#ethically produced

[iwatcheditbegin]

I know i’ve said it before. But this discourse about the ethics regarding taylor swift being a billionaire are so disingenuous. She doesn’t have a makeup line, clothing line, brand endorsements.

The bulk of her income is entirely from her own talent as a musician. She has not exploited anyone. She’s also not even close to being a cash billionaire when you look at the numbers it’s like half of that ( bc it’s hard to become a billionaire without shady shit) . Taylor is known to pay her employees well. By percentage what she gives away to charity and compensates her team with is unheard of. She gave 10% of her net worth away in bonuses to everyone who worked on her tour. That’s just what we know of.

I’m not even saying this as a fan, but you cannot look at someone like her and how she moves and compare that to other billionaires and oligarchs.

I’m all for wealthy people paying their fair share. I hate capitalism and the current system but I do think she’s a good example of doing the best to be ethical within the current system

[dragonnarrative-writes]

Feeding your favorite artist's or writer's work into any form of gen ai feels profoundly sad to me. It's like... Taking popcorn we've popped to share with anyone who wants some, carrying a sack of it outside of the room, and feeding it through a machine that produces... stale, slightly damp popcorn. And all of the reasons given are things like "I couldn't wait for the next part" or "I don't know how to write myself" or "I don't want other people involved in my fandom experience, I just want this template."

Do you really dislike us that much? Are we so bad and scary?

Every author that I've ever spoken to by saying "hey, I really love this aspect of your work," has been really kind and excited to talk to me about it. So many people here dedicate hours at a time to talk about their head cannons and play in the sandbox with anyone who bothers to answer a question, via text and art and audio. Not everyone can, but it's fun when we do. And every single one of them would love to talk about their process, how they got to where they are, and any resources or exercises they use.

Is it that you don't believe we don't deserve the time we need to make something we like enough to share it? We should give you content no matter what, on your schedule?

I don't have time to write as often as I would like because I work a very stressful job, and the mental toll can sometimes be... a lot. When I force myself to try to make anything in that condition, I end up with something I don't like. It takes time to get in the right mindset. And then it takes time to actually put the words down - even if I'm not editing much, I only write at about 20hsh words a minute. My boyfriend writes 2 thousand of words in a good day, but when each chapter is 3k+ words that is still more than a day of writing. The author's giving you 17, 18k words per update? They're amazing, and still people. We're not machines, literally, so... Let us have the time?

I think most people who use gen ai would say "no, that's not it!" But I think if that's you, you should ask yourself if you ever actually thought to ask yourself those questions.

[twolovelyberries]

aristotle’s “golden mean” / light yagami

[nenoname]

honestly??? i still dont know what to do with the idea that there might be a bunch of clone fords out there???? it honestly makes me so unhinged??????

[wherenightmaresroost]

the problem with ai isn't that it's ai it's

evil companies pushing ai to devalue labor and creative products.

misconceptions about how ai works, leading to people attributing it an intelligence and sentience it does not have, which feeds into

misinformation, the decrease in effort needed to create disinformation, and the sudden increase of skill needed to spot falsified info. 3a. this includes content creators using ai to flood searches with low-quality articles and inaccurate photos, people not being transparent when they use ai for their images, and things that make it harder to do casual research online

lower threshold for doing hard work that polishes skill, leading to over-reliance on a very flawed tool.

the tool itself isn't the problem. it just exacerbates things that were already problems before.

[lsunstreakerl]

re dark bull word count

so I could've written an actual book and made money off of it, is what I'm seeing

[thebluestbluewords]

Dis-like-Dysentery

I have a lot of very specific headcanons about Auradon Prep, and one of them is the fact that Jay is both a Smart Guy, and also chronically incapable of turning in assignments on time. For. Reasons.

this might be about one of those reasons.

+

Carlos looks up from his plate as Jay wanders over. “Dude, where were you? We started eating without you.” 

“Talking to a teacher. I submitted an assignment wrong, or something.” 

