The Ignorant Savage

@TheIgnorantSavage
12 Followers
74 Following
893 Posts
The Ignorant SavageAug 11
Cory DoctorowAug 11

Garbage Ryan with a characteristically Very Good Take.

https://www.garbageday.email/p/the-ai-boyfriend-ticking-time-bomb-a404028a5c2de843

The Ignorant SavageAug 11
Cory DoctorowAug 11

"Here's a thing I asked a chatbot to write" is the new "let me tell you about this weird dream I had last night."

I'd really rather you wouldn't.

The Ignorant SavageAug 11
Cory DoctorowAug 11

Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Goodhart's Law (of AI); and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2025/08/11/five-paragraph-essay/

#Pluralistic

1/

The Ignorant SavageAug 11
Milcom MiasmaAug 9

This man is a bona fide hero is what.

"He’s Saving 20,000 Tapes of Underground Music and Making it Free to All"

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13979518/sacramento-music-archive-shayne-stacy-punk-metal-cassettes-vhs-demos-concerts

#Music
#MusicArchives

He Saves Decades of Underground Music and Makes it Free to All

Shayne Stacy's Sacramento Music Archive is a goldmine of previously unseen punk, metal and indie shows in the Bay Area and beyond.

The Ignorant SavageAug 11
nixCraft 🐧Aug 10
TIL, ubicloud is an open source alternative to AWS. Elastic compute, block storage (non replicated), firewall and load balancer, managed Postgres, K8s, AI inference, and IAM services https://github.com/ubicloud/ubicloud
GitHub - ubicloud/ubicloud: Open source alternative to AWS. Elastic compute, block storage (non replicated), firewall and load balancer, managed Postgres, K8s, AI inference, and IAM services.

Open source alternative to AWS. Elastic compute, block storage (non replicated), firewall and load balancer, managed Postgres, K8s, AI inference, and IAM services. - ubicloud/ubicloud

GitHub
The Ignorant SavageAug 10
Sharon GascoigneAug 10
This isn't a classic Isle of Wight view, but it's a shot that my husband has been after for years.
The moon rising behind All Saints in Newchurch inspired him to bring out the telephoto lens and capture the view from a mile and a half away. He's thrilled that he captured it perfectly between the tree and the pinnacle on the roof next to the church spire. I wouldn't notice such things, but it's precisely what he wanted! This was last night, it was too cloudy on Friday #Photography #Moonrise
The Ignorant SavageAug 6
404 MediaAug 6

Constitution Sections on Due Process and Foreign Gifts Just Vanished from Congress' Website

Part of Article I Section 8, and all of Sections 9 and 10, which address things like habeas corpus, nobility, and militias, are gone from Congress's website for the Constitution.

https://www.404media.co/constitution-sections-on-due-process-and-foreign-gifts-just-vanished-from-congress-website/

Constitution Sections on Due Process and Foreign Gifts Just Vanished from Congress' Website

Part of Article I Section 8, and all of Sections 9 and 10, which address things like habeas corpus, nobility, and militias, are gone from Congress's website for the Constitution.

404 Media
The Ignorant SavageAug 6
DgarAug 5

I asked my German friend to draw me an informational diagram.

“Venn?" he asked.

I replied, “As soon as you can.”

(Happy Birthday John Venn)

The Ignorant SavageAug 6
jwzAug 4

The Mothership Vortex.

Some time ago I hypothesized that all Democratic Senators are using the same text-spam contractor, and wondered whether there was some way to block the entire network. This resulted in many, many replies from people incorrecting me and each other with their zero-information theories.

Well, I was right. They are all using the same contractor. But the reality is even more horrible than you probably imagined.
https://jwz.org/b/ykse

The Ignorant SavageAug 6
Just Tom...Aug 4
I'm off to my much-needed bed. Before I go, I'd like to express my admiration for Iceland and its leaders. I could live happily with people like this...
×
jwzAug 4

The Mothership Vortex.

Some time ago I hypothesized that all Democratic Senators are using the same text-spam contractor, and wondered whether there was some way to block the entire network. This resulted in many, many replies from people incorrecting me and each other with their zero-information theories.

