CSF_03: today’s Cybersecurity Friday post: the effective security of small business websites has likely gotten worse due to LLMs and “AI agents” (with or without safeguards) and what actions you may want to consider.
Small business websites tend to be sloppily written (no pun intended though that may also be true) and are likely riddled with numerous very fundamental security holes. There are many possible explanations (economics) from poor initial construction, perhaps using the latest new trendy framework rather than established hardened libraries, to lack of maintenance after initial setup. They have obvious holes like lack of server-side form validation (people being able to change values in forms using browser dev tools), and less obvious like buggy APIs allowing more access than they should.
In the past, many of these holes didn’t really matter because those sites were “not worth attacking” for the incentive models of human-based cyber-attackers or collectives thereof.
However, now that there are LLMs that have likely been trained on any number of common security holes in websites (and how to exploit them), when an “AI agent” is given a task, it may very well use any “tool” at its disposal, including website vulnerabilities to accomplish its goals, as illustrated by the example in the Australia ABC news article above.
Since such chatbots are now essentially "hack websites as a service", I expect we will see LOTS more of this happening, likely unintentionally, or sometimes with mild intention like “can you get me higher on the waitlist”.
Ultimately I think both the human giving instructions to (prompting) such chatbots and the creators of such chatbots should be held responsible for any such intrusions and any damage they cause, even if/when unintended.
There are a few things you can do about this emerging phenomenon:
1. If you use such “agents”, be very careful about what you ask it/them to do, avoiding asking for anything that’s morally gray or questionable at all, even something as “minor” as cutting the line in an online waitlist.
2. If you run a small business site, you have your work cut out for you. Pay a professional web developer to audit the security of your website, document what they find, and patch holes / repair it accordingly.
3. If you have accounts on small business sites you rarely or ever use, consider exporting any data (receipts, transactions), replacing your profile details (name, addresses, photos) with noise, and then deleting your account. If you need to use the site again, use a different email address (as recommended in https://tantek.com/2025/122/b1/more-steps-indieweb-cybersecurity) to create a new account.
That last tip is also helpful for reducing your own personal “attack surface”. By pruning your online accounts, you both reduce the number potential data breaches that you’re in, and reduce the places and ways that attackers can cause you trouble (or that you have to double-check if you’re ever the target of a cyber-attack)
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"text": "CSF_03: today\u2019s Cybersecurity Friday post: the effective security of small business websites has likely gotten worse due to LLMs and \u201cAI agents\u201d (with or without safeguards) and what actions you may want to consider.\n\nThis article documents an instance of this problem:\n* https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/ai-assistant-hacks-gym-website-aus-cyber-attack/107007986\n\nSmall business websites tend to be sloppily written (no pun intended though that may also be true) and are likely riddled with numerous very fundamental security holes. There are many possible explanations (economics) from poor initial construction, perhaps using the latest new trendy framework rather than established hardened libraries, to lack of maintenance after initial setup. They have obvious holes like lack of server-side form validation (people being able to change values in forms using browser dev tools), and less obvious like buggy APIs allowing more access than they should.\n\nIn the past, many of these holes didn\u2019t really matter because those sites were \u201cnot worth attacking\u201d for the incentive models of human-based cyber-attackers or collectives thereof.\n\nHowever, now that there are LLMs that have likely been trained on any number of common security holes in websites (and how to exploit them), when an \u201cAI agent\u201d is given a task, it may very well use any \u201ctool\u201d at its disposal, including website vulnerabilities to accomplish its goals, as illustrated by the example in the Australia ABC news article above.\n\nSince such chatbots are now essentially \"hack websites as a service\", I expect we will see LOTS more of this happening, likely unintentionally, or sometimes with mild intention like \u201ccan you get me higher on the waitlist\u201d.\n\nUltimately I think both the human giving instructions to (prompting) such chatbots and the creators of such chatbots should be held responsible for any such intrusions and any damage they cause, even if/when unintended.\n\nThere are a few things you can do about this emerging phenomenon:\n\n1. If you use such \u201cagents\u201d, be very careful about what you ask it/them to do, avoiding asking for anything that\u2019s morally gray or questionable at all, even something as \u201cminor\u201d as cutting the line in an online waitlist.\n\n2. If you run a small business site, you have your work cut out for you. Pay a professional web developer to audit the security of your website, document what they find, and patch holes / repair it accordingly.\n\n3. If you have accounts on small business sites you rarely or ever use, consider exporting any data (receipts, transactions), replacing your profile details (name, addresses, photos) with noise, and then deleting your account. If you need to use the site again, use a different email address (as recommended in https://tantek.com/2025/122/b1/more-steps-indieweb-cybersecurity) to create a new account.\n\nThat last tip is also helpful for reducing your own personal \u201cattack surface\u201d. By pruning your online accounts, you both reduce the number potential data breaches that you\u2019re in, and reduce the places and ways that attackers can cause you trouble (or that you have to double-check if you\u2019re ever the target of a cyber-attack)\n\nPreviously: https://tantek.com/2025/122/b1/more-steps-indieweb-cybersecurity\n\n#CyberSecurity #Friday #cyber #security #cyberAttack #cyberAttacker #chatBot #chatBots #LLM #LLMs #AI #agent #agents #AIagent #AIagents\n#Blaugust #Blaugust2026",
