Microsoft Copilot AI’s official avatar looks like a blob of semen
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20250728-… - podcast
youtube.com/watch?v=3av5g0hAKw… - video
The video is heavily euphemised and I think I got away with it
Microsoft Copilot AI’s official avatar looks like a blob of semen
Microsoft Copilot has an avatar now! It’s a viscous pearly blob of liquid. That wobbles. And has facial expressions. I had to euphemise furiously on the YouTube version of this post — but for the b…Pivot to AI
Dropped cases against LA protesters reveal false claims from federal agents
US immigration officers made false and misleading statements in their reports about several Los Angeles protesters they arrested during the massive demonstrations that rocked the city in June, according to federal law enforcement files obtained by the Guardian.The officers’ testimony was cited in at least five cases filed by the US Department of Justice amid the unrest. The justice department has charged at least 26 people with “assaulting” and “impeding” federal officers and other crimes during the protests over immigration raids. Prosecutors, however, have since been forced to dismiss at least eight of those felonies, many of them which relied on officers’ inaccurate reports, court records show.
The justice department has also dismissed at least three felony assault cases it brought against Angelenos accused of interfering with arrests during recent immigration raids, the documents show.
EPA to suspend methane limits without public input
EPA to suspend methane limits without public input - E&E News by POLITICO
The upcoming interim final rule is the agency's latest use of a regulatory process usually reserved for emergencies.Jean Chemnick (E&E News by POLITICO)
Tom Lehrer, acclaimed musical satirist of cold war era, dies aged 97
From today's "wait, he was still alive?" files.
Fucking brilliant musician. Many videos in the link.
Tom Lehrer, acclaimed musical satirist of cold war era, dies aged 97
A child prodigy in mathematics who graduated Harvard at just 19, his darkly prophetic and cynical show tunes won him a cult following in the 50s and 60sGuardian staff reporter (The Guardian)
Best (financial) background I've seen on Epstein so far -- Patrick Boyle
Epstein - Follow The Money!
👉 To try everything Brilliant has to offer for free for a full 30 days, visit https://brilliant.org/patrick/. You’ll also get 20% off an annual premium subs...YouTube
The media is mocking Trump’s dishonest attempts to destroy the free press
The media is mocking Trump’s dishonest attempts to destroy the free press - LGBTQ Nation
The laughter at Trump's expense will continue indefinitely as he tries to undermine the Fourth Estate.Dr. Warren J. Blumenfeld (LGBTQ Nation)
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What to know about civil commitment, Trump's new policy for homelessness
President Trump's new executive order to combat homelessness encourages local governments to revive civil commitment, a process to place people with mental health issues in treatment facilities without their consent.Why it matters: Involuntary civil commitment has historically been used as a preventative method to confine people before they harm themselves or others, and most frequently affects vulnerable groups such as LGBTQ+, people of color and people with disabilities, according to several studies.
Context: The order Trump signed Thursday calls for shifting homeless individuals into "long-term" institutions for "humane treatment" which the administration says will "restore public order."
Cool. Just one more thing to be worried about from a failed system. I'm guessing "humane treatment" doesn't include access to the outside world.
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/25/civil-commitment-trumps-homelessness-policy
The smirk on his face in that photo really does make one wish he steps on a Lego. For eternity.
Good luck, guys, this is all going according to plan, and the plan is fucking evil to the core.
Cash bail myths debunked by plummeting city crime data
Cash bail myths debunked by plummeting city crime data
According to President Trump, large American cities are crime-infested hellholes.Rebecca Crosby (Popular Information)
Why risky coastal real estate continues to attract buyers
Why risky coastal real estate continues to attract buyers
Even after floods and hurricanes, "people still want to live in paradise"Susan Crawford (Moving Day)
Democrats use new tactic to highlight Trump’s gutting of Medicaid: billboards in the rural US
The road to four struggling rural hospitals now hosts a political message: “If this hospital closes, blame Trump.”In a series of black-and-yellow billboards erected near the facilities, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) seeks to tell voters in deep red states “who is responsible for gutting rural healthcare”.
“UNDER TRUMP’S WATCH, STILWELL GENERAL HOSPITAL IS CLOSING ITS DOORS,” one sign screams. The billboards are outside hospitals in Silex, Missouri; Columbus, Indiana; Stilwell, Oklahoma; and Missoula, Montana.
