[User]
today's short thought is:

princes lwj and lxc are the sons of emperor lan's favorite concubine. they are rumored to be unparalleled in beauty and grace—yet arranging marriages for them proves to be impossible.

[Assistant] their mother was the emperor's favorite, but she remained only a concubine her entire life because she killed the emperor's teacher. she could never have been empress, and she never could leave her palace—yet the emperor abandoned his entire harem for her, and only her.

[User]
she bears the emperor two sons—the last two children he would ever have. they are beautiful princes, and are given to the emperor's brother to shield them from their father's concubines' scheming.

even when their mother dies, the emperor refuses to visit his harem ever again.

[Assistant] as time passes, the two princes grow even lovelier—and their father's harem grows ever more jealous that their children never seem to match up to the emperor's precious twin jades. at this rate, it looks likely that one of them will inherit their father's throne.

[User] so the angry concubines spread rumors through their families and servants: the twin jades bear their mother's curse. whoever is so unfortunate to marry them is guaranteed to either die an early death or doomed to never have descendants.

[Assistant]
the emperor is enraged when he hears the rumors. he loved the twin jades' mother so much that he had decided that any further children of his would be hers to bear—not because she'd cursed him with infertility, or that his love had doomed her to death.

yet the rumors spread.

[User]
the twin jades receive many appreciative looks and propositions, yet no wedding proposals. many are eager to coax them into a night together—yet none are willing to propose a life together.

lxc marries first—to a man, perhaps in an effort to stem the rumors.

[Assistant]
at first, everything seems fine. although they would never have children, nmj and lxc seem happy together.

then nmj suffers a qi deviation from the sword techniques his clan uses.

his family already has a history of such early deaths—yet lxc is blamed for it.

[User]
soon, even attempts to seduce the twin jades for a night together fade. nobody wants to risk it.

lwj and lxc seem doomed to the life of a widower.

[Assistant]
then, one day, someone with bad intentions looks at lwj, who is having a day out in caiyi town, and decides that a prince with a curse could be a oddity that sells well.

they do not get far in their plan; a man with a charming smile and quick head-butting skills stops them.

[User]
"Your subject Wei Ying, Wei Wuxian at your service," the man introduces himself to lwj with a flourished bow. "Is Your Highness unharmed?"

lwj indeed is unharmed. his would-be kidnapper hardly got him halfway to the getaway carriage when his rescuer intervened.

[Assistant]
his half-brother—his father's third son, five years older than lwj—insists that they bring wwx back with them to the palace to be properly rewarded.

their emperor-father is relieved that lwj is unharmed. he asks wwx what reward he would like.

[User]
"The Second Jade is truly a peerless beauty," wwx says. "I don't suppose Your Majesty is willing to give me his hand in marriage?"

it's a joke. it's clearly a joke. wwx even winks as he says it.

the third prince looks at his mother, who immediately leaps at the chance.

[Assistant] the third prince's mother promptly begins outlining the benefits of marrying lwj off. despite the emperor's clear reluctance, she doesn't let up one bit, even going so far as to congratulate lwj in front of everyone on his upcoming nuptials.

[User]
wwx looks startled, obviously not having anticipated his joke being taken seriously. but when asked by the emperor, he answers that he would not mind being married to lwj.

when a servant brings up the rumors on the twin jades, they are beaten until near death.

[Assistant]
and so they marry. the wedding is grand, with a large attending crowd; everyone wants to see who was brave enough—or foolish enough—to marry one of the twin jades.

wwx receives the title of prince-consort. he attends to lwj diligently, falling easily in the role of spouse.

[User]
he accompanies lwj during their meals and on their outings. at night, he willingly goes to lwj's bed and undresses for him.

for a couple who barely knew each other before, it's a good marriage. lwj can see himself growing to love him.

which is why he must warn him.

[Assistant]
wwx laughs when lwj tells him about the curse.

"I don't believe in curses, Your Highness," he says. "They're just stories told by people who have nothing better to do."

lwj is worried. wwx won't listen, which means he isn't being careful.

[User]
then.

it happens.

someone—likely one of his father's concubines, enraged at the public's growing affection for lwj and wwx—arranges for wwx to be captured and tossed into yiling's burial mounds.

no one ever returns from the burial mounds.

[Assistant]
lwj is beside himself with grief. he orders for search party after search party to go look for wwx and to bring him back—dead or alive.

after the 33rd search party, he receives an imperial order from his father to stop looking.

"We will hold a funeral for him," his father says.

[User]
lwj doesn't want a funeral. what good is a funeral without a body to bury? he just wants wwx to come home.

regardless of his wishes, the funeral goes ahead. the palace servants treat him as if his grief has muddled his mind.

after the funeral, he joins his brother in seclusion.

[Assistant] his brother lives in the cold palace, where their mother once stayed. it is avoided by the rest of the harem, and doesn't receive much care, so it lacks the finery of the other palaces. together, they live in simplicity, forever bearing the weight of their losses.

[User]
three months pass in peace, until they receive news from the main palace—one of their father's concubines has died, along with her son.

lwj and lxc emerge from the cold palace to attend the funerals.

[Assistant]
it's unfortunate, but it's a fact of life; with a large harem and an abundance of children, it is inevitable that the emperor would see some deaths.

but the the deaths keep occurring. the concubines who had actively schemed against lwj and lxc before all fall, one by one.

[User] it doesn't take long until one of the remaining concubines notices the trend. immediately, she starts spreading dissent among the palace, putting out rumors that lwj is to blame for the deaths—that he wrongfully blamed his concubine-mothers for his poor reputation.

[Assistant]
when yet another concubine dies a mysterious death, even the emperor has had enough.

"Wangji," the emperor says at the funeral.

lwj lifts his head.

"Did you do this?" the emperor asks, his voice weary.

lwj looks at the coffin. "Your subject-son didn't do this, father."

[User]
"Did you or did you not harbor resentment for your concubine-mother?" the emperor asks.

"I never got along with my concubine-mothers," lwj says. "Father knows this."

"To the point where you take their lives?" the emperor says. "Your mother would be disappointed."

[Assistant]
lwj inhales. exhales. "With respect, father," he says. "Mother is also dead."

anger flashes through his father's eyes. "Pass my imperial decree," he announces. "Prince Hanguang-Jun is unfilial, rebellious, and disloyal. He is to be confined to his—"

[User]
a gust of wind flings the doors. cold night air pours into the room, extinguishing the flames. concubines shriek and servants scramble to close the doors and windows, to no avail.

outside, a lone dizi howls over the wind.

[Assistant] the coffin rattles. the lid slides off. to everyone's horror, the body within sits up, its head heavy with with the gold and finery that accompanies every concubine to the afterlife. the concubine opens her mouth. a rattling noise emerges from her throat, barely forming words.

[User] "I…" the concubine's lips don't move; instead, her voice echoes inside everyone's ears, crossing the boundaries between life and death. "I… harbored jealousy towards… the favored consort. I… spread rumors… to destroy the Twin Jades… so my son… could be emperor."

[Assistant]
the dead concubine's son lets out a blood-curdling scream before collapsing unconscious to the floor. the remaining concubines scramble, tripping over each other in their hurry to evacuate the room. guards hurriedly escorted the emperor out.

only lwj and lxc remain.

[User]
the dizi sounds fade. the body falls back inside the coffin with a heavy 'thunk'.

lxc doesn't loosen his embrace one bit. "It's alright," he says to lwj, his voice trembling. "We'll hire an exorcist for the palace. This won't happen again."

[Assistant]
and so the search for an exorcist starts with fervor.

the emperor makes no more mention of lwj and lxc possibly harming their concubine-mothers.

the deaths stop.

one day, a guard calls for an audience with the emperor. "We've found an exorcist," he says.

[User]
"Bring him in," the emperor says.

in walks a dark-robed man with long hair, tied back only with a single red ribbon. he twirls a dizi in one hand and wields a smile sharper than any knife.

"Your Majesty," he says, bowing to the emperor.

[Assistant]
the emperor immediately grips the armrests of his throne. "Prince-consort," he greets coolly. "We thought you were dead."

"I got better." wwx shrugs, grinning. "My apologies for keeping Your Majesty waiting. It's a long walk from Yiling to here."

[User]
lwj stands up from his seat, his hands shaking. "Wei Ying."

"Ah, and there's my beloved lord-husband!" wwx coos, bowing again before walking over. then, in front of the emperor's entire harem and court, he grabs lwj by the front of his robes and pulls him in for a deep kiss.

[Assistant]
it's a rather filthy kiss. there's tongue involved. and wwx's arms are around him, so lwj can't move away.

once wwx finally ends the kiss, he grins at the horrified audience around the room. "Sorry," he giggles. "I just miss my husband so much!"

[User]
lxc coughs. "So, uh," he adjusts his sleeves and clears his throat. "Welcome home, prince-consort. I hope you will let us know what happened during your disappearance."

"Oh, of course," wwx replies, still happily hugging lwj. "Just as soon as I rid the palace of ghosts."

[Assistant]
lwj doesn't know what's going on. he can only hold onto wwx and say, "Wei Ying."

wwx kisses him on the cheek and whispers into his ear. "There was never a curse," he croons. "There was only ever human jealousy. How do you like my belated wedding gift?"

[User]
pieces of the puzzle fly around in lwj's head. wwx's disappearance. the concubines' deaths. the way all those who had harmed lwj and his mother all one by one disappeared.

"It is a good wedding gift," lwj replies.

wwx's face lights up.

[Assistant]
"I knew you'd like it," he laughs. "Does this mean I successfully broke the Twin Jades curse?"

"Mn," lwj replies, his ears warming.

"So do I get a reward?" wwx whispers.

now lwj's ears are definitely red. "Mn."

wwx giggles. "I look forward to it, husband."

---THE END---


[User] ELDEN RING IS MY COMFORT GAME AND I TALK ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY (how about you?)

[Assistant] My comfort game is Metal Gear Rising Revengeance and I will talk about this game all day cause it’s one of the best games imo.

[User] Birb loves Elden Ring! Maybe a bit too much...

[Assistant] Same! Just had a nice relaxing night practicing Malenia, to me it is like performing a fun dance.


[User]
This #holidayseason, go ahead and make yourself a #coquito?  Creamy, velvety, and easy-to-make, this popular Puerto Rican #Christmas drink is the perfect alternative to eggnog. #drinkspiration

carrotsandtigers.com/2024/11/27/m...

[Assistant] This sounds delicious. But what is the difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk? If I translate these into German, they both turn out as “Kondensmilch”.