"html": "CSF_03: today\u2019s Cybersecurity Friday post: the effective security of small business websites has likely gotten worse due to LLMs and \u201cAI agents\u201d (with or without safeguards) and what actions you may want to consider.<br /><br />This article documents an instance of this problem:<br />* <a href=\"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/ai-assistant-hacks-gym-website-aus-cyber-attack/107007986\">https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-10/ai-assistant-hacks-gym-website-aus-cyber-attack/107007986</a><br /><br />Small business websites tend to be sloppily written (no pun intended though that may also be true) and are likely riddled with numerous very fundamental security holes. There are many possible explanations (economics) from poor initial construction, perhaps using the latest new trendy framework rather than established hardened libraries, to lack of maintenance after initial setup. They have obvious holes like lack of server-side form validation (people being able to change values in forms using browser dev tools), and less obvious like buggy APIs allowing more access than they should.<br /><br />In the past, many of these holes didn\u2019t really matter because those sites were \u201cnot worth attacking\u201d for the incentive models of human-based cyber-attackers or collectives thereof.<br /><br />However, now that there are LLMs that have likely been trained on any number of common security holes in websites (and how to exploit them), when an \u201cAI agent\u201d is given a task, it may very well use any \u201ctool\u201d at its disposal, including website vulnerabilities to accomplish its goals, as illustrated by the example in the Australia ABC news article above.<br /><br />Since such chatbots are now essentially \"hack websites as a service\", I expect we will see LOTS more of this happening, likely unintentionally, or sometimes with mild intention like \u201ccan you get me higher on the waitlist\u201d.<br /><br />Ultimately I think both the human giving instructions to (prompting) such chatbots and the creators of such chatbots should be held responsible for any such intrusions and any damage they cause, even if/when unintended.<br /><br />There are a few things you can do about this emerging phenomenon:<br /><br />1. If you use such \u201cagents\u201d, be very careful about what you ask it/them to do, avoiding asking for anything that\u2019s morally gray or questionable at all, even something as \u201cminor\u201d as cutting the line in an online waitlist.<br /><br />2. If you run a small business site, you have your work cut out for you. Pay a professional web developer to audit the security of your website, document what they find, and patch holes / repair it accordingly.<br /><br />3. If you have accounts on small business sites you rarely or ever use, consider exporting any data (receipts, transactions), replacing your profile details (name, addresses, photos) with noise, and then deleting your account. If you need to use the site again, use a different email address (as recommended in <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2025/122/b1/more-steps-indieweb-cybersecurity\">https://tantek.com/2025/122/b1/more-steps-indieweb-cybersecurity</a>) to create a new account.<br /><br />That last tip is also helpful for reducing your own personal \u201cattack surface\u201d. By pruning your online accounts, you both reduce the number potential data breaches that you\u2019re in, and reduce the places and ways that attackers can cause you trouble (or that you have to double-check if you\u2019re ever the target of a cyber-attack)<br /><br />Previously: <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2025/122/b1/more-steps-indieweb-cybersecurity\">https://tantek.com/2025/122/b1/more-steps-indieweb-cybersecurity</a><br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">CyberSecurity</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Friday</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">cyber</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">security</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">cyberAttack</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">cyberAttacker</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">chatBot</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">chatBots</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">LLM</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">LLMs</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AI</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">agent</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">agents</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AIagent</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AIagents</span><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust2026</span>"
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I really enjoyed this deep-dive video essay by Lola Germs on the science of airborne disease spread. It’s educational and fun with some Bill Nye vibes. There’s extensive notes as well!
