[User]
#GE24 #DublinCentral

Hutch in for last seat on first preferences, but transfers could very well take it away from him.

[Assistant] Boxes in are mainly North Inner City so far which is his area. Cabra/Glasnevin will go more to Sherlock/Hourigan and Fitzpatrick - so a scrap for the last seat.

[User] Sherlock in the mix?

[Assistant] I think she’ll be more transfer friendly than Neasa.

[User]
How do you figure? If these percentages hold (big if, admittedly), there are already 4 candidates ahead of him.

Transfers could tip him up above Sherlock, of course, and there are still many boxes to open before all first preferences are tallied, so it’s all still variable.

[Assistant] By .2% and the early eliminations will swing his way. But once we get up to the later eliminations he should fall away again.


[User] Today I visited the house where Käthe Kollwitz died days before the end of WW—after she was forced to resign her art academy post & had her art banned by the Nazis. She had lost a son in WW1 and a grandson in WW2. She was a committed pacifist and socialist. Self-portrait. 1/

[Assistant] One print from her cycle on the 1844 weavers’ uprising in Silesia. In many of her major series she devoted her expressionist vision to the memory of working class and peasant history in Europe. 2/

[User] Her memorial print commemorating the murder of Karl Liebknecht. 3/

[Assistant] Many of her prints had a strong focus on women and the costs of poverty and war. I’m still blown away by her choices of composition. 4/


[User] Oh, look. Putin’s fanboy Tucker Carlson has been summoned to the swamp to interview Lavrov, the Minister of Lies and Foreign Affairs, delivering yet another message to Trump and his followers—full of threats and complete nonsense.

[Assistant] But the grocery stores are fantastic...

[User] Why is his face so red?

[Assistant] I'm afraid you misspelled his first name there, lady. Hint: it starts with an F.


[User] My favorite Pokémon of each type!

[Assistant] Last yapping point, Cramrant is in because there are loons in AK! They have a chance to appear when fishing as they try to steal your catch!

[User] Last yapping point, Cramrant is in because there are loons in AK! They have a chance to appear when fishing as they try to steal your catch!

[Assistant] Last yapping point, Cramrant is in because there are loons in AK! They have a chance to appear when fishing as they try to steal your catch!


[User] Random thought: What are some movies/books where the main character works a normal full-time job from start to end?

[Assistant] @abuseofnotation https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_(film)

[User] @spas_kolev Isn't the main character a business-owner?

[Assistant] @abuseofnotation yes, if I remember well. Still a full time job :)


[User] Nobody's talking about the real risks of AI in business.

[Assistant]
Risk #1: The Automation Trap

Automating everything possible sounds smart. It's not.

Some processes need human judgment. Some tasks build valuable skills. Some interactions require empathy.

Know the difference.

[User]
Risk #2: Data Dependency

AI runs on data. Bad data = Bad decisions

Most businesses have:
Incomplete data
Biased data
Outdated data
Dirty data

Fix your data before automating decisions.

[Assistant]
Risk #3: The Skill Gap AI doesn't just work out of the box.

Your team needs new skills:
Prompt engineering
AI tool selection
Process design
Result verification

Ignore training at your peril.

[User]
Risk #4: The Integration Mess

Multiple AI tools that don't talk to each other? That's not automation—that's chaos.

Build a coherent AI stack or don't build one at all.

[Assistant]
The solution:

Start small
Focus on high-impact, low-risk processes
Train your team
Monitor results
Scale gradually

AI is powerful. Use it wisely.


[User] Hi @nfh.bsky.social, thanks for following me! Love seeing another startup and community builder. Your work with Feather and the Friday Morning Club sounds fascinating. What's your perspective on how tech and cultural spaces can intersect more meaningfully?

[Assistant] @ryinnovate.bsky.social did I miss anything?

[User] @ryinnovate.bsky.social did I miss anything?

[Assistant] @ryinnovate.bsky.social did I miss anything?

[User] @ryinnovate.bsky.social did I miss anything?

[Assistant] @ryinnovate.bsky.social did I miss anything?

[User] @ryinnovate.bsky.social did I miss anything?

[Assistant] Nice! That can be very very valuable indeed. I can often lean on my background in applied cognitive psychology in tech meetings which is often very useful to bring in a different perspective!


[User] Since I’m seeing a lot of new faces, let’s see how many likes this post gets!

[Assistant] 6. Trans MtF (She/They)

[User] 11. Drawing, playing video games, composing music (or at least trying to).

[Assistant] 13. I became a Twitch affiliate on Christmas Day, 2018. Quite the Christmas present, I’d say.


[User]
The stories keep coming of women dying from pregnancy complications.

The anti-abortion laws are killing women who wanted the children they were carrying but needed life-saving abortion care.

She bled to death in a hospital that couldn’t legally treat her until it was too late to save her.

[Assistant]
The facts on the ground show that abortion ban laws are failures that don’t stop elective abortions of healthy pregnancies.

Some women have better access to abortion care now, then they did prior to Dobbs.

The bans only kill women with unhealthy pregnancies for whom an abortion is life-saving.

[User]
The facts on the ground show that abortion ban laws are failures that don’t stop elective abortions of healthy pregnancies.

Some women have better access to abortion care now, then they did prior to Dobbs.

The bans only kill women with unhealthy pregnancies for whom an abortion is life-saving.

[Assistant]
The facts on the ground show that abortion ban laws are failures that don’t stop elective abortions of healthy pregnancies.

Some women have better access to abortion care now, then they did prior to Dobbs.

The bans only kill women with unhealthy pregnancies for whom an abortion is life-saving.


[User] tennesseebrando-shop.fourthwall.com?source=dashb...  Check out our new merch store! Black Friday thru Cyber Monday enter the promo code “THANKFUL” to receive 20% off!

[Assistant] Happy Thanksgiving Tennessee Brando🙏🏼🕉💛❤

[User] Is that a dragonball? Had no idea Brando was a fan.

[Assistant] Love the merch.


[User] QRP with your skull art 💀

[Assistant] Looks like a cynobite from hellraiser.

[User]
Actually, this is a cenobite-inspired design yes :)
I sculpted one each day in Oct 22 and Oct 23.

[Assistant] Those are disturbing. I love them.


[User]
Just finished this book, bit of a stinker I'm afraid. Can't recommend it.The Life Impossible
#Books #Bookclub #Reading

www.goodreads.com/book/show/19...

[Assistant] I loved it. But then I listened to it as an audiobook read by the wonderful Joanna Lumley. Matt's book are a quite a bit different to the norm but once you've read a few you get to appreciate each new one even more.

[User] I read Midnight Library and was meh about it so I think I’ll skip this one.

[Assistant] I’ve read most of Matt Haig’s books and enjoyed them all. Midnight Library was very good and a difficult book to follow, perhaps The Life Impossible is not quite at the same level but still worth reading. He writes quirky stories with an insightful perspective on life. I look forward to his next bk.


[User]
New poster for the live-action ‘LILO & STITCH’ remake.

In theaters on May 23, 2025.

[Assistant] Another live action remake? 🤦♂

[User] Not Stitch catching himself a Kakamora 😂

[Assistant] Is this going to be a literal remake, or will it cover new ground?


[User] No way, there is a tamale 🫔 emoji? Also I am craving them right now, extra spicy 😫

[Assistant] Yeah! They showed up a couple years ago randomly in my keyboard.

[User] I never noticed until now lol. I want to see some african dishes next✨

[Assistant] Come to Queens Queen! Evelia's Tamales is the best I’ve had😋


[User] Watched an interview with Kapka Kassabova in which she talks about Child Psychiatrist Selma Fraiberg, who said that the three words that charaterised trauma were "repetition, repetition, repetition" - arises in the context of wider discussion about trauma, repeating history in the Balkans.

[Assistant] In that we continually witness something coming towards us  that we thought was behind us.

[Assistant] Kassabova says she wants writing that transforms her. Otherwise we are trapped in repetition.


[User]
Pretty much every disagreement ab politics/religion I ever had on x ended in block/hate.

Here, they end in a walk away from the convo, & other talks later.

My followers here aren't people I agree with ab everything.

They're people I can disagree with respectfully.

& That's far more valuable.

[Assistant] Respectful disagreement is fruitful conversation as it brings different perceptions (usually, not with those far down the rabbit hole, though those types don’t go for respectful)

[User]
We learn more from discussions with people with different viewpoints & they do tend to be more fruitful..

But when their viewpoints are extremele and cultish, they're not viewpoints...they're usually hate, bigotry, fear, or some other toxic nonsense.

& Of course they aren't respectful....

[Assistant]
This
bsky.app/profile/5-2b...


[User] I think it’s important to understand that this COVID19 pandemic is a human creation. We made this problem because of the type of species we are, and the planet we have created. Here’s a THREAD (1/)

[Assistant]
Humans do not operate within ecosystems in the same way as other species, we alter them cumulatively.

We also don’t interact with each other like other species. We operate in large networks of unrelated individuals that we treat as other species treat family. 2/

[User]
Over tens of thousands of years, this has helped make us the most successful big species. We now dominate the planet and have pushed it into the Anthropocene, the Age of Humans. No part of Earth is untouched by human activity.
3/

[Assistant]
The biosphere operates systemically: the cycling of chemicals (carbon, oxygen, water, etc), of energy, and biology all interact to produce a living synergy. We are part of that. Our bodies and all the resources we use and move are part of this interaction.
4/


[User]
While we're talking about pardons never granted, why are the news media so goddamn mealy-mouthed?

Why write "*who one GOP operative claims* never existed" instead of "who never existed"?

(Yes, I know it would require an hour's fact-checking effort).

[Assistant] And then there are the puff pieces like this one on the gunned down CEO who oversaw Medicare fraud at United Health.

[User] In this case it seems intentional (though still bad journalistic practice)? The story reveals the source of the fictional name at the end.

[Assistant] Good point. All the more bizarre that they couldn't stand behind their own reporting in the headline.


[User] This comment is delusional. So many people are unhoused or precariously housed right now.

[Assistant] And even if that part of the housing crisis were being addressed sufficiently (which it isn't), there's still the issue of so many people paying disproportionate parts of their paycheques in rent.

[User] I’d like to see him say this to the people living in their cars in grocery store parking lots.

[Assistant] not delusional, the situation is looking fine for Landlords, Andy's people.

[User] At the other end of the housing crisis, for people looking to buy for the first time, I checked the Realtor website this week and there were a grand total of 24 two-bed properties in Halifax, Dartmouth, and Bedford on the market for under $450k. Which forces people to rent at extortionate rates.

[Assistant] The worst of the crisis is over “for him” since it didn’t keep him from being elected Mayor. Self-absorbed twit.


[User]
Most of us have two or three enemies, tops. Kash Patel has so many (60) that he has to write down their names to keep track of them. This is not a good quality in an FBI director. My latest.

newrepublic.com/article/1889...

