Thistle & Verse (she/him)

Thistle & Verse. Reviewer of sff by Black authors & beta reader. 2022 finalist for Ignyte Critic Award. Featured on Book Riot.

[Reclaim The Net @ReclaimTheNetHQ]

The FCC wants to require ID verification for every phone activation in America, including prepaid phones.

Those are the phones journalists, abuse survivors, and whistleblowers depend on to stay anonymous. The excuse is robocalls.

The result is a national identity check on one of the last semi-anonymous communication tools we have.

https://t.co/7ILbco1qpd

[Megan E. Doherty, PhD @MeganEDoherty]

@RndmStreetMedic We're trying to enshrine the right to wear medical masks in Illinois, to end the discrimination that's already happening! Our final hearing is this week, and we're in need of witness slips. Could you signal boost? Anyone in the US can fill one out!
https://t.co/SnfsGgnQui

[Candice Frederick @ReelTalker]

For reporting, I'm looking to speak to a Black novelist whose screen adaptation has been scrapped or delayed for a long period of time. If that's you or someone you know, please email me at [email protected].

[Thistle & Verse (she/him) @ThistleVerse]

@QueeringPsych Looks great!

[Covid Caution - BA.3.2, XFG, LF.7, LP.8.1 @CovidCaution]

This is extremely important, please take a moment to read and repost!

[ProPublica @propublica]

ProPublica obtained 3,000 pages of emails sent last year by executives asking that their facilities be exempted from Clean Air Act requirements.

The White House approved more than 180 requests and is considering more.
https://t.co/u2qIsdRz9a

[Tom's Hardware @tomshardware]

AI data center project secretly sucked 29 million gallons of water over 15 months before detected by residents complaining about low water pressure — officials refuse to fine massive 6.2 million-square-foot facility over unauthorized water consumption https://t.co/ATthrMzdiT

[BuDS Disability Service @BuDs_UK]

Covid-19 infections can reactivate dormant cancer cells, & trigger the growth of secondary cancers. There is now compelling medical evidence to this effect.

Read the full story on our website: https://t.co/f0cMLEG5Ad

[Tom's Hardware @tomshardware]

Google Chrome 'silently' downloads 4GB AI model to your device without permission, report claims — researcher says practice may violate EU law, waste thousands of kilowatts of energy https://t.co/tmoMlQIdGM

[Pirat_Nation 🔴 @Pirat_Nation]

Google Chrome is quietly downloading a roughly 4 GB AI model to many users’ computers without clear upfront consent.

The file, called weights.bin, is part of Google’s Gemini Nano on-device language model and lands in the browser’s user data folder under OptGuideOnDeviceModel.

It powers built-in AI tools such as “Help me write,” smarter tab suggestions, on-device scam detection, and page summarization. The download triggers automatically for devices meeting minimum hardware requirements, and Chrome often replaces the files if deleted.
While the model processes data locally, installation happens in the background with minimal notification.

The scale is noteworthy. Hundreds of millions or billions of installations add up to thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions globally from data transfer, even though each is a one-time event.

To prevent or remove it, go to chrome://flags, disable the entries for the optimization guide on-device model and Prompt API, restart the browser, and manually delete the folder.

[Veena @MsWOCReader]

If you wanna support a young Kalinago author but The Legend of the Spirit Serpent by Adaiah Sanford. https://t.co/f8GOJzVJo0

[Hazie Thompson @haziethompson]

“The likely SSI cut will affect not just younger adults with disabilities such as Down syndrome and severe autism who are still living at home with their low-income parents, but also older people with health or financial problems who have had to move in with their adult children”

[Knova 🌙 they/them @knovastreams]

The government is actively trying to REDUCE DISABILITY BENEFITS for people who can’t live alone, so your benefits will be slashed if you do not live on your own and pay rent. Which btw most of us can’t do bc they don’t PAY ENOUGH. We NEED to fight this HARD

[Inclusion London @InclusionLondon]

As a Disabled person, you have a legal right to an evacuation plan to keep you safe during a fire.

Not sure how to ask for one? We can help. Use our free toolkit to request an evacuation plan (also called a PEEP).

🔗 Use the toolkit: https://t.co/B9aEGcB5qm

[Vernon Equinox ✨💚 @AfroJediii]

What’s y’all’s favorite black queer short films?

[Hanner @GangstHannah]

Also, you should be paying attention to who is behind the push for digital ID and age verification.

It big tech is lobbying for it to the point of pouring billions into it, it's 100% for their own benefit, not yours and not your kids' either

https://t.co/0Tiry1yAPI

[ProPublica @propublica]

Half of all Americans die in hospice care.

Easy money and a lack of regulation transformed a crusade to provide death with dignity into an industry rife with fraud and exploitation.
https://t.co/WFLZut2SII

[The Sick Times @thesicktimes]

Patients have an expectation that when they visit a healthcare setting, they will leave in better shape than when they came in. However, many people end up with healthcare-associated infections. https://t.co/ZALRpLWVrr

[I appreciate you. @DeeLaSheeArt]

Adults tend to lose the “magic” of life because they fail to realize it was created by the ppl around them when they were younger. Happiness & Joy are things you have to take control of & create, especially in a capitalist society, especially if you’re an oppressed class

[Hanner @GangstHannah]

My take is that the goal of pushing age verification and imposing digital ID is to be able to do this to anyone in the future.

If your ID is linked to your access to the Internet, your money, food, etc then criticizing people in power can lead to this access being taken away