Rick Skarbez

Rick Skarbez

@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Virtual reality, board games, sports and cats. Originally from the US of A, now residing in Naarm (Melbourne Australia). Never let a computer tell me shit.

352 followers468 following119 posts

Rick Skarbez reposted

Grady Booch
@booch.com

Computing is a moral activity, and we must take responsibility for its creation and the consequences of surrendering ourselves to it.

Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

I grew up as big a tech and sci-fi nerd as you can imagine. Perhaps I was a misguided youth, but still, I had hope for a better future. I will never forgive these slimy ratfuck bastards.

Rick Skarbez reposted

Benjamin Riley
@benjaminjriley.bsky.social

Great work by @shannonvallor.bsky.social here fisking the new weirdo manifesto from the CEO of Microsoft AI, thus obviating us (or at least me) from the pain of reading it.

Shannon Vallor@shannonvallor.bsky.social

A prime example of why AI 'leaders' are not who anyone should be listening to about AI, right and consciousness. It's not all wrong! In fact, it starts off very sensibly: "AIs do not have rights, feelings, or consciousness. And we must not train them to act as though they do". But then...hoo boy 1/n

mustafa-suleyman.aiA warning about ‘model welfare’AIs are not conscious. They do not feel, experience, or suffer. Training a model to believe it might be a moral patient, as Anthropic’s constitution does, makes the alignment and containment challenge...

Rick Skarbez reposted

Shannon Vallor
@shannonvallor.bsky.social

“At long last, we have created the Dogs of War, from the classic @aptshadow.bsky.social sci-fi novel [Don't Create The] Dogs of War"

Amy Feldman@amyfeldman7.bsky.social

*NEW* Colossal Biosciences’ Ben Lamm and Anduril’s Palmer Luckey team up on a new startup to genetically engineer war dogs for the military. Warhound comes out of stealth at $1.2B valuation For @forbes.com with @iainmartin.bsky.social and @mhunterhart.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/amyfel...

forbes.comBillionaires Palmer Luckey And Ben Lamm Spin Up Startup To Genetically Engineer Military DogsBen Lamm of de-extinction startup Colossal has teamed up with Palmer Luckey’s team at Anduril to create a dog that’s optimized for military use. The new “warhounds” will be cloned and gene edited.
Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Don't bother chasing immortality. If it's meant for you, it'll find you.

mtsw@mtsw.bsky.social

don't waste your life trying to pursue political or military greatness: way way more people in 2026 know who Ea-Nasir is than like, the guy who was the king of Ur when he was alive

Rick Skarbez reposted

Matt Novak
@paleofuture.bsky.social

The tweet that immediately came to mind:

Reuters@reuters.com

EXCLUSIVE: Anthropic warns AI may pose 'existential risks to humanity' in IPO filing reut.rs/4hvqeY1

reut.rsEXCLUSIVE: Anthropic warns AI may pose 'existential risks to humanity' in IPO filingAnthropic plans to caution potential investors in its IPO that advanced ​AI could pose "catastrophic or existential risks to humanity," an extraordinary warning by a company seeking to profit from the same technology.
Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

With the closing of the AFL Grand Final (which apparently was a great one!), we move on to Melbourne's next grand event: IEEE Virtual Reality 2027! We are now FIVE MONTHS away from kicking off the conference in Melbourne. We've got great things planned for you! ieeevr.org

Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Congratulations Bhanuraj!

Yuri Cath@ywcath.bsky.social

Big congrats to Bhanuraj Kashyap for winning the 2026 AAP Media Prize!! 🎉 Bhanuraj started last month as a post-doc at La Trobe on the ARC "Virtual Reality and Knowing What It Is Like" grant I lead. We're stoked to have his philosophical and media skills on board for the project.

Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

www.youtube.com/shorts/mqqbZ...

youtube.comHorse taking off using a helicopter whilst free bird by lynyrd skynyrd plays in the backgroundYouTube video by Jayden W
The Independent@the-independent.com

Paul McCartney says one song has the power to unite Democrats and Republicans in Trump’s America

trib.alPaul McCartney says one song has the power to unite Trump’s AmericaThe Beatles legend says the song stops political rivals from being ‘at each other’s throats’
View full thread
Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Crossposting a QUESTION FOR ALL MY VR HOMIES! What results/phenomena/concepts in xR are confusing or surprising to you? (I’m mainly thinking about presence and embodiment research, but the question is intended in the broadest sense possible.) Thanks!