Carlos nods. He’s got a fork dangling from one hand, and there’s a leaf stuck in his hair. Sunlit from behind, Jay’s pretty sure that he’s the prettiest boy on this side of the barrier. “Oh, man. Was it Demorra? She’s super strict about the rules, especially for the online stuff. I could’ve helped you figure it out bro, you don’t have to get through her bureaucratic shit on your own.” 

Jay sets his tray down on the opposite side of the table. “Nah. It was Williams.” 

Carlos frowns. “The international lit teacher? Really?” 

They’ve been reading through Jay’s lit assignments together. Auradon expects them to type up all of their homework, so he’s been getting by with the hacked dictation program on his laptop and locking himself in the bathroom to read his essays out loud into the program with the minimum of background noise. 

There’s a peer writing tutor who does proofreading two nights a week for free, but Jay’s not gonna take his shitty essays in to her when he’s pretty sure he’ll just get laughed right back out of the student study room for the giant default font Carlos set on his computer. 

It doesn’t exactly make reading his own assignments easier, but it doesn’t make it worse either, so they’re calling it functional for now. Auradon Prep is all about “helping students embrace their unique academic talents”, so Carlos and Evie are both being pulled for more advanced classes, which is great for them, and terrible for Jay’s essays because it’s seriously starting to cut into their free time. 

That, and the trouble they’ve been getting up to after hours. 

The assistant gym teacher still hasn’t figured out who to blame for French braiding all the climbing ropes together. 

“She couldn’t read my handwriting.” 

“Fuck.” 

That’s about the shape of it. Handwritten assignments are few and far between, but Jay can’t bullshit his way through all of them. “Haha, yeah.” 

Carlos thunks his head down onto the table. “Ugh. Fuck. I can make you a handwriting font on the computer, but that’ll make in-class assignments worse if you can’t keep it up.” 

“Yup.” 

He sits up. There’s a dent on his forehead from pressing it into the table. “Eat.” 

“Not hungry,” Jay says as cheerfully as he can manage. It’s not gonna fool Carlos, but he’s not gonna show weakness in front of the royal rabble. “Anyway, we’re not going to the honor board. She’s willing to settle it with some sorta evaluation. Have you heard of dyslexia before?” 

Carlos blinks. “Dyslexia? No. I mean. It’s gotta be dis from like, disinterested, disintegrating, some sort of anti? Or else it’s dys from like, dysentery. Some sort of illness, maybe. Lex has gotta be from lexicon, lexicography. Something to do with either anti-words or a words illness? Does she think you’re sick of words?” 

Jay shrugs. “She said it’s why I’m bad at reading. Wants me to do an assessment so she can know what’s going on.” 

Carlos already has his phone out. He’s typing with one hand, the other one curled around his plate in a defensive hunch that’s almost casual. “Huh. How’s that going for her so far?” 

Jay snorts. “Fab. Nah, she didn’t do it yet. It’s a whole special test that she’s gotta send me down to the psych for.” 

“Can you reject it?” 

“If I wanna meet with the honor board and explain why I apparently have great handwriting, but only when they can’t see me do the assignments.” 

“Fuck.” 

“Yeah. At least she was cool about it.” 

Carlos groans. “Your handwriting sucks, dude. You’re not sick of writing, you’re just— your handwriting sucks.” 

“Yeah, and my fucking reading comprehension. I—“ Jay cuts himself off abruptly as the shadow of more people falls across their lunch table. “Hey, guys.” 

Mal sets her lunch tray down on Jay’s left side, leaving Ben the spot on his right. Evie’s not eating with them today. They have other friends in theory, but between Doug’s science club buddies and Carlos’s general disinterest in socializing with other humans, they didn’t bother picking a table large enough for anyone else.  

“Sorry,” Ben apologizes, even as he’s nudging his shoulder against Jay’s. It’s nice not being the only tall one sometimes. “I couldn’t help overhearing.” 

Jay leans back into the contact. “We were talking out loud, dude. It happens. You got any hot tips for the stupid assessment I’ve gotta do later?” 

