Barbieism.
We need a figurehead for the 21st century.
14.03.2026 02:43
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Barbieism.
We need a figurehead for the 21st century.
After a series of fatal strikes involving civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, Congress directed the Pentagon to reduce civilian casualties as part of a 2019 law. During the Biden administration, the Defense Department created the Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response initiative. The civilian mitigation teams – cut by 90% by Hegseth – work with military commanders on target planning, and making sure that targets are actually military sites. The teams help come up with "no strike" lists, including religious and cultural sites and schools
I knew that the Department of War shot a missile into a school & killed 175 civilians, mostly children.
This is learned today:
Secretary of War Hegseth had cut the teams assigned to prevent such tragedies by 90%.
www.npr.org/2026/03/11/n...
Last week I watched a 20+ minute video on single whip and realised that is exactly the granularity I need. Footwork from every angle including where to put your weight.
(London is a bad place for Tai Chi. You have to sign up for a long course, and I can’t commit. Would love drop-in classes.)
A digital dawn sky (created in Terragen Sky). A caption against the clouds: "A man is not dead while his name is still spoken." And below, the hashtag: #GNU Terry Pratchett.
#GNUTerryPratchett
🥁🥁🥁 Newly out from us today in Science Advances: “Biased AI Writing Assistants Shift Users’ Attitudes on Societal Issues”.
Large Language Models are providing users with autocomplete writing suggestions on many platforms. Could these suggestions shift users’ own attitudes? (spoiler: YES) (1/7)
A google maps view of the area around the Strait of Hormuz, with crude markup showing the 4 steps to successfully clearing the strait: 1. Build up speed 2. Hit Trampoline 3. Cool backflip 4. Nail the landing The boat is illustrated using a clip art yacht, and the trampoline is also just kind of floating there.
wait. wait. everyone hold on. i've solved it
Narratively having Ever Given getting stuck in 2021 to set up Hormuz in 2026 is great foreshadowing. You want your audience to understand the basics of international shipping in a lower stakes context so you drop the real plot without a lot of saggy exposition about the minutiae of cargo logistics.
Yes, you _could_ program tools to at least flag nonsense like this, but that’s hard work, and you need coders who understand the problem domain (hello, humanities training) and who then can implement it in code.
In the meantime, pay your human translators, editors, and copyeditors etc.
Why I hate AI, #5863:
Someone, presumed AI, translated the German ‘Otter’ as ‘otter’.
When it’s just one word, that has a 50% success chance or thereabouts.
When it’s in context with ‘ground dwelling’ alarm bells should ring.
Even if you don’t know that ‘Otter’ is an adder, it’s suspicious.
That's AI discourse, over & over:
Tech ppl: AI is awesome! It'll completely destroy your livelihood! Your children will know only poverty and suffering!
Human: Well, that sucks. I'll pass.
Tech ppl: You foolish, ignorant Luddite! You will be obsolete in the new order. Get with the program!
CJEU press release: Member State legislation which does not permit the amendment of the gender data of one of its nationals who has exercised his or her right to freedom of movement is contrary to EU law A Bulgarian national was registered at birth as being male, with a name, personal identification number and identity documents corresponding to that sex. She currently lives in Italy, where she has begun hormone therapy, and now presents herself as a woman. She instituted proceedings before the Bulgarian courts seeking a declaration that she is a female person and to have her civil status data amended on her birth certificate. Despite the medical opinions and legal assessments confirming the gender identity claimed, her request was rejected. According to national legislation, as interpreted by the plenary assembly of civil chambers of the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation, the term ‘sex’ must be understood in its biological sense, excluding any amendment of the particulars relating to sex, name and identification number. The public interest, based on the moral and/or religious values of Bulgarian society, thus prevails over the interests of transgender persons. Hearing the dispute, the Bulgarian Supreme Court of Cassation has doubts as to the compatibility of that legislation with EU law and has referred the matter to the Court of Justice. In its judgment, the Court holds that EU law precludes legislation of a Member State which does not permit the amendment of the gender data in the civil status registers of one of its nationals who has exercised his or her right to move and reside freely in another Member State. The Court emphasises first of all that, while the issue of identity documents falls within the competence of the Member States, they must exercise that competence in compliance with EU law...
Huge trans rights ruling from the EU's top court - if someone moves to another EU country and transitions, their home country can't refuse to amend their registration details to match their lived gender identity
Jeffrey Epstein used a 2006 physics conference to cultivate ties with elite researchers, including Stephen Hawking. New documents and interviews show Epstein funded events to bolster prestige before first arrest for soliciting minors, using Nobel laureates as human shields for his reputation.
This is issued by The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security.
