"Paid advertising in AI search, and AI models generally, could look very different from traditional web search. It has the potential to influence your thinking, spending patterns and even personal beliefs in much more subtle ways." Are you paying attention yet? theconversation.com/could-chatgp...

Who took this photo? When? Where? You can answer these questions with cryptography. Read our new post to learn how: https://hypha.coop/dripline/who-took-this-photo/

Media coverage of Gaza has plummeted. So today on @thenation.com, we're doing something pretty special: we're only running pieces by people in and from Gaza. We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...

Add this to your must-reads this week, yes?

Interesting post and thread about the loooong awaited community centre in my hood. Agree that Canadians generally have a consultation problem but the characterization of public input as 'loud neighbours' seems dismissive. Ultimately, it would be nice to get the darn thing built tho

*Looks outside* sNooooooooo

Toronto!! This is next week! I'm really excited about this conversation, Parker is very smart and has lots of interesting things to say that you should come listen to.

Speaking of a different kind of salt, Molly White's recap post is 🎯 www.citationneeded.news/the-year-of-...

THIS. Toronto's wanton salting makes me crazy. My anti-salt stance is partly stemming from former dog ownership (salty paws are sad paws) and partly from the no-brainer that salt is bad for gardens, fresh water, basically anything living.

Grief has come up in a number of recent conversations, and then I came across this apt quote: "Without grief and praise, life is only hate and mediocrity.” - Martin Prechtel, via open.substack.com/pub/solidari...

Given everything happening right now, I updated this article with options for weather apps, web forms, and translation services — along with some tweaks to existing categories. I hope it helps your transition off US tech!

Imagine if they put that money towards health care or education instead. What a crazy idea!!

"Your tastebuds are not deceiving you. Mangoes from independent grocers likely do taste better than those available at larger grocery chains." We took a look indie grocers in the West End and how they measure up against the chain store giants. www.westendphoenix.com/stories/chai...

I love everything about this post by @thelocal.to on the opening of the Finch West LRT - local reporting, talking to the people whose lives have been and are affected by this transit project, and their hopeful skepticism that just seems so Toronto thelocal.to/finch-west-l...

Lots of appreciation for shivani mehta bhatia's thoughts on conflict. Relevant to all of us (unless you live a life of solitude, in which case congrats). She brings much needed nuance to thinking about conflict because things are never as clear-cut as they seem shivanimehtabhatia.kit.com

*Sheds a little tear of happiness*

Giving Tuesday reminder. If you can, give. I donated to The Zaynab Project: GAZA Relief chuffed.org/project/zayn...

Today’s conference cat has gotten much more up close and personal #cooperativeAI

Second day, final session. @marcelovieta.bsky.social ‘s slide does a great job of capturing the complexity of AI #cooperativeAI

On the topic of co-ops, if you're part of one, please fill in the survey we're running this month on cooperative AI options: survey.cooperativeblueprint.ai/776588?newte...

Also, cats cats cats. This one came to hear the sessions in the morning #coopAI

First day, final session of the #coopAI conference in Istanbul. @trebors2025.bsky.social sharing his thoughts on the Solidarity Stack. Looking forward to tomorrow (+ being less jet lagged!)

I just drank a Lions Mane mushroom latte. You never know what the day will bring.

What's that, the Ontario government making tenancy more precarious in the midst of a housing crisis? Sounds about right. They might have backtracked on some of the proposed changes, but let's be clear: they still intend to criminalize poverty www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

This essay by @jasmine.bsky.social is 🎯 and also 🫠 jasmi.news/p/dictionary h/t @annehelen.bsky.social

Hear hear!

Also standing room only at this talk. And jokes about the women + stage being in a weird corner of a noisy conference. Heh.

Checking out #ElevateFestival for the first time. @averyswartz.com and Sarah Stockdale’s talk on AI are a study in contrast to other panels… human thoughts on a machine technology

We are, once again, in the time of peak scapegoating.

Listening to the live version of Eddie Vedder's 'No More' and am totally struck how hopeful and timeless it is. "No more terrorizing No more eulogizing No more No more evangelizing No more No more presidents lying No more war"

Q. Who aligns the aligners? A. alignmentalignment.ai Today I’m humbled to announce an epoch-defining event: the launch of the 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

Personalization at scale is an oxymoron

If Banksy'd used AI, this would never would have happened!

At least 105 Palestinians killed, including 32 aid seekers, as Israel pushes ahead with plans to seize Gaza City.

Remember those RCMP thugs who took great pleasure in arresting and berating protesters at Fairy Creek? Apparently they've got a new name and an expanded mandate. While we're transfixed by the disintegration of democracy south of us, things are very much amiss here breachmedia.ca/rcmp-unit-co...

Air Canada consoles stranded passengers with pictures of their executive bonuses

Bike Brigade origin story; pandemic, willing people, bikes, a bespoke app and the rest is herstory #CivicSpark #mutualaid

Cory Doctorow is coming to Bluesky, on his own self-hosted server to avoid the standard ToS. pluralistic.net/2025/08/15/d... “My sysadmin, Ken, just took delivery of some new server hardware at his colo, and he's gonna be setting me up my own Mastodon and Bluesky servers in the coming weeks.”

We are “Walking backwards into our future … towards a precolonial conviviality” - Victor Udoewa #civicspark

It’s also a strong reminder that the civic body is made up of people who do not share a singular narrative about hope and hopelessness. And this is inseparable from any kind of ‘civic tech’ work that we want to do

Vass Bednar on centralized childcare waitlists (why don’t we have these?!) and a whole host of other data-rich civic tech applications that would make our lives less sh*tty

@biancawylie.com opening #civicspark with the real talk; respecting boundaries, the importance of having hard political conversations, and *humility* (such a beautiful reminder in this time of hubris)

Yay Rachel and Max! Looking forward to hearing you on Saturday #civicspark

Apparently it's news when men who hold executive power engage in care work. Women just do this all the time. (But in seriousness, I do think this shows true leadership) www.theglobeandmail.com/business/art...

Explored Toronto’s newest park today with @andia.bsky.social!

YESSSSSS! www.cycleto.ca/cycle_toront... #bikes #toronto #finallysomegoodnews

More talk today about leaving Substack. You should do it. If you’re trying to do local news, head over to www.tinynewsco.org and apply to join the @tinynewscollective.bsky.social. We’ll get you set up with Ghost, fiscal sponsorship, and a community of support. The best deal in journalism.

Counting Seagulls at Coronation Park - file under: in-person, fun, frivolous (aka contrary to most things these days)https://lu.ma/3az43gov

Last month (oh so long ago now) it was #Toronto Tech Week, which for me, was a series of depressingly cliche panels, punctuated by a few high notes. But the best of it all was the @1rg.space's wrap on the 1RG Incubator; this event really made my week 💜 words.1rg.space/experiment-r...