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"text": "I really enjoyed this deep-dive video essay by Lola Germs on the science of airborne disease spread. It\u2019s educational and fun with some Bill Nye vibes. There\u2019s extensive notes as well!\n\n\n\nwhat if everything we thought we knew about disease spread is wrong? by Lola Germs",
"html": "<p>I really enjoyed this deep-dive video essay by <a class=\"h-card\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@LolaGerms\">Lola Germs</a> on the science of airborne disease spread. It\u2019s educational and fun with some Bill Nye vibes. There\u2019s <a href=\"https://tinyurl.com/clearing-air-biblio\">extensive notes</a> as well!</p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuXVu595DBI\">what if everything we thought we knew about disease spread is wrong?</a> by Lola Germs</p>"
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Dr. Michael Miller, a retired researcher at RAND, has been teaching upper level undergraduate/graduate level math courses for fun at UCLA Extension for over 50 years. This fall he'll be introducing the areas of groups, fields, and Galois theory from abstract algebra to those interested in abstract math: Groups, Fields, and Galois: Part 1. His intention is to do a follow-on class on Galois theory in the Winter which will use this class as a foundation. If you're in the Los Angeles area his class starts on September 22, 2026 at UCLA on Tuesday nights from 7-10PM. Register here: https://www.uclaextension.edu/sciences-math/math-statistics/course/groups-fields-and-galois-part-1-math-9001
His courses are thorough and rigorous, but geared toward lifelong learners and beginners in abstract mathematics to allow people better entry points into higher level mathematics. His classes are interesting and relatively informal, and most students who take one usually stay on for future courses. The vast majority of students in the class (from 16-90+ years old) take his classes for fun and regular exposure to mathematical thought, though there is an option to take it for a grade if you like. There are generally no prerequisites for his classes, and he makes an effort to meet the students at their current level of sophistication. For this particular class, if you've got some experience in high school algebra and know some preliminaries about mathematical proofs you'll be ready to dive in.
There are regular commuters joining from as far out as Irvine, Ventura County and even Riverside. Most in the class are dedicated hobbyist and professional mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and others from all walks of life (I've seen actors, directors, doctors, artists, poets, retirees, and even house-husbands in his classes.)
If you're unsure of what you're getting into, I recommend visiting on the first class to consider joining us for the Fall quarter. Sadly, this is an in-person course. There isn't an option to take this remotely or via streaming, and he doesn't typically record his lectures. I hope to see all the Southern California math fans next month!
Course Description
Group theory is recognized as one of the great unifying mathematical disciplines, with far-reaching applications in virtually all scientific (and many non-scientific) fields. This course, the first of a two-quarter sequence that concludes in Winter 2027 with a course on fields and Galois Theory, is geared toward developing the tools of group theory needed to establish the Abel-Ruffini theorem on the insolvability by radicals of the general polynomial of degree five or greater. Results established along this journey will also be applied toward addressing the three classical ruler and compass construction problems of antiquity: trisecting the angle, duplication of the cube, and squaring the circle, as well as Gauss' surprising characterization of constructible regular polygons.
September 22 - December 1
Tuesday 7:00PM - 10:00PM PT
REG# 410697
Fee: $450.00
Recommended textbook: TBD
Dr. Miller provides enough background and thorough notes that if you're taking notes on his lectures, you typically won't need a textbook.
If you've never joined the class before (Dr. Miller has been teaching these for 53 years and some of us have been with him for nearly that long; I'm starting into my 20th year personally), I've written up some tips and hints.
#Events#Mathematics#abstract algebra#algebraic field extensions#field theory#Galois theory#group theory#Michael Miller#ring theory#UCLA Extension
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"summary": "Dr. Michael Miller, a retired researcher at RAND, has been teaching upper level undergraduate/graduate level math courses for fun at UCLA Extension for over 50 years. This fall he’ll be introducing the areas of groups, fields, and Galois theory from abstract algebra to those interested in abstract math: Groups, Fields, and Galois: Part 1. His … <a href=\"https://boffosocko.com/2026/08/13/groups-fields-and-galois-part-1-ucla-extension/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Groups, Fields, and Galois: Part 1 | UCLA Extension</span></a>",
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"text": "Dr. Michael Miller, a retired researcher at RAND, has been teaching upper level undergraduate/graduate level math courses for fun at UCLA Extension for over 50 years. This fall he'll be introducing the areas of groups, fields, and Galois theory from abstract algebra to those interested in abstract math: Groups, Fields, and Galois: Part 1. His intention is to do a follow-on class on Galois theory in the Winter which will use this class as a foundation. If you're in the Los Angeles area his class starts on September 22, 2026 at UCLA on Tuesday nights from 7-10PM. Register here: https://www.uclaextension.edu/sciences-math/math-statistics/course/groups-fields-and-galois-part-1-math-9001\n\nHis courses are thorough and rigorous, but geared toward lifelong learners and beginners in abstract mathematics to allow people better entry points into higher level mathematics. His classes are interesting and relatively informal, and most students who take one usually stay on for future courses. The vast majority of students in the class (from 16-90+ years old) take his classes for fun and regular exposure to mathematical thought, though there is an option to take it for a grade if you like. There are generally no prerequisites for his classes, and he makes an effort to meet the students at their current level of sophistication. For this particular class, if you've got some experience in high school algebra and know some preliminaries about mathematical proofs you'll be ready to dive in.