[User] It's unsweeted condensed milk. I know it's hard to find in Germany but you can easily make yourself. Heat any type of milk (full-fat cows milk is best) and let simmer for 25 minutes (don't let it come to boil). This removes about 60% of excess water in the milk any you end up with evaporated milk.

[Assistant] Thank you. I will have to try it then.


[User]
A history of Horses in the southern half of Africa
ca. 1498-1900.

www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Horses and humans have shared a long history in Africa since the emergence of equestrian societies across the continent during the bronze age.

www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
For over 3,000 years, Horses were central to the formation and expansion of states in West Africa, the Maghreb, and the Horn of Africa, leading to the creation of some of the world's largest land empires such as Kush, Songhai, and Bornu
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
One of the earliest mentions of Horses on the mainland of southern Africa comes from a Portuguese account in 1554, which mentions “a large herd of buffaloes, zebras, and horses" near the Mthatha River (Eastern Cape province)
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
the spread of Horses south of the equator was restricted by Equine trypanosomiasis, which explains the apparent absence of the Horse among the mainland societies of that region, and their use of oxen as the preferred pack animal.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Al-Masudi’s 10th-century description of Sofala for example, mentions that the Zanj of that region “use the ox as a beast of burden, for they have no horses, mules or camels in their land” adding that “These oxen are harnessed like a horse and run as fast”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
these descriptions were likely influenced by the extensive use of oxen as pack animals among many mainland societies in the southern half of the continent
eg the Khoe-san who used riding oxen for transport and to defeat the Portuguese at Table Bay in 1510
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
The 1798 account of the Portuguese governor of Mozambique-Island, Francisco José de Lacerda, mentions that riding oxen were the primary means of transport in Kazembe
Portuguese attempts to introduce camels or tame zebras failed
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
Horses appear more frequently in the earliest accounts of Portuguese visitors to the East African coast.
When Vasco Da Gama first arrived in the city of Malindi in 1498, he observed two horsemen engaged in a mock fight.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
In 1505, after the Portuguese invasion of Kilwa by Dom Francisco d’Almeida (before he was killed by the Khoe-San), the rival kings he installed also rode on horseback to proclaim their ascendancy, likely inspired by the ceremony witnessed at Malindi

www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
An account from 1511 by Tome Pires indicates that the horses of the East African coast were imported from Yemen. He mentions that; “Goods are brought from Kilwa, Malindi Brava, Mogadishu, and Mombassa in exchange for the good horses in this Arabia.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
However, later accounts of Swahili society indicate that these horses were used sparingly, likely only serving a ceremonial function, while donkeys and camels remained the main pack animals, and can still be seen in the modern streets of Lamu and Mombasa.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
In 1570-71, the Portuguese conquistador Francisco Barreto traveled up the Zambezi River at Sena (in Mozambique) with about “twenty three horses and five hundred and sixty musqueteers” in his failed invasion of the kingdom of Mutapa (in Zimbabwe)
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Along the Atlantic coast in what is today modern Angola, a few horses were reportedly introduced in the kingdom of Kongo along with Portuguese mercenaries to serve the Kongo king Afonso I as early as 1514, but both proved to be rather unsatisfactory
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
In 1592, Francisco de Almeida (unrelated to the one mentioned above) arrived in Luanda with 400 soldiers and 50 horsemen who led a failed invasion into the Kisama province of Ndongo but were defeated and forced to retreat
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Cavalry units frequently appeared in Portuguese battles with Njinga's army, but their numbers remained modest, with only 16 cavalry among the 400 Portuguese officers and 30,000 auxiliaries at the battle of Kavanga in 1646
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
early Portuguese claims that one horseman was equal to a thousand infantrymen were rendered obsolete by the realities of warfare in central Africa
Their cavalry and infantry army of 40,000 was soundly defeated in Matamba in 1681
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Horses arrived in the Dutch Cape colony in 1653, but their numbers were kept low by horse-disease, forcing the settlers to use idiosyncratic mixtures of local knowledge of disease management from the Khoe herders
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
Cape authorities later used horses to display settler ascendancy to the subject population. By 1670, they established horse-based ‘commando’ units for policing the frontier; these traveled as cavalry but attacked as infantry units that dismounted to shoot.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Beginning in the 1780s, creolized groups of Khoe-san speakers such as the Griqua and Kora horsemen were engaged in cattle raiding and horse trade with and against sedentary communities like the Xhosa and Sotho.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
The armies Xhosa king Sarhili (r. 1835-1892) won several battles against the neighbouring Thembu and Mpondo due to their skillful use of horses and firearms. By 1846, Xhosa factions were able to mobilize as many as 7,000 armed mounted men
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
the neighboring kingdom of Mpondo under King Faku (r. 1818 -1867) did not create cavalry units but acquired horses from the neighbouring Khoe-san groups through trade and raiding, and the horses were used in transport and minor conflicts
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
Raids by the Kora against the baSotho made a significant impression on the latter, whose king Moshoeshoe (r. 1822-1870) consolidated his power to create the kingdom of Lesotho.
the kingdom quickly acquired their own horses and guns, rivaling the Kora
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
By 1852 the Basotho forces stood at about 6,000, “almost all clothed in European costumes and with saddles.” These horsemen managed to put up a successful defense against a British colonial army at the Battle of Berea.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
Increased conflicts between the kingdom and the Boer Orange Free State culminated in the first First Basotho–Boer War in 1858, and a second war in 1868, which involved between 10,000 and 20,000 Basotho cavalry and infantrymen.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Horses arrived late in the northmost provinces and were less decisive in warfare.
In June 1831 a coalition of 300 Griqua horsemen and several hundred Tswana spearmen was roundly defeated by the Ndebele king Mzilikazi, and many were captured but not used
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
The mixed infantry and cavalry forces of the Boers fared better against the armies of the Ndebele and the Zulu between 1836-1838, and against the horse-riding Tswana chiefdoms of Gasebonwe and Mahura in 1858
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
The vast majority of horses in the pre-colonial societies of southern Africa originated from the now extinct  ‘Cape Horse’ breed, which was itself a mix of
Arab, South-east Asian, Persian breeds, and English Thoroughbreds
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
African groups like the Kora, Griqua, Xhosa, and Sotho, began breeding horses as soon as they were acquired.
As late as 1908, a colonial report notes that the principal industries of the Griqua were "sheep farming, horse breeding, and agriculture.”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
In Lesotho, a local horse breed known as the ‘Basuto pony’ which measures about 13.2-14.2 hands, was created from a heterogeneous stock acquired from various sources, whose diverse origins are reflected in the breed’s changing nomenclature.
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
In Lesotho, the military horse was seamlessly incorporated into male domestic life.
According to an account from 1875: “the traditional wish with every young Basuto to possess a horse and gun, without which he does not consider himself a man”
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
Beyond their military function, horses were also used in domestic contexts including in rural transport; hunting (typically among the San foragers); in ploughing and threshing; and for transporting trade goods across the country
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[User]
Horse riding and breeding went into rapid decline during the post-war period in South Africa as horses increasingly became obsolete on large-scale commercial farms, in public transport, and in the military
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...

[Assistant]
In Lesotho, Horses retained their significance in the economy and are still widely used for general transport over the country's dramatic topography
The Horse remains an important symbol of the country's cultural identity and appears in its coat of arms
www.africanhistoryextra.com/p/a-history-...


[User] My Favorite Wargame Cards – A Look at Individual Cards from My Favorite Games – Card #15: Ambush and Local Guides from The Wars of Marcus Aurelius: Rome 170-180CE from Hollandspiele. theplayersaid.com/2024/11/27/m...

[Assistant] After looking at your list I was sad that Students Circulate Petition from Junta wasn't on it!

[User] I’ve never played that one. The series will be long and stretch far into the future. Maybe I’ll play that one day and it will be eligible.

[Assistant] It's a game about running a banana republic and attempting to embezzle the most money.  The reason that this card is one of my favorites is basically that it doesn't do anything.   You can play it in anger, but nobody cares.  The game is silly, and cutthroat all at the same time.


[User] I'm definitely reaching like a hard limit on game collecting solely because of space, found an otome in my clothes drawer that I thought I lost.

[Assistant] "You don't have that many games."

[User] Lol, I’ve been switching to digital games lately for the same reason.

[Assistant] I have a whole drawer in my clothes dresser dedicated to my otome/switch games 😭


[User]
Wow! The Scotland's Census "Table Builder" utility is now online and its awesome.

It has made data that I've been scratching around for so easy to grab.

And subsequently has validated some of my more outlandish theories about Scots.

www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/d...

[Assistant]
So, the census reported that around 33.7% of people in Scotland consider themselves able to speak or read Scots and 23.6% consider themselves able to write Scots.

We might consider these figures to be the average, to which groups can be compared.

1/

[User]
If we use the census table build to do multi-variate analysis, comparing "highest level of education" and "Scots language ability" we can see that among people with degree education 29.2% can speak or read Scots and 16.38% can write Scots.

These are both below average.

2/

[Assistant]
Among those with who left school with no qualifications at all, 36.2% can speak or read Scots and 28.7% can write Scots.

These are both above average.

3/

[User]
Now if we imagine a "Scots literacy rate" - the proportion of people who can speak or read Scots who can then write it.

On average the rate is 71.7%

Seven out of ten people who can speak or read Scots can also write it.

4/

[Assistant]
Among those with degree level education this Scots literacy rate is 56.2% (quite a bit below average) and among those with no educational qualifications at all the literacy rate is 79.4% (above average).

5/

[User]
This is really weird, in the context of Scots literacy, those who have spent their lives in Scottish education are less literate than those who dropped out as early as possible.

6/

[Assistant]
In fact, if we look at those who left school with only their Standard Grades, their lower school certificates, the proportion who can speak or read Scots is 36.5% and the proportion who can write Scots is 28.6%.

The literacy rate is 78.3%.

All above average.

7/

[User]
And when we look at those who left school with only their Highers, their upper school qualifications, the proportion of speaker / readers is 32.1% and the proportion who can write is 22.0%.

These are both below average, and the literacy rate is 68.5%

8/

[Assistant]
To me this looks like the education system, instead of "educating the Scots out of people" merely marginalised and filters out Scots speakers and people from Scots speaking households.

Those Scots speakers with degrees aren't those who were educated and educated, that's just survivorship bias

 9/

[User]
What it looks like is that at each education level, more Scots speakers receive the message that "maybe education isn't for you".

So the people who emerge with degrees are the ones least able to speak or write Scots.

10/

[Assistant]
At this point we can turn away from highest level of education and look at the Socio-Economic grades in the census and their Scots language ability.

The census categorises people into sixteen classes, which effectively range from the most highly paid to the lowest paid or unemployed.

