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  • These systems were trained on 4Chan, Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter posts and comments. They weren’t trained on military communication, guidelines, etc.

    They know more about Call of Duty than they know about actual warfare. What the fuck do you think they’re gonna recommend?

    Honestly, this applies to the entire DOW under Hegseth. The fact that we even have to use a term like "double tap" to describe genocide and war crimes committed by the U.S. and have Marco Rubio tweeting about it with fucking emojis is so fucking disgusting and shameful, but also part of the propaganda they're relying on to sell this back to their base.

    It down plays the seriousness of the entire situation, and makes naive people feel much safer than they should. Almost like a stranger in a van offering candy to kids, so that by the time they realize they're in danger it's too late.

    Propaganda aside and more to the point of why it's so dangerous, you might find this article posted a while back interesting. You're absolutely right, and the point should really be brought up all the time, but it never is.

    We've always know war is good business. If you can create eternal war, you never have to worry about peacetime getting in the way of your profits. So how can you create the world where war never has to end.

    Private Tech Companies, the State, and the New Character of War https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2025/12/ukraine-war-tech-companies

    Mass surveillance and social media now generate huge amounts of data during war. At the same time, the widespread availability of the smartphone means civilians carry around advanced sensors that can broadcast data more quickly than the armed forces themselves. This enables civilians to provide intelligence to the armed forces in ways that were not previously possible. Matthew Ford and Andrew Hoskins label this a “new war ecology” that is “weaponizing our attention and making everyone a participant in wars without end . . . [by] collapsing the distinctions between audience and actor, soldier and civilian, media and weapon.” In this ecology, warfare is participatory. Social media platforms such as TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Telegram are no longer merely tools for consuming war reportage; militaries accessing and processing open-source data from these platforms shapes the battlespace in real time by contributing to wider situational awareness.

    As a result of their work in Ukraine, a slew of companies like Palantir have drawn media attention.9 While commercial interests have rarely aligned neatly with geopolitics, circumstances are changing; private technology firms increasingly occupy, manage, and in some cases dominate the digital infrastructure upon which militaries now rely. States themselves have fostered this shift through selective deregulation and outsourcing of technology development. These dynamics are visible in the war in Ukraine and in the wider geopolitical contest over the global digital stack. As we argued in “Virtual Sovereignty,” a paper we published in International Affairs, this influence has major geopolitical consequences for how states use power.

    What is at stake, beyond the conflict itself, is the nature of state sovereignty. The ability of states to govern, defend, and act independently is increasingly mediated by private technology firms and global finance. This is not entirely new. States have long relied on private contractors, but the kind of dependency has changed. Unlike traditional arms manufacturers, today’s defense-tech firms control the digital platforms, data flows, and algorithmic systems that underpin military decisionmaking. At the same time, civilian platforms like Telegram and TikTok shape the informational terrain of conflict, influencing how wars are perceived and fought.

  • 🫂

  • Maybe he's telling the truth and by "prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems,” he means human responsibility is strictly prohibited.

  • Sorry to hear that. Honestly in that situation impulse was probably a protective mechanism driving you to go somewhere else to give you a break from the pain.

    Sometimes just going back to a normal routine after losing somebody who's always been part of that routine can be one of the most painful and difficult parts of mourning.

  • I'm no AI, so take this with a grain of salt, but my own facial recognition training tells me that's not the facial expression of somebody who makes a habit of being very open and honest

  • I can't lie, the LED candles sound kind of cool. If you're going to use them as decorations, you're obviously going to need a whole bunch. What else are you going to do, use real candles and set the place on fire like a Victorian Christmas tree? At least medicated you was thinking about safety first. (That would be my post medicated rationale at least).

    I also did something similar to the 100 non refundable ice packs, but I had what seemed like a really good reason at the time.

    When I was pregnant my OB kept telling me to watch this standard birthing video that they make all new parents watch, just so they're not completely unprepared for the experience. I kept putting it off bc I thought "I know how having a baby works. I'm not steewpid!" She kept pushing it, so finally at like 8 months pregnant, me and my husband sit down and watch the stupid birthing video together.