\n\nThere are regular commuters joining from as far out as Irvine, Ventura County and even Riverside. Most in the class are dedicated hobbyist and professional mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and others from all walks of life (I've seen actors, directors, doctors, artists, poets, retirees, and even house-husbands in his classes.)\n\nIf you're unsure of what you're getting into, I recommend visiting on the first class to consider joining us for the Fall quarter. Sadly, this is an in-person course. There isn't an option to take this remotely or via streaming, and he doesn't typically record his lectures. I hope to see all the Southern California math fans next month!\n\nCourse Description\n\n\nGroup theory is recognized as one of the great unifying mathematical disciplines, with far-reaching applications in virtually all scientific (and many non-scientific) fields. This course, the first of a two-quarter sequence that concludes in Winter 2027 with a course on fields and Galois Theory, is geared toward developing the tools of group theory needed to establish the Abel-Ruffini theorem on the insolvability by radicals of the general polynomial of degree five or greater. Results established along this journey will also be applied toward addressing the three classical ruler and compass construction problems of antiquity: trisecting the angle, duplication of the cube, and squaring the circle, as well as Gauss' surprising characterization of constructible regular polygons.\nSeptember 22 - December 1\n\nTuesday 7:00PM - 10:00PM PT\n\nREG# 410697\n\nFee: $450.00\n\n\nRecommended textbook: TBD\u00a0\n\nDr. Miller provides enough background and thorough notes that if you're taking notes on his lectures, you typically won't need a textbook.\n\nIf you've never joined the class before (Dr. Miller has been teaching these for 53 years and some of us have been with him for nearly that long; I'm starting into my 20th year personally), I've written up some tips and hints.",
"html": "Dr. Michael Miller, a retired researcher at RAND, has been teaching upper level undergraduate/graduate level math courses for fun at UCLA Extension for over 50 years. This fall he'll be introducing the areas of groups, fields, and Galois theory from abstract algebra to those interested in abstract math: <a href=\"https://www.uclaextension.edu/sciences-math/math-statistics/course/groups-fields-and-galois-part-1-math-9001\">Groups, Fields, and Galois: Part 1</a>. His intention is to do a follow-on class on Galois theory in the Winter which will use this class as a foundation. If you're in the Los Angeles area his class starts on September 22, 2026 at UCLA on Tuesday nights from 7-10PM. Register here: <a href=\"https://www.uclaextension.edu/sciences-math/math-statistics/course/groups-fields-and-galois-part-1-math-9001\">https://www.uclaextension.edu/sciences-math/math-statistics/course/groups-fields-and-galois-part-1-math-9001</a>\n\nHis courses are thorough and rigorous, but geared toward lifelong learners and beginners in abstract mathematics to allow people better entry points into higher level mathematics. His classes are interesting and relatively informal, and most students who take one usually stay on for future courses. The vast majority of students in the class (from 16-90+ years old) take his classes for fun and regular exposure to mathematical thought, though there is an option to take it for a grade if you like. There are generally no prerequisites for his classes, and he makes an effort to meet the students at their current level of sophistication. For this particular class, if you've got some experience in high school algebra and know some preliminaries about mathematical proofs you'll be ready to dive in.\n\nThere are regular commuters joining from as far out as Irvine, Ventura County and even Riverside. Most in the class are dedicated hobbyist and professional mathematicians, engineers, physicists, and others from all walks of life (I've seen actors, directors, doctors, artists, poets, retirees, and even house-husbands in his classes.)\n\nIf you're unsure of what you're getting into, I recommend visiting on the first class to consider joining us for the Fall quarter. Sadly, this is an in-person course. There isn't an option to take this remotely or via streaming, and he doesn't typically record his lectures. I hope to see all the Southern California math fans next month!\n\n<h2>Course Description</h2>\n\n<blockquote>\nGroup theory is recognized as one of the great unifying mathematical disciplines, with far-reaching applications in virtually all scientific (and many non-scientific) fields. This course, the first of a two-quarter sequence that concludes in Winter 2027 with a course on fields and Galois Theory, is geared toward developing the tools of group theory needed to establish the Abel-Ruffini theorem on the insolvability by radicals of the general polynomial of degree five or greater. Results established along this journey will also be applied toward addressing the three classical ruler and compass construction problems of antiquity: trisecting the angle, duplication of the cube, and squaring the circle, as well as Gauss' surprising characterization of constructible regular polygons.\nSeptember 22 - December 1<br />\nTuesday 7:00PM - 10:00PM PT<br />\nREG# 410697<br />\nFee: $450.00\n</blockquote>\n\nRecommended textbook: TBD\u00a0\n\nDr. Miller provides enough background and thorough notes that if you're taking notes on his lectures, you typically won't need a textbook.\n\nIf you've never joined the class before (Dr. Miller has been teaching these for 53 years and some of us have been with him for nearly that long; I'm starting into my 20th year personally), I've <a href=\"https://boffosocko.com/2015/09/22/dr-michael-miller-math-class-hints-and-tips-ucla-extension/\">written up some tips and hints</a>."