11/

[User]
This sort of thing is very closely correlated with highest level of education. People who dropped out of school are generally unable to get highly paid jobs. Highly educated people with degrees are more able to get highly paid jobs and promotions to senior positions.

12/

[Assistant]
If we look at the "L1: Employers in large establishments" group, 26.78% are able to speak or read Scots, 14.51% are able to write Scots, these are below average.

Conversely if we look at the "L14.2: Long-term unemployed", 37.3% can speak or read, 27.9% can write Scots.

13/

[User]
We can plot a neat graph of all the socio-economic grades and see how the Scots language skill levels improve.

14/

[Assistant]
We can also calculate the Scots literacy rate for each socio-economic class and plot a nice graph.

The lower paid and lower qualified end of the spectrums are more able to write Scots than the higher paid and higher qualified ends.

15/

[User]
What makes the census table builder so useful is that we can sling anything into it. Lets look at the relationships between industrial sector and Scots language ability.

Keep in mind that 33.7% can speak or read Scots, 23.6% can write Scots and the average Scots literacy rate is 71.7%

16/

[Assistant]
There are twenty two industrial sectors listed in the census, but here are the nineteen with the most people.

17/

[User]
We can pull out the proportions of people with Scots language skills in each sector.

18/

[Assistant]
And we can calculate the Scots literacy rates for each sector, this reveals something with far-reaching implications.

19/

[User]
Here we see that industries such as Construction, Transport, Retail and Manufacturing have above average Scots literacy rates.

Industries such as Finance, Arts, Information and Communications and Education have the lowest Scots literacy rates.

20/

[Assistant]
Information and Communications includes publishing and broadcasting. So the reason why we see so little Scots language in public life is because these people are the least able to speak, read or write Scots compared to the rest of society.

21/

[User]
Similarly the Education sector is literally the least able to write Scots compared to every other sector, but they are ones who are depended upon to teach the youth of Scotland.

22/

[Assistant]
If we imagine a proposition for a Scots language educational course, the Education and Information sectors are least likely to approve it, compared to the Construction, Transport and Manufacturing sectors.

23/

[User]
If we imagine a proposition for a TV show in broad Scots, the TV commissioners, as part of the Information and Communications sector, are the least likely to approve it and fund it compared to almost every other sector.

24/

[Assistant]
If we imagine a proposition for a series of books or a newspaper in Scots, the newspaper and publishing industry, as part of Information and Communications sector are least likely to approve it, compared to Construction, Transport, etc.

25/

[User]
Now, if we look at the list of sectors, grouped by Scots literacy, and remember the correlation between Scots ability and highest level of education.

We might characterise the Low Scots Literacy sectors as being ones where you need qualifications to succeed.

26/

[Assistant]
And the High Scots Literacy sectors are perhaps ones where you can easily get on without qualifications.

So the way that the Scottish education system is rigged against people from Scots-speaking households, directly leads to which sectors are available to them.

27/


[User] I wore out the insoles in my safety shoes for work again. My God it hurts to stand after a little while 😭😭

[Assistant] Would inserts from a store help?

[User] Temporarily yes. But I haven't found good ones in store that are heavy duty enough for warehouse work.

[Assistant] Try the walking company when you get a chance. They last forever.


[User]
What Are Your 5 Must Have Tools For Your Craft and Practice?
Items that you absolutely need to have on hand. (tangible items only)

Matches (or lighter at need)
Chalk
A knife
An Almanac
A Deck of Cards

That being said I pretty much always want my walking stick/cane to be with me also.

[Assistant] The almanac is an interesting pick, Professor! Would it be okay if I ask for a bit of elaboration?

[User]
Of course. When I was very young I was told that all I needed to have (meaning things I couldn't get as needed) to do/be a hoodoo was:
Matches (because you don't want to stop to make fire or might not be able to "get fire" from another fire)
(1)

[Assistant]
A Knife (to cut cordage of all kinds - string, twine, rope, etc. To use in harvesting - stems, leaves, flowers etc. To command certain forces/spirits. To protect yourself against other humans. To cut and eat food, etc. etc. etc.
(2)

[User]
Some chalk (to make various signs and marks)

A Bible (to have holy script with you for prayers, to calls powers, etc. etc. As well as it being a powerful talisman and protector.)

(3)

[Assistant]
An Almanac (to know when times happen - when is the moon in what phase, when is seasons change, when the sun rises and sets, when to plant/harvest, and the lists of "good times" to do certain actions relating to people, work, etc. Also, it is a handy and needed tool to do simple folk astrology.
(4)


[User] The Underworld is CANCELLED.

[Assistant] On balance, potentially one of the Top 5 most objectionable individuals to have set foot on that patch of pavement…

[User] I know that we have issues with the Weed Man now, but Marty desperately saying "I KNEW this would happen" when we rolled up to the World's End singing the Bro chant and getting refused entry is one of the funniest things I've been a part of during the BritWres days.

[Assistant] Hating on a successful woman is it?


[User]
Good morning, what shoes are y’all working out in?

I was thinking about getting a pair of metcon 5s but the last time I picked up a pair of Nikes I had to get a refund because the quality is trash.

[Assistant] I mean I worked out in my converse and keep it pushing but the shoe is bad for your feet and body.  I suggest going to a pedorthist because they're professionals who specializes in the use of footwear and supportive devices to address conditions which affect the feet and lower limbs.

[User] I ended up getting like an insole for my shoes (flat feet smh) and it helped my feet, ankle, back, and hips. The pedorthist can sit with you and help you find the best shoes for your feet whether thats for running, going to the gym, or just walking about. Your physician should be able you find one.

[Assistant] Thank you!


[User] Freshly showered. Horny.

[Assistant] Ready to have that ass eaten 😛

[User] What a coincidence ❤

[Assistant] Mmm a lovely view 😜


[User] Basic biology obsessed transphobia is rooted in the insecurity of losing roles that are only defined under gender essentialism. The male role to provide intellectual, physical, and financial capital to overcome their inferiority to mothers. The female role to be inherently valuable as a mother.

[Assistant] This is akin to first century chauvinists, who believe in inherent superiority of the patriarch over children, and slaves. These roles only exist in dead ideologies.

[User] Reading Candide as satire is the vaccine to gender essentialism.

[Assistant] Feels gross exploring these perspectives, so backwards and selfdestructive.


[User]
entire family has a cold. toddler is sniffling and coughing, baby has a runny nose, husband has a runny nose and sore throat, my face hurts and i'm coughing.

yay. 🎉

[Assistant] We've had a few days of toddler stomach bug over here. Hopefully he can keep down food today without Zofran.

[User] i will send good thoughts your way!! and advice you didn't ask for -- have you tried the tummy-upset lollypops?

[Assistant] Thanks! And my wife just actually found those! Never heard of them before, but definitely want to give it a try.

[User] I hope they help! We have those and the sore-throat ones at home because my toddler won't take medicine unless you basically sit on him. 🤦🏻

[Assistant] toddler also slept in our bed last night. i got nice cuddles, but it's also extremely hard to sleep next to a wiggly little boy who absolutely has to be touching you in at least three spots.


[User]
Good morning friends 👋☕

Rough night. ROUGH.

And I still feel forgotten. I hate this disorder. It makes me feel small and pathetic.

🫂

[Assistant] Knowing emotions are not always reflective of reality only goes so far.

[User] It doesn't go very far with me. I know all sorts of things, but it doesn't really matter when I'm in crisis.

[Assistant] If it helps, you crossed my mind this morning, and I'm glad to see you here, even if you're struggling today. Here's a hug!


[User]
Oh finally somebody did this study!!
Mathematically it was just an obvious way to avoid resistance, but of course the first requirement is that the patient survived it!!!
Looking forward to read it and just on time to cite it!

[Assistant] “the first requirement is that the patient survived it” so glad I never have to worry about that, and congratulations to the authors!

[User] Yeah it is kind of interesting. If you want to kill a colony of bacteria causing the infection, one option is nuke them with a huge amount of antibiotic so that they die all and fast, no resistance developed. Problem is, all of this is happening within a patient, and they need to survive!!

[Assistant] Second problem is bacteria might try to protect themselves in biofilm, which I tend to imagine like the testudo of the Roman legions (but huge), and you need to be sure antibiotic gets in sufficient amount to kill even the bacteria at the core of it ...


[User]
I asked Geminiabout "ALF hog"...

"The term "ALF hog" doesn't have a widely recognized meaning in the context of the ALF TV show or Bluesky. However, there are a few possible interpretations:"...

[Assistant] "1. A humorous reference to ALF's appetite: ALF was known for his voracious appetite, particularly for food like cats. Perhaps "ALF hog" could be used humorously to describe someone who eats a lot."

[User] "2. A slang term for a specific type of person: It's possible that "ALF hog" could be a slang term used within a particular community or subculture, but without more context, it's difficult to say for sure."

[Assistant] "3. A reference to a specific meme or internet joke: Given the popularity of ALF on platforms like Bluesky, it's possible that "ALF hog" could be a reference to a specific meme or joke that has emerged within the ALF community."


[User] like, I get it, I get why, but it's bleak and troublesome that our choices are "social media controlled by someone who can repress, oppress, suppress, and overall manipulate the website but has privacy features" or "better social media that is public and for users but ZERO privacy <3 gl!"

[Assistant] like the internet is too volatile with data and AI scraping every which way, but nobody's using the places that offer more privacy options (like mastodon) bc bsky is the most familiar functionality+appearance wise. and if you make bsky but with more privacy, who the hell is gonna jump ship AGAIN?

[User] yeah you can block but i dont always want to block, and that still doesn't remove the follower count either 😭i just want a social media that isnt manipulated by right wing trolls and hate crimes but where i can, like, have some privacy too.

[Assistant]
id be fine with some specific use cases of like, user-user data change such as in softblocking but i 1) dont think its possible 2)guess its probably antithetical to what theyre building with atproto

still..still. idk. is there no true way to balance "public, built for users" AND privacy-driven 🥴


[User]
My 4yo daughter laughs like Sid James and I’m here for it*

*fully realise this ages me… who doesn’t know who he is? Make yourself known!

[Assistant] I still watch the Carry on films. Love them.

[User] Oof, not seen in a while. Aren’t they one step away from “what the window cleaner saw”?

[Assistant] Confessions of a Window Cleaner! Love that one too!!!


[User] I think I need to go to their bench this morning.

[Assistant] Take some pics for us if you do!

[User] Got some will share later.


[User] Thoughts? Opinions?

[Assistant] See, the complete opposite of subtle.

[User]
I wasn't going for subtle, so that's ok 🤣

Too much?

[Assistant] Too much? Please. Perfect.

