[User] Though this image sure takes me back, when she first unlocked Astrologian. Although it was my brother’s fault, he kept going on that I can try out this job for healing. All because my friend, Annie ratted me out when she saw my character sitting beside Urianger whilst waiting on the dungeon in —

[Assistant] Il Mheg. She expected my brother to see that, but he finished all of Shadowbringers so he won’t see what I’m doing. Even though he was in the way with his mount. I didn’t know Annie was standing behind my chair, lurking to see what I was doing. And she thought it was a good idea to tell my —

[User] — girlfriend, Jade about it. Who later informed my brother about it. The issue is he knew that Urianger was this specific healer job and set me up. But all in all, I don’t regret it because at times my WoL would cosplay those exact same clothes he wears and the weapon he uses. And not a day goes —

[Assistant] — by how blessed I am. Someday when I am fully recovered and am not scared to be myself. I would definitely scream to the rooftops about my love for Urianger and all the other characters I love from other games I play. Including my Spouse, the one I loved for years and have a strong history with.

[User] But to some controversy of being called out by someone who didn’t know me, or took the time to even do so before spreading false things about me not caring how other people feel because how obsessed I was. The thing is I never did anything for my own happiness. I always did for others than me.

[Assistant] But just that one time, I wanted to do something that brought me joy. And I get called selfish for it, from someone who didn’t know me at all. But regardless it took a huge toll on me. I have been having a horrible experience with the Fate community since October 2018. So that incident was the —

[User] — final straw. But seeing this community and knowing people support others and are also like me are obsessive with their ships. I find my place of belonging. Where I shouldn’t have to feel ashamed for doing the same things as everyone else. I still thank my brother for getting me interested in —

[Assistant] — playing FFXIV in the first place, because I wouldn’t be here and knew this kind of community existed. And of course a new character I began to have fallen in love with.


[User]
Haven't asked this in awhile. Curious what y'all share here.

I can't have turkey (allergy—yes, really) so I feast every T-giving on a mounded plate of side dishes (bliss!). Aside from the standards, what are your favorites? Link those recipes if you can!

My recent love is a parsnip puree soup.

[Assistant] I think it is critical to have a bitter salad (escarole, radicchio, something like that)

[User] Yes, love those.

[Assistant] I made a french onion mac and cheese that was a crowd pleaser! Cant link recipe b/cuz nyt but my recipe app captured it 😅


[User]
New blog by me at Walkable Princeton dot com:
Princeton realtor Josh Wilton has hit out at the town's policies on historic preservation, which he says are acting to limit home construction and add to costs in affected historic districts... walkableprinceton.com/2024/11/27/d...

[Assistant] For the record, I don't think I would describe Princeton historic preservation as equivalent to "redlining". I think it is something much more basic, i.e. "NIMBYism".

[User] Wild that Princeton has 21(!) historic districts. I wonder which US town has the most individual historic districts per capita. Princeton might be up there.

[Assistant] You know, I had the same thought when I was writing this! We only have 31,000 people, but we have 21 historic districts. A lot of people would like there to be even more historic districts too! I would not be very surprised if the entire town became a historic district at some point.


[User] Looking for some analysis on what this means in practical terms, both in the short and the medium term.

[Assistant] Satirical take: it’s an opportunity for the incoming administration to further bolster the wealth capture of their 15-20 oligarch supporters.

[User] It will drive inflation...other than that...I don´t know.

[Assistant]
They could run out of hard (i.e. foreign) currency and be unable to buy things that are not domestically produced. Might cause their energy export values to plummet, but those are commodities that can be priced in any currency.

The Soviet Union dealt with this, so it can be tough but manageable.


[User] I feel like the amount of silverware provided by a takeaway place is a micro aggression.

[Assistant]
I received 3 pairs of chopsticks before.

So offensive!

[User] But also, as a fellow multi chopstick receiver... 🙌🍣😋

[Assistant] I only got a single wasabi and ginger tho, that's not right! 😭


[User] I'm about to do the "work" part of Artwork. It begins by wiring a painting for hanging. I'll show you how. 🔽

[Assistant] From the top of your canvas, measure down to a little less than 1/3 of the height. Mark a line across 🔽

[User] Take your hardware and place it on the lines you made to a good stable place you can drill a small hole into, with enough of the loop clear. Dont just try to screw into the wood because it won't hold very long.🔽

[Assistant] Measure out and carefully cut (use wire cutters and wire cutters only, no scissors or trying to bend it over and over again, get some wire cutters) a length of hanging wire. I usually do enough that it looks through both hangers once.🔽

[User] Loop it through twice and twist it down. Cut if you have too much. Make sure you leave a little slack so it can set over a hook and hang on the wall.

[Assistant] Now you have a canvas ready for hanging and sale! I hope these tips help! 👍


[User] This made me sad. I want this. Maybe something comparable exists in NYC or LA, I know we have zines in the US, I just kind of doubt it comes anywhere near this scale and variation.

[Assistant] But this is why they have these nice things in a nice city and we don't. There is a systemic/institutional/whatever you want to call it drive to "price out the poor" basically everywhere in the US. --

[User] You won't even get approval to build a building full of $400/month apartments in NYC or damn near anywhere above a certain size because God forbid that people who can only afford that much move in.

[Assistant] You won't even get approval to build a building full of tiny $400/month apartments in NYC or damn near anywhere above a certain size because God forbid that people who can only afford that much move in.


[User] British Caledonian air hostess doll. (1970s)

[Assistant] anyone identify the tartan?

[User] The ‘stewardesses’ on B-Cal helicopters had lead weights in the hem of they’re skirts :-)

[Assistant] That is Supergran.


[User] Oh wow. Already 100 followers. Thanks guys, old and new. I know I say this a lot but I do genuinely wanna get back to writing about my favorite girlies ripping ass with their big ass donks for all of you (and I) to enjoy, but this year’s been very rough for me.

[Assistant] I won’t get into the nitty gritty details but my financial emotional and mental states were all put to task since the beginning of this year and whatever little spark I had to finish already started stories just kinda got suppressed over everything that happened.

[User] Not to mention I’ve had a difficult time not feeling jealous of a lot of the thriving parts of the community being really active and friendly, trading art with each other and fanarts going left and right, and because I haven’t been active there’s not that much reason to have people recognize my OCs.

