@epilepticrabbit@social.coop

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Aug 06, 2026

Replying to @cwebber@social.coop

@cwebber@social.coop @davidrevoy@framapiaf.org @spritely@social.coop As a fellow old skool open sourcer, I am very much aware that the AI got good by stealing and mimicking decades of our work. The blatant robbery of our IP is astounding, and I too feel helpless. Once, before AI was what it is now, a PERSON stole my work and slapped their name on it. I thought it was so messed up. I was angry. Then I convinced myself to feel sorry for them because they obviously couldn't have their own ideas. Anger subsided. Can't find a way to let go of my anger towards the AI companies...

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Aug 01, 2026

#WritersCoffeeClub My goal for August is to find a community of folks who are interested in constructive criticism. I've just started my own Not a Masters Programme and am looking at #writersofmastodon #writerscommunity and others in the fedi to learn from. Writing goals include finishing most of unit 1 assignments ;) https://laurahilliger.com/tag/nam/ If you have a slack channel, regular meetup, or platform that helps me find like minded writers, I'm happy for the steer.

0

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 29, 2026

Believe it or not it's a different kind of participating in capitalism if you take a minute to search for worker owned shops and support #coops with your purchasing power: https://www.workerowned.info/marketplace

0

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 29, 2026

This is my Unit 1 syllabus for my not a masters. The unit requests that I read two books, and reflect on what might be called female intuition, the legitimacy of art, and archetypes of the modern world. Given that I am designing my own study, I find it really weird that I'm already irritated by the first assignment ;)

#NaM

https://laurahilliger.com/models/unit-1-the-stories-i-tell-myself/

1

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 27, 2026

I will publish my unit 1 plan this week! Already working on the first assignment (and already stuck too) @adamprocter@fosstodon.org commented on my announcement post and it gave me ideas for future content. You can do the same. Also, still looking for a crit group: https://laurahilliger.com/models/not-a-masters-in-creative-writing/ #NaM

1

0

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 24, 2026

Why do I feel like heading down to the bayou and poking at some river slime? Where's that coming from!?

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 23, 2026

Despite not seeing and talking to each other everyday, it seems that @dajb@social.coop is also thinking about legitimacy and archetypes. His reflection on what he calls credential armour: https://substrate.dougbelshaw.com/legitimacy-without-credential-armour-my-third-coaching-session

Pure coincidence (or maybe @dajb@social.coop has my house bugged!?)

social.coop

Doug Belshaw (@dajb@social.coop) - social.coop

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 23, 2026

Announcement for Public accountability. I am starting Not a Masters

https://laurahilliger.com/models/not-a-masters-in-creative-writing/

5

3

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 20, 2026

Yesterday I learned the German word for "liable". It's "Rufmord". Ruf == Reputation and Mord == Murder. German is great.

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 19, 2026

"These charging decisions followed receipt of a further file of evidence from Bedfordshire Police and bring the total number of alleged victims in this case to seven"

3 or 4 people murdered is considered a "mass murder" but women being raped and trafficked ... Nevermind, I see the difference.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwymly9yd33o

www.bbc.com

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate arrested in US after more UK charges laid

The Crown Prosecution Service says it has requested their extradition from the US, while their lawyer says they are "innocent".

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 09, 2026

Just reading @todayintabs@bird.makeup latest and one of the links is to this 2025 wired article. Uber Just Reinvented the Bus … Again. Reminds me of the time I was at a conf and a dude thought he invented circles: https://www.wired.com/story/uber-just-reinvented-the-bus-again/

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 07, 2026

Attention! I have just learned that "scrapbooks" are now called "junk journals", so we should all modify our regular conversations about scrapbooking accordingly. Actually...I have a strong suspicion that I learned this vital information many moons ago and did not adequately store said information. Still, if it's new to you, you should probably write it down and work to commit it to memory.