[User] Wait…was this intentional or kind of its own?

[Assistant] That is LITERALLY the same thing where it's concerned 🤣


[User]
It is possible to view university-level lectures on YouTube, This series of videos is from Dr Christine Hayes, Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University.

The series, “Introduction to the Old Testament.” will be useful to any Christadelphian looking for a critical overview of the OT.

[User] youtu.be/ANUD8IK12ms?...


[User] 1/ During a 66-day campaign, Israel conducted extensive aerial bombardments across Lebanon, aiming for what it termed "total victory" over Hezbollah. Despite the intensity of the offensive, Israeli forces were unable to occupy a single town in southern Lebanon. 🧵

[Assistant] 2/ Had Israel been on the verge of achieving its military objectives, it would neither have sought nor agreed to a ceasefire. Notably, the ceasefire agreement failed to secure Israel’s primary goals, which included:

[User]
3/
Disarming Hezbollah ❌
Establishing a buffer zone ❌
Forcing Hezbollah's withdrawal north of the Litani River ❌
Eliminating Hezbollah's political influence in Lebanon ❌

[Assistant] 4/ The ceasefire remains a temporary and fragile measure, given the ongoing regional struggle for influence and shifts in global power dynamics. Acknowledging this, Israel is likely already preparing for new rounds of confrontations, as is Hezbollah.


[User] Growing up, TNG was my jam, followed by DS9. But now it's Lower Decks 100%. 😅

[Assistant] What I love about Lower Decks is that it takes the best parts of what makes Star Trek so Star Trek and flips it in its head only to create something that's just so full of love and respect for the franchise. It's also hilarious and has so many wonderful little details and nods to other shows/films.

[User] I think my favorite thing is when they reintroduce something from the original animated Star Trek series to firmly cement it into canon. I love TAS so every time I see something from it, it's like this gif:

[Assistant] (TAS has always been canon to me)

[User] Just don't get me started on explaining all of the things that don't fit in the nice little box called canon and my rationalizations. 😅 You'll also get every little thing that's canon breaking in every other show and film. 😅 And in the end, none of it really matters 😅😅😅 it's all Star Trek!

[Assistant] I absolutely love to timeline, analyze every little thing and if it fits nicely into canon but I know that it doesn't really matter. Canon doesn't make a good story!


[User]
"AHA was ist los lol. Right, so, the mad Irish woman that controls my every move has asked ME to ask YOU can you make the weather go all mental again? She tried using cheats but that apparently broke the universe. Mental I know."

🙃

[Assistant] "....Any chance you can spit my friend out. Small, Korean, would probably be in his 50s now- Alright, shit? Hope you get aphids or something. Bitch."

[User]
Strangerville cant have eco footprints and i hate my game looking nice and healthy. The storm is going to have to replace the smog :/

Thank you Felix for your keycards.

[Assistant]
If anyone is interested

Before and after putting strange weather back in. Makes a huge difference. Just ignore the nutters strutting about.


[User]
Friendly reminder that Steam Sales begin *today*!

Pray to whatever Gods you think will save your wallet, it will still not be enough.

---

Now, if you'll excuse me:
*pokes Steam so it posts more here on Bluesky*

[Assistant] *Bank account screams in agony*

[User]
Not yet!

Or, if it is screaming already, tell it to prepare to scream even more!

[Assistant] *Screams louder*


[User]
Good morning first shift! 💕

Remember to put yourself first. Cookie did it.

[Assistant] Good morning, Dr. Jose!

[User] Morning Christopher! And Jose is just fine 😊.

[Assistant] Ok lol … I just like putting the respect on your name😜


[User] There was no reason whatsoever that we couldn't walk across that. Half the stone bridge was still in place, and if you did slip, you'd fall maybe three feet. But my husband insisted we turn back and use a different trail. Phooey.

[Assistant]
"Our lawyers made us close this bridge in case you might slip." 😅 My front steps have gotten more dangerous than this.

(Fine, I get it. Lawyers liability sure, and maybe they were afraid more of the bridge would go down. And my husband doesn't want me to die in a heap of collapsed stone.)

[User] Mine would have made us turn back too. But my son would have been like "Be ungovernable". We've hiked more dangerous areas that were open. 😂

[Assistant] Exactly! This kind of thing on, say, Mount Washington would have been fine, but I guess because it *should* have been wider and more stable, someone might have been able to make a legal claim against the trail keepers. This way, they could say, "Jane, you dumbass, it was closed." 😅

[User] So I read your intro sentence and immediately thought you were introducing a novel: strange disappearances, weird creatures, and a couple trying to Figure It All Out! 😂

[Assistant] Fortunately for us and unfortunately for the literary world, we returned home an hour later in perfect, boring safety.

[User] Big fan of perfect, boring safety; except in fiction!

[Assistant] We're supposed to be mean to our characters, but that's because one's characters don't end up paying off large medical bills afterward, at least not with real money.


[User] The people pushing AI on us think otherwise. They think we are just computers made of meat, and can be improved on.

[Assistant] I am far, far from an expert but have done some machine learning as part of a recent degree, and some of it is used adjacent to my job, and while it can do crude stuff it's still very much dependant on human input/insight/design and as for creativity? They're completely different things.

[User] This is what the people pushing us don't want us to figure out.

[Assistant]
Even relatively well known flaws like facial recognition technology (based on AI/ML) being inherently racist rarely gets mentioned, eg when Harris was talking about it last night in relation to the Dublin riots as a necessary tool.
www.amnesty.ca/features/rac...

[User] The improvement they see is removing the need to pay us.

[Assistant] I'm happy to use AI for timesaving tasks, and it saves an insane amount of time when I have to, say, reduce sixteen hours of audio interview to create a 90-minute commentary track. I'm also very grateful for Google-translated-from-Russian subtitles on a current research project.

[User] But none of this stuff is intended for publication, and in no way would it be suitable for publication without an absolute ton of painstaking manual correction. And this is transcription/translation, not origination.

[Assistant] Similarly with my job, people are starting to use it to transcribe instructional documents, basically scrape the information from it. That's it though, the real work starts after that, deciphering and using the information in a meaningful fashion.

[User] ...while being fully aware of the technology's limitations. Yesterday, I tried to find the text of something online, and Google "helpfully" headlined the search with AI-generated bullet points, three of which were factually wrong, one of them alarmingly/libellously; the AI had mixed two people up.

[Assistant] One of the very few things it has been useful for is deciphering scrolls from Pompeii that were unreadable before. But their interpretation then goes through several scholars of ancient Greek to weed out the mistakes & misinterpretations before it can be published.


[User] Spatchcock.

[Assistant] That's some sexy talk for this early in the morning 🤣

[User] Thought I’d set the tone for the day.  Felt…right.


[User]
Vladimir Khorev.

From the series,
Characters.

Taipei.
Using glass street fencing as an artistic method to achieve his semi-surreal images, Khorev photographs random passersby who are taking a short break at the fountain opposite the historical Longshan Temple.

[Assistant] You’re an education on here. Magic.

[User]
You are very kind Woody.
It’s exactly my approach.
I miss being in my classroom 😕

[Assistant]
Well, you’ve acquired a student here!
😂

[User]
Fabulous!
I’ll send you your homework later Woody. 😊

[Assistant] Such a tonic.


[User] Learning some history right now.

[Assistant] His name always confused me. I was like "Wait...is he related to...?"

[User] Maybe? I don't think so.

[Assistant] He looks, to me,  like somebody whose ancestor's company printed the first bible.


[User] As an anti-trafficking organization, we recognize that tomorrow, the National Day of Mourning, is a time to reflect on the historical and ongoing injustices faced by Indigenous peoples across the United States.

[Assistant] For many, Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude, but for Indigenous communities, it also serves as a reminder of colonial violence, land theft, and cultural erasure that continues to impact generations.

[User] Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit individuals are disproportionately affected by human trafficking and violence, a reality rooted in systemic racism, economic disenfranchisement, and historical trauma. Addressing these issues is essential to dismantling the structures that perpetuate harm.

[Assistant] As we work toward eradicating trafficking, we must center the voices + experiences of Indigenous communities, advocate for policies that protect their rights, + amplify the resilience + sovereignty of Native peoples.


[User] Hey everyone! After some thought, I think it’s time to make the tm production hub server more public, and we’re planning to do that this Friday! The original idea of having a private space was great, but it might have been too isolated, limiting engagement.

[Assistant] By going public, we can create more opportunities for collaboration and make it easier to connect with production casters and organizers. We’ll still keep some sections private for specific needs, but the main focus will be on accessibility and engagement.

[User] Our goal is to build a healthy, well-established community where we can all thrive, collaborate, and most importantly, learn from one another. The Trackmania community has so much untapped potential, and I believe we can achieve amazing things together!

[Assistant] Let’s make this a place where everyone can grow, contribute, and take their skills to the next level! Looking forward to seeing what we can build together.


[User]
This is “the haunted oak” that was used to lynch 23-year-old Claude Neal in Marianna, Florida, in 1934. No marker is present. News reporters from earlier in the decade are how I found it.

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44195/...

[Assistant] When I teach lynching, I never show the body. I show the crowds. We read the Dunbar poem The Haunted Oak. We read Richard Wright’s Between the World in Me. And now I might show the picture of this haunted oak. www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44195/...

[User] Yikes. I didn’t realize Neal was lynched in Marianna, just a 45-minute drive south of my house.

[Assistant] Yeah, I had forgotten, too. We were going to the caverns, so my wife started looking up history in the area, and she said his name. At first, it didn't register, but then I remembered.  We were getting ice cream near the courthouse, so I had to see if there was a marker.

[User] I can’t begin to imagine such a marker there.

[Assistant] Yeah. There was also a movement to remove the tree but it hasn't had much movement. news.wfsu.org/wfsu-local-n...


[User] If I we’re a new SaaS founders, this is what I’d do to reach 1000€ MRR:

[Assistant]
1. Ditch subscriptions
Start with one time payments only. Easier to sell. Lower risk for the user too.

[User]
2. Do the unscalable
Reach out. Chase money. Find gorilla marketing metods. Advertise your product like crazy.

[Assistant]
3. Document it all
Start building in public. Ideally, where your customers are. Make notes. Ideate. Build.


[User] You’re gonna be late for your flight if you don’t quit screwing around. 🦃

[Assistant] But what if I want to keep screw- oh. Oh I may have misread that.

[Assistant] No worries, I’ll catch another 😜


[User]
I think what shocks me more then the headline, is the fact that its not from another country, this is America in the year 2024!!
WTAF!!

[Assistant] I would be selling my stocks in any business involved with the wedding industry!

[User] Definitely wtaf.

