Tof Eklund
@tofeklund.bsky.social
"anti-American, radically pro-transgender, and anarchist." Looking good for a cabbage in it's 40's. AuDHD nonbinary antiauthoritarian queer parent and scholar. I 💖 queer and indie comics and games. No "AI." Until we all are free, none of us are free. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🇵🇸🇺🇦
Pinned
Defying definition: why “biological sex” laws are all about enforcing gender roles - Gender & Education Association
As governments redefine sex and gender in law, this article explores biological sex, gender essentialism, education, colonial histories and the impact on trans and gender-diverse communities.
genderanded.org
My colleague, Dr. Eunice Gaerlan and I wrote this piece for the Gender Education Association's blog, in advance of the GEA conference being hosted by AUT here in Aotearoa New Zealand this year.
For clarity, the occasional use of first-person language refers to me.
genderanded.org/defying-defi...
For clarity, the occasional use of first-person language refers to me.
genderanded.org/defying-defi...
Reposted by Tof Eklund
if you EVER get called for a meeting and they say “don’t bring a union rep”
bring a union rep
bring a union rep
'The University and College Union (UCU)’s Edinburgh branch said staff had been called into “informal meetings at less than 24 hours' notice” and told not to bring union representatives.'
Fear and anger as university set to announce 'massive course and programme closures'
Asked to respond, a university spokesperson said that staff and students were recently informed of changes to “our future academic offering across…
www.heraldscotland.com
September 18, 2026 at 10:17 AM
if you EVER get called for a meeting and they say “don’t bring a union rep”
bring a union rep
bring a union rep
Gods, I can't believe I just wasted my time engaging with a 🪛⚾️🦭 (screwball sea-lion).
September 18, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Gods, I can't believe I just wasted my time engaging with a 🪛⚾️🦭 (screwball sea-lion).
"In the early morning of 13 September 2026, authorities conducted raids on the homes of dozens of LGBTI+ activists and the offices of leading organisations dedicated to defending LGBTI+ human rights in Ankara, Istanbul, and Mersin."
velvele.net/2026/09/17/j...
velvele.net/2026/09/17/j...
Judith Butler, Noura Erakat, Slavoj Žižek and others join more than 1,250 academics in joint letter against repression of LGBTI+ people in Turkey
A joint call from more than 1,250 academics, including Judith Butler, Noura Erakat, Slavoj Žižek, Susan Stryker, Jasbir Puar, Elizabeth Anderson, Etienne Balibar and Peter Hallward.
velvele.net
September 18, 2026 at 8:27 AM
"In the early morning of 13 September 2026, authorities conducted raids on the homes of dozens of LGBTI+ activists and the offices of leading organisations dedicated to defending LGBTI+ human rights in Ankara, Istanbul, and Mersin."
velvele.net/2026/09/17/j...
velvele.net/2026/09/17/j...
Reposted by Tof Eklund
U want buy pot. Good pot very wriggly
Www.roseschmits.com
Www.roseschmits.com
September 17, 2026 at 10:51 AM
U want buy pot. Good pot very wriggly
Www.roseschmits.com
Www.roseschmits.com
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Let's be really clear: Paul Goldsmith asked MoJ to find him cost justifications to restrict the OIA.
They've done so. The numbers are largely bogus - inflating numbers of *recorded* OIA requests.
A serious assault on our right to information
MOJ advice:
www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Docum... #nzpol
They've done so. The numbers are largely bogus - inflating numbers of *recorded* OIA requests.
A serious assault on our right to information
MOJ advice:
www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Docum... #nzpol
September 18, 2026 at 3:40 AM
Let's be really clear: Paul Goldsmith asked MoJ to find him cost justifications to restrict the OIA.
They've done so. The numbers are largely bogus - inflating numbers of *recorded* OIA requests.
A serious assault on our right to information
MOJ advice:
www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Docum... #nzpol
They've done so. The numbers are largely bogus - inflating numbers of *recorded* OIA requests.
A serious assault on our right to information
MOJ advice:
www.justice.govt.nz/assets/Docum... #nzpol
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Holy shit.
Marcy Kaptur becomes the latest Dem to release an anti-trans ad, and its worse than all the rest combined.
"I voted WITH Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of schools, and let me be clear, boys should NOT play in girls sports."
This is getting out of control.
Marcy Kaptur becomes the latest Dem to release an anti-trans ad, and its worse than all the rest combined.
"I voted WITH Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of schools, and let me be clear, boys should NOT play in girls sports."
