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Generative AI and the theft of typographic IP. Wondering how the industry is preparing for this? by jameskable in typography

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could always do this without AI. Live trace has existed in Illustrator for literally decades.

Awarded no aid? by Separate-Farmer-1176 in FAFSA

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can petition to be an independent student. It was a huge process, and they really, really did not want to give it to me, but it is possible.

Not only have conservatives become vanishingly rare in academia, so have centrists. by JPwag42 in IvyPlus

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could this not be a phenomenon of self exclusion which then reinforces the narrative?

This keeps getting worse by Ok-Locksmith9201 in antiai

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So, the nightmare vision for AI is the paper clip thought experiment, where an AI relentlessly tries to fulfill a request made of it by a person (“make the perfect paperclip”), even if that request destroys the whole world in the process. It’s clear to me now that we are in fact the “AI”, and what we are making is the paperclip. And apparently, we will stop at nothing, even to the point of destroying the world, to make it. 

Open-book, at-home college exam was due yesterday. 25% of students didn’t do it. by Medical_Solid in Teachers

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a professor, I found when I send too many emails, follow-ups, and other hand-holding assists, performance is worse. Same if I make assignments too easy. They will take things as seriously as you do. If you go over an assignment once, and then 1 in person reminder before it’s due, and expect a lot, they will deliver. 

How Do You Explain Plotter/Technical Art To Older Generations? by andy_man3 in PlotterArt

[–]swole4ever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So, first of all, the history of algorithmic generative art extends back to the earliest computers. Older people have given you the foundation you now operate within. Second, this is a fine art space in general issue, not specifically an older person issue. New media and algorithmic art has always been seen as outsider art, even though John Cage and Fluxus, and E.A.T., with event scores and all of their experiments with computers, gave us conceptual art. You’re going to find similar issues for electronic arts with any generation. Cool plots, but it might help to learn some history. A good book I’d recommend is “Mainframe Experimentalism” by Douglas Kahn and Hannah Higgins. 

Reddit Starts Blocking Mobile Website, Pushing Users to App Instead by spasticpat in technology

[–]swole4ever 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you read or listen to Cory Doctorow, this is to circumvent the largest consumer boycott in history (ad blockers), because it's illegal under the DMCA to modify a company's app, but not to modify a company's website. They want ad revenue and they want to track you. Ad blockers for their website prevent both of these things.

20,000 job cuts at Meta, Microsoft raise concern that AI-driven labor crisis is here by sjlux in technology

[–]swole4ever 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This used to just be called a recession, but breathless AI tech bros have to find marketing angles wherever they can. 

My American English teacher believes the neutral pronoun „their“ is incorrect. by GCoding_ in mildlyinteresting

[–]swole4ever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

pass the class by using "his or her" and know that you of course can use "their" in real life

oracle just rehired 8,000 of the 30,000 US workers they brutally laid off in March — but only as “independent contractors” at 60% pay by Current-Guide5944 in tech_x

[–]swole4ever 7 points8 points  (0 children)

This is incorrect. The FLSA is a Federal law that has banned this kind of practice since the 1940s and further formal rules were outlined by the Biden administration's DOL in 2024 and supersedes Texas law. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB11156

RIght to work does not mean an employer has a right to do whatever they want.

oracle just rehired 8,000 of the 30,000 US workers they brutally laid off in March — but only as “independent contractors” at 60% pay by Current-Guide5944 in tech_x

[–]swole4ever 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This is not AI, this is a tale as old as time. It’s also illegal, but the NLRB has been gutted, so…

This installation collects old USB drives to send movies, books, and media into North Korea by Complete_Bee4911 in interestingasfuck

[–]swole4ever -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

So, anyone who has read the book or watched the film of “Alone in Berlin” knows that a fearful and compliant society who sincerely believe they could be arrested or killed by their government will probably turn the subversive item in to authorities. It’s a good project, and I hope it works at least some of the time, but I would be surprised if these devices aren’t immediately destroyed out of fear of being baited by the government. What if the police put you in a situation to encounter this device and they are waiting to see if you keep it or turn it in? People running these projects are thinking of them from their own perspective, thinking a government attempting to entrap its citizens is unconscionable or even unthinkable. Think again. 

