As the internet fills up with AI generated text, new LLM AI models trained on these texts created by their precursors get progressively narrower, more generic, and less valuable - "model collapse". PDF: arxiv.org/pdf/2305.17493

This one took a bit of puzzling out (Wednesday June 10) Wordle 1,817 4/6* ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ ⬜⬜🟩🟨⬜ 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

"This is too big and too permanent a decision to be left to an eight-minute survey. The people of this city have a right to be genuinely heard."

Really interesting leading question example from the UK, and comparison of how this survey does not meet federal government's own standards

What a concept!

Right idea, but wrong start and end letters (Tuesday June 9) Wordle 1,816 5/6* 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜ ⬜🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I have been thinking about this story a lot, not because of screwfly but because of cascading misogyny in the world

1/ Five cases of New World screwworm have now been confirmed in the U.S., Texas has declared an emergency, and Canada immediately restricted livestock imports. Most people had never heard of screwworm until last week (or maybe just now). That's because we eradicated it from the U.S. in 1966.🧵

2/2 17th-century graffiti. As signed by Pieter Saenredam, whose day is today.

Everyone should submit their thoughts and concerns about the expansion of Billy Bishop to handle jets. No matter what questions the government is asking, it's not a done deal, and a flood of public backlash is much harder to ignore than a discouraged public that never raises its voice.

A thread. The other day, I happened to clock the little AI-written bio attached to my name. It announced, quite confidently, that I was married, not to my husband, but to his brother. Particularly amusing, since my BIL is a proud member of the LGBQT community. I love him, but I am NOT his type. 🧵

When this happens, it really validates the work I do.

I wrote, "We spent a great deal of time and money establishing an UP Express link to Pearson, a major airport. There is no need to further ruin Toronto’s waterfront for a second large airport.” I’m impressed by how polite I remained while wanting to write “fuck ALL the way off” 😃

In Montreal this weekend and Mont Royal, St Laurent, St Catherine and others are opened up for the entire summer (or year round). People are just running errands and taking in the evening. The imposed scarcity is a uniquely Toronto pathology.

The Amsterdam Bridge on Toronto’s Harbourfront is finally reopened, but it’s not fully restored. The lifting portion, meant to allow sailboats into the northern marina slips, is fixed in place.

Calling to mind the staff objection to the Church Street pedestrian zone - that it might be too popular. (All the more reason to make it all the time over summer rather than just a weekend, really)

I noticed that in Britain they only announce the result after all votes counted. Which can be frustrating but maybe they have a point, especially for the US.

Stuff like this and the annual weeks-long crush at the Christmas Market really shows the huge unmet demand for pedestrianized spaces in the city. The right answer is more, but I worry the city will opt for less. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

This money should be securing permanent (not time limited) affordable housing

My father was, correctly, deeply concerned about how people would react if they knew his diagnosis. I came across a very articulate email he wrote his doctor after his initial diagnosis with dementia. It was a long and slow progression until the late stage.

"Sure, pretending like Toronto is hosting a major international event each year would come at a cost, but that cost would surely be cheaper than actually hosting a major international event."

Took me so long ... I eventually had to try a word I knew was wrong on 4 - but as soon as I did that the solution was obvious (Monday June 8) Wordle 1,815 5/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ 🟨⬜🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

So the way to get a serious law punishing drivers for killing people was to literally drive into Premier Ford ... www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Ah, thought I had it in 4 but as usual chose the more obscure word first! (Sunday June 7) Wordle 1,814 5/6* ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Do they have scrutineers in the US? Because having every candidate have the right to nominate people to observe the counting process is a good way to remove concerns about vote counting.

Stay curious.

for reference and comparison: conservatively, the United States spent two-thirds of that figure in the *first week* of the war on Iran. it's genuinely difficult to overstate how many world-historical own goals US politics has accumulated over the past few decades

“The Bullshit Asymmetry Principle, also known as Brandolini’s Law, states that the amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than that needed to produce it.” Useful article. As we look at solutions though, our priority is demanding upstream leadership. #UrbanTruth

Always delightful to have John Doyle write about soccer. The Italian fans in Japan anecdote is something else. www.thestar.com/news/gta/the...

💔 🐦‍⬛ Birds in Donetsk region are now building nests with fibre-optic cables left behind by drones. Sadly, this is not good news from an environmental perspective. Perhaps one of the saddest illustrations of how deeply war scars the land.

"Even if a driver involved in the collision purchased optional income replacement benefits, those optional benefits do not extend to an unrelated pedestrian or cyclist injured by that vehicle."

If you want to be perceived as caring about history and the sacrifices made by our grandparents: You can reverse the cuts your government made to the Canadian War Museum, Canadian Museum of History, and Library and Archives Canada.

Annals of AI fuckups: an author forwarded me the email below, in which the book club scammer mistakenly sent the AI output instead of the intended email pitch. Note the "strategic analysis", which illustrates the scammers' boiled-frog approach

I call it the Cassandra syndrome

It seems like an insurance product does not yet exist for non-car-owners who would like to close the gap that will be created as of July 1: canadianunderwriter.ca/2026/02/12/o...

I was talking to somebody here from Vancouver about FIFA vs Olympics/PanAM Games. The latter were FOR the host cities in a way. Celebrated them, all energy directed to them. It offset the pain. FIFA has all the pain w/out it being about host city. Van and TO get sub games. It's such a shitty deal.

Smith kept the resulting ‘auto-icon’ (‘self-image’) in his consulting rooms, and presented it to UCL in 1850. They kept it in a cupboard (possibly a store room) until 1898, and eventually put him on display in a special cabinet, his dried head between his feet

Took a bit of a flyer on 3 but it led directly to the answer (Friday June 5) Wordle 1,812 4/6* ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟨⬜⬜ 🟨🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

“You picked Johnny Cash’s picture. You did not pick his message. Try listening to the words.” Hunter putting on a master class

The best measure available of the prevalence of Covid in the community is wastewater measurement. It doesn't depend on people getting tested, or even feeling sick. Scotland has been measuring it since June 2020. Only one big wave since end 2024, and now recording lowest levels since 2020 2/7

Ich thynke but litel of a Mondaye bleake Tuesday grey and Wednesdaye eke Thursdaye Ich care not for thee Yet Fridaye Ich am yn love [jauntye hurdy-gurdy riff] Mondaye thou kanst fall awaye Tuesdaye, Wednesdaye, myne herte slaye No mirthe ys founde upon Thursdaye Yet Fridaye Ich am yn love

Liberal government starting to feel the heat www.thestar.com/politics/fed...

Bad news for pedestrians who don't own a car, courtesy of the Doug Ford government. www.thestar.com/business/per...

Oh no! It was so delightful to see him show up as a villain in Ted Lasso, after having enjoyed his role so much in Buffy. (I also remember him in the cute Nescafe romance story ads in the early 90s in England)

Although Doug Ford has been bombastically against carbon pricing, his government actually provides a huge subsidy for electricity consumption, which has a not dissimilar effect - making switching to electricity cheaper. Kind of an unintentional climate policy. www.thestar.com/business/opi...

university admin on tenterhooks, awaiting new directives from The Market

When real estate agents think it’s too dangerous to take the TTC but hundreds of school children take it everyday with no issue

I believe this will be a major test of Carney. I voted for his party for the first time in my life in the last election, but if he is complicit in the further destruction of Toronto’s waterfront and the provincial takeover of Toronto he will lose a LOT of support.

Ha! I thought of the right answer for round 3 but decided to think of something with more variety. Which result only told me I should have gone with my first thought. (Thursday June 4) Wordle 1,811 4/6* ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Amazing clouds over Withrow Park tonight