A new local book combines the art world with language on the page and the intricacies of establishing a voice for oneself, even when that voice is subsumed in someone else’s story. Bird Girl is a new novel from author Duston Spear, centering an artist who is forced to confront a pivotal moment of her youth as it’s revisited in a podcast, and we’ll speak with her about the impetus for the work, the many mediums it connects, and where in the area you can meet her and her work in person.
As everyone turns their eyes towards the world of AI, a new lawsuit is looking at how their language models learn. Local independent news outlet The Shoestring finds itself one of the plaintiffs of this lawsuit seeking recognition and remuneration for the many articles of theirs that they’ve found have been used in such a way. Managing editor Brian Zayatz explains the reasoning behind the suit and how could be a much bigger problem than their or any local news company alone.
And Mr. Universe, Kainaat Studios and now Umass Amherst astronomer Salman Hameed, knows of the words we put in place to keep the cosmos as neutral as possible. But the skies have been getting heated ever since the president’s first term in office, and we’ll hear about the issues new and old that arise when talking about weaponizing space.