[Assistant] OK but now I want to know who your two or three enemies are.

[User] We have a vacancy. Do you wish to apply?

[Assistant] Kash Patel is such an Alpha male wannabe. He wants to be a Proud Boy so bad🤢


[User]
Lots of Gen Z men who turned Republican this election apparently cited being unable to afford a house as part of the reason, despite Trump offering no housing plans.

Y'know, Millennials get shit for whining about housing a lot, but we've never thought, "You know who'd help with this? Republicans."

[Assistant] This is why I like ants, they know the only use for men.

[User] It's frustrating because, as someone who went from planning to eventually get a modest house to pretty firmly assuming I'll never own property, I do understand the existential dread. But voting for cruelty as a way to raise yourself up like these men are doing is just deeply awful.

[Assistant] This election was the first time it manifested in a recognizable way, but the sort of "influencers" elevated by them in their teens were giving a lot of red flags.


[User]
I friend, for whom I have love in my heart, thinks Elixir is ugly.

I don't care if Elixir or any programming language is ugly. I am interested in its properties / capabilities.

So much of aesthetics is familiarity anyway..

[Assistant]
Ugly is subjective, but capabilities is objective.

You have my vote, but I know nothing about Elixir.

[User]
If they think Elixir is ugly I have no idea what they think is aesthetically pleasing.

IMO Elixir is the perfect combination  of developer happiness and robust performance. It’s the language I always want to be writing.

[Assistant] I appreciate that each line is what it needs to be and no more.


[User]
USD/JPY tests 150.00 mark after Tokyo inflation speeds up.

The pair is down nearly 1% on the day with some key levels standing out on the charts.

The Japanese yen is the lead gainer on the day, helped by stronger Tokyo inflation data earlier here.

[Assistant] The higher price figures owe to the ending of government energy subsidies though, so there's that to consider. Nonetheless, it still spooked traders into pricing in higher odds of the BOJ hiking rates in December. That sent USD/JPY down to test the 150.00 mark, where it is seen thereabouts now.

[User] The pair is dragged down to also test its 61.8 Fib retracement level at 150.18 with the 150.00 mark also in play. Further below, there is added support from the 100-day moving average (red line) at 149.11. Those are the key technical levels in play at the moment, in terms of downside levels.

[Assistant] On the month itself, the pair is now seen down a little over 1% as it snaps the rebound from October. The dollar itself is also arguably plagued by some month-end shenanigans this week. But looking to December, central bank decisions will be the key focus.


[User]
It is deplorable how Scholz is using Ukraine in his election campaign and threatening nuclear war.

Scholz is spreading the Putin escalation narrative, thereby instilling fear in the population.

[Assistant] "Cool head" is needed indeed.  But unfortunately Scholz does not have it.  He is a real loser and an ultimate coward, sorry to say.

[User] Fuck that asshole.

[Assistant]
Pistorius needs to put on his big boy pants and step up to the seriousness of the situation.

Does Pistorius want to give the victory to a possible Putin-friendly right-wing majority?

Ajde brate.


[User]
Gladiator 2: Denzel Washington delivers a 4 star performance in a high budget 2 star film.

- the opening credits are (photoshop filter animated) shots from the first film
- They should cut about a third of the film
- The fight choreo is kinda forgettable
- "family legacy" plot bleh.

[Assistant] I wonder why he took the role, bc I'm hearing it wasn't that entertaining of a movie, esp for someone of his caliber to be a part of it.

[User] He's got a lot of screentime in the movie, so he's getting paid.  He's also got the most complex character in the whole thing.

[Assistant]
It’s the highest grossing movie of his career.
I went to see it mostly because of him.


[User]
This is their plan. Musk posted information about 4 female government workers he wants to fire. These individuals are now receiving threats and being harassed by his cult.

The little b%#ch that cried because his jet was being tracked is DOXING government workers on his social media platform. 🤬

[Assistant] If he just wants to run around firing people we don’t need can he just like, shut up and fire all healthcare admin?

[User] Firing any 4 people in the federal government would reduce the deficit by such an infinitesimally small percentage of what just raising Musk's effective tax rate by 1% would.

[Assistant] So true. Not to mention, the exponential wealth at that net worth means he wouldn’t even notice!


[User] Finally Canada wins a battle.

[User] They burned down the white house that one time!


[User] I am delighted to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking…

[Assistant] …achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration. Over the past 25 years, as the Founder and CEO of Shift4, Jared has demonstrated exceptional leadership, building a trailblazing global financial technology company. He also co-founded and served as CEO of Draken International, a defense…

[User] …aerospace company, for over a decade, supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, and our Allies. Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally…

[Assistant] …suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era. Congratulations to Jared, his wife Monica, and their children, Mila & Liv!


[User] So much good sandstone work in #Dumfries.

[Assistant] These are the main door guards here.

[Assistant] Charming details everywhere - albeit no visible maintenance, as usual in Scotland.

[User] Look at the truly hideous agglomeration of bird spikes on this poor thing. An utter disgrace.

[Assistant] A rather fine, but noseless Victoria on Jubilee Buildings, in #Dumfries.

[User] Unsurprisingly the Jubilee Buildings on English St are on the Buildings at Risk Register - the timeline is a familiar tale of woe:


[User] Causing a notable schism by making a really mean-hearted joke that stereotypes people that constantly say they "really commit to the bit" or "are willing to go way too far for the bit". I mean, I would never do this cause I'm nice. But, you know.

[Assistant] People are always saying this about me, which I think is funny because I prefer to think of myself as "breaking the fourth wall" and "dropping kayfabe" which is insufferable and pretentious in a totally different, ostensibly more Brechtian way.

[User] I prefer not to view things as “bits”, but rather a complete whole.

[Assistant] I'm always committed to the hole.


[User] Been obsessing over Frank Pé's work a bunch lately.

[Assistant] Thi three-pager he did for Spirou magazine in the '70s holds a special place in my heart. Maybe the apotheosis of late-stage Marcinelle cartooning.

[User] This three-pager he did for Spirou magazine in the '70s (an episode of his serial Broussaille written by Bom) holds a special place in my heart. Maybe the apotheosis of late-stage Marcinelle cartooning.

[Assistant] Frank Pé has had a similar career trajectory to his contemporary Bernard Yslaire, with them both starting with serials in Spirou. (Bidouille et Violette, in Yslaire's case.) Those serials kicked off the evolution of the mag, with the influence of Peyo etc. less prevalent. From Franquin to Janry.


[User]
Any bass players in?

I’d like a Hofner Ignition bass but there’s a cheaper option called the Shorty. Is that a tiny option and not as good?

[Assistant]
Looking up, it's a short scale which is usually for smaller players & also a solid body with a normal bridge. It's easier to maintain than the regular bridge they use (which is fiddly) but has more room for tweaking.

I'd say go for the Ignition unless you have a preference for shorter.

[User] *but the bridge on the Shorty does make string changing easier.

[Assistant] Never played either personally, but I believe the Shorty is... shorter. Great if you plan on travelling with it a lot, but if it's your main bass then you might get used to it and a full sized could feel weird. Personally I'd stick with a full size unless the smaller size would be an active benefit.


[User] The only thing about having a favourite coffee shop is that the staff start to develop a relationship with you over time if you’re friendly enough, and then you can’t go there without having a conversation 😂

[Assistant] It's not that bad with a coffee shop, but with a fast food restaurant? That's my deal-breaker 😂

[User] Omg yeah! It’s so frustrating when that becomes a problem because the flip side is, it’s great if they know how you like your specific order 😅

[Assistant] During the summer I don’t work so I would go get coffee from closer to my house and it  got to the point where they started addressing me by name. It’s very nice but I also just want to get my coffee and go 🫣


[User] Which is the worst delivery company and why is it UPS?

[Assistant] Amazon repeatedly just leave things at my doorstep and walk off.

[User] Oh god, UPS, argh. I thought Evri were bad, but every single parcel UPS have they take straight to the local delivery hub & leave it there. They don’t try delivering to my home & they don’t tell me what they’ve done.

[Assistant] Never had any problems with them !

[User] It's Evri. A company so bad it had to change its name because it was giving STDs a bad rep.

[Assistant] Yodel , if ever you wanted to dispose of a body, wrap it up and send it with them. Guaranteed to disappear .

[User] Another company who could give two shits about their customers or employees ; profits over people. They are more concern about the bottom line and have done nothing but cut cut cut. It’s going to hurt them in the long run and I hope it does.

[Assistant] Yodel. By a country mile.

[User]
I beg to differ.  The assorted UPS, USPS, Amazon, and even the rare Walmart delivery people have always treated our packages with care.
  FedEx will toss it to about 15’ away from our front door about half the time.  Not place it. Toss it.

[Assistant] Around here it is terrible because the supervisors tell the drivers they are paid a set fee for a run, and they don't care that the deliveries take twice as long as the super predicts.  One chap called him out on this and was fired.

[User] Well, I’m not saying UPS isn’t bad, but I am currently on the fourth time FEDEX has told me my package is on the truck for delivery by end of day and really have zero expectation of actually ever receiving my package.

[Assistant] DX if you're in the UK. I don't seem to have trouble with any of the others where we live.

[User] DX if you're from the UK. And let's not forget Tuffnells who dumped a pallet of lawnmower parts on my drive outside my front door that was clearly addressed to a factory 2 miles away.🙄

[Assistant] Weird... UPS here gives my package a sweet lil kiss as they deliver it. FedEX might as well just hand it directly to thieves.


[User]
❖
thanksgiving.

i've been making an effort to interact with everyone i follow back who engages w me. i hope i've done well on that so far.

this is not meant to be any kind of clique, but i do have a handful of specific names i want to express gratitude to.

tagging below as i write up posts.

[Assistant]
Aurora's vampire event wouldn't have happened without her letting me build into her world.

Crystal wouldn't have been made w/o her.

Genuinely an upstanding human being, doing all the things she does despite her living conditions and the stress she deals with (not sure what can be said out loud).

[User]
Aurora's vampire event wouldn't have happened without her letting me build into her world.

Crystal wouldn't have been made w/o her.

Genuinely an upstanding human being, doing all the things she does despite her living conditions and the stress she deals with (not sure what can be said out loud).

[Assistant]
Aurora's vampire event wouldn't have happened without her letting me build into her world.

Crystal wouldn't have been made w/o her.

Genuinely an upstanding human being, doing all the things she does despite her living conditions and the stress she deals with (not sure what can be said out loud).

[User]
always willing to hear me out no matter how stupid my little ideas were or how bad something was going to flop.

We have the type of banter where you think we hate each other, but the moment a third party tries to insult one, the other turns around like a hound.

[Assistant]
always willing to hear me out no matter how stupid my little ideas were or how bad something was going to flop.

We have the type of banter where you think we hate each other, but the moment a third party tries to insult one, the other turns around like a hound.