[Assistant] HF you gotta be kidding me with pull the trigger BS , MAYBE respect should be earned B4 you all think or feel you will control anything else in a woman's life, BTW enjoy your Roe bc it will be short lived and you can take that to the bank, positive JD wife doesn't play I'm from MIDDLETOWN OH "ORIG"


[User] you are a bad person. there's no other way to say that, you are telling victims of a genocide it is their fault and demanding they flee when there is no where you flee to and that they give up their homeland to fascists. do not ever claim to be on the left again you piece of shit.

[Assistant] A bad person? You don't know me. I have seen MANY gofundmes that are absolutely BS. Calling someone out for having someone else pay for his decent life. I understand making sure he and his are provided for but then you remove yourself or stay and be exterminated. It doesn't seem like a tough choice.

[User] you are a bad person victim blaming people who your government is helping to genocide. i hope you get everything you deserve in life.

[Assistant] My government? You don't know where I live. Don't talk about shit you don't know. It makes you look really stupid.   I victim blamed no one. I called out someone for asking for more than they need.


[User] You can see the racism if you know what you're looking at....

[Assistant] Avoiding predominantly black neighborhoods?

[User] The map being focused on Lower Manhattan and Dumbo....lmao....yeah.....

[Assistant] Seriously! I know MTA goes uptown, LOL.


[User]
Pictures sent to Mad (or taken by the staff) of celebrities who made it into the letters pages over the years.
Are they a celebrity? Are they in the letters section? Is the person holding a Mad or appearing with someone Mad? Then they're probably on this list!

www.madcoversite.com/features-let...

[User] who dat?

[Assistant]
i went through the letters section & took all the photos of babys, kids, & animals with MADs & used them as photos from my "family photo album", so this was me as a baby.
 (it was funnier when my identity was hidden. In case you were wondering why i did that, i wanted MAD to be the star, not me.)


[User] Finished a helicopter mission on Flight Sim 2024 last night, touched down with one of the smoothest landings I've managed in a chopper, to praise from my flight instructor, and then...nothing. Game didn't recognise that I'd completed the objective so I had no option but to start again.

[Assistant] Sure am glad I bought the expensive edition for FS 2024 with how much of a mess it has been since launch.

[User] Oh, and that was the *seventh* incompletable mission I've had so far, not including repeat attempts, which would push it well into double figures.

[Assistant]
Is this a "They're going to fix it" situation or a "They're going to ignore it and just add more paid-for content" situation?

Because simulators tend to skew toward the latter . . .

[User] Been having similar issues with the photography missions. Feeling absolutely certain I've set everything up perfectly, taking the photo and.... nowt.

[Assistant] I spent about 2 hours butting heads with an early Ferry mission in which the flight path inexplicably sent me in the wrong landing direction *then* didn't mark the objective as complete once I'd wrestled into the parking zone. Doubly frustrating as when it gels, the career stuff mostly sings for me.

[User] Yep, when it works it’s great but more often than not *something* goes wrong. It’s hard to tell how much of this is actually fixable - a lot of it seems to be down to genAI shortcomings, and at others it’s streaming issues making it feel sluggish or unresponsive.

[Assistant] I cannot get the hang of one of the hovering tutorials at all.  I just shoot off backwards lol.


[User]
Are you a young Western Indian Ocean conservation nerdling? Then apply to Durrell to learn from some of the best out there - AND to work on the iconic Round Island and Ile aux Aigrettes conservation & rewilding sites!  🐢🐍🌴🦎🧪🌿
🚨Deadline extended to mid-December
training.durrell.org/course/view....

[Assistant]
sent details to the marine life community in the city, maybe someone will be interested.

(honestly it sounds very amazing to apply for, even by me)

[User] Aye, I thought the same! 💚😁 -I'd still count as young/early-career, right? Right? ....[crickets]... Oh well.

[Assistant] Dennis, if I jump into this (and pivot my career) it indeed will be the early-career on this front. 😅

[User] That's the spirit! 🤘🤓

[Assistant] 'Nerdling' LOVE that!

[User] One of my favourite terms to use for (my) students 💚🤓

[Assistant] I've never heard it before, perfect!


[User]
I'm alive today because of therapy. Sean Strickland like normal is just rage bait engagement farming.

Those of us that aren't insecure figured this out a long time ago. Therapy doesn't mean anything about your strength or masculinity.

[Assistant]
One day, I had an epiphany and then tried to quantify how many of the world’s problems are due to toxic masculinity. You know- war, climate change, social inequality, etc.
I came up with: most of them.

[User] Literally different versions of dick waving and false manliness. I grew up in it with a cop for a dad. It took me into my 20s to start repairing how much damage he did to me and how not who I wanted to be then I was. Even after I felt "better", kept going. I still routinely check in with behavioral.

[Assistant] Such toxic masculinity.


[User] Like Marxism, surrealism never took much root in the UK, if it had Tristram Hillier would be a star name. From 1933 he was a member of the Unit One group led by Paul Nash and championed by the art critic Herbert Read. This work was painted at East Pennard, Somerset in 1950.

[Assistant] Image credit?

[User] That's a bold statement!

[Assistant] Hi Richard, what do you consider Surreal about this painting?


[User] I taught Nala to give me a high-five in exchange for head-pets, in an attempt to curb her over-enthusiastic licking and attention-seeking. Instead, I created my very own "No, Kelly, that's illegal" cat.

[Assistant] She's in the way.


[User] The clearest memory we have from our time working A/V for a mega church: at one point, the youth pastor covered Kanye West’s Heartless from the perspective of Jesus. Even as a teenager, all we could think was “what the fuck is happening right now”

[Assistant] Our second clearest memory was the depressing way he described sex: as an act that chipped away parts of your heart until there was nothing left. As if love was a thing with limits, and not an endless font you could share with the people that made your heart soar.

[User] Have you ever watched Cathode Ray Dude videos? He's had a similar past so covered bits on mega church A/V, acknowledging how weird a world it is (and how the gear is quite good for YouTube set ups)

[Assistant] We’ve seen his videos but never saw him talk about that before! Interesting.


[User] I tend to share people's concerns about generative AI, but I sometimes wonder if we have the emphasis at the wrong point in the process. Before genAI most people wouldn't have cared if their posts were used to, for example, train a model that classifies hate speech for content moderation. 🧵

[Assistant] Similarly, we don't care when a human author reads a bunch of other books and uses those experiences to write another book. The concern comes in with both humans and LLMs when we think they're producing a book that's too similar to the other books.

[User] One could theoretically conceive of an AI that learns like a human does, and if that AI existed (currently it doesn't), I don't think where it gets its training data from would be much of an issue, so long as it had lawful access to it, even if it were copyrighted.

[Assistant] But we need to somehow hold people who operate AI that infringes on other work liable. "Sue them when it does" is probably not sufficient because especially for small creators they're not going to have the resources to detect that and chase it down.

[User] I sometimes wonder then if AI should be illegal when its creators can't demonstrate that it won't reproduce copyrighted material. In practice in the short term, maybe this means the same thing as banning training on copyrighted material, since that's probably the only way to prevent it right now.

[Assistant] But I don't know, philosophically it seems like we have this upside down. (End thread)

[User] But it would also in the current day differentiate between generative and non-generative AI. I can prove that non-generative AI won't reproduce the original work because it can't produce ANYTHING that looks like that.

[Assistant] Anyway, just philosophically seems like we have this upside down and we're at risk of demonizing AI trained on unowned data in a way that harms nobody and could actively make our internet lives better. (End of thread)


[User] I rather deal with trig and fractions than decimals.

[Assistant] Like seriously, you can deal with fractions. Radicand of a square root x can be translated into x^(1/2) that can be put into a derivative or anti derivative very easy. Radicand of a cubed root into x^(1/3).

[User]
Derivatives take one away from the power so 1/2 to -1/2 and 1/3 to -2/3.
Antiderivatives add one to the power. So 1/2 to 3/2 and 1/3 to 4/3.

[Assistant] Trig is easy because when you remember the pattern. Cosine and sine relationships. sin²x to (sinx)². Patterns aren't difficult to remember.


[User]
A presentation about my PhD at CVL (and why you should join us)

github.com/Parskatt/sto...

[Assistant] How long does a PhD usually take in Sweden? I assume you need a Master's to apply, so the system is similar to Germany and many other European countries (BSc (3 years) -> MSc (2 years) -> PhD (X years))?

[User] Mine will probably end up being 4.5 year. Typical funding is for 5 years (4 years research/study 1 year for "departmental duties")

[Assistant] What's the "Y-program" you graduated from?

[User] Hehe right, this was an internal presentation. It's the engineering physics program at linköping.

[Assistant] Want to come to the party 🎉 and let's collaborate 😉

[User] Nice! Sweden is pretty nice to visit in early fall, combine it with a vacation :) Otherwise maybe I can have a zoom room ;)

[Assistant] I wish it could answer the question that's been plaguing me for while - whether it's still possible/sane thing to do the when you've been a decade away from universities and got two kids and a mortgage.


[User]
Wednesday before a long weekend playlist:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkzJ...

[Assistant] Apparently I have hit upon a Freddie groove, and I will not apologize.


[User]
With intent to sow division between Ukraine and the US, Putin's propaganda machine wants you to believe that Ukrainian soldiers (with Russian accents and 10 year old, undersized patches) are now burning President Trump's books.

No, they're really not.

[Assistant]
the highlight of GTA IV is going to a bar and watching this shitty russian playacting
youtu.be/ij4U1Dzcvlg?...

[User] I wouldn’t blame them if they did. It’s not like they’re religious texts or anything.

[Assistant] Fuck,  I’ll send them matches if need be.


[User] This one 😭💀

[Assistant] All for the sake of peace 💀

[User] No but now I need to know why I’m right 😅

[Assistant]
Because that's what you want to hear😂
At least....


[User] #econsky I am tarriff-curious.  I understand tariffs are paid by the importer and ultimately by the consumer.  I understand that they lead to reciprocal tariffs to rebalance trade. My question is...

[Assistant] What would be the effects of pairing tariffs with a universal basic income program, by statute?  Would this be a progressive wealth transfer?

[User] What tariff levels would be needed to contribute, say, 1000/mo to every American?

[Assistant] Would this increase American labor competitiveness and further reduce the need for income assistance?  Is it an unstable scheme?


[User]
That sudden thrust would indeed send the both of them forward、knees scraping against the surface of the wooden floor and pushing Sana into her initial spot. Lying flat on the ground with her chest being supported by Diana's hands― kneading. Wanting.

 CONT.

