How ProPublica Uses AI Responsibly in Its Investigations
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When our reporters prompted a large language model to help identify “woke” themes in a database of grants, AI helped them tell a vital accountability story about science funding and Ted Cruz.
propublica.org/article/using-a…
#News #AI #Tech #Journalism #Media #Research #Data #Technology
Glyn Moody reshared this.
Clearly.
To prove this, look at a square piece of paper.
It has 2 sides, the front and the back. The mathematical notation for 'square' is with a small 2 to the upper right. The mathematical notation for 'cube' has a small 3 in that location. Therefore, it follows that a cube must have 3 sides.
#Puppets! Chill crafty hangoutage on the build #stream. #YouTube, #Twitch, #Peertube and #Owncast. #puppetbuilding
youtube.com/@OperationPuppet
twitch.tv/operationpuppet
puppet.zone
owncast.pixelsandpuppets.com
Puppet building streams and videos and the occasional visit from Frankie and The OracleYouTube
"The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like #HabitatForHumanity for receiving grants from the #EPA under the Biden administration.
Citibank was told to freeze the groups’ bank accounts at the FBI’s request. The reason? The FBI alleges that the groups are involved in “possible criminal violations,” including “conspiracy to defraud the United States.” "
newrepublic.com/post/192660/tr…
The Trump administration is targeting climate organizations that received a Biden-era grant.The New Republic
As a reminder, the crackdown on protest has been happening - and getting more aggressive - for a long time.
Many examples of free speech being criminalised in this thread. (That's peaceful protest, not property damage).
mastodon.social/@CelloMomOnCar…
We really need to stop buying into the argument that #ClimateActivists are "radical" or "destructive". The opposite is true: the nature of the protests have been peaceful and, on the whole, pretty tame.Mastodon
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Astro Bob on Friday's lunar eclipse and what it would look like to an astronaut on the Moon.
"We'll see the moon glow orange-red during total eclipse. But our astronaut would witness a fiery, red ring ensconcing the silhouetted Earth! What I wouldn't give to be there. Fortunately, we have the next best thing. The Blue Ghost lander , which touched down on the moon last week, will take photos of this unique solar eclipse at the same time we're watching from Earth."
duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyl…
Early Friday morning, March 14, we'll see the moon in total eclipse for the first time in more than two years.Bob King (Duluth News Tribune)
A Canadian entrepreneur detained by ICE is speaking out after she got arrested while trying to enter the San Diego border to obtain a visa last Monday.Austin Grabish (ABC 10 News San Diego KGTV)
Water Is Not Political
Gaza is struggling to keep clean water flowing.
theatlantic.com/politics/archi…
Paywall Free: archive.today/N59BE
Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin announced that the lower house of parliament has drafted several bills aimed at “enhancing control over the activities of foreign agents.”Meduza
Die CEOs der weltweit größten Tech-Konzerne haben sich hinter Donald Trump gestellt. Manche von ihnen beteiligen sich sogar aktiv an dessen zerstörerischer Politik, allen voran Elon Musk. Wir haben mit dem Tech-Journalisten @parismarx über den vermeintlichen Sinneswandel des Silicon Valley gesprochen und welche Form des Widerstands es nun braucht.
The CEOs of the world's largest tech companies have thrown their support behind Donald Trump. Some of them are even actively participating in his destructive policies, most notably Elon Musk.netzpolitik.org
Thanks to the magic of the Streisand effect, I just heard about #CarelessPeople - a book by former Meta employee Sarah Wynn-Williams.
Apparently the company is FREAKING OUT and seeking legal ways to stop its promotion. I can see why. This article about it in the Times made my jaw drop: nytimes.com/2025/03/10/books/r…
I will definitely order it at my local bookshop.
🔗: bookshop.org/p/books/careless-…
“Careless People,” a memoir by a former Facebook executive, portrays feckless company leaders cozying up to authoritarian regimes.Jennifer Szalai (The New York Times)
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An update: last night I started reading #CarelessPeople and I cannot emphasize enough HOW GOOD it is. A real page-turner.
No wonder #Meta executives are trying to shut down its promotional tour. They come across as shallow, greedy and irresponsible.
The author wrote in the prelude that working there was "like watching a bunch of fourteen-year-olds who’ve been given superpowers and an ungodly amount of money, as they jet around the world to figure out what power has bought and brought them." 🔥
Update no. 2:
Yesterday my 4-year-old woke up at 7am thus thwarting my plans to read #CarelessPeople for a good hour.
So today I woke up at 6am to resume reading the book. It’s THAT GOOD.
The leaders at #Meta have been shockingly irresponsible in their decisions since the early days. All they care about? Gathering data and influence and making big bucks. I’m so glad I got out of all their platforms and I’m on the #Fediverse instead.
History books won’t be kind to Zuck, Sandberg et al.
What an idiot.
“ #Trump threatens 200% tariff on European wine and champagne” #TrumpTax #tariffs
cbsnews.com/news/trump-threate…
The president threatened to take retaliatory action in response to EU tariffs on U.S.-made whiskey.Melissa Quinn (CBS News)
Deadly avian flu strain is spreading rapidly in Antarctica
https://www.science.org/content/article/deadly-avian-flu-strain-spreading-rapidly-antarctica?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into News from Science @news-from-science-SciMag
Episode 223 – tracklist
Episode 223 of Fractal Meat on a Spongy Bone broadcasts on NTS.live on Monday night / Tuesday morning 18th March 2025, from 01:00 to 03:00. Alternatively, catch the archive on the show page. This month's show includes lots of strange electronic music of different flavours, plunderphonics, drone music, free jazz and bedroom tapes. Tracklist follows. TRACKLIST Kirk Barley - Descendent…
fractalmeat.wordpress.com/2025…
Episode 223 of Fractal Meat on a Spongy Bone broadcasts on NTS.live on Monday night / Tuesday morning 18th March 2025, from 01:00 to 03:00. Alternatively, catch the archive on the show page. This m…Fractal Meat
Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.
The U.S. resumed intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but trust in the U.S. has been lost.
Kyiv knows it must seek more reliable partners.
Maksym, a military officer, calls the pause a surprise, but not a disaster.
UKRAINE OUT OF ATACMS MISSILES: Ukraine may have run out of all of its long-range ATACMS ballistic missiles, according to the Associated Press citing a U.S. official and a Ukrainian lawmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity.
apnews.com/article/russia-ukra…
Ukrainian and Polish officials say U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine have resumed. The deliveries came Wednesday, a day after the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid for Kyiv in its war against Russia and Ukrainian officials sign…Samya Kullab (AP News)
KELLOGG REMOVED FROM TALKS WITH UKRAINE: US special envoy to Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg has been effectively removed from talks on the settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Politico reports, citing sources.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
ORG, Big Brother Watch and Index on Censorship call for the secret Tribunal into the UK Home Office's encryption-breaching order against Apple to be held in PUBLIC 🧑⚖️
There's a significant public interest in knowing why the UK government believes it can compel a private company to undermine the privacy and security of its users.
Read our joint letter ⬇️
openrightsgroup.org/press-rele…
#encryption #e2ee #Apple #investigatorypowersact #privacy #security #cybersecurity #ukpolitics #ukpol
Rights groups call for Apple’s closed appeal against the Home Office’s encryption-breaching order to be opened to the public.Open Rights Group
The “case implicates the privacy rights of millions of British citizens who use Apple’s technology, as well as Apple’s international users.”
“End-to-end encryption cannot be broken in a targeted manner – once a ‘backdoor’ into the system has been created, it can be exploited by anyone, putting the privacy and security of all users at risk.”
With such high stakes, we demand to know what could possibly justify it.
#e2ee #encryption #privacy #security #cybersecurity #ukpolitics #ukpol #apple
📣 Make your voice heard through the secrecy!
By ordering Apple to break encryption, the UK government has put millions at a higher risk of their personal data, documents and photos falling into the hands of criminals and predators.
The secret tribunal is taking place this Friday – we need to take a stand for encryption!
Sign and share our petition ⬇️
you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions…
#e2ee #encryption #apple #privacy #security #cybersecurity #ukpolitics #ukpol #investigatorypowersact
It is reported that the Home Office has ordered Apple to build a backdoor into its encrypted services so that they can get hold of content that any Apple user has upload to the cloud. Encryption keeps our private information safe and secure.38 Degrees
Louisiana is locked in a legal battle over its planned execution of a death row inmate
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/12/nx-s1-5309985/louisiana-is-locked-in-a-legal-battle-over-its-planned-execution-of-a-death-row-inmate?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into U.S. News @u-s-news-npr
Bone fragments unearthed at an ancient cave in Spain belong to the oldest known human face in western Europe, researchers say.
The fossilised remains make up the left cheek and upper jaw of an adult member of an extinct human species who lived and died on the Iberian peninsula between 1.1m and 1.4m years ago.
theguardian.com/science/2025/m…
Remains are of an adult member of an extinct species who lived up to 1.4m years ago, researchers sayIan Sample (The Guardian)
Pressure works. Even on fascists. Especially on fascists.
Keep it up.