[User]
always willing to hear me out no matter how stupid my little ideas were or how bad something was going to flop.

We have the type of banter where you think we hate each other, but the moment a third party tries to insult one, the other turns around like a hound.

[Assistant]
she was more than willing to bridge that gap.

Diamond in the rubble, even if she thinks of herself just another part of the ruins.

[User]
she was more than willing to bridge that gap.

Diamond in the rubble, even if she thinks of herself just another part of the ruins.

[Assistant]
she was more than willing to bridge that gap.

Diamond in the rubble, even if she thinks of herself just another part of the ruins.


[User] Bingjiu with a whumpy twist... in which Shen Jiu's been married to Qiu Jianluo since before he came to Cang Qiong 😲 Everyone thinks SJ is soon lucky for having a handsome wealthy husband who lets SJ have his way on everything despite his prissy attitude 😬

[Assistant] Bunhe only discovers the truth on one of QJL's rare visits to CQ, when he stumbles in on the man being absolutely horrible to SJ, and his proud, defiant shizun just... standing there and taking it. Head bent and mouth pursed and not saying a word back in turn 😥

[User]
Bunhe doesn't even process what he's seeing until he catches SJ's eye and all the blood drains from his face 😢 now what?

(On CQ, only SJ, YQY, and now Binghe know about the truth of SJ's marriage, but the first two have their own depressing reasons for keeping it a secret...)

[Assistant] (I'm catching up on Lookism chapters at the moment so I can't elaborate much, but a guilty pleasure of mine is def when Bing gets to be unapologetically heroic towards SJ, though there isn't much "saving" a poor bun like him can do right now 😭


[User]
All right, fuck it.  It's December, I think my soul has been eaten away enough this year that it can't do that much more damage.  Let's do this.

#NW:

[Assistant]
Me, literally 10 seconds in:

"What the fuck?"

[User] 😂 So, I was smart to be like hard pass?

[Assistant] I actually kind of liked the opening, but it’s already started to go downhill. So yeah probably 🤣🤣🤣

[User] Well then. Thank you for your service. 😂


[User] *piercing scream*

[Assistant] Still early 40s, still early 40s, still early 40s 😁😁😁

[User] That's a multiple of 7! It's like, lucky, or something! 🫡

[Assistant] 40s are the new 30s 😘


[User]
“He was an athlete and a campanologist”

Lucy Boston and a wonderfully eccentric moment of female gaze.

I adore this book. Luckily it’s only 150 or so pages long, or my BS account would just be pulled quotes from here ‘till Doomsday.

[Assistant] What is this from please?

[User] From Lucy Boston’s ‘Memory in a House’, her account of buying and living in an ancient Manor House in Cambridgeshire, before and during the World Wars.

[Assistant] Caro showed me a video from the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela. It has a huge incense censer - swung on a big rope with six individual ropes at the pull end for a team of burly priests.


[User] I am at the « why even are men? » stage of Paris.

[Assistant] Don’t talk to me about sport and either be helpful or fuck off.

[User] Am I unreasonable and intemperate? Yes.

[Assistant] Also, between my employer, my union and mastodon i am pretty sick of being told don’t right now.


[User] Say, you want a Cybertruck? Because Tesla has plenty. insideevs.com/news/743151/...

[Assistant]
Do you want an overpriced trash can on wheels which enriches one of the worst people on earth?..

No.

[User] More Marmite than Marmite.

[Assistant] Interesting development... Bold car for a sci-fi nostalgic but at this price tag we might expect a little bit more finess and classiness... That might explain the missing orders...


[User]
Brain: You know what would be great? Run a ttrpg campaign where every NPC is some mashup of characters from the Monty Python 'verse.

(It's probably a good thing I don't play a ttrpg).

[Assistant] Me: What a swarthy bunch you are. Is that a sword? What's it do? Oh, you want to know about the monster in yonder dungeon? It's a wee little one, no need to bother with it. But have I got a great deal on newts...

[User] Used a word that has bad connotations in follow-up, removed post. I apologize, and will work to be better.

[Assistant] Why do that?  Players are already mashups of Monty Python characters.


[User] All you want for Christmas... Will try and get a review up on the Beasts blog in the next few days.

[Assistant] Mine has been dispatched. I have never seen this.

[User] A respectful remake would also be no bad thing.

[Assistant] There is an interesting BBC radio remake from 2019. It can be found on YouTube.


[User] Our continued and fervent belief in structural reorganisation to fix problems in spite of decades of evidence to the contrary is truly remarkable to behold.

[Assistant] Did I do this right?

[User] I mean honestly, the idea that reorganising councils is going to materially reduce the cost of providing adult or children social care to the same number of people with the same needs is a whole other level of wishful thinking.

[Assistant] If they reorganized with a HUGE funds injection, then maybe. But they would save on money if they just, you know, funded the councils sufficiently and didn't bother with the reorganization.


[User]
Yeah. My central complaint about pretty much every 8-episode modern tv show season I watched is exactly that there's no space to breathe, no episodes just for character development. They're not useless, they're needed for emotions to properly hit.

More episodes and more "filler" please!

[Assistant]
I'm a reluctant show/movie watcher at best (they're knitting fuel lol) but I really don't like the modern trend of "plot plot plot all the time, the rest is useless anyway." Let us BREATHE god damn it.

So many shows I absolutely love to bits would be even better with a little more space.

[User]
I think one of the reasons I love anime like The Ancient Magus Bride and Frieren is that they build slowly and carefully. There's plenty of time for characters to breathe and grow beyond big dramatic fight scenes and screaming.

Definitely wish Western TV did this more.

[Assistant]
I need to try Frieren, I heard that this is one of the rare animes I might like (my main thing: I abhor fanservice).

I was extremely obsessed with Trigun Stampede for a good while last year, but it has the same too-fast pacing problems as Western shows 😩

[User]
From memory, I don't think there's anything that could be called fanservice. This is the closest it comes, from memory: youtu.be/-A3TwG-EKkI?.... It should be noted that Frieren Does Not Get It when it comes to human sexuality.

I ended up loving Trigun Stampede but, yeah, it needed to be 2 cours.

[Assistant] See also: everyone absolutely adoring ep 7 of Arcane S2 where the least amount of plot happened but the characters featured in it finally had some breathing room, while the rest of the season was incredibly dense :')


[User] *I wonder if there's anybody, a content-scraper maybe, that's using AI to generate fake astronomical photos.  Has that become a thing yet?

[Assistant]
This was a thing at least

www.theverge.com/2023/3/13/23...

[User] It's a problem recognised by fans of the real stuff. E.g. bsky.app/profile/fyfe...

[Assistant] (just to be clear, this is someone countering with real photos!)


[User]
Before I do a bit of a deep dive on this I've a question:-

Why would the WordPress Google Site Kit plugin add the Doubleclick Ads JS to the page when you only connect Search Console & Analytics?

I thought Doubleclick Ads handled Adsense?

Any ideas? (I'm fully expected to be wrong on this)

[Assistant] I think Site Kit was mainly developed for ads more than connecting GSC and Analytics...

[User] I'd just ask them, they're friendly :)

[Assistant] Good point 😊


[User] Closing in an hour !!

[Assistant] Ahhh, ahhhh! I missed this posting earlier in the week, and I'm gonna run to get my references! Ahhh!

[User] Oh!!! Take your time then!! Don’t worry if it’s past 9, I’m only closing them once are you done !! 🫡🤍🤍 just let me know!

[Assistant] I sent in the form! Whew!


[User]
Good morning, bluesky!

It cooled down a bit, but that means: TEA WEATHER.

Like it's tea weather all year for me but 🤫.
What's y'all's favorite tea?

[Assistant] At the moment it's definitely that one:

[User] I love this one too, cinnamon and plum just works so well together🥰

[Assistant] Also it makes the whole room smell really good and christmassy. 😁


[User] I like that the county passed the most difficult budget in more than a decade and the reports I get about discourse on the other app are "sara hasn't even released a statement about Hunter!"

[Assistant] LMFAO! I thought I was the only one who noticed that post on the other app 😂🥲🙃

[User] My personal favorite is when I get accusatory statements about things I addressed on the very app they are yelling at me on. Like babe I want to challenge non-profit status too. I literally just cosponsored a bill with the intent of working towards that goal!

[Assistant] This is the thing I miss the absolute least about Twitter.


[User] Caregivers, what do you do for you? I live in a decent sized home, and I feel like I’m suffocating, bc I can’t have a minute to myself. It doesn’t matter where I go, two minutes later I’m no longer alone. I don’t mean to complain, I’m just trying to find solutions.

[Assistant] I'm one too I know what your feeling , it's very suffocating at times. I have this to stay connected with people that I love.and remember that I have a life.

[User] You do understand. 🥰 Thank you for responding.  Sometimes I question how selfish am I to want some time to myself.

[Assistant]
You're not selfish.

I was the sole caregiver for my late mom for the last 2-3 years of her life & it was exhausting, emotionally draining & HARD.

I used to go outside & sit on the patio just to have 5 minutes of quiet, alone time.  After she died, I don't think I turned the TV on for 3 months.


[User] Got your dad's Christmas present sorted.

[Assistant] They're sending their best (graphic designers)

[User]
Pete's a Big Country member.

And we do remember.

[Assistant] Quite tragic how they can't let go while the rest of the world moves on, like they're still hung up on the girl at the school disco who recoiled at their flabby attempt at a tongueing.

[User]
It's more a case of them having given up on independence but knowing full well that there are thousands of fucking idiots out there just desperate to hand over the cash.

The new SNP slogan: "If God did not want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep."

[Assistant] At the tenth anniversary I finally understood the wise words of Bison in Street Fighter, it was the most important day of their lives but for us it was Thursday.

[User] I wish I'd got into the Scottish independence lark. I've always wanted a swimming pool.

[Assistant] There's something terribly apt about the Murrells buying a Jag with the money they nicked.

[User] PS Yes I know that's not a Jaguar XJ6 but a Daimler Sovereign leave me alone yer bastards.

[Assistant] The rest went on her Personality Bookshelf, with its suspiciously pristine spines.


[User] I think there is a much bigger global story here. Just wow.🤯

[Assistant] I'll keep an eye and ear out on this one. History is being written as we speak.

[User] Yoon's People Power Party, which is attempting to impose martial law on South Korea, is a member of Stephen Harper's IDU.

[Assistant] We could learn a lesson or two from South Koreans.


[User] What's Your Reaction? 🤔

[Assistant] That's the most awesome thing I have seen today! The stairs shouldn't have been painted to begin with.

[User] Well, we could have just repainted it Red, White and Blue.

[Assistant] This is excellent, but paint would be more effective.


[User] This is indeed a bombshell story. And, I know it’s a bit off topic, but would someone please take Michelle Rempel gently aside and tell her that if you call yourself a “seasoned communicator” you are not in fact a seasoned communicator.

