AM
I keep seeing posts about how the police should do something about ICE, and months ago I kept seeing posts about how the police should do something about DOGE. It’s confusing because I didn’t know newborn infants could post.
Hormonal birth control is one of the greatest inventions of the past hundred years. Any campaign to push people away from it is a psyop made to strip anyone who can become pregnant of their human rights.
If you are at all in a position to influence young people, even via social media, please push back on this shit
Hormonal birth control can not only prevent pregnancy, it can help relieve symptoms from painful and severe conditions like PCOS. It can also help you skip your period altogether!
Hormonal birth control can not only prevent pregnancy, it can help relieve symptoms from painful and severe conditions like PCOS. It can also help you skip your period altogether!
‘The most feminist thing you can do for yourself is not take birth control’: The shifting politics of the pill | CNN Politics
MAHA and social media are reshaping how women of different political backgrounds look at birth control, alarming medical professionals.
www.cnn.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Hormonal birth control is one of the greatest inventions of the past hundred years. Any campaign to push people away from it is a psyop made to strip anyone who can become pregnant of their human rights.