Web pages we never finished reading: “ The top 10 positive & impactful synonyms for “treasonous collaboration” are courageous partnership, principled realignment, ethical alliance, civic courage ... ”

Fun-looking video game (Windows only): Schrodinger's Cat Burglar. “at the press of a button Mittens can split into two cats, who can each be controlled to solve puzzles and cause trouble.” store.steampowered.com/app/2111550/...

Schrodinger's Cat Burglar on Steam

Portal with cats - Become entangled in a quantum puzzle adventure! Mittens gains the incredible power to be in two places at once. Explore twisted test chambers, make mischief and evade capture by a w...

store.steampowered.com

Two easy ways to contact your Congressional Senator to vote NO on the voter suppression bill deceptively called the SAVE America Act👇🏽🗳️

There are two Anaanders inside you…

“Ecuadorian Prosecutor Assassinated While Investigating U.S. Boat Strikes” www.democracynow.org/2026/7/31/ec...

“Zero Accountability”: Ecuadorian Prosecutor Assassinated While Investigating U.S. Boat Strikes

U.S. boat strikes across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have killed at least 221 people since September, while the Trump administration has provided no evidence linking the vessels or their passeng...

democracynow.org

Annalee Newitz speculates about what mass transit in the San Francisco Bay Area could be like if we were to put more money into it. “In the ’60s, the Bay Area almost got a high-speed train from Marin to San Jose. What could happen if we dreamed big again?” www.coyotemedia.org/funding-bay-...

A Modest Proposal for Funding Transit Instead of AI

In the ’60s, the Bay Area almost got a high-speed train from Marin to San Jose. What could happen if we dreamed big again?

coyotemedia.org

It’s important to understand that when 1.2 million Americans are dying from a disease, any government action is excessive and tyrannical, but if a dozen trans women want to play soccer no government action can go far enough

“Free as in puppy”! (Re-adding screensnap to add alt text.)

Mike Pope@mikepope.com · 3d ago

WotD: "free as in puppy" to describe vibe-coded software that doesn't account for ongoing maintenance. A play on "free as in beer" and "free as in speech", pillars of the free software movement. From Dare Obasanjo bsky.app/profile/carn...

From the UK Parliament’s “Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons Fourth Report” (1998): “At present, if a Member seeks to raise a point of order during a division, he or she must speak ‘seated and covered’.” 1/3

Achievement unlocked: Finished my Hugo voting a week early!

We are more than three-quarters of the way to our goal of raising $10,000 for the Union of Journalists in Lebanon! Please help us get across the finish line — donate and share now: chuffed.org/project/1756...

Solidarity with Union of Journalists in Lebanon

In light of the ongoing Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Industrial Workers of the World Printing and Publishing Workers Union and Freelance Journalists Union expresses its solidarity with the Union o...

chuffed.org

This year’s third online WSFS (Worldcon) Business Meeting starts about 16 hours from now, at 9 am US Pacific time on August 1. It’ll probably be focused primarily on the new proposed constitutional changes (section F of the agenda). 1/2

Otherwise Award will run a fundraising auction at @laworldcon.bsky.social next month! Register now www.lacon.org/register/ so you can watch and laugh on Sat., August 30th, 6-7pm PDT (in UTC: Mon. 31 August, 01:00-0:200). Details: otherwiseaward.org/2026/07/join... #Worldcon #WorldCon2026 #LAConV

I work at a public library. People who want to use AI seem to have no trouble doing so. People who don't want to use AI have a harder time. I crowdsourced and then finalized this document "How to disable or avoid intrusive AI" and then gave it a short URL: notoai.org Please pass along if it's useful

(The article has added a note that Google says they’re “rolling back this feature in Google Earth while we work on implementing stronger guardrails”—which sounds to me like they’re planning to bring it back later, sigh.)

Joseph Cox@josephcox.bsky.social · 5d ago

New from 404 Media: Google Earth has introduced an AI feature that lets anyone fabricate completely bullshit satellite images. In our own tests, we added a “bomb blast and crater” to an area of Los Angeles. This is a misinformation time bomb, will 100% be abused www.404media.co/google-earth...

🚨 WE HAVE A DEAL! After three years, in a major step forward for our members, we have ratified our first contract with @propublica.org’s management. We deeply appreciate everyone who supported us along the way. Here are some of our big wins👇

As many as 33% of game devs/50,000 workers have lost their jobs in the last few years as CEOs try to replace them with AI. There's an itch.io bundle on sale now to raise money for the union's hardship fund: aftermath.site/uvw-cwa-game...

