Mastodawn

Whenever I discuss how much Duolingo sucks and doesn't work and is in fact counterproductive, and all that was already the case *before* it got rebuilt from slop, people ask the very reasonable question: "If not Duolingo, then what"?

My answer is that literally any other method is better than Duolingo lol

But I've collected some of my more detailed answers about two methods I strongly recommend—comprehensive input and tandem exchange—in these two blog posts:

* https://wordsmith.social/overthinking-the-apocalypse/language-learning-methods-that-actually-work-1-the-binge
* https://wordsmith.social/overthinking-the-apocalypse/language-learning-methods-that-actually-work-2-you-show-me-yours-and-ill

This is cleaned up and edited from the threads of today, so if you want to #like and #share this #content with your friends, please use the links above. Thanks everyone who participated in the comments

Language learning methods that actually work #1: The binge

Today’s news was about the stock market crash of Duolingo, and I was talking about how this is one of the few positive things about “AI”:...

Overthinking the apocalypse

Javi 10h ago

Arte es Ética 17h ago

RE: https://mastodon.social/@javisamo/116176016148516354

- Se viene el 8M. Hay que aprovechar el trending del día. Quizás hablar de la invisibilidad histórica de la mujer.

- ¡No se diga más! Usaremos IA generativa que está invisibilizando no solo a las mujeres sino a todo ser humano! que hay que ser inclusive como el cartel de Madrid!

- Pero claaaaaro! 🤦‍♀️

PD: que el Ayuntamiento de Madrid ya tiró unos cuantos prompts en esta línea 🤡

#IA #8M #AI #IAgenerativa #genAI #generativeAI #woman #women #mujer

Javi 19h ago

ploum 20h ago

Step 1: Convince geeks that copyleft is "against entrepreneurship"

Step 2: Convince geeks that all the GPL-licensed FLOSS foundational software should be rewritten using MIT/BSD license

Step 3: Provide a proprietary tool trained on GPL software which "rewrrite" the same software but without the license.

–––We are there, we can still move away from that path–––

..
...

Last step: congratulations, you have killed the last remains of independence in the software world

Javi 20h ago

Fermín Grodira 20h ago

Un registro judicial muestra que Proton Mail entregó datos de pago relacionados con una cuenta de correo electrónico de manifestantes contra una infraestructura policial de Estados Unidos al gobierno suizo, que los entregó al FBI https://www.404media.co/proton-mail-helped-fbi-unmask-anonymous-stop-cop-city-protestor/

Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester

A court record reviewed by 404 Media shows privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail handed over payment data related to a Stop Cop City email account to the Swiss government, which handed it to the FBI.

404 Media

Javi 1d ago

Este informe del European Trade Union Institute sobre IA en enseñanza superior pinta muy bien:

https://bsky.app/profile/etui.bsky.social/post/3mgcgrvhymq2m

ETUI (@etui.bsky.social)

📣 New ETUI–ETUCE book: Governing #ArtificialIntelligence in #HigherEducation 🌐 🏫 How is #AI reshaping universities? Edited by Aída Ponce Del Castillo, this volume explores governance, academic work, and teaching and learning. 👉 Download the book: etui.org/43f @etuce.bsky.social

Bluesky Social

Javi 1d ago

Igalia 4d ago

Igalia is proud to announce our Coding Experience program for 2026! Open to all new programmers, students and self-learners alike, applications are invited till the 3rd of April in one or more of five areas of Open Source development.

Apply now!

https://www.igalia.com/2026/02/27/Igalia-2026-Coding-Experience-Open-for-Applications.html

Igalia 2026 Coding Experience Open for Applications | Igalia

Igalia is an open source consulting firm specialised in the development of innovative projects and solutions. Our engineers have expertise in a wide range of technological areas, including browsers and client-side web technologies, graphics pipeline, compilers and virtual machines. We have the most WPE, WebKit, Chromium/Blink and Firefox expertise found in the consulting business, including many reviewers and committers. Igalia designs, develops, customises and optimises GNU/Linux-based solutions for companies across the globe. Our work and contributions are present in many projects such as GStreamer, Mesa 3D, WebKit, Chromium, etc.

Igalia

Javi 1d ago

Emmanuele Bassi 1d ago

This is definitely not how I imagined my Thursday would start

Javi 1d ago

Qué mejor forma de hablar de la invisibilidad de la mujer que usando la IA generativa para hacer un cartel: invisibiliza a las artistas y les roba el trabajo e invisibiliza a las etiquetadoras de datos, invisibiliza los costes externalizándolos

cc @arteesetica

https://www.uco.es/servicios/actualidad/vida-academica/item/164476-la-facultad-de-ciencias-del-trabajo-acoge-la-charla-la-mujer-en-la-vida-cordobesa-de-la-invisibilidad-historica-al-presente-creativo?lang=es&auid=56279

Actualidad Universitaria - La Facultad de Ciencias del Trabajo acoge la charla “La mujer en la vida cordobesa. De la invisibilidad histórica al presente creativo”

Con motivo del Día Internacional de la Mujer, el Club Calerito organiza, en estrecha colaboración con la Universidad de Córdoba (UCO) —a través de su...

Javi 1d ago

Como ya soy funcionario he ido a Muface a darme de alta.

Tremendo estudio sociológico sobre ex-funcionarios jubilados saltándose la cola y turno todo el rato y entrando a las mesas aunque estuviera ("si tengo que esperar 5 minutos se están vulnerando mis derechos").

Habrá hasta algo escrito por ahí de este tipo de personas del trío Muface (con privada) + CSIF.

Javi 1d ago

No sé desde cuándo hace esto @zotero pero le he dado a añadir un artículo para el que no tengo subscripción y me ha buscado por otro lado el borrador subido a alguna plataforma tipo arxiv y lo ha añadido a la entrada.

BTW el artículo fundamental en los tiempos de mierda epistémica que vivimos

https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-025-00986-z

Large language models that replace human participants can harmfully misportray and flatten identity groups - Nature Machine Intelligence

Large language models are being considered to simulate responses from participants of different backgrounds in computational social science experiments. Here it is shown that this practice can misportray and flatten demographic groups in distinctively harmful ways.

Nature