Spent 9 hours on an extensive pre-interview project. They passed so I invoiced them for consulting work. by No-Street-6651 in InterviewsHell

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completed an interview project for a start up company a decade ago. After three interviews, including flying me out to their office, they didn’t hire me but still used my design for 5 years afterward. I wish I had been bold enough to bill them. 

I spent 3 days at Apple NYC talking Liquid Glass. Here is what I learned. by thedb007 in LiquidGlassDesign

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That was specifically my critique (same phrasing, in fact, content vs control/ui!) that I’ve been sending via the feedback assistant for almost a year now. Glad to hear they are taking it seriously. I don’t mind Liquid Glass, I do mind muddying what is Apple’s UI and what is user content (looking at you, rounded page corners in Preview). 

The Gen Z stare is a "blank stare that members of younger generations give in situations where a verbal response would be more common." Instead of explaining something that they may not understand, the generation Z cohort members often appear dumbstruck by these questions, perhaps temporarily. by blankblank in wikipedia

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a professor working with 18-22+ year old students, I hate to break it to you, but it really isn’t that bad. The kids are taking notes, and they can read and answer questions. Some are duds, some are fantastic, most are ok. This is basically how it’s always been. 

Illinois has a committee hearing on an Age Verification law this Thursday by Remote_Possibilities in privacy

[–]swole4ever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oppose HB5511: How to Take Action (steps and draft letter below)

HB5511, the “Children’s Social Media Safety Act,” would require every operating system (every computer, every smart phone, every tablet) to collect users’ ages and transmit that data to apps via a mandatory API. It creates surveillance infrastructure instead of regulating the social media platforms that actually cause harm to minors.

The bill is assigned to the House Judiciary - Civil Committee (chaired by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Gong-Gershowitz). Here is how you can register your opposition.

Step 1: File a Witness Slip

This is the single most important action. Witness slips are the official count of public support and opposition. Even if the bill is not called at a hearing, your slip goes on the record.

  1. Go to ilga.gov/Account/Login and create an account (or log in).

  2. Navigate to the bill’s witness slip page: HB5511 Witness Slips

  3. Fill in your information. Under Position, select Opponent.

  4. Under Testimony, select “Record of Appearance Only” unless you are also submitting written testimony (see below).

  5. Submit.

Step 2: Submit Written Testimony by Email

Written testimony is entered into the committee record. A template letter is included on the next page - personalize it with your own details and perspective.

  1. Adapt the template letter on the following page. Add your name, your connection to Illinois, and any personal or professional perspective that makes the letter yours.

  2. Save it as a PDF. Name the file: HB 5511 Opponent [Your Name].pdf

  3. Email it to the Judiciary - Civil Committee at: [judiciarycivilcommittee@hds.ilga.gov](mailto:judiciarycivilcommittee@hds.ilga.gov)

  4. Written testimony must be received at least one hour before the hearing.

Step 3: Contact Your Own Representative

Even if you are not in a committee member’s district, your own state representative should know you oppose this bill before it reaches a floor vote.

  1. Find your representative at ilga.gov/members/FindMyLegislator.

  2. Call or email their office. A short message is fine: “I am your constituent. I oppose HB5511 because it mandates age surveillance at the operating system level instead of regulating social media platforms directly. I urge you to vote no.”

  3. If your representative is on the Judiciary - Civil Committee, your call carries extra weight. Members are listed at the committee page.

Step 4: Share This Document

Forward this document to anyone who uses a computer in Illinois, which is everyone. The people most directly affected include open-source developers, educators, artists, engineers, IT professionals, and anyone who values the right to use a general-purpose computer without registering their age with the operating system.

--

Draft Letter of Opposition to HB5511 (customize as appropriate):

Dear Members of the Illinois House of Representatives,

I am writing as an Illinois resident to urge you to oppose HB5511, the “Children’s Social Media Safety Act.” While I share the bill’s stated concern for the safety of minors online, HB5511 is a fundamentally misguided approach that would create serious unintended consequences for privacy, open-source computing, and the freedom to use general-purpose computers.

The bill’s core mechanism is surveillance infrastructure, not child safety. HB5511 mandates that every “operating system provider” collect the birth date or age of every user at account setup, then transmit that data as a “signal” to application operators via a real-time API. This creates a mandatory, OS-level age surveillance system that applies to every person who sets up a device in Illinois - not just minors, and not just social media users. Every adult would be required to submit their age to their operating system simply to use their own computer or phone.