“Have you tried being better?” Mal suggests. “I find that cheating works great. I could find you a spell to let one of us borrow your hands for a few hours, and so long as you can tell us what you want to write, we can control the muscles and get better handwriting than your usual chicken scratch special.” 

“Hey.”

“Would that work if you can’t see the paper?” Ben asks curiously. 

Mal frowns. “No. Not unless I modify the spell to possess your eyes too.” 

Jay represses a shudder. “Thanks, but no thanks, M. I like my eyes in one piece.” 

Carlos is scrolling rapidly on his phone, hanging half-over the table in an attempt to get closer to the three of them. “Dude, dyslexia is a brain thing that affects how you process visual input of words— aw, shit.” 

Bad. That’s the bad-news tone. Jay’s heart drops traitorously into his stomach, which suddenly isn’t feeling the tater tots on his lunch tray. “What?” 

Carlos shakes his head. “Nothing too bad. Just, I think Williams is right. You’ve said you’re shit at reading fast cause the words all look the same, right? Like, you can’t scan to identify them, you’ve gotta sound each one out.” 

Jay smashes a tater tot with the side of his fork. The destruction doesn’t make his gut feel any better. It’s not that he’s mad, it’s just— he doesn’t want to do this. Analyzing his brain sucks. He did the whole week of required therapy that the student disciplinary council required after the stuff with Mal’s mom, and he’s so fucking done with Auradon grown-ups pretending to understand why his head’s fucked up. “Yeah, so?” 

Carlos waves the phone at him. “So that’s what this is. You’ve got a brain disorder.” 

“We can fix it, right?” 

He wiggles a hand back and forth. “Ehh. Kinda. There’s techniques to make it easier, but it’s sorta like— your brain is wired for AC power input, and words are DC. It’s a misalignment. We can make an adaptor, but we can’t rip out your brain wiring.” 

“I could,” Mal offers. “I love doing illegal magic.”

[bonefall]

Question: Since the mutation that makes sphynx cats nakey (their hair is fragile and sucks) can just happen at random. How would a Clan treat a nakey cat born among them? Could they make them a coat?

I think, at first, there would be concern that it's some kind of sign. Hairlessness looks like mange, a very serious and contagious condition. This could be a terrible omen-- that mange will be brought down to us.

But it would become apparent the kitten isn't a fader, it isn't a StarClan warrior who came down to deliver the others, or a mere sign. It's pink and wrinkled, like a newborn rodent, but moves as the other kits do. Did StarClan... forget its fur?

There's another feared creature without any fur-- humans. It looks human.

I think the poor thing would have a lot of problems with the other cats its age and maybe the more superstitious members of the Clan, but a warrior of the Clan is a warrior of the Clan. Life would be harder for them, but there would still be love that exists.

They'd be capable of making them a coat, and they WOULD need it, but I can see that cat trying to go without it for fear of being made fun of. That's another thing humans do-- wear pelts all over themselves because they have no fur of their own.

Unfortunately they'd also be prone to a ton of really bad health problems. This poor guy would be in the Cleric's den a lot, and may need to retire early or focus on campbound activities.

Health problems;

Pelt is a LOT weaker; injuries from battle or even training would be a lot more severe, Cleric may recommend them not taking part in fights.

Skin becomes filthy, and needs special cleaning. There is no fur to absorb the oil that the skin naturally makes to keep the coat healthy, causing buildup.

Even with proper cleaning, the skin is super prone to rashes, lesions, and constant irritation. Wash TOO MUCH and the skin will become dry and chapped.

SUNBURN. Especially in WindClan, where the warrior might spend a lot of time on the open moor in daylight, and RiverClan, where light reflecting off the water could cause an intense burn. It would be recommended the warrior take night shifts, but this could be an issue because night is cold. (BB!Cats are crepuscular).

Additionally; such severe, uniquely-placed sunburns are something Clerics wouldn't see very often. Lack of medical experience with these sorts of injuries could prove dangerous.

Ear infections. Cats naturally have hair in their ears, which their earwax production accounts for.

Both heatstroke AND frostbite. Very bad temperature regulation leading to severe ailments. Fur helps stabilize body temperature.

