35 y.o. • they/he/she • 
born/living in Italy • #nobot
previously on Octodon
please read my pinned toots before sending a follow request
| Casual alt | https://bananachips.club/@miramarco |
| PixelFed | https://pixelfed.social/miramarco |
OMG, em dashes are not a sign of AI writing!
I kept hoping this myth would burn itself out, but no — the idea that em dashes are a sign of AI writing just keeps spreading. I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I crashed a segment into the latest Grammar Girl podcast.
The whole thing seems to have taken off after a popular GenZ culture podcast advised people to stop using the “the ChatGPT hyphen.” (And I have to confess it kills me that they didn't even know the name for it.) 🧵
Here’s what else I found:
— There is some research showing that AI tends to overuse certain words, like "delve" and "meticulous." But this is based on looking at hundreds of thousands of papers and can't really tell you anything about one piece of writing. Don't stop using these words!
— Software-based AI detectors are also quite bad at what they're supposed to do.
— Marginalized groups are far more likely to be falsely accused of having used AI in their writing, and this causes real harm.
Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation
of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI
Assistant for Essay Writing Task https://arxiv.org/pdf/2506.08872
Fascinating paper. It's long, 200 pages; you can read the intro and the Discussion section and get much out of it already though, but they do their homework.
Effects of LLM usage on memory retention and task execution:
- LLM users do get judged well by human and LLM judges for their essays
- Can't remember them
- Low cognitive activation
- Essays are mostly the same
Another oldie from 5 years ago
"Conservative politics are built on the idea that people have to 'earn' the right not to suffer" --biggest-gaudiest-patronuses on tumblr
When someone texts you “Can I ask you a question?” and then don’t explain until your answer – like, what do they expect me to say other than “Yes, you can”?
I would understand if we were together in the same place and they wanted to catch my attention, but that line of communication does not stay open over text messages. They can ask straightaway, with pretty much no exceptions
Don't bring your phone to the protest
Wear your most generic, mass-produced, non-identifiable clothes
Wear running shoes
N95's are a good idea for many reasons
Water in a bottle with no stickers
Don't RSVP with anyone beforehand
Tell a friend when you expect to be back
Be safe, don't get hurt, don't let them put you in the cop car
Give them hell
Mignon Fogarty
Christine Lemmer-Webber
The Holy Gremlin, Jo
The research fairy
Mark H-B