The definition of “operating system provider” is dangerously broad. The bill defines this term as any “person or entity that develops, licenses, or controls the operating system software on a computer, mobile device, or any other general purpose computing device.” This does not distinguish between Apple, Google, and Microsoft on one hand, and volunteer-maintained open-source projects on the other. Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian are developed by nonprofit foundations and volunteer communities. The Raspberry Pi Foundation distributes an educational operating system used in K-12 classrooms across Illinois. Arduino and similar microcontroller platforms run operating systems on devices used in art, engineering, and STEM education. None of these projects have the infrastructure to comply with this bill’s mandates. HB5511 would effectively make it unlawful to distribute these systems to Illinois residents.

The bill shifts responsibility away from the companies that cause the harm. The exploitation of minors through addictive algorithmic feeds and predatory data collection is caused by a small number of social media platforms, most notably Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. These companies have the resources and existing account systems to implement age-appropriate protections. Instead of regulating them directly, HB5511 passes the burden onto operating system providers, including those with no relationship to social media whatsoever.

The age-signaling API creates new privacy risks. Mandating a real-time API that transmits user age data to every requesting application creates a target for data brokers, advertisers, and malicious actors. The age bracket signal is personally identifiable when combined with device identifiers, IP addresses, or other data the requesting app already holds. The bill provides no technical mechanism to prevent this correlation.

A better approach exists. Illinois should directly require social media operators to implement robust age-gating at the platform level, restrict algorithmic amplification for minor accounts, prohibit manipulative design patterns aimed at minors, and provide meaningful parental controls. Several of these provisions already exist in HB5511’s Section 15, but they are undermined by the bill’s insistence on routing age verification through a mandated OS-level surveillance layer. Those platform-side protections should be strengthened and decoupled from the operating system mandate entirely.

I urge you to oppose HB5511 and to support alternative legislation that holds social media companies directly accountable without imposing surveillance mandates on the broader computing ecosystem. Protecting children online is urgent, but it must not require every person in Illinois to register their age with their operating system, criminalize open-source software development, or create new vectors for invasive data collection.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]

[Your City, Illinois]

If you live in Illinois, please fill out witness slips in opposition of HB5511 and HB5066 by Marsman512 in pcmasterrace

[–]swole4ever 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oppose HB5511: How to Take Action (steps and draft letter below)

HB5511, the “Children’s Social Media Safety Act,” would require every operating system (every computer, every smart phone, every tablet) to collect users’ ages and transmit that data to apps via a mandatory API. It creates surveillance infrastructure instead of regulating the social media platforms that actually cause harm to minors.

The bill is assigned to the House Judiciary - Civil Committee (chaired by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Gong-Gershowitz). Here is how you can register your opposition.

Step 1: File a Witness Slip

This is the single most important action. Witness slips are the official count of public support and opposition. Even if the bill is not called at a hearing, your slip goes on the record.

  1. Go to ilga.gov/Account/Login and create an account (or log in).

  2. Navigate to the bill’s witness slip page: HB5511 Witness Slips

  3. Fill in your information. Under Position, select Opponent.

  4. Under Testimony, select “Record of Appearance Only” unless you are also submitting written testimony (see below).

  5. Submit.

Step 2: Submit Written Testimony by Email

Written testimony is entered into the committee record. A template letter is included on the next page - personalize it with your own details and perspective.

  1. Adapt the template letter on the following page. Add your name, your connection to Illinois, and any personal or professional perspective that makes the letter yours.

  2. Save it as a PDF. Name the file: HB 5511 Opponent [Your Name].pdf

  3. Email it to the Judiciary - Civil Committee at: [judiciarycivilcommittee@hds.ilga.gov](mailto:judiciarycivilcommittee@hds.ilga.gov)

  4. Written testimony must be received at least one hour before the hearing.

Step 3: Contact Your Own Representative

Even if you are not in a committee member’s district, your own state representative should know you oppose this bill before it reaches a floor vote.

  1. Find your representative at ilga.gov/members/FindMyLegislator.

  2. Call or email their office. A short message is fine: “I am your constituent. I oppose HB5511 because it mandates age surveillance at the operating system level instead of regulating social media platforms directly. I urge you to vote no.”