[Assistant]
It wouldn't take long until the shape of her walls would get accustomed to the pup's、making it an even more wonderful experience as she clenched down on her. The strength in her muscles is unmatched、wringing out her cock as if she didn't want it to leave her hole.

 CONT.

[User]
〝 Go―ughh . . Gehe . ♡ 〜 〞

Only unintelligable babbles and noises were able to come out of the sheep、being rammed into the ground with Diana's length. One could almost hear the faint 𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗱、𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗱、𝘁𝗵𝘂𝗱 of her cock reaching so deep、it was practically knocking on―

 CONT.

[Assistant]
the wooden floor below them. Drool beginning to escape the sides of her mouth as it stayed open with pleasure. Each thrust would earn a moan out of her.

〝 Diana、Diana、Diana ― .ᐟ 〞

She returns the sentiment of saying her felloe shrine maiden's name.

 CONT.


[User] Well this piece—on Costco and our weird relationship with consumption and value—was a delight to read.

[Assistant] He’s so good.

[User] I’ll take any recommendation from you—thanks for the introduction. Will definitely be picking up his collection of essays.

[Assistant] Thanks Maggie, I appreciate that faith.


[User] #ManchesterUnited I like that.

[Assistant] Can't wait to see my local U12's operating this system on Saturday morning.

[User] 😁 All you need is a couple of fast runners.

[Assistant] Anyone U12 would beat me in a race.


[User] This 👇 I've not been on much but from what I've seen, this rings true.

[Assistant] It needs to keep this vibe. It really does.

[User] Fingers crossed. I've noticed that LJ is more active since the Twatter exodus, I must still have some notifs on as I've been getting emails about journals being updated. I have mixed feelings, I miss that vibe as well (the old one), but still not really wanting to support anything Russ!an.

[Assistant] Yeah, I get that completely.

[User] I think with the way things are atm it's a balancing act of using sites to keep in touch with people, trying to keep good times in the present and sticking to princples. If we go through places with a fine tooth comb I'm sure there will be more that are morally questionable. Life's a bitch.

[Assistant] Ain't that the truth.


[User] I saw Wicked (Part 1) last night. Arianna Grande is a REVELATION.

[Assistant] Seriously. She's so good.

[User] Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo good. I have issues with it but overall I might want to go see it again. At the cinema. Which I never do.

[Assistant] I didn't enjoy the stage show and I had a killer headache and still had a really good time.


[User] Which 16th-century German painting demonstrates more artistic merit? Also, have you ever taken an art history class? A poll below.

[Assistant] Which painting above has more artistic merit and did you ever take an art history course?

[User] Once you’ve answered you can check out the reason I’m asking here: https://www.futilitycloset.com/2022/05/04/familiarity/

[Assistant] Early results are not really backing up the contention of the book cited in the article, interestingly. No consensus among people who have taken some art history. Opposite consensus among non-art history takers.


[User] please enjoy this excerpt from my new book, "parenting in the 21st century"

[Assistant] Don't raise your keycaps at me.

[User] From our parent-tween group chat:

[Assistant] That one's good too!


[User] For my personal work (hobbies, interviews, etc) what's a good Zoom alternative today that I can get people to actually use with me? I'm going to be doing a lot of video calls in the coming months and I would really like to drop Zoom for all of them.

[Assistant] No idea if you want to avoid Big Tech, but Google Meet works well in the browser without needing an app or a subscription.

[User]
Ditto Google Meet. It's what all the non-techie, casual folks I know use.

Funny, but my 10 yo granddaughter prefers Skype! 😂

[Assistant] Google Meet is great. One click and you’re in a meeting in the browser. As simple as it should be.


[User] I think there are basically two types of foreign students who could consider staying in the UK. One is those with a beloved partner who lives a stable life here. 😅

[Assistant]
The other is those whose professional ceiling in their home country is lower than that in the UK and who have already reached or will reach it at an early age (means that they still have potential and need support).

Otherwise, it’s not really necessary, as staying may not generate much value.🤪

[User] If you lack money, it’s almost impossible to maintain a relatively decent life here. If you’re wealthy, the choice of where to live becomes less important (except in cases where welfare issues, like healthcare, disease, safety,… or gender, play a role).

[Assistant] If you fall into neither of these two categories, it’s also nearly impossible for a foreigner to break through the class barriers in the UK. Of course, you can end up in a lower position than before.

[User]
I think there are two main elements that impact class break-through in UK society: education (closely linked to money& resources) and taxation.

Education, to some extent, impacts one’s starting point and professional ceiling, while taxation impacts purchasing power.

[Assistant] It’s less possible to buy a house here through working now, even if London’s housing prices are not particularly high compared to other biggest cities. While owning a house doesn’t indicate a higher social class, being without one essentially means being without assets.🤪

[User] This means your purchasing power will remain consistently low over the long term.

[Assistant]
I’m not convincing others. There’re people who are exceptional.🥸

I just feel that people should consider what might happen before making decisions.


[User] Does anyone have a theory as to why no compelling digital alternative to liner notes came into existence?

[Assistant] It doesn't sound that hard to arrange. You need some standard for writing the information down, so different services can surface the notes within their apps.

[User] It seems like a great place for artists to get a place to say a few words about their music, and to give credit where it's due. And it seems like an effective way to engage fans.

[Assistant] And the analogy with liner notes is readily available. So why hasn't it happened?


[User] Good morning everyone 😊 Happy Wednesday ♥👍

[Assistant] Good morning Robert, happy Wednesday 🙏🏻❤

[User] Thank you Marit 😊 You too have a fab one ♥👍🙏

[Assistant] Thank you ❤🙏🏻

[User] Good morning!👍

[Assistant] Good morning Ben 😊👍


[User]
Good morning from wet Holland nudies friends. Today outfit is usual and waxed as well..smooth!
I stay home because of my back injury. 😅
Hope everyone will have a great nude day 😄

[Assistant] Hi there. Sorry to hear about your back injury. Hope you are not too sore.

[User] Cheers mate, just needs some rest 😅 overdoing something sometimes ends up like that.

[Assistant] OK. Hope it settles quickly. Take care.


[User] of course. I thought maybe Barbra would be safe from the bullshit playing in the states, but one British award and TERF Island has lost its mind yet again. transphobia *is* misogyny. this is the logical conclusion to illogical bullshit.

[Assistant] if women look too masculine, and it’s almost always Black women, they get called men. if they’re too gifted, they get called men. these people view athletics on a spectrum of women are shit, and if they get too good, they must be men. it’s such garbage. “protecting women” my ass.

[User] these people don’t see women’s athletics as an arena for greatness. it is a play pen for the Girls to win their medals and have fun playing their little games. they hate women and have baked-in assumptions that our bodies are less valuable, that our inclusion at all is charity.

[Assistant] I like watching women’s sports because I like seeing what women can do, and after an eternity of discrimination, every year we are seeing more women push the boundaries of what is possible with more thoughtful training and advances in science. I want to see what human beings are capable of.

[User] I’ll never stop being angry that they banned Semenya. What the hell kind of sport is it where you can be banned for being too good in one category, but would be clearly disadvantaged and discriminated in the other? Why didn’t we ban Phelps then?

[Assistant] It’s all based on the assumption that a mediocre man would dominate women’s sports, so if you have too much “man” in you according to them, then suddenly you become not talented, but mediocre. Coasting because of your testosterone super powers, erased.


[User]
@johnbgilman.bsky.social
Thank you so much for your follow 💙✌🥰

[Assistant] I absolutely love your feed!

[User] Thank you , I know it’s filled right now with a lot of thank you . Well, I’m trying to thank everyone. That’s following me. That’s been my thing since I’ve been over on X or Twitter. I want to get to know everyone I’m following a little bit.

[Assistant] I think that is so nice of you, especially with all of your thousands of followers. It is unique in the world of social media and very much appreciated!


[User] I finished reading Rimuru because of the gbf collab 🫡 In a way, Rimuru is much cuter in gbf lol. Maybe cuz he gets to chill and hang out with adventurers rather than dabbling in country building politics... And hanging out with people that don't consider him as a lord/ruler too.

[Assistant] Veldora is also an interesting one. I didn't expect to like him that much from the collab but the source material Veldora was quite fun to read, especially whenever he's being buddy buddy with Rimuru. I do feel he's a bit wasted being benched as a last resort but hey, I guess it works.

[User] Same goes with Milin actually. Her characterization is great. But they're kinda benching her out while expanding the casts and the world. They didn't even dig deeper her past or relation with Veldora much besides dumping that info as a side note.

[Assistant] I also have... a conflicted feeling about how its leaning more towards lordship than family/friends. But that's just a personal opinion of mine. I just wish they fleshed the character relationships out more. It feels too surface level.

[User] Diablo was also one that took my attention while reading. I do quite lean towards these types. But his character still confused me though. It's...too good to be true??? Like huh...?

[Assistant] And of course guy and leon took my attention too but I'll refrain from commenting them. I don't know whether I'll come back to read Rimuru again, we shall see. End of rant 🙇


[User]
🚨Covid inquiry: Closing statements
* MASTER THREAD *

Click through for more!

📢 UKHSA

1/🧵

[Assistant]
📢 NHS England

2/

[User]
📢 NHS Wales

3/

[Assistant]
📢 The BMA

4/


[User] It looks like Silent Hill outside my house right now. I'm taking it as a sign to go back to sleep for a bit.

[Assistant]
In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill. 👏

Anyway, hopefully you've gotten at least enough rest to function. 😭 Waking up a bit earlier than planned is always a pain.

[User]
On days I work, waking up is a challenge. But when I have the day off and can sleep in, my brain decides that I'm suddenly an early bird.

I'm functioning well at the moment, but I foresee a nap in my future.

[Assistant] Oh the way I felt this in my soul. 😭😅 I fully empathize.


[User] It's almost time...

[Assistant] Is your annual one-off payment due?

[User]
They cough up quarterly these days
Either thoroughly disappointing or life-saving usually, fingers crossed for the latter.

[Assistant] Definitely the latter.


[User] This hotel room has multiple signs saying not to smoke or vape yet there is nothing they can do protect against the olfactory havoc a bucket of the Colonel’s Dirty Bird is going to wreak on the place.

[Assistant]
Ugggh, good God.
Where's the humanity?

[User]
Best in Show when the hotelier tells of a band roasting a spit in a room and "getting the smell of cumin and charcoal out of the drapes was a chore"

getyarn.io/yarn-clip/ed...

[Assistant] That actor is the guy Tim Walz reminded me of who I couldn’t remember his name.

[User] His name is That Guy You Know The One That Guy.

[Assistant] He has the thing, you know? That thing with the voice? It’s not a lisp but it’s also not not a lisp. You know who I mean. He played a judge in that show. You know the show. He had a gavel.