The fate of rural hospitals has become a politically contentious issue for Republicans, as historic cuts pushed through by the GOP are expected to come into effect over the next decade. Trump’s enormous One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) cut more than $1tn from Medicaid, the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans, insuring more than 71 million adults.
Democrats use new tactic to highlight Trump’s gutting of Medicaid: billboards in the rural US
The ‘big, beautiful’ bill will cut more than $1tn from the health plan, with rural hospitals feeling the brunt of itJessica Glenza (The Guardian)
This is indeed an important step.
One of the biggest failures of the Democratic party over the past 20 years was the complete abandonment of some "red" areas. After winning with the 50-state strategy in 2008, they just abandoned it. They wouldn't run candidates in some congressional elections, let alone local ones. Pelosi prevented most congress people from going on Fox News for years, etc.
This made the Rove-inspired painting of the Democratic party as "elite", "coastal", "urban" etc etc much easier for OP-aligned messengers.
While the Democratic party policies are usually more beneficial to most citizens than GOP policies, it's not a surprise many voters still felt like the Democratic party was not theirs.
Textbook publishers ignore far-right education chief’s demands to print Trumpian lies
Textbook publishers ignore far-right education chief’s demands to print Trumpian lies - LGBTQ Nation
The Oklahoma schools head continues to push Trump and the Bible down students' throats.Greg Owen (LGBTQ Nation)
Distorted sound of the early universe suggests we are living in a giant void
Distorted sound of the early universe suggests we are living in a giant void
A local void could settle contradicting measurements about how fast the universe is expanding.The Conversation
This Week in Plasma: Printer Ink Level Monitoring
This Week in Plasma: Printer Ink Level Monitoring
Welcome to a new issue of This Week in Plasma! Every week we cover the highlights of what’s happening in the world of KDE Plasma and its associated apps like Discover, System Monitor, and more.This Week in Plasma: Printer Ink Level Monitoring
Trump’s Panama Canal Chaos
Trump's Panama Canal chaos
The administration’s America First approach to foreign policy is perplexing and even destabilizing some longtime US allies.Mother Jones
It is criminal that the reporter didn't open with "A man, no plan, a canal ..."
I detest irrelevant ledes, but sometimes you have to bend the rules. The day Leslie Nielsen died, we nearly ran the refers of both sides of the flag (keying to the same story, and having horizontally flipped the cutout on the right) with the left saying "Nielsen dead at ##. Surely, you can't be serious." On the right was "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley." It went all the way to the top to get shot down ... my boss was totally on board.
California’s NPR and PBS Stations Will Cut Staff and Programs After Funding Slashed
California’s NPR and PBS Stations Will Cut Staff and Programs After Funding Slashed
Small NPR and PBS stations in California are teetering after Congress pulled funding from public broadcasting. Even big stations are bracing for cuts.KQED
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Spineless Mike Johnson Grovels to Trump and Shutters the House Early
The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Johnson—probably the worst speaker in American history—shut down the House early this week before its five-week vacation. He wants to avoid holding votes on releasing the Epstein files that reportedly include, among other notables, President Donald J. Trump.This is the latest valet service provided by a spineless Johnson, a Trump toady, whose groveling has no known boundaries. Imagine Johnson, a lawyer, took an oath to uphold the Constitution yet has no interest in safeguarding the independence of the congressional branch of our government.
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At Eleventh Hour, Enablers of Israel's Mass Starvation of Gaza Do 'Reputational Damage Control'
As Common Dreams reported this week, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has said that 85% of people in Gaza are now in Phase 5 of famine, defined at "an extreme deprivation of food."Organizer and attorney Aaron Regunberg said that instead of simply doing "reputational damage control by speaking up in these very last moments," powerful political leaders must "shut shit down."
”You want history books to not record you as an evil genocide supporter?" said Regunberg. "One speech now—after countless speeches condemning those who have been speaking out—ain't gonna cut it... You need to go to Gaza. You need to actually make an impact, NOW."
At Eleventh Hour, Enablers of Israel's Mass Starvation of Gaza Do 'Reputational Damage Control'
"You want history books to not record you as an evil genocide supporter?" said one organizer. "You need to actually make an impact, NOW."julia-conley (Common Dreams)
It’s a sales tax, effectively, a nationwide sales tax.