This is not a drill. :(
Epstein email with text overlaid by an Instagram user @go_coiff_yourself To: From: Subject: Alert - Can Ron Lauder give JE a museum tour? September 14, 2017 9:30 AM : Can Ron Lauder give JE a museum tour? OVERLAID TEXT: Ron Lauder, Welcome to the show. Ron Lauder is the sole heir to The Estée Lauder Companies, founded by his parents Estée Lauder and Joseph Lauder in 1946. Lauder is a longtime Republican Party donor and supporter of Donald Trump. He ran in the Republican primary for mayor of New York City in 1989. Lauder has repeatedly come to the defense of Israel in public and is seen as an ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is mentioned in the files at least 900 times.
Epstein email with text overlaid by an Instagram user @go_coiff_yourself From: Sent: To: Subject: Nina K Wednesday, January 24, 2018 2:58 PM Jeffrey Epstein Happy belated Birthday Hi Jeffrey. I hope you are well! Sorry I missed your birthday.... Happy belated Birthday and all my best wishes for this +1111 Please let me know if you have some time next time you are in NY. I would really appreciate and be very grateful if you could help me connect to some «eople at the Estée Lauder companies. Thank you Jeffrey! Best, Nina OVERLAID TEXT Major Beauty Brands owned by Estée Lauder: AERIN Beauty Aramis Aveda Balmain Beauty Bobbi Brown Cosmetics Bumble and bumble Clinique Darphin Paris Deciem Dr Jart Glam glow Jo Malone Kilian La Mer Lab Series Le Labo Mac Miod Origins Smashbox The Ordinary Tom Ford Two Faced
So, we are absolutely not supporting Estée Lauder brands anymore. In addition to pushing for annexation of Greenland, Ron Lauder (major stakeholder, board member, and sole heir to the fortune) is an Epstein buddy. Second pic lists Lauder brands. Hard, hard, hard pass.
"People used to be excited about tech, now they dread what data you're going to steal next, they dread what violation of privacy or the environment will turn up next."
this whole missive will make you want to stand on your desk and yell "O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN!," but that bit really got me good
Fun fact: if you add quotation marks, which Google then discards, the sentence comes from a different book according to AI.
Thank gods for wiktionary to point me in the right direction and confirming my suspicions about the meaning of the phrase.
AI sucks so much. The degradation of Google sucks.
I’d also like to know why googling for a specific archaic German phrase (um zehn Para habe ich mich um einen Herrn erkauft)
gives me…
‘People are asking questions about the London Eye’. I’m sure they do, but why bring this to my attention now? The bible verse (‘des Herrn’) at least has one word.
Dear Google: _er_kaufen and _verkaufen_ are different things. Very different things.
If I put quotation marks around the word I want to look up, fucking knock it off with the ‘do you mean’ and ‘we’ll serve you the wrong results anyway’
And no, I don’t want your AI hallucinations either. They stink
So basically the new Human Authored scheme doesn't have any verification at all. It's 100% honour based. As long as you're an SoA member you can assert that your work wasn't generated by LLM / AI and put a logo on it.
AKA we're taking people's word that they aren't dishonest.
House flies: "Tell us about it."
As millions of Americans were losing their SNAP benefits the Pentagon spent:
🔹️$6.9 million worth of lobster tails🦞
🔹️$15.1 million for ribeye steak 🥩
🔹️$2 million for Alaskan king crab 🦀
🔹️ and even $98,329 on a Steinway & Sons grand piano
✏️ by @newrepublic.com
This puts me at 10 people released. I filed my 1st habeas petition 29 days ago. I am an incredibly small-time, nobody lawyer who knew nothing about immigration law the day I submitted that case. I barely know any more today. I had never sued the federal government and now I've beaten them 10 times.
OMG! 🦀
beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...
@franzanth.bsky.social
@jopabinia.bsky.social
When all the other time travelers are busy killing Hitler, I’m gonna take out Laura Ingalls Wilder.
I’m currently learning about American 19th century missionaries to the Near East.
My heart is full of hatred for so many people I never met before.
A dramatic image with bold text about Idaho House Committee's passage of a social transition ban, set against a grayscale domed ceiling background. Transcribed Text: BREAKING Idaho House Committee Passes Extreme Social Transition Ban HB 822 is alarming government overreach that would allow Idaho politicians to decide how youth dress and act.
BREAKING: An Idaho House Committee passed HB 822. This dangerous and unconstitutional bill would require trusted adults, such as teachers and counselors, to monitor children for signs that they are not conforming to gender stereotypes. Learn more about the bill: buff.ly/7kw0CXu
Yesterday I filmed several baby birds walking across a street directly at my camera and asked Bluesky to suggest music
Several dozen folks did
Some even dubbed music over the original clip.
I haven't been able to get this out of my head.
So I give you
A Bluesky exclusive:
Reservoir Ducks
🐣 🪶
Time to pass a law that any party spokesperson of media outlet that opines with hindsight reckons on pandemic management has to show this chart in the background at all times #nzpol
While Trump is unleashing a war in the Middle East, do not lose sight of the cruelty being inflicted at home by this regime.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/03/at-largest-ice-detention-camp-staff-bet-on-detainee-suicides-ap-reports/
Thread! (I'm one of the authors involved.)