This is getting out of control.
September 17, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Holy shit.
Marcy Kaptur becomes the latest Dem to release an anti-trans ad, and its worse than all the rest combined.
"I voted WITH Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of schools, and let me be clear, boys should NOT play in girls sports."
This is getting out of control.
Marcy Kaptur becomes the latest Dem to release an anti-trans ad, and its worse than all the rest combined.
"I voted WITH Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of schools, and let me be clear, boys should NOT play in girls sports."
This is getting out of control.
The good old days.
Back in my day we didn't play free to play games like fortnite...
We pirated games and downloaded key generators and nocd hacks from sketchy websites, as is good and proper.
And we played flash games where you could play for two hours to earn the right to see pixelated boobs.
We pirated games and downloaded key generators and nocd hacks from sketchy websites, as is good and proper.
And we played flash games where you could play for two hours to earn the right to see pixelated boobs.
September 18, 2026 at 3:37 AM
The good old days.
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Feel like I’m gonna be using this screenshot a lot in the coming weeks
September 17, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Feel like I’m gonna be using this screenshot a lot in the coming weeks
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Reposted by Tof Eklund
With a rich history of third gender identities, the Filipino representation in this book is something to celebrate! Several baklâ grace these pages, along with various other Filipinos (including trans resistance notes on the cover design). 💕
Get the book: www.kickstarter.com/projects/tap...
Get the book: www.kickstarter.com/projects/tap...
September 17, 2026 at 4:46 PM
With a rich history of third gender identities, the Filipino representation in this book is something to celebrate! Several baklâ grace these pages, along with various other Filipinos (including trans resistance notes on the cover design). 💕
Get the book: www.kickstarter.com/projects/tap...
Get the book: www.kickstarter.com/projects/tap...
Reposted by Tof Eklund
it would be cool if people wanted to talk about how trans people are organizing for their rights and safety as much as people want to talk to cis people about what they think about the existence of trans people
60 yrs ago, sex workers, drag queens and street youth held a landmark riot against police in SF's Tenderloin—the world's 1st Trans District
now that space is held by Geo Group. trans people are still arrested at SF Pride—over tagging Flock cams. the trans fight against police in '66 and today:
now that space is held by Geo Group. trans people are still arrested at SF Pride—over tagging Flock cams. the trans fight against police in '66 and today:
The fight to protect a trans landmark in California from ICE’s biggest contractor
Compton’s Cafe is one of the earliest examples of LGBTQ+ resistance. Today, a prison company occupies the site
www.theguardian.com
September 17, 2026 at 6:55 PM
it would be cool if people wanted to talk about how trans people are organizing for their rights and safety as much as people want to talk to cis people about what they think about the existence of trans people
Reposted by Tof Eklund
And here, children, we can observe the first stages of the "tech bro to think tank founder pipeline"
As I warned you: the superstar media darling AI quitter is explicitly agreeing with Trump and claiming climate threats are "overplayed".
Effective altruism / rationalism is a cult of broken priorities that denies the threat of fossil fuels. This is why Anthropic loves burning gas for power.
Effective altruism / rationalism is a cult of broken priorities that denies the threat of fossil fuels. This is why Anthropic loves burning gas for power.
September 17, 2026 at 7:47 PM
And here, children, we can observe the first stages of the "tech bro to think tank founder pipeline"
OMC! (Oh my Claude!)
"Your own, personal, Chatbot. Someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares."
"I want to be eaten first!"
"Your own, personal, Chatbot. Someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares."
"I want to be eaten first!"
September 17, 2026 at 7:49 PM
OMC! (Oh my Claude!)
"Your own, personal, Chatbot. Someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares."
"I want to be eaten first!"
"Your own, personal, Chatbot. Someone to hear your prayers, someone who cares."
"I want to be eaten first!"
Reposted by Tof Eklund
One of the reasons I think the environmental and social resistance to GenAI is so important: we are in a crucial and sensitive time right now, to avoid all of these harms becoming cemented in; ignored because it's just the air around us.
Like SUVs and petromasculinity are right now ->>
Like SUVs and petromasculinity are right now ->>
A macho culture of performative selfishness might start on the roads, through racing, rolling coal, ever bigger SUVs ... But it doesn't end there. If we want to live in a decent country which values human life, we need to change this culture. My column.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Driving that’s too fast, too dangerous and utterly lawless: why do we tolerate this petro-masculinity? | George Monbiot
In towns and in the countryside, I see 4x4s and pick up trucks driven without care or consicence. It’s a Magafication of transport, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
September 17, 2026 at 7:56 AM
One of the reasons I think the environmental and social resistance to GenAI is so important: we are in a crucial and sensitive time right now, to avoid all of these harms becoming cemented in; ignored because it's just the air around us.
