toddz

molly0xfff , 16 days ago to random

Altogether, the exercise reinforced my previous opinion: LLMs are terrible writers, but decent editorial rubber ducks.

https://www.mollywhite.net/micro/entry/rubber-duck-editing-with-llms

#LLM #ArtificialIntelligence

molly0xfff , 1 month ago to random

“Google Is Paying Reddit $60 Million for Fucksmith to Tell Its Users to Eat Glue”
“If Kevin Roose Was ChatGPT With A Spray-On Beard, Could Anyone Tell?

thank you to these new independent media companies like @404mediaco and Defector for giving us the headlines we deserve

rbreich , 3 months ago to random

First it was Boehringer. Now drugmaker AstraZeneca has followed suit by capping out-of-pocket costs for inhalers to $35/mo. That’s down from over $600. But this doesn’t happen by itself.

It took pressure by lawmakers like Sen. Bernie Sanders and from engaged consumer activists.

rbreich , 3 months ago to random

luckytran , 3 months ago to random

“NOTE: We expect the CDC to rescind the 5 day isolation period in the very near future. Once the CDC guidance is updated, employees will no longer be eligible for Covid pay for any period of isolation.”

Employers were ready for the CDC change so they could end sick pay.

breadandcircuses , 4 months ago to random

A few days ago, we focused on the fraudulent scheme of plastic recycling. It does not work, it never has worked, and it never will.

The oil industry, which produces millions of tons of plastics every year and makes HUGE profits from it, has known all along that recycling doesn't do any good — yet they continue promoting the idea.

So should we just quit? That's the question asked by a new article at Salon.

"Plastic experts say recycling is a scam. Should we even do it anymore?"

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Erica Cirino, communications manager at the Plastic Pollution Coalition, says, "Plastic recycling rates vary widely from region to region around the world. In the U.S., plastic recycling rates are currently below 6 percent."

Yet even those numbers are deceptive, Cirino warned, as they incorrectly imply that at least the plastic which does get 'recycled' is handled in ways that help the environment.

"Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter where or how you set out your plastic for recycling collection, whether at the end of your driveway, at your local recycling center, or in a municipal recycling bin: Most plastic items collected as recycling are not actually recycled," Cirino explained. "Surprisingly, plastic is not designed to be recycled — despite industries and governments telling the public that we should recycle plastic."

Instead the plastics that people think get 'recycled' are often instead shipped from the Global North to the Global South, with waste haulers often dumping and openly burning plastic without regard to environmental laws, Cirino explained. People who live near the sites where these things happen face a lifetime of health risks, to say nothing of living in a degraded environment.

Indeed, a compelling question arises from the fact that the crusade to recycle plastic is more corporate propaganda than true Earth-saving measure: Should we recycle plastic at all?

"No," Cirino told Salon. "Even if plastic recycling rates were higher, recycling alone could never come close to solving the serious and wide-ranging health, justice, socio-economic, and environmental crises caused by industries’ continued plastic production and plastic pollution, which go hand in hand." Cirino argued that, given how plastic production has grown exponentially and its pollution problems have likewise worsened, emphasizing recycling over meaningful solutions is at best irresponsible.

"It’s clear recycling is not enough to solve the plastic pollution crisis," Cirino concluded. "The fossil fuel industry, governments, and corporations really need to turn off the plastic tap. Ultimately, our world must decide what it values: money or life."

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FULL ARTICLE -- https://www.salon.com/2024/02/23/plastic-experts-say-recycling-is-a-scam-should-we-even-do-it-anymore/

#Science #Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Pollution

breadandcircuses , 4 months ago to random

Capitalism is not interested.

Millionaires and billionaires don't care about me and you.

Ergo, capitalist politicians don't care either.

#USA #Politics #Capitalism

futurebird , 4 months ago to random

I was learning about Kosmos 954. In 1978 A 40 pound nuclear powered Soviet spy satellite would crash in Canada spreading radiation over a vast area.

When I initially found out about this story I was shocked that it didn't become a huge catalyst for hostility. To the USSR's credit when they realized the satellite was failing they told the US.

I feel like if this happened now it would be used to spin up massive fear. Thoughts?

This was during the cold war. Are our heads less level today?

vampiress , 5 months ago to random

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