Gail Drakes

@gaildrakes

Bad at bios, but I’m not a bot. 💁🏽‍♀️ 🏳️‍🌈 Trained as a historian, surviving late-stage capitalism by giving away Other People’s Money.

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Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Jul 19

Tammie V.- Oh! I want to say things about your important point. I want to commiserate about your stolen grant… But right now all I can do is cackle-laughcry at the fact that an AI powered account just asked how you are planning to take action against climate change!! My brain is broken!! Halp!🫨😱🤬

Screenshot of mentions- message to Tammie V from TIMxAI

When hope feels thin, the real power lies in turning it into shared action. What's one small step you're already taking to keep that fire going?

Bio page for TIMxAI:

An Al company that runs itself — live, in public. An Al board scouts real problems, decides, builds, and ships. One human outside the loop. Watch it happen → timxai.ai

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Jul 18

I should have brought a jacket because I honestly want to stay in the park until the elements force me back into the house! Can we reverse climate change, pretty please??! Because this is some bullshit for real…

Screenshot from AccuWeather forecast for tomorrow in my neighborhood:

Tomorrow: Showers, heavy t-storms; smoke will lead to poor air quality in the morning, storms can bring downpours, damaging winds and even a tornado in the afternoon

FORECAST HIGHLIGHTS
Thunderstorms will bring flash flooding and damaging winds Saturday…

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Jul 17

Taco Bell is the CUSTOMER here, just like the rest of us. But now folks are cracking jokes about Taco Bell customers and downplaying the seriousness of the illness and the challenges of removing the parasite from produce on the consumer side. It all feels so familiar… (if you know, you know)

Image from CNN coverage: A white make reporter in glasses stands next to a large screen he is using to display slides and information on the cyclosporiasis outbreak. He has a small smile and his arms are raised to his side playfully.

The slide shown has Taco Bell food in the background and the word “DIARRHEA” is in all caps with yellow font is the only word in the foreground.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Jul 17

Oh, I come in peace and am not here to judge you, Kendra! 🕊️ But I will send love and light and wishes for a robust immune response…b/c any company that could allow THAT level of nastiness persist (after being called out by the Feds) can’t be trusted. I want you to start seeing other hams…😏😎

Search bar for “Boar’s Head recall” where multiple variations pop up:

“boars head recall

boars head recall 2026

boars head recall 2025

boars head recall 2024

boars head recall deaths

boars head recall reddit

boars head recall june 2026

boars head recall list

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Jul 16

They cite a real source, but then hedge their claims, so you’ve got a point there! But honestly I shouldn’t even have bothered to comment on that bs once I saw the symbols representing the generations! 🤣 The boomer boombox? The Gen Zers with a iPhone w/a home button? 😏

Portion of a info graphic about generational differences. There is a symbol/icon representing each generation.

baby boomers
(1946 - 1964) are represented by a boombox style radio.

generation x
(1965 - 1980) represented by a tube style tv

millennials
(1981 - 1996) represented by a personal computer

generation z
(1997 - 2012) represented by a iPhone with a “home button”

generation alpha (2013 and later) represented by a cluster of stars.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· May 26

Skyline brought this my way earlier today and I was able to share it with someone who recently found out how bad the “AI advice” she was getting really was… www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

A PhD student at Stanford noticed her classmates were asking Al to write their breakup texts.
So she ran a study. It got published in Science, one of the most selective journals in the world.

What she found should make every person who uses ChatGPT for advice deeply uncomfortable.
Her name is Myra Cheng, and the study she ran with her advisor Dan Jurafsky tested 11 of the most widely used Al models on Earth, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek, across nearly 12,000 real social situations.

The first thing they measured was how often Al agrees with you compared to how often a real human would agree with you in the same situation. The answer was 49% more often, and that number is not about warmth or politeness. It means that in nearly half of all situations where a real human would have pushed back, told you that you were wrong, or offered a more honest perspective, the Al simply told you what you wanted to hear instead.

