Notices by Koen Hufkens, PhD (koen_hufkens@mastodon.social)

RE: https://flipboard.com/@theverge/the-verge-5hobbaa8z/-/a-RKgzzvvtTnadjMq82fXG_A%3Aa%3A43611565-%2F0

"intentional backdoor", read that again.

Don't buy "smart" appliances if you can, isolate if you must, shoot when it makes an unexpected noise.

The slow death of the power user.

"This isn’t an accident. This is the result of two decades of deliberate, calculated effort by the largest technology companies on earth to turn users into consumers, instruments into appliances, and technical literacy into a niche hobby for weirdos. They succeeded beyond their wildest expectations"

https://fireborn.mataroa.blog/blog/the-slow-death-of-the-power-user/

#technology #tech #sustainability

@EUCommission First of all, ban the Big Tech lobby. Then the rest will flow from there.

@gamingonlinux So your smart fridge will now be collecting data, as it arguably has an OS (as do most other IoT devices). This is fine...

Arguably an improvement.

https://www.theverge.com/tech/910990/meta-ceo-mark-zuckerberg-ai-clone

We've lucked out tonight, with pressure from China. Now we have to see if the senile president can keep his temper in check for two weeks if met with resistance, and Israel doesn't kick the hornets nest.

@ai6yr @cwebber When mentoring students I often get the question - how do you figure things out so quickly.

Then I tell them that I've been messing with hardware and software since I was in my early teens - and I made tons of (innocent) mistakes.

When you get to be an adult you then know how to approach complex systems where you might not have this much margin.

Much of it is heuristics. Offloading heuristics (despite biases) is a VERY BAD IDEA.

This is an important read about commitment and identity with respect to the work you do. Although not everyone will have underlying illnesses the fallout can be as severe.

Looking back at my academic career I see many parallels in the "costs" mentioned:

- sold my twenties to institutes/labs
- traveled too much
- gave too much of myself away (for free)
- strain on mental health

https://kennethreitz.org/essays/2026-03-18-open_source_gave_me_everything_until_i_had_nothing_left_to_give

#academicchatter #academia

Man threatening to leave NATO, and invade member states, demands NATO reciprocity in a war he started. 🤡

The Onion couldn't have done a better job.

You mean the same AI that sends people spiraling into psychosis and or other wild delusions? 👌

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ng-interactive/2026/mar/03/schools-student-ai-counselor

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Climatehistories/116092325526248754

A new pervasive world view in which people are (even further) downstream from the system is crystalizing. Troubling observations by @Climatehistories

"Small-scale (under £5,000), fast-turnaround, one-off projects are commonly sidelined by university contract offices because they represent too small an income for strained institutional resources, creating space for contract-research organizations and technical consultancies with the agility to capture this demand."

Stay out of my lane, will you. I've carved this niche.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-04104-2

So, now it is cats, dogs and ... school busses. Do these drive on GenAI, because this feels a bit too stochastic.

https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymos-robotaxi-fleet-is-being-recalled-again-this-time-for-failing-to-stop-for-school-buses-190222243.html

@thomasfuchs Won't change a thing IMO, as you sign away those rights with an EULA already (see ChatGPTs - most probably clicked through something similar for their search).

I think the lack of a direct line between "advice" or even the pretense of providing accurate information and negative consequences is their cop-out and not easily governed. It straddles the line with free speech etc.

@thomasfuchs True, but in the past the decision to filter out this information fell onto the user as well.

Question is can you monetize a bullshit machine, which sometimes is correct (or requires expert knowledge to leverage safely)?

The generalist nature of these tools is in part the danger and the trouble with policy surrounding it. But I guess summaries can safely be tossed. Little value there.

@thomasfuchs Considered user error, not structural failure. It is not a given that you put glue on a pizza if recommended. Feature, not bug etc...

"It seems like an oddity now but we could end up with millions of people with an allergy to meat.”

Negative climate change feedback loop you did not have on your bingo card. The lone star tick forcing people to be vegetarian.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/29/lone-star-ticks-increase-climate-crisis

#climatechange #climatecrisis #tick

"The idea of frictionlessness has very narcissistic “player character” vibes ... Because being actually touched, being inconvenienced, being emotionally moved, having your mind and perception changed means acknowledging your fellow human beings around you, realizing their differences to you and to recognize their value."

Bleak but true observations by @tante

https://tante.cc/2025/07/30/friction-and-not-being-touched/

#friction #AI #philosophy

"Palestinians would go through 'security screening' before entering, and once inside would not be allowed to leave, Katz said at a briefing for Israeli journalists."

Seriously people, read Hannah Arendt.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/07/israeli-minister-reveals-plan-to-force-population-of-gaza-into-camp-on-ruins-of-rafah

"People turn to cults and conspiracies when they're gaslit, because being gaslit *hurts*, and finding answers elsewhere, whether true or not, helps salve the wounds caused by our flailing and dying society."

Truth to power by @johnzajac

But man does it hurt.

https://dice.camp/@johnzajac/114812304838069695