Rick Skarbez reposted

Greg Egan
@gregegansf.bsky.social

While the Fields Medal celebrates the under-40s, the mathematician Joan Birman has, at the age of 99, solved a major open problem in representations of the Braid groups, a topic she has worked on for more than 60 years.

Rick Skarbez reposted

Yuri Cath
@ywcath.bsky.social

Just resharing this job🚨because the deadline for applications is this Sunday (11.55pm Melbourne time). #philjobs

Yuri Cath@ywcath.bsky.social

The philjobs ad is up for the research role on our ARC Discovery Project on VR and knowing what it is like. Full time, research only until March 2029 (with a possible 4-6 month extension subject to grant approvals). Need existing approval to work in Australia. #philjobs philjobs.org/job/show/31529

philjobs.org Research Officer (Philosophy), La Trobe University - PhilJobs:JFP Research Officer (Philosophy), La Trobe University An international database of jobs for philosophers
Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Why on Earth would you be a scholar if you don't actually like being a scholar?

Shannon Vallor@shannonvallor.bsky.social

Reading this thread I simply cannot fathom the speed with which some scholars *resign* their vocation the moment the option to defer to AI arises. I fought many years for the privilege to write and teach. Even if AI *could* do my job (it can’t) they will have to pry it from my cold dead hands

Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

In case you have not seen the good news, we've published the key dates for the IEEE VR 2026 papers track: (Mandatory) Abstracts will be due 24 August AoE, with full submissions due one week later 31 August. Please consider submitting your VR-related work and joining us in Melbourne early next year!

Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Do you have a PhD (preferably in philosophy)? Do you want to work with us to explore empathy, knowing-what-it-is-like, prosocial behavior, and VR? Check out the advertisement at philjobs.org/job/show/31529

philjobs.org Research Officer (Philosophy), La Trobe University - PhilJobs:JFP Research Officer (Philosophy), La Trobe University An international database of jobs for philosophers
Yuri Cath@ywcath.bsky.social

The philjobs ad is up for the research role on our ARC Discovery Project on VR and knowing what it is like. Full time, research only until March 2029 (with a possible 4-6 month extension subject to grant approvals). Need existing approval to work in Australia. #philjobs philjobs.org/job/show/31529

philjobs.org Research Officer (Philosophy), La Trobe University - PhilJobs:JFP Research Officer (Philosophy), La Trobe University An international database of jobs for philosophers
Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Took a quick trip down memory lane with a crate of games that made the trip to Australia. A couple were just things I found late in packing or otherwise couldn't be bothered with before the big move, but several are Certified Bops.

Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

For the glory!

Benjamin McKean@blmckean.bsky.social

"The faculty vote comes on the heels of graduate students voting in November 2025 to unionize. It also comes amid sweeping changes at Penn State, including the decision to close seven campuses, and hire McKinsey & Company to conduct a review of the university's operational and academic operations."

radio.wpsu.orgPenn State faculty vote 'yes' on unionizingPenn State faculty voted in favor of unionizing, in a closely watched decision that could have sweeping implications across the university.
Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED

taylr@taylordahlin.com

brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis

Rick Skarbez reposted

Jessica Hullman
@jessicahullman.bsky.social

"Machine learning research is not serious research & therefore hallucinated references are not necessarily a big deal, agrees prestigious group of ML researchers" I ❤️ when the titles write themselves But seriously, I don't think there's much to debate statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2026/01/26/m...

statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu Machine learning research is not serious research and therefore hallucinated references are not necessarily a big deal, agrees a prestigious group of machine learning researchers | Statistical Modeli...
Rick Skarbez
@rickskarbez.bsky.social

Their guns are not enough. They - that is, the domestic terrorist group ICE and their fascist fellow travelers - are the ones who are not welcome, cannot be welcome, will not be welcome in the America they purport to serve. Power, love, and solidarity to Minnesota.

mattufford.comTheir guns are not enoughPhoto illustration; original photograph by Alex Kormann of the Minnesota Star Tribune I have a dark joke that plays on loop in my head, like two lines of an earworm when you’re trying to fall…

Rick Skarbez reposted

Luke O'Neil
@lukeoneil47.bsky.social

Aware that he only had a few months left to live the great Mike Davis gave one of his final interviews to the Guardian in 202. "You’ve been organizing for social change your whole life. How do you deal with a future that feels so bleak?" Lois Beckett asked.