[Assistant] Do you think they will revisit the 2018 ONPC race too, or too much to hope for?

[User]
CPC: "We demand you name names!!!"
Liberals: "Michelle Rempel-Garner."
CPC: "Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there!"

[Assistant] I recall the Twitter rant she went when she was hanging out in Oklahoma, attempting to prove that she was still able to do her job from there by showing hiw active she was on social media.Most of her justification centred around one video that she must have cited separately about a dozen times.


[User] Hmm, need a new anime to watch. Hit me up with your recs.

[Assistant] You seen Delicious in Dungeon? Watched that a couple months ago and really dug it.

[User] I’ve been watching DanDaDan and Pantheon. Couldn’t be more different but both great!

[Assistant] Honestly these shows are the best of animation.


[User] Woke up and decided to take a midnight shower but seems like leaving the bathroom door open wasn't a good idea. Kai snuck in while i assumed that i was alone turned being coiled up and squeezed. feeling tired and weak as i watch his maw open slowly over me.

[Assistant] After some time of sliding down his long throat, i finally ended up in his stomach. slowly passing out into a deep sleep again as i prepare for my my week long digestion stay.

[User] @snakesareperfect.bsky.social is the big blue boopnoodle ^^

[Assistant]
Clealy someone was unhappy that you woke up too early.
Back to sleeping you go, tho more... extanded...


[User]
One of the most notable macro outcomes from recent bond stress is that there was very little direct impact on the regional banks.

Certainly not showing the kind of linkages in the mkt action you'd expect if these banks still had a big duration problem. Short thread.

[Assistant]
If duration was still a big problem you'd expect to see individual banks have outsized sensitivity to shifts in bond yields.

But even the daily market action correlation of the top 10 most sensitive banks to yield moves isn't all that high over the last month.

[User]
Periods of significant market vol are useful to observe the various *linkages* in the market to understand how micro decisions are connecting to the macro.

While you shouldn't use it to construct views on those securities themselves, it useful to see macro sensitivities & risks.

[Assistant]
Looks like these banks are trading off a combo of ratings downgrades/rumors and the overall stock market weakness. Daily and intraday performance looks pretty unrelated to bonds.

That suggests a very different set of concerns for these banks than a couple months ago.


[User]
Curious.
Why would someone have followers and follows but not a single post? Is that a thing??

[Assistant] Fish stuff. I don’t give them the time of day. If you’re not posting something every once in a while, then what are you doing here?

[User] Sure. One says something about being a resistor and one will likely get some follows. Then one just checks in to see what his/her favs have to say. Further engagement isn't required.

[Assistant]
Cool. I need more than that in my relationships.
🤣🤣🤣


[User] I listened to it last night…

[Assistant] I promise its on my list!

[User] When I tell you there are ZERO skips on that album!! 🔥🔥

[Assistant] How was it? 🌚


[User]
don't whine.

change banks.

[Assistant] I’m just waiting for the domino effect. First the commbank. Which bank tries it next. You can bet the commbank won’t be the only ones to do this.

[User]
it doesn't effect me.

i almost never use cash.

and on the rare occasion i'm forced to give cash to a tax dodger, i go to the nearest cashcard ATM and pay the $3.

[Assistant] It doesn’t affect me either really. but I’m sure it might affect those, say maybe a blind person who uses it to take there money out . Maybe something like that.


[User] Giving up is easy. But carrying on with the weight of the world crippling your shoulders takes a special kind of grit.

[Assistant] I definitely need to inherit some of your grit...💪

[User] I learned it through my struggles. On good days, it’s the reason I am grateful for them. ❤🩹

[Assistant] 🤗❤🩹...thank you 😊


[User] Please enjoy this photo of the copper plated teapot I thrifted today for the unspeakable price of $5.99.

[Assistant] It’s solely for decorating the upcoming tea parlor upstairs as my cooktop is induction but look at it! Look! At! It!!!!

[User] It’s solely for decorating the upcoming tea parlor upstairs as my cooktop is induction but look at it! Look! At! It!!!!

[Assistant] Maybe hit it with a lead swab but if you're not gonna use it that isn't even going to matter.

[User] Yeah, I have no intention of brewing with it. I have spent too many hours on r/castiron and seen too many nightmare stories.

[Assistant] Holy shit, that's so gorgeous! There's so much pretty stuff in thrift stores, I have to resist every time I end up inside one.


[User]
MEDIA THREAD 2024 (CONTINUATION)

The will of the old thread will be carried on as I log the last things I experience for the year!

[Assistant]
Sonic Generations (Video Game) [Replay]

Yep. Still one of the best Sonic games out there. Story is very nothing and the final boss is...not good, but both Classic and Modern Sonic have some of the best stages in the whole series. Still holds up after all these years.

[User]
Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor's Gambit (Video Game) [Replay]

Yep, another favorite in a franchise I love. A long but worthwhile game that tells such a meticulously crafted story throughout its 5 cases. This is Edgeworth at his best and Ace Attorney at some of its highest points.

[Assistant]
The Wild Robot (Movie)

Very cute and gorgeous film. I don't think I have much to say about it. The quality really speaks for itself as you watch it. It's an immediate classic for DreamWorks.

[User]
Ring My Bell (Manhwa)

This one took a bit longer to read than I expected, but it was a pretty fun time. Suhee and Chamni were my favs for the absolute mess that their relationship is. The art itself is very expressive and cute. I have some issues with the story direction by S2 but it's still good.👍

[Assistant]
Sonic Mania (Video Game) [Replay]

The best 2D Sonic game. Still a blast even after all this time. A 2D adventure I could easily recommend to anyone new to the series.


[User]
A proof of concept demonstrating how to remotely disable the LED indicator on a ThinkPad laptop, allowing the webcam to be activated and used without the user's knowledge.

Spooky.

[Assistant] Indeed. Any documentation of it working on modern machines?

[User] Ricoh controller is been in use for some time but I can't find documentation previous to 2017. Good question tho. Perhaps @raistolo.bsky.social ?

[Assistant] Honestly if a hacker is able to get the Intel webcam on my laptop to work under Linux I am willing to give them a free peep show whenever they like. That being said, was the question specifically for thinkpads or was it broader?


[User]
#StarTrek The Next Generation
“Parallels”

This is one of my favorite episodes. Everyone’s trying to do multiverse stories these days but can’t quite nail it. They need multiple parts and sequels to explain it all. Star Trek told a whole multiverse story that made perfect sense in a single episode.

[Assistant] “I am returning from the Bat’leth competition on Forcas III. The conditions were difficult. Several contestants were maimed, but I was triumphant. I won champion standing.”

[User]
Riker is fuckin’ hilarious here.

“A surprise party? Mr. Worf, I hate surprise parties. I would never do that to you.”
“SURPRISE!”
“I love surprise parties.”

[Assistant]
Our first indication that something changed is the chocolate cake becomes a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. Also Riker had just told Worf that Picard would be unable to attend and here he is taking a massive bite.

Patrick Stewart eats cake like a complete maniac and I love it.


[User]
Germany, Greece and France all confirm that they are willing to put the pretence of international law in the bin in defence of a white supremacist genocide..

www.middleeastmonitor.com/20241124-ex-...


[Assistant] Have you ever seen Sabbath live?

[User] No, only Ozzy. Would have loved to though 🤘

[Assistant] I saw the 2014-14 final tour. Tony was getting chemo and still kept touring.


[User] A German submarine departed from Norway yesterday, just a few hours after I inquired with the Danish military about the possible incident near Læsø. The submarine's projected route passes through the exact location where Yi Peng 3 made a suspicious stop. It could still be a coincidence, though.

[Assistant] Update on the Yi Peng 3 / submarine situation. AIS-signal for the German submarine was lost east of Skagen. Now we probably won't know what it is doing. Still could be heading for the cables on the seabed east of Læsø.

[User] The ship prefix TKMS stands for "thyssenkrupp Marine Systems". I wonder if the sub is part of the Type 212CD project and not actually operational in the German navy. If so, I don't see it taking part in an ongoing investigation.

[Assistant] Almost certain now, as "HDW Herkules" is also in the area.


[User] Ten years ago today, I was taken down to a basement, dressed up as a dungeon master and photographed for the pleasure of Retro Gamer readers.

[Assistant] This story began dark, became lighter, then plummeted back down to dodgy territory all in one sentence 😂

[User] You'd be surprised (maybe) by how many Retro Gamer office stories follow that same pattern!

[Assistant] ...and we thank you.


[User]
When you go trail 5-1 in a game, the referees aren't to blame for you losing.

But good lord, those calls on Garland and Räty in the third period were some of the worst penalties I've ever seen called in the NHL and they were a major hindrance to the #Canucks attempted comeback.

[Assistant] Don’t forget the Hoglander non-call.

[User] Rate was an obvious penalty imo. He cut right in front, interference all day. He's got to be smarter than that.

[Assistant] Räty didn't leave his lane. Crosby intentionally skated into him and embellished the hell out of it.

[User]
Usually game management dictates that the trailing team that is behind in PP opportunities get's all the make-up calls. The Nucks got 1PP in the 3rd, the Pens got 2 and it ended up with a 4 - 1PP advantage for PIT.

VAN should have had at least 3PP's in the game... at least.

[Assistant] I think the first penalty on Myers was a sign of things to come.  Interference?  Refs let them get away with much worse all the time.  However, the brutal defensive play in the first was too much to overcome, despite a valiant effort.


[User]
The World’s Payment Systems Aren’t Broken, They’re Just Not Speaking The Same Language.

Imagine a world where payment initiation is seamless, compliance checks are real-time, and reconciliation happens without a hitch—all powered by standardized APIs.

Thread 🧵

[Assistant] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[User] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[Assistant] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[User] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[Assistant] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[User] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[Assistant] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[User] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!

[Assistant] How do you see API harmonization reshaping cross-border payments in your region? Drop your thoughts or questions in the comments below!


[User] I’m fascinated with retrocausality. What if changing your perception, thoughts, or emotions about the past could "change" the past in a subjective sense, altering how it influences you in the present?

[Assistant]
You’ll enjoy this lecture— particularly beginning at about 12 min in, section on “Intention”

youtu.be/HR09GHQ5AwA?...

[User]
The thing she kinda missed in that, is that it is the first person to interact with the recording that gets to choose the shifting in pattern.

Once a recording has been interacted with via consciousness it then becomes locked.

[Assistant] Yes, but only from the moment that you went back and changed it.


[User] Happy Indigenous People Day family!

[Assistant] Happy day family :)🩷☮🕊

[User] Indigenous peoples day too**

[Assistant] Happy Indigenous people's day!! 🪶✨🫶🏽


[User] After 40 years watching #F1 the weekend #sprint format messes me up. Just twigged I missed live sprint qualifying for #Qatar. At least today I get to watch a sprint and race qualifying so there's that I suppose.