    I can't remember exactly which parts really did it, but it ended up kind of scaring the shit out of me.

    I just remember that even after being uncomfortable for months, not sleeping, not being able to do anything I wanted to do, (even little stuff like drink more than one cup of coffee or eat certain foods), and finally getting to the point where I couldn't even bend down to pick stuff up, and had to rely on other people for help, I was so ready to just get it over with. Then I watched this video, and I literally started thinking about running away so they couldn't make me give birth.

    While we were watching it, I honestly imagined myself standing up, telling my husband I needed to go grab something from the other room, then just getting in my car and driving away without any plan. It was pretty much my body being in the textbook definition of flight mode.

    I ended up calling a friend of mine who had a kid, and talking to her about it. She reassured me that it really wasn't that bad, except for the "perenial tearing." 😬 She advised me to get plenty of ice packs and have them ready to go for when I got home from the hospital.

    So I ordered a box of crackable ice packs made for exactly that purpose. Came home one day to a giant box sitting on my front porch that said "PERENIAL ICE PACKS" on the outside, and realized I had somehow purchased a box of 150. Ended up having to have a C-section and using none of them, so I also just donated them. Hopefully somebody somewhere got some use out of them.

    And my all time favorite was ordering a go-cart, $3500 for no reason.

    This is amazing, and probably the best answer anybody has given so far along with the 6ft samurai sword.

    Edit: To be clear, not that I suddenly decided I didn't want to have my baby, I just had the very irrational thought of running away to avoid the process of labor. I knew the baby was coming one way or the other, but maybe I could just hold it in forever and raise the baby that way? Idk it was not a rational response, I just panicked. I just always assumed (based on everything I had learned prior to watching that video) it was only a stretching process. I didn't think there would be any "tearing" involved unless there were complications. I definitely had never known before that day: A. Tearing is much more likely to be the default (90% of first time mothers) and rarely (but it happens) some people will even do a preemptive snip prior to giving birth, B. There are grades of tearing severity (first-degree being the least severe and fourth-degree being the most severe, often requiring surgical repair.), C. It never really occurred to me that there was a risk of spinal injury if you move the wrong way when they're inserting an epidural (while you're in labor), and D. Even if you get an epidural, there's a chance it might not work. Giving birth is no fucking joke. Not that I ever thought it was going to be easy, but before watching the "basic" birthing video, even with a master's degree and more basic medical knowledge than a lot of people, I didn't really comprehend what women go through to give birth. There's actually an evolutionary theory that it can be so traumatic your body and brain kind of work together to keep you from fully forming memories of just how bad the experience was, to help drive continued reproduction. (Also important to note though, that more negative experiences and memories of giving birth are associated with more adverse outcomes, and that the experience can leave a long lasting impression)

    It's not that you won't remember the pain at all, (bc even with a C-section and epidural, I damn sure remember screaming and feeling like my stitches were tearing open after it wore off, and I know I got off relatively easy), but in hindsight, your memory of the intense pain you experienced during childbirth can be dampened by the flood of hormones and feel good chemicals you experienced after. Like there's a reason oxytocin both stimulates painful contractions to help get the baby out, and also helps you bond with the baby after birth. It's really beautiful. But it's also insane.

    Edit 2: Pregnancy May Reduce Fear Permanently, Scientists Reveal

    Reduced fear memory may also support caregiving behaviors after birth by lowering anxiety and promoting bonding.

  • when talking about a LLM making someone go off the rails or killing themselves

    The warning would be for LLMs/chat bots that make people kill themselves.

    Automated killing systems (like lavender) are use of technology as a weapon of mass destruction.

    It’s working as intended and the people who created, enabled, and used it should be held accountable.

  • They sounds cool as fuck though! Maybe next time get one NV monocular and take both.

  • Right after we had a baby and moved into a new place, my husband and I decided we wanted to get a tapestry to hang over our bed to tie the room together. For some reason it turned into this really difficult thing. Like we were deciding on matching tattoos or something permanent, and we just couldn't make a decision. For over a year, we would send each other tons of examples, agree on a bunch, narrow it down from there, and then still end up not picking one for one reason or another.