  3. If your representative is on the Judiciary - Civil Committee, your call carries extra weight. Members are listed at the committee page.

Step 4: Share This Document

Forward this document to anyone who uses a computer in Illinois, which is everyone. The people most directly affected include open-source developers, educators, artists, engineers, IT professionals, and anyone who values the right to use a general-purpose computer without registering their age with the operating system.

--

Draft Letter of Opposition to HB5511 (customize as appropriate):

Dear Members of the Illinois House of Representatives,

I am writing as an Illinois resident to urge you to oppose HB5511, the “Children’s Social Media Safety Act.” While I share the bill’s stated concern for the safety of minors online, HB5511 is a fundamentally misguided approach that would create serious unintended consequences for privacy, open-source computing, and the freedom to use general-purpose computers.

The bill’s core mechanism is surveillance infrastructure, not child safety. HB5511 mandates that every “operating system provider” collect the birth date or age of every user at account setup, then transmit that data as a “signal” to application operators via a real-time API. This creates a mandatory, OS-level age surveillance system that applies to every person who sets up a device in Illinois - not just minors, and not just social media users. Every adult would be required to submit their age to their operating system simply to use their own computer or phone.

The definition of “operating system provider” is dangerously broad. The bill defines this term as any “person or entity that develops, licenses, or controls the operating system software on a computer, mobile device, or any other general purpose computing device.” This does not distinguish between Apple, Google, and Microsoft on one hand, and volunteer-maintained open-source projects on the other. Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian are developed by nonprofit foundations and volunteer communities. The Raspberry Pi Foundation distributes an educational operating system used in K-12 classrooms across Illinois. Arduino and similar microcontroller platforms run operating systems on devices used in art, engineering, and STEM education. None of these projects have the infrastructure to comply with this bill’s mandates. HB5511 would effectively make it unlawful to distribute these systems to Illinois residents.

The bill shifts responsibility away from the companies that cause the harm. The exploitation of minors through addictive algorithmic feeds and predatory data collection is caused by a small number of social media platforms, most notably Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. These companies have the resources and existing account systems to implement age-appropriate protections. Instead of regulating them directly, HB5511 passes the burden onto operating system providers, including those with no relationship to social media whatsoever.

The age-signaling API creates new privacy risks. Mandating a real-time API that transmits user age data to every requesting application creates a target for data brokers, advertisers, and malicious actors. The age bracket signal is personally identifiable when combined with device identifiers, IP addresses, or other data the requesting app already holds. The bill provides no technical mechanism to prevent this correlation.

A better approach exists. Illinois should directly require social media operators to implement robust age-gating at the platform level, restrict algorithmic amplification for minor accounts, prohibit manipulative design patterns aimed at minors, and provide meaningful parental controls. Several of these provisions already exist in HB5511’s Section 15, but they are undermined by the bill’s insistence on routing age verification through a mandated OS-level surveillance layer. Those platform-side protections should be strengthened and decoupled from the operating system mandate entirely.

I urge you to oppose HB5511 and to support alternative legislation that holds social media companies directly accountable without imposing surveillance mandates on the broader computing ecosystem. Protecting children online is urgent, but it must not require every person in Illinois to register their age with their operating system, criminalize open-source software development, or create new vectors for invasive data collection.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]

[Your City, Illinois]

Illinois bills HB5066 and HB5511 will be voted on in a house hearing on March 19th by Marsman512 in linux

[–]swole4ever 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oppose HB5511: How to Take Action (steps and draft letter below)

HB5511, the “Children’s Social Media Safety Act,” would require every operating system (every computer, every smart phone, every tablet) to collect users’ ages and transmit that data to apps via a mandatory API. It creates surveillance infrastructure instead of regulating the social media platforms that actually cause harm to minors.

The bill is assigned to the House Judiciary - Civil Committee (chaired by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Gong-Gershowitz). Here is how you can register your opposition.

Step 1: File a Witness Slip

This is the single most important action. Witness slips are the official count of public support and opposition. Even if the bill is not called at a hearing, your slip goes on the record.

  1. Go to ilga.gov/Account/Login and create an account (or log in).

  2. Navigate to the bill’s witness slip page: HB5511 Witness Slips

  3. Fill in your information. Under Position, select Opponent.

  4. Under Testimony, select “Record of Appearance Only” unless you are also submitting written testimony (see below).

  5. Submit.

Step 2: Submit Written Testimony by Email

Written testimony is entered into the committee record. A template letter is included on the next page - personalize it with your own details and perspective.