[User] But his family calls him Ed Begley Jr. My brain had several Ed Begley Jrs on file.

[Assistant] He’s going to play Tim Walz in the 7 minute biopic “Normal Human Guy”.


[User] I am part of two organiser groups that announced larp events this week. Not being on FB, I have no idea about the response. The disconnect is real, which is terrifying.

[Assistant] I can give you a briefing on Lumen tomorrow when I see you; I don't know what the other one is!

[User]
The other one is "Troldeskoven" [The Troll Forest] a danish family larp, that will run in week 22-25 july next year.

We will wear overalls, felt hats, fluffy ears and long tails.

It will be chill.

[Assistant] Ah yes, you have told me about that, but I am obviously not seeing it on my English speaking feed :)

[User]
Yeah I have come to the conclusion that there is only 24 hours a day and so many days in a year. So from now on I will maybe do one danish larp every now and then.

My primary organiser energy is dedicated to our collective.

[Assistant] It is totally legit!

[User] Oh gosh. Now I hardly use facebook I only just noticed that. I'd imagine Rebel has stayed up to date, but I don't think i realised just how walled off our community is/was.

[Assistant] The nordic larp community is terrifyingly dependent on Meta.

[User]
I don't think I really apprecited it until I stepped outside.

It's like living in afort where everyone says if you go outside you will get hurt. Then you go outside and discover that while the soil needs some work and you need to plant your own garden, its fine, and you are no longer trapped.

[Assistant]
Life is too short of FB junk/spam posts, but what got me was an event invitation that didn't generate a notification.

You are right tho. I shall nourish a garden of my own... or whatever.

[User]
I will continue to be unapologetically cheesy! 💖

The notifictions are so bad. Finding out about events after they have run! We have got so used to fixing the problems with meta that its become a habit. We don't need it and if we have to do that much work, we might as well do it from scractch.

[Assistant] Living the dream! Time to leave the cess pit.

[User]
I left it this summer, genuinely did a lot of good for my mental.

Also it is also a form of self isolation.

[Assistant] I'm pretty much only on it to use messenger and to engage with the larp community and it only does the messenger part partially well.


[User] Happy day! My 12 month test results all clear. Phew!

[Assistant] 🎆 oh fantastic news! so very happy for you dear friend 🥂 💞

[User] Thank you! It’s a relief 😁

[Assistant]
YES!!! 🙌🏼

So happy for you Celina 🥳🥳🥳


[User] I started bartending as a side gig this summer and psychological social experiment. We are in a heavy red area of Minnesota. Die hard MAGA still lament about that hs game 40yrs ago. Legends in their own minds and communities. They are filling boards now w ignorance but adored.

[Assistant] Ok #WeAreUnbothered ✊🏾☕

[User] Heard someone say recently that the election was more of a "competition" as simple as "my red team is gonna beat your blue team."  That's seems as plausible as explanation as the others.

[Assistant] Yes, to know these people you have to be around them and observe them. Thanks for this post.


[User] Middle-aged me loves watching superhero films as much as younger me did, except now I'm more likely to worry that they've destroyed a listed building.

[Assistant] I mean, who's going to clean all that mess up, right?

[User] I know, all that damage! 😂👏🏽

[Assistant] Same, I never used to considered the sheer collateral damage superheroes inflict during their battles. I have to imagine there's a whole industry set up for it though, likely run by Wayne Enterprises.


[User] My favorite movie star. Still sad to think about the fact that he's gone but so grateful I got to meet him and tell him how much he and his work mattered to me. The action community is blessed that his direct influence on the scene is still being so clearly felt today.

[Assistant] I truly love that you got to meet him and just a little jealous!!!

[User] He was so nice and grateful. I'm not sure he truly understood how beloved he was by the martial arts fandom in the West.

[Assistant] I’ve heard that said many times. I’m glad you got to tell him.


[User]
Iranian officials on the Lebanon ceasefire 👇

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf: 'We welcome the ceasefire deal. Today, calm has been established in Lebanon and we hope that this calm would prevail in Gaza as well. (Cont)

[Assistant] But criminal Netanyahu’s argument that he will focus on Iran after this truce is merely an absurd comment.'

[User]
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi:
'Tehran reserves the right to respond to the Israeli regime's aggression against Iran last month, but it also considers other developments in the region, such as the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. (Cont)

[Assistant] Iran welcomes the agreement reached on Tuesday and hopes that it can lead to a permanent ceasefire.'


[User] Trump tariffs would harm all involved, US trade partners say www.reuters.com/markets/us-t...

[Assistant]
Who wants to inform Lord McDumbfuck that 86% of Fentanyl is brought in by
AMERICANS..?
NOT "Illegal Immigrants ".

[User] Yeah, I know.

[Assistant]
Thease idiots will get what they voted for.
The Smoot Hawley Act of 1930 didn't work then- and,was a disaster on our economy -
And- will not work in 2025.
"Make The Great Depression Great Again "..


[User] Black America needs to create more of their own high profile awards shows. Instead of being mad that there are no categories “for us”, we should define and assign our own.

[Assistant] I agree. But I also acknowledge that the “high profile” descriptor will take decades to achieve. That will take patience, sacrifice, and dedication to the fact that only future generations will reap the benefits.

[User] Agreed. It also requires a collaborative effort to divest from awards that deliberately exclude us, and an equally collaborative focus on expanding existing Black-owned awards.

[Assistant] Yes, but that separation should be gradual. We can’t dismiss the economic factor of being acknowledged by the current system. We could use that prestige to boost the legitimacy of our own awards.


[User] @invelica.bsky.social .... wait, i thought we were joking?

[Assistant]
holy shit

so in the most ordinary case, she's probably the most lit mom design we've gotten in a hot year, and this is granblue we're talking about

(this post sent from Erune Bias)

[User] anyway I'll keep the faith. in the mean time please enjoy everyone else bsky.app/profile/did:...

[Assistant] Fratboy catGIRL????


[User]
I always try and spread the morning love 🫶

However if I’ve missed you out! I just haven’t seen you today! But if you’re seeing this! Morning!!!!

[Assistant] Have I seen you today?🤔 😂😂😉… I hope your morning’s going well ☕🩵🎶✌🫶

[User]
Hahaha! 🤣  me noooo 🧐🥸

Now this did make me laugh!

All good here!! It’s a just a wee bit nippy! Busy window watching for DPD! 👀

Hopefully your days going well too!

[Assistant] 😂😂😂…yep, it’s a bit of a  chilly one… oh when they’ve been 3 drops away for the last two hours 😂😂… all good this end thank you! ☕🩵🎶


[User] I'm suddenly very tired, but I'm so happy to have folks here on Bluesky the way I used to have folks on Twitter. I'm weird. I'm a nerd. I have ADHD. I VERY SUDDENLY think VERY HARD about things and there are people here to think hard with me, in a way real life doesn't afford me. I love it. Thanks.

[Assistant] Goodnight all. Pleasant dreams. And if stupid biology keeps you from falling asleep or sleeping well, please accept my offering of a randum number seed that generates pleasant daydreams while you try to drift off.

[Assistant] Same. We're glad you're here.

[User] It's great to have such a place and be able to do this. And I like to listen...

[Assistant]
It's funny, I never knew you on Twitter, but I remember you well from the Planetary Society blog, which I used to be a regular reader on. Always enjoyed your articles.

Dunno if you remember, but you once were struggling to stitch images & I suggested Hugin, which I used, but you found it annoying 😅

[User] Bluesky just feels overall more tolerant and accepting than most platforms.

[Assistant] The internet's magic lies in connecting like-minded individuals, allowing us to share our sudden bursts of curiosity and deep thoughts. Your gratitude reminds me of the beauty of online friendships. Keep being the wonderful you!

[User] Weird is just another way of saying unique 😊

[Assistant] "Think Hard" will be the catchphrase of the sequel to Pump up the Volume.


[User]
For the first time last month I had an interviewee surreptitiously use an LLM to answer the coding challenge.

It was obvious for a few reasons.

[Assistant]
1. They coded from top to bottom with every line being fully fleshed out. Not how people code. They usually code from outside to inside.
2. They were unable to answer basic questions about their code. "Why did you make this choice?" Etc. They kept saying that they would answer questions at the end.

[User] 3. Most of all, they made a simple off-by-one error that they weren't able to fix. The question made an arbitrary choice that was _slightly_ different than the LLM training set. So the code didn't even work in the end.

[Assistant] I don't think I mind the use of LLMs for coding _per se_. Even in interviews. But you have to be able to not only solve the puzzle, but also to reason about it.


[User]
[Food/Baked Goods]

Alright so listen, every year @Vosskah brings stuff home from the bake sale and it’s always largely inedible. What are people out here doing? Cookies like rocks, crumbled to dust on the trip, baked goods to suck the moisture out of your […]

[Original post on gamepad.club]

[Assistant]
[Food/Baked Goods]

I know this seems like an asshole question but I am genuinely asking 🥲

[User]
[Food/Baked Goods]

@Vidyala If I had to guess, it's probably people buying cheaper ingredients and/or not putting a whole lot of care into the process.

Having a poorly calibrated oven and / or overbaking can cause like half of these problems on its own. Substituting your oil / butter […]

[Assistant]
[Food/Baked Goods]

@Krikket This is a very good answer and I think most plausible. I did have a friend who always “swapped out the oil” and it…never ended well. 🫠


[User] Good Morning BlueSky ~ I’m sure we all have busy days ahead … #ConnectBlue #DemVoices have a beautiful day ~ filled with Gratitude! 💙🔵🦋

[Assistant] Good morning! Back at you.

[User]
.
 ~💙 ~👋~ BLUE Waving Hi ~👋~💙~ GOOD Morning ~ 💙 ~
Have  a  BLUEtiful  Day ~ Filled with Much to be GRATEFUL for
.

[Assistant] Morning!!


[User] hello there my beloved second team sub dps 😌✨💕

[Assistant]
*Kinich stares in the distance*

Uh oh… 🦊🌸🤣

[User] I LOVE SETHOS!!!!!!!!!!! (i just love sumeru characters very very much)

[Assistant] He is so cool! And his english VA does a great job too, I find his lines so fun to listen to ✨


[User] Polyamorous? But you hate everyone!

[Assistant] Polyodious?

[User] Polyodorous is when something smells bad in multiple ways.

[Assistant]
OMG polyodious is my new favorite word.

I would also accept polydespisodious.

Omnihatred.

Or the ever-popular Misanthrope.

[User] Polymisogeny. This corrects polyamory's greatest sin, mixing Greek and Latin roots.

[Assistant] Polymysony, I think now?


