From: noreply@mixmin.net   
      
   On Tue, 12 Aug 2025 21:16:55 +0200 (CEST), Nomen Nescio    
   wrote:   
   >Message-ID: <66e01d6501ac7ce3067c227b2cb4aeeb@dizum.com>   
   >Injection-Info: sewer.dizum.com - 2001::1/128   
      
   just curious . . .  this url does open in tor browser, and is considerably   
   longer than the op's quoted excerpt, however, by the looks of it, the body   
   snatchers have already taken over the vast majority of the formerly "human"   
   population worldwide, especially in the money centers (cities), no problem,   
   since resistance was futile, but not any more, "pod people" rule the world . .   
   .   
      
   >For many in the tech industry, AI recording tools have become a way   
   >of life.   
   > ....   
   >   
      
   (using Tor Browser 14.5.5)   
   https://sfstandard.com/2025/08/05/ai-wearables-recording-devices/   
   >Culture   
   >This conversation is being recorded -- and so is everything else you do in San   
   >Francisco   
   >AI wearables are quietly recording everything. Is it legal? And do you   
   consent?   
   >Warning, San Francisco: That cute necklace your coworker is wearing might be   
   >recording you.   
   >A crop of startups is selling stealthy AI-powered recording devices and   
   software   
   >that's becoming increasingly popular across Silicon Valley. Regardless of   
   whether   
   >you're in a contentious work meeting, having coffee on a first date, or   
   enjoying   
   >the wild abandon of a house party, there's a growing likelihood that someone   
   is   
   >listening.   
   >"My general sense is that we should assume we are being recorded at all   
   times,"   
   >said Clara Brenner, a partner at venture capital firm Urban Innovation Fund.   
   "Of   
   >course, this is a horrible way to live your life."   
   >Some of these devices are wearables masquerading as fashionable pendants, like   
   >those made by Limitless, or discreet lapel pins, like those by Plaud. Bee has   
   a   
   >device that resembles a Fitbit. Others are apps that run quietly in the   
   >background of phones and laptops, like Cluely, Granola, and OpenAI's new   
   ChatGPT   
   >Record feature.   
   >It can be hard to know when one is being used. Some devices flash or light up   
   >when they're recording; others glow when they're switched off. Most   
   automatically   
   >generate AI transcripts and audio recordings of everything with which their   
   owner   
   >interacts.   
   >Bright yellow sun rays extend from the right, set against a solid light blue   
   >background, creating a simple, bold graphic design.   
   >Today's stories straight to your inbox   
   >Everything you need to know to start your day.   
   >Sign up now!   
   >Why would anyone voluntarily wear these roving surveillance devices? It's not   
   >necessarily to catch people saying things they'll regret. Enthusiasts report   
   that   
   >the recorders help them stay "present" in meetings, outsource busywork, and   
   act   
   >as a perpetually available collaborator.   
   >But many who work in offices where the devices are becoming the norm report   
   that   
   >they have begun to self-censor, worried about every offhand comment being   
   etched   
   >into an AI-generated transcript. Meanwhile, lawyers warn that it's only a   
   matter   
   >of time before these nonconsensual records and audio files become liabilities   
   in   
   >court.   
   >The always-listening crowd   
   >For many in the tech industry, AI recording tools have become a way of life.   
   >At a Dolores Park picnic this summer, a group of founders chatted over snacks   
   >and cans of sparkling water. A closer inspection revealed glowing LED lights   
   from   
   >AI note-taking devices -- a red burst from a silver clip at someone's collar,   
   a   
   >blue ray from a triangular pendant, and a white blip from yet another   
   neckpiece.   
   >This is the new normal, said Anith Patel, founder of the wearable AI   
   note-taker   
   >Buddi, whose own collar accessory flashed blue. "At a picnic, you meet 10-plus   
   >people, so it's better to get it documented so you remember," Patel said.   
   >Permission to record is "just assumed," he added.   
   >Nicholas Lopez said AI recording tools have given him a "second brain" for   
   >building his AI "superconsultant" out of tech incubator Founders Garage. His   
   $159   
   >Plaud pin helps detail conversation topics, highlights, and takeaways.   
   >"[It's] like having a modern-day Rockefeller Rolodex that keeps track of my   
   >network, my meetings, my entire life," he said, referencing the late banker   
   David   
   >Rockefeller's custom-designed 5-foot-high filing system.   
   >Outside of work, Lopez has started taking his Plaud to house parties as a kind   
   >of social experiment that allows him to relive nights out. "People come over   
   and   
   >say crazy things into it," Lopez said.   
   >AI wearables have become so ubiquitous that people rarely comment, said Jeff   
   >Wilson, a VC and cofounder of No Cap, a Y Combinator–backed startup building   
   an   
   >AI-powered VC investing tool.   
   >A stylized sauna scene with a seated woman wrapped in a towel and a standing   
   man   
   >in a towel holding up his hands, surrounded by steam.   
   >Source: Illustration by Bratislav Milenkovic   
   >During a coffee meeting, a Limitless pendant hung from Wilson's chest; his   
   Meta   
   >Ray-Bans were in their case. Beside him, Pat Santiago, founder of Accelr8, a   
   >coliving startup, had a Buddi pinned to his collar that he uses to gather   
   intel   
   >at networking parties and pitch nights. No Cap processes the data he captures   
   >with his collar recorder to surface early-stage investments, Santiago   
   explained.   
   >"The AI can see patterns that we can't."   
   >When a reporter from The Standard added an old-fashioned audio recorder to the   
   >table, there were four devices recording the conversation. "I don't think   
   people   
   >care that much anymore," Wilson said.   
   >But some users acknowledge that Silicon Valley's newfound recording culture   
   has   
   >them on edge. Even a confidential chat in the back of a coffee shop may not be   
   >safe.   
   >"I know a VC who records all in-person meetings on their watch, without   
   telling   
   >the other meeting participants," Brenner said. "It's an invasion of privacy   
   and I   
   >seriously disapprove of it."   
   >For online meetings, Granola has become the AI-powered note-taking app of   
   choice   
   >for the investor class. Instead of joining meetings publicly as a bot, like   
   >Otter.AI does, Granola runs locally on the user's device. The app syncs   
   directly   
   >with your calendar and begins transcribing when you have a meeting. Granola   
   >wasn't intended to be a "stealth" app -- its website recommends always asking   
   for   
   >consent -- but many in the tech world don't bother.   
   >"Some investors assume everyone is using one, so why be awkward and bring it   
   >up?" Brenner said, who always makes it a point to ask for permission.   
   >San Francisco-based human experience researcher Harvin Park has seen firsthand   
   >how AI recording changes behavior. When you know the person will refer back to   
   >their notes, "it's fundamentally a different conversation," he said.   
   >"They often start speaking in prompts," he said. "They talk in a way that has   
   >the AI remembering key details." For example, "One of the important things   
   about   
   >me is X," or "You should remember Y."   
   >RayBan Meta glasses   
   >Mark Zuckerberg unveils Meta's collaboration with Ray-Ban in 2023. | Source:   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)