Hasnain says:

We have the EA doomers trying to fight an imaginary genAI and ban GPUs while ignoring real harms from AI - from mass scams to murder bots. Sigh.

“According to the investigation, another reason for the large number of targets, and the extensive harm to civilian life in Gaza, is the widespread use of a system called “Habsora” (“The Gospel”), which is largely built on artificial intelligence and can “generate” targets almost automatically at a rate that far exceeds what was previously possible. This AI system, as described by a former intelligence officer, essentially facilitates a “mass assassination factory.””

Hasnain says:

Most honest headline I’ve seen today.

“The infamy of Nixon's foreign-policy architect sits, eternally, beside that of history's worst mass murderers. A deeper shame attaches to the country that celebrates him”

Hasnain says:

“That’s where the sense of losing your mind comes from: the fact that it seems, for the first time that I can think of, western powers are unable to credibly pretend that there is some global system of rules that they uphold. They seem to simply say: there are exceptions, and that’s just the way it is. No, it can’t be explained and yes, it will carry on until it doesn’t at some point”

Hasnain says:

Chilling and very important read. From one of the world’s leading holocaust scholars.

“In the decades after World War II and the defeat of Nazism and fascism, historians and other intellectuals often berated their predecessors for having lacked the courage to stand up to their governments and popular sentiments and to have failed to warn against what they clearly saw was about to happen. As a historian of the Holocaust, I have called upon the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, to stand in the forefront of those warning against Israeli breaches of human rights and international law, currently being legitimized by Israeli political and military leaders, talking heads on television, and social media. I have urged those who dedicate themselves to researching and commemorating the Holocaust to warn against the dehumanizing rhetoric in Israel directed at the population of Gaza that literally calls for its extinction. I have also called upon them to condemn the escalating violence on the West Bank, perpetrated by incited settlers and IDF troops, which is similarly inclining toward ethnic cleansing under the cover of the war in Gaza. But for now, all we hear from these scholars is silence.”

Hasnain says:

:( all the way in Vermont.

After the super racist woman in the Bay Area yesterday too, I don’t know what to think.

“Two men were found injured on the scene, another man found injured a short distance away.

Channel Three News has confirmed that all three are young men of Palestinian descent. However, Burlington Police have not released any information about a motive.”

Hasnain says:

“A letter from a State Department official informed him that he should not have been granted citizenship at the time of his birth because his father was a diplomat with the Embassy of Iran. The letter directed Sobhani to a website where he could apply for lawful permanent residence.

“This was a shock to me,” said Sobhani, who specializes in internal medicine. “I’m a doctor. I’ve been here all my life. I’ve paid my taxes. I’ve voted for presidents. I’ve served my community in Northern Virginia. During covid, I was at work, putting myself at risk, putting my family at risk. So when you’re told after 61 years, ‘Oh there was a mistake, you’re no longer a U.S. citizen,’ it’s really, really shocking.””

Hasnain says:

Chotiner has a way of getting everyone to admit the horrible truths they try to hide. First the settler interview and now this.

“Jake Sullivan was asked whether Israel does what it can to limit civilian casualties. He dodged the question. And then he was asked directly on CNN whether Israel was operating according to the rules of war. And Sullivan said, “I’m not going to sit here and play judge or jury on that question.” Do you have a sense of whether Israel is operating according to the rules of war?

I know that, once I was elected to the United States Senate, I’m supposed to be an expert on every subject.

Sir, you’re the head of the Foreign Relations Committee.”

Hasnain says:

“When asked for comment, the leadership of the Harvard Law Review referred The Nation to a message posted on the journal’s website. “Like every academic journal, the Harvard Law Review has rigorous editorial processes governing how it solicits, evaluates, and determines when and whether to publish a piece…” the note began. ”Last week, the full body met and deliberated over whether to publish a particular Blog piece that had been solicited by two editors. A substantial majority voted not to proceed with publication.”