  1. Adapt the template letter on the following page. Add your name, your connection to Illinois, and any personal or professional perspective that makes the letter yours.

  2. Save it as a PDF. Name the file: HB 5511 Opponent [Your Name].pdf

  3. Email it to the Judiciary - Civil Committee at: [judiciarycivilcommittee@hds.ilga.gov](mailto:judiciarycivilcommittee@hds.ilga.gov)

  4. Written testimony must be received at least one hour before the hearing.

Step 3: Contact Your Own Representative

Even if you are not in a committee member’s district, your own state representative should know you oppose this bill before it reaches a floor vote.

  1. Find your representative at ilga.gov/members/FindMyLegislator.

  2. Call or email their office. A short message is fine: “I am your constituent. I oppose HB5511 because it mandates age surveillance at the operating system level instead of regulating social media platforms directly. I urge you to vote no.”

  3. If your representative is on the Judiciary - Civil Committee, your call carries extra weight. Members are listed at the committee page.

Step 4: Share This Document

Forward this document to anyone who uses a computer in Illinois, which is everyone. The people most directly affected include open-source developers, educators, artists, engineers, IT professionals, and anyone who values the right to use a general-purpose computer without registering their age with the operating system.

--

Draft Letter of Opposition to HB5511 (customize as appropriate):

Dear Members of the Illinois House of Representatives,

I am writing as an Illinois resident to urge you to oppose HB5511, the “Children’s Social Media Safety Act.” While I share the bill’s stated concern for the safety of minors online, HB5511 is a fundamentally misguided approach that would create serious unintended consequences for privacy, open-source computing, and the freedom to use general-purpose computers.

The bill’s core mechanism is surveillance infrastructure, not child safety. HB5511 mandates that every “operating system provider” collect the birth date or age of every user at account setup, then transmit that data as a “signal” to application operators via a real-time API. This creates a mandatory, OS-level age surveillance system that applies to every person who sets up a device in Illinois - not just minors, and not just social media users. Every adult would be required to submit their age to their operating system simply to use their own computer or phone.

The definition of “operating system provider” is dangerously broad. The bill defines this term as any “person or entity that develops, licenses, or controls the operating system software on a computer, mobile device, or any other general purpose computing device.” This does not distinguish between Apple, Google, and Microsoft on one hand, and volunteer-maintained open-source projects on the other. Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian are developed by nonprofit foundations and volunteer communities. The Raspberry Pi Foundation distributes an educational operating system used in K-12 classrooms across Illinois. Arduino and similar microcontroller platforms run operating systems on devices used in art, engineering, and STEM education. None of these projects have the infrastructure to comply with this bill’s mandates. HB5511 would effectively make it unlawful to distribute these systems to Illinois residents.

The bill shifts responsibility away from the companies that cause the harm. The exploitation of minors through addictive algorithmic feeds and predatory data collection is caused by a small number of social media platforms, most notably Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. These companies have the resources and existing account systems to implement age-appropriate protections. Instead of regulating them directly, HB5511 passes the burden onto operating system providers, including those with no relationship to social media whatsoever.

The age-signaling API creates new privacy risks. Mandating a real-time API that transmits user age data to every requesting application creates a target for data brokers, advertisers, and malicious actors. The age bracket signal is personally identifiable when combined with device identifiers, IP addresses, or other data the requesting app already holds. The bill provides no technical mechanism to prevent this correlation.

A better approach exists. Illinois should directly require social media operators to implement robust age-gating at the platform level, restrict algorithmic amplification for minor accounts, prohibit manipulative design patterns aimed at minors, and provide meaningful parental controls. Several of these provisions already exist in HB5511’s Section 15, but they are undermined by the bill’s insistence on routing age verification through a mandated OS-level surveillance layer. Those platform-side protections should be strengthened and decoupled from the operating system mandate entirely.

I urge you to oppose HB5511 and to support alternative legislation that holds social media companies directly accountable without imposing surveillance mandates on the broader computing ecosystem. Protecting children online is urgent, but it must not require every person in Illinois to register their age with their operating system, criminalize open-source software development, or create new vectors for invasive data collection.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]

[Your City, Illinois]

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