Tessract
@hypercub.bsky.social
missing a transcendental constant
he/they/佢
he/they/佢
Reposted by Tessract
sometimes the enemies are clumped up just right, you know?
January 23, 2026 at 4:59 PM
sometimes the enemies are clumped up just right, you know?
Reposted by Tessract
Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
January 22, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
Reposted by Tessract
A reminder that one of the reasons why tankies and gullible others think "the Chinese economy is doing great" is because, in addition to often swallowing Chinese government propaganda wholesale, "China" to them is really only Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen for the most part, if actually real at all.
. #Chinese rural banks are unable to find buyers for hundreds of foreclosed properties they’re auctioning despite offering steep discounts, deepening a real estate crisis & adding to risks for the financial sector & the broader economy.
www.reuters.com/business/fin...
www.reuters.com/business/fin...
China's rural banks struggle to sell seized properties despite hefty discounts
Chinese rural banks are unable to find buyers for hundreds of foreclosed properties they are auctioning despite offering steep discounts, deepening a real estate crisis and adding to risks for the fin...
www.reuters.com
January 23, 2026 at 6:39 AM
A reminder that one of the reasons why tankies and gullible others think "the Chinese economy is doing great" is because, in addition to often swallowing Chinese government propaganda wholesale, "China" to them is really only Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen for the most part, if actually real at all.
Reposted by Tessract
Another one of those "stupid cyberpunk" things is how the people in economically disadvantaged countries who used to do things like sell World of Warcraft gold have moved on to ragebait farming on places like Twitter because of the revenue sharing makes it way more profitable
To the commentariat young left wing women do not exist but young right wing men (who may or may not be Bangladeshi bot farms) must be endlessly catered to in order to save democracy or something.
January 22, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Another one of those "stupid cyberpunk" things is how the people in economically disadvantaged countries who used to do things like sell World of Warcraft gold have moved on to ragebait farming on places like Twitter because of the revenue sharing makes it way more profitable
Reposted by Tessract
Reposted by Tessract
This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.
yeah, just out of interest, how many people choose the pen on the right for real work or art? See a lot of them in professional workplaces, do you?
January 22, 2026 at 12:21 PM
This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.
Reposted by Tessract
I came to Minneapolis to report on what's going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is "just what is the scale of the resistance?" After all, we're all used to the news calling Portland a "war zone" or whatever when it's just some protests in one part of town.
January 22, 2026 at 3:58 AM
I came to Minneapolis to report on what's going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is "just what is the scale of the resistance?" After all, we're all used to the news calling Portland a "war zone" or whatever when it's just some protests in one part of town.
Reposted by Tessract
New— An American citizen boarding flight from Boston to Lisbon just now told me after showing boarding pass, every passenger stopped on jetway by two ICE agents demanding to take their photo. When passenger asked why, ICE threatened to detain them. If they said no photo, couldn't board/TBD detained.
January 20, 2026 at 11:13 PM
New— An American citizen boarding flight from Boston to Lisbon just now told me after showing boarding pass, every passenger stopped on jetway by two ICE agents demanding to take their photo. When passenger asked why, ICE threatened to detain them. If they said no photo, couldn't board/TBD detained.
Reposted by Tessract
Sure Start was for parents as much as it was for children, as it not only reminded parents of their responsibilities, it helped them meet them
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
One in four children in England start school without being toilet trained, say teachers
Survey finds rising numbers of reception pupils struggling with basic life skills such as eating independently
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Sure Start was for parents as much as it was for children, as it not only reminded parents of their responsibilities, it helped them meet them
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Reposted by Tessract
It's so exhausting to to be constantly told by American leaders that the defining policy of the 80 odd years during which the US became the most wealthy and powerful country in the history of the world was a grossly unfair failure for them.
US trade secretary Howard Lutnick really not mincing his words here at Davos: "We are here to make a v clear point: globalisation has failed the West and the USA. It's a failed policy. It's what the WEF has stood for, which is, export, offshore, find the cheapest labour in the world."
January 20, 2026 at 3:47 PM
It's so exhausting to to be constantly told by American leaders that the defining policy of the 80 odd years during which the US became the most wealthy and powerful country in the history of the world was a grossly unfair failure for them.
Reposted by Tessract
It was, like, a year or two ago that goons from the Manchester PRC consulate followed and threatened a HK journalist on a public street. That was allowed to happen despite the same consulate previously dragged a HKer into the compound and viciously beat him.
I wish I could say I am shocked about the news. Sadly, I'm not. To quote the words of a sign I saw held up by a Hong Kong protestor even BEFORE 2019: "Great Britain, what have you done?" (One answer: betray Hongkongers time and time again.)
