Fredrik Graver

Professor of film school pedagogy and Head of Studies at the Norwegian Film School. Reader of science fiction. Lover of dogs. Watcher of sports. Drinker of whisky. Sceptical enthusiast when it comes to gadgets and tech.

Public Key

npub1755rvw4qajvw7udnh7jmzq4jru0gsjnh4m9gwy4ajfed90casaksg9wlvw

NIP-05 Address

fgraver_at_hcommons.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs022pk82swex80wxemlfd3q2ep785gffm6aj58z27eyukjhuwcwmgprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wdmksetjv5hxxmmdh2lqdg

Publishing to

relay.noswhere.com

Author Public Key

npub1755rvw4qajvw7udnh7jmzq4jru0gsjnh4m9gwy4ajfed90casaksg9wlvw

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Last Notes

2024-09-11 16:50:47

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@npub1mmf…eknq Ouch. Your characterization of men in this post is … not wrong. Unfortunately.

2024-09-01 19:10:24

The Germans have elected a Nazi party. Not a party that others call nazis. Actual, honest-to-goodness, nazis.
German far-right party AfD poised for state election victory in east https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/01/german-far-right-party-afd-state-election-victory-thuringia?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

2024-08-30 15:52:16

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@npub1mmf…eknq I’ve never understood it either 🤷‍♂️

2024-08-19 16:05:32

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@npub1mmf…eknq With one key difference, it seems: no one has found a way to mock Poilievre in a way that sticks… Because yes, he’s weird. And not in a good way.

2024-08-11 08:25:33

#SilentSunday
https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/112/942/431/161/705/051/original/91cbfee23e81f9f2.jpeg

2024-08-10 16:01:59

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@npub1mmf…eknq She is one of the greatest footballers of all time, men or women. I’m also hoping she gets to end her career with an Olympic gold.

2024-08-06 15:43:53

How do we transmit culture when it cannot be put into words? | Aeon Essays https://aeon.co/essays/how-do-we-transmit-culture-when-it-cannot-be-put-into-words?utm_source=rss-feed

2024-08-01 19:40:24

Whom Should Kamala Harris Choose as Her Running Mate? | The Nation https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/kamala-harris-vice-president-veepstakes/

2024-07-31 19:02:25

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@npub1mmf…eknq Let’s go, Canada! Let’s go!

2024-07-29 12:10:14

The realist vs the pragmatist view of epistemology | Aeon Essays https://aeon.co/essays/the-realist-vs-the-pragmatist-view-of-epistemology

2024-07-24 19:28:19

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@npub1mmf…eknq FWIW, I’m not resigning. Being a socialist means believing a better world is possible and is worth fighting for. ✊

2024-07-08 16:54:15

Power-hungry AI is driving a surge in tech giant carbon emissions. Nobody knows what to do about it https://theconversation.com/power-hungry-ai-is-driving-a-surge-in-tech-giant-carbon-emissions-nobody-knows-what-to-do-about-it-233452

2024-06-25 19:40:20

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@npub1mmf…eknq (😆 I was talking about Pierre Trudeau)
Poillvere is an empty shell, yes.

2024-06-25 19:27:26

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@npub1mmf…eknq Justin certainly has the charm but none of the substance. I noticed that when he first became leader. His progressive stances appear performative and he is completely lacking in analysis.

2024-06-25 19:22:03

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@npub1mmf…eknq Sometimes it’s really hard to remember the son is nothing like the father. PE Trudeau cast a huge shadow.

2024-06-25 05:18:57

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@npub1mmf…eknq Hey!

2024-05-15 20:13:31

The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine Never Ended https://jacobin.com/2024/05/ethnic-cleansing-palestine-israel-nakba/

2024-04-24 07:49:20

‘Not like other Passovers’: hundreds of Jewish demonstrators arrested after New York protest seder https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/24/not-like-other-passovers-hundreds-of-jewish-demonstrators-arrested-after-new-york-protest-seder

2024-04-20 13:54:19

If someone tells you capitalism is about freedom, show them this. Capitalism was not, is not, and will never be about freedom — it is about ensuring capitalists can concentrate as much weath as possible about themselves, while simultaneously brutally destroying anyone and anything that threatens that concentration of wealth.
Ludlow Massacre - WCH | Stories https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9243/ludlow-massacre?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

2024-04-13 16:51:15

This is very good.
My Berlin speech on Palestine that German police entered the venue to ban - and whose publication here led to my being banned from Germany! - Yanis Varoufakis https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/2024/04/13/my-berlin-speech-on-palestine-that-german-police-entered-the-venue-to-ban/
#FreePalestine #BDS #FreeGaza

2024-04-08 04:33:06

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@npub1mmf…eknq German punctuality is a myth. In my experience, Germans are chronically late.

2024-03-18 20:39:23

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@npub1mmf…eknq Whenever I hear people saying nice things about him, I just remember we used to call him Lyin’ Baloney when he was PM.