    One day ~3ish years ago we were just hanging out listening to music. My husband noticed the very bizarre album cover art for Minnie Riperton's Adventures in Paradise, and showed it to me like "THAT'S FUCKING AWESOME!" and then jokingly said "that's what the tapestry should be."

    I can't remember much else, but it seemed so ridiculous it almost felt like a challenge. I looked into it and found out it's surprisingly cheap to just make your own tapestry by getting an image printed on cloth. So I ordered it and then we immediately forgot about it. Several weeks later I had no idea what it was when it arrived in the mail.

    We were probably sleep deprived and loopy, but other than that 100% sober when we made this decision. No regrets:

  • I feel like the people who created and sold these programs should be considered no different than people who create a biological or nuclear weapon of mass destruction. It's working as intended and the people who created, enabled, and used it should be held accountable.

    But destruction is not the fault of the technology, it's the fault of the people who used it to create a weapon of mass destruction while fighting global AI treaties and regulations in favor of greed and power.

    Nuclear material has the potential to create something that can destroy the world, but it also has the potential to create something that could save humanity depending on how it's used by the people who possess the material.

    Biolabs have used pathogens with pandemic potential to make weapons that destroy, but they also created the first vaccines against those pathogens, and eventually developed methods to create non-live vaccines.

    Proper use of AI would require transparency and regulations that place the good of all humanity before the good of the individual nation or corporation. It would be difficult to achieve, but not impossible. Destructive use seems less inherent to the technology itself than to human traits like greed and selfishness being permitted by society.

    The LLMs that are designed to manipulate people to keep using a product are somewhere between cigarettes/gambling and a gun. I think they're definitely harmful and require regulations and restrictions. At the bare minimum I think there should be some kind of mandatory warning label, or link to reach out for help always included at the bottom of the screen just to remind people of the reality of what they're using when they use it.

    I honestly kind of hate them, but I also don't think we need to try and banish them from society even if they don't really have the same potential for improving humanity. I think at best they serve as time savers the same way using a calculator to do simple math saves us time, but also makes us a little dumber/less skilled in the long run.

  • Of course it fucking did. This is what happens when you rely on AI to automate your war crimes.

    The Lavender precedent: automated kill lists and the limits of International Humanitarian Law

    In late 2024, the UN verified that nearly 70% of those killed were women and children (Farge 2024). AOAV’s data on civilian harm following explosive weapon use in Gaza puts that percentile even higher. Evidence recorded in the classified Israeli military database in May 2025 revealed that only 17% of the 53,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza were combatants. This implies that 83% were civilians (Graham-Harrison & Abraham 2025).

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  • It was very dumb and looking back I really can't understand why I felt so strongly, but when I was in high school it really felt like the end of the world/my life was ending. I cried so hard I couldn't breathe and blasted songs like this at full volume.

  • Searching for anything on YouTube now is a nightmare

  • https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/are-us-attacks-iran-legal-2026-03-04/

    Presidents of both parties have conducted military strikes without congressional approval when it was in the national interest but less intense in ⁠duration and scope than what would be considered a war -- a limit that Trump may be testing.

    He's already admitted and at this point Congress seems fully aware, this is going to last beyond any scope that would be considered a strike vs war.

    Also, why TF did he hit a fucking elementary school? I hate to use the term double tap because it's fucking stupid and this is not a video game, but that is the term they used to describe it. Just like they did to those fishermen they killed in Venezuela.

    They're escalating, just like any serial killer.

    WHAT DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW SAY?

    Legal experts said many countries will consider the attacks unjustified under the United Nations Charter, which states that member states must refrain from using force or the threat of force against other states. There are exceptions when force is authorized by the U.N. Security Council or used in self-defense in response to armed attack, neither of which applies. There is also the concept of pre-emptive self-defense, which would arguably allow the United States to attack Iran if it had proof of an imminent, overwhelming attack. The United ⁠States has a veto at the U.N. Security Council, shielding Washington. Legal experts said violating international law still carries a cost and both the United Kingdom and Spain have limited the use of their bases in the attacks, citing the lack of justification for the conflict.

