Ashley Scarlett

Associate Professor of Media Studies at the Alberta University of the Arts (Canada) researching intersections between art and contemporary media cultures.

[The Narwhal @thenarwhalca]

When oil and gas companies are unable, or unwilling, to pay their land rent, the provincial government will pay it for them. More than 99% of the time, the government never gets its money back https://t.co/AXQ8p28bXK

[Dr. David Cuff @DrDavidCuff]

Excellent piece here from University Affairs from Letitia Henville, summarizing peer review perspectives on @SSHRC_CRSH Insight Grants / Insight Development Grants. @UA_magazine https://t.co/14Y5WWyPGl

[Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt @FranceskAlbs]

While #Madleen must be released immediately, every Mediterranean port should send boats with aid, solidarity, and humanity to Gaza. They shall sail together—united, they will be unstoppable.

#BreakingTheSiege is a legal duty for states, and a moral imperative for all of us.

[Sterling Crispin 🕊️ @sterlingcrispin]

*Slavoj Zizek sniffs loudly touching his nose* Ah yes yes the corporate pastoral. This is a perfect ideological object. You see, you see here Sam, he pretends to give us a modest, one could say intimate conversation between two friends. No. This is a mythopoetic act of ideological laundering. *Sniff*

This is not, you see, this is not a product announcement. No. Sam is giving us a myth, you see. *Sniff* This film, if one can call such a thing a film, is a strategic myth making artefact to construct an origin story. This is a biopic about themselves played by themselves, you see. Masturbation. *Sniff* The hubris is astounding. *Sniff*

This opens, what do we see, what do we see first? *Sniff* We see the power shot, the money shot yes? Looking up from the ground up into the towering city. We are small. Silicon Valley is big. Money you see, technology, forbidden sex, and so on. San Francisco to be precise. Yes? *Sniff*

Then what? Soft lighting, yes, soft focus, flowers in the city and so on. Two friends. No. *Sniff*

These are not two friends. These are the ideologues of techno capital, you see. *Sniff*. The priests preparing you for the sacrament of their new device. *Sniff*

They smile, you see, "We know we are building godlike machines, but we are such nice people!" *Sniff* Yes very good Sam. And thank you. They shake our hands and smile, while the machine, you see, the machine takes our jobs and our soul, or what have you. *Sniff*

Yes? But the cafe, what a nice cafe I must say. The cafe invites us in. Not just two friends together, you see. We are, as the viewer, we are also their third friend. *Sniff* Perhaps lover, or some such. We will see how the night goes, you know? *Sniff*

But Sam, yes, he does not care about money. Power? No. *Sniff* This boy king, the caring sovereign, he worries about us. The little people you see. *Sniff*

The master holds the weight, the original sin, so we may enjoy without guilt. *Sniff* Sam is our Jesus, so we can ask the computer our little questions and not worry. Not to worry about the labor, or the exploitation, or the environmental costs and so on. *Sniff*

So you see, this is, you see this is to build a moral legitimacy around leadership figures at at a time when, you know *Sniff* AI is taking our jobs, and "How will I feed my family" and "Oh no we are all going to die" and so on. *Sniff*

Notice. Notice they do not talk about technology you see. Values. *Sniff* This is the hand of ideology that distracts you while the other, the other hand you see, it takes from you.

But thank you for the coffee Jony, and yes the iPhone. *Sniff* Jony is the great thinker Yes? And Jony gives us emotional connection, yes? And the family man stands hand in hand with Sam, as deliberate contrast to the tech overlord he pretends not to be, you see. *Sniff*

The European family man with the children and, you know, the forbidden sexual desires of San Francisco and what have you. *Sniff*

We have our origin story, the myth you see, chance encounters in the cafe. *Sniff* "It is funny running into you here Jony!" Yes it must be nice what are the odds of such an encounter. *Sniff*

And what? Personal anecdotes they give us, yes, some shared vision to reinforce authenticity in a film which, let us be honest for a moment, this could very well be in the post credits scene of a marvel movie or, you know *Sniff* some such profane act of capitalist entertainment, a mickey mouse adventure or what have you. *Sniff*