[Assistant]
That is unless they’ve been around for as long as I have.

In any case, I do actually want to thank you guys who have still stuck around this long. I have a lot I wanna do, including introducing new OCs, redesigning some of my older ones, introducing new versions (AU) of existing OCs, and getting..


[User]
Is everyone posting the same stuff on Twitter and here? Different content for each? Or ditched Twitter altogether?

Just curious...

[Assistant] Ditched. Deleted. Good riddance 👋

[User] I’ve ditched Twitter, it’s a lovely feeling!

[Assistant] I’m not posting on it but open it occasionally - mainly to spy on those who have been verbose about leaving… yet are still posting 🤷🏻♀

[User] I have popped on for a quick peer once every few days but the doom scrolling is strong.

[Assistant] Aye… that and the Temu ads 🫠 Threads I find a bit bat shit though?


[User]
bluesky doesn’t train ai on your data, but its open apis make it easy for other people to pull your data to use for ai anyways.

coincidentally i found this article on threads 🙃 and have not seen it on bluesky despite spending 10x more time here www.404media.co/someone-made...

[Assistant] How interesting, I’ve seen that article posted here several times since yesterday and my feed has been full of mentions of that company (and links to a blocklist of accounts associated with it). It really does matter who you follow, I guess!

[User] If needed, that blocklist is here: bsky.app/profile/did:...

[Assistant] Openness has tradeoffs. I still think it’s a better way to do social media.


[User] Cuts right through the BS...

[Assistant] Sadly is just retoric. Organized crime in Mexico is a government business too.

[User] But isn't she trying to deploy different strategies to combat cartel violence?

[Assistant]
This sheds some light on MX and cartel violemce

"Political analyst Carlos Bravo Regidor tells NPR's Eric Westervelt about Mexican Pres. Claudia Sheinbaum's policies toward drug cartels and criminal gangs" www.npr.org/2024/10/20/n...


[User]
Childless women:

Insecure mothers: You’re reactionary, by the way.

[Assistant] I also feel like the focus on maternalism is gender essentialist in a way that bothers me. Care and parenting are not inherently feminine and people who claim to be feminists should not be reinforcing the idea that they are!

[User] Right. Note here that the problem is with women refusing to become mothers, not with the fact that motherhood’s unappealing conditions are created in large part by men’s refusal of childcare work. It’s the childless women, not these men, who are the “reactionists” in need of scolding.

[Assistant] It's astonishing how much of anti-feminist discourse is driven, at a low level, by animus on the part of women who married men they weren't attracted to have children they didn't want, aimed at women who made different choices.

[User] I once got this in real life 🙃

[Assistant] In the US at least, is this mainly coming from cis white women?

[User] In my experience, yes.

[Assistant] If you truly enjoy something, you don't get angry at people who haven't done it. You feel bad they've never experienced it. Nobody says "I really enjoyed my trip to Italy and think you're an asshole because you've never been."


[User] Ugh, what a week today has been.

[Assistant] And it's extra long when I'm living it on Australia & Croatia time ...


[User] Elon Musk is a weird little freak.

[Assistant] He is such a fucking freak.

[User] That whole submarine incident was when I realized he was just a creepy asshole with too much money.

[Assistant] that accusation was the first time I found myself comfortably saying “we in the autistic community don’t claim him”

[User] Everything about his whole deal screams “mean prick from a rich racist family who went to a private school for other mean racist pricks”, not autism.

[User] it's clear that within he burns to be God-Emperor of Mars, which is absolutely weird (derogatory)

[Assistant] I'm 85% sure that he has a list of every single person who's made fun of him online, and we're all going to get audited or some shit.


[User] I look forward to the day mutton chops become fashionable again.

[Assistant] May i interest you in disco elysium if you have not played it already?

[User] I’ve played it! Maybe the best mutton chops ever depicted in a game.

[Assistant] You'd like inner north Melbourne or rural Victoria.


[User] This YouTube thumbnail for a podcast of random slebs for hire thrust together to do a corporately mandated 'random slabs for hire thrust together podcast', where Richard Osman and Marina Hyde discuss Phillip Schofield for sixty minutes in a video titled "A Picnic Of Narcissism" made me lol.

[Assistant] Who wants to listen to that? Except the maybe people on the podcast themselves who perhaps love the sound of their own voice just a little too much. And the sound of the corporately mandated podcast cheques clearing of course.

[User] "We just don't see enough of Richard Osman" said no one ever.

[Assistant] Surprised nobody has inflicted a Richard Osman and Romesh Ranganathan podcast on us yet.


[User] Too soon? Creepy or cute?

[Assistant] Decidedly creepy!

[User] We are united in this belief! 🙏🏽😂✨ I am looking forward to the display at this antique mall this year. There’s always something soooo creepy!

[Assistant] Antique malls, nice places for weirdness hunting! 😃


[User] Here’s the deal… heating the plastic — leaches the chemicals into the water Faster!!!  So though you might have more *particles* at the bottom, you also have more phthalates or BPA in the water!  The chemicals that *have* been linked to cancer, obesity, hypertension, preterm birth.

[Assistant] I know they're made from a different kind of plastic, but what about plastic kettles? Surely the effect you describe must affect them.

[User] I have never heard of plastic kettles?

[Assistant]
Voila.
Dozens on amazon www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=plastic+...

I would absolutely not want to drink anything from one of these.


[User]
Boss: "You're looking slim... That nausea is paying off"

🤷🏻♂🤷🏻♂🤷🏻♂

[Assistant] Hope it passes soon! Never a good time!😭

[User] I mean...at least someone can joke about it???

[Assistant] That's my life... One big joke 😂


[User] Does anyone else accidentally rush a script when they know they’re close to the end? Like you do it excitedly bc you’re closer to sharing it? Or is just me?

[Assistant] definitely! most of mine end with a "wow. that was something." and then it just ends because i have finished my thoughts and the sex is over 😭

[User] Me rushing thru the dialogue bc they’re finally fucking: why am i never satisfied with my dialogue?

[Assistant] if we ever write a collab script we can help eachother with that 🩷


[User]
Just an observation: over the last 8 years of 3000+ Run for Something state & local candidates, the most persistent issues ppl ran on were (1) housing & (2) opioids.

Other stuff obvs came up as relevant for the office/community, but those 2 were far & away the most common for the entire time.