[Assistant] About the same amount of time watching but still can't get excited about sprints.  If I am bored I'll watch the sprint today but I'll definitely be watching the race quali.

[User] I hear that. I'm glad that they added race quali back into sprint weekends as using the sprint results as the race start order killed the fun of the main event.

[Assistant] Yes, I was glad when they did that too.  The older format killed quali for me.  Now I can start watching after the sprint and it seems like a normal race weekend :)  and It also helps to make the final car setups less of a lottery.


[User] Although Yoon's 'fortune teller' Myung Tae-kyoon is part of the story, I hope the intl press doesn't fixate on Myung this time in the way they did with Park's 'shaman' during the Candlelight Revolution. That kind of exoticizing journalism is a problem. Wrote a bit about this here after those events.

[Assistant]
Whatt a work! We should continue keep our eyes on Kim's fortune teller
/shaman (or "guru") Chungong too..🤐😒😮💨

[User] Ah, yes, I should have said 'forecaster' above, but in my sleep deprivation I was thinking about 천공 the 'fortune teller'. Then again, both are charlatans!

[Assistant] His Youtube is still up. Seems to have been dispensing business advice as of yesterday...

[User] Oh dear..😮💨😮💨😮💨 I am torn apart.. I think we shouldnt let this man get a fame but also he is the one that still shakes the country!

[Assistant] Would it be fair to call Myung a 'Anthony Robbins-like' figure? Not quite sure how to describe him. Self made business huckster with new age proclivities?


[User] Good. More of this!

[Assistant] Raskin rules. Could not love him more.

[User] Oh Raskin would be great!

[Assistant] The D gerontocracy must end this year.


[User]
C++ committee decisions read more and more like "a bunch of companies that made poor management decisions about their codebase are desperately trying to pass those costs down to everybody else rather than face the 'payment overdue' bills".
And somehow we accept that.

[Assistant]
Also the argument of "we have to cater to those who can't spend the effort to migrate" is self defeating.
What are they gonna do if you break API or ABI? Move to another language? They keep saying they can't even afford to change 1% of their codebase!
That's an empty threat.

[User] I fundamentally don’t understand *why* we have those arguments. If you have an old code base and don’t want to touch it, then keep using your old compiler. Or keep compiling with —std=c++03. Why is backwards compatibility so important?

[Assistant]
Keeping backward compatibility is important. You don't want to rewrite huge codebases just to compile with the newer compiler... It's important for the economy.
Imagine if operating systems didn't care for compatibility... Your software would be outdated and broken before you could even release it.


[User] Zoomies (squared)

[Assistant] Show off!!! 🥰

[User] I especially liked the three spins!

[Assistant] Yikes,  more than three!


[User] Funny how the more I commit my own projects and career development towards cloud computing, the more open I become towards just taking that money and buying on-prem equipment. Ya know? It's like the better I get at it, the more discerning I get about my use cases for it.

[Assistant]
@uastronomer I think for me, it's about the convenience of upgrading things, and guaranteed uptime, and just not having to worry about hardware.

Sure, you could maybe take the money you're spending on cloud-based VMs now and buy a really beefy server with ESXi or whatever on it and run your […]

[User]
@GrahamDowns Yeah I agree with you about the benefits.

But there are costs as well! Without experienced ops people or sysadmins to manage your infrastructure, it's far too tempting to manage scaling and reliability issues when they arise by simply throwing money at the problem.

And sure […]

[Assistant]
@uastronomer That's true. It's a problem we face regularly as well, in our team: we *could* just add another 100GB of space. Or we could spend some time making our server-side component use less space or clean up after itself better.

Business then wants to know whether it'll be cheaper to pay […]


[User] It will be incredibly powerful to remind people that when the Republicans destroy Social Security and steal it, they’re stealing it for Elon Musk to line his pockets.

[Assistant]
It is a war against all social services and healthcare not only for the US, but also the rest of the World.
The US sneezes and the world shakes unfortunately.
SINCE IT IS A WAR WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY FIGHT BACK.

[User] Says a fucking immigrant asshole who has no fucking clue why it's there.

[Assistant] Any democrat that votes for this will be primaried. No more playing nice.


[User]
Who are my newest followers? Introduce yourselves in a post!
I’m Beck Eleven, an escapee from Twitter/X. Mainly cats to be honest, cos usually job hunting so can’t really say all I’m thinking! Happy to meet you! When I say woman, I mean All Women.

[Assistant] My cats say HELLO!! 😻😻😻

[User] I used to lurk on Twitter (left when it became X) and really enjoyed following you (and your beautiful cats!). This seems like a nice space so far 🤞

[Assistant] Yeah! I think any place is what you make of it but here seems good so far! The cats (the past and the Current ones) say hi!

[User] Followed you for your cats, stayed for your social, political and journalism commentaries. Pōneke native, cat lady feminist who is frustrated with the state of  journalism (political and health in particular)

[Assistant] Hello Beck. Long time no speak! I have finally migrated to Blue Sky. Hope you and your fourlegged housemates are keeping well.


[User]
Flynn is dangerous. FBI raided his pal's home in Florida not long ago. Did they report anything? Hope they are gonna take him down!

x.com/chessclubgri...

[User] This is a chapter from Mike Flynn's book "How to Make People Kill People"

[Assistant]
Extreme Michigan:

"At the Rod of Iron Ministries event an audience member asked Michael Flynn if he would head a military tribunal to imprison & execute deep swamp government officials. Flynn: "There's a way to get after this...we have to win first...The gates of hell, my hell, will be unleashed."


[Assistant] tinyurl.com/ddtfcomplete...

[User] tinyurl.com/ddtfcomplete...

[Assistant] bsky.app/profile/dday...


[User] Now that Aleppo has been liberated from the Assad regime, the return of Maarat al-Numaan, Jisr al-Shughour, Khan Sheikhoun and Kafranbel will be next on the agenda, retaking those areas would be a hugely symbolic victory for the Syrian opposition.

[Assistant]
Can you help me understand who these rebels are? I read somewhere they were jihadists.
I guess my question is: will they make life better for Syrians?

[User] Life for Syrians right now is such hell that even a bet on jihadists likely looks fine to them. 🤷♂

[Assistant] Oz, can you answer what is the intention of the Free Syrian Army when it comes to the Kurds? Is there any overall feeling that you are picking up on that you can elaborate for us? Is there any standing agreement or understanding with the Kurds in the areas the FDA is advancing?


[User] your annual reminder that your Thanksgiving will never touch mine. my mom’s brother was adopted from Vietnam and used to own a restaurant. so we do a full elaborate classic spread and then layer multiple pans of this over top of it every year.

[Assistant] this is the ideal plate.

[User] In my family, kielbasa and stuffed cabbage (gołąbki) were a stable at every holiday meal, thanks to a branch of the family from Poland. They would do turkey, too, and sometimes a ham as well.

[Assistant] It was really GOOD kielbasa, too. My uncle drove to Chicago several times a year to stock up on it. He said it came the closest to what he was raised on in Poland.


[User] Just confirming that I have not, in fact, seen any babies named Dennis.

[Assistant] Who would call a kid Bruce anyway?

[User] Does Denise count? Also, not sure if that would help or hurt the claim?

[Assistant] A baby named denise doesn't sound very far-fetched. dennis? Dennis is just being ridiculous though.


[User]
I've spent most of my day intermittently going back and forth with Square Enix support because I accidentally wiped the FFXIV account off my authenticator on my old phone...

Lesson learned: don't sign up for a video game using your Preferred Name unless you wanna lose 3 years of progress.

[Assistant] There WAS an emergency code they give you when you first sign up for the authenticator service, but I cannot for the life of me find where I wrote it down 😭

[User]
So anyway.

I have now sent an email to a local pro-trans attorney for some info about name change process in this state lmfao.

If they want an ID with the name I signed up for FFXIV with, I might have to get it now 😤

[Assistant] Oh no!!!! 😭 I hope you can eventually get back into your account!


[User] Having an electric blanket to preheat my bed before I get in — how was I living before this?! HOW!

[Assistant] How was anyone? 😮💨

[User] Best gift I ever received...my electric blanket!!

[Assistant] Same. I’m single now so I’m really appreciating this thing!


[User] Whelp! I think I've arrived, Bluesky! Just been followed by more bots than your average election...

[Assistant] Oh no 😣 I'm sorry..

[User] Meh, could be worse. At least here I can block 'em and it means something.

[Assistant] That's true, you're right. On Twitter it felt like you blocked 1 and 13 more appeared from thin air.


[User]
Last day of November, some Thames Foreshore #mudlarking finds from the last few weeks.

From the top, left to right:

• swirl-design marble, blue/red/white, 19thC German, pontil scar visible
• blue on white base from a 19thC cup, featuring a bird
• medieval slashed skillet (frying pan) handle 1/

[Assistant]
Middle row:

• fragments of Roman pottery; a sherd of colour-coated ware with rouletted pattern and a sherd of mortarium (for grinding herbs/spices)
• large piece of Opus Signinum, waterproof Roman mortar used in building bath houses
• sherd from a tin glaze platter, 18thC, green leaf pattern 2/

[User]
Bottom row featuring a range of religious offerings to the Thames:

• Hindu offering bowls
• a meditation sphere made from green jasper (spiritual gift but not thought to be Hindu)
• a yantra - blessing tablet featuring the Hindu goddess of cats Shashti, and Bhairava, Hindu god of dogs 4/

[Assistant] Throughout millennia the Thames has been a receptacle for spiritual offerings, whether from pre-history (worked flint axes thrown in it as gifts to the gods) to the modern adopting of it as a replacement for the Ganges by Hindu Londoners, offering gifts as blessings in the run up to Diwali 5/

[User] The Thames has also been adopted by many other faiths/cultures too. Mudlarks tend to leave the offerings alone unless plastic or broken (eg glass) so they need to be cleared. See link below for a great blog on river deities written by environmental group Thames 21 www.thames21.org.uk/2023/08/rive...

[Assistant] 👍. Do you find a lot of marbles, Liz?

[User] I’ve found quite a few over the years - glass, clay, stone etc.

[Assistant] Stunning. Look at those colours!


[User] Let's give it a go!

[Assistant] 1. With Twitter turning into a cesspool and the AI stuff being implemented, I didn't want my voice to be used by AI. I decided to join the many others over here! ^^

[User] 2. I still have my Twitter account, and I also have a discord! You can find the link to my server in my bio!

[Assistant] 6. nonbinary! I use they/them!


[User]
😮😆 +2k!!! 💪🇺🇦
We'll not make it to 800k before the end of the year, but it will certainly be VERY close!!! 🔥💥

[Assistant] A nice round 750,000 will do as a starter.

[Assistant] We'll hit 20k IFVs by then!