And for what? For what is all of this labor and AI and devices and so on *Sniff* So we can find ourselves in a moment, lost, "Oh no" we say, "Oh no I wonder. I have a question to which there is no answer, I cannot think for myself?" *Sniff*

No. Let us go to the phone yet again. We must ask the device. But no. You see. *Sniff* My phone is in my pocket. We need a new device you see. Yes? *Sniff*

A device which, a device which always listens, you see. *Sniff* An all knowing god who can answer my questions, and tell me what to think, and what should I say, *Sniff* what should I do, and I am afraid and oh no who am I and I am sad and who should I fuck and so on. Yes? *Sniff*

So you see *Sniff* This film is not a documentary yes? *Sniff* What we see here is christ carrying the cross alone through the streets. *Sniff* But not a cross you see. Jony. Jony gives us the iPhone and Sam puts AI inside the device. *Sniff* And now? Now we don't need to think *Sniff* We can just have the AI and the AI, you see, *Sniff* It's wonderful.

[Brandi Morin @Songstress28]

Powerful scene of unity amongst Treaty chiefs, Treaty holders and allies at Alberta legislature this afternoon rallying against Premiere Smith’s @ABDanielleSmith Bill 54 (which was passed yesterday). The Bill threatens Indigenous rights, sovereignty and the very Treaties this country and the province of Alberta was founded on. Bill 54 opens the path for Alberta to separate from Canada. But Treaty chiefs say it’s not going to happen on their watch.

[Hashashin @HashashinTag]

Gaza right now

[Ashley Scarlett @variousmatters]

New publication with Philosophy of Photography questions what it means to look at images of atrocity within contexts defined by their financialization, instrumentalization, and deployment within machine learning and AI applications.

https://t.co/oC23v4lvvv

[Michael Weiss @michaeldweiss]

From one of Ukraine's most prominent news outlets: "It’s time to say it plainly. America’s leadership has switched sides in the war. The American people have not, and they should speak up." https://t.co/PCbxQmNVCw

[Ashley Scarlett @variousmatters]

Anyone know of dataset audits/analyses that consider inclusion/use/role of non-photographic images within machine vision modelling?

[Ashley Scarlett @variousmatters]

@mel_hogan MAST? https://t.co/NZfaS5W23e

[The Breach @TheBreachMedia]

While receiving an honorary degree from Acadia University today, @ElJonesPoet praised students across the country who are “standing against a genocide” in Gaza.

“Over the past few months, we have been told that it is our words and not bombs that are harmful and violent.”

[Ashley Scarlett @variousmatters]

Hey, @JyotiGondek ??

https://t.co/Tyr9ToQIoQ

[Sookie Winehouse @SookieWinehouse]

Richard Scary’s 1984 Dune

[Saul Staniforth @SaulStaniforth]

Solidarity with students protesting in the US.

[Ashley Scarlett @variousmatters]

A must-read for those keeping track of health care shortages in Alberta, written by my incredible colleague, Ghada Alatrash.

https://t.co/AJ8QmRsSBp

#abhealth

[Ashley Scarlett @variousmatters]

https://t.co/0iB2rAkyd8

Something I've given a lot of thought to lately... particularly with regards to the operational -invisual- function of these images and the role they play in platform capitalism and machine learning/AI. *Sigh*

[Refaat in Gaza 🇵🇸 @itranslate123]

If I must die, let it be a tale.

#FreePalestine
#Gaza

[Ashley Scarlett @variousmatters]

@SivagowryL @sait Will you be at SAIT!?!! Our campuses are adjoined! :)

[Adam Lauder @Adam_M_Lauder]

Delighted to receive physical copies of the new @McGillQueensUP collection I edited, Variable Conditions: Para-computational Arts in Canada, 1965-1995, with fantastic contributions from a long list of distinguished contributors—book launch coming soon
https://t.co/7vqizi9K3v

[Jacobin @jacobin]

Although widespread middle-class access to homeownership is supposed to reduce the need for social supports by fostering wealth redistribution and providing lifelong security, recent evidence suggests otherwise.
https://t.co/X10z2o0g0M