[Assistant] I wonder whether the full, sinister story of how opioids were introduced and then flooded into our communities would be told. How might this approach help explain other major problems in this country. So many caused by extreme wealth and corruption with zero concern for fellow Americans’ lives.

[User]
Over-prescribing ⇒ Drug seeking ⇒Availability over Social/Friends. FDA did little even when they had the records. Classic tale w/ added benefit of poor mental health care.
The system under-funded and stigmatized that getting help is hard. (Ignores race, gender, income issues that make it worse!)

[Assistant] Coheres with my recent experience. The most motivated students in my classes, as in, motivated to actually do politics/run for office, consistently mention drugs opioids as their main concern. Majority of students rank other issues as higher priority (school shootings, economy, women's health care).


[User]
Online holiday safety tip! 🚨 🎄
Be aware of accidentally posting personalized holiday decorations, Christmas trees and mantels that may have cards, ornaments on them with you or your family’s names.

[Assistant] This is actually very important! You’ve got your head switched on Doc ❤

[User] Astonishing how unaware of background clues some folk are. Wise words.

[Assistant] I think a lot of people don’t even think about it because it’s such a small detail.

[User] Yes!!! So important to check photos before posting! Every detail matters. Thanks for bringing this to everyone’s attention!

[Assistant] This is why I choose a black curtain background. I am hyper vigilant to not even show any part of my house now. The way people can figure out your location from architecture and windowscapes is insane!


[User] I love that there are no ads on this platform. The user experience is so good. I hope it stays free of ads.

[Assistant]
While I do agree that the experience is much better without ads…

Realistically somehow the company has to pay all the costs, so I think advertising is inevitable.

[User]
Probably. I mean, all the big social media companies have ads. Must be a huge flow of income, so I guess it is somewhat inevitable.

Still, I really feel Bluesky could stand out if they would resist the urge of selling ads. :)

[Assistant] I don't know how. Maybe incentivise self hosting servers? 🤔

[User] This is extremely unrealistic. Everyone hates ads, but social media platforms are massive and costly, so either it would have to be a closed, paywalled platform, which would hinder adoption, or have some kind of PRO subscriptions, but the paying customers would bear the burden of the free ones too.

[Assistant] You are probably right. Still, an ad free platform would be unique and stand out massively compared to the others.


[User]
Ok, anti-sports-on-Bluesky people. Just skip right over this one, cuz Imma bitch about last nights Bruins-Canucks game.

It's a good old hockey thread!

1/

[Assistant]
Ok, if a call goes against you, and you fall apart and spend the rest of the game rifling the puck in so you play a game of dump and chase? Yeah, you might create some chances (and you did), but you're playing D, and we all know you're really not putting your best skate forward.

2/

[User]
Get it the fuck together.

Sacco was all "Oh, I'm gonna focus on the basics...blah blah blah." Well, the basics include passing, and your passing is shit. You better learn to treat that puck with some fucking respect.

3/

[Assistant]
Now, let's talk about these refs. I ain't mad at the "it wasn't a hand pass" call. It wasn't. The problem I have is the number of times that same exact thing has been called a hand pass in other games in other games.

4/

[User]
It's like Refs Gone Rogue this season, and Toronto is on board. Look, I know some of the rules are shit and vague. I disagree with some of the rules. I'm still mad about some of the rule changes after the lost 04-05 season. (Fuck you, Bettman.)

5/

[Assistant]
But either apply the rules consistently or change 'em. We can't have the same rules applied differently for different teams or different players at different times. It doesn't work like that. Again, I'm saying this while agreeing with some of the calls they've made, just noting inconsistency.

6/

[User]
Back to the Bruins. Look, I want you to play with your soul. But not all emotional like that. That was just a bunch of shit. You aren't playing smart; you aren't playing hungry; you're playing desperate. And that's not gonna get you a win.

7/

[Assistant]
Final thought: If the Bruins need me, I'm available, but I don't come cheap. I got plenty more advice, and I'm happy to come on over (I'm only a couple T-stops away) and get these boys in line. Until then, I'll be screaming my advice from my sofa to the television.

8/


[User] I’m an introvert. Years ago, I began my own tradition of having one holiday meal at home per year for “just us” in the home. I use shortcuts like packaged stuffing and frozen vegetables. It’s easier and just as satisfying.

[Assistant] Good for you. Women make too many sacrifices for the sake of family. I’ve never understood it.

[User] American people need to realize this is the 1950s anymore. Most women have paying AND nonpaying jobs. But since we’re expected to be superhuman, we have to advocate for ourselves. Make boundaries and stick to them for your sake.

[Assistant] Preaching to the choir, sister! 😊


[User] Show me one fox who was offended by the name and we can talk 🙄

[Assistant] I laugh at the idea that THIS is the first time PETA has undermined animal rights activism.

[User] Well yes but this is just daft!! Who looks at a pub name and thinks “that’s it! I’m never trusting a fox again”?

[Assistant] Well exactly. They’re not exactly a smart bunch.


[User]
This seems dangerous and probably in reality a retrograde step, because people will just read the outlines instead of interpreting the papers for themselves.  This will lead to blander and less innovative academic work.

scholar.googleblog.com/2024/11/ai-o...

[Assistant]
Maybe. There’s a history of people only reading the abstract + conclusion.

I’m working with neurodiverse teaching groups who find AI summaries a helpful tool to are then into densely written academic work.

[User] Yes that sounds like a good use case - I think though I would question whether the AI necessarily reflects well what the author intended?  The abstract and conclusion were at least written by the original author.

[Assistant]
Kevin, yours is a profoundly astute point! Agree!

And, it would be cool to get under the code and see how the data modelling generates the paper summary. (but that's not going to happen!)


[User] As an Aristotelian, I find this article perplexing. I’m skeptical of the “cancelation” framing, but even more skeptical that the best defense is accusing people of misrepresenting his views on slavery then 10 paragraphs later admitting his views were terrible and giving a Washingtonian apologia.

[Assistant] “The most brilliant philosopher who ever lived” had such a terrible conception of eudaimonia he believed that owning slaves or having people who manage all your needs is essential to a life of flourishing, ie a life of contemplation. That having people need you is antithetical to flourishing.

