February 17, 2023

Liberal Librarian: The Rush Towards an Unknown Future

It seems like for some time now, the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) has gone from the purview of science fiction novels and magazines to imminent reality. For years attempts at creating functioning AI systems always seemed to come up short. But with the creation of ChatGPT, the floodgates have opened. Both Google and Microsoft are fully into the AI sweepstakes.

Needless to say, among some, this is the harbinger of the Singularity, where humans and machines will become some new, wonderful species. Now, while you all know I'm a technophile, I also read deeply. Our greatest science fiction writers have warned of the perils of relying on technology in place of human agency, from Frank Herbert in Dune—the historical event which generated the universe depicted in the novel was the Butlerian Jihad, a bloody galactic war against machines which had enslaved humanity—to films like Wargames and The Terminator. Fascination with technology's promise has resided uneasily with fear of its perils.

Read more here: https://establishmentbar.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-mad-rush-into-unknown-future.html

February 4, 2023

House and Senate GOP signs briefs urging SCOTUS to block Biden's Student Loan Debt forgiveness

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/over-half-of-the-house-gop-and-nearly-all-senate-republicans-signed-briefs-urging-the-supreme-court-to-block-biden-s-student-loan-forgiveness/ar-AA175cuq?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=db0fea756ab34e098f008ec8be0a2451

Conservatives have been flooding the Supreme Court docket urging it to block President Joe Biden's student-loan forgiveness — and hundreds of GOP lawmakers just joined the cause.

On Friday, 128 House Republicans signed onto an amicus curiae brief urging the nation's highest court to block Biden's plan to forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for federal borrowers. That's just over half of the GOP composition in the House, with 222 Republicans holding a slim majority in that chamber.

Signers also included 25 Republican lawmakers on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, led by Chair Virginia Foxx, who has been a vocal opponent of broad student-loan forgiveness. She said in a statement alongside the brief that the "administration is bypassing Congress, which is elected by the American people to protect their interests."

January 28, 2023

DeSatan's press secretary to CNN's John Blake: "Neener Neener, you can't get meee"

https://twitter.com/BryanDGriffin/status/1619002326840393728?s=20&t=JMFuDBR7TQ-gFY25aOf5Dg

January 25, 2023

Kevy kicked Adam Schiff off the Intelligence Cmte.

https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1618048304025341952?s=20&t=81co-ifrdoU-Anb8gkJTPA

January 20, 2023

You know what scares me more than 45 back in the WH?

Ron DeSantis in the WH.

https://twitter.com/markmobility/status/1616399521302429696?s=20&t=d1nUtgXpksb1aTexdHN6Bw

January 6, 2023

Elmo Musty reinstated Mike Flynn's Twitter account just in time for J6 anniversary

fucking evil asshole.

https://twitter.com/FPWellman/status/1611457610057670656

January 3, 2023

Republicans are set to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics

https://twitter.com/Lisa_PubCitizen/status/1609978456108040192?s=20&t=4wZQIXkjPwnWjU2abrtFxQ

December 9, 2022

So, we're right back where we started.

god dammit.

November 17, 2022

Are Social Security and Medicare in danger now that GOP has majority?

Asking for me, who's on SSDI and Medicare .

October 21, 2022

DUers in VA please check your registration: VA DOE sends wrong polling info to 30,000 residents

https://twitter.com/DCist/status/1583494546578472975

Nearly a month after the start of the commonwealth’s early voting period, residents of multiple areas in Northern Virginia have reported receiving election mailers with incorrect polling place information.

Some registered voters in Clifton, Dumfries, Haymarket, Herndon, Occoquan, Quantico, and Vienna received notices that contained incorrect information about where they should cast their ballots, according to the Virginia Commissioner of Elections, Susan Beals.

“Following the redistricting process, the Department of Elections mailed over 6 million voter notices to all registered voters in the Commonwealth. A second mailing of 31,000 sent to voters whose original notice did not include their town district number contained wrong polling place locations,” Beals wrote in a statement on Friday. “Due to a printing issue, some notices contained wrong polling place locations. The Prince William County and Fairfax County Registrars are sending out corrected notices to all affected voters immediately.”

"printing issue" MY ASS.