I've been trying to improve my mental model of when and how people use LLMs for text that others will read. That included asking people who sent me mostly-LLM-cleaned-up emails to tell me how they generated the text.

Other than SEO'ers churning out AI slop for clicks (which these aren't), I think well-meaning people simply don't see an "LLM voice,"[1] let alone its flaws.

They don't know that the LLM output is recognizably different. To them, it's not. …

1/2

#llm

1: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/magazine/chatbot-writing-style.html

"Meta itself estimated that 10% of all its revenue was coming from running ads for scams and goods that they themselves had banned: around $16 billion a year."

"Meta also estimated that its platforms were involved in initiating a third of all successful scams taking place in the entire United States."

https://80000hours.org/2026/03/robs-meta-leaked-documents-scams/

#facebook

"One of VRNW’s original founders, Josselyn often said that Whatcom County is a good place to live and a good place to die.": https://vsedresources.com/vsed-resources-nw-loses-a-guiding-light

(interested in legalizing assisted suicide for people with dementia? DM me)

#endoflife #dementia

UW School of Music has a double reed recital on Friday Feb. 27: https://music.washington.edu/events/2026-02-27/2026-university-washington-double-reed-recital (free)

the program includes Take Five arranged for 4 bassoons. yes, that's a thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKBrnjxlKgU (also https://www.youtube.com/@footrane, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rWC9tqNFp4)

#seattle

as a Seattle resident, obviously I'm rooting for the Sonics

I built my own mattress in 2019, before #DIY mattresses became a thing. These days, here's where I'd start:

1. Watch name-brand mattresses get cut open: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp2450zejDD0KF4l_P2TMdGS8YDI548Yg

Mostly bad polyfoam above low-end coils or bad polyfoam. The $3000+ ones? Not much better.

There's a reason why store-bought mattress cases don't have zippers: if we knew what was inside, we'd keep looking.

2. Coils: https://pocketspringstore.com/products/quad-with-firm-sides, https://www.mattresses.net/diylamaco.html

3. To sanity-check yours: r/mattress & r/mattressmod

do I know anyone who works at #Cloudflare? the same spammers keep hijacking or hacking CF-proxied domains (thousands of them over 1+ years).

Cloudflare's trust & safety team is a black hole that does nothing, responds to nothing, and doesn't seem to act on patterns (even when they're pointed out with ticket numbers). T&S is a shitshow, which I sort of expect… but usually someone in management notices; at CF, that hasn't happened.

everyone I provide "friends & family" tech support for is asking how to disable the new Gmail AI crap.

here's how: https://proton.me/blog/turn-off-gemini-gmail

if time permits, there's a better way to disable it: https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/360058752414-Migrate-to-Fastmail-from-Gmail

#gmail

want to experiment with ergonomic seated guitar positions - higher neck angles - without special hardware (Strandberg, Guitarlift, Woodside)? here's a 10 minute, $5 prototype.

buy 1' of 2x1" wood. cut 2 pieces, each 5.5" long. drill holes every 0.75" or so. insert a bolt & wingnut (I used 1/4").

cover w/foam or felt. place it between the lower bout and your left leg. adjust its angle & height until you're happy.

I have a Strandberg and Guitarlift and this is still useful…

#guitar #ergonomics

"The Data on Self-Driving Cars Is Clear. We Have to Change Course": https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/opinion/self-driving-cars.html (https://archive.ph/UonDb)

(specifically about Waymo, not all implementations - and explicitly excluding "driver assistance" where a person is able to, or expected to, do something. IOW, if it has a steering wheel, then this analysis doesn't apply.)

#selfdriving