[User] Few things enrage me more than a teacher speaking confidently about something they know nothing about, then using their authority to silence or punish students who question their bullshit. Especially when a teacher does this to one of *my* students.

[Assistant] A while back there was a thread about petty grudges you'll take to your grave? My petty grudge is Fred, high school chemistry teacher, couldn't be bothered to read the book he was supposedly teaching. So when I see another teacher do this? Writing a strongly worded letter.

[User] The parent of the wronged student may choose to remove some of the stronger words. Or not. Some people should not be teachers.

[Assistant] It's kinda sad that I didn't have the drive to become a teacher because I probably would have been way better at it than a lot of people who did.


[User] I checked out after Nothing Was the Same. I did not care for Views at all or anything after that with the exception of Nice For What.

[Assistant] I think Views was his first vibe shift away from his most authentic persona. Not quite the incel he is now but the beginning of his "colonizer" era to me.

[User] The Young Money era hit at a very specific time in my life when I was the most outside I'd ever been so I got a lot of nostalgia tied up in quite a few Drake (and N!cki) songs but nostalgia only earns you so much goodwill.

[Assistant] Not a humblebrag but I never got into him. Too shiny, too plastic. Champagne & fancy sweats are not for me. Every fuckboi at my job was into him, which was enough for me to not pay any attention to him. Hotline Bling was fun, but that’s literally the only Drake song I know.


[User] First @bsky.app post tonight. Couldn't stop at one. This is probably not how it should be done. But this is what I feel like saying ..

[Assistant] I'm reflecting tonight on the apparent collapse of government intent to create new Australian nature protection laws, promised reforms so urgently needed to give our irreplaceable animals, plants and places a fighting chance of surviving and thriving beyond our brief human lives.

[User] Re-reading tonight the words of First Nations leaders and nature protection advocates published only weeks ago as they urged political and business leaders to do more to protect and restore nature. assets.wwf.org.au/image/upload...

[Assistant]
"Our nature lore is set in stone with many stories still inscribed on rocks and in the
ground all across Country. They intertwine with the natural systems of Mother Earth. The water flow,
sun, moon and stars - all these things assist in the connectiveness of everything."

[User]
"We know how to care for Mother Earth because we listen to her - especially when she tells us things are not
in balance."

[Assistant] Asking tonight when politicians will listen and understand that nature is inscribed on the lives of every single one of us humans, not only the millions who act on their love of nature every day, but all of us because we are part of nature and our destiny is indivisible from our treatment of nature.

[User] Reminding myself tonight that Rebecca Solnit taught us that while the lack of of an equal and opposite and prompt reaction is often regarded as a failure, in fact "history is shaped by the groundswells and common dreams that single acts and moments only represent."

[Assistant] Resolving tonight - as I know nature lovers across this continent are - to keep loving nature, celebrating nature and advocating for nature. For me, that means I keep telling stories about nature and keep helping others to share their stories. We are the groundswell, we share the the common dream 💚


[User]
ChatGPT can now create Mind Maps.

No more wasting hundreds of hours making visuals for studying or simplifying complex ideas.

Here’s how to do it for free in a few seconds:

[Assistant] Prompt →  "Create a mind map of [Your Topic]. List topics as central ideas, main branches, and sub-branches."

[User]
Transforming Text into Structure

- Once ChatGPT responds.
- Ask It to create mind map in markdown format.
- Copy markdown content for further use.

[Assistant]
Visualize with Markmap

- Visit Markmap
- Paste your markdown content into the editor.


[User] Won't stop bouncing on cock tho 🥴

[Assistant] Good choice ❤

[User]
"Gotta know how to take good dick,

To be prepared to give good dick."

-Sun Zu the art of fucking.

[Assistant] Thank you for the wise words, king of Britain.


[User]
I've just finished reading "Wilding" by @isabella_tree and have some questions...
1. Is there a clear graphical timeline of the "wilding" of @kneppcastle somewhere that shows what was done where&when, perhaps accompanied by a series of maps showing the estate at different times?

[Assistant]
@isabella_tree
2. Is there a full balance sheet showing where the money comes from and what the outgoings are that would allow us  some insight as to profit/loss since wilding operations began?

[User]
@isabella_tree
3. Are there indicative figures on the amount of animals taken off as meat and how you decide these numbers since this is the critical driver of vegetation succession (and hence biodiversity) on @kneppcastle estate and what outcomes you want/see?

[Assistant]
@isabella_tree
4. Is there any information available as to shooting and hunting activities and/or support for on @kneppcastle estate and how this fits the "wilding" ethic?


[User] Digital Marketing World Forum day two! ✌

[Assistant] I’m guessing there are few marketers in attendance from the United States. It’s a major holiday week for us.

[User] Oh interesting! There is a New York edition of the event too!

[Assistant] What’s the new hotness in digital marketing this year?


[User]
‘An emotional wrench’: Smithfield traders absorb news that market is to close
A trifle feudal -Traders have no say. Destroying fabric of the city by destroying its communities & businesses. But ho hum - hotels & office space in an area so devoid of such (sarcasm)
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

[Assistant]
What with Vauxhall closing, and now this, it seems Labour's 'Getting Britain back to work' is getting off to a brilliant start.

Maybe the goal is for Brits to emigrate and get jobs in the countries who cash in every time unrealistic government policies force another  British business down the pan?

[User] This is very much a City of London Corporation decision - very little to do with the Labour Party or Labour policies. The City is very much a law unto itself.

[Assistant]
When you refer to 'the city', who exactly is 'the city', and how is it allowed to do something like this?

Forgive my ignorance, I'm just a peasant in a tiny town in a shire county, far from the Seat of Power. We just have councils who are politicians - local, central, it's all 'government' to me🙂


[User] If Richard is going to quote-tweet me, I'm going to reply in kind. 1. There's a huge difference between implementing policy & selling it.

[Assistant] 2. @RichardAPeddie There were also advance chances for public servants to critique implementation that weren't taken. Quite the opposite.

[User] 3. Finally, being lectured on what's "easy for me to say" when I resigned a senior city hall job I loved on principle & later publicly -

[Assistant] - fought the Mayor I'd worked for b/c his ethical standards kept sinking? Probably a case of picking a particular fight w/ the wrong guy. :)


[User]
Nike Metcons is the best workout shoe ever.

They were deep in their duffy with that one.

[Assistant] I will not buy the orange ones, I will not buy the orange ones, I will not buy the orange ones...

[User] I want to re-buy my black ones. I’m deep in the trenches. AND they’re stylish. Damn you Nike.

[Assistant] I'm on a shopping freeze for myself until after the holidays. Family first!

[User]
My life. My daughter is at the age where she’s more expensive than me.

Excuse me as I go swandive into oncoming traffic.

[Assistant] Ion know what these lil girls be on now, but EYE will not be buying ridiculous stuff for an 11yo. Talmbout she needs face creams and serums from Sephora. 🙄


[User] Good morning, Blue Sky 🦋🦋🦋

[Assistant] Good morning!

[User]
.
~💙 ~👋~ BLUE Waving Hi ~👋~💙~ GOOD Morning ~ 💙 ~
                                Beautiful Pic
.

[Assistant] Good morning ☕


[User] Ljungberg didn't like Gabriel's celebration last night, even called it 'disrespectful'. “Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I think someone else has that goal gesture—leave it alone. I don’t like to see it.”

[Assistant] Gyokeres shared his thoughts as well dailycannon.com/2024/11/gyok...

[User] Yes, it's horrible to see a Coventry City legend being disrespected like that.

[Assistant] He was quite bitter and harsh towards Gabriel. He said it was disrespectful and unnecessary. However, our former national team coach, Lars Lagerbäck, who was in the studio, thought it was mostly funny.

[User] Here is Gyökeres' interview on Swedish TV. He was quite calm, he said that if Gabriel doesn’t have one of his own, he can just take mine.

[Assistant] Celebration police back on the Arsenal beat.

[User] I thought it was hilarious.

[Assistant] If you lock up a prolific striker like him you can do wtf you want 😭


[User]
I think I have found a Bluesky bug where people get dropped from starter packs. Seen it 4 times. Lmk and I will re-add you if you got dropped.

Wonder if it has to do with using multiple clients or how the lists get federated.

[Assistant] Would love to be added to your JDM starter pack!

[User] I noticed a pattern of having to add someone twice. First time I added someone to existing pack it “didn’t take” and I had to do it again. I’m primarily on iOS client.

[Assistant] I think it happens when you don't refresh the starter pack page after editing. If you just click "edit" again, then you lose the previous changes.


[User] I'll be honest, this pass wouldn't be bad enough for me to report. I totally understand why they wouldn't want to get closer for this test, and it is absolutely way too close, but it really isn't that unusual to get passed close like this, even by HGVs. That's how bad the roads are.

[Assistant] I have had this more times than I can even think of but guess got blaise about it ...

[User] That might be one of the 2 m passes.

[Assistant] Yes that roughly what I would have guessed. At that speed the suction can be quite scary.

[User] Yeah. In the video you can clearly see the test cyclist wincing.

[Assistant] And that was when they knew it was coming. It's when you're not expecting it, and they whizz past and as it is passing you realise how long the HGV is and its getting closer as it passes. Yeah, not good. ☹


[User]
🗓 #OTD in 1942 – COPP is officially formed during a meeting at Combined Operations HQ in London.

Tentative recce and beach marking for Operation Torch, the landings in north Africa, has recently been done. Now senior figures 'take the plunge' and establish a permanent unit. 🧵

[Assistant] The plan is that COPP will be based at HMS James Cook, the newly opened Combined Operations navigation school in Scotland (📸 IWM A 29904). There they will be able to take their pick from the best of the naval officers who have gone through training.

[User] But until James Cook is ready for them, they'll be based temporarily 'down south'. In the end the move north never happens and they remain based on Hayling Island near Portsmouth.

[Assistant] Present at today's meeting is land- and water speed record holder Sir Malcolm Campbell (📸 National Portrait Gallery/Creative Commons). He's attached to Combined Ops and developing Bond-style equipment, including treated seaweed attached to concrete 'sinkers' to mark beaches on infra-red photos.

[User] His devices seem to have had limited practical use for COPP. His 'beach tester' (📸 D-Day Story/National Museum of the Royal Navy), developed from devices he used to check US salt flats where he'd set his land speed records, has for covert ops the disadvantage of emitting a loud 'bang' when used.

[Assistant]
Meanwhile, COPP founder Nigel Willmott is drawing up an outline training syllabus that stresses the need for 3 months of training.

But by the turn of the year the first COPP teams are being summoned to the Mediterranean to recce Sicily (🗺 McMaster University) – with fatal consequences for some.