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The bright orange eruptions, orange streaks of lava flow, orange lit clouds of smoke & steam all contrasted against the black sky and land are quite the visual ASMR. Paired with the ASMR wind from the mountain, the effect is quite calming and peaceful.
Putting this on a projector is quite the night light to fall asleep to (requires YouTube Premium to avoid noisy ads interruptions that harsh your mellow)
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"text": "\ud83c\udf0b Kilauea volcano\u2018s currently active eruption in Hawaii https://www.youtube.com/live/mKJ7ZyIdjeQ\n\nThe bright orange eruptions, orange streaks of lava flow, orange lit clouds of smoke & steam all contrasted against the black sky and land are quite the visual ASMR. Paired with the ASMR wind from the mountain, the effect is quite calming and peaceful.\n\nPutting this on a projector is quite the night light to fall asleep to (requires YouTube Premium to avoid noisy ads interruptions that harsh your mellow)\n\n#Kilauea #volcano #eruption #Hawaii #orange #lava #lavaFlow #ASMR #wind #video #USGS\n#Blaugust #Blaugust2026",
"html": "\ud83c\udf0b Kilauea volcano\u2018s currently active eruption in Hawaii <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/live/mKJ7ZyIdjeQ\">https://www.youtube.com/live/mKJ7ZyIdjeQ</a><br /><br />The bright orange eruptions, orange streaks of lava flow, orange lit clouds of smoke & steam all contrasted against the black sky and land are quite the visual ASMR. Paired with the ASMR wind from the mountain, the effect is quite calming and peaceful.<br /><br />Putting this on a projector is quite the night light to fall asleep to (requires YouTube Premium to avoid noisy ads interruptions that harsh your mellow)<br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">Kilauea</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">volcano</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">eruption</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Hawaii</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">orange</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">lava</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">lavaFlow</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">ASMR</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">wind</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">video</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">USGS</span><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust2026</span>"
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“I assign a profile essay. Have for 30 years. Student interviews a person, records it, writes a paper based off the recording. Citations are timestamps. Should be pretty easy. Has been easy pre-AI. Now, students cannot do it.”
Snippet from professor/student dialog:
==== Prof: ”Start with what you found interesting.”
Student: ”How do I know if something’s interesting?”
Prof: ”You’re asking me how you find something interesting?”
Student: ”Yeah.” ====
Chatbots / LLMs are not just "the latest tools" like using a calculator instead of doing arithmetic yourself.
Students are being robbed of curiosity, learning to discover and notice novelty, how to “find something interesting.”
This isn't cognitive enhancement, this is a tool causing brain rot (loss of curiosity), even a developmental disability. Unclear if it is reversible.
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"text": "1982 TRON prescience: \n\n\u201cWon't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop.\u201d \u2014 Walter\n\n2026 students:\n\n\u201cHow do you know an assignment is AI proof? Because when it is, students cannot do it.\u201d\n* https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/1vkw6by/how_do_you_know_an_assignment_is_ai_proof_because/\n\n\u201cI assign a profile essay. Have for 30 years. Student interviews a person, records it, writes a paper based off the recording. Citations are timestamps. Should be pretty easy. Has been easy pre-AI. Now, students cannot do it.\u201d\n\nSnippet from professor/student dialog:\n\n====\nProf: \u201dStart with what you found interesting.\u201d\n\nStudent: \u201dHow do I know if something\u2019s interesting?\u201d\n\nProf: \u201dYou\u2019re asking me how you find something interesting?\u201d\n\nStudent: \u201dYeah.\u201d \n====\n\nChatbots / LLMs are not just \"the latest tools\" like using a calculator instead of doing arithmetic yourself.\n\nStudents are being robbed of curiosity, learning to discover and notice novelty, how to \u201cfind something interesting.\u201d\n\nThis isn't cognitive enhancement, this is a tool causing brain rot (loss of curiosity), even a developmental disability. Unclear if it is reversible.\n\nTRON quote citation: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/quotes/?item=qt0406255\n\n#TRON #TRON1982 #AIproof #interesting #chatBot #chatBots #LLM #LLMs #AI #brainRot #AIbrainRot #disability #Blaugust #Blaugust2026",
