Last week @theverge.com published my essay exploring the limitations of large-language models. This week, that same essay is cited by a federal judge in Michigan to distinguish the process of human reasoning from what these models do. Very, very gratifying.
Friendly Reminder that the Black Friday sale on the Practical Accessibilty course is still running, but the 30% discount expires in less than 3 days ⏳
If you've been thinking about getting the course, now's a good time to grab access before the offer ends:
practical-accessibility.today
Our cognition improves because of language — but it’s not created or defined by it. Take away our ability to speak, and we can still think, reason, form beliefs, fall in love, and move about the world; our range of what we can experience and think about remains vast. But take away language from a large language model, and you are left with literally nothing at all.
Large language mistake
Cutting-edge research shows language is not the same as intelligence. The entire AI bubble is built on ignoring it.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... great read from @benjaminjriley.bsky.social
What I would pay to play this game on console/mac 😭
Apple News “top stories” page with a story by an outlet I blocked. Instead of not showing the story, It just is grayed out with a “you blocked this channel” message over the thumbnail
I don’t think Apple News understands what blocking means
A flyer advertising this research project. The top says "Offensiveness of Insults". The text says: If you are: 18 years old or older AND a native speaker of American English, please consider taking my short survey (3-5 minutes)! Your responses will inform my senior thesis research on whether certain words have changed in their "offensiveness" over time. You will be asked to rate a series of words on how offensive they are in a given context. No identifying information will be collected. Scan the QR code or visit: https://msu.col.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bNuepJFVM3ocUXc Thank you for your help!
🐦 #linguistics senior thesis project alert!
If you are
✅ 18+
✅ Native speaker of American English
Pls consider taking a ~5 min survey on "how words (may have) changed in offensiveness across generations"
msu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
This is mysterious and important (SPOILERS if you're not caught up to the show and watch the video)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRnD...
'Long Live the King': Trump Likens Himself to Royalty on Truth Social A fondness for regal themes was apparent as the president applauded his administrations move to kill congestion pricing in New York.
A fondness for regal themes
Trump: I AM A KING!
NYT: Trump displays a "fondness for regal themes"
Why aren’t they taking the fired federal workers who are sharing their heartbreaking stories—the ones that Musk says were being paid to do nothing—and making them famous? The cancer researcher on the verge of a breakthrough? The park ranger in Yosemite who won’t be there to conduct rescues and save lives? The air traffic controller who can speak to the connection between understaffing and recent plane crashes? Is it even safe to fly in Trump’s America? The Democrats should be amplifying these folks—writing op-eds about them, refusing to go on camera without sharing their spotlight, pressuring their IG influencers to raise them up—but instead, we learn their stories from Reddit. As Moira Donegan wrote in The Guardian, “Why are the Democrats so spineless?”
I've noted some of the procedural things Democrats could be doing in Congress, but this point from @edgeofsports.bsky.social's great piece in the Nation deserves emphasis.
This is basic politics, and it's baffling that every Democrat isn't doing it every day.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
What would a TV ad promoting alternatives to driving look like? What if people who love cycling and progressive transportation reclaimed ideas like freedom, independence and even patriotism? We decided to give it a shot. Check out our new video, "America, It's Just Like Riding a Bike."
Text
Correct. If the birthdate field contains corrupt or mismatched data, it defaults to 1875-05-20, which serves as a flag. May 20, 1875, is the day the international standards and metrics treaty was signed. Everything is a conspiracy when you don’t know how anything works.
“Why do I need NOAA? I’ve got a weather app.”
Is equivalent to asking
“Why do I need farms? I can go to the supermarket.”
www.noaa.gov/about-our-ag...
Accessibility fuckin’ rocks
“Healthcare havers” may be my new favorite way to describe pretty much everywhere except the US
This is a dangerous man, with a head harder than a rock. Children have died elsewhere because of his intransigence, and that's what he wants to bring here. No paywall for you today.
Improve your apps by using them! #buildinpublic
Highly requested feature available now 🥳
Right now, Trek is only available on the web since it's an easier place to iterate and figure out what feels right.
I've been using Trek for a couple months now, and it's already changed how I travel.
Try it out, and let me know what things feel fun, confusing, or useful!
letstrek.app
A title “Share a link to your place with anyone” above a preview of the trek app for a list named “Nice”. Includes a map view of the “Nice” list with a bunch of pins on the map.
A title “Collaborate with friends or partners” above a preview of the trek app for a place called “Roseleaf bar cafe”. Includes a card saying “added by jake about 1 month ago”, and a couple notes by different users on the quality of the service and drinks.
A title slide showing the trek logo, which is a parakeet, the Trek title, and a slogan “Your place for your places”. Also includes a url to letstrek.app.
Trek is designed with sharing and collaboration in mind. Frequently, I’ve either asked or answered the question, “Where should I go in this city?” Trek is built to be the solution to this question. Whether making a list of places at home or abroad, Trek is your place for your places.
2/3
A logo of a parakeet with the title “Trek”, the name of the app, underneath. Set above a peek of the top of the trek app.
A title, “Make lists of your favorite places”, above a preview of the trek app with a list titled “Nice”, a thumbnail photo of a beach, and a description of a trip in the past. It’s a description of the kinds of places the list contains
A title “remember your experience with notes” above a preview of the trek app. Includes a photo of a teapot and a cocktail, a place named “Roseleaf bar cafe” and two comments by different trek users.
A title “Group by tags to make places easier to find” above a preview of the trek app’s “Add a place” form. The form includes an address field, a place name field, and a picker to choose up to 3 tags for a place. The tags chosen are “Food”, “Drinks”, and “Dessert”.
I’ve been on the road for six months, exploring some of the most stunning places on earth. I created an app, Trek, that I wish I had sooner to keep track of all the amazing places I’ve been and the ones I still want to visit.
letstrek.app
1/3
Please don’t proofread for grammar 🙃
Screenshot of an app called “trek” with a list view and a preview of a list called “Nice” with a description of “from my trip in October 2024…”
Something fun coming soon 🦜
“You’ll be visited by three spirits.”
The three spirits:
The one thing I can’t get it to do right is closing parentheses or brackets 😭 but that’s nothing new
Okay I take back the bad things I’ve said about the final season of #WWDITS, they made it work
A membership settings page for my app, “Trek” showing a “Membership” heading with a “premium” badge next to it, indicating someone is a premium member.
A payments dashboard. Showing a set of charts, with payments on the y axis, showing payments over time. At the far right side of the chart is a single uptick from 0 to $2.99, showing a first purchase.
Not quite done with setting free tier limits, but it sure feels good to have my first ever production payment and membership go through (even if it’s mine) 🙈
Having never set up payments before from scratch, it’s been a journey. #buildinpublic
They're also only vaguely aware of all the social programs funded by tax credits that they benefit from.
> taxpayers fund our retirement saving, health insurance, primary, secondary, and advanced education, daycare, commuter costs, and even our mortgages at a staggering public cost.
People with homes are so rarely cold at night that I just don’t think homes are necessary anymore.