Today, The Nation is sharing the piece that the Harvard Law Review refused to run.

Genocide is a crime. It is a legal framework. It is unfolding in Gaza. And yet, the inertia of legal academia, especially in the United States, has been chilling. Clearly, it is much easier to dissect the case law rather than navigate the reality of death. It is much easier to consider genocide in the past tense rather than contend with it in the present. Legal scholars tend to sharpen their pens after the smell of death has dissipated and moral clarity is no longer urgent.”

Hasnain says:

Glad there is a much needed pause in the fighting and I hope this leads to an eventual end of the occupation. But this quote is horrifying and continues to show behavior which makes it hard to want to vote for this admin in the future.

“And there was some concern in the administration about an unintended consequence of the pause: that it would allow journalists broader access to Gaza and the opportunity to further illuminate the devastation there and turn public opinion on Israel.”

Hasnain says:

What a crazy turn of events. Especially the new letter signed by 500/700 of the OpenAI folks demanding the board resign - which was ironically also signed by the board member who orchestrated this whole mess up in the first place.

“Brockman has also revealed that the new team at Microsoft will include some key OpenAI talent. Jakub Pachocki, director of research at OpenAI, will join an unnamed leadership position in Microsoft’s advanced AI research team. OpenAI research scientist Szymon Sidor and head of preparedness Aleksander Madry are also joining Microsoft in leadership positions, according to Brockman. OpenAI employees are also posting “OpenAI is nothing without its people” to X in a sign of more resignations to come.”

Hasnain says:

“Denise Moriguchi knows that the local housing market weighs on her staff in Seattle. The chief executive of Uwajimaya, a chain of Asian grocery stores, said many of her employees commute an hour by public bus, have multiple roommates or rent a couch rather than a whole room, because housing costs in the area are so high. Whenever Moriguchi considers adding new store locations, she considers the general affordability in the area and the availability of public transit, in case she’d have a hard time finding employees who live nearby.”

Hasnain says:

I hope this happens. This is a bare minimum and a start towards the long road to fully solving the conflict. I do hope people in the US continue to push for a ceasefire (it’s how we got this) and for efforts like Bernie’s to finally impose conditions (like not committing war crimes) on military aid to Israel.

“While there is strong domestic pressure on Netanyahu to bring the hostages home, there are also loud voices in Israel demanding that the government not barter for their release.
�In public remarks, Israel has remained unyielding, while acknowledging the pressure it is under. On Friday, Israeli National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi told reporters that the war cabinet had unanimously agreed that a limited cease-fire could occur only after “a massive release of our hostages … and it will be limited and short, because after that we will continue to work towards achieving our war goals.””

Hasnain says:

When you realize even Reagan showed more moral fortitude than Biden (and Bernie), you have to stop and think. Learnt a lot of history from this one.

“In July 1982, the White House halted shipments of cluster munitions to Israel, declaring that the Israelis had violated arms agreements not to use these weapons on civilian areas. After a particularly deadly IDF barrage launched during the Siege of Beirut, Reagan called Begin and demanded the IDF stop the shelling. To do so, he used deeply emotional terms. “Here, on our television, night after night, our people are being shown the symbols of this war, and it is a holocaust,” Reagan said. In April 1983, he told the public his administration had halted F-16 sales to Israel and said they would not resume until the state withdrew from Lebanon.”

Hasnain says:

“"Israel's use of the term 'evacuation' for sending Palestinians to southern areas is really problematic, because it conjures up an idea of a safe route to a place of safety," says Caitlin Procter, a research fellow at the Center on Conflict Development and Peacebuilding at the Geneva Graduate Institute. "But the reality is there is no safe place left in Gaza for people to go."”

Hasnain says:

I am really curious about what story they are trying to get ahead of

“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

Hasnain says:

While I had heard this and thought this, it didn’t really hit until seeing it spelled out point blank.

