R.J. Cross

@rj-x

Writer/researcher/advocate @ the Public Interest Research Group. Usually: tech/privacy/AI. Sometimes: fiction/poems/satire/birds. Currently learning about: burrowing owls. Cool new lit project coming soon. Kansan at heart.

740 Folgt580 Follower186 Posts

Linktree Bluesky

Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir rj-x.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

R.J. Cross@rj-x· 12d

📍Lebanon, IN

A lawn sign that reads: Save Eagle Creek, Save our Water. It gives a url: protectindy.org

R.J. Cross@rj-x· 13d

Welcome, conquerers, from all of us at the Economic Development Council! (Amazon got a billboard too)

A billboard that says “welcome to montgomery council, Google” signed the Mo Co Economic Development Council

R.J. Cross@rj-x· 13d

In fact, I accidentally stumbled on the construction site. It’s wild - acres and acres that look like the surface of Mars, surrounded by lush green prairie-turned-cropland Missouri. And so many construction trucks!! Photos really don’t do it justice

A no trespassing sign on the edge of construction site

Construction trailers in the middle of huge red dirt field

R.J. Cross@rj-x· 13d

📍High Hill, MO (Montgomery County)

R.J. Cross@rj-x· 13d

This is from a couple weeks ago - 📍Garden Plain, KS

R.J. Cross@rj-x· 13d

Data center protest sign thread - updated whenever I run into a new one 📍Admire, KS

A stop sign. Someone has put a sticker on it that says “the data center”

R.J. Cross@rj-x· 16d

My parents have 13 (!) Black Swallowtail butterflies absolutely destroying their herb garden. Look at this tank. I love him

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Jun 29

Troutville, VA

R.J. Cross@rj-x· May 18

I’m realizing reading the replies that my dog may be on the simple side. At least he’s entertaining

R.J. Cross@rj-x· May 17

adaptive lawn sign

a campaign lawn sign for janet mills for the Maine senate seat, with janet mills crossed out in sharpie and replaced with graham platner

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Apr 29

Went Offline all weekend with someone who can’t read (pictured) and I can’t recommend it enough

a big boy St Bernard at the top of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. The dog is the one who can’t read

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Apr 19

Huh. Non-U.S. residents have to pay an extra $100 per person to visit a national park now. Kind of seems like a lot!

Screenshot of booking page for Acadia NP -
Standard entrance pass: $20-$35
Non-US residents must pay a $100 per person fee in addition to the standard entrance pass fee

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Apr 13

a close up of an angel-y figure in the background of the trump-as-Jesus AI slop that looks like a pile of laundry with legs wearing a tiara

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Apr 6

Ok NOW can we have an HBO Silicon Valley reboot

An employee gave us a tour of the office. In an airy space full of communal tables, there was an animated digital painting of the computer scientist Alan Turing; its eyes tracked us as we passed. The installation is a winking reference to the Turing test, the 1950 thought experiment about whether a machine can credibly imitate a person. (In a 2025 study, ChatGPT passed the test more reliably than actual humans did.) Typically, you can interact with the painting. But the sound had been disabled, our guide told us, because it wouldn’t stop eavesdropping on employees and then butting into their conversations

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Feb 9

The error message on the #Massachusetts state legislature's website is peak New England dad

screenshot of the MA legislature's 404 message which reads "Oh My Cod! An error has occurred!"

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Jan 25

great day to be a snow dog in #boston

St bernard in the snow looking majestic AF

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Jan 24

trying to make sense of the egg visuals on this one

one of those weird ai slop clickbait ads. it's (allegedly) fasting diet advice broken out by age bracket. each age is represented by an egg. they don't make sense

R.J. Cross@rj-x· Dec 11

Had a total blast taping a segment for the Today Show earlier this week (with my good friend Kumma the AI-powered sex bear). A fun capstone to 2 months of the weirdest research I’ve ever done