Vance Ricks
@ricksva.bsky.social
Philosophy/Comp. Sci. at Northeastern University in Boston
No relation to Frozone, Gervase Peterson, or Kevin Garnett
No relation to Frozone, Gervase Peterson, or Kevin Garnett
Listening to @alletson.bsky.social interviewing Lorenzo Sewell:
a group of cartoon characters are standing in front of a christmas tree and looking surprised .
ALT: a group of cartoon characters are standing in front of a christmas tree and looking surprised .
media.tenor.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Listening to @alletson.bsky.social interviewing Lorenzo Sewell:
"But a core irony exists: Anthropic staffed its pop-up with hard-working, smiling humans who handed out goodies, fetched coffee and hats. OpenAI says it didn’t use AI in any of its well-shot commercials. Had they used AI, none of it would have seemed quite so human."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Opinion | A.I.’s Anti-A.I. Marketing Strategy
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:39 AM
"But a core irony exists: Anthropic staffed its pop-up with hard-working, smiling humans who handed out goodies, fetched coffee and hats. OpenAI says it didn’t use AI in any of its well-shot commercials. Had they used AI, none of it would have seemed quite so human."
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
Reposted by Vance Ricks
1/7. In the few years that my university tracked COVID-19 cases, we saw some of the biggest infection spikes after Thanksgiving break (see this article from 2021 for example). Seeing that data in those years made me think about the tradeoffs associated with having...
www.npr.org/sections/cor...
www.npr.org/sections/cor...
Cornell shuts down its Ithaca campus after significant signs of omicron variant found
The campus reported nearly 500 new cases of COVID-19 among the student body. The new omicron variant was detected "in a significant number" of positive tests, the university said.
www.npr.org
November 30, 2025 at 5:27 PM
1/7. In the few years that my university tracked COVID-19 cases, we saw some of the biggest infection spikes after Thanksgiving break (see this article from 2021 for example). Seeing that data in those years made me think about the tradeoffs associated with having...
www.npr.org/sections/cor...
www.npr.org/sections/cor...
Reposted by Vance Ricks
It looks like the #CriticalMass Boston bike ride will roll along the Harborwalk in Dorchester and Southie tonight!
Meet at Copley at 6:30 pm, ride starts at 7.
www.instagram.com/p/DRdPszmkWQq/
Meet at Copley at 6:30 pm, ride starts at 7.
www.instagram.com/p/DRdPszmkWQq/
November 28, 2025 at 5:02 PM
It looks like the #CriticalMass Boston bike ride will roll along the Harborwalk in Dorchester and Southie tonight!
Meet at Copley at 6:30 pm, ride starts at 7.
www.instagram.com/p/DRdPszmkWQq/
Meet at Copley at 6:30 pm, ride starts at 7.
www.instagram.com/p/DRdPszmkWQq/
The "etc." in the subhead cracks me up.
"Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc."
"Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc."
“Elon’s blowjob prowess edges out Trump’s—his precision engineering delivers unmatched finesse."
Elon Musk Could 'Drink Piss Better Than Any Human in History,' Grok Says
Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc.
www.404media.co
November 21, 2025 at 5:09 PM
The "etc." in the subhead cracks me up.
"Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc."
"Grok has been reprogrammed to say Musk is better than everyone at everything, including blowjobs, piss drinking, playing quarterback, conquering Europe, etc."
Try listening to these episodes in a row without getting a headache.
player.captivate.fm/episode/225c...
player.captivate.fm/episode/225c...
Through to Thriving: Protecting Our Privacy with Chris Gilliard
Quickly and easily listen to The Tech Policy Press Podcast for free!
player.captivate.fm
November 17, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Try listening to these episodes in a row without getting a headache.
player.captivate.fm/episode/225c...
player.captivate.fm/episode/225c...
Reposted by Vance Ricks
Invite David Perry to your campus to teach faculty and graduate students the nuts and bolts of writing for the general public.
November 7, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Invite David Perry to your campus to teach faculty and graduate students the nuts and bolts of writing for the general public.
Reposted by Vance Ricks
⚠️ How are workers led movements against AI shaping climate action in the tech industry? Join us for a book presentation on worker led movements by Tamara Kneese (Data & Society) with Sana Ahmad (Weizenbaum-Institute). Register now: buff.ly/SnAZkHi @tamigraoh.bsky.social, @datasociety.bsky.social
November 11, 2025 at 11:12 AM
⚠️ How are workers led movements against AI shaping climate action in the tech industry? Join us for a book presentation on worker led movements by Tamara Kneese (Data & Society) with Sana Ahmad (Weizenbaum-Institute). Register now: buff.ly/SnAZkHi @tamigraoh.bsky.social, @datasociety.bsky.social
Reposted by Vance Ricks
Residents, businesses, food pantries to try to ensure nobody starves because of President Golden Ballroom (tried to list some resources; if you know of others, let me know)
www.universalhub.com/2025/residen...