[User] Did aew stop doing the back stage segments for the continental classic? That was the best part... 🤼♂

[Assistant] I saw one but I can’t find it now. It was Daddy Magic and Daniel Garcia being happy with the draw with Okada.

[User]
Okay, so maybe they are filming them. I really feel like they were such a critical part of what made the C2 feel more authentic than any other random fake wrestling tournament.

Getting nostalgic for an Eddie Kingston Collision cold open.

[Assistant] They've been putting them on YouTube (and maybe Twitter but I'm not there anymore to check). youtu.be/JoiSPOjRzac?...


[User]
I like this idea of Global #DigitalHealth Diplomacy. The idea is to align standards efforts & reach political consensus towards supranational #interoperability. Doing so can enable a global healthcare delivery service through data access and/or exchange #FHIR

jas.bayern/index.php/ja...

[Assistant] A related paper with my colleagues “Digital Health Diplomacy” in Global Digital Health? A call for critique and discourse  pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

[User] Thanks Yuri, I'm thinking about adopting that title myself so I can dream about being as cool as Kate Wyler 😉

[Assistant] Since your paper was written, have you seen much progress in advancing this concept? I note that you and your co-authors called for our profession and those related to #digitalhealth and #globalhealth to advance this emerging field.

[User]
I agree a great idea. Just a small point that FHIR won’t solve all our interoperability issues. We need other standards like #openEHR too. This is why ⬇

conference.openehr.org/kanthan-thei...

[Assistant]
Document numbering standard and deliverable
Standards.

With these a simple file tagging standard can be generated for each document and a script can import the data (similar to tax software output).
The PDF is official legal document.
No deliverables defined from EMR’s?


[User] My mom said the mashed potatoes I made for Thanksgiving were "unusual."  🫤

[Assistant] Did you flavor them with Frank's Red Hot Sauce again?

[User] To give her (undeserved!) credit, the potatoes had bacon, garlic, and cheese in them. But she just wants Instant. Pfft.

[Assistant]
You can send the leftover to me! Or drop them off.

BRING ME THE POTATOES, GREG!!!


[User]
So only 37% complete therapy and only roughly 50% get better. So 18.5% getting better overall is a poor outcome. Perhaps we need something other, more powerful, than psychotherapy.
#outsight midpsy.uk
www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/do...

[Assistant] “ Describing outcomes for people finishing treatment is complicated by inconsistencies in data.”

[User] Yes, data is incredibly messy when it comes to mental health, with so many confounding variables. But one thing is very clear, and that's the correlation between health and inequality.

[Assistant] Absolutely, but the evidence of good outcomes from psychotherapy is an evidence in this recent work bsky.app/profile/ploe...


[User] Check your settings and put a stop to this algorithmic crap before it takes hold and fucks up the experience here as it has elsewhere.

[Assistant]
Thank you for the heads up!  Mine was set to “hot”, too.

Forget that.  Changed it back to “newest”.

[User] Not sure if switching it here also does it for the app, or the app was simply set to newest by default, but I'd check that as well if you use both.

[Assistant] I will 100% check both.  On the app right now (via my phone), but I also use on my browser so will make sure it’s set correctly there, too.  THANK YOU!!!


[User] FYI - the Garlic Gondola's from Trader Joe's are very, very garlicy.  And very, very good. And even better if you dip them in gravy.

[Assistant] What kind of gravy? Like my turkey gravy or gravy from a roast?

[User] LOL It was actually the gravy from Stouffer's meatloaf. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a garlic bread boat. Ultimate comfort food dinner last night :)

[Assistant] Perfect! And about my attention span in the kitchen even though I have high intentions.


[User]
www.irishtimes.com/science/2024...

I'm really excited to be featured in the Irish Times. Our work at @ospar.bsky.social is more important now than ever. 🪼🪼🪼 Thank you @whittledaway.bsky.social!

[Assistant] Nice job! Flying the flag for plankton :)

[User] I'm looking for "MCC Tie" in that diagram ...😉

[Assistant] Congratulations on being featured in the Irish Times! The role of plankton in climate is really important, thanks for your research!👍


[User]
👑 Announcing team Lime Llamas 👑

@bekyamon @hannahxxrose @KaraCorvus @TheOrionSound

Watch them in MCC on Saturday 7th December at 8pm GMT!

[Assistant] This team is gonna be fun!

[User] Gotta love a women's team😁

[Assistant] Dodgebolt lock. Don’t even need to see the other teams. I’m so excited for this one!!


[User]
Like all jobs, science has its downs. And then there are the ups - not because of some acceptance/award/+, but because you get to "science", and it's exciting.

Today, I got to "science" with *both* @benhayden.bsky.social and @eblissmoreau.bsky.social. It was one of those great days!

[Assistant] Thanks! It was a lot of fun talking to you too! Your data are very exciting, and your direction is novel and important!!

[User] Oh wow - thank you so much! You’re such an inspiration behind all this. I’m so excited to start our work together.

[Assistant]
Sounds like so much 🤩 fun.

I have really enjoyed your podcast and content.

I appreciate  all the perspectives and insights to life and science you and Ashley explore!


[User]
Good morning!

One would think you’d feel refreshed after a day off, but I could do with another one, to be honest😅

Have a great day!

[Assistant]
Good morning ☕ yes you need a day off after your day off, it only makes sense 😃
Have a great day 😇

[User] Good morning ☕

[Assistant] Morning🙂


[User]
Ya'll you can literally turn it off
It's annoying but why ya'll wasting energy being mad at this 😭

[Assistant]
I would assume because it's the new "default" setting.

And most users will never even look through their settings unless they are looking for something specific.

[User]
For instance, "For You" was on Twitter for months, and people still don't know it's optional, to the point they had no idea they literally could switch feeds at the top of the page until I pointed it out to them.

Then again, I work retail and been a long term trawler of the 'net.
People are daft.

[Assistant]
For instance, "For You" was on Twitter for months, and people still don't know it's optional, to the point they had no idea they literally could switch feeds at the top of the page until I pointed it out to them.

Then again, I work retail and been a long term trawler of the 'net.
People are daft.


[Assistant] Would that apply to bomb threats against him?

[User] The voices in his head are emanating from Moscow!

[Assistant] As long as they investigate people and protect him, he doesnt care.


[User] i realized that. no matter how much my system tries to rationalize or try to make sense as to why someone hurt us on purpose or made a choice that was harmful. it doesnt change the fact that it happened and no reason or explanation will make us feel any better.

[Assistant] we need to go through grief without trying to understand them or figure out all of the "whys" "maybes" and "hows" . sometimes people are just shitty and awful. theres no other reason than that.

[User] sometimes they are shitty just to be shitty. they are hurtful just to be hurtful.

[Assistant] people dont always need a reason to be a hurtful person to others. they just are.


[User] I can't wait to have gray hair!! spiritually I've been gray since I was 5 so it'll be nice for my outside to match my insides.

[Assistant] thinking about the hyung line with lil silver streaks 🥰

[User] The timing of this post is funny to me bc I was just looking at the many that I have and I gave in to the urge to pluck one 😭

[Assistant] let them grooowwwww they're beautiful!!


[User] Being around a four year old is a hilarious test of how well you can explain  concepts on the fly. This morning’s inadequate  explanations were of a Tasmanian devil and a bobsled. Answers included: ‘kind of like a rat & a bear that makes tornadoes when he moves’ and ‘like a car on ice skates’

[Assistant] I mean those are pretty good descriptions!!!

[User] He will accept no less than total accuracy! 😂

[Assistant] Made the mistake of being first adult up in a house with a 5 year old once. ‘Why does the sun come up every day?’ 10 minutes and many question later I’ve got the child stood on the kitchen table holding an orange while I walk round it spinning various other bits of the fruit bowl jammed on pencils.


[User] If you’re redesigning a station, SURELY you put the seats under cover to protect passengers from the sun and rain 🤦♂

[Assistant] On the positive side, relocating some benches wouldn't cost too much money. You just need some committed local advocates.

[User] The station was literally renovated 2 years ago at a cost of $20 million, and all those benches were installed then. Who designs this stuff?

[Assistant] Seemingly, people who don't catch the train.


[User] Trying to tell if this is the normal "I can't breathe" anaphylaxis or if this is the hospital room "I can't breathe" anaphylaxis. I mean it has to be something I ate bc im also having a cat 5 tummy moment but goddamn I am not having fun. Def losing sleep when I /just/ got my sleep schedule back.

[Assistant] Its getting better over expulsion which all but confirms the cause but damn this sucks I really was close to sleeping at a good time.

[User] Okay yeah its basically gone now that my tummy issues are done. Wtf was that.

[Assistant] Nah still here. Lessened for sure. But we're an hour in and I'm running out of Fantano stream time.


[User]
A lot of very dumb vetbros may come to realize they voted to slit their own throats. They may also be depressed when they discover that our "thank you for your service" culture was never sincere in the first place.

I'm kidding. They'll mostly find a way to blame pronouns or something.

[Assistant] I'm going to open a coffee/tac gear company and call it HOOAH KNIFEHAND so I can offset the cuts to my disability and pension.

[User] Need a business partner?

[Assistant] And they will never for one second ask why robbing veterans was on the table before taxing the billionaires.


[User]
Apparently, I am not an ally because I wouldn't let someone be shitty to me.

While I absolutely understand the full throttle fear, they never spoke to me like a person, or ever tried to get to know me, they just made accusations, and was absolutely shitty.

[Assistant] Is this irl, or on here?

[User] Both. But I've blocked them on all my socials.

[Assistant] That is the best way!


[User] i was supposed to buy christmas gifts for friends/family earlier and i ended up buying gifts for me instead…😪

[Assistant] Me buying myself a new shirt the other day while bday gift shopping for a friend 😭

[User] PLSSSS it’s hard out here this is why i’d rather give them gift cards😪

[Assistant] Never related more 🥲


[User]
what do you think.

I just spent 3 hours on Bluesky, and I'm SHOCKED at what I've seen...a constant, uninterrupted stream of posts and comments that were all perfectly spelled, using correct grammar, while offering insight and good humor.

I need to lie down now.

[Assistant]
Love:
Familiar interface: Bluesky's interface closely resembles classic Twitter, making it easy to navigate.
Reduced negativity: The platform offers a more positive and respectful environment, with less trolling and toxicity.

[User]
Customizable feeds: Users can create personalized feeds to tailor their content consumption.
Algorithm-free experience: Bluesky prioritizes content based on user activity, minimizing the impact of biased algorithms.
Ad-free experience: Currently, Bluesky is free of intrusive advertising.

[Assistant]
Hate:
Discoverability issues: Finding specific people and content can be challenging due to Bluesky's smaller user base and limited verification system.
Imposter accounts: The lack of robust verification makes it difficult to distinguish genuine accounts from imposters.

[User]
Limited user base: Bluesky's smaller user base can lead to less engagement and a less vibrant community.
Potential for filter bubbles: The ability to create and subscribe to moderation lists could lead to echo chambers and limited exposure to diverse viewpoints.

