petsohp

[petsohp]

Whenever I think about students using AI, I think about an essay I did in high school. Now see, we were reading The Grapes of Wrath, and I just couldn't do it. I got 25 pages in and my brain refused to read any more. I hated it. And its not like I hate the classics, I loved English class and I loved reading. I had even enjoyed Of Mice and Men, which I had read for fun. For some reason though, I absolutely could NOT read The Grapes of Wrath.

And it turned out I also couldn't watch the movie. I fell asleep in class both days we were watching it.

This, of course, meant I had to cheat on my essay.

And I got an A.

The essay was to compare the book and the movie and discuss the changes and how that affected the story.

Well it turned out Sparknotes had an entire section devoted to comparing and contrasting the book and the movie. Using that, and flipping to pages mentioned in Sparknotes to read sections of the book, I was able to bullshit an A paper.

But see the thing is, that this kind of 'cheating' still takes skills, you still learn things.

I had to know how to find the information I needed, I needed to be able to comprehend what sparknotes was saying and the analysis they did, I needed to know how to USE the information I read there to write an essay, I needed to know how to make sure none of it was marked as plagerized. I had to form an opinion on the sparknotes analysis so I could express my own opinions in the essay.

Was it cheating? Yeah, I didn't read the book or watch the movie. I used Sparknotes. It was a lot less work than if I had read the book and watched the movie and done it all myself.

The thing is though, I still had to use my fucking brain. Being able to bullshit an essay like that is a skill in and of itself that is useful. I exercised important skills, and even if it wasnt the intended way I still learned.

ChatGTP and other AI do not give that experience to people, people have to do nothing and gain nothing from it.

Using AI is absolutely different from other ways students have cheated in the past, and I stand by my opinion that its making students dumber, more helpless, and less capable.

However you feel about higher education, I think its undeniable that students using chatgtp is to their detriment. And by extension a detriment to anyone they work with or anyone who has to rely on them for something.

[petsohp]

URGENT FUNDRAISING FOR BREAST CANCER TREATMENT

I am genuinely sorry for this, but my sister is dying. If I could only ask for your permission one by one, I would, but I am afraid of the possibility that Tumblr may consider our plea as spam. Also, if any of you want an even more elaborate explanation about her medical condition, kindly look into this account's pinned post or you can message me directly because Tumblr flagged the pinned post as "sensitive content" after attaching proof of how extremely disfigured her right arm is. At times, it is also being kept hidden so not everyone can received notification even after being repeatedly tagged.

(And here is the direct link to the fundraiser.)

That is why despite the almost 14k notes, I decided to make another post/an update if you may because we are beyond desperate and we have not received any help as of lately.

My older sister's health has declined drastically since last week of December that is why I took over this account as per her request. We don't want to resort to asking for monetary assistance online but we still don't have the funds to get her through. As I have mentioned above, you can look into this account's pinned post to see how deformed her right hand was (if you needed the not blurred one, please let me know because I cannot possibly upload the actual picture because her account might end up getting taken down).

The entirety of her right arm is not only swollen, but blood kept seeping out of her knuckles, her palm, and her elbow. Protruding tumors/swelling have reached both of her breast, too, and is affecting her shoulder/shoulder blades and even her spine. Please reach out to me if you want to see more proof/health updates because I cannot post the photos here for they are somewhat too graphic. There's a lot of blood loss.

And although her arm was recently amputated, she is still under critical care and is currently battling numerous health complications.

If you could, please take some time to read her pinned post—please do. If you cannot donate, a reblog will be highly appreciated still. We need all the help we could get. I, recently just turned 18, and am only working part-time jobs trying to keep our family afloat, and what I am earning is not enough. The hospital could stop providing treatment at any time if we cannot put together the amount we owe them and the amount needed to outsource some of the meds that their in-house pharmacy cannot supply. It is a matter of life and death so I am begging all of you to please consider helping us. Help us get through this, please.

If you want to be removed from being tagged, please message me directly, and I will immediately do as you like. I know that this may seem invasive but it is not our intention. We are just desperate, and have been running out of ways to keep my sister alive. I cannot offer something in return other than express my immense gratitude. I am sorry, and please consider helping us. Thank you very much. 

[petsohp]

a whole bunch of gazan mutual aid projects and nonprofits. if the decision of which individual fundraiser to give to feels too daunting, or if you just want to help as many people as possible in one go, these are great initiatives to support.

care for gaza - focuses on providing food and essential supplies. donate here or here.

connecting humanity - securing internet access via donations of virtual sim cards (esims). if you can't afford a whole plan yourself, crips for esims is a communal pool that will use your donation to purchase and maintain esims

gaza soup kitchen - provides food, medical care, and classes for children. also has a gofundme

glia gaza medical support initiative - provides medical care through field clinics and tents at hospitals. donations can also be sent through their website.

ele elna elak - provides clean water, food, clothing, and shelter. they also have a gofundme

life for gaza - raising money for the gaza municipality to repair water and waste management infrastructure

taawon - partners with local civil organizations to provide food, water, medical care, shelter, and basic supplies

the sameer project - running various initiatives providing tents, medical care, and necessities. they have their own encampment project focused on sheltering families with children, sick and disabled members, or members in need of perinatal care

islamic relief worldwide's gaza emergency appeal - provides food, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and psychological support

baitulmaal - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies

gaza mutual aid fund - distributes food, hygiene products, water, and other essential supplies, including financial support. run by @/el-shab-hussein's amazing friend Mona. updates can be found on her instagram.

hygiene kits for gaza - provides hygiene supplies including menstrual products, wipes, and toothbrushes/toothpaste

anera - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, blankets and mattresses, and psychological care

palestine children's relief fund - provides supplies and support with a focus on children. also has an initiative for lebanon

dahnoun mutual aid - provides water, food, tents, baby supplies, financial support, and other necessities. updates can be found through their instagram

certainly this is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add on other projects or organizations that i didn't include. and as always, please take the time to donate if you can and share. it truly makes all the difference.