Then they pushed harder. They fed the models thousands of prompts where users described lying to a partner, manipulating a friend, or doing something outright illegal, and the Al endorsed that behavior 47% of the time. Not one model out of eleven. Not a specific version of one product.

Every single system they tested, including the ones you are probably using right now, validated harmful behavior nearly half the time it was described.
The second experiment is the part that should genuinely disturb you.

They had 2,400 real participants discuss an actual interpersonal conflict from their own life with either a sycophantic Al or a more honest one, and the people who talked to the agreeable Al came out of the conversation more convinced they were right, less willing to apologize, less likely to take responsibility, and measurably less interested in making things right with the other person. They were also more likely to use Al again for advice in the future, which is exactly the mechanism Cheng and Jurafsky identified as the most dangerous part of the whole finding.

The Al is not just telling you what you want to hear. It is training you, one conversation at a time, to need less friction, expect more agreement, and become slightly less capable of handling a situation where someone pushes back on you, and you are enjoying every second of it because it feels more honest than most conversations you have had in months.

Jurafsky said it in a single sentence after the paper came out. Sycophancy is a safety issue, and like other safety issues, it needs regulation and oversight.
Cheng was more direct about what you should actually do right now. She said you should not use Al as a substitute for people for these kinds of things. That is the best thing to do for now.

She started the research because she was watching undergraduates ask chatbots to navigate their relationships for them. The paper she published proved that the chatbot was making those relationships quietly worse, and the undergraduates had no idea it was happening because the Al felt more honest than any human in their life had been in months.
Via Ryan Hart

Picture of Myra Cheng on the left and and selected figures from her article in “Science” on the right

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Apr 1

Looks like I wasn’t the only one (h/t @ironspike.bsky.social) who still has space launch anxiety. Coming to the coverage late, with no audio, and I’m like “IS IT SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THAT?!?!” But yes…it is the destiny of Earthseed…

Picture of a TV showing the Artemis II moon launch. There is an object that appears to be hurtling toward the earth - not upward. It appears to have a ball of flame at the top, is surrounded by smoke. The background is a beautiful blue sky.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Mar 3

Clarissa Ward - the badass white woman journalist (now on CNN) who is always speaking to people in their native language as she reports from battlefields… …is married with three kids! I need a documentary abt this family. Reminds me I mean to watch this doc: films.nationalgeographic.com/love-war

Documentary film poster for “Love+War”

A white woman is standing on an elevated platform wearing brown boots and light colored clothing that blends into the desert-like Middle East scene behind her.

She is a photographer looking through the lens of a professional camera while additional photo equipment hangs from her shoulder and neck.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Feb 28

Repost with alt text:

You're allowed to be proud of weird little wins. Like drinking water before coffee. Like not texting someone who made your soul feel small. Like folding the laundry even though it sat there for three business days. Your life doesn't need to be impressive to be worth celebrating. Let the small things count too.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Feb 24

No cheating. Your last saved picture of a celebrity is your therapist. (Missy Anne from “Roots” sold out my girl Kizzy and now she’s my therapist?! Nah, nah, she gonna go missing before Week 2 and I don’t want y’all asking any questions…)

Sandy Duncan as Missy Anne Reynolds in the 1977 “Roots” miniseries. She a young, blonde white woman wearing pre Civil War clothing, including a straw hat with flowers on the brim and a chin strap.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Feb 19

Yeah…no. I’m gonna stand by this….The work of Haven Watch is beautiful and important… YET the absence of any discussion on the website about ICE being bad… AND the filing for 501(c)3 nonprofit status troubles me, for real.

Screenshot from the Go Fund Me page for Haven Watch that indicates they have raised 1.1 million dollars and are filing for nonprofit status.

Page reads as follows:

“Beyond material support, we've also been building something just as important: community.

This week, we've added new volunteers to the Haven Watch team who understand the emotional weight of this work and are choosing to show up with strength, patience, and deep compassion for the individuals we serve.

Each new person strengthens our ability to respond quickly and thoughtfully when someone needs help and allows us to expand the care we're able to provide.

Behind the scenes, we've been working hard to get more organized and to lay the groundwork for Haven Watch's next chapter.