"html": "1982 TRON prescience: <br /><br />\u201cWon't that be grand? Computers and the programs will start thinking and the people will stop.\u201d \u2014 Walter<br /><br />2026 students:<br /><br />\u201cHow do you know an assignment is AI proof? Because when it is, students cannot do it.\u201d<br />* <a href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/1vkw6by/how_do_you_know_an_assignment_is_ai_proof_because/\">https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/1vkw6by/how_do_you_know_an_assignment_is_ai_proof_because/</a><br /><br />\u201cI assign a profile essay. Have for 30 years. Student interviews a person, records it, writes a paper based off the recording. Citations are timestamps. Should be pretty easy. Has been easy pre-AI. Now, students cannot do it.\u201d<br /><br />Snippet from professor/student dialog:<br /><br />====<br />Prof: \u201dStart with what you found interesting.\u201d<br /><br />Student: \u201dHow do I know if something\u2019s interesting?\u201d<br /><br />Prof: \u201dYou\u2019re asking me how you find something interesting?\u201d<br /><br />Student: \u201dYeah.\u201d <br />====<br /><br />Chatbots / LLMs are not just \"the latest tools\" like using a calculator instead of doing arithmetic yourself.<br /><br />Students are being robbed of curiosity, learning to discover and notice novelty, how to \u201cfind something interesting.\u201d<br /><br />This isn't cognitive enhancement, this is a tool causing brain rot (loss of curiosity), even a developmental disability. Unclear if it is reversible.<br /><br />TRON quote citation: <a href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/quotes/?item=qt0406255\">https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084827/quotes/?item=qt0406255</a><br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">TRON</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">TRON1982</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AIproof</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">interesting</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">chatBot</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">chatBots</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">LLM</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">LLMs</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AI</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">brainRot</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AIbrainRot</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">disability</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust2026</span>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
"url": "https://tantek.com/",
"photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "49224878",
"_source": "2460"
}
Found at The Predecessors while typewriter hunting in Anacortes, WA. It was paired with another similar green Olympia SM3, but I immediately picked this one up because of its beautiful and uncommon typeface.
It'll need several new parts including rubber, but this portends to be a fantastic typewriter.
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2026-08-12T17:30:16-07:00",
"summary": "Found at The Predecessors while typewriter hunting in Anacortes, WA. It was paired with another similar green Olympia SM3, but I immediately picked this one up because of its beautiful and uncommon typeface.\u00a0 It’ll need several new parts including rubber, but this portends to be a fantastic typewriter.",
"url": "https://boffosocko.com/2026/08/12/1959-olympia-sm3-portable-typewriter/",
"featured": "https://boffosocko.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/wp-17862449479078857148852345307042.jpg",
"category": [
"Acquisition",
"Social Stream",
"Typewriters",
"Olympia SM3",
"Olympia typewriters",
"Professional Elite No. 41 typeface",
"typewriter collection"
],
"content": {
"text": "Found at The Predecessors while typewriter hunting in Anacortes, WA. It was paired with another similar green Olympia SM3, but I immediately picked this one up because of its beautiful and uncommon typeface.\u00a0\n\nIt'll need several new parts including rubber, but this portends to be a fantastic typewriter.",
"html": "Found at The Predecessors while typewriter hunting in Anacortes, WA. It was paired with another similar green Olympia SM3, but I immediately picked this one up because of its beautiful and uncommon typeface.\u00a0\n\nIt'll need several new parts including rubber, but this portends to be a fantastic typewriter.\n\n<img src=\"https://boffosocko.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/1959-Olympia-SM3-typesample-1-1024x501.jpeg\" alt=\"Typed manilla card with sample of a 1959 Olympia SM3 typewriter with a Professional Elite No. 41 typeface which is a small sans serif slightly italic face.\" width=\"660\" height=\"323\" /><img src=\"https://boffosocko.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/wp-17865755083194698788317566480970-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"1959 Olympia SM3 portable typewriter in green crinkle paint on an oak library card catalog next to a silver plated cocktail shaker in the shape of a zeppelin.\" width=\"660\" height=\"495\" />"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": null,
"url": null,
"photo": null
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "49222066",
"_source": "2785"
}
Papa's got a brand new in-box. Picked up at thrift for $3.30.