[User] The fact that he released his slaves after death feels like small comfort given how thoroughly he worked out a hierarchy of humans that has largely persisted for 2000 years. In contrast, Diogenes owned zero slaves and told Alexander to stuff it. So maybe let’s not make claims who’s “most brilliant”

[Assistant] I teach Aristotle almost any semester and I don’t skimp on covering the logic of enslavement and misogyny throughout but you’re not quite getting eudaemonia if you think he’s saying humans don’t need others. He says humans who don’t are gods or monsters.

[User] Not that humans don’t need others. But that a life of flourishing is incommensurate with people being dependent on you to meet their needs. We all have needs, that’s why flourishing requires people to meet our needs. But not vice versa. Happy to pull citations.

[Assistant] But the whole hierarchy is premised on the supposed needs of those beneath those with reason and arete, no? Or we’re talking past one another since you’re on team “true flourishing is philosophical contemplation in Aristotle as a quasi-divine life” and I’m on team “political life.”

[User] I do think we may be talking past each other but not because of our views on flourishing. I’m talking about how Aristotle says that individuals seeking lives of flourishing cannot be hampered by meeting the needs of others. Yes, their insights may help lessers, but they can’t waste time on service.

[Assistant] What is bravery? The virtues of character all are some form of service to community, no? Maybe you mean some specific notion of service but it’s not can’t be hampered by whatever service—it requires it. But before we start parsing the Greek and losing followers by the droves…agree on much.


[User] Got a give a shoutout to this horror hidden gem from #Fromsoftware called Echo Night. Everything about this game is so creepy and dreamlike, especially the voice acting.

[Assistant] Somehow I missed this game, but now I’m intrigued!

[User] Oh man, I've had that as a PS1 classic on my PS3 for years, but still haven't gotten around to it.

[Assistant] I don't remember that one. I do have fond memories of Nightmare Creatures, though.


[User]
Looks like the Roomie lost. They’ll have to serve as my personal footstool~

…And receive additional training. :)

Part 1.

[Assistant]
Looks like the Roomie lost. They’ll have to serve as my personal footstool~

…And receive additional training. :)

Part 2.

[User]
Looks like the Roomie lost. They’ll have to serve as my personal footstool~

…And receive additional training. :)

Part 3.

[Assistant]
Looks like the Roomie lost. They’ll have to serve as my personal footstool~

…And receive additional training. :)

Part 4.

[User]
Looks like the Roomie lost. They’ll have to serve as my personal footstool~

…And receive additional training. :)

Part 5.

[Assistant]
Looks like the Roomie lost. They’ll have to serve as my personal footstool~

…And receive additional training. :)

Part 6.


[User]
Mix two motors of opposite polarity with microtubules and they will partition space !
Microtubules will get organized in polar and active barriers, sorting the two motors in separated domains, leading to the emergence of a new type of patterns.
#morphogenesis
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
(1/n)

[Assistant] Stars, bands, or exotic islands. Patterns come in all kind of shapes depending on the ratio of the two motors.

[User] Clothilde Utzschneider (who made the original discovery): « these patterns can form regularly over millimeters ! »

[Assistant]
Jeremie Gaillard: « Here is the trick: both motors and microtubules are free to move, but the motors are constrained to diffuse in a lipid bilayer »
@lblanchoin.bsky.social: "Life is more fluid on lipids". Life means biochemistry for Laurent ;-)

[User]
Importantly, the patterns are dynamic steady states. The random diffusion of motors is counteracted by their permanent transport back toward their reservoir.
@bhagyanaths.bsky.social : «Bleach the patterns, the microtubules won’t recover of course, but motors come back in few minutes »

[Assistant] Alexandre Schaeffer: « Break the wall (with a laser): motors diffuse all over the place, which dissolves the patterns ! »

[User] Alexandre Schaeffer: « cut the microtubules in two and you will see the opposing forces that maintain the microtubules in place »

[Assistant]
@asciortino.bsky.social: « pattern emergence is the outcome of the balance between random motor diffusion and directed transport»
Jean-Francois Joanny: « the key to solve the equation is to distinguish c, the unbound motors, and rho, those attached to MTs, here are the equations»

[User]
Sudipta Pattanayak: «calculations revealed that the ratio of motors set the respective size of the motors domains »
Jean-Francois: «if the ratio is too high, the force balance can’t be reached. The patterns can’t form and the microtubules glide despite the presence of the two motors »

[Assistant] Clothilde Utzschneider: «Does it mean that if I add more motors on pre-existing patterns I can dissolve them? »

[User] @bhagyanaths.bsky.social : « We can even add kinesins progressively and transit from gliding to patterning to gliding again! »

[Assistant]
We all wonder whether this mechanism is active in cells.
I am convinced it is. I even think the architectures we know in cells are actually these stars and bands we saw in vitro. MTOCs can't guide the entire network. Let's figure out the role played by motors.

[User] 🤩 what a beautiful work! And this has to be one of the best threads I've read in a long time!

[Assistant] Fantastic work and great explanations. This post is perfect timing for my Cell Bio class on cytoskeleton next week!

[User] Beautiful work!

[Assistant] This is an outstanding work! 😍


[User]
Yesterday I cut my own bangs........
it looks okay but you can tell I did it myself 🙃

[Assistant] The number of times I couldn't resist the urge to cut my own hair, I feel this ><

[User]
It was my first time but I did it only because
1. Somehow I had hair scissors in my bathroom
2. I have really long hair and for only trimming them I must pay tons of money at hair salons 😩

[Assistant] If you've got the scissors, use them!  It saves so much money to cut your hair at home, I've been doing it for 5 years and haven't looked back😅


[User] These mutherfuckers already saying their prices are going up if tariffs are placed.

[Assistant] Its a 100% fact that tariffs get passed onto the consumer, the retailer isn’t going to eat that costs, this is just like the Smoot-Hawley act of 1930, and that didn’t work at all….

[User] Oh right. I just read something about that Act a few days ago.

[Assistant] History repeats itself once again…🤦♀


[User]
I love LAMs in the Battletech universe. The classic Robotech/Macross style remains my favorite, but the Wobbies resurrection of the type are really the best versions.

CGL unfortunately spread the rules for these magnificent machines across 5 different rulebooks, making playing them a hurdle.

[Assistant] Sadly, most of people will refuse to play with LAMs. Give the pilot good enough skill and they are terror machines.

