Natalie B.

Photo of a cuneiform tablet fragment shaped a bit like an irregular diamond. It preserves nearly 20 incomplete lines of text separated by a horizontal ruling

There's a broken cuneiform tablet from the Old Babylonian period, nearly 4,000 years ago, which preserves a tiny portion of a dialogue between two friends.

It feels a bit like the conversations I've been having for the past week, so I wanted to share it.

Both of the options here are human writers. The first option is unprocessed human writing and the second option is human writing run through a language model to reproduce the same outputs with different words

If it couldn't have existed without training data, it isn't creating anything at all.

Pretty sure she wouldn’t call a tomahawk missile blowing up a school in HER neighbourhood “realities of war”

A huge swathe of dark pink magnolia flowers clustered across the branches of a tree with clear blue sky behind

A fan of delicate light pink magnolia flowers on a tree with bright blue sky behind

A close-up of dark pink magnolia flowers clustered on the bare branches of a tree with light blue sky behind

White and pink magnolia flowers on a small magnolia tree on a grassy lawn covered with yellow daffodils

Just a shout out to magnolias. Aren't they the most magnificent blooms?

Most accurate portrait of modern culture currently available

A Very Stable War J. D. Vance says this Middle East entanglement can’t be dumb—because Trump is smart.

This thread contains premium articles about the Trump regime's misadventures in the Middle East from publications I subscribe to. The articles are free for you to read. Articles will be added daily.

»J. D. Vance says this Middle East entanglement can’t be dumb—because Trump is smart.«

A huge relief that Glasgow Central appears to be unharmed. For those who don't know it, this is not only a major transport hub (I'm supposed to be getting a train to London on Wednesday :(), but also a beautiful station. Still tragic to have lost a nearby building in Glasgow's Victorian centre.

It is GOOD that we are a tradition that values unity in diversity instead of unity in conformity. It is HARD that we are a tradition that values unity in diversity instead of unity in conformity. It is good, hard practice for how to love the world.

grad student said “it’s been here for a while” and i said “since time immemorial?” because she used that phrase in her paper

Funny, touching and *real* from @hadas.bsky.social
"Each day is a challenge met with its little celebrations and preparation for the next day’s walk. I had no problem imagining Sisyphus happy."
⚓🕯️ #CofEPeeps

You gotta see yourself in the future

‘Mainly, you fast fooded’: Monzo under fire over ‘shaming’ year-end reviews Bank criticised for tone of spending summaries, with one user complaining to ombudsman over ‘humiliating’ use of data When does lighthearted banter become inappropriate and humiliating? The digital bank Monzo has been accused of overstepping the mark by using the data it holds to tell one customer with a past eating disorder that she eats a lot of fast food, spends “more than most” on Just Eat takeaways, and had banished her life goals thanks to her spending choices. Continue reading...

‘Mainly, you fast fooded’: Monzo under fire over ‘shaming’ year-end reviews

ICO writes to Meta over 'concerning' AI smart glasses report Videos, including of glasses-wearers using the toilet or having sex, are sometimes reviewed by a Kenya-based subcontractor.

Last year when I was checking into a hotel, the desk person was wearing Meta glasses. I kindly asked them to take them off. They were annoyed. I said, “I do not consent to you looking at my credit card and ID with Meta glasses on.” My instincts were correct: www.bbc.com/news/article...

The drunk uncle theory.

You don’t argue with the casually homophobic uncle at Thanksgiving dinner to change his mind; you argue so that the closeted cousin at the kids table knows there’s safe people and better possibilities out there

I taught John Prescott how to use a computer after I saw him pointing the mouse at the screen like a remote control

Whole new meaning of this cartoon just dropped

me recommending a book: it'll blow your mind

me explaining the plot: so consider 20 yards of linen

family buried under rubble waits to see how the markets will react

a bright orange canvas jacket with bright blue, green, and magenta letters in a 3x4 pattern reading a b c d e f u c k i c e

finished embroidering my jacket :)

I am contractually obligated to inform you that the award-winning Sunday Times Number 1 Bestseller The Secret Barrister is Kindle’s Daily Deal - an OUTRAGEOUS 99p.

Learn how the crisis in criminal justice came about.

(And how it won’t be fixed by removing juries)

www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Barri...

U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus Advocacy group reports commanders giving similar messages at more than 30 installations in every branch of the military

EXCLUSIVE: At more than 30 installations, U.S. commanders told troops the war on Iran is a Christian war.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation has been “inundated” with more than 110 complaints.

One NCO said they were told the U.S. war is to bring about Armageddon and the return of Jesus…

yeah. I know it feels like you should just be able to write the perfect words first time. if you go slow enough, you should be able to just find each next perfect word.

but it's not like that. it's like a bicycle. too slow & you fall. it has to be in motion even awkwardly to get where you're going.

Datacentre developers face calls to disclose effect on UK’s net emissions Campaign groups write to technology secretary amid concerns that sites could double overall electricity demand

Data centre developers are facing pressure to reveal whether their projects will increase UK greenhouse gas emissions. A letter to the government from campaigners comes amid concerns the sites could double electricity demand & threaten decarbonisation efforts. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

this quote post is part of a vital thread

of all the trans people I have met (bearing in mind we shoal together so that's loads), the one (1) detransitioner detransitioned because their family & friends rejected them, & they held huge sorrow about this. I feel so sad every time I think of them.

The decision to allow UK bases to be used in this escalation raises profound legal & security concerns. Parliament must be consulted before the UK is drawn further in

UK Government must work for de-escalation & uphold international law, not deepen its involvement in conflict 2/2

To understand what's happening in Iran today, you have to know about the history of Western intervention in the country.

In the early 1900s, the British secured oil rights in the country until 1993, where they only agreed to pay Iran 16% of the total profits.

This was seen as an unfair deal. 🧵

I get asked a lot what I'm giving up for Lent, and this year the answer is nothing. this is what I'm doing instead, and I'll tell you why, and you're invited to join in with me however it fits into your own spiritual or contemplative practices.

drive.google.com/file/d/15NhY...

this one fucked me up so much. guy turns his life around after a drug conviction, becomes a happy, beloved, pet rescuing houseboat dad who undersells his mechanic services so poor folks can afford them. ICE grabs him one day out of the hospital for heart problems which then kill him. horrifying

Reform win a seat: The true Volk have spoken and we all must listen.

Greens win a seat: Early reports that Muslims may have ‘voted’ (an ancient Islamic practice designed to steal elections). How severely should the franchise be limited in response?

trans guy rescues a baby from Lake Michigan then gets a burger as soon as he’s discharged from the hospital is as Chicago a story as they come