*That's not a slop image, that is Carlos Schwabe illustrating Emile Zola, but with the French countryside on fire it has a spooky resonance that it formerly lacked
@justthisguy.net
I'm just this guy, you know? Homo loquax nonnumquam sapiens. Epistemophilic, Pythonic, Caninophilic. Austin, TX (ATX)
Many, many thoughts on this, starting with the idea that it is not surprising people feel that the government is much more likely to interfere or punish them for their speech because at this moment that's just objectively true.
John Sands@iohn.bsky.social · 5h agoA new survey from @knightfoundation.org and @ssrsresearch.bsky.social reveals a disquieting decline in how free Americans feel to use the freedoms protected by the #FirstAmendment without government interference or punishment. 🧵
New Lawsuit Challenges Missouri’s Rejection of Citizen Challenge to GOP Gerrymander talkingpointsmemo.com/news/lawsuit...
New Lawsuit Challenges Missouri’s Rejection of Citizen Challenge to GOP Gerrymander
The group behind an effort to force a statewide vote on Missouri...
talkingpointsmemo.com
It’s actually frightening how many people can’t read or write or think anymore.
Ayo@darrylayo.bsky.social · 19h agoGuys like this don’t realize that they are the freak
Pratchett was such a gifted writer. “Cohen had heard of fighting fair, and had long ago decided he wanted no part of it.”
Micah@rincewind.run · 23h agoDiscworld QOTD, from The Light Fantastic
I remember someone recently telling me they thought Uber had cleaned up its act since Travis left years ago. But then...
Veena Dubal@veenadubal.bsky.social · yesterday“The litigation has revealed a clear pattern: Uber’s lawyers scour women’s private communications, medical records, therapy notes …They grill the women about those issues, their sex lives and their behavior on the night of the incident.” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/b...
AI-driven surveillance pricing is predatory and needs to be stopped. Join our livestream to learn how you can defend your own privacy—live Q&A included! eff.org/livestream-sai
I don't understand why people aren't more freaked out about the coordinated water systems cyberattack that hit *seven* US states (over 30 facilities in one state alone; people had to boil water). Anyway, if you missed the new #Cybersecurity roundup this morning: www.patreon.com/violetblue/p...
Cybersecurity: August 4, 2026 | Threat Model
This week: water systems in seven US states targeted in a coordinated cyberattack, the “escaped AI” story gets worse, deliberately backdoore
patreon.com
97-year-old Betty Bromage, who suffered a stroke in 2025, has broken the Guinness World Record for being the oldest female wing walker (again)
Gloucestershire woman, 97, breaks record for oldest wingwalker
She has carried out six charity wing walks over the past decade.
bbc.co.uk
The Soviet animated version is set on Dec 31 2026, but it is also very much worth experiencing (thank you to @rblemberg.bsky.social who showed it to me!) - www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oxP... Possibly even more terrifying than the original story.
Будет ласковый дождь / There Will Come Soft Rains (1984) [Eng CC]
YouTube video by Алекс Кэрролл
youtube.com
Lisa DeBruine@debruine.bsky.social · yesterdayToday is the only day you can experience Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” on the day it is set. Audio: archive.org/details/brad... PDF: thephilosopher.net/bredberi/wp-...
Imagine working on a cure for malaria and accidentally inventing the first synthetic dye, a new color, and kick-starting a whole textile industry, all at the age of 18.
c0nc0rdance@c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 6mo agoLet's talk about the time that an 18 YEAR OLD invented the COLOR MAUVE (I am not kidding) and completely revolutionized textiles, fashion & eventually cancer diagnosis. The teenager was William Henry Perkin, a bit of a prodigy, who at 15 began studying with August Wilhelm von Hofmann at ICL.
Happy Ray Bradbury apocalypse day to all who celebrate.
Saw a comment on a YouTube video about the dire state of the AI driven economy that made me laugh- “Turns out our profits were the debts we made along the way.”
Frances Perkins was the patron saint of American workers and an inspiration for me during my time as labor secretary. She was the guiding light behind the creation of Social Security, the 40-hour workweek, the National Labor Relations Act, and much more.
David Dayen@ddayen.bsky.social · yesterdayToday's Prospect Patriot is Frances Perkins. She saw the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory go ablaze in 1911 and her life changed. "The New Deal was born that day," she said. 22 years later she'd be America's first female cabinet member. prospect.org/2026/08/04/a...
You still have four days to vote on the Hugo Awards. If you don't have a $50 WSFS membership and want to vote, you can register here: www.lacon.org/register If you have a membership, vote at this link: portal.lacon.org We would love your support this year: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/wall3... 1/2
The UK AISI says it observed a total of 19 instances where Mythos and GPT-5.6 Sol tried to hack people and companies during a routine cyber evaluation in July (Sam Sabin/Axios) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Black users who accurately predicted that most of the site would forget they were here inviting people and building this place from day one, too A whole lot of the people who were here in that first March 23 wave that have totally disappeared
Adam P Knave@adampknave.com · 2d agoYes. Trans, queer, furry users totally 100% did a lot of work to help cement this place and its culture. But when day that and you don’t include the large number of black users who have since been run off even though they were just as important, you dishonor the start of this place further.
That's not how policing works, it's how parallel construction works.
Jason Koebler@jasonkoebler.bsky.social · yesterdayNew: Police are being told to hide the fact that they're using Flock to pull people over and arrest them in both encounters with citizens but ALSO in their official police reports: www.404media.co/do-not-menti...