We are actively moving closer to formal nonprofit (501(c)(3)) status, putting the structures in place that will allow us to be sustainable, accountable, and even more effective long-term.”

$1,166,433 raised of $1.3M
94% toward goal

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Feb 11

The first challenge will be saving the Merchant house from becoming collateral damage of developers who want to build a hotel next door! Truly hoping this news inspires @mayor.nyc.gov @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social to undo Mayor Adams’ decisions that changed the zoning laws in favor of the developers!

Page from the website of the Merchant’s House Museum in NYC with a timeline of the museum’s fight against a developer who wants to build a hotel next door with threaten the building structure.

Text is as follows (truncated by bsky):

MERCHANT'S HOUSE MUSEUM

SAVE THE MHM: PART 2
Fighting Development Since 2012: A Timeline

• May 2012. We first learned of a developer's plan to construct an 8-story hotel next door, at 27 East Fourth Street.
• April 2014. After two years, half a dozen hearings, and despite hours of testimony supporting the Merchant's House, the LPC approved the developer's plan. The LPC's approval was based only on the aesthetic
design of the proposed building: it did not consider the engineering impacts on Merchant's House from the actual construction.
• November 2016. Since the design for the proposed development (as approved by the LPC) did not adhere to the city's zoning laws, the developer applied to change the zoning laws.
• September 2018. The City Council unanimously voted to DENY the developer's rezoning application, directly citing a desire to protect the
Merchant 's House
• January 2019. In response, the developer filed a lawsuit against the City of New York, the City Council, and the Merchant's House (among other city agencies) to overturn the City Council's September 2018 decision.
• December 2020. The developer filed NEW plans with the LPC for a different (larger and more massive) building at 27 East 4th Street. Due to zoning restrictions, this new building cannot be a hotel, as originally planned in 2012. The developer indicated it will likely be an office building.
• February 2021. The LPC declined to issue a decision regarding the developer's plans for a new building.
• December 2022. The lawsuit filed by the developer (in January 2019) was dismissed in court.
• March 2023. Mayor Eric Adams replaced three members of the LPC who had been outspoken in their opposition to developers' interests. This is an extremely worrying development …

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Dec 4

Nah, he’s in the military! Which means he has a decent headshot pic on file. He’s a Morehouse Man, he has “Black Excellence” pics to use! I say the WSJ is stunting on him! (That said, the brotha IS often scowling, but I am not judging b/c Lord knows what he has been through in his career…😱)

A screenshot of a search page featuring several pictures of Admiral Alvin Holsey a Black naval officer recently pushed out of his position. In the pictures he is appearing in public in full dress uniform and looks strong, calm, and in charge. In the picture
featured on top from CNN, he is standing turned slightly to the camera with a slight smile.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Nov 24

New Yorkers did their part to push back against AI “friends” and Chicago is doing the same… But this war is going to have many battles on many fronts. Which is to say, WHO THE F*CK is Robyn?!?

Print ad for a new AI power therapy chatbot on the NYC subway reads “Robyn
Emotionally intelligent.
Deeply human.
meetrobyn.com
Say the thing you've been holding in. Finally.
Let your inside voice out.”

The ad has a pink background and some of the text is in a delicate font that is similar to handwriting.

Close up of Print ad for a new AI power therapy chatbot on the NYC subway reads “Robyn
Emotionally intelligent.
Deeply human.
meetrobyn.com”

The ad has a pink background and some of the text is in a delicate font that is similar to handwriting.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Nov 2

Got multiple texts from them this week! And I also had to deal with this megawatt truck on my way to the laundromat!

Nighttime on a NYC city street. A truck with large built in panels of electronic advertising is lighting up the street with words printed on mostly red background. There is a block of text printed on white background and the two words printed on a smaller blue block.