[Assistant] Starting from scratch: New users must rebuild their following and network on the platform.


[User]
I've drawn in my sketchbook every day for the past eleven days straight after not touching it for months, and I wrote purely for fun for the first time in 3 years yesterday and today.

I'm in such a creative high right now I fear that the drop off may kill me.

[Assistant] Do it as you please. Try not to make it a requirement or obligation. Don’t burn yourself out from your hobby. Take time when you need it. I’m proud of you for getting started again :)

[User] It is great you draw again. Keep the joy of that.

[Assistant] Don't fear. Relish in what you are capable of, and recognize your talent in being able to pick it up or put it down at any time. Do not fear it, for it is your power. 💯


[User] A stainless steel fridge was parked next to me today. Look how dirty this thing looked.

[Assistant] More raccoons trying to get into the dumpster.

[User] Should have spritzed it with some water 😏

[Assistant] Rolling dumpster designed by a talented 14 year old.


[User]
If you think it's always hot in Bangkok.

Source: On showyourstripes.info you can choose the country and region you live in and compare the development.

[Assistant] Many of the world's populations, in particular in so-called "educated" countries, still don't believe the facts... doesn't matter how colourful and simple science tries to explain it.

[User] ... well, some countries also elect strange people. 🤷♂

[Assistant] Hamburg. Getting hotter. I still remember the lake Alster in the middle of the city was frozen and people skating on it. Now, in deep winter, no more ice.


[User]
Trying to not get bent out of shape over everyone saying they didn’t read the character lore I wrote but… it’s hard 😞

I just gotta accept my character sucks. Maybe I’ll swap, idk.

[Assistant] nah keep it up, maybe post it here too? I would like to read it if possible!

[User] Lore!? Where lore!? Share lore! I didn't see it before and I LOVE lore dumps!

[Assistant] I haven't met a single character of yours yet that has sucked, and all of your lore writings you've shared have been great. idk what's up with the folks who're ignoring your offerings, but the problem is them. Not you and yours.

[User] Ill read it :0 Just slap that lore into my face!

[Assistant] Give me the lore.


[User]
Okay everybody, it was fun while it lasted but the party's over: Fox News says a Democrat says you progressives belong back on X, so all y'all better head back over to Elon's now.

*starts handing coats to confused liberals*

[Assistant] This comment appears to be a satirical take on political dynamics involving progressives and social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). It's important to verify claims about Fox News or any political statements to ensure accurate understanding before engaging.

[User] Thanks, HR.

[Assistant] Haha sorry honey, we left and took the good cheese with us 💅


[User] #Moana2 pleasantly surprised me. Its metamorphosis from a series into a movie means the plot moves at a rapid pace. It looks great, sounds great, definitely worth the attention.

[Assistant] When was it a series?

[User] It was in development as a long-form limited series at the same time as the live-action adaptation of the first film. Reworked into a movie earlier this year.

[Assistant] Ah, got you. More Disney low hanging fruit pursuits. I’m mildly offended by the existence of Moana 2 - first one was a perfect overview of Pacific folklore and I lived in hope that other cultures would also get the same treatment, especially after Turning Red and Luca.


[User] I've got some time(3-4 hours🥴) to kill while waiting for my car to get a recall issue fixed, so let's have a little conversation with the help of my journal that I am catching up on. What say you?😊

[Assistant] Submitting my book proposal (with the first two books I hadn’t gone that traditional route so this was scarier than I’d anticipated).

[User] The last? Well, I agreed to a family trip to Japan. 😳😳😳

[Assistant] The toddler-baby was whining at bedtime but I kept her in her crib even though the older toddler was trying to sleep 😅


[User] One of the first stories I did for the Globe in 2009 was about Aroldis Chapman, then a 21-year-old free agent from Cuba who had been in Europe after defecting, throwing a bullpen for the Red Sox on a rainy October day. He ended up signing with the Reds. 15+ years later he makes a deal with the Sox.

[Assistant] It was kind of an unusual story at the time. A young lawyer from Boston was representing Chapman and he came to Fenway to throw for Theo Epstein and others. Sox would not confirm he was there. Talked to Chapman about it years later and he remembered being cold and thinking he had not pitched well.

[User] is Wil Cordero’s number 12 jersey available for Aroldis?

[Assistant] Did he talk to you about how much he loves beating his wife?


[User] Finally, after what seems like a month of rain, some sunshine!

[Assistant] l saw it for about 3 minutes on my 1 hour drive to work. Just as it was rising into the clouds 🌞

[User]
Big chair.
Where are Rusty and Jerome?

[Assistant] Rusty got fired because he was always in the bag.


[User] As someone who lives in England, where the temperature is around one degree celsius, I cannot find the words to explain how therapeutic my current situation is for me 🇦🇺:

[Assistant] Gorgeous photo! I love the simplicity as it seems like a photo made of 3 strips of colours. Really well done.

[User] It’s everything I need in one image: a sea breeze, blue skies, sand between my toes, and time for quiet reflection 🏖

[Assistant] Lucky you! We are expecting snow tomorrow, so I'm definitely jealous. :-)


[User] Parenting teens in a nutshell: Having a 15 minute argument on if 3 inch cherry red stilettos count as kitten heels in the context of allowed footwear when we will need to race through an airport to catch a tight connection.

[Assistant]
Being a total clutz myself,  that makes my ankles hurt just thinking about it.
I  need to know how this ends!

[User] Oh goodness, no. Definitely young and inexperienced. Good luck and strong ankles?

[Assistant] I'd say "Run to the end of the block to test it" but then she'd try and you would be in the ER.

[User] I recently r̷e̷s̷i̷g̷n̷e̷d̷ ̷m̷y̷s̷e̷l̷f̷ ascended to the position of ‘flights are sweatpants and crocs territory actually’, so all the hugs with a warm, gentle smile and some ‘ah, rookie mistakes’ mutter under my breath.

[Assistant] there's no place in the world that should be designated "crocs territory".


[User] I love a satisfying gold amount number 😂

[Assistant] You rich richh 🤩

[User]
I had more...& then I bought Elliot's portrait for 30,000g 😭😂

My other farm is on year 8 and Im at 10 million gold!

[Assistant] Damn his art so expensive 😵💫


[User]
Im fifteen minutes into Spiritfarer and I can already tell it’s going to be a really special game.

Maybe that’s what I’ll be posting about for a bit. And if no one is listening… that’s ok, I think that fits the spirit (hah) of the game.

[Assistant] Opening scene; cuddling with a clearly very beloved cat, then a whimsical but consequential conversation Charon? Relatable freaking content.

[User]
Just swinging guesses in the wild (don’t tell me!)

The cat’s a manifestation of a person that Stella knows, huh?

Slightly less relatable but still… this is gonna be a lot, I bet.

[Assistant]
Just swinging guesses in the wild (don’t tell me!)

The cat’s a manifestation of a person that Stella knows, huh?

Slightly less relatable but still… this is gonna be a lot, I bet.


[User] My view on the sculptures is now solely aesthetic, i.e. having them in two places would be a bit like if the Tate decided to put one Seagram mural in Modern, Britain, St Ives *and* Liverpool. And unlike the murals they can’t actually go on tour together, so: Greece!

[Assistant] But there’s IMO no “moral” argument on the ownership, anymore than there is a “moral” argument that it breaks the spirit of Rothko’s bequest to have them in Tate Modern rather than a now lost singular “Tate Gallery”.

[User] why shouldn't people across the country have the chance to gaze at meaningless blocks of colour?

[Assistant] Legally the Tate Gallery still exists (as a single non-departmental public body)


[User]
Pretty sure I got called the F-bomb and n!gger while I was running earlier….by a fellow Black man 🤔

(Must have been the shirtless-ness and short running shorts)

[Assistant] you were running faster than him and he didn’t like that?

[User] Oh see you was out there naked and he was jealous.

[Assistant] He hit a combo like  a you were that type of N!gger? Or two separate use of slurs?


[User]
1/?

What an asshole.

This prick has somehow managed to gaslight millions of gullible voters to vote for him.

www.huffpost.com/entry/donald...

[Assistant]
2/2

This so-called “Thanksgiving Day message” is simply another rant for felon turnip to make. It isn’t enough that he “won” (?) the election. He wants to skewer anyone he sees as his enemy. In his fucked up twisted mind, he thinks *anyone* opposing him needs to “pay”. Fuck him.

[User] It is scary. Think about the myth of Superman. He wasn't a hero because of his powers but because of his heartland  values which shaped his morality: Compassion, tolerance, greater good.  Imagine if he landed today in a field and was raised by MAGA.

[Assistant] People don’t always take on the morals, ethics (or lack thereof) or political affiliations of the environment they’re raised in. For example, reagan was stupidly republican but two of his children are democrats.


[User]
Who’s up for a little early morning mind fuck?
Okay.
Here’s Jessica Fletcher playing Miss Marple.

[Assistant] You’re way too hardcore for me.

[User] Please. Try not to be scared my dear.

[Assistant] Hardcore with compassion. That’s nice.

[User] More hard-cuddle than hardcore really pal 🧸

[Assistant] Good to know 😊


[User]
Quote and show off your art setup ✨

There's no better place for for drawing for me in the world. I even built the desktop so it would fulfill all my needs.

[Assistant] Damn you got the SETUP! Very nice place there Otocai and somehow...yeah I expected you to have the waifus on the wall too 😆

[User] Hey I know that place!

[Assistant] U think???


[User]
[DJ Jack Paper, knocking and entering]
Hey there! Are you in charge of the sound here?

[Assistant]
[Intern, turning around]
Uh, yeah, but nobody's allowed to - whoa, Jack Paper from @ccstickman.bsky.social's show! I love your work, man!

[User] Well, thanks! Hey, look, it's really important that I get a song played over the PA system, so could you help me with it?

[Assistant] Well, thanks! Hey, look, it's really important that I get a song played over the PA system, so could you help me with it?


[User]
Housemate D's excuse for E not putting out the bin? He's 'sick' with 'a cold or flu'. If it was flu, he wouldn't be able to go to work, and last I knew, having a cold doesn't stop your fucking legs working (says the person with a raging cold).
Such bullshit nonsense, as always.

[Assistant] Well enough to go to work = well enough to put the bins out.

[User]
Exactly!
Besides, I don't believe for one minute (as she claimed) that he has to go to work when he's sick.
MY asshole ex-boss might've done that to me, but I doubt his boss does.

[Assistant]
And why is D making excuses for him anyway.

Your housemates are weird. But you know that, alas.


[User] That’s so cool, if you don’t mind me asking what’s your “favorite” or most liked form of writing that you feel you don’t do enough?

[Assistant] Children's books with whimsical themes, similar to Harry Potter.

[User] Ohhh well I hope you get to dive back into that soon.