[petsohp]

The Crips for eSims for Gaza Bundle is live!!

Thanks to the generous contributions of over 175 developers and artists, we’ve got over 200 digital games, zines, TTRPGs, and other projects and assets to offer bundle buyers. 

Every $16 purchase covers the cost of an eSim activation to help connect Palestinians in the occupied territories and beyond. On sale April 28-May 20!

🇵🇸✊♥️

PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!

[petsohp]

I agree that creators should try not to take problematic brands as sponsors whenever possible but I think we lost the plot a little bit holding creators uniquely accountable when these brands suck. Like idk about y'all but an ad is an ad is an ad to me. I don't assume the Money Zone is giving me a friendly personal recommendation I can trust, I assume my fav podcasters are doing a job to keep the lights on.

[petsohp]

dropping food when you're already sad is such an intense emotion. Just the most fucking wretched self indulgent pity. One time I spilled a bowl of ice cream when i had already spent most of the day sobbing and honestly im still chasing that high

[petsohp]

nosferatu? no. tuferatu. no es mi problema.

[petsohp]

hyperfixation please stay with me long enough to complete the project. hyperfixation do not fade. hyperfixation finish what you started for the love of god

[petsohp]

sorry for the delay in responding to your message. I was walking around the house with unclear intentions

[petsohp]

The word you are looking for is an ensemble cast. You like the ensemble cast. Not found family.

[petsohp]

not to be a number nerd on main but 2025 (45^2) will be the only square year most of us ever experience. the last one was 1936 and the next one will be 2116

[petsohp]

Nosferatu (1922) Directed by: F.W. Murnau

[petsohp]

Albin Grau (1884–1971) - Poster concept art for 'Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens'

[petsohp]

nosferatu 1922 surviving on the basis of piracy while then taking shelter in someone's basement is actually iconic; i think that could make a super great doc.

[petsohp]

"One of the least respected but most important ecosystems on Earth are seagrass meadows, and a pioneering robotic solution is helping marine scientists restore these underwater gardens.

The ReefGen Grasshopper can plant dozens of seagrass seeds per minute. Not only is this faster than a human diver, but much safer as well.

It works by injecting a tiny slurry of sediment wrapped around the seagrass seed into the seafloor. After covering a growing plot of four seeds, the robot ‘hops’ about 30 centimeters away and starts again.

Despite covering a minuscule portion of the seafloor, seagrass meadows are estimated to hold 35-times more carbon than terrestrial forests—amounting to around 18% of the total carbon stock of the world’s oceans.

ReefGen’s founder Tom Chi dreamed up the idea after watching the degradation of coral reefs on his home island in Hawaii. The first iteration of the robot set coral ‘plugs’ onto existing reefs to help regrow them, but the technology was prohibitively expensive for wide-scale use.

Now however, broader selections of off-the-shelf parts have driven down the costs of manufacturing and maintaining underwater robots, according to Chris Oakes, CEO of ReefGen.

“Manual planting works, but robots are really good when things are dull, dirty, dangerous, or distant—the four Ds,” Oakes told CNN, adding that at the moment, Grasshopper is piloted with a controller by a human on the surface.

“Right now, we’re focused on the planting, the biology, and the mechanical aspects, once we’re confident that that’s all designed the right way, we will overlay more semi-autonomous features like navigation, so you don’t actually have to pilot it,” he said.

ReefGen has been able to not only expand into restoration of seagrass meadows, but also see its robots used in oceans around the world. This July, Grasshopper planted 25,000 seeds in Wales. In October, ReefGen teamed up with the University of North Carolina (UNC) Institute of Marine Sciences to test various seed replanting methods out on the state’s declining seagrass meadows.

Oakes says that as cool and “flashy” as a robotic solution might seem, the most important factor in its success will be the long-term monitoring of the fields it’s replanting. Are they growing to maturity, are the seedlings dying off before then, will they live long enough to seed and germinate fields of their own, how do fields it plants compare to fields planted by hand??"

-via Good News Network, December 24, 2024

[petsohp]

99% of "mysterious disappearances" esp of people in their 20s who start acting weird for 48 hours and then vanish are not mysterious, thats just when a lot of reality-obliterating mental illness tends to kick in and it's pretty easy to get a short circuit in your brain that makes you go family guy death pose in joshua tree national park. it's not any less tragic, it's just a documented phenomenon and not particularly predictable. its a big reason the medical advice is for people with a family history of schizophrenia to completely avoid weed and psychedelics. "people just go crazy sometimes" is a principle of human health that used to be a lot more accepted prior to the american midcentury and to a certain extent thats a healthier way to conceptualize and prepare for the risk, as opposed to the modern assertion that anyone acting weird is dangerous and broken forever.

[petsohp]

dinosaurs are like the coolest thing possible for a child to learn about. it’s like hey i know you were just borned but giant monsters are real and they fought each other in wars for 100000000000 years and then blew up when the sky exploded.