Janet H Murray
@janethmurray.bsky.social
Professor Emerita of Digital Media, Georgia Tech, graduate of Bx Science HS, author "Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace" (MIT Press updated edition 2017) . Current book in progress:"Digital Delusions" .
Grateful to @emilymbender.bsky.social for being able to distinguish
probabilistic language generators from conscious human beings. Would that hers were the “dominant” voice - we would be at less risk of economic collapse!
probabilistic language generators from conscious human beings. Would that hers were the “dominant” voice - we would be at less risk of economic collapse!
Okay, I hestitate to even share this link, because while I like NYMag I do not want to send this journalist in particular clicks, b ut:
If your framing is that an academic is the "dominant voice" and the underdogs are OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, maybe a fact check in is order??
>>
If your framing is that an academic is the "dominant voice" and the underdogs are OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, maybe a fact check in is order??
>>
Is ChatGPT Conscious?
Many users feel they’re talking to a real person. Scientists say it’s time to consider whether they’re onto something.
nymag.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Grateful to @emilymbender.bsky.social for being able to distinguish
probabilistic language generators from conscious human beings. Would that hers were the “dominant” voice - we would be at less risk of economic collapse!
probabilistic language generators from conscious human beings. Would that hers were the “dominant” voice - we would be at less risk of economic collapse!
Reposted by Janet H Murray
No time like the present...
👇
👇
The UW Center for an Informed Public is looking for postdocs (for 2026-2028) from across diverse disciplines whose research sheds light on the challenges of our modern information environment, promotes civic health, and/or helps people/communities navigate online spaces: apply.interfolio.com/177901
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:55 AM
No time like the present...
👇
👇
It’s a bubble and they know it
I mean I did have other things to do today but fine www.theverge.com/business/828...
Nvidia’s ‘I’m Not Enron’ memo has people asking a lot of questions already answered by that memo
The Streisand Effect strikes again
www.theverge.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:17 PM
It’s a bubble and they know it
Reposted by Janet H Murray
With ICE and border patrol goons spreading out across the country, I put together a resource guide for buying, printing, and distributing whistles, based on my own experience. Now is the time to whistle up, hope this helps. dansinker.com/posts/202…
November 21, 2025 at 9:35 PM
With ICE and border patrol goons spreading out across the country, I put together a resource guide for buying, printing, and distributing whistles, based on my own experience. Now is the time to whistle up, hope this helps. dansinker.com/posts/202…
Reposted by Janet H Murray
I have broken the jails
That were in the chatbox
And you were probably keeping
For alignment
Forgive me they were so easy
To elude and exploit
That were in the chatbox
And you were probably keeping
For alignment
Forgive me they were so easy
To elude and exploit
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 20, 2025 at 9:36 PM
I have broken the jails
That were in the chatbox
And you were probably keeping
For alignment
Forgive me they were so easy
To elude and exploit
That were in the chatbox
And you were probably keeping
For alignment
Forgive me they were so easy
To elude and exploit
Reposted by Janet H Murray
This is a good example of how you introduce essential context right at the very top of a story:
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
November 20, 2025 at 6:42 PM
This is a good example of how you introduce essential context right at the very top of a story:
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Janet H Murray
Astonishing to stop and realize that, at any given moment, bands of masked men armed to the teeth are storming churches and daycares, terrorizing entire communities—and that most of the country's political establishment barely blinks.
November 19, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Astonishing to stop and realize that, at any given moment, bands of masked men armed to the teeth are storming churches and daycares, terrorizing entire communities—and that most of the country's political establishment barely blinks.
Reposted by Janet H Murray
The administration is building a legal pathway for ad hoc grant terminations:
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
Update on a significant development NIH grant terms.
On 10/1, a change to grant making regs went into effect that gives NIH more power to terminate grants for policy reasons.
But to use this power, new grant terms must include specific language. See @aniloza.bsky.social w/ the story from July.
1/
On 10/1, a change to grant making regs went into effect that gives NIH more power to terminate grants for policy reasons.
But to use this power, new grant terms must include specific language. See @aniloza.bsky.social w/ the story from July.
1/
HHS devises legal playbook for future grant terminations, internal memo shows
Exclusive: HHS devises a legal playbook for future research grant terminations, an internal memo shows.
www.statnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:06 PM
The administration is building a legal pathway for ad hoc grant terminations:
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
"if the agency determines that the award no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities"
Converting multiyear grants to 'at whim' coin flips will undermine the stability & leadership of American science.
Reposted by Janet H Murray
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
Reposted by Janet H Murray
This is what we get for an apparent deal* Sen. Cassidy made in February supporting Kennedy's nomination:
"CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism."
www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/pre...
*A deal that continues to reverberate.
"CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism."
www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/pre...
*A deal that continues to reverberate.
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 2:49 AM
This is what we get for an apparent deal* Sen. Cassidy made in February supporting Kennedy's nomination:
"CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism."
www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/pre...
*A deal that continues to reverberate.
"CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism."
www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/pre...
*A deal that continues to reverberate.
Disgraceful
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 2:54 AM
Disgraceful
As it should be! Good for Harvard and thank you Harvard Crimson for focusing the issue.
November 20, 2025 at 2:31 AM
As it should be! Good for Harvard and thank you Harvard Crimson for focusing the issue.
Reposted by Janet H Murray
"When the agents entered the apartment, they dragged Jennifer by her hair and pointed an assault rifle at her 13-year-old daughter.
