June 21, 2023
Towards a better, floofier world
Why rabbits? Noah Smith on keeping rabbits as pets.
People often ask me: “Why rabbits?” Usually my answer is just “They’re floofy.” And that is a perfectly fine and good answer. Rabbits are indeed floofy, and they’re also playful and affectionate and funny.
Cancer drug rationing
US doctors are rationing lifesaving cancer drugs amid dire shortage The drug shortage could lead to preventable deaths, and it's unclear when it will end.
Missing the Point of Everybody
I want to tell you how this unfolded without judgment, but every sentence is an arrow pointing somewhere. Already, this, as if there were one thing; unfolded, past tense, as if it has ended.
The subject of the November 2017 email: your father raped me #me too.
Long Live the New Flesh
The U.S. Agriculture Department has approved the sale for human consumption of cultured meat . Upside Foods and Good Meat will supply vat poultry to high-end restaurants Bar Crenn and The Bazaar by José Andrés, respectively, until economies of scale kick in and bring lab-grown meat products to your(?) kitchen.
Life On Mars?
Davie Bowie's ”Life on Mars?” was released as a single 50 years ago. Did you know it was written as revenge on Frank Sinatra? [more inside]
He's 700 in Dog years!
This past Saturday, Dr. Robert Moore, a retired dean from San Jose University, turned 100. Dr. Moore is an avid dog lover, and so his daughter Allison had a unique idea - she posted a message on NextDoor asking people to bring their dogs over that afternoon to say hello. She expected maybe only 20 or 30 people - but over 200 people showed up. [more inside]
That Is Not ChatGPT Which Can Eternal Lie
Do you enjoy reading the fiction of that in/famous author of weird fiction, H. P. Lovecraft? Have you ever said "but what if we had endless Lovecraft fiction?" Researchers attempted to simulate Lovecraftian fiction with GPT-4 [link to ArXiv preprint].
An Unprecedented Feat of Tedious and Repetitive Labor
Much of the public response to language models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT has focused on all the jobs they appear poised to automate. But behind even the most impressive AI system are people — huge numbers of people labeling data to train it and clarifying data when it gets confused. Only the companies that can afford to buy this data can compete, and those that get it are highly motivated to keep it secret. The result is that, with few exceptions, little is known about the information shaping these systems’ behavior, and even less is known about the people doing the shaping. from AI Is a Lot of Work [Intelligencer; ungated]
Maybe Don't Go So High
The Story We’ve Been Told About Juneteenth Is Wrong
The real history is much messier—and more inspiring.
While Texans celebrated Juneteenth with a particular zeal, many Americans still did not have the faintest clue about its origins, historical import, or contemporary resonance. That was, until an improbable series of events transformed Juneteenth into a national symbol.[more inside]
"This event is bought to you by Pinterest fails"
There is...one more thing we could try...
Moon Dog is a fun little short from young Australian filmmaker Nat Kelly. If it's a gloomy day where you are, try this charming distraction. That is all.
What is gender-affirming care?
"So what is gender-affirming care, exactly? And why is it important? The 19th spoke with health care professionals who provide gender-affirming care to adults and adolescents — as well as trans young adults who were comfortable sharing their experiences — to answer those questions."
Friends of the Court
Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court (archive.today link) [more inside]
The love I have to give is a woman's love, if only because it is mine.
Happy Pride Month! Haela Ravenna Hunt-Hendrix [Wikipedia] and her band Liturgy make music typically classified as Black Metal, but there is so much more going on in their newest album 93696 [YT playlist]. Hellgate NYC reviews and interviews and writes from earlier this year. She sat with Veil Of Sound last month to talk about the album, her life and philosophy, and her music. [46m] [more inside]
Happy Pride! 10 Facts About the History of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
Mental floss - 10 Facts About the History of LGBTQ Pride Month "This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the first gay Pride march, which was held on the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Read on for the history of Pride Month and LGBTQ activism in the United States." - Mental floss [more inside]
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