When people die and the media says they had “pre-existing conditions”… they’re pacifying the public. Anyone could die from Cyclosporiasis, but they want you to believe it can’t happen to you. It can only happen to the weak, the disabled, the elderly. The expendable people. Eugenics.

Two Deaths Linked to Cyclospora Outbreak in Michigan

The patients had “significant underlying health conditions” that may have contributed to their deaths, health officials said.

nytimes.com

My brother got nothing from me in his leaving whip-round. And I called him a git in his leaving card. How well paid was he that he could ‘retire’ thirteen years before I can! So… ‘git’. Meanwhile I got redeployed for my redundancy. Now I have to actually work with the kids *shudder*

fesshole 🧻@fesshole.bsky.social · 3d ago

I never contribute 'whip-round' money for a colleague leaving who was earning more than me.

Question - what are people using to catalog their book/DVD collections these days now Delicious is dead? Must have barcode reading. I’m going back to DVDs from charity shops.

I have a modest proposal for a new tax. It involves a deck of cards and a monkey throwing darts. Here are the rules:

Nope. No, you haven’t.

I know I’m in East London, but trying to buy a bread knife is remarkably difficult. It’s not like I’m going to stab anyone with it. I have swords for that sort of thing.

Just seen a Kickstarter for an ‘AI powered coffee roaster’, and honestly I’m now hoping for a massive and permanent Carrington Event.

I literally just wanted more Star Trek Discovery and Academy and Lower Decks but they canceled it because they are woke or whatever so they can fuck off now.

Business Insider@businessinsider.com · 2w ago

Paramount is moving into micro dramas after adding a short-form video feed as it competes with YouTube, TikTok, and its Hollywood rivals. https://bit.ly/4wklBGs

I disagree, but that’s because I only use it as advice to workers with respect to their employers. It’s a way of gaining a little power over an organisation that exploits you. Carving out that little allowance, widening your wriggle room.

Samhain Night@samhainnight.bsky.social · 2w ago

We, as a society, must get rid of "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission." It's the language of abuse.

Cleaning the bathroom to cool my brain down.

Wondering when I decided that ‘Network manager’ for my brother and I would be a fun hobby.

No, I’m actually in a pretty good mood this morning - why do you ask?

(Normally I’d say PPE or journalism, but I know Streeting did history and I’m too lazy to look up some PPE wanker sliding between ministerial jobs thinking they are qualified for any of them besides winning a popularity contest based on tie colour and then the ‘office drama/sucking up’ game)

Universities should cancel all courses except for History as every cabinet shuffle it shows it’s true utility at letting you be the bestest in the world at everything. Run the NHS better than any doctor and now run the army better than a general, whatever next for our history degree graduate?

I’m the opposite of a football-head, but I’m wondering if there is there a ‘Para-World Cup’ similar to the Paralympics? Just an idle thought sparked by organising our next TTRPG session which, after a few weeks, finally won’t be derailed by millionaires kicking a ball.

Burnham, like everyone in the UK political mainstream (as determined by the establishment), is fully committed to the "Government as HR Department" model. These people see the role of government as implementing the will of the bosses (the Epstein classes/billionaires) on the workers (the public).

Jim Caris@jimcaris.eurosky.social · last yr.

Saw someone say the other day that Labour sees themselves as "the country's HR department" and I can't stop thinking about it

I’ve reached that point in life where I’m looking forward to wandering around Ikea. Is this…adulting? (Although, it’s to find a better storage solution for my 200+ miniature paints, so maybe not. OR MAYBE I’M JUST AN ADULT WITH AWESOME HOBBIES!)

Me, reading Vampire World of Darkness lore back in the '90s: Wait, so as they get older and more powerful the elder vampires feel the weight of the years and have to slumber for longer and longer periods in the dark to regain their strength. Weird. Me now: Ok, this is actually deeply relatable.

‘Only available online, not in stores’ I’m sorry B&Q but if I’m going to drop £100 on something for my specific niche need then I’m going to need at least an example of one to physically see. You aren’t Amazon, you have actual big fucking warehouse shops - utilise that you twats!

Groan. Funnily enough I was talking about her to my new boss today, as Eris is the name of my cat.

Cat Vincent (he/him, Useless Eater)@catvincent.bsky.social · 3w ago

I've got a joke about Eris but it's unfair.

Looking at how the animals react, I don’t think they needed to ‘disguise’ them at all. Just not look like a predator. Still, not as meme-worthy for the socials to just have an RC car with a camera on it.

Digital Brain@yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 3w ago

BBC engineers built robo-cameras disguised as dung heaps to film wildlife at distances no human crew could ever get close enough to reach.

Thinking about going on a shamanic retreat to renew myself. To have by body and soul torn apart by the demons of the air, having to rebuild myself with the power of my will, only maybe this time with a little less back pain and fat. Or a day out to Skegness maybe? I’ve never been to Skegness.

Ah - the start of the six weeks holiday. The sole reason to work in a school. Yeah, yeah, something, something, joy of working with children, blah, blah, yadder, yadder.

Keeping this to hand for when I’m teaching literacy in September. 😉

Felicity Hannah@felicityhannah.bsky.social · 3w ago

My son just told me is favourite sentence is: “I didn’t say we should kill him” because if you emphasise each different word it changes the entire meaning

There are 238 kids in my mainstream school with special educational needs, lots of them for ADHD and/or autism. And knowing those kids personally - there is, if anything, an *underdiagnosis* of these and other neuro issues.

Rosie (she/her)@airfriedrosie.bsky.social · 3w ago

Remember Streeting's review into whether young people are being overdiagnosed with ADHD, autism, and mental health issues? Well, the interim report is out, and there's a reason the media are silent on it (spoiler: it proves what a lot of us have been saying all along)

Timeline cleanse

April Glick Pulito@aprilglick.bsky.social · 3w ago

update: baby foxes now teenage foxes 🦊

It's the most basic of litmus tests you're being asked to do nothing to not buy a book or a game or a piece of merch to live your life exactly the same way you did before that thing became available for purchase if NOTHING is too big an ask, you can't be counted on when it's time to do SOMEthing

Zoe Tunnell ➡️ FlameCon E-09@zoewithasword.bsky.social · 3w ago

The thing about JKR and telling folks not to buy Harry Potter shit is it isn't because we think it can take away her fortune and platform. She's so rich she would still be rich if she never sold another book It is because it is literally the smallest possible hurdle to clear to value trans lives

You're going to get left behind if you don't use Al." Leave me then. Leave me with my critical thinking skills, my ability to read and write long- form, and books without needing Al summaries.

Successfully replaced the keyboard on my laptop. Apart from the backlight. Because I got the wrong keyboard. Never mind - I call mostly unfucking an expensive bit of kit without causing a lithium fire* a win in my book! (*look, it happened _one_ time, OK)