When we discuss public transport in Australia, we often forget to mention how it's possible to buy a pie, a potato cake/scallop/fritter, or a flat white while you wait for your train. #train#trains#urbanism
@timnitGebru First, a huge personal thanks for raising the red flags on LLMs and the creepy TESCREAL ideology they're based on, long before most people realised it was an issue.
I know there's been a big professional and personal cost to that. People are listening, we really appreciate your work and advocacy.
Second, the LLM wave has to be one of the greatest misallocations of resources in human history.
We're in the middle of a climate crisis. There's massive housing shortfalls in many developed countries. Huge investments are needed into health, education, and public transport.
And there are far more critical things we could be researching that would unlock far more benefit to the public.
Heck, given the growing issue of disinformation, there'd arguably be far more public benefit from using these resources to make news journalism from reputable outlets free.
I don't see how investing billions into chasing a few billionaires' TESCREAL fantasies is the best use of our resources at this time.
@JessTheUnstill They certainly should in any foreign government's bid to counter Trump's tariffs.
A 10% tax on revenues on Google ads, Facebook ads, Amazon purchases, AWS usage fees, Netflix subscriptions, all Apple products, ChatGPT subscriptions, and all Tesla products would make Silicon Valley take notice.
The Republicans portray themselves as the party of free speech. They have repeatedly claimed that any form of censorship or limits on free speech leads to tyranny.
And they've set the bar really bloody high. Even the most milquetoast criticism of blatant racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or transphobic vilification has been described as an attack on free speech.
The American right has repeatedly argued that its right to free speech extends beyond government. That private websites or social media apps banning (or "shadow banning") users for trolling and harassment constitutes an attack on free speech.
So by *their own logic*, how on Earth is it okay for the to deport 300 uni students for engaging in political free speech?
Australia doesn't have the market size to hurt America. But it can set a precedent by dropping the length of copyrights, not enforcing DRM, or taxing digital goods such as Google and Meta ad revenue.
Or perhaps do something like decide that US companies can no longer own Australian media assets and companies, and any existing holdings must be sold off.
@GossiTheDog They'll likely use a large number of people and businesses with Office 365 subscriptions, which became Microsoft 365 subscriptions, which became Copilot 365 subscriptions, to justify the capex.
Even if those users never use the Copilot features. Or actively avoid using the Copilot features. Or use them but wouldn't knowingly pay extra for them. Or tried switching them off but got lost in the dark patterns.
And it's predicated on the fact that the US will supply the submarines as promised.
And that the purchase is predicated on an assumption that the US will take military action if an authoritarian state (China) attacks a liberal democracy (Taiwan).
And that the US will honour its commitments to another ally and liberal democracy (Australia).
Given Trump's proven unwillingness to back a liberal democracy (Ukraine) against an authoritarian state (Russia), support for Taiwan in the event of sn Invasion looks less likely.
That's a lot of uncertainty for a A$368 billion defence contract.
@cwebber Reading through this executive order, it's clear that Elon and Don either:
a) Do not intend for a Democrat to even hold the presidency again, or at the very least b) Have executed this power grab without considering the possibility of a Democrat in the White House in the future.
I say this, because can you seriously imagine that the Republicans would've been happy with an EO giving this much power to Obama or Biden?
Chamberlain is best known for a policy he called "peace in our time", but has since become known as appeasement.
In 1938, Chamberlain secured a deal with Hitler that saw Czechoslovakia cede a portion of its territory, known as the Sudetenland to Germany.
In return, Hitler agreed that he would have no further territorial ambitions.
By March 15, 1939, German troops had seized the rest of Czechoslovakia. And by September they had invaded Poland.
In 2025, there's no shortage of Neville Chamberlains on the world stage willing to give up the Sudetenland to appease the likes of Trump, Putin, and Musk.
The millionaire (usually white) CEOs who run corporations, and the intergenerationally wealthy billionaires who own them, didn't suddenly develop a sense of an enlightened self-interest.
It was all just for show.
It was always just for show.
It was always public relations propaganda.
No, they don't want meritocracy. And the opposite of DEI isn't meritocracy. The opposite of DEI is prejudice, nepotism, and cronyism.
As soon as they thought they could get away with it, they switched back.
Because prejudice, nepotism, and cronyism works well for the ruling class.
Corporations are not your friend.
Corporations are not your ally.
Corporations exist to extend the power and wealth of the ruling class.
Australian urban planning, public transport, politics, retrocomputing, and tech nerd. Recovering journo. Cat parent. Part-time miserable grump.This is my new account, I previously posted from @ajsadauskasCities for people, not cars! Tech for people, not investors!