[User] I think a lot of the stigma around them stems from the 4th Succession War era, where the tools to properly deal with them had not been introduced yet, things like flak ammo and LBXs help even the engagement in the subsequent eras.

[Assistant] I know people who generally dislike them for being transforming bots. In a way they do feel a bit off the setting. A lot if people rejoyced when tech got killed off during Jihad (except P-Hawk hidden by Youngbloods). For now I am ok for them to stay dead until they come up with proper rules.

[User]
I have heard of that but everyone have meet irl feared them because they heard the horror stories of their cheese potential.

I went out of my way to teach my local group how to fight them.

The rules release in the Jihad era were a great base, but CGL decided to go in a different direction.

[Assistant] Game wise, my biggest issue is that hybrid mode is the one you stay in. Mech/Aerospace kind of lack purpose. Coupled with cheese potential and complex rules I can understand why people avoid them.


[User]
Every serial number, memorized. Their name, birthday, status, favorite things. All tucked away in his memory.

He knew every single one of them.

And it hurt when he lost them, all the same. Every one.

[Assistant]
But this was — unprecedented. When was the last time he’d seen one of his, that was marked as KIA? For ( years )?

He tenses, unsure. Hesitant.

Surely his eyes were deceiving him.

“ Silvia? “

< @deathoncall.bsky.social >

[User]
if silvia had heard him - she didn't acknowledge the man at all . it was understandable , given context .

her hands and wrists were wrapped , although blood seeped through boxers tape and bandages while she worked a bag , it's not like she could feel it anyway .

she hadn't changed much from (+)

[Assistant]
the last time kurt had seen her , though . three days after graduation , xiphos had been sent forward to assist in the battle of earth , where they had all allegedly been killed .

she was still brutish , and combat-fit . a heavy striker , and still as defiant of regulation as always , if the (+)

[User]
myriad of tattoos covering her body were anything to go by .

but her eyes weren't bright anymore . they looked dead , like glass , and had desaturated from the deep blue they had been ( a result of augmentation ) to a storm grey .

she still wore a scowl , and her glare was as prevalent as (+)

[Assistant]
it always was . as if she was plotting , ready to kill anyone she met . always ready , over-capable , and more than willing to jump the minute she got orders .

a wardog .

another heavy strike , the pop of her shoulder , rattling of chains that screamed under the constant pressure .


[User]
Show me a picture on your phone that has your energy that isn’t a selfie

(Credit to author Elise Gravel)

[Assistant] @elisegravel.bsky.social makes life better in so many ways.

[User] The best energy.

[Assistant]
AAAAHHHHH!

Elise, that little book brings so much happiness to storytime. My 8yo teacup human reads it to his little sister, and they love it.

Thanks for your art! :)


[User]
Pro tip: the starter pack -> list converter can merge into an existing list.

So: here's my list of climate/energy journalists and writers, merged from starters by @davidho.bsky.social @amywestervelt.bsky.social @katharinehayhoe.com @heatmap.news

Pin to home to catch the best in climate reporting!

[Assistant] ICYMI the starter -> list converter is here:

[User] Bloomberg Green starter by @eroston.bsky.social is in here too - seem to remember a heap of newsroom starters going around recently so I'll keep adding!

[Assistant] Excellent, thanks!


[User]
LOL! We all do it. Well, many of us do. Especially the creatives and the romantics.

Admit it. I know it's cringe.

The problem isn't that we do it. It's that we sometimes INVEST in it and believe in it...which is kinda like believing Rambo is real. Or pr0n.

(1 of 6)

[Assistant]
But also, far more hurtful, because emotions are like Moo Deng and WILL. NOT. BE. CONTROLLED!

Instead...

Think of prelationshipping as a way to dial in what you really want in a relationship—any relationship, not WITH THIS

(2 of 6)

[User]
PERSON who on a second date mentions skiing so you're already planning future winter wonderland trips with matching cold weather gear...

Because no matter who you're prelationshipping now, it will have one thing in common with all of your other prelationship fantasies:

(3 of 6)

[Assistant]
How you want to feel.

And that matters.

So, think of it like planning for your lotto winnings. It's a nice interlude when life gets to life-ing, great fodder for your journal, and something to really consider when setting your standards.

(4 of 6)

[User]
Because you know that it takes time to really know someone, right? To see them in a variety of situations, after the honeymoon period has passed, and when they are relaxed enough around you to fart.

(5 of 6)

[Assistant]
Leave the prelationshipping in your fantasies because, after all, YOU may not like them enough for all that.

(6 of 6)


[User]
I wouldn't ever swap remote work, I love having my home to myself during the day.

But post hard-training days, still dehydrated and now hollow, can be stare-at-the-wall what-am-i-doing challenging…

I need a virtual "hey mate, you there?" passing comment from a colleague.

[Assistant] Hey Mick, not officially a colleague, but stepping in on this as you suggest! Hope that you can recover fast and get back to where you normally are.

[User]
yeah i'm here (holding on)  😄

that deserves the heart ❤ like, thanks 🥳

[Assistant]
Good luck with it all and hopefully we'll speak soon enough.

Back on the work side ... thought I'd flag this CFP for you and the Cassandra community too- stateofopencon.com is looking for speakers? sessionize.com/state-of-ope...


[User] @odin-fpl.bsky.social mate was that Irish Viking guy a scam? Asking you as you seem the only legit account from these so called Norse FPL dudes.

[Assistant] I knew he was phony that's why I called him out. Within seconds his account went poof! 😂😂

[User] Why is there loads of fake Vikings roaming around. 😂😂 The only real one I trust now is you as you seem legit.

[Assistant] He was the only other Viking guy around 🤷🏻♂ he came, pulled some scam, fucked off and spoiled the good name of Valhalla! 😂


[User]
Good Morning & Happy Wednesday/Mercury Day!

Please remember to be as patient & kind with yourself & your growth today as you'd be with anyone else whom you love 🩶💜💗🩷

[Assistant] Good mornin’☕

[User] Morning 🧀! ☕

[Assistant] Hi Sullen🙋♂, nice seeing you this morning! ☕

[User]
*grumble grumble* another couple of hours of sleep would've been divine, but I'm upright & at work, so it's all progress at this point

I hope you have a great day!

[Assistant] I hear ya on that grumble grumble!