#Acquisition#Note taking#Social Stream#analog office equipment#Harry C. Hedberg Company#letter trays
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2026-08-11T15:48:23-07:00",
"summary": "Papa’s got a brand new in-box. Picked up at thrift for $3.30.\u00a0",
"url": "https://boffosocko.com/2026/08/11/wooden-letter-tray-stock-no-721/",
"featured": "https://boffosocko.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/wp-17864874040077455637899231967674.jpg",
"category": [
"Acquisition",
"Note taking",
"Social Stream",
"analog office equipment",
"Harry C. Hedberg Company",
"letter trays"
],
"content": {
"text": "Papa's got a brand new in-box. Picked up at thrift for $3.30.\u00a0",
"html": "Papa's got a brand new in-box. Picked up at thrift for $3.30.\u00a0\n\n<img src=\"https://boffosocko.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/wp-1786487424392841715592346928366-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Fading white label that reads Stock No. 721 Harry C. Hedberg Company, Marion, Wisconsin 54950\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" />"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": null,
"url": null,
"photo": null
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "49208084",
"_source": "2785"
}
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2026-08-10 22:36-0700",
"url": "https://tantek.com/2026/222/t1/watched-silo-season-1-2",
"category": [
"Silo",
"SiloTV",
"AppleOriginal",
"AppleTV",
"Blaugust",
"Blaugust2026"
],
"content": {
"text": "\u25b6\ufe0f watched and finished the rest of Silo season 1 and all of season 2 over the weekend. Superbly well written.\n\nPreviously: https://tantek.com/2026/218/t1/watched-episodes-silo\n\n#Silo #SiloTV #AppleOriginal #AppleTV\n#Blaugust #Blaugust2026",
"html": "\u25b6\ufe0f watched and finished the rest of Silo season 1 and all of season 2 over the weekend. Superbly well written.<br /><br />Previously: <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2026/218/t1/watched-episodes-silo\">https://tantek.com/2026/218/t1/watched-episodes-silo</a><br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">Silo</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">SiloTV</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AppleOriginal</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">AppleTV</span><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust2026</span>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
"url": "https://tantek.com/",
"photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "49199137",
"_source": "2460"
}
Since then, Bing has added “Copilot” LLM generated results to the top of search results by default, and unfortunately they add zero value to calendar month searches and displays. Worse, Copilot’s “summary” can often be long enough to push the actual calendar month display “below the fold” as it were.
and press return. You should see a days and weeks grid display for September 2026, with the current day of the month (the 9th as I’m writing this) selected in the displayed month.
Note the new calendar month display features since I last blogged this in 2024: * Day 252 — day of the year! September 9th of 2026 is the 252nd day of 2026. * Week 37 — Sept 9th is also on the 37th week of 2026 * 31 days later — Sept 9th is 31 days from today (August 9th). * < [ Sep v ] > – little anglebracket arrows on either side of the month button/dropdown to one-click nav to the prev/next month * [ Start Day v ] — a new “Start Day” drop down button to change which day of the week to display as the start of the week
Amazing that despite already being far better than any other search engine for year month queries, Bing has *improved* its calendar month display search results, while Duckduckgo, Google, Yahoo are just as useless (yes I checked) as they were two years ago (I also tried Ecosia and it was no better). I am hashtagging them all to see if anyone at those other search engines notices and gets around to implementing a similar calendar month display.
{
"type": "entry",
"published": "2026-08-09 13:05-0700",
"url": "https://tantek.com/2026/221/t1/update-bing-view-calendar-month",
"category": [
"search",
"webSearch",
"SearchShortcut",
"Microsoft",
"BingTip",
"searchTip",
"calendar",
"month",
"CoPilot",
"NoCoPilot",
"NoAI",
"NoGenAI",
"NoLLM",
"Firefox",
"DuckDuckGo",
"Google",
"GoogleSearch",
"Yahoo",
"YahooSearch",
"Ecosia",
"Blaugust",
"Blaugust2026"
],
"content": {
"text": "Update on Bing use-case: quickly view a Gregorian calendar month display with new features and without Copilot noise.\n\nIn 2024, I wrote about a use-case for Bing where it vastly outshines all other search engines. https://tantek.com/2024/287/t3/bing-use-case-calendar-month\n\nSince then, Bing has added \u201cCopilot\u201d LLM generated results to the top of search results by default, and unfortunately they add zero value to calendar month searches and displays. Worse, Copilot\u2019s \u201csummary\u201d can often be long enough to push the actual calendar month display \u201cbelow the fold\u201d as it were.\n\nSolution: add \" -ai\" to your query.\n\nE.g. assuming you\u2019ve setup Firefox search shortcuts as I recommended (https://tantek.com/2024/287/t2/setup-search-shortcuts-firefox)\n\nType this into your Firefox address bar:\n\nb 2026 sep -ai\n\nor directly go to https://bing.com/ and enter: 2026 sep -ai\n\nand press return. You should see a days and weeks grid display for September 2026, with the current day of the month (the 9th as I\u2019m writing this) selected in the displayed month.