    It seems pretty clear what would happen if they (Trump, Netenyahu, MsB, and all the sycophants below them and handlers above them) ever faced a trial for their crimes. Which is why they're hoping starting WWIII will keep that from happening.

  • Cannot believe this is the only recommendation I'm seeing for x-files.

    And same, there's just something about TV written or directed by Vince Gilligan. He just gets it. Like he makes TV with an audience experience in mind more than just wanting to tell a story. Also recommend giving Pluribus a go if you haven't already.

    If you played FMK when it comes to TV writers/directors Vince Gilligan would be marriage material.

    His style is familiar and comforting, but aways original and intriguing. Dark but hilarious. Super genuine, but it's definitely meant to get in your head and tickle your brain. Like he wants the audience to really feel something and leave a lasting impression.

    Probably the most obvious example and the one that always gets brought up (but fuck it I'm fangirling) is the episode of the X-files with Bryan Cranston long before breaking bad (Drive, season 6), when he was mainly just known for being Malcolm's dad.

    Cranston starts out as a very unlikable bigot, but the goal was to have the audience go from seeing him as this one-dimensional guy you hate, to somebody you wind up having some empathy for, seeing as a victim of an injustice, and rooting for him to make it by the end of a single episode.

    Then the reverse over several seasons of Breaking Bad. Have him go from being the down on his luck underdog who's been screwed over by life, then eventually recognizing he's the villain responsible for the injustices of so many people, and wanting him to fail.

    Also, with Breaking bad and better call Saul, he seemed to always use a perfect soundtrack. I know he has music directors, but I always felt (even back to some of his x-files episodes) he has music vibes in mind when he writes or directs that set the tone of the story. I especially associate him with the really dark/eerie scenes of the x-files set to some really upbeat cheery song that completely contradicts what's occurring, but creates the feeling of the entire scene.

    Or the way he plants little Easter eggs/subtle nods to other media he wants to pay homage to. Like there's this one scene in better call Saul where Chuck, (after making a point earlier in the episode about not wanting to give Saul/Jimmy the kind of theatrical Perry Mason style dramatic moment on the witness stand that he's hoping for), gets triggered on the witness stand and just flies off the handle.

    The lighting suddenly darkens around him, and he just completely loses control. Suddenly, he's going into this very stereotypical and very dramatic Perry Mason style monologue that he wanted to avoid. In Perry Mason style, it winds up making Saul's case for him, because he starts ranting and admits he's always resented Saul, even back when they were kids. He says something like "'No, not our Jimmy! Always with his hand in the till!'"

    The first time I saw that scene, it literally had me doubled over laughing. It was somehow such a subtle but absurd reference. It's hard to convey, but I honestly think that was my favorite moment in television history, and it still makes me chuckle just thinking about it.

    My husband, (who grew up with cable), never had to watch black and white Perry Mason episodes at 3 am as a kid, had no idea it was supposed to be a reference, and definitely did not get why I reacted to it the way I did. But he loves Better Call Saul for his own reasons. That's true art.

    He's also been building this whole subtle alternate universe by planting references in all of his projects that make you think maybe all of these stories (X-Files, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and to a lesser extent Pluribus, but it's only 1 season so far) are happening in the same universe.

    Vince's x-files episodes will always be my childhood nostalgia/comfort go to. I used to record them on VHS, and watch them over and over when I needed a pick me up. To me they feel like being in a cozy safe place and getting to relax while enjoying the sound of rain. Once streaming became a thing, and I could watch them whenever it was a feeling of "mind blown! who needs flying cars?! the future is now!"

    Top X-files Vince Gilligan recommendations:

    1. Small Potatoes
    2. Bad Blood
    3. Pusher and the follow up episode Kitsunegari
    4. Dreamland I and II
    5. Drive

    Anyway, sorry to rant. Point is, I just really can't say enough good things about TV made by Vince Gilligan.