[User] Good morning! 🌞🫖 I hope you have a wonderful day.  💙✨

[Assistant] Morning! Back atcha! ✨☕💜


[User]
guys
yk how there’s two clowns inside of us
one who seeks to know everything (rahu)
one who doesn’t bother to seek (ketu)
i was thinking how rahu goes to the extent of seeking,symbolizes a relentless curiosity to decode the universe's mysteries through avenues like conspiracies, astrology….

[Assistant]
occult, and other metaphysical pursuits.
rahu's energy is driven by a thirst for knowledge and understanding, often compelling us to look outward in our quest for answers. rahu always wants more answers and information
on the other hand, ketu's energy reflects a state of acceptance and a surren….

[User]
der to the greater flow of existence-a realization that meaning is not always found through seeking but through being.

the very fact that we, as individuals, care enough to question the universe and engage in philosophical or spiritual discourse suggests a strong influence of rahu in our astrol…

[Assistant]
ogical charts. it is rahu's (also mercury) energy that fuels the desire to connect, form communities of consciousness, and explore the infinite layers of reality.
Of course, this is just one perspective, you’re free to disagree.


[User]
Are the Dodgers ruining baseball with their spending?

Quick reminder on what the Yankees were doing 15-20 years ago:

[Assistant] If the 2nd-highest payroll in 2025 is $275M, the Dodgers would need to run theirs to the $450M range to make it into the chart above.

[User] Yea but I'm a Yankees fan so that doesn't count.

[Assistant] What's the gap between the top and the median?


[User]
If you're a #CdnHist nerd who makes use of the online resources at Canadiana, there's a third-party tool that makes it easy to download entire digitized microfilm reels, etc. Directions:

www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/navigatin...

[Assistant] I find a 50% scale of digitized microfilm is entirely adequate for research use, which saves a bunch of space and time, btw.

[User] Bookmarking this now, and thank you kindly, sir.

[Assistant]
:)

Credit to the very kind Percy Miller at CRKN who steered me along to this tool and found very polite ways to remind me to follow ALL the instructions to make it work.


[User]
Does "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows" have a word for a feeling about a random table one saw about six years ago somewhere in blogs one cannot remember the name(s) of and didn't bookmark, and which table would be absolutely perfect right now?
If no, I'll call this terrible feeling "tablegap"

[Assistant] Use in a sentence: "I am tablegapping right now; all I remember that the blog was sort of white background with magenta accents and the table was about various spell/magic behaviours."

[User]
That sounds like something from d4caltrops, which sometimes embeds pdfs that use color on an otherwise white background site.

But I know the sensation you're describing well.

[Assistant] I thought about d4caltrops too (and I will look through it, of course) but from what little I remember it was a post with table, not a pdf, and the blog had way more sidebars to the right.

[User]
Ahh.
And that means we're likely dealing with a standard/default blog layout too.

Any chance at further specifics for the table? I realize that's unlikely, and unlikelier still that I might know what you're talking about - but this is one of my special hyperfixated interests. Anything is possible.

[Assistant] It was a sort of a table of possible spell/magic origins/behaviours. Sort of 'Spell is a wild spirit, bound by mage's skull', 'Spell is a piece of a dream, fading as it goes' (I rephrase approximately) and other entries even more strange. The table was either 1d12 (less likely) or 1d20 (more likely)

[User] I would appreciate help, of course, if anybody by chance remembers this table but please don't put pressure on yourself to find it for my sake.

[Assistant] No worries, I know I did a lot of research years ago for Academies of the Arcane - and some of what you've said sort of rings a bell; so if I see something I'll patch you in on it.


[User] Forever fave from the other place.

[Assistant] Love his posts.

[User] That one in particular frequently pops into my head and makes me laugh.

[Assistant] That and the bird seed one 😂


[User] Good morning everybody! Happy Wednesday before Thanksgiving! I hope you all have a wonderful day and if you're traveling please be safe! 😌🙏🪷💕🦃

[Assistant] Good morning 🌄☕.

[User] Have a nice Wednesday Melissa 🪷🦋💕💫☔🙏

[Assistant] You as well Stephi! 🤗💕🪷🦋

[User] Good morning, Melissa! Wishing you a beautiful and blessed day.✨🦃🍂🍁

[Assistant] For you as well L!! 🤗💕🪷🦋


[User] I believe Donald aka POS-45/47 is the ANTICHRIST! He fits all the characteristics just look it up if you don't Believe me.

[Assistant]
I agree on this one as well.

Rev 13.5 nails his as the anti-christ.

[User] Exactly! It all points to him and 13.5 is right on point.

[Assistant]
Ahh. Someone else who sees the ironic obvious.

I posted pointing this out so many times on X and YouTube channels to well known evangelicals and conservatives, and not one ever acknowledged the remarkable coincidences.  Yet they pushed VP Harris as been Satan.

It’s only about winning power.


[User]
So are all the people maliciously enjoying yesterday’s crypto crash eating some of their words today?  No?

I mean all bubbles burst but I sure saw some asses yesterday.

Mean.

[Assistant]
I try to avoid taking pleasure in the pain of anyone, as a practice.

I saw some jackwagonry from people I generally like.

Made me sad.

[User] These were mostly progressive leaning men who were crowing about fools and crypto currency.  Their certainty was something to see.

[Assistant] That they were literally cheering on the pain of others in service to their own rightness was as well.


[User] Covering RE today…


[User] People of Bluesky, rejoice, for your doom is at hand! @connorretro.bsky.social has entered the space, bringing the darkest of synths and the heaviest of beats with him. Check out connoer.bandcamp.com/album/the-ke... for one of THE absolute best albums of the year 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘 🤘

[Assistant] Thank you so much mate! 🖤😁

[User] Thank YOU for providing me with my favorite wake-up-and-Go track in Cybernetic Satan, soon to be supplemented with my favorite track of the new album (which I'm still deciding on) 🤘 🔥 ☠

[Assistant] soooo i am not the only one who has unnecessary evil and violent music as an alarm clock?! 👍🤣

[User] No other way to wake up! Cybernetic Satan (specifically when the choir kicks in), 4 espresso shots in a cup, and a disgusting Korea cigarette and BOOM time to hustle 🤘

[Assistant] Now just get Draven on here, and the Spinesaw crew will be complete 🤘 🤘 🤘


[User]
Am I the only one that needs Christmas to come faster this year?

