The first Canadian Information and Privacy Commissioner to make the shift to Bluesky!

The first Bluesky post, hopefully of many, from the Nunavut Information and Privacy Commissioner. We will be writing about access to information, privacy, and (sometimes) just cool things about Canada’s northernmost territory.

Flagging @artologica.net's "The Algorithm" series for my privacy folks. I love them, and just need to decide which one(s) shall live on my wall.

This is all I need today,😁.

100% agree; first draft is critical. Admission: beyond my own work, I frequently volunteer to hold the pen for collaborative projects in part because I am very aware of how impactful the first draft is on a final work. Self-serving, but true. Can't stomach the idea of ceding that role to an LLM.

I've been around here longer than I thought!

Canada's Conservative Party will be introducing a counter to the Liberals' Bill C-63 (Online Harms Act). michellerempelgarner.substack.com/p/the-bill-t... (Not commenting on substance, just flagging that it's coming!)

PSA: if you take or edit photos of crowds or strangers with Signal, you can use our face blur tool to quickly hide people's biometric face data. You can then export the photo from Signal if you want to post it publicly. More on this feature here: https://signal.org/blog/blur-tools/

cannot believe this news. horrible.

Just FYI, Canada's Privacy Commissioner is running a consultation on this topic (open till Sept 10), looking to info to help us establish our approach to some of the issues raised in this article. www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the...

A project I've been working on: www.priv.gc.ca/en/about-the... If you have thoughts/comments/views, please make a submission or reach out; I'd be happy to talk!

Situation: * There is a computer system that was cutting edge in 1977. * It is an irreplaceable treasure of human science. * It is 24 billion kilometres away. * One of the chips has malfunctioned. Challenge: * Fix it. I absolutely love it. blogs.nasa.gov/voyager/2024...

NASA problem solving stories are one of my favorite genres.

this is good advice for everyone, not just vet techs

Trying to get back into daily #bird drawing. Focusing on heads because all my bird bodies look cartoon-y. Skill will come one day!

A truly West Coast bird -- the varied thrush. This was the best photo I could get, as it kept hopping away behind some reeds. #birds

Went to Vancouver, had a bald eagle encounter! #birds

Signal usernames are live! Update the Signal app, make a username, put it in your bio, and boom: you now have Bluesky encrypted DMs

Quick three day knit -- saw this wool in a sale bin and had to do *something* with it, so a cowl it is.

Took a couple days but I have now adequately captured the grumpiness.

Conference this morning: keynote told the story of the insulin patent being sold for a dollar for benefit of humanity, and US Pharma now making $B's off it. (You know, pricing it such that people die because they can't afford it) The takeaway: next time we need to keep those profits in Canada!

Our local red-tailed hawk appears to have found itself a companion!

Finished knitting myself another vest! I like the colour; just going to have to loosen that shawl collar up a little bit.

Happy Valentine's Day (via @rosemarymosco.com)

Bsky's open, quote one picture of your cat to promote your cat.

I authentically like that a good number of 404 Media's stories seem to come down to one of them hearing a tech rumor and just ... doing some journalism.

@eff.bsky.social the Public Interest Technology team is hiring for a Staff Technologist and Associate Director of Technology Policy and Research. www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.p... If you are on the fence about applying, feel free to schedule a 15 minute chat with me. www.eff.org/r.4ymy

Absolutely my dog

The W3C is hiring a full time person to help lead privacy efforts within the standards organization www.w3.org/careers/2024...

Went out looking for new ducks today, and I wasn't disappointed! (First pic is an American wigeon, second and third are male and female long-tailed ducks)

This is a lie, and it's always been a lie. Something like ChatGPT needs a TON of text in the language you're targeting to train the model. You get it by licensing it, or you by paying people to write it for you, or by stealing it. What they're saying is it's impossible to create CHEAPLY.

Spotted the mockingbird that lives near Fort York for a second time today -- which I suppose means I have to start bringing my camera on winter dog walks. 'Tis my burden.

This is fun: for over 500 years all Oxford MA grads swore not to forgive some guy named Henry Symeonis, even though for the last couple hundred no one could remember who he was. www.loweringthebar.net/2024/01/i-he...

Ohio has basically defacto banned trans healthcare for adults using a similar strategy to why there was only a handful of abortion clinics in the entire Midwest before the Dobbs decision (TRAP laws) cis people please repost this so this info doesn't get stuck in the queer social bubble

Oh good, Politco gave him a nice little sit down interview. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

I have no words.

December (+ January 1st) knitting project complete!

Took a couple refreshes, but I've got an even better one :)

Greetings, chordate comrades. #InverteFest is upon us. It's a periodic event where we invite you to celebrate the overlooked invertebrate fauna around you for an entire week. It's happening on whichever platform you're on, so feel free to reupload this image to spread the word!

*** Everyone, I have devastating news: A tsunami of layoffs swept through WIRED, and I am among the victims. The majority of the science desk was gutted, features was hit, 3 union stewards and 2/3 of the union's diversity committee (incl me) are out. (1/7) www.wired.com

"LA Dodgers betting on emergence of existential risk-level AI in next 10 years that will let them avoid paying Shohei Ohtani the other $680M" www.thescore.com/mlb/news/279...

In recognition of Human Rights Day, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has released a joint statement on Privacy and Democratic Rights with Dr. Ana Brian Nougrères, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy. priv.gc.ca/en/opc-news/...

Here's what's been occupying my time over the last couple months. These Principles are a joint effort from Canada's federal, privacy and territorial privacy authorities. www.priv.gc.ca/en/privacy-t...

Check it out! Stochastic Parrots is now available in audiopaper form, read by Timnit Gebru, @mmitchell.bsky.social Angelina McMillan-Major & me and produced by @ctaylsaurus.bsky.social If you've never read the original and appreciate this format for reading, this is for you!

"Can we have some promotional swag?" "Yes, but it must cost no more than a dime and be designed in less than three seconds."

I can work with that.

!foryou

My tutor recommended that I start consuming French media, so I found an early 1900s sci-fi novel which is apparently about Martian vampires. Seems like a great way to develop the weirdest possible vocabulary.

Sad that the GenAI-related piece I've been working on is (mostly) done, because I just binged Mrs. Davis and it would've been great to work some of that insanity into it.