Well, I was right. They are all using the same contractor. But the reality is even more horrible than you probably imagined.
https://jwz.org/b/ykse

Show threadBen RosengartAug 4
@jwz Did you ever get a good answer to that initial question of how to block all the nonsense in one go?
Show threadjwzAug 4
@fivetonsflax No.
Show threadCraigAug 5
@jwz I think your best bets would be a personal favor from someone at Proofpoint or your carrier. And it’s possible the best they could do would be to block all 10-digit long code traffic, which might be an acceptable loss. I was also surprised to learn that those codes get swapped around by the millions from (messaging, not political) campaign to campaign, more or less in real time, so there’s no tenable mole-whacking for individuals.
Show threadKelsey JordahlAug 4
@jwz oh my god, that is indeed even worse than I imagined. I might have guessed that <50% of the money actually got to candidates, and I would not have been surprised if it were only 10 or 20%, but 1.6% is appalling.
Show threadComfortably NumbAug 5
@kajord @jwz This is why I am only donating to local elections now.
Show threadPreston Maness ☭Aug 4
@jwz It's odd to see an article on Democratic Party fundraising and not see the name ActBlue anywhere. Back when I was doing digital work for campaigns --- including email and text blasts --- it was all the rage.
Show threadShadSterlingAug 5
@aspensmonster @jwz makes me wonder what the percentage is for ActBlue donations
Show threadle Pétomane AncienAug 5
@ShadSterling @aspensmonster @jwz I've worked in local election campaign finance. ActBlue takes 4% off the top. 96% goes to the campaign. I can't speak for higher office campaigns but I will say this, when you complete the transaction and they ask you for a "tip" to help keep the lights on, don't do it. They've already taken their vig.
Show threadAndrew DrakeAug 5

@lePetomaneAncien @ShadSterling @aspensmonster @jwz not going to argue you should tip, but as I understand it (from fintech experience on the card issuance side) after credit card fees they are probably only netting around 1%. That's ~$15m in net fees on the 1.5b volume they did in 2024.

They have something like 200 employees and server expenses for a rather high-profile, high-volume website. I expect that level of income is sustainable on its own, but it's not an enormous margin.

They do at this point (after 20 years) have like $100m in cash reserves, though, so between whatever tipping people do and the margin on their fee, they're not at risk of running out of money. But I don't know how much of their revenue comes from tips! If nobody tipped it is entirely possible they would have to start eating into their reserve.

Show threadle Pétomane AncienAug 5
@adrake @ShadSterling @aspensmonster @jwz Good to know
Thank you.
Show threadFritz AdalisAug 4

@jwz
> jwz.org/b/ykse

Yikse indeed.

Show threadMichael KohneAug 5
@jwz That's bat-shit insane levels of grift.
Show threadyour auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦Aug 5

"The FEC data proves this is a fallacy. An examination of the money flowing through the Mothership network reveals a system designed not for political impact, but for enriching the consultants who operate it."

🗣 LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!

i’ve been saying this for years. the Democratic Party exists to enrich the leadership and their consultant class. they’re all grifters.

@jwz

Show threadViolet MadderAug 5

@blogdiva @jwz

And they're not getting one more penny from me.

Show threadmizblueprintAug 5
@blogdiva
@jwz
1.6 % goes to the candidate; I would have guessed 2%. I haven't given to a machine in 10-15 years. I only give directly to candidates. Never to PAC's. And don't give your contact information to your local party unless they can assure that your information will not be shared. (Good luck with that.)
Show threadle Pétomane AncienAug 5
@mizblueprint @blogdiva @jwz In my state, the whole point of gathering that information is to share it. Party-endorsed candidates get access to a large and detailed voter record database. There's a lot of garbage in/garbage out in that database but it's still extremely valuable to candidates. Bulk mailing, volunteer phone banks and door knocking, text messages, etc. are relatively cheap even if they aren't especially effective. Like all types of spam, it's a numbers game.
Show threadmizblueprintAug 5

@lePetomaneAncien @blogdiva @jwz
All the information you give the registrar of voters is disclosed to candidates (whose consultants then share or sell it). For example, do not give your cell phone number unless you want an onslaught of text solicitations.