It feels like the world desperately needs more Christmas.

[Assistant] Hopefully it’s a peaceful celebration for all. But I think about the people who are by themselves without someone to celebrate with. To them it’s just another day.

[User] It can be a difficult time for some.

[Assistant]
Except my kids can hardly afford all that Xmas brings. And $500 in dance fees due Dec. 1? Who DOES that?
Sigh...

[User] We all need to remember that Christmas is about presence not presents.

[Assistant] Yes. I agree.


[User]
Thanks to @mikeo-g.bsky.social for this!

Welcome to my neighborhood pub, where everyone is welcome, just bring the tacos!

[Assistant] That's awesome Rom! I'm really loving these.

[User] Genuinely terrified how spot on they are! 🤣

[Assistant] It is a bit scary 🤣

[User] Tacos ftw!

[Assistant] Always mate!


[User]
Let me keep this memory. It’s my latest for Collider. #EternalSunshineOfTheSpotlessMind

collider.com/eternal-suns...

[Assistant] Did I cry while I rewatched the movie to write this? YOU BET!

[User] Also, my personal theory—Joel and Clementine would always end up together, but they would eventually figure it out. My strongest evidence for this is when Patrick steals Joel's journals and effects to try and get Clementine to fall for him.

[Assistant] Among the items is a gift, jewelry, which Joel bought for her but never gave her because they broke up first. Clementine loves it, and she says no guy she's ever dated has bought her jewelry she liked. So Joel really got her better than anyone else.


[User] Heavy Metal is a Thanksgiving movie.

[Assistant] 🎵Won’t you take a ride 🎶

[User] Addams Family Values is a Thanksgiving movie.

[Assistant] Heavy Metal is a classic... good for any time of the year.


[User] Outside my normal area of tweetsponsibility but as an ex-Manitoban I must say, this is getting to be awkward for everyone concerned....

[Assistant] Had I been in govt when it started, I'd have said "step in fast, fix it, bill the company." I know that would've produced ten barriers -

[User] - that I can't knock down b/c I'm not in the cycle of briefing notes. But some of them, surely, could be knocked down. Whatever they are -

[Assistant] - those objections can't have been worse than what everyone is stuck w/ now, with no supply route, no progress, and no change in situation.


[User] I’ll just leave this here.

[Assistant] Main dish at my wedding (after me of course)

[User] You weren’t porky enough?

[Assistant] Fortunately, we’re coming into the Festive Season. I feel a big pot of Hang Lay in the very near future.


[User] @jimchurch.bsky.social it’s been a minute, what’s your second favorite item at Thanksgiving?

[Assistant] Green bean casserole.

[User] My Christmas tree candle 🫣

[Assistant] This is an accepting space! There are no wrong answers.


[User]
Yeah, ok, y'know what?

I made a ko-fi goal to get us a PS5.
ko-fi.com/tapiocawizard

After getting our dog back we can't afford much for 'fun' Christmas gifts, Sapling's parents literally said they're not getting us anything, and my parents are helping with needed household stuff. So...

[Assistant] idk, if anyone wants to contribute, we'll just put it aside until we have enough. I've been dying to play FF7 Rebirth since the series means a lot to me, and it'd just... be nice? I feel bad asking but... yeah. (It's only 375 actually for black friday but I'm not expecting to get enough by then lol)

[User] also if anyone is particularly generous (like 50+? idk) feel free to DM me and I'll draw u something in return... this can't legally be a commission bc my visa type doesn't allow me to receive funds outside of our actual work BUT I Can make gifts...... 👀

[Assistant] It's not a commission if it's just a little thank you gift 🤭 Will be donating ASAP, you deserve it!

[User] aahhh thank you oliver you're too kind 🥺 especially since you gave to the one for Tali too I'll definitely draw you something!! just let me know what you want 🥰

[Assistant] I will do once I've donated! Thank you 💙


[User]
I allow "one page handwritten notes" at my exams.

Every year someone asks if it can be both sides of one page.  This year someone also asked if it can be handwritten in Latex.

How would you make this more clear?

[Assistant] You could instead allow O(log(N)) bits of information?

[User] How can I ensure that everyone comes up with their own bits.

[Assistant] Quantify originality using KL divergence of posteriors?

[User] Ah, that is obviously strategyproof!

[Assistant] you can underline everything :)


[User]
Tesla vehicles have the highest rate of fatal accidents among all car brands.

Most dangerous for occupants, and most likely to get you univited to a family dinner.

#Tesla
#Safety
#Fascism
#CEODrugUse

www.techspot.com/news/105731-...

[Assistant]
"Karl Brauer, an executive analyst at iSeeCars, told Rolling Stone that the elevated accident rates likely "reflect a combination of driver behavior and driving conditions" rather than inherent vehicle safety issues."

From the article.  You cannot engineer out human stupidity.

[User]
Would you be an apologist for Ford, GM, or any other brand if they build such dangerous vehicles?

Every other manufacturer knows drivers will drive too fast, so they limit vehicle speeds.

Tesla takes chances with safety of occupants/other road users. Example misnamed feature, "Full Self Driving"

[Assistant]
Nope, if there are mechanical issues, they need to be resolved.  But data concerning driver behavior is a significant factor and it shouldn't be held against the manufacturer.

Takes two to tango, and if your product is attractive to idiots, there's not much you can do.

[User] While I do agree Tesla buyers are idiots, other manufactures have addressed the irresponsible driver issue.

[Assistant]
Howso? And just how idiot proof should manufacturers make their vehicles before they can throw their hands up and let natural selection take its due?

It's like giving an irresponsible teen a sports car.  What did you think was going to happen?

[User]
When I've taken a Porsche, or Ferrari up to 320km/h the fuel system begins shutting down. That is a design feature to keep the occupants, and others safe.

You don't have to worry about me, right now actuarial practitioners are looking at Tesla under a microscope.

[Assistant] Which is fine, believe me. It's an arms race with nature.  Once you make something idiot proof, evolution coughs up a more efficient breed of idiot.

[User] I'm curious what those stats look like.

[Assistant] I'm sure they're out there, auto insurance companies probably have the best records, given their utter aversion to the slightest hint of risk.


