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Tom Goldsmith

@tomgoldsmith.bsky.social

580 followers 2.3K following 320 posts

I write about building a fairer and more inclusive society and innovation's role in doing that on the Deep Dives newsletter: https://orbitpolicy.substack.com/. Founder & Principal, Orbit Policy. Toronto via the UK.

orbitpolicy.substack.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · Aug 20

"The economy is a human construct that exists to serve human outcomes. If it isn’t delivering broad-based prosperity, livable wages, or dignity in work, then fuck that. “Industrial peace” should be burnt down, and something better should be built in its place."

open.substack.com/pub/orbitpol...

Who is the economy for?

We should be wary of arguments that prioritize the stability of the economy over real outcomes for Canadians

open.substack.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 59m

Random thought sparked by this, but it is interesting that Canadian housing has been financialized as much as it has to support people's retirement, despite the fact that Canada has some of the world's most robust and successful pension plans. I'd love to read something exploring that properly.

Ed Tubb @edtubb.bsky.social · 1h

The fact Canadian homes double as retirement funds.

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 16h

Finish this sentence: “The biggest obstacle to actually turning MY city into a better city for people is __________________________.”

Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 10h

You gently run your hand through the rack. You can feel it—pure cotton, rich wool, Irish linen. The plump buttonholes are handsewn; the buttons attached with a firm shank. You flip the price tag over. It's affordable

You buy the jacket and go home, which is only 15 mins away. Your apt is $600/month

Headline reads: Altman says ChatGPT will soon allow erotic for adult users.

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3h

"How 40 years of change brought globalisation without trust" - my latest long read (based on a talk given this morning) seems immediately relevant given further US-China tensions over global supply chains.

Global markets are a reality --->

ecipe.org/blog/the-new...

The New World of Trade – How 40 Years of Change Brought Globalisation Without Trust

Making sense of daily trade policy turbulence has become a major challenge. President Trump is just one part of a complex ever-changing picture.Stop the world to catch up is an understandable respons

ecipe.org

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Jake Williams @malwarejake.bsky.social · 20h

Tell me you're desperate for revenue without telling me.

Seriously, imagine your elevator pitch is "we offer an AI that revolutionizes the enterprise, answers questions at a PhD level, and also talks dirty to horny young men." It would be like if PornHub was selling a productivity suite.

404 Media @404media.co · 20h

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced in a post on X Tuesday that ChatGPT is officially getting into the fuckable chatbots game, with “erotica for verified adults” rolling out in December.

🔗 www.404media.co/chatgpt-erot...

ChatGPT’s Hail Mary: Chatbots You Can Fuck

As recent reports show OpenAI bleeding cash, and on the heels of accusations that ChatGPT caused teens and adults alike to harm themselves and others, CEO Sam Altman announced that you can soon fuck t...

www.404media.co

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 1d

"Innovation is not a neat three-act play comprised of research, development, and commercialization. It is more like a daytime TV soap opera where characters are killed off, then come back from the dead, disasters happen, but lead to new plot twists, and there is no resolution or ending in sight."

Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 1d

Inspired by @stateofthecity.bsky.social's super interesting thread on the story of BIXI, today's newsletter explores what the story says about the messy nature of innovation.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitpol...

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 2d

Let's Go Blue Jays!

The Skydome field ahead of ALCS game 1. Let's fucking go Blue Jays!

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 5d

I am dealing with a “thorny problem” right now, today. It is hard and scary because IT IS ALWAYS HARD AND SCARY. But it is also where you do your best work. It is where stories go from “meh” to “WOW”. When I fix it - because that is the job - I will be that much closer to something worth reading.

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 6d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 6d

Ahhhh we got Jays tickets for game 1 on Sunday!

a blue jays player stands on the field during a game

Alt: George Springer shouts "Let's Go" during a Blue Jays game.

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Clare Blackwood @clareblackwood.bsky.social · 6d

THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS ARE GOING TO THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

BULLPEN ARE ABSOLUTE DAWGS

NATHAN LUKES DREAM GAME

VLADDY IS THE 500 MILLION DOLLAR MAN

AHHH 🐦💙⚾

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 7d

Bonus panel here: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/why-8
#smbc

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Catalina Fernandes @catalinafernandes.bsky.social · 7d

The Lancet, one of the world’s leading medical journals, has issued a report on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The report highlights the catastrophic impact of the ongoing genocide on healthcare, with hospitals under siege, clinicians working without basic supplies or power, and at least 772

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef.bsky.social · 7d

Ah now they’re playing like a Toronto team.

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 8d

The next federal budget promises to introduce sweeping austerity. It is madness that the federal government is turning towards austerity at this moment, especially given Carney's first-hand experience of it (and its dire consequences) in the UK.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitpol...

Who's Afraid of Austerity?

Fiscal "prudence" comes with very real costs

open.substack.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 13d

"AI provides an excuse for attacking labour and deskilling, under the guise of progress"

I wrote about exactly this back in August, as well as how the rapid deployment of AI can't be separated from coming austerity and holes in the social safety net. orbitpolicy.substack.com/p/the-inevit...

Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 13d

This from @marietjeschaake.bsky.social's excellent book "The Tech Coup" remains an evergreen statement.

"Ultimately, the highest goal of democratic governments is not, and should not be, innovation. Rather, it is about making sure that various trade-offs, between innovation and safety, digitization and nondiscrimination, are managed in line with the rule of law. The goal is to prevent companies from moving fast and breaking things." - The Tech Coup by Marietje Schaake

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Effin' Birds @effinbirds.com · 15d

A painting of a bird beside the text "i'm too old to deal with these fuckshits and their fuckshit ideas"

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Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Canadian Climate Institute @climateinstitute.bsky.social · 25d

Closing the Greener Homes Loan is a step backwards.

Upfront cost is a barrier for heat pumps and other energy saving measures and zero-interest loans helped hundreds of thousands of households cut emissions and save on their energy bills. 📉

www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

Ottawa ends zero-interest loan program for green home renovations up to $40,000

“I don’t know what’s going to be left of (Ottawa’s) climate agenda,” said Brendan Haley, senior director of policy strategy at Efficiency Canada.

www.thestar.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · 28d

Canada’s innovation system is part of our economy, and ultimately, that economy isn’t set up to pursue innovation that yields broad-based benefits.

I’ve written a bit about how improving that means tackling extraction, insecurity, and precarity head-on.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitpol...

Innovation Within Other Systems

Housing policy is innovation policy

open.substack.com

Reposted by Tom Goldsmith

Silkabelli (mutazione-piromane Edition) @silkabelli.bsky.social · 29d

Queen

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · Sep 11

What a game from Gausman. I managed to catch the final few innings while I was working.

I'm at the Orioles game tomorrow and will get to wear my Gausman jersey with pride!

a man in a blue jays jersey is standing on a baseball field with a bat in the background .

Alt: Kevin Gausman in a blue jays jersey is standing on a baseball field with a bat in the background . He fist pumps in celebration.

media.tenor.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · Sep 11

A big shout out to @biancawylie.com, whose piece "Automating Summation — On AI and Holding Responsibility in Relationships" has stuck in my head. It has influenced how I approach my work and my understanding of the value of what may seem inefficient and dull.

biancawylie.medium.com/automating-s...

Automating Summation — On AI and Holding Responsibility in Relationships

A Case Where the D of the DDD Work Needs More Attention

biancawylie.medium.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · Sep 11

For today's newsletter, I've written about how I think about and use AI in my work.

There are many reasons to be skeptical of AI, from cognitive impacts to ethical concerns. Those are real and shape my AI use. But there are also some useful examples I get into.

open.substack.com/pub/orbitpol...

How I'm Thinking About and Using AI in My Work

Some reflections

open.substack.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · Sep 10

Hear hear to this. A headlong rush towards AI adoption without consideration of power and sovereignty serves only to tie us ever more to an authoritarian, technofeudal, US.

Jeremy Appel 🍉 @readtheorchard.org · Sep 10

NEW: In my latest for the @torontostar-rss.bsky.social, I argue that @markcarneyforpm.bsky.social and @evansolomon.bsky.social’s unwillingness to regulate AI is a threat to Canadian sovereignty.

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Margaret Atwood and others have called on Canada to protect its sovereignty. But is Mark Carney’s minister listening?

Canada must protect its digital borders.

www.thestar.com

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Tom Goldsmith @tomgoldsmith.bsky.social · Sep 10

Yes, ISED programs are a hot mess and don't add up to more than the sum of their parts.

Yes, the federal innovation system desperately needs reform (more about that soon from me in two CSA reports).

But it is hard to argue that these brutal cuts are going to make anything better.

Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · Sep 10

How bad are the upcoming program cuts likely to be for science funding? Pretty godawful. I run down the numbers and play out some scenarios.

The Coming Federal Cuts – Part 3: ISED | HESA

Monday, we looked at the country’s overall financial situation (dire), and yesterday we looked at how cuts of a magnitude … Continued

higheredstrategy.com

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