2024-03-18 18:21:59

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@npub1mmf…eknq Well. The Liberals were never the ones to pass up an opportunity to sit on the fence…

2024-03-12 17:20:41

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@npub1mmf…eknq @npub1c3m…43se FYI — at least today, it might not be you: https://mastodon.social/@gutenberg_org/112083804504351986
(Although I would strongly recommend any pro-palestinian voices migrate away from German servers as a rule.)

2024-03-12 10:53:49

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@npub1ahr…m294 I’ll admit my reaction was more visceral than reasoned, but I’ll give it a shot.
One immediate thing that comes to mind is the continuing exploitation of Marilyn Monroe. The notion that people will be able to «interact» with an avatar like this, and the claim is «Digital Marilyn analyzes your preferences and tailors her responses accordingly, fostering a genuine connection that resonates with you on an individual level» is deeply disturbing to me. It continues the exploitation of Monroe as a reified sex symbol and cultural artefact, an approach I always find unethical.
Also, the notion of a «soul machine» that somehow lets you bring the dead back to life for you to interact with is equally disturbing. There is a a pretty vast body of literature and film on the topic so I won’t go into that, but suffice to say this smells like a ploy to commercially exploit grief and loss.

2024-03-10 13:18:02

Words fail me. If this is the understanding of ethics and humanity that pervades tech firms, we’re in for a very bleak period of human history.
Marilyn Monroe AI Chatbot Has 'Realistic Emotions' and Expressions https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/marilyn-monroe-generative-ai-chatbot-personalized-emotions-1235935086/

2024-02-15 16:31:59

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@npub1ahr…m294 @npub1tds…fnmz I vividly remember taking a first year astronomy course and studying theories of the universe — I was fascinated by the idea of the universe eventually stopping it’s expansion and starting to contract, and would that mean that time would run in reverse. And would *that* mean that the totality of events up to that point would repeat in reverse… Not to mention, what happens when it all collapses into a single point and subsequently explodes in a new big bang. Is it all new, or will things repeat again…?
Quite mind-blowing for an 18-year old.
Come to think of it, it’s still fun to speculate at 58.

2024-02-14 17:19:47

Back in the day, being woke meant being smart https://theconversation.com/back-in-the-day-being-woke-meant-being-smart-215635

2024-02-11 16:47:00

Denouncing critics of Israel as ‘un-Jews’ or antisemites is a perversion of history https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/11/denouncing-critics-of-israel-as-un-jews-or-antisemites-is-a-perversion-of-history?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

2024-02-05 18:53:51

Repeat after me: a university is *not* a corporation, and should not be run like one. The former exists for the pursuit of knowledge, while the latter for the pursuit of profits. These are mutually incompatible.

2024-01-15 05:32:14

We have a tool to stop Israel’s war crimes: BDS https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/10/only-outside-pressure-can-stop-israels-war-crimes?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
#StopTheGenocide #FreeGaza #BoycottIsrael

2024-01-12 20:12:16

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@npub1ahr…m294 I completely agree that the big tent approach requires good faith from everyone in the tent.
As for marginalised voices. Yes, I agree. It is the responsibility of those of us who are not marginalized to ensure those who are can get the space and visibility they need to become less marginalized — but that does not mean marginalised voices can contribute to wrecking the tent (if that makes sense).

2024-01-12 17:54:41

In the 'big tent' of free speech, can you be too open-minded? https://theconversation.com/in-the-big-tent-of-free-speech-can-you-be-too-open-minded-218332

2024-01-06 13:53:26

«Midjourney's strength arguably comes from its ability to play fast and loose with intellectual property. It's undeniably cheaper to grab training data for free online than to license hundreds of millions of images. Until the legality of that kind of scraping is resolved in the US—or Midjourney adopts a different training approach—no matter how detailed or capable Midjourney gets, its ethics will continue to be debated.»
How much detail is too much? Midjourney v6 attempts to find out | Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/01/a-crazy-update-midjourney-v6-upgrade-heaps-on-ai-generated-detail/

2023-12-31 21:58:55

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@npub1ahr…m294 I suppose news about Scandinavian royalty travels faster within Scandinavia… :) I think I follow more — or at least a higher percentage of — Scandinavians on Bluesky than I do here.

2023-12-31 17:23:36

So. Apparently Bluesky is faster at breaking news than the Fediverse (at least, in my feeds).
Ref: Margrethe, Queen of Denmark abdicates in her New Year’s speech to the nation.

2023-12-13 13:16:20

I am pretty omnivorous when it comes to music, and am always hard pressed to name a favourite artist or recording — but every time I listen to Frank’s Wild Years by Tom Waits, I am reminded that it is perhaps the perfect album and possibly the greatest of all time.

2023-12-05 16:34:08

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@npub1ahr…m294 @npub1tj4…zh8f It’s not like an EV, where buying one (since I’m lucky enough to be able to afford it) replaces a gas-powered car and thus reduces the impact I have. In the case of AI, it is giving me access to do something I couldn’t before, and thus engage in activity I wouldn’t have otherwise.
I am continuing to investigate AI, and am neither strongly pro or dogmatically anti. I hope to become a little wiser when my university holds a seminar I’ve organised on «AI and Art» in January. Some of the speakers coming have done some interesting experiments in the field, and I think we might end up with some illuminating discussions.