““Arab and Global South officials are bewildered by Biden's indifference to how his blocking of a ceasefire is plummeting America's standing globally,” says Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. “Arab officials have told me that Biden has done more damage to America's standing in the region than George W Bush did with his illegal invasion of Iraq.””

Hasnain says:

Pleasantly surprised NPR ran with this. Can’t even imagine what life must be like in the West Bank and Gaza right now.

“As we walk another 100 or so yards, people in uniform emerge from behind a rocky hillside. More arrive in an SUV.

We stop and announce ourselves: "Media. Press." They're clearly unhappy with us. Some have their faces covered with balaclavas. Soon about a dozen people in uniform are gathering around us – all of them carrying large assault-style guns.

"OK. So get out of here. Take your legs and go all the way back," one soldier says in Hebrew, pointing to the direction from which we came. They tell us we've crossed a barrier, but we point out there is no rope, no signs, nothing to indicate that. They insist the area is restricted, and it's a time of war.”

Hasnain says:

This interview is eye opening and horrifying. I hope that this person is just a lone extremist and that the opinions are not common - but alas I fear they are. And I don’t know how we can achieve peace with viewpoints like this.

So many quotes in here that are terrifying. Hard to pick just one.

“In Israel, there’s a lot of support for settlements, and this is why there have been right-wing governments for so many years. The world, especially the United States, thinks there is an option for a Palestinian state, and, if we continue to build communities, then we block the option for a Palestinian state. We want to close the option for a Palestinian state, and the world wants to leave the option open. It’s a very simple thing to understand.”

Hasnain says:

“Meanwhile, anyone who answers the phones can see the anger is not letting up. The phone rings every five minutes, said one staffer for a lawmaker who believes the outrage is “starting to die down.” The callers are growing more diverse in age, identity and party affiliation.

“The pressure is going to continue to mount and these members are going to have to figure out how to reposture themselves, because their positions are not sustainable,” one senior adviser said. “Every day this conflict looks more grotesque, more visibly catastrophic.””

Hasnain says:

Kudos to these students for standing up, speaking out, and even being arrested. Beautifully written letter.

“And we must heed. Palestinians are our cousins, our peers at Brown, natives of the land, human beings whose lives matter. You shall not oppress a stranger.

We write these words from the diaspora, and it is from here that we wish to better our world. As we grapple with millennia of Jewish struggle and survival, we will not abandon our Palestinian cousins and peers, or let them stand alone. This genocide cannot continue.

Not in our names. With or without our names: Never. “

Hasnain says:

RIP Omegle.

“The battle for Omegle has been lost, but the war against the Internet rages on. Virtually every online communication service has been subject to the same kinds of attack as Omegle; and while some of them are much larger companies with much greater resources, they all have their breaking point somewhere. I worry that, unless the tide turns soon, the Internet I fell in love with may cease to exist, and in its place, we will have something closer to a souped-up version of TV – focused largely on passive consumption, with much less opportunity for active participation and genuine human connection. If that sounds like a bad idea to you, please consider donating to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization that fights for your rights online.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who used Omegle for positive purposes, and to everyone who contributed to the site’s success in any way. I’m so sorry I couldn’t keep fighting for you.”

Hasnain says:

“The main trouble I have with how most cost management efforts are structured is that they assume Engineering has made all the right choices to build cost-aware and cost-effective systems.

As any capable engineer will attest, this is a very bad assumption.”

Hasnain says:

“And we are done!

[A screenshot from Cities: Skylines 2 at night ]

I tried not to make this into an in-depth graphics study, but I think I failed. Hope you learned something new”

Hasnain says:

This paragraph left me speechless (for hopefully obvious reasons)

““If this really goes bad, we want to be able to point to our past statements,” a senior U.S. official said. The official said the administration is particularly worried about a narrative taking hold that Biden supports all Israeli military actions and that U.S.-provided weapons have been used to kill Palestinian civilians, many of them women and children. The Defense Department has said the U.S. is not putting any limits or restrictions on the weapons it’s providing Israel. “