An attempt to implement a sort of regressive tax to offset the tax cuts. Shifting the burden of government on to working class people who are disproportionately impacted by price hikes on everyday goods.
It was never about on-shoring manufacturing. Always about stealing from the poor to give to the rich.
E-Bikes are replacing cars, not bicycles, a study from Germany shows
E-Bikes are replacing cars, not bicycles, a study from Germany shows:"43.1% of electric bicycle trips and 63.2% of electric bicycle mileage would have been undertaken using a car if no e-bike had been available" tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.10…
Carrier vs Ehrman: “Did Jesus Really Exist?” Course Gets SHREDDED 🔥
Carrier vs Ehrman: “Did Jesus Really Exist?” Course Gets SHREDDED 🔥
Ready to watch Dr. Richard Carrier dismantle Dr. Bart Ehrman’s brand-new course, *Did Jesus Really Exist?* Tonight we’re going line-by-line through every le...YouTube
A fifth of California homes are investor-owned as state’s affordability crisis deepens – report
It's been a while since I rented from a sole-proprietor, but we shouldn't be allowing corporate ownership of single-family housing at all.
Yeah, landlords generally suck, but the guy with six units is a hell of a lot more responsive than whatever out-of-state corporate office that bans calling the leasing office for maintenance.
A friend of mine owns two rental properties, and he's rarely available on weekends because he's fixing a deck or replacing a water heater.
A fifth of California homes are investor-owned as state’s affordability crisis deepens – report
New figures show that the Golden state’s rate of investor-owned homes is 19%, with mountain regions up to 83%Guardian staff reporter (The Guardian)
I'd guess it's not as bad as it is in CA, but this is starting to happen in my neighborhood in Portland, OR.
Houses are getting more expensive, so sellers are getting more and more offers from wealthy investors buying them to rent them out. Since people can't afford a home, they go ahead and rent the house (at least around us).
Its a bummer because the rent continually increases, so folks typically cannot stay there for too many years. For the renters, the rent is around what a mortgage payment would be at current interest rates, so they're not saving a lot of money.
The house across the street was sold when mortgage rates were ~3%, so the owners are making a good amount on the house. I just happen to hate that it's ruining our neighborhood, and I'd like more families with kids to move on to our street.
Trump order pushes local officials to clear unhoused people from streets
Trump order pushes local officials to clear unhoused people from streets
Order removes restrictions from municipalities and redirects funds toward rehabilitation and treatmentDani Anguiano (The Guardian)
Lay Your Silver Hands
Lay Your Silver Hands
Provided to YouTube by DistroKidLay Your Silver Hands · Boris · Boris MihaľkoLay Your Silver Hands℗ 4942045 Records DKReleased on: 2025-07-22Auto-generated b...YouTube
What Kind of America Survives After Trump?
What Kind of America Survives After Trump? | The Tyee
Crystal ball visions of a new constitution, a new kind of republic, perhaps even a split into two nations.Crawford Kilian (The Tyee)
‘Marines train for war:’ Veterans blast deployment of military to assist ICE in Florida
‘Marines train for war:’ Veterans blast deployment of military to assist ICE in Florida
Local veterans are speaking out against the deployment of 200 Marines to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Florida. Over 200 veterans have signed an open letter opposing the use of the military in this capacity.Alex Cook (ClickOrlando | Orlando, Florida News, Local Headlines | WKMG News 6")
Surprising no one, new research says AI Overviews cause massive drop in search clicks
Surprising no one, new research says AI Overviews cause massive drop in search clicks
The Pew Research Center analysis shows how hard AI is hitting web traffic.Ryan Whitwam (Ars Technica)
reshared this
As intended.
First they're going to collapse the ad model by eliminating most clicks.
Then they're going to put all of the information they've been scraping from the now-bankrupt websites behind paywalls.
Why would they do that, when they can charge advertisers to bias the LLM? How much do you think Adidas would pay to have their products advantages mixed into any response about sports gear, undetectable?
"to protect children from our website we are amassing a database of coerced child images on our website."
are you kidding me with this shit. I knew bluesky was a foul joke but going beyond that is both unnecessary and redundant.
BlueMonday1984
in reply to David Gerard • • •Baldur Bjarnason has given his thoughts: