smol-blue-bird:

smol-blue-bird:

smol-blue-bird:

I went to a library book sale this weekend and I found a very old book called “Electronic Life: How to Think About Computers,” which was published in I think 1975? I’ve been reading it kind of like how I would read a historical document, and it’s lowkey fascinating

There’s a whole paragraph that’s like “okay, find the keyboard. Don’t panic if it has more keys than a typewriter, that’s normal. Really, it’s fine. The extra keys don’t make things harder. It’s FINE”

Thought this section was particularly interesting:

Can the computer create something? At first glance it seems obvious that it can. Animated computer graphics, with their fluid transitions and whiplash perspectives, look strikingly new. And if one watches the machine doing animation work, there seem to be lengthy periods when the computer is acting “on its own.”

But if one observes these processes in more detail, it becomes clear that creation is not occurring within the machine. First of all, computer graphics are not unique. Computers have yet to generate anything that cannot be done by hand—and usually already has been done. Second, the apparent ability of the computer to “act on its own” is the outcome of thousands of hours of patient human effort to refine its instructions. The computer can manipulate a shape for us if we have already informed it what a shape is, what the rules for shape manipulation are, what this specific shape is, and so forth.

You can start an automobile engine and it will run by itself, too, but that doesn’t mean it’s being creative. It’s just running.

(via nerd-bastard)

dduane:

thatsmimi:

auressea:

viridianriver:

KOKOBOT - The Airbnb-Owned Tech Startup - Data Mining Tumblr Users’ Mental Health Crises for “Content”

I got this message from a bot, and honestly? If I was a bit younger and not such a jaded bitch with a career in tech, I might have given it an honest try. I spent plenty of time in a tough situation without access to any mental health resources as a teen, and would have been sucked right in.

Chatting right from your phone, and being connected with people who can help you? Sounds nice. Especially if you believe the testimonials they spam you with (tw suicide / self harm mention in below images)

But I was getting a weird feeling, so I went to read the legalese.

I couldn’t even get through the fine-print it asked me to read and agree to, without it spamming the hell out of me. Almost like they expect people to just hit Yes? But I’m glad I stopped to read, because:

• What you say on there won’t be confidential. (And for context, I tried it out and the things people were looking for help with? I didn’t even feel comfortable sharing here as examples, it was all so deeply personal and painful)

• Also, what you say on there? Is now…
• Koko’s intellectual property - giving them the right to use it in any way they see fit, including
• Publicly performing or displaying your “content” (also known as your mental health crisis) in any media format and in any media channel without limitation
• Do this indefinitely after you end your account with them
• Sell / share this “content” with other businesses

• Any harm you come to using Koko? That’s on you.
• And Koko won’t take responsibility for anything someone says to you on there (which is bleak when people are using it to spread Christianity to people in crisis)

I was curious about their business model. They’re a venture-capitol based tech startup, owned by Airbnb, the famous mental health professionals with a focus on ethical business practices./s They’re also begging for donations despite having already been given 2.5 million dollars in research funding. (If you want a deep dive on why people throw crazy money at tech startups, see my other post here)

They also use the data they gather from users to conduct research and publish papers. I didn’t find them too interesting - other than as a good case study of “People tend to find what they are financially incentivized to find”. Predictably, Koko found that Kokobot was beneficial to its users.

So yeah, being a dumbass with too much curiosity, I decided to use the Airbnb-owned Data-Mining Mental Health Chatline anyway. And if you thought it was dangerous sounding from the disclaimers? Somehow it got worse.

(trigger warning / discussions of child abuse / sexual abuse / suicide / violence below the cut - please don’t read if you’re not in a good place to hear about negligence around pretty horrific topics.)

Keep reading

A Mental Health App Tested ChatGPT on Its Users

Koko used GPT-3 to counsel 4,000 people but shut the test down because "it felt kind of sterile." Users rated the AI responses highly. Cue t

Gizmodo

Discord's KokoBot Triggers an Ethics Controversy

An experiment in using chatbots to dispense mental-health counseling raised questions about ethics. Rob Morris, cofounder and CEO of Koko...

Discord's KokoBot Triggers an Ethics Controversy

Kokobot is incredibly predatory and exploitative. I wrote a post about how it exploits minors’ empathy and gamifies “giving mental health advice”, resulting in an unregulated mess that can only do harm to teens’ mental health in the long run.

There are young people on tumblr that actively seek support from KokoBot right now, if you check the tag for recent posts. Those people did not get paid to promote it, so do not harrass them. If you can, direct them towards resources about Kokobot (like this post) that are more transparent about what this company is up to.

This… is DEEPLY DISTURBING.

(via nerd-bastard)

hobbular:

sirfrogsworth:

I graduated high school in 99.

There was a student at our school named Wayne.

Wayne was gay. It was obvious. He was unable to stay in the closet even if he wanted to. To make matters worse, he was also Black. From a bullying standpoint, that was not a great combo. Both Black and white students made fun of him relentlessly. He was ostracized from the only community that may have given him protection. Only us theater kids stuck up for him, but not to significant effect.

Wayne was bullied so much that at one point he finally snapped and attacked his bullies with a lunch tray. I was actually seated in perfect line of sight and just sat there chewing my soggy fries in stunned silence. It didn’t even seem real as I was witnessing it. The image of him wailing on his main bully as the food on his tray flew off is permanently logged into my long term memory.

The bully he attacked had blood all over his face and went straight to the nurse. Other than superficial cuts, he was not injured.

Before the attack, Wayne went to teachers for help.
He went to guidance counselors for help.
He went to the principals for help.

He did all of the things you were supposed to do. No one helped him. They wagged a finger at the bullies and warned them to stop.

Wayne’s lunch tray melee was the only thing that worked. His bullies stayed far away from him. But a week later Wayne was expelled and the bullies were given no punishment.

So… no.

No one in my school talked about being trans.

Because the only way to survive being openly queer was to bash people with a lunch tray.

My third grade history unit on local Indigenous culture included an offhand mention of Two-Spirit identities (this was 1993). This was the first time I had ever heard of a possibility beyond “girl”, which never felt quite right, and “boy”, which definitely felt wrong.

The undertones were “this is something inscrutable and not in any way relatable to Modern Western Folks”, so I didn’t tell anyone that I privately identified as 2S for like 6 years until the internet informed me that it was a closed identity and it was disrespectful for me, a white person, to identify as such.

No alternatives were presented.

So I went back to “girl”, which fit better than “boy” but still didn’t fit, and my classmates could tell. They didn’t call me dyke. They called me tranny.

In 1999.

(via thesaltyace)

studydriven:

me everyday from 6am to 8 at night: uugggghhhh i want to sleep

me at midnight: time to do!!! things!!! yeeeeee!!!!!!!

(via carry-on-my-wayward-butt)

jewish-harley-quinn:

jewish-harley-quinn:

BREAKFAST???

For reference,

(via horse-is-a-horse-of-course)

autistic-autumn:

foone:

environmental storytelling

part two

(via thesaltyace)

elodieunderglass:

deluxetrashqueen:

So, there’s apparently research coming out now about microplastics being found in people’s bloodstreams and the possible negative effects of that and I feel the need to get out ahead of the wave of corporate sponsored “be sure to recycle your bottles!” or “ban glitter!” campaigns and remind everyone:

It’s fishing nets. It’s fishing nets. It is overwhelming fishing nets It always has been fishing nets. Unless regulations are changed, it will continue to be fishing nets.

The plastic in the ocean in largely discarded nets from industrial fishing. The microplastics are the result of these nets breaking down. The “trash islands” are also, you guessed it. Mostly fishing nets and other discarded fishing industry equipment.

Do not allow them to continue to twist the story. Do not come after disabled people who require single use plastics. Do not come after people using glitter in art projects and makeup. These things make up a negligible amount of the issue compared to corporate waste, specifically in the fishing industry. Do not let them shift the blame to the individual so they can continue to destroy the planet and our bodies without regulation.

Industries are incredibly resistant to taking responsibility for their own waste, to the point where “consumers are responsible for industrial waste” is somehow considered a sensible, ethical, worthy sentence.

It is actually perfectly reasonable to say that “industries are responsible for industrial waste” and “the effects of industry can, should and must be fixed by industry” and “Industry can, should and must be held responsible for its impacts on the commons, such as air, water, oceans and land.”

(via horizontallygay)

ospreyonthemoon:

theoutcastrogue:

inneskeeper:

battleblaze:

inneskeeper:

inneskeeper:

if its 1:00am when you’re reading this you know what to do!

that’s right! it’s research traditional methods of moroccan architecture, which follow strict mathematic structures and formulas to create stunning tilework and arches, often also utilizing a special form of clay endemic to morocco famed for its sculptural qualities which are difficult and even impossible to reproduce in other regions! additionally, the cultural significance of the various motifs and colors used throughout moroccan architecture, both in religious and in secular buildings, are distinct and highly formalized, honed over many h

FUCK YEAH MOROCCAN ARCHITECTURE

have you looked into muqarnas yet?

yes! i was actually referencing muqarnas when speaking about the clay! morocco’s carved clay and plaster muqarnas are famous for their intricacy and detailed fretting!

Sometimes muqarnas are carved wood. Regardless, Moroccan architecture is ABSOLUTELY BONKERS.

Descriptions in alt:

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Originally posted by roseseafoam

Me deciding to research traditional methods of morrocan architecture

(via nerd-bastard)

lesbian-pangoro:

imakuni:

in pain from laughing at this fucking video

For anyone who was confused like I was

(via nerd-bastard)