So in conclusion...

Life would be very difficult for this individual. Fur isn't just full-body hair; it's almost as fundamental as a top layer of skin. This would be a serious disability for a Clan cat to have, and it may invoke the image of detested humans leading to social stigmatization.

But because they're clanborn, they are unambiguously a member of the Clan. It's likely that the Clan would make clothing for this warrior out of fur pelts, but in their struggle with internalized ableism, they might have conflicted feelings about wearing it.

The Cleric would recommend campbound activities, night shifts, and WEARING YOUR PELT, DAMN IT. They would need to take full baths every few days, not too much and not too little, plus frequent ear cleanings.

[spitblaze]

hey does anyone have any good songs about unethical experiments or genetics or profound regret. im making a playlist for a new masks character

[officialbruciewayne]

Thoughts on crime that was validated?

Not everything that is right is legal, and not everything that is illegal is wrong.

[some-murmurings]

somewhere along the way, a whole lot of people concluded that "metaphor" meant "false" and "illusion" meant "lie"

furries are not animals. they are humans. you can tell because, first of all, they are made of the same people meat everyone else is. not a flawlessly deductive argument, no, but a very robust induction nonetheless.

furries are not humans. they are animals. you can tell because, first of all, they will tell you that. at great length. repeatedly. bc we are all autistic. not a flawlessly deductive argument, no, but a very robust induction nonetheless.

being a furry is, as the eminent philosopher Patricia Taxxon (@patricia-taxxon) defined it, a concession to the symbolic and the sensory. humans are already mammals, that some of us find more of ourselves in fur than skin is not news.

Traumagenic, Endogenic, & whatever-a-tulpa-is-genic systems both are and are not multiple people in one body. We are a body experiencing consciousness in a non-singular way. We are reality viewing itself through a kaleidoscopic fractal fraction of the infinitely fractal kaleidoscope that is human experience. That we see more of ourselves in a group than an individual is not news either.

God is not real. God is also real. God is a metaphor. Maybe. God tends to elude definition, a defining tendency itself, if you wanna try & wrap your already aching brain around THAT.

That furrydom, systemhood, and theology are all metaphorical and illusory is not a reduction of their truth but instead are their nature. Life is metaphorical and illusory. Motion is a logical inconsistency. Plato, the stupidest man to ever live (other than every other person), said that time itself was "the motion of eternity." He was talking about clouds passing in front of the sun. He was also right. For once. The metaphor and the illusion ARE the truth of it. Samsara take us all, Brahman ur Atman, man, no one else can do it for you.

Every paradox I've mentioned is solved by shutting the fuck up and being kinder. Listen. Speak. Agree. Disagree. Love. Hate. they're all the same and completely different.

In my experience, hope is just despair after a shower, death just rot becoming regrowth. calling my metaphor a metaphor derogatorily does nothing but make you look like a dumb asshole. calling your own metaphor not a metaphor has the exact same effect.

[lilliankillthisman]

It's simple... AI image generation violates copyright because it's a tool you can use to create images of copyrighted properties. That's literally theft. In other news please buy my $24 Steven Universe t-shirts on Redbubble, art is such a beautiful thing ❤️

[trans-yllz]

"wearing leather/fur or eating animal products is unethical" SHUT UP SHUT UP WE ARE PART OF THE ECOSYSTEM!!!!

[kissycat]

Using AI in medicine predates chatgpt/LLM popularity by years. I know this because I worked on a related project in 2020 but it was a thing already long before that and it has nothing to do with LLM 👎

[thelambliesdown1974]

From what I’ve experienced in seminar, people in the UK don’t understand how difficult it is in America to consume ethically if you’re not middle class or above. In Britain, glass bottles and wooden cutlery is extremely affordable, while in the US a glass bottles of mustard would cost $3 extra dollars vs its plastic counterpart. With the majority of Americans living below the poverty line it’s kind of ridiculous to suggest the individual is responsible for global warming when the only store in a 30 mile radius is Walmart and Coke owns every brand on the shelf and you’ve got a family of 4 with a 15k a year income