    Also most of the episodes directed by Rob Bowman

    X-files has been my favorite since I was around 8 years old, so I kind of love everything (up until the end of season 7) equally. It's hard to pick, but if I was picking favorites to recommend to anyone looking to just casually pick a few episodes to view in addition to the Vince episodes:

    1. Clyde Bruckman's final repose (imo the embodiment of the whole show)
    2. Syzygy
    3. Killswitch (best dystopian tech episode for the modern world)
    4. Home (best dark episode)
    5. The Great Mutato (best light hearted(ish?) episode)
    6. Je Souhaite (second best light hearted episode)

    Most of the Darrin Morgan and James Wong episodes are great too. It's all great really (almost universally agreed up to season 6, and through season 7 imo). Just go watch the show that raised me into the Scully skeptic scientist/conspiracy fueled Mulder weirdo I grew up to be.

  • Wow that's ridiculous but at least makes sense re: why Fort Worth, TX would have a clause about Israel.

  • She's been very consistently and vocally opposed to war in Iran. https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/icymi-in-floor-speech-warren-slams-trumps-war-in-iran-exposes-10-ways-big-beautiful-bill-increases-costs

    “We all agree that Iran should not and cannot have a nuclear weapon…But the only successful strategy for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon is diplomacy, something Trump had been pursuing right up until Netanyahu began bombing Iran,” said Senator Warren.

    Trump didn't say shit about going to war with Iran before doing it. It's probably the most impulsive thing he's done as president, (so far), which is why we've heard several excuses for why he did it and why these excuses he gives seem to contradict each other.

    It was definitely naive and unnecessary for her to stand and applaud in hindsight, but keep in mind Trump had been in the middle of negotiating peace talks. Warren (and literally everyone else) did not know that he was going to just suddenly pivot away from the ongoing peace talks and try to kick off armageddon to avoid facing accountability.

  • I mean technically what he is doing is illegal, but so is 95% of everything this administration does.

    As far as biggest mistakes America ever made, I would have to say:

    1. The entire patriot act, which basically allows the government to legally ignore all of our rights in the name of protecting our safety (for instance during an unaccountable war started by the people who are keeping us safe.)
    2. Citizens United, which declares faceless and unaccountable corporations with billions of dollars to burn are people too, and deserve the same consideration as individual citizens. More money to burn= more donations= "rights" and demands of unaccountable corporations are prioritized above the rights and demands of the American people.

    So hypothetically, if corporations wanted to idk, overthrow the government or something..., they could: •Dump billions of dollars into propaganda and misinformation campaigns.

    •Buy and install the majority of elected officials that make up a government

    •Fully privatize the government via contracts the officials they have purchased then hand to their monopolies, so they profit from tax dollars and become the only option for public services (again with zero accountability).

    •Sart global wars to capture resources, increase their profits, and spread their inverted totalitarianism around the globe in the name of spreading democracy and human rights. Aka Friendly fascism.

    1. Ever creating the CIA after WWII, and enabling a government authority to have zero accountability from the public or even the president, for their policies or their budget, which is composed of tax dollars but also an untraceable amount of mystery income gained by their investments/partnerships with private corporations... 🙃

    There was also some fucky shit going on with the CIA and mistake #1, (the Patriot Act), which I still don't understand, and honestly nobody seems to actually understand. Because of whatever the patriot act did, each president gets to pick a new leader for the CIA, in the name of having more accountability. Because we all know more executive power should help eliminate the deep state...🙃

    So the guy currently leading the CIA and directing all of these wars, was selected by Trump and his corporate handlers, to jizz this neo manifest destiny shit around the globe with zero plan other than destabilize, profit, and successful purchase/capture the entire globe, or, kill us all by trying. Drill baby drill.

  • Jeffrey Epstein was funneling money and tax dodging advice to the company that stored data for the biggest sex offender database (and might explain why certain data seems to go missing/get changed/delayed to benefit certain pedophiles)

    Also for some reason Fort Worth's contract with the database stipulates contractors can't boycott Israel.