2023-12-05 16:28:35

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@npub1ahr…m294 @npub1tj4…zh8f Ah, now that’s a different thing. I have also seen a lot of both pro- and anti-AI stuff that obviously has other axes to grind. I tend to find the MIT Technology Review, which published the article I shared, has a fairly balanced approach. It doesn’t shy away from the problematic issues with AI, but nor does it seem to have a hidden agenda. I haven’t studied the publication closely, however, so there may be something I’ve missed.
As for the total carbon footprint of AI: I would agree that of the many problematic issues with the technology, that is not the most important. But in this day of climate crisis: anything that increases our carbon footprint is problematic, and we should be factor this in when using any technology that leads to a net increase of CO2 emissions.
/2

2023-12-05 12:31:33

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@npub1ahr…m294 I completely agree that’s a striking image. And yes — hiring a graphic designer to something like that would both have cost (much) more money and taken more time (and what this is about to do to the graphic design profession is a whole other discussion.)
But @npub1tj4…zh8f also points out in the response to your comment that he generates 3 images and then iterates on one of them until he gets something he likes. I suspect a lot of people work that way, and while even 10, or 100, images in isolation is not such a big deal. The point of the article, it seems to me, however, isn’t that the individual image has such a large carbon footprint, but when you get to 10+ million users creating images — plural — each day, the carbon footprint is something else.
Don’t get me wrong — I am excited by the potential of the various AI technologies. But I’m also worried about the (many) implications.

2023-12-04 18:16:52

Making an image with generative AI uses as much energy as charging your phone | MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/01/1084189/making-an-image-with-generative-ai-uses-as-much-energy-as-charging-your-phone/?truid=&utm_source=the_algorithm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_algorithm.unpaid.engagement&utm_content=12-04-2023&mc_cid=2cc05b263b&mc_eid=13e1f839f6

2023-11-08 20:19:02

Over on BlueSky, @npub17v3…jdsj asked people to list the perfect album from the year they were 16. Like her, I was unable to list just one.
(And there could have been so many more!)
https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/111/376/776/496/461/751/original/87ddc30a2fbe34e3.jpeg
https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/111/376/776/589/172/241/original/5fb4491f8fb3f8a4.jpeg
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2023-10-26 16:15:19

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@npub1hvz…mle9 I’ll concede the point, but still: you can pry the Oxford comma from my cold, dead hands.
But I will argue this is a case where more widespread use of the m-dash could help avoid confusion. As in, if «The Art of War» actually were Shumer’s memoir, then the sentence would read: «The Art of War» — Amy Shumer’s memoir — and many other books…
Voila! Confusion avoided! And the Oxford comma lives on.

2023-10-26 15:36:44

Everyone is concerned about the 200 or so hostages take by Hamas — and so they should be. Everything about the Hamas attack was an atrocity, and the hostages need to be released.
But no one is talking about the other hostages — the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza and held hostage by both Hamas and the Israeli government as the Israeli Defence Forces rain bombs down on them and denies them water, food, fuel, health care, and peace. Nothing justifies this.
#FreePalestine #Gaza.

2023-10-19 05:11:11

Fordi det ikke finnes nok i verden som kan gi mareritt: her er en ting til.
Gulf Stream weakening now 99% certain, and ramifications will be global | Live Science https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/gulf-stream-weakening-now-99-certain-and-ramifications-will-be-global

2023-10-16 16:54:29

Generative AI like Midjourney creates images full of stereotypes - Rest of World https://restofworld.org/2023/ai-image-stereotypes/?mc_cid=b440d7f197&mc_eid=13e1f839f6

2023-09-27 16:31:53

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@npub1ahr…m294 I remember being struck by the similarity between Canada and Norway when I first arrived there in 1979. The approach to nature was one of the key similarities, but there is also a significant difference there: in Norway you have the right to roam (and camp!) across all private land as long as you are not disturbing anyone in their private residence. In Canada you still have to respect «no trespassing» signs (at least, if you want to stay on the right side of the law).
But then, on the other hand, Canada has national and provincial parks Norway can only dream of… I spent a lot of time in the parks in the Kawartha Lakes area in the 10 years I lived in Peterborough.

2023-09-27 15:41:21

The Norwegian secret: how friluftsliv boosts health and happiness https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/sep/27/the-norwegian-secret-how-friluftsliv-boosts-health-and-happiness?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

2023-09-24 09:57:36

Periodic Table of delusions, nonsense, other whackadoodlery. Still one the best analyses of irrational beliefs, both harmless and harmful.
Variations on it can be found here: https://www.crispian.net/PTOIN.html
https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/111/119/529/127/845/121/original/68bccbe83952dcfa.png

2023-08-10 04:32:33

Rest in peace, Robbie. I trust you’re hanging out somewhere down the crazy river.
#RobbieRobertson

2023-07-02 15:50:19

#SilentSunday
https://spaces.hcommons.social/media_attachments/files/110/645/282/020/169/085/original/ce4605149ffbc9e5.jpeg