Like SUVs and petromasculinity are right now ->>
Like SUVs and petromasculinity are right now ->>
Reposted by Tof Eklund
New — I wrote about this weird thing where people within the Republican party keep being exposed as Nazis and the party then tries to claim each one is an aberration. The facts, as I lay out here, indicate otherwise:
Republicans don’t have a Nazi problem—they are the Nazi problem
A spate of recent revelations have shown the ideologies and their adherents are one and the same.
www.thehandbasket.co
September 16, 2026 at 11:26 PM
New — I wrote about this weird thing where people within the Republican party keep being exposed as Nazis and the party then tries to claim each one is an aberration. The facts, as I lay out here, indicate otherwise:
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Here's where I'm at: moderation is *incredibly hard,* but when Bsky has enormous resources they COULD apply to learning how to do it safely, and haven't even bothered to start asking those questions, that stops working as an excuse.
Systemic negligence is not a good sign.
Systemic negligence is not a good sign.
This is the most important load-bearing point for me.
The stuff Aaron said was alarming and terrible, but is somehow outshone in terrible-ness by *the fact that the conversation happened in this context AT ALL.*
Because it raises SO MANY questions about judgement, responsibility, etc, etc.
The stuff Aaron said was alarming and terrible, but is somehow outshone in terrible-ness by *the fact that the conversation happened in this context AT ALL.*
Because it raises SO MANY questions about judgement, responsibility, etc, etc.
This is fucking weird for any moderator to do.
You don’t quote post a user that you have absolute power over (in terms of this site) and “make an example of them” to your incredibly large audience.
Not only is this highly unprofessional, but it could also be easily interpreted as harassment.
You don’t quote post a user that you have absolute power over (in terms of this site) and “make an example of them” to your incredibly large audience.
Not only is this highly unprofessional, but it could also be easily interpreted as harassment.
September 17, 2026 at 7:57 AM
Here's where I'm at: moderation is *incredibly hard,* but when Bsky has enormous resources they COULD apply to learning how to do it safely, and haven't even bothered to start asking those questions, that stops working as an excuse.
Systemic negligence is not a good sign.
Systemic negligence is not a good sign.
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Banning words in grant applications violates the First Amendment.
"NIH is systematically trying to silence research-related speech, including biomedical results that it suspects will express views the administration does not like on everything from DEI to gender identity to climate change..."
🧪
"NIH is systematically trying to silence research-related speech, including biomedical results that it suspects will express views the administration does not like on everything from DEI to gender identity to climate change..."
🧪
Researchers file First Amendment challenge to NIH grant screening
Lawsuit argues that Trump policy of purging politically sensitive terms from research projects violates free speech
www.science.org
September 16, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Banning words in grant applications violates the First Amendment.
"NIH is systematically trying to silence research-related speech, including biomedical results that it suspects will express views the administration does not like on everything from DEI to gender identity to climate change..."
🧪
"NIH is systematically trying to silence research-related speech, including biomedical results that it suspects will express views the administration does not like on everything from DEI to gender identity to climate change..."
🧪
I suppose it can't be too surprising that a journal for machine learning (real CS, but even that accepted term is loaded) is being drowned in a flood of "AI" slop.
Another detail that might be interesting to folks:
"The fraction of desk rejected papers at TMLR used to be about 6% in 2023 but is now at about 53%."
(Important caveat that our policies and stances towards desk rejection have shifted, not just submission quality.)
"The fraction of desk rejected papers at TMLR used to be about 6% in 2023 but is now at about 53%."
(Important caveat that our policies and stances towards desk rejection have shifted, not just submission quality.)
September 17, 2026 at 5:00 AM
I suppose it can't be too surprising that a journal for machine learning (real CS, but even that accepted term is loaded) is being drowned in a flood of "AI" slop.
Reposted by Tof Eklund
I proposed something similar for our conference - a few questions about their own paper, if they answer wrong they're banned.
Nihar Shah did a heroic experiment for TMLR: he spent 20-25 hours over two weeks interviewing authors of seemingly low-quality submissions about their own papers.
He confirmed what we all suspected: people submitting these papers have *no idea* what is going on in them.
He confirmed what we all suspected: people submitting these papers have *no idea* what is going on in them.