  • politics @lemmy.world

    The banality of evil: how Epstein’s powerful friends normalised him

    www.theguardian.com /us-news/2025/nov/16/jeffrey-epstein-powerful-friends
  • politics @lemmy.world

    Under Fire for Tucker Carlson Remarks, Think Tank Chief Pleads Ignorance

    www.nytimes.com /2025/11/13/us/politics/kevin-roberts-heritage-foundation-nick-fuentes.html
  • Today I Learned @lemmy.world
    Locked

    TIL the US government allowed and even helped US firms sell tech used for surveillance in China, according to the Associated Press

    apnews.com /article/chinese-surveillance-silicon-valley-trump-administration-congress-21c5f961b1fd22f9a9e563ebe64e5582
  • politics @lemmy.world

    Civil Disobedience: Preventing Tyranny

    consortiumnews.com /2025/11/12/civil-disobedience-preventing-tyranny/
  • News @lemmy.world

    Alex Karp Goes to War

    www.wired.com /story/alex-karp-goes-to-war-palantir-big-interview/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    Alex Karp Goes to War

    www.wired.com /story/alex-karp-goes-to-war-palantir-big-interview/
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    How Palantir infiltrated the state

    www.prospectmagazine.co.uk /politics/democracy/government/71511/how-palantir-infiltrated-the-state
  • Today I Learned @lemmy.world

    Today I learned that the CIA and Buckingham Palace carried out a coup against the Australian government in 1975

    consortiumnews.com /2025/11/11/cn-at-30-john-pilger-the-forgotten-coup/
  • politics @lemmy.world

    Ro Khanna Says Schumer Must Resign in Wake of Budget Deal

    newrepublic.com /article/202946/ro-khanna-says-schumer-must-resign-wake-budget-deal
  • politics @lemmy.world

    Supreme Court expected to rule on whether full SNAP payments must resume

    www.pbs.org /newshour/politics/supreme-court-expected-to-rule-on-whether-full-snap-payments-must-resume
  • News @lemmy.world

    “Pathetic”: Dems Tear Into 8 Senators Who Caved to Trump on Shutdown

    newrepublic.com /post/202923/democrats-senators-caved-donald-trump-shutdown
  • News @lemmy.world

    The Tech Company Bringing Surveillance Dystopia to Your Town

    newrepublic.com /article/202565/flock-safety-police-surveillance-dystopia
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    The Tech Company Bringing Surveillance Dystopia to Your Town

    newrepublic.com /article/202565/flock-safety-police-surveillance-dystopia
  • News @lemmy.world

    Federal judges in Minnesota, across U.S., reject ICE attempts to hold immigrants without bond

    www.startribune.com /federal-judges-minnesota-us-reject-ice-attempts-to-hold-immigrants-without-bond/601512302
  • Technology @lemmy.world

    ‘No restrictions’ and a secret ‘wink’: Inside Israel’s deal with Google, Amazon

    www.972mag.com /project-nimbus-contract-google-amazon-israel/
  • News @lemmy.world

    Half-naked woman forced out of her home by task force raid

    wreg.com /news/half-naked-woman-forced-out-of-her-home-by-task-force-raid/
  • News @lemmy.world

    Trump Boat Bombings Worsen as New Horror Shakes Experts: “Alarm Bells”

    newrepublic.com /article/202537/trump-boat-bombings-venezuela-alarm-bells
  • News @lemmy.world

    Heritage Foundation Staff Revolt Over Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes

    newrepublic.com /post/202569/heritage-foundation-staff-revolt-tucker-carlson-nick-fuentes-interview
  • News @lemmy.world

    JPMorgan flagged $1B in ‘suspicious’ Epstein-linked deals to Trump administration

    www.independent.co.uk /news/world/americas/us-politics/jpmorgan-chase-trump-epstein-b2856058.html
  • politics @lemmy.world

    Judges Order Trump to Pay for SNAP, Killing His Shutdown Strategy

    newrepublic.com /post/202557/judges-order-trump-pay-snap-shutdown