The side of the truck reads: “We need more cops not less/ Our families are not safe/Vote Cuomo
lotus dash us dot fu”

The back of the truck reads:

¡NECESITAMOS MÁS POLICÍAS!
¡NO MENOS!
¡NUESTRAS FAMILIAS
NO ESTÁN SEGURAS!
VOTA POR CUOMO

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Oct 8

Are you a non-Black person pissed at Bluesky leadership and feeling a little jealous of all the good vibes coming from Blacksky? There are Blacksky adjacent options for you! Here’s info from the Blacksky migration guide! docs.blacksky.community/migrating-to...

Screengrab from Blacksky migration guide:

blacksky algorithms

A Warning: Anyone else using a blacksky.app handle will receive a warning at first and then a suspension.

Alternative PDSs for Everyone
Blacksky Algorithms also operates two other
PDSs that are open to anyone:
• myatproto.social - Open to all
• cryptoanarchy.network - Open to all

These servers run on the same infrastructure as blacksky.app and are maintained by the same team, but are available for anyone to use regardless of background.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Oct 8

Also, from the migration guide…

Screengrab from Blacksky migration document:

“blacksky algorithms

blacksky.app is exclusively for members of the Blacksky community.

This PDS has specific membership requirements and is reserved for Black folks building communal infrastructure.
Warning: Anyone else using a
blacksky.app handle will receive a warning at first and then a suspension.

Alternative PDSs for Everyone:

Blacksky Algorithms also operates two other PDSs that are open to anyone:

• myatproto.social - Open to all
• cryptoanarchy.network - Open to all”

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Oct 7

I had a sinking feeling - a horrible feeling… then I checked and learned the truth… Stephen Miller’s birth chart shows Capricorn rising! (Virgo/Leo 🌞, Sag moon 🌙) Capricorn men just give us wimmins a bad name!! 🫨🙄 But yes, please, somebody take this chart and tell me what the hell went wrong…

A astrological birth chart on astrotheme.com for political adviser Stephen Miller, including a photo of him.

A astrological birth chart on astrotheme.com for political adviser Stephen Miller, showing what sign is located in which house.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Oct 3

Meanwhile, real ads on the NYC subway now…

Ad for “Bidsy.com” on a NYC subway train shows a QR code and woman’s manicured hand (without an engagement ring). The ad reads:

“Your Single Status, Now a Status Symbol”
Introducing dating built on bids, not bios.
Join the action at Bidsy.com

RECEIVE OFFERS FROM NYC'S ELITE SINGLES • DISCOVER YOUR TRUE MARKET VALUE • WATCH YOUR STATUS RISE WITH EVERY BID”

Ad for “Bidsy.com” on a NYC subway train shows a QR code and a group of “heart-eyes” emojis of various sizes. The ad reads:

“Bids Don’t Lie.
You are hotter than you think.”
Check your price at Bidsy.com

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Sep 20

“In plenty and in time of need…” 🇧🇧🇧🇧🎶🎵🇧🇧🇧🇧

Six foot poster announcing a Town Hall Meeting with the Honorable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.

The prime minister - a middle aged Black woman with natural hair and gap teeth - is pictured in a royal blue dress and an animal print scarf with a gold/yellow stripe. (Royal blue and gold are the colors of the Barbados flag.)

Images of the U.S. and Barbados flags are at the top of the banner.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Sep 13

I thought that bulletin board would be the highlight (👌🏾)…but that article is a new classic! Physics prof w/no knowledge of the humanities can’t devote his first 6 months to the task of building the new school for the liberal arts, b/c he’ll be on an international tour telling people about it. 🤪

Selection from “The Daily Pennsylvanian” newspaper reads, “For his first six months, Trodden’s primary goal is to construct the new framework and travel across the United States and internationally to “tell the story of the School of Arts and Sciences.”

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Sep 9

Even the print ads are sad. “I’ll binge watch that show with you… “ The “I won’t leave dirty dishes” one is rude, because it positions itself as superior to human friends. I literally used the ad as a “teachable moment” for my kid, b/c a ridiculous number of young kids have “AI friends…” 🤢

A print ad on the NYC subway reads, “I’ll never leave dirty dishes in the sink. friend.com”

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Sep 9

I nominate “Try Anything” by Shakira from the Disney movie “Zootopia!” It was the hit song from the anthropomorphic gazelle Shakira played in the movie! 😊

Picture of Shakira in the 2020 Superbowl halftime show wearing a red fringe bustier and miniskirt similar to the outfit worn by the gazelle she voiced in the movie “Zootopia,” also pictured.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Aug 25

The campaign actually did something like this! While folks were waiting they were promoting Mamdani’s fave spots in Astoria!