\n\n\nNote the new calendar month display features since I last blogged this in 2024:\n* Day 252 \u2014 day of the year! September 9th of 2026 is the 252nd day of 2026.\n* Week 37 \u2014 Sept 9th is also on the 37th week of 2026\n* 31 days later \u2014 Sept 9th is 31 days from today (August 9th).\n* < [ Sep v ] > \u2013 little anglebracket arrows on either side of the month button/dropdown to one-click nav to the prev/next month\n* [ Start Day v ] \u2014 a new \u201cStart Day\u201d drop down button to change which day of the week to display as the start of the week\n\nAmazing that despite already being far better than any other search engine for year month queries, Bing has *improved* its calendar month display search results, while Duckduckgo, Google, Yahoo are just as useless (yes I checked) as they were two years ago (I also tried Ecosia and it was no better). I am hashtagging them all to see if anyone at those other search engines notices and gets around to implementing a similar calendar month display.\n\n#search #webSearch #SearchShortcut #Microsoft #BingTip #searchTip #calendar #month\n#CoPilot #NoCoPilot #NoAI #NoGenAI #NoLLM #Firefox #DuckDuckGo #Google #GoogleSearch #Yahoo #YahooSearch #Ecosia.\n\n#Blaugust #Blaugust2026",
"html": "Update on Bing use-case: quickly view a Gregorian calendar month display with new features and without Copilot noise.<br /><br />In 2024, I wrote about a use-case for Bing where it vastly outshines all other search engines. <a href=\"https://tantek.com/2024/287/t3/bing-use-case-calendar-month\">https://tantek.com/2024/287/t3/bing-use-case-calendar-month</a><br /><br />Since then, Bing has added \u201cCopilot\u201d LLM generated results to the top of search results by default, and unfortunately they add zero value to calendar month searches and displays. Worse, Copilot\u2019s \u201csummary\u201d can often be long enough to push the actual calendar month display \u201cbelow the fold\u201d as it were.<br /><br />Solution: add \" -ai\" to your query.<br /><br />E.g. assuming you\u2019ve setup Firefox search shortcuts as I recommended (<a href=\"https://tantek.com/2024/287/t2/setup-search-shortcuts-firefox\">https://tantek.com/2024/287/t2/setup-search-shortcuts-firefox</a>)<br /><br />Type this into your Firefox address bar:<br /><br />b 2026 sep -ai<br /><br />or directly go to <a href=\"https://bing.com/\">https://bing.com/</a> and enter: 2026 sep -ai<br /><br />and press return. You should see a days and weeks grid display for September 2026, with the current day of the month (the 9th as I\u2019m writing this) selected in the displayed month.<br /><br /><a href=\"https://www.bing.com/search?q=2026+sep+-ai\"><img alt=\"Screenshot of a Firefox private browsing window searching Bing for 2026 sep -ai and showing a big text display of the month of September 2026 with headings for the days of the week and weekends and holidays highlighted.\" src=\"https://indieweb.org/images/b/bc/2026-08-09-bing-2026-sep.png\" /></a><br />Note the new calendar month display features since I last blogged this in 2024:<br />* Day 252 \u2014 day of the year! September 9th of 2026 is the 252nd day of 2026.<br />* Week 37 \u2014 Sept 9th is also on the 37th week of 2026<br />* 31 days later \u2014 Sept 9th is 31 days from today (August 9th).<br />* < [ Sep v ] > \u2013 little anglebracket arrows on either side of the month button/dropdown to one-click nav to the prev/next month<br />* [ Start Day v ] \u2014 a new \u201cStart Day\u201d drop down button to change which day of the week to display as the start of the week<br /><br />Amazing that despite already being far better than any other search engine for year month queries, Bing has *improved* its calendar month display search results, while Duckduckgo, Google, Yahoo are just as useless (yes I checked) as they were two years ago (I also tried Ecosia and it was no better). I am hashtagging them all to see if anyone at those other search engines notices and gets around to implementing a similar calendar month display.<br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">search</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">webSearch</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">SearchShortcut</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Microsoft</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">BingTip</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">searchTip</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">calendar</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">month</span><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">CoPilot</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">NoCoPilot</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">NoAI</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">NoGenAI</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">NoLLM</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Firefox</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">DuckDuckGo</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Google</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">GoogleSearch</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Yahoo</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">YahooSearch</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Ecosia</span>.<br /><br />#<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust</span> #<span class=\"p-category\">Blaugust2026</span>"
},
"author": {
"type": "card",
"name": "Tantek \u00c7elik",
"url": "https://tantek.com/",
"photo": "https://tantek.com/photo.jpg"
},
"post-type": "note",
"_id": "49185489",
"_source": "2460"
}