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 06, 2026

Oh the comments on this why are AI evangelists even more insufferable thread are gooood https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48765450

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Jul 03, 2026

Who knows if my shoddy, bandaided together piece of absolute shit infra will send my stupid newsletter. I'll find out at 4pm. If you are A) Not subscribed B) Subscribed but don't get it or C) want to read it an hour and a half early, here you go: https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-wear-and-waffle/

1

3

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · May 01, 2026

Today it's international labour day and our cooperative @weareopencoop@mastodon.social turns 10. We're also closing down. I feel all the things, but mostly gratitude and pride: https://blog.weareopen.coop/we-are-composting

mastodon.social

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

4

2

1

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 30, 2026

Haha have you seen the Make It Shitty video from the Norwegian consumer council? It's awesome: https://youtu.be/T4Upf_B9RLQ?si=RqWeHbu0xHyCy0xA

1

0

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 28, 2026

2nd to last @weareopencoop@mastodon.social blog post coming at you. Avoid the hype: https://blog.weareopen.coop/avoid-the-hype/

mastodon.social

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 27, 2026

There really are a number of substack essays I genuinely think are worth sharing. But I'm not sharing shit people post on substack except for sometimes when I forget. Anyway, read an unsettling essay about AI eroding our patience for other humans. I've been impatient the whole time though. Patience is not one of my virtues.

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 24, 2026

A human pretending to be AI pretending to be a University of Washington, PhD in English, creative writing professor sent me an AI review of #maybezombies and then asked me loads of leading questions and I liked it. I didn't respond, and I know it's AI, but the review made me feel like I had had a plan back when I was writing. I definitely didn't have a plan. I am not really a planner. I kind of want to respond and see what kind of hijinks I get into by doing so...

social.coop

1

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 23, 2026

Just wrapped my last meeting with the Amnesty International UK team! We spent 18 months. Big project. Big feels about all the changes happening in my life atm

3

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 23, 2026

Is it cringe that I just built a rickroll into @weareopencoop@mastodon.social archives?

mastodon.social

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 22, 2026

Excellent narration, history lesson and legend from @dansinker@omfg.town on hate, hope and potates: https://dansinker.com/posts/2026-04-17-notre-dame/

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 21, 2026

If you were thinking you'd be able to outrun the robots, you are wrong.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/apr/19/humanoid-robots-race-beijing-half-marathon

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 20, 2026

"Anthropic is ... making unilateral decisions about which pieces of our critical global infrastructure get defended first, and which must wait their turn." https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2026/04/mythos-and-cybersecurity.html

Schneier on Security

Mythos and Cybersecurity - Schneier on Security

Last week, Anthropic pulled back the curtain on Claude Mythos Preview, an AI model so capable at finding and exploiting software vulnerabilities that the company decided it was too dangerous to releas

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 20, 2026

LOL we were on the phone with @weareopencoop@mastodon.social 's accountant and learned that we actually have to put a notice in the London Gazette saying that we're closing so that anyone can object. Love those old timey laws hahahah

mastodon.social

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

2

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 20, 2026

A friend told me about this accidental discovery that during birth female whales from other pods come to act as midwives and my jaw dropped to the floor. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady9280

1

0

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 15, 2026

Civic solitude, anti conformity and a Song of Myself https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-awkwardness-and-anti-conformity/

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 13, 2026

The great AI leap forward is worth a ponder. H/t @funnelfiasco@hachyderm.io :
https://leehanchung.github.io/blogs/2026/04/05/the-ai-great-leap-forward/

hachyderm.io

Ben Cotton (he/him) (@funnelfiasco@hachyderm.io) - Hachyderm.io

3

0

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 13, 2026

We are catastrophes of inexplicable fallacy in how we perceive ourselves. https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-anniversaries-and-art/

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 11, 2026

The President of the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia looks like he's taking his role as judge in a reality singing competition way too seriously.