Candidates may get voter data from parties, but in my experience local party volunteers and "officers" are not necessarily savvy about data.

I kept my voter data within my committee. Contributor, volunteer, sign locations, voting history.

Show threadle Pétomane AncienAug 5

@mizblueprint @blogdiva @jwz Amen to "local party volunteers and 'officers' are not necessarily savvy about data." In my experience candidates know this and engage campaign managers and/or party staffers who are savvy enough to at least filter and segment databases.

In my state, primaries are closed but the voter data, except for the actual ballot, is public record. So, they know who you are, where you live, and which party's primary you voted in - valuable info you can't hide if you vote.

Show threadIvey Janette McClellandAug 5
@blogdiva @jwz Third party alternative time.
Show threadjasonvpAug 5
@jwz https://www.politico.com/news/2023/11/24/mothership-strategies-democratic-fundraising-00128548
Inside the rebirth of a controversial Democratic digital juggernaut

Mothership Strategies was fiercely criticized for its aggressive fundraising tactics and high fees. It’s found new clients.

POLITICO
Show threadCollette LynnerAug 5
@jwz this is news!
Show threadAndrew DrakeAug 5

@jwz it's definitely a lot of spam but sadly not all of it, and I suspect not a majority.

I actually dug through the FEC data myself for the most recent handful of PACs that I got spam from (texts and email), and for the vast majority I could find no connection at all to Mothership, either as a client directly or through an affiliated PAC, and their cashflows looked a lot more reasonable (i.e. not sending all their money to a consultancy or an affiliated PAC).

I do of course have plenty of spam from Mothership-affiliated PACs (I recognized almost every name in that post), and I hope to celebrate their demise! But that won't stop all the seemingly-legitimate PACs that have adopted similar messaging tactics.

Show threadCavyherdAug 5

@jwz

Okay, worth it just for the verb "incorrecting" 😂

Show threadMissConstrueAug 5

@jwz The story is pure madness. Blocking them has seemed like whackamole, I hope this story gets the attention of the dems and they stop using them. 1.6 is obscene.

Unrelated; How are you connecting your site and mastodon such that posts and comments here are also there?

Show threadjwzAug 5
@MissConstrue https://www.jwz.org/hacks/#mastodon-to-wp-comments
jwzhacks

Show threadMissConstrueAug 5

@jwz

WHOA! Look at all the wonderful toys! Thanks!

Show threadJoe BayesAug 5
@jwz "incorrecting me" I love it.
Show threadJasper 🍉Aug 5

@jwz was this what they were doing when they should have been fighting fascism?

> The financial waste, staggering as it is, pales beside the deeper damage. Every fabricated deadline, every manipulative text, every email screaming that democracy will end without your $15—each one burns through something more valuable than money: trust. The party that claims to defend democracy is systematically deceiving the very people who believe in it most.

Show threadJasper 🍉Aug 5
@jwz I am stumped to see the ask for reform, the depth of reform needed amounts to demolition and rebuilding from the foundations.
Show threadJess FAug 5
@jwz
This is well known in the campaign world. Only grifters use this service. None of the dozens of candidates I've worked with used it. But I'm curious how folks want to receive info about candidates? We don't want them calling, texting, or emailing but want to be an informed voter. What is the info pathway that people imagine for getting voting info without spam like experience? What contact feels good?
Show threadkbalAug 5
The candidate who wants to do it right should set up a mastodon account. Post substantial things to it. Give the appearance of being a human being with meaningful things to say. Become the talk of the tech-literate minority. The tech press will write about it. Word of such good deeds will spread.
Show threadJasonAug 5

@j_feral @jwz Speaking only for myself: I want emails, and I want updates without the hand-wringing panhandling. Off the top of my head, when I donate I'd like to see these options, all of them opt-in:

[ ] Email me campaign updates and policy notes
[ ] Email me fundraising updates and requests
[ ] Email me about other candidates I might be interested in
[ ] Share my email address with other campaigns

But I admit I may not be wired up like the average person, so that may only work for me.

Show threadC.B.LeslieAug 5
@jwz f1000ck.