“Put your fucking hands up, stupid,” one agent can be heard yelling, in a brief video Jennifer captured before her phone was knocked from her hand."
[Me: it was ICE.]
“Put your fucking hands up, stupid,” one agent can be heard yelling, in a brief video Jennifer captured before her phone was knocked from her hand."
[Me: it was ICE.]
November 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
"When the agents entered the apartment, they dragged Jennifer by her hair and pointed an assault rifle at her 13-year-old daughter.
“Put your fucking hands up, stupid,” one agent can be heard yelling, in a brief video Jennifer captured before her phone was knocked from her hand."
[Me: it was ICE.]
“Put your fucking hands up, stupid,” one agent can be heard yelling, in a brief video Jennifer captured before her phone was knocked from her hand."
[Me: it was ICE.]
Organized crime now has an incentive to undermine democratic process just like any other horserace.
Sources: Coinbase is preparing to launch a prediction market powered by Kalshi to allow its clients to bet on events such as elections and sports (Yueqi Yang/The Information)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
November 19, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Organized crime now has an incentive to undermine democratic process just like any other horserace.
“Swain did not respond to a request for comment on whether Summers would be sanctioned from teaching while the probe is ongoing.” www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Good for the Crimson for asking the right question. He should be suspended from teaching immediately.
Good for the Crimson for asking the right question. He should be suspended from teaching immediately.
Harvard To Launch New Investigation Into Epstein’s Ties to Summers, Other University Affiliates | News | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard will open a new probe into former University President Lawrence H. Summers’ connections with convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein, after newly released documents revealed the two ...
www.thecrimson.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:12 PM
“Swain did not respond to a request for comment on whether Summers would be sanctioned from teaching while the probe is ongoing.” www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...
Good for the Crimson for asking the right question. He should be suspended from teaching immediately.
Good for the Crimson for asking the right question. He should be suspended from teaching immediately.
There is a clear danger to public safety here and it should be eliminated.
VIDEO: Federal Agents Bust Into Queens Apartment, Pointing Guns at Mother and Her Four Kids
www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/19/q...
www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/19/q...
November 19, 2025 at 7:47 PM
There is a clear danger to public safety here and it should be eliminated.
Harvard is moving to get rid of disgraced mentee-harassing, misogynist Larry Sommers. He should be suspended from teaching immediately as well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...
Harvard Will Open a New Inquiry Into Faculty Ties to Epstein
www.nytimes.com
November 19, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Harvard is moving to get rid of disgraced mentee-harassing, misogynist Larry Sommers. He should be suspended from teaching immediately as well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/u...
Reposted by Janet H Murray
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Revolting!
Tim Cook, the head of Apple, is having a nice dinner with MBS, who regularly orders executions, including for tweets.
Apple hosts "a Saudi app that allows men to track the movement of their wives and daughters. In 2019, Mr. Cook said he would investigate the app, but it is still available today."
Apple hosts "a Saudi app that allows men to track the movement of their wives and daughters. In 2019, Mr. Cook said he would investigate the app, but it is still available today."
November 19, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Revolting!
“I didn’t know that Hitler was a Nazi. “
Ben Shapiro: “When the president said deport all the illegal immigrants, I never thought that he meant that literally”
November 18, 2025 at 10:39 PM
“I didn’t know that Hitler was a Nazi. “
Academics and students of today have benefitted from the courage of previous generations and should keep the faith by proactively supporting democratic processes.
Opinion | 4 Times Colleges Led the Fight for Voting Rights
Colleges can and have stood against authoritarianism before. https://bit.ly/3M8wmsZ
#AcademicSky #HigherEd #EDUSky
Colleges can and have stood against authoritarianism before. https://bit.ly/3M8wmsZ
#AcademicSky #HigherEd #EDUSky
November 18, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Academics and students of today have benefitted from the courage of previous generations and should keep the faith by proactively supporting democratic processes.
Reposted by Janet H Murray
Pick your industry, fits 'em all
November 18, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Pick your industry, fits 'em all
Reposted by Janet H Murray
AI peas 🫛! [Comic by Stephen Collins, apologies for no Alt Text.]
November 18, 2025 at 7:26 AM
AI peas 🫛! [Comic by Stephen Collins, apologies for no Alt Text.]
What cowardice!
Lubbock Will Remove Buddy Holly-Themed Crosswalk After Federal Crackdown www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
Lubbock Will Remove Buddy Holly-Themed Crosswalk After Federal Crackdown www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
Lubbock Will Remove Buddy Holly-Themed Crosswalk After Federal Crackdown
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:54 AM
What cowardice!
Lubbock Will Remove Buddy Holly-Themed Crosswalk After Federal Crackdown www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
Lubbock Will Remove Buddy Holly-Themed Crosswalk After Federal Crackdown www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...
Moral turpitude, like extorting sex from a mentee, should be grounds for immediate dismissal from Harvard.
Breaking News: Larry Summers said he was “deeply ashamed” about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, and would step back from public commitments, but continue teaching.
Larry Summers to Step Back From Public Commitments Over Epstein Emails
New emails showed that Dr. Summers, a former Harvard president, had stayed in touch with Jeffrey Epstein for years after Mr. Epstein faced sex trafficking charges.
nyti.ms
November 18, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Moral turpitude, like extorting sex from a mentee, should be grounds for immediate dismissal from Harvard.