TMLR has faced a deluge of submissions, necessitating stricter desk rejection policies due to limited reviewer capacity
Co-EiC Nihar Shah reached out to authors of 10 papers slated for desk reject. Could they answer questions about their *own* submission?
medium.com/@TmlrOrg/ask...
Co-EiC Nihar Shah reached out to authors of 10 papers slated for desk reject. Could they answer questions about their *own* submission?
medium.com/@TmlrOrg/ask...
September 17, 2026 at 2:31 AM
I proposed something similar for our conference - a few questions about their own paper, if they answer wrong they're banned.
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Nihar Shah did a heroic experiment for TMLR: he spent 20-25 hours over two weeks interviewing authors of seemingly low-quality submissions about their own papers.
He confirmed what we all suspected: people submitting these papers have *no idea* what is going on in them.
He confirmed what we all suspected: people submitting these papers have *no idea* what is going on in them.
TMLR has faced a deluge of submissions, necessitating stricter desk rejection policies due to limited reviewer capacity
Co-EiC Nihar Shah reached out to authors of 10 papers slated for desk reject. Could they answer questions about their *own* submission?
medium.com/@TmlrOrg/ask...
Co-EiC Nihar Shah reached out to authors of 10 papers slated for desk reject. Could they answer questions about their *own* submission?
medium.com/@TmlrOrg/ask...
Asking Authors About Their Own Papers
By Nihar B. Shah
medium.com
September 16, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Nihar Shah did a heroic experiment for TMLR: he spent 20-25 hours over two weeks interviewing authors of seemingly low-quality submissions about their own papers.
He confirmed what we all suspected: people submitting these papers have *no idea* what is going on in them.
He confirmed what we all suspected: people submitting these papers have *no idea* what is going on in them.
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Reposted by Tof Eklund
Reading proofs from book & remembering what I wrote in 2015:
"I am very concerned about the future of AI. Not because of the risk of rogue machines taking over. But because of the homogeneous, one-dimensional group of men who are currently involved in advancing the technology.”
"I am very concerned about the future of AI. Not because of the risk of rogue machines taking over. But because of the homogeneous, one-dimensional group of men who are currently involved in advancing the technology.”
September 16, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Reading proofs from book & remembering what I wrote in 2015:
"I am very concerned about the future of AI. Not because of the risk of rogue machines taking over. But because of the homogeneous, one-dimensional group of men who are currently involved in advancing the technology.”
"I am very concerned about the future of AI. Not because of the risk of rogue machines taking over. But because of the homogeneous, one-dimensional group of men who are currently involved in advancing the technology.”
Humans make cool shit. I love this style.
Hi I’m Chloe and I make these small-scale lively handmade mixed media original drawings, these four are still available just in case this is useful info. Actual art at all too reasonable prices. And if you can’t afford it, thank you for looking and sharing etc. #art
www.chloecumming.com
www.chloecumming.com
September 16, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Humans make cool shit. I love this style.
Reposted by Tof Eklund
What are your favourite game devs reading?
This is the first of our BRAND NEW column by Nic, very new, definitely not wrenched from the dying hands of our former paymasters.
www.jank.cool/whats-on-you...
This is the first of our BRAND NEW column by Nic, very new, definitely not wrenched from the dying hands of our former paymasters.
www.jank.cool/whats-on-you...
What's On Your Bookshelf?: Esoteric Ebb's Christoffer Bodegård
"I've heard it's similar to Disco Elysium. But Miéville’s must be better, because he has two"
www.jank.cool
September 16, 2026 at 2:29 PM
What are your favourite game devs reading?
This is the first of our BRAND NEW column by Nic, very new, definitely not wrenched from the dying hands of our former paymasters.
www.jank.cool/whats-on-you...
This is the first of our BRAND NEW column by Nic, very new, definitely not wrenched from the dying hands of our former paymasters.
www.jank.cool/whats-on-you...
Reposted by Tof Eklund
What it sounds like ✨
#KPDH #Kpopdemonhunters #Polytrix
https://dulceskull.com/products/polytrix-huntrix-print
#KPDH #Kpopdemonhunters #Polytrix
https://dulceskull.com/products/polytrix-huntrix-print
September 16, 2026 at 4:27 PM
What it sounds like ✨
#KPDH #Kpopdemonhunters #Polytrix
https://dulceskull.com/products/polytrix-huntrix-print
#KPDH #Kpopdemonhunters #Polytrix
https://dulceskull.com/products/polytrix-huntrix-print