[User]
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
#BookSky
💙📚👀
#Books
#BookChallenge
Day 11:

[User]
😂😂😂🤣

My grandparents had that history book. From the age of about 6, I used to demand they get it out for me. I loved to look at the pictures, and I'd have a go at reading some of the stuff. It started my interest in history, but mostly, it gives me happy memories of my grandparents 🙂

[Assistant]
err, when I say my grandparents had that history book, I meant the one I posted, not the 2024 Page-per-day diary.

Just thought I'd better clear that up, just in case😂


[User] I know that I should feel honored that the great Kevin Costner just joined Bluesky, and that I was one of the first 42 people that he followed.

[Assistant] I feel no guilt in having blocked "actor, film maker" "Kevin Costner", who had to settle for his user name to be 'kevincostner77'.

[User] And so it begins...

[Assistant] Since Reese Witherspoon and Kevin Costner both found me this week, I'm expecting big things in my future.


[User]
I hate being guilted into participating in holidays that celebrate this horrible country and it's rotten history, but at least the people I'll be with support me and my transition, and that makes me fortunate in that respect. The least I can do is make a tiramisu ^_^

Anyways, here's boobs ✨🩷✨

[Assistant] 🥵💦 (and I agree)

[User]
I always just treat them as a chance to spend time with family or friends. It’s become so divorced from the actual historical events around it for me that I don’t even really think of them.

(Also nice boobs)

[Assistant] Thanks! And that's about where I land on it 🩷


[User] *Uraraka finally appears!* Uraraka: I heard and know everything so far. I am not going to change...even for you. I have the lowest confidence and self esteem...but I will let you recycle me~ There are humans in this world worse than me. Welcome to my room. Dump your seeds into me. I love you.❤

[Assistant]
Mafuyu: Uraraka has been saved! Joshua-Sama...we are eternally grateful...Fufufu.
Uraraka:...Load me. I will be used.
Mafuyu: That means...she likes you.
Uraraka: Will he eat us? I want to be eaten.🙂❤
Mafuyu: He must...all Priestesses serve the Saint...even if he sins.🫦🥰

[User]
Nanako: Hey Josh? I am not going to hold back. You will be my king.
Chiru: Like hell he is! He and I have retro games and RPGs to play! Joshua-Nii...you promised to come to my house! 😤❤

[Assistant]
Chiru: You will come...or I nuke them all again!😌❤ This is one angel you want to be yours.🥰🫦
Me: You wanna come over to eat?
Chiru: Yes,please! Your food is awesome! *Human Chiru held my hand* Heaven, Hell, it's not the same without you in this world!❤


[User]
Good morning sweethearts

One more day and then it'll be a 4 day holiday weekend for this pupper! This #Thanksgiving I'll be spending it with my parents and my aunt and uncle. I'll be helping around the kitchen and making some tasty dishes. Whatever your plans are, I wish you the very best.

[Assistant] And the same wishes to you!

[User] Same to you and yours. I'm putting a turkey breast in the crock pot tonight, then setting it up and turning it on to cook before heading to work tomorrow.

[Assistant]
We don't have thanks giving
But I love turkey 🦃 💜


[User]
Is it too early to talk 🎅 Xmas presents?
As buyers around the world start putting their lists📝 together (and checking them twice) we have done some digging and found some points of reference, which will probably hold true as Christmas🤶 2024 rolls around in T-Minus 28...

[Assistant] According to a Statista survey in October 2023, CASH💰(who would turn down some extra cash in hand?) topped the list for #US consumers followed by the good old "want, wear, need" items like clothing🧣, jewelry💍, tech📱 (importance shifting among the sexes).

[User]
#CASH you say? Cold hard bucks... But in a world where financial literacy is not at the levels it should be, what do we do with that cash? What are the options?
#Money talks... Well, all they ever say to most people is goodbye.

How about we change the narrative?

[Assistant]
🔗 www.allfx-consult.com 💫
#Learn with us as we translate the #investment world through interactive #chart stations, videos, snippets, quizzes, infographics and so much more.
New online approach, same offline care.


[User] The trainer.            The Mega.

[Assistant] Ah twins! Thats my favorite mega too! 😌

[User] It was that episode with Misty that made me realize how amazing it is.

[Assistant] Ahhh sad the gif doesn’t work.


[User] I understand the excitement but the devaluation of the ruble is not what most people think it is. Most are still trying to apply the free market logic to Russia even though the financial market is not free. If Russians are ready to swallow inflation, the devaluation is good news for the Kremlin.

[Assistant] You mean hyperinflation. Are regular Russians ready to 'swallow' tripling prices of food and gas? They will. Until they can't.

[User] We need to wait and see. That's not an economic issue anymore, but a social one. Argentina lives with hyperinflation, so... we need to wait and see. I think a bigger problem for Russia is the potential bankruptcies of large enterprises.

[Assistant] If inflation wasn't a problem for Putin, he wouldn't have ordered Elvira Nabiulinna (head Central Bank) to keep inflation low at all costs in 2022, resulting in a key interest of 21 (!!) percent.

[User] I didn't say it's not a problem. Let's actually listen to each other. I said a bigger problem are potential bankruptcies of large enterprises or very low oil prices which can bankrupt the whole industry. If people don't rebel, the Kremlin can live with high inflation and still wage war.

[Assistant] I do listen to you. But I'm not only looking from the Kremlin's perspective. I wonder what will happen if 140 million Russians lose their savings, pensions and daily food. Even if they don't blame Putin directly, they'll cool their anger on local/regional people in power. It'll be a powder keg.

[User] That's all possible but it doesn't end the war per se.

[Assistant] Spoiler alert, they will not.


[User]
All these stupid little walks for my stupid mental health are working. Hate this for me.

Just kidding. The snow has melted and I just saw some "EAT THE RICH" graffiti so I'm in a delightful mood.

Tell me your plans for the day.

[Assistant] I'm having lunch and then spending my afternoon prepping for the panel I'm moderating at MuppetMeet!

[User] I'm excited for all of ye going to Dragonmeet this weekend! Viciously and painfully jealous, yes, but also excited. Hopefully next year I can join the circuit!

[Assistant] Nothing better than a good walk in the Autumn sunshine...think I might have one myself this afternoon. You have inspired me.

[User] It's truly gorgeous this time of year! Glad I could be of some (small) inspiration!

[Assistant]
Thanks to modern tech I can work/BlueSkying while my car tires are being switched to winter tires.

Nothing better than a good walk