#uspol From @timkmak:
journa.host/@timkmak/114155340…
NEWS OF THE DAY: U.S. RESUMES MIL AID TO UKRAINE AS KREMLIN WEIGHS CEASEFIRE: The U.S. resumed arms deliveries to Ukraine on Wednesday, a day after the Trump administration lifted its aid suspension. https://apnews.Journa.host
"mulls" and "weighs" doing an awful lot of work there. Does anyone really think Russia will agree to just leave? Let alone stop shooting for 30 days?
Fair enough. My money's still on Trump blaming Ukraine for the failure when Russia refuses to leave.
I might just be a cynic, though.
@xinit
Oh, this 100% will happen. Nobody’s saying the problems are all fixed now.
But my point stands.
A Putin aide rejects Trump's 30-day Ukraine ceasefire proposal
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/13/nx-s1-5327108/russia-putin-trump-ukraine-ceasefire-talks?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub
Posted into World News @world-news-npr
Glyn Moody reshared this.
He had to say "and other E.U. represented countries" because he doesn't know what other wine-making countries are part of the E.U.
All modern issues can be directly traced back to the government not investing in the Turbo Encabulator.
54 years wasted.
youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7G7xOG2A…
This is the first time Turbo Encabulator was recorded with picture. I shot this in the late 70's at Regan Studios in Detroit on 16mm film. The narrator and w...YouTube
Waste, fraud, and abuse courtesy of Trump
ICE Returns All Migrants From Guantánamo to Stateside Facilities - The New York Times nytimes.com/2025/03/12/us/poli…
A court filing described strip searches and the use of restraint chairs on some of the 290 migrants the Trump administration has cycled through the base.Carol Rosenberg (The New York Times)
Under pressure from the Trump administration, many universities are preemptively scaling back their DEI programs—even though no law requires them to.David Cole (The New York Review of Books)
✊ LEADING. RESISTING. SURVIVING. THRIVING 💜
Women are on the frontlines of environmental and social justice—leading movements, defending land and water, and fighting for their communities. Yet, they are among the first to suffer the consequences of climate chaos, war, and economic injustice.
While we celebrate progress and call to accelerate action, we must recognise the struggle. Women’s leadership in the fight for a just and liveable world must be supported and protected.
#WomensHistoryMonth
Practicing using poster paints for game and animation backgrounds.
Google’s Gemma team released an impressive new model today (under their not-open-source Gemma license). Gemma 3 comes in four sizes—1B, 4B, 12B, and 27B—and while 1B is text-only the larger …Simon Willison’s Weblog
The European Union released a lengthy list Wednesday of U.S. goods, from Kentucky bourbon to household appliances, slated for retaliatory tariffs.Minnesota Reformer
Contentious Republican town halls are going viral
Across the country, constituents are grilling their Republican members of Congress — and the heated exchanges are going viral online.
theverge.com/news/628284/repub…
#news #politics #uspol #uspolitics #GOPCult #trump #ethics #corruption
In California, Georgia, Wisconsin, and elsewhere, constituents are grilling their Republican members of Congress at town halls — and the heated exchanges are going viral online.Mia Sato (The Verge)
Under those amazing blue skies. ☀️
Explore the best beaches and snorkeling beaches in Los Cabos: Lovers Beach & Divorce Beach & Medano Beach & Chileno Beach & Santa Maria Beach.Backpack and Snorkel Travel Guides - The Home of the Purple Travel Guides
Not sure which desktop operating system is best for you? We help you choose by comparing the top options based on app compatibility, ease of use, hardware availability, interface design, gaming support, and more.Michael Muchmore (PCMag)
Washington Blues: A Government Town Faces a Gloomy Future
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For years, Washington, D.C., was insulated from many of the economic forces that decimated many older U.S. cities. Now, as Elon Musk’s mass layoffs shake everything from employment to real estate, the region faces the prospect of decline.
propublica.org/article/washing…
#News #DOGE #WashingtonDC #Economy #Government #Labor
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#ScribesAndMakers Mar 13: Shameless self-promotion day
Books! I've got lots of books. Kobo and Kindle should have all of my ebooks.
For paperback, pretty much any place that sells books should be able to get them for you.
There aren't a lot of people named Steve DeGroof in the world, so searching for my name at a book vendor should point you in the right direction.
Or, y'know, google "steve degroof books" if you want.
Hue StL
in reply to ProPublica • • •Aaron Caskey-Demaret
in reply to ProPublica • • •T2R
in reply to ProPublica • • •Garrett
in reply to ProPublica • • •People just want to see red once you mention AI, but when used in this targeted way it is very useful and saves time so you can show us these articles sooner.
As solitha said, promoting correct usage. Don't mind the hate.