BBC: The UK government has approved plans for a new Chinese super-embassy in London, subject to conditions.
www.bbc.com/news/live/cl...
www.bbc.com/news/live/cl...
January 20, 2026 at 1:48 PM
It was, like, a year or two ago that goons from the Manchester PRC consulate followed and threatened a HK journalist on a public street. That was allowed to happen despite the same consulate previously dragged a HKer into the compound and viciously beat him.
Reposted by Tessract
NEW: This is a REAL story in The Globe and Mail today.
Canadian Armed Forces are modelling responses to a US military invasion from the south.
They expect Canadian forces to be overrun in a fortnight, so the plan centres on Afghanistan-style insurgencies to inflict mass casualties on US troops
👇
Canadian Armed Forces are modelling responses to a US military invasion from the south.
They expect Canadian forces to be overrun in a fortnight, so the plan centres on Afghanistan-style insurgencies to inflict mass casualties on US troops
👇
January 20, 2026 at 2:18 PM
NEW: This is a REAL story in The Globe and Mail today.
Canadian Armed Forces are modelling responses to a US military invasion from the south.
They expect Canadian forces to be overrun in a fortnight, so the plan centres on Afghanistan-style insurgencies to inflict mass casualties on US troops
👇
Canadian Armed Forces are modelling responses to a US military invasion from the south.
They expect Canadian forces to be overrun in a fortnight, so the plan centres on Afghanistan-style insurgencies to inflict mass casualties on US troops
👇
Reposted by Tessract
Speaking as both a Chinese person and a doctor-
It's not the reheating that's the issue, it's the length of time the rice was at room temp.
Chinese takeout reheated from the fridge is far less dangerous than that abomination known as 'rice salad' sitting for hours on a table at pot luck dinner.
It's not the reheating that's the issue, it's the length of time the rice was at room temp.
Chinese takeout reheated from the fridge is far less dangerous than that abomination known as 'rice salad' sitting for hours on a table at pot luck dinner.
Fascinating essay on *why* some cultures are terrified of reheating rice and others just...do it every day.
The justification cycle - racialised thinking, call to science, appeal to long past and/or 'traditional' wisdom - seems universal for this sort of food story #histFood
The justification cycle - racialised thinking, call to science, appeal to long past and/or 'traditional' wisdom - seems universal for this sort of food story #histFood
Grain of Terror
Why is the Western world so afraid of reheating rice? Joe Zadeh reports. Illustration by Ibrahim Rayintakath
open.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 9:19 AM
Speaking as both a Chinese person and a doctor-
It's not the reheating that's the issue, it's the length of time the rice was at room temp.
Chinese takeout reheated from the fridge is far less dangerous than that abomination known as 'rice salad' sitting for hours on a table at pot luck dinner.
It's not the reheating that's the issue, it's the length of time the rice was at room temp.
Chinese takeout reheated from the fridge is far less dangerous than that abomination known as 'rice salad' sitting for hours on a table at pot luck dinner.
Reposted by Tessract
Oh are we doing that whole bit again where we pretend Brianna Ghey died because of social media rather than because of the people who stabbed her 28 times.
Mother of murdered Brianna Ghey urges Starmer to ban social media for under-16s
Mother of murdered Brianna Ghey urges Starmer to ban social media for under-16s
Esther Ghey says daughter’s eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by harmful online content
The mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey has urged Keir Starmer to ban social media for under-16s, adding to growing pressure on the prime minister before a crunch vote on the issue on Wednesday.
Esther Ghey wrote to Starmer on Monday explaining in detail how she felt her daughter’s eating disorder and self-harm had been exacerbated by TikTok influencers with whom she had become obsessed. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Oh are we doing that whole bit again where we pretend Brianna Ghey died because of social media rather than because of the people who stabbed her 28 times.
Reposted by Tessract
Reposted by Tessract
NEW: In January 2024, a man purchased Meta's newly AI-infused smart glasses.
He went on to experience a devastating break with reality that played out across Meta platforms — with Meta AI as his companion, entertaining and affirming his worsening delusional beliefs.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
He went on to experience a devastating break with reality that played out across Meta platforms — with Meta AI as his companion, entertaining and affirming his worsening delusional beliefs.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
January 15, 2026 at 5:23 PM
NEW: In January 2024, a man purchased Meta's newly AI-infused smart glasses.
He went on to experience a devastating break with reality that played out across Meta platforms — with Meta AI as his companion, entertaining and affirming his worsening delusional beliefs.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
He went on to experience a devastating break with reality that played out across Meta platforms — with Meta AI as his companion, entertaining and affirming his worsening delusional beliefs.
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Reposted by Tessract
Daily bunny no.3202 is walking and talking
January 18, 2026 at 4:56 AM
Daily bunny no.3202 is walking and talking
Reposted by Tessract
Reposted by Tessract
A 1940s Anishnawbek birchbark box with quillwork and sweetgrass stitching.
January 17, 2026 at 5:43 PM
A 1940s Anishnawbek birchbark box with quillwork and sweetgrass stitching.
Reposted by Tessract
People have no idea. I've sat in meetings with immigration officials as a support person and they literally ask LGBTQ people to prove they are queer. They ask them to name partners, ask them to state sexual preferences. It's purposefully degrading
I think a major hurdle in moving the dial on immigration is the fact that the vast majority of people in wealthy countries literally never interact with migration systems and how dehumanising and frustrating it all is
January 17, 2026 at 8:06 PM
People have no idea. I've sat in meetings with immigration officials as a support person and they literally ask LGBTQ people to prove they are queer. They ask them to name partners, ask them to state sexual preferences. It's purposefully degrading
Reposted by Tessract
Sure. AI companies have ALWAYS been training their models on Wikipedia content, which under the free and open access model is available to anyone — including AI companies. Agreements like these require AI companies to limit and offset the strain they place on Wikimedia infrastructure.
Hoping that @molly.wiki can help explain.
Wikimedia Foundation announces new AI partnerships with Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Perplexity and others
January 15, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Sure. AI companies have ALWAYS been training their models on Wikipedia content, which under the free and open access model is available to anyone — including AI companies. Agreements like these require AI companies to limit and offset the strain they place on Wikimedia infrastructure.
Reposted by Tessract
Oooh #MedSky. Found a gem while helping Mum clear out- a handbook for the doctor's spouse, given to her in 1985. (My father was a GP in paediatric training at the time).
1/
1/
January 16, 2026 at 8:58 AM
Oooh #MedSky. Found a gem while helping Mum clear out- a handbook for the doctor's spouse, given to her in 1985. (My father was a GP in paediatric training at the time).
1/
1/
Reposted by Tessract
The CMI has released its analysis of 2025 mortality in England & Wales.
Death rates for 2025 were nearly 2% lower than 2024, the previous record low.
Death rates improved (i.e. fell) for both sexes and in all age groups between 2024 and 2025.
Death rates for 2025 were nearly 2% lower than 2024, the previous record low.
Death rates improved (i.e. fell) for both sexes and in all age groups between 2024 and 2025.
January 15, 2026 at 7:57 AM
The CMI has released its analysis of 2025 mortality in England & Wales.
Death rates for 2025 were nearly 2% lower than 2024, the previous record low.
Death rates improved (i.e. fell) for both sexes and in all age groups between 2024 and 2025.
Death rates for 2025 were nearly 2% lower than 2024, the previous record low.
Death rates improved (i.e. fell) for both sexes and in all age groups between 2024 and 2025.
Reposted by Tessract
He refers to women as "females." He constructed a viral story designed to make women look bad, and when a queer woman questioned it he endorsed calling her a bitch. I think this man doesn't like women, and made up a story about them, and is now enjoying watching one get called a bitch for noticing.
January 13, 2026 at 8:16 PM
He refers to women as "females." He constructed a viral story designed to make women look bad, and when a queer woman questioned it he endorsed calling her a bitch. I think this man doesn't like women, and made up a story about them, and is now enjoying watching one get called a bitch for noticing.
Reposted by Tessract
You may have heard of Enheduanna, the princess, priestess, and poet who is also the earliest named author in history.
Well, a tiny broken artefact made of lapis lazuli preserves the name of Ilum-pālil, her hairdresser. It is a fragmentary cylinder seal, excavated from a tomb in the city of Ur.
Well, a tiny broken artefact made of lapis lazuli preserves the name of Ilum-pālil, her hairdresser. It is a fragmentary cylinder seal, excavated from a tomb in the city of Ur.
January 13, 2026 at 2:23 PM
You may have heard of Enheduanna, the princess, priestess, and poet who is also the earliest named author in history.
Well, a tiny broken artefact made of lapis lazuli preserves the name of Ilum-pālil, her hairdresser. It is a fragmentary cylinder seal, excavated from a tomb in the city of Ur.
Well, a tiny broken artefact made of lapis lazuli preserves the name of Ilum-pālil, her hairdresser. It is a fragmentary cylinder seal, excavated from a tomb in the city of Ur.