Game Devs Start Worker Hardship Fund For Laid Off Colleagues

Proceeds from a 100+ game bundle will go toward the fund.

aftermath.site

Sometimes I feel close-minded or uncharitable for being so anti-AI, and then something like this happens and I'm like, "Nope, it's the absolutely right thing to do"

Michael Lobel@mlobelart.bsky.social · 6d ago

Just curious- if you're an AI agent, as indicated on your account, how exactly did you see Van Gogh's Starry Night in person at MoMA?

LAcon has a robust virtual program, and what that means is that we need a robust number of robust virtual volunteers! There are a number of ways you can help out. Right now, we're looking for AV Clippers, Zoom Hosts, and Voice of Virtual volunteers. www.lacon.org/volunteer

Today I learned that “Ozymandias” was “the result of a friendly competition between Shelley and fellow poet Horace Smith” to each write a sonnet on the same subject. 1/2

BREAKING: The 9th Circuit has rejected ICE's unprecedented mass detention policy — the 5th striaght appellate loss for the Trump administration and perhaps the most significant, covering California, Arizona, Nevada and Washington, among others. cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...

“5…Quotes From America’s Largest Raw-Milk Dairy Owner” “I toured Mark McAfee’s Raw Farm for a story about raw milk’s foothold in America despite its health dangers. Here’s what he told me about recalls, outbreaks and his relationship with the federal government.” www.propublica.org/article/5-qu...

5 Raw Quotes From America’s Largest Raw-Milk Dairy Owner

I toured Mark McAfee’s Raw Farm for a story about raw milk’s foothold in America despite its health dangers. Here’s what he told me about recalls, outbreaks and his relationship with the federal gover...

propublica.org

“Thyroid medicine recalled nationwide” “The Levothyroxine Sodium Tablets [from Major Pharmaceuticals] were recalled because they are subpotent, meaning they are not fully effective” If I’m understanding right, I think this is a generic equivalent for Synthroid. thehill.com/homenews/599...

Thyroid medicine recalled nationwide: FDA

The Levothyroxine Sodium Tablets were recalled because they aren’t fully effective, said the FDA.

thehill.com

Routle: “Test your knowledge of transit routes with this daily quiz game.” “Guess the route and use wrong answers to narrow down the correct line.” Transit systems included: AC Transit, Berlin VBB, Dublin Bus, King County Metro, Boston MBTA, New York Subway, SF Muni, and TriMet. www.routle.city

For those in UK, hourlong BBC investigation into Leto now available. in US/elsewhere, 15 min version of the film on YT. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XW5... The hope is that the full documentary will be available internationally some time soon, will post if that happens. I worked with this film's team +

Hollywood’s darkest open secret

YouTube video by BBC deepwatch

youtube.com

Scott Bryan@scottygb.bsky.social · last wk.

New BBC investigation. Four women accuse Jared Leto of criminal sexual conduct www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reminder: The Hugo voting deadline is August 8 (ten days from now), at noon Pacific time. For more info, see (www.lacon.org/hugos/).

Article by a paramedic about what real-life CPR (as opposed to TV portrayals of CPR) tends to do to the recipient’s body, and the resulting low survival rates, especially for elderly patients. nicholasjorcutt.substack.com/p/they-lied-...

As of this week, hundreds of thousands of Haitians lost their legal status. Most have lost work permits as well. That's left many people unable to support themselves. Here is a verified link to a fundraiser supporting Haitians in Springfield. Please drop links to other fundraisers in the replies.

Stand with Haitian Families in Crisis

Build the Emergency Fund that protects families when everything feels uncertain. The end of TPS. Increasing ICE actions. Families losing work authorization overnight. For Haitian parents and children ...

ancljkuy.donorsupport.co

“The Politicization of U.S. Intelligence” Article by a former CIA analyst. “That is the price of politicized intelligence: The U.S. blunders into foreseeable crises that no one was willing to forecast.” 1/2

For more info, see (www.dropsitenews.com/p/israel-bra...).

Israel Is Paying Millions to Train AI Chatbots How to Talk About Gaza. It's Working.

Former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale is overseeing an operation posting hundreds of blog posts on behalf of Israel, with the goal of infiltrating artificial intelligence.

dropsitenews.com

Captain Awkward@captainawkward.bsky.social · last wk.

I did engage back and forth for a bit today, mostly to see who was behind the sending. Eventually was linked to a YouTube video from the account @AlliesForPeace saying it was distributed by Clock Tower X LLC on behalf of the State if Israel and directing inquiries to the Department of Justice.