Source: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/04/07/admission-is-now-a-one-way-ticket-kremlin-escalates-crackdown-on-western-universities-amid-brain-drain-fears-a92377

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 10, 2026

A friend is "catching up on old newsletters" and I have a bunch of responses from her on stuff I wrote last year. I have to reread my stuff to understand wtf she's talking about. Old coins? Squirrels? Oh, Laura dear, what random: https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-acorns-and-authorship/

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 07, 2026

A lovely piece from @audrey@mastodon.audreywatters.com invoking Mary Oliver and reminding us to consider our choices https://2ndbreakfast.audreywatters.com/miseducative-experiences/

0

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Apr 04, 2026

As I said a few weeks ago, I don't consent to cleaning up the slop. Looks like I'm not alone: https://stopsloppypasta.ai/

3

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 30, 2026

Although I'm fairly confident most of these happened between 2010 and 2015 (aka while I was at Mozilla), I'm quite proud to have made the top 50 referenced list @thoughtshrapnel ! https://thoughtshrapnel.com/2026/03/28/thought-shrapnels-mostreferenced-sources.html

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 30, 2026

Woke up happy to realise that we can use WYSIWYG to replace "vibe coding" in all our conversations. The 'S' is now "say" instead of "see". It works because the code is pretty much like Dreamweaver code was in 2003. Bloated, complicated, riddled with poor practice but works good nuff for personal projects, and can open doors for learning if one is so inclined.

2

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 27, 2026

Replying to @cogdog@cosocial.ca

@cogdog I saw Gummo once and thus do not believe in food near the bathtub. https://youtu.be/mBvatwg47-0?si=6Kls4aYaLGFUfvzc

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 27, 2026

I "vibe coded" for the first time this week. Wrote about it in ye olde newsletter that is actually just a blog post that gets sent to people who said they want it in their inbox: https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-sellouts-and-savants/

3

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 26, 2026

Replying to @Downes@mastodon.social

@Downes depends on whether y'all want to eat brasil nuts or not :P

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 26, 2026

Another reminder of why you can't stick your head in the sand when it comes to The World and Everything. "Your country can't feed you": https://www.not-ship.com/self-sufficiency-food/

Not-Ship

Your country can't feed you

Even domestic food production depends on imports.

0

3

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 20, 2026

I struggled hard to write about tech sovereignty in today's Freshly Brewed Thoughts. The pithy little term doesn't imo make it easy for people to understand the complex ideologies behind it. And yes, ideologies plural. https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-sovereignty-and-stacks/

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 20, 2026

Ah man, Chuck Norris died!

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 20, 2026

Replying to @CMFrancoise@mastodon.social

@CMFrancoise lol literally today I said the same "we've been doing tech sovereignty since the 90s" which I struggled to write because I didn't want to write an entire book about how much alignment there is with open source values: https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-sovereignty-and-stacks/

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 20, 2026

Stephen Colbert and Edward Norton talking about Walt Whitman reminded me of the piece I wrote last year about "Song of Myself". I reread and it's pretty decent. https://www.laurahilliger.com/fbt/fbt-on-awkwardness-and-anti-conformity/

1

0

2

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 18, 2026

No more "yes, and..." in the age of AI. It's now gone back to "ok, but..."

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 17, 2026

idk if this is a warranted association but when I finished reading @ianbetteridge@social.vivaldi.net fantastic post "the Freedom stack" the first thing my brain did was blurt out some random Barlow phrasing from the declaration of the independence of cyberspace. Great post (again) Ian! https://www.ianbetteridge.com/the-freedom-stack/

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Mar 17, 2026

i wrote this script: https://archive.org/details/PopcornstorycampOpeningVideo

Internet Archive

Popcorn #StoryCamp Opening Video : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The first chapter on our web native storytelling curriculum for Popcorn #StoryCamp

1

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Feb 19, 2026

Don't trust anyone who only reads nonfiction.

12

3

7

0

Laura Hilliger @epilepticrabbit@social.coop · Nov 27, 2024

New post: #Activists, #Campaigners and #Advocates versus AI:
#GreeningAI A Roundtable Reflection https://blog.weareopen.coop/activists-campaigners-and-advocates-versus-ai-cabfd87c0f46

social.coop

1

0

2

0

Laura Hilliger

Posts

Doug Belshaw (@dajb@social.coop) - social.coop

Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate arrested in US after more UK charges laid

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

social.coop

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

Mythos and Cybersecurity - Schneier on Security

We Are Open Co-op (@weareopencoop@mastodon.social) - Mastodon

Ben Cotton (he/him) (@funnelfiasco@hachyderm.io) - Hachyderm.io

Your country can't feed you

Popcorn #StoryCamp Opening Video : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

social.coop

Remote instance

Media