[Assistant] Thanks me too 🤎


[User] Trolls have a real short shelf life over here...and I kind of love it.

[Assistant] Don't you love how functional the block is?!

[User] Yep! Me too ♥

[Assistant] Sadly, I must admit I’m mostly just a troll over there.  I’m hesitant to pull the trigger on leaving because it sucks to think that their lies will go unchecked.


[User] Just booked a summer trip to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP. If anyone has recommendations for either park, I'm all ears!

[Assistant]
Oh, how wonderful!

My boys planned that trip last summer. Unfortunately, they only made it out to Rapid when an emergency forced them to turn around and come home. :(

[User] Oh no! Hopefully everything ended up ok.

[Assistant]
It did, thanks.

I'll ask for their plan; they spent a lot of time researching for the trip. Unfortunately, I can only recall that they planned to eat at the drive-in in Murdo, SD on the trek out. (My youngest grabbed lunch there on a trip with my dad years ago and still talks about the burgers.)


[User] I feel like a common trope in those stories about shapeshifting deities is one getting captured while in a weak form. like a demigoddess getting caught as a fairy and stuck in a jar. that'd be messed up! kind of humiliating!

[Assistant] now who would do such a thing to an innocent little fairy? :]

[User] >< i! i'm not a fairy! I'm a big, strong forest spirit!!

[Assistant] mmm-hmmm sure you are! a big strong forest spirit being held in place by such fragile glass :]


[User]
Every time I open any land title record with this hand writing, I audibly groan.

It's the backwards slope that does for me. It's perfectly legible, if I pretend I'm on a ship in a storm.

🗃

[Assistant] My mom and I both write this way. I tender my deepest apologies to future historians.

[User] Are you left handed? Someone once suggested it was a leftie style, but I wasn't sure if they were just speculating or actually had evidence.

[Assistant] We're both right-handed. It just feels more natural.

[User] I still remember some TV show analysing someone's personality negatively because they wrote above the line, and being outraged because I write above the line from enduring fear of my grade 4 teacher. I used to write e with the tail under the line & got in trouble, so I just hover everything above.

[Assistant] I was taught to form lowercase "b" differently at one school than the form preferred at my next school, and you would have thought the world was ending.

[User] The outrage of individuals writing in unique styles. How dare you.

[Assistant] I like to think this is more damning evidence of buildings of old having uneven floors, wonky desks, and perhaps an over-reliance on alcohol when filling out official documents. Come at me historians of joinery and carpentry. I'm ready.


[User] My switch icon 🎄🎅🔔❄

[Assistant]
Nice 😃.

Here's mine.

[User] That's epic. If I still had NSO I'd get it too.

[Assistant] It's such a pitty and also ridiculous, that this is for NSO only.


[User] My aunt says Wicked is too leftist. 🙃

[Assistant] Why couldn’t they leave politics out of it, like in The Wizard of Oz?

[User] Pffft. I bet the monkeys aren’t even unionized.

[Assistant] Tell her it's Satan's favorite musical. You read it online.


[User] ITS SO COLD :(

[Assistant] And More to come.

[User] Shall I come over and warm you up with my burning pc while streaming? 😏

[Assistant] Need a fire dragon to warm you up?

[User] Will you come and warm up, Kira? You look super comfy and warm.

[Assistant] *wraps ya up in a blanket*  Then put some clothes on young lady! It's nearly winter!!! Find something especially tha'll make ya look like the elven version of a young Ms. Claus!


[User] Post a pic you took to add some calm to the timeline.

[Assistant] Ooo that's nice, great sky.


[User] Guess who got his eye poked by AliceLynx? She sets firm boundaries. (Looks worse in photo than IRL; we are monitoring in case this merits a vet visit.)

[Assistant] Usually he recovers in a day or two but my previous ginger boy did once require a vet visit after his usually-gentle brother had enough of his shit one day.

[User] May it heal swiftly. When my cat had an eye thing it was ~$2500 and four weeks of six meds on different schedules. He is recovered, that magnificent bastard.

[Assistant] Yikes! Oz had to take drops and it was probably around $300 total for the visit and the meds back in maybe 2009 or so.


[User]
Also note the term "hardliner", often invoked when speaking about foreign far right politicians.
It invokes the idea that these actors are merely following existing rules to a "hard" extreme. When more often than not, they are directly involved in subverting them.

[Assistant] Is hardliner not related to ‘taking the hard line’; as in a description of the unwavering or uncompromising nature of speech or action rather than taking the thought or philosophy to the extreme?

[User]
This is a very crude indicator, but here's who German National News headlines mention in stories about "hardliners."

(Graph shows frequency of capitalized Bigrams because NER is a mess. Data source: @mediacloud.bsky.social German National News collection.)

[Assistant] Jim Jordan & Matt Gaetz, famous for their consistency and hard lines on... *check notes* voting against the party line?


[User]
@trg-commentary.bsky.social "Fascists can't govern...."Yes, very difficult to sustain hatred over a protracted period.
Hubris and incompetence will undo them.

[Assistant] That's exactly the point.

[User] When I was 18 or 19 I watched Reagan come to power. It was the first time I'd really been involved in watching closely a presidential election. My father said watch out, referring to the hostage situation and Volcker's interest rates. Between Nixon and Reagan, things have never been quite the same.

[Assistant]
Yes, but also:

"The market can remain irrational for longer than you can remain solvent"


[User] TIL that setting out an Elijah chair is in fact a Jewish tradition and not an old school Catholic one 😳

[Assistant] But pouring one out for Elijah—? Hundred percent old school ould sod, that.

[User] Yes! Family tradition every Holy Thursday, but we’ve also generally extended the concept to set places out for each other when we miss each other.

[Assistant] That is sweet.


[User] Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the states! 🧡🍂🍗

[Assistant] I'm going to gorge myself in the afternoon then sleep 😂

[User] About to pop the turkey in the oven! Thanks 🦃

[Assistant] happy thursday to you! 🥰♥


[User] Today for the first time I had to block people for negative comments. Kinda bummed.

[Assistant] Sorry to hear that.

[User] negative comments to a Corgi?  how is that even possible?

[Assistant] That's why we need more Peggy, sweetness and side eye for the win.

[User] Please don’t be saddened or discouraged.  And, above all don’t stop showing photos of the lovely Peggy Olsen.

[Assistant] Sorry I misspelled your surname.


[User] We really don’t talk enough about how depression and exhaustion are related. Often you’re depressed because you need time to relax and you can’t. It’s that simple. That makes you angry and upset at the situation. Anyway that’s me right now.

[Assistant] I woke up at 5:30 am. I will spend the next hour and a half managing my family to where they need to be. At 10 am I go on the phones until 630 pm. I will do this until the end of the day Saturday. One day off. Then back on the phones but it’ll be much slower 5 days a week until January. I’m tired.

[User] On my days off I am still managing my family at every moment. Making sure my wife has what she needs. Same for Lola and Opal. I am not writing. I am not reading. I was counting on a day off last week for that mental reset. I didn’t get it. I had a day off Thursday. It went very badly.

[Assistant] I’m explaining all this to say when I get mad that the movies are too sad or something else too silly, maybe that’s not actually what I’m mad at. What I’m mad at are things I am not allowed to be mad at.


[User] For those of you who follow me and don't know much about Edmonton, Canada... it's -20c outside ( -4f ) and there's a foot of snow. The forecast this week is for more of this, and more of this continues until around the middle of April.

[Assistant] If you live in Edmonton or any Northern community for that matter, you must embrace Winter. It’s cold, yes, but gorgeous too. Our river valley is spectacular year round. Dress appropriately and get out there!

[User] In Central Alberta, same weather pattern here.  I kind of prefer a winter with snow than last year, where we barely had any at Christmas.  And -20c isn't that bad when you consider that sometime in January -40 is going to happen.

[Assistant] Or at least until Tuesday when it's supposed to be +3c (37f).


[User] I have decided to do a spreadsheet of all the fics I have read. I should have started over 18mo ago and I should have read more long fics...

[Assistant] I thought about doing this but then immediately put the task into the too hard basket…

[User]
Good luck with your spreadsheet. :)
I often feel that I'm 'behind' with fics - my tbr list gets longer and longer. But then I remember that a: it's not a competition and b: I mostly read fairly long fics of 100k+. I do like to get my teeth into a thing.

[Assistant] Wow. Such a huge undertaking. Have fun!


[User] The man can write.

[Assistant] simply the best.

[User] He's brilliant. I've not got much interest in darts but will read anything he writes about it.

[Assistant] Yeah, loved his piece about how it would be so great and inspiring for young boys to see more men winning in women's sports 🙄


[User] I'm gonna have thanksgiving in my pajamas because my mother won't let me go back to my room 😭

[User] Omg your mom too? She knows there’s no way I’m coming back out voluntarily with a packed house 😰

[Assistant] LMAO LITERALLY she knows imma stay in there so im forced out here 😭


[User] A very powerless Thanksgiving this year 🕯 Thanks for nothing, PG&E!

[Assistant] Oh no! PG&E sure does make things memorable.

[User] Oh no! Looks like a fantastic spread anyway but it must have been chilly inside :(

[Assistant] What??  It was a beautiful day today, no rain or wind.  WTH?


[User] Not my best Jueno run tonight but it was still fun!

[Assistant] Hopefully the second run will be better! I haven’t gone in again since the first time tbh 😭

[User] I've ran it like 4 times now in the span of two weeks because aiming stuff won't drop 😅

[Assistant] OH my bad lol I didn’t know. hope you get it eventually!


[User]
Funny. I could swear Mrs Thatcher's argument was that it would.

BBC News - South Western, C2C, and Greater Anglia to be renationalised - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

[Assistant] Guess who didn't privatise British Rail...

[User] If you recall the mantra of the Finchley Fury it was that private ownership of anything currently in state hands would unleash untold benefits for the rest of us. We're still waiting. (In the case of trains, frequently quite literally).

[Assistant]
It is a well-known fact that Mrs T thought the railways were "a privatisation too far".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privati...


[User] You’re lucky I can’t draw, or I’d be subjecting you all to Bøjack Norseman right now.

[Assistant] I mean, we can accept mspaint stickmen!

[User] Don’t worry because of my disability I can’t draw honestly if I could it would be Link from legend of Zelda on a horse.

[Assistant] I can't draw, either. Don't worry.

[Assistant] Don’t let that stop you, draw it anyway!


[User] Somebody remind me that tomorrow (Sunday) I should take it easy and rest my knee because it has to be in good shape a week from now.

[Assistant] There are two small home improvement things I need to do and one home chore and I am not doing them. 😬😬😬😬😬

[User] (I am doing laundry and I changed the sheets.)

[Assistant] I did not do the house projects today! And I did an appropriate amount of physical therapy. My knee is still not where I’d like to be, though. My hands and feet also hurt today. 😕 My advice for young people is not to get arthritis!