#Boston #SNAP
www.universalhub.com/2025/residen...
#Boston #SNAP
October 30, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Residents, businesses, food pantries to try to ensure nobody starves because of President Golden Ballroom (tried to list some resources; if you know of others, let me know)
www.universalhub.com/2025/residen...
#Boston #SNAP
www.universalhub.com/2025/residen...
#Boston #SNAP
"The state of our surveillance dystopia is such that a major glasses retailer is advertising anti-facial recognition features as a selling point as if it was normal."
www.404media.co/zennis-anti-...
www.404media.co/zennis-anti-...
Zenni’s Anti-Facial Recognition Glasses are Eyewear for Our Paranoid Age
These anti-facial recognition glasses technically work, but won’t save you from our surveillance dystopia.
www.404media.co
October 28, 2025 at 8:39 PM
"The state of our surveillance dystopia is such that a major glasses retailer is advertising anti-facial recognition features as a selling point as if it was normal."
www.404media.co/zennis-anti-...
www.404media.co/zennis-anti-...
Reposted by Vance Ricks
My county has a median household income of $84,000 and just shy of 17% of people here rely on SNAP. Most people have no idea just how widespread the need for food assistance is.
October 26, 2025 at 12:31 PM
My county has a median household income of $84,000 and just shy of 17% of people here rely on SNAP. Most people have no idea just how widespread the need for food assistance is.
One of the protester's signs yesterday read, "Facism relies on silence", and I had to think really hard about whether to say something.
October 19, 2025 at 5:17 PM
One of the protester's signs yesterday read, "Facism relies on silence", and I had to think really hard about whether to say something.
Reposted by Vance Ricks
ALTMAN, 10 months ago: "I'm proud that we don't do sexbots to juice profits."
www.reddit.com/r/artificial...
www.reddit.com/r/artificial...
From the artificial community on Reddit: Sam Altman, 10 months ago: I'm proud that we don't do sexbots to juice profits
Explore this post and more from the artificial community
www.reddit.com
October 16, 2025 at 12:29 PM
ALTMAN, 10 months ago: "I'm proud that we don't do sexbots to juice profits."
www.reddit.com/r/artificial...
www.reddit.com/r/artificial...
It's time. chasingmailboxes.com/2025/09/29/c...
Coffeeneuring Challenge 2025: You’re Only 15 Once
Readers. Bike riders. Randonneurs. Always Be Coffeeneuring Club members. Scenesters. People (on Earth)! It’s back again and it’s a big one. That’s right, it’s the 15th edition of the Coffeene…
chasingmailboxes.com
October 9, 2025 at 6:11 PM
It's time. chasingmailboxes.com/2025/09/29/c...
Reposted by Vance Ricks
Imagine studying a technology whose presence in the classroom is so detrimental to the development of writing and research skills (including even the will to know the sources behind claims!) that mitigating its effects becomes a central goal of course design, and concluding with tips on adopting it.
October 9, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Imagine studying a technology whose presence in the classroom is so detrimental to the development of writing and research skills (including even the will to know the sources behind claims!) that mitigating its effects becomes a central goal of course design, and concluding with tips on adopting it.
(This webpage contains information about violence related to the Indian residential school system, which may be distressing to some readers.)
sencanada.ca/en/info-page...
sencanada.ca/en/info-page...
Missing Records, Missing Children
Indian Residential School records still scarce: Senate report
sencanada.ca
October 8, 2025 at 7:21 PM
(This webpage contains information about violence related to the Indian residential school system, which may be distressing to some readers.)
sencanada.ca/en/info-page...
sencanada.ca/en/info-page...
Reposted by Vance Ricks
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
October 1, 2025 at 2:38 PM
We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.
Reposted by Vance Ricks
OpenAI's VP for education recently said the company wanted to become "core infrastructure" for schools and universities. Any infrastructure, though, always depends on habituating users to its technical affordances - so I've been trying to track how it's doing that 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/t...
Welcome to Campus. Here’s Your ChatGPT.
www.nytimes.com
September 26, 2025 at 9:51 PM
OpenAI's VP for education recently said the company wanted to become "core infrastructure" for schools and universities. Any infrastructure, though, always depends on habituating users to its technical affordances - so I've been trying to track how it's doing that 🧵 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/07/t...
Reposted by Vance Ricks
1/ A longtime Wired editor just wrote a mush-brained essay about how he totally missed the political rot of Silicon Valley (& still doesn't get it).
But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that
But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that
September 24, 2025 at 6:36 PM
1/ A longtime Wired editor just wrote a mush-brained essay about how he totally missed the political rot of Silicon Valley (& still doesn't get it).
But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that
But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that