Just a Cuppa Larry

anything larry & 1D, keeping it happy days, is this really a hiatus?a proper blog yea? Follow me on twitter:@laurie711s

[stuckinapril]

[softwaring]

[bebewrites]

genAI companies are now buying up rare and antique books so they can scan them and use them to train their AI. then they're destroying the books afterward.

AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale, Even If Almos

AI companies are quietly obtaining rare books, ingesting their contents, and then destroying them -- even if they're exceedingly rare.

they've had to face settlements against stealing from current authors, so they'll just go for the old books now. they're also doing this so they have the only copies of rare books.

they're taking water, power, natural resources for their data centers. they steal. they're book burning, essentially. i'm just so angry, i'm at a loss right now.

[twizzlersandvanillacoke]

From the article:

"One small book seller said that in April, he suddenly went from selling no more than 20 books a week to hundreds, and he’s almost certain that the customers are AI labs, noting the random selection of the books and how they all have ISBNs. He added that his inventory is full with rare and out of print books, meaning that an AI company could be destroying some of the few remaining copies that can be found.

“I personally have mixed feelings about all of this,” the bookseller told 404. “It benefits me financially as well as by clearing out old inventory that is otherwise unlikely to sell. I’ve been well-suited for these sales with inventory from overseas and foreign language books.

From a Google search:

PISBN allows publishers, retailers, and libraries to track and manage books more efficiently. Each ISBN corresponds to one specific edition of a publication, making it essential for smooth global circulation.

[ralfmaximus]

Oh god. Oh god. This physically hurts. It's nauseating.

But also.

Scanning out-of-date science books is going to make your AI worse. Scanning out-of-date geography books is outright stupidity. Plate tectonics wasn't even accepted science until 1967. Two years before we landed on the moon.

Also also: language evolves. Do you really want your LLM digesting text written in a style nobody writes or speaks anymore? Try reading a newspaper from the 1970s and you'll occasionally stumble over phrasing. Now try the 1930s. And that's less than a century ago.

What the fuck is WRONG with these people?

[mirthalegrandd]

[fuckyeahxfactor-blog]

New 'Bootcamp' boyband.

According to sources a new boyband has been formed at Bootcamp with 5 solo contestants thought to be more promising as a group.

The boyband made up of auditionees: Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik

(Liam being one of this years re-auditonee’s) The boyband are yet unamed.

Previous groups formed at Bootcamp have usually been doomed from the start and although usually making it through to the live shows don’t go much further. Futureproof, Hope and Miss Frank to name the most well known,

[anchorandrope]

fuck yeah happy birthday one direction !!!

[fivepebble]

people say folks with adhd struggle with "delayed rewards" aka long term goals and as such we tend to focus more on short term rewards. what they don't talk about is that at when we Do accomplish long term goals we don't actually feel anything proportionate to the amount of work we did to achieve it. In my head I suffered for a while and then money spontaneously appeared in my bank account.

[oaks-and-willows]

"Don't you feel satisfied that your windows are so clean now?" It sucked and it sucked and now I don't care. I just remember the sucking.

[gaslit-dipshits]

[appalachian-werewolf]

PoweredByWho — Who's Building Data Centers in Your Backyard?

Follow the money behind America's data center boom. Track 2,300+ projects, PAC spending, and the politicians who sign off on it.

[ralfmaximus]

Amazing site.

I discovered 27 data centers near me I did not know about, 9 of them currently under construction.

[zarryaffection]

when people say one direction concerts are stupid just show them this

[byjove]

I just saw someone say “You need to read a book intended for adults.” instead of “Read a different book.” to a Harry Potter fan. Big fan of that.

[byjove]

The reaction to this post is making me realize I need to start saying this immediately.

[byjove]

They are books written for children. Children are the intended audience. Not that you cannot enjoy children’s books as an adult but that you should not be reading children’s books exclusively.

[sunnyfuneral]

Children's books are not stupid but they are intended for an audience with

very limited experience,

very limited access to resources

and the unique legal and social positions that is found in childhood

You should be able to read children's books and recognise that they are not for you. they are answering questions that you should know the answers to. They are describing social and political situations that children are new to and have little to no social responsibility to react to

You an adult, when you engage in adult literature should already know and be able to process social nuances developed with age you also have a different social responsibility when you engage with this type of literature, you have a different political and legal framework to engage with this literature.

If you find yourself only reading kids books ask yourself, what about your own adulthood Has left you so sheltered that literature intended for people that have only been alive for ten years is the only thing that you can engage with.

[whatareyoureallyafraidof]

[flamingothing]

"Hey Carl... Do we have an expense account?" "We don't. — But I do."

+ bonus

[emmaharwoods]

ZENDAYA attends the New York premiere of The Odyssey — July 14, 2026

[chrissiewatts]

ONE DAY (2024) | 1.01

[emmaharwoods]

ZENDAYA attends the New York premiere of The Odyssey — July 14, 2026

[hope-for-the-planet]

70% Drop in Levels of Forever Chemicals Observed in Seabird Eggs Tracks Regulatory Success

These pescatarian birds are directly exposed to PFAS contamination due to the island's position near the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Over fifty years of data show a peak in PFAS (also known as "forever chemicals") content in seabird eggs in the 90s, followed by a decrease as regulations went into effect. The most recent findings show a 70% decrease of most common PFAS.

While continued vigilance a regulation is needed, this data indicates that regulations are working to reduce PFAS concentrations in marine ecosystems.

[sattarehi]

Yes!!!! I did a review of literature on PFASs in human drinking water about half a year ago, and there is a lot of really good progress! Please celebrate this, please don't let this solution be forgotten (at least so quickly) as the ozone layer or acid rain.

We are making genuine progress! Producers are dramatically altering how much they use PFAS and how much gets released in effluent, but also there's a lot better understanding of how to remove PFAS from the environment!

Environmental problems CAN BE SOLVED.

[dailytomlinson]

Louis at the England x Argentina World Cup semi-finals - 15.07

[lthsflorals]

🎥| More of a Louis attending the game today 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 vs 🇦🇷

[heterorealism]

Truck comes first and if there is any money left over the kids may eat. - Modern Consumer Patriarchy

[varginhamonologues]

she got her degree and started removing the parasite 🙏

[earths-roots-grow-up]

Tinfoil hat moment but I don't think he was dumb, I think he was strategic. He put her in a situation in which she had to either: sell her car (so the only means of transportation is now in his name), or maybe even to drop out (to have time for the second job) if she wants to feed the kids. He did it right when she was aaaaaalmost done with her degree. Either way, it's sabotage.

Sometimes when an action makes NO sense to us ("he's like a stupid alien"), it's bc we are not understanding its true motivation/purpouse. If his goal was control, financial pressure and limiting her options due to lack of funds, it makes perfect sensie to buy the truck.

Tinfoil hat moment over!

[ralfmaximus]

No, this is not tinfoil stuff.

This is classic abuser behavior: maneuver the partner into a situation where they feel trapped and cannot escape. The timing on this is too perfect; he saw her gaining agency & power in the relationship and moved to short circuit that.

I am SO GLAD she got out.

If this happens to you, try reaching out to friends & family first. Chances are they've been watching your situation and are aching to help, but have felt powerless. I can't tell you how many times I've watched this scenario unfold. Ask. For. Help. Nobody will judge you, and they're probably waiting for you to make a move. People notice abuse and want to help.

if you feel truly alone, start out with some free online resources.

There's also online legal help for filing no-fault divorce papers or how to find a lawyer you can afford.