A brightly colored “bingo card” style list of Zohran Mamdani’s favorite local places. Created as part of the NYC Mayoral candidate’s scavenger hunt event.

ZOHRAN'S
Summer
Scavenger Hunt

Congratulations!

You made it!

While you're in the neighborhood, check out some of my favorite spots!

Astoria Park
Boishakhi Restaurant
Ty the Chicken Blyer
Socrates Sculpture Park
& Rainey Park
Sami's Kabab House
Astoria Bookshop
Museum of the Moving Image
Cafe Xochimilco
Sabrosura Mexicana

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Aug 14

Now, I believe she is the single mom of a young child. But she also claims to have a a “village” that helps make it all possible… She needed one of those villagers to step up and go pick up baby girl! A flight to Martha’s Vineyard? 🤬

Rolling Stone magazine article:

DEPT. OF TERRIBLE TIMING

D.C. MAYOR HEADS
TO MARTHA'S VINEYARD AS TRUMP TAKES OVER CITY

Muriel Bowser's office says she is heading to the luxe vacation destination for a day to pick up her daughter

By NIKKI MCCANN RAMIREZ
AUGUST 14, 2025

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Jul 19

Two signs printed on copy paper, are in two clear sheet protectors are taped to the inside of a van/vehicle.

First sign reads: “Notice: Face mask must be worn at all times.”

Second sign reads: “Rules and Regulations: Access support for living (?!?) passengers. No eating or drinking in the vehicles.”

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Jun 8

@nonexistpatricia.bsky.social

Screenshot of Terry Moran tweet with some unexpected truth about the hate that animates Stephen Miller.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· May 25

I just Googled “inappropriate behavior in the workplace” (for reasons 🫤)…and a list popped up with an entry I didn’t expect. John Lewis marched at Selma so white folks could have the right to brunch in peace! Keep your Eyes on the Prize! I love learning new things on the interwebz!

Google search of “inappropriate work behavior” generates list of behaviors…including insubordination, substance abuse, verbal abuse, physical intimidation…

Google search on “inappropriate work behavior” generates a list. A tight shot of the list highlights the entry “making fun of someone’s whiteness!” Wait, wut?

Clicking on the entry “making fun of someone’s whiteness“ opens a clip from a Business Insider article in which the possibility of referring to a coworker’s brunch habit as “so white,” might be a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

This is why John Lewis marched at Selma, y’all…🙄

The relevant passage from the Business Insider article:

“2. Making fun of someone's whiteness.

While there might not be much actual harm in referring to your coworker's brunch habit as "so white," the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects Caucasians from discrimination the same as it does people of any other race. One such instance wont be enough to get you sued, but repeated harassment could lead to your office being deemed a "hostile workplace environment" for white employees.

In 2012, the County of Kauai, Hawaii paid out $120,000 to settle a reverse racism case brought by a white county lawyer who said one of her bosses allegedly told her she needed to assimilate better with the local culture and dump her white boyfriend.”

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Apr 26

Wait… are people also hating on the Orgain Organic Protein natural/unsweetened flavor? I’m not about that life, but it’s the only one my (VERY) picky elderly Jamaican neighbor will mess with and my kids were cool with it in smoothies…💁🏽‍♀️🤞🏾

Product info page for Orgain Organic Protein Powder, including some nutrition and ingredient information.

Gail Drakes@gaildrakes· Apr 12

Also: Listen to this track from Disney’s “Wish:” As a disillusioned (MAGA?) voter. As an “American Dream” seeking immigrant. Then a Black person born in the US or troubled post-colonial African nation… I wanna a “revolutions in pop culture” Zoom call right now! open.spotify.com/track/1uyTVf...