Tempted to pin this mf

Autonomous drones following running people through the woods, without GPS. Developed, with military funds, at a public university.

This is not dual use anymore, this is single use. There is only one use here.

Sometimes I worry that I'm becoming a negative Nancy with all my ethics talk, and then I see colleagues proudly post this kind of thing without a single acknowledgment of the implications.

The lessons from Brazil and Serbia?
Don't concede one inch of ground to the far right.
Don't appease.
Don't triangulate.
Don't grovel.
Don't say they have "legitimate concerns".
Mobilise your base, and fight them with all the democratic means at your disposal.

I'm fascinated by the rapidity and depth of deskilling that comes from chatbot use. Today's example: say three things about your own child.

"Small, human, um, help me out here, chatbot, I'm drawing a blank."

It's sold in the language of feminism, of labour-saving technology for emotional labour, but it's really big tech spotting an untapped market (women) and encouraging you to outsource the last of your humanity for a monthly fee as your brain turns to paste.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/25/style/marissa-mayer-ai-assistants-women.html

As others have pointed out, there could be an influx of newcomers to the #Fediverse from #Brazil who are tired of #Meta 's latest shenanigans while meddling with politics.

If you see them, be friendly and welcoming, and under no circumstances start with "You are using the Fediverse wrong!"

I mean it. We have a serious "Reply Guy" problem around here, and we've already lost our big chance with Black Twitter. Let's not screw _this_ opportunity up, okay?

Google plans to bulldoze a wildlife haven in Essex – home to rare species – for a data centre. Sign the petition now to help save it before it’s gone forever 🐝 🦋
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-arena-essex-tell-google-to-search-elsewhere?source=web_share_api&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=web_share_api&share=139411fe-81f8-49c5-8cab-3dd01ef6d694

“If you don’t use AI you’re going to get left behind.”

Gosh, I sure hope so. I see where you’re going and it sucks.

bad news, i’ve discovered a vulnerability in the ‘a’ element of html, when clicked they can cause your web browser to go to an entirely different website

Yesterday, as I sat here, using a laptop running on Free software written and maintained by volunteers, to connect, by means of a secure tunnel formed by Free software written and maintained by volunteers, to multiple servers, all running Free software written and maintained by volunteers, to apply patches prepared urgently by volunteers to resolve security vulnerabilities, I felt *incredibly* grateful for every single one of those volunteers, who makes the fact that I could do *any* of this possible.

Thank you, genuinely.

#FOSS #FreeSoftware #Linux

Nothing like humour in these trying times.

"AI disclosure. During the writing of this paper, we had several conversations with Claude, 55, owner of the neighborhood bar in Strasbourg. Unfortunately, none of them was of relevance to the topics of the paper."

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2610.27918

Following on from my post on The (alleged) Moral Imperative to Use #AI, I have written two more in the same vein: unpacking what lies behind bald assertions that various organisations *must* use AI.

#AIHype #AIEthics

https://blog.24601.net/yet-another-imperative-to-use-ai/ (universities)

https://blog.24601.net/slow-is-wrong/ (financial markets)

The #BMA has responded to the #NHS Guidance on #single-sex services and facilities
Location: #UK : https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/statement-nhs-guidance-on-the-provision-of-single-sex-services-and-facilities “We do not believe the new guidance published by NHS #England meets these standards and is therefore likely to have a negative effect on trans and non-binary people but the harm will not be limited to them. These guidelines, like #transphobia itself, harm cisgender people as well as #trans and non-binary people.”

(4/5)
💵 PHP runs over half the Internet, including governments and multibillion-dollar corporations, yet the foundation behind it has a budget under $1m and only 13 engineers, some part-time. Despite this, they handled one of the hardest vulnerabilities in recent years with professionalism. They deserve better: if your company or government relies on PHP, consider supporting them.

Following on from my post on The (alleged) Moral Imperative to Use #AI, I have written two more in the same vein: unpacking what lies behind bald assertions that various organisations *must* use AI.

#AIHype #AIEthics

https://blog.24601.net/yet-another-imperative-to-use-ai/ (universities)

https://blog.24601.net/slow-is-wrong/ (financial markets)

This is new to me. The service uses codes generated by an authenticator app and is clearly concerned about the support consequences of users losing access to unbacked up authenticator apps.

I guess that's okay as an option, but what annoys me is the #infantilization of users implicit in requiring this. The assumption that no users can be trusted to properly back up their own authenticator apps thereby forcing us to hand over even more #data.

#DataPrivacy #Paternalism

The trade unions resisting a political donations cap in the UK are ragged-trousered philanthropists. Thanks to their delusion that a system allowing limitless donations enhances their power, they're in danger of handing the country to the far-right parties that billionaires support. Burnham must act

Mastodon has no algorithm, right? Wrong! Mastodon does. The algorithm is chronological ordering. If you do not have the time to read everything this means statistically you mainly get to see those accounts that post a lot of stuff. The precious ones that post little but that you really want to see you miss most likely. Hence, would it not be better if one would allow a variety of algorithms that the user can control? Why not federated algorithms? I choose the algorithm that fits me. #fediverse

RE: https://mastodon.social/@hfalcke/117455063326697336

Yep. Me 3 years ago:

https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/110791346726665161

"Who controls the algorithm, and what is it optimizing for?" is a more useful question than "chronological or not?"

In an interview publsihed yesterday, Rachel Watson, Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct said this:

> I think there’s a genuine moral imperative to embrace technology that clearly has potential benefits for productivity

Wow! I unpack that extraordinary claim:
#AI #AIHype #AIEthics #Ethics #Philosophy

https://blog.24601.net/the-alleged-moral-imperative-to-use-ai/

In an interview publsihed yesterday, Rachel Watson, Director General of the Independent Office for Police Conduct said this:

> I think there’s a genuine moral imperative to embrace technology that clearly has potential benefits for productivity

Wow! I unpack that extraordinary claim:
#AI #AIHype #AIEthics #Ethics #Philosophy

https://blog.24601.net/the-alleged-moral-imperative-to-use-ai/