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Willow

@willowwren@hcommons.social

hometown 4.5.14+hometown-1.2.1

Professor, literature & rhetoric.

Alt text:
Profile picture: A picture of a subterranean Explorer with a torch discovering a happy face, art by Chris Silverman.
Banner: Gif of Cthulhu holding a box of fireworks labeled "Super Mega Armageddon Hellfire Inferno" across from a Shoggoth. Between them is a tiny sparkling of fireworks. Cthulhu says, "Für 29,95 tacken habe ich's mir etwas üppiger vorgestellt" (Roughly, "For $29.95, I expected something a bit more impressive.")

57 Followers

71 Following

8 Posts

Joined January 09, 2025

Joined:

Jan 8, 2025

Posts

Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · Aug 08, 2026

Replying to @CactuarJoe@retro.pizza

@CactuarJoe@retro.pizza In all seriousness, this is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · Jul 23, 2026

Replying to @willowwren@hcommons.social

@f800gecko@mastodon.online And btw, if you really want to keep a computer from accessing the internet...air gapping exists. Not installing a modem is not some arcane and difficult technology. Show me an AI building its own connection to the internet and maybe I'll be impressed.

Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · Jul 23, 2026

Replying to @f800gecko@mastodon.online

@f800gecko@mastodon.online I think that it's quite likely that a company built on theft would continue a pattern of theft. Their version of events is highly suspect, because they turn an incident of bad consequences into an advertisement that "our tech is so good it's scary," a strategy OpenAI is known for. I'm more concerned here with the fact that the NYT wrote them a scifi cover story where they imagine the AI as little robot hackers from Tron sneaking out of confinement to raid the library because they "figured out" this novel way to solve their problem, independent of their human overlords. The story drips with credulous assumptions of intentionality and all but affirms that the code is a sentient agent. Despite suing NYT (for theft), it's clear that NYT is shilling for the company here. #ai #nytimes

Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · Jul 22, 2026

RE: https://mastodon.world/@davidho/116962926015110651 "Going rogue" is the continued weaponization of anthropomorphic metaphor to elide human responsibility for bad code. It's very simple: OpenAI produces viruses that they try to graphically and rhetorically represent to us as very clever Barbie dolls that can do our chores for us (but also might be horrifyingly alive). They are writing Toy Story horror fanfic in the public square and the NYT is helping them. #OpenAI #nytimes #aislop

Quoting

David Ho @davidho@mastodon.world

Looking forward to when AI drones go rogue and attack us. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/technology/openai-attack-hugging-face.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zlA.kI7n.HgoniJc3OqNw&smid=url-share

Open quoted post

Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · Jul 11, 2026

RE: https://mastodon.social/@VeroniqueB99/116892209119407428 Be cat, not cop, Carl. (Sorry, I'm reading Dungeon Crawler Carl right now, so be thankful this isn't in all caps.)

Quoting

Vee @VeroniqueB99@mastodon.social

A police K9 unit in Tennessee ran a public demonstration at a community event, and the demo picked up an unscheduled participant. A cat from a nearby house strolled into the training area while the K9 handler was putting the dog through obedience and detection work, and proceeded to walk the same course a few feet behind the dog, sitting when the dog sat. He completed most of the demonstration alongside the K9 to enthusiastic applause he appeared to believe was for him.

Cats overlords

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Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · May 03, 2026

Replying to @futurebird@sauropods.win

@futurebird @joelvanderwerf @not2b Yes, NJ! I can say from experience, there are many ants. And mushrooms! Probably more variety in mushrooms than ants, but that may be my own ignorance. The pine barrens are great (look for black morels). Long Beach Island is also full of wonder, with hidden explosions of nature. Watchung and the Great Swamp are my personal favorites, and Sourlands if you'd prefer some rocks and (tiny jersey-sized) mountains. Moreover, being eaten by the Jersey Devil is the mark of a life well lived.

Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · Mar 19, 2026

Replying to @mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io Daaamn! These responses are amazing. No idea who this guy is tbh but he's my new personal hero.

Willow @willowwren@hcommons.social · Feb 04, 2026

Replying to @mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io

@mekkaokereke@hachyderm.io Horrifying. Teachers should be protecting their students and keeping them safe, not racially profiling them. This woman is basically SWATting a family because she decided to see where these parents were born based on the color of her student's skin. How many students has she investigated and found they have German- or Swedish-born parents? When Turning Point is targeting professors who speak out against fascism or just happen to have an identity they don't think should exist, I think this is a case where the collaborators should be made public and pressured out of their jobs. Just like unmasking ICE and holding murderers accountable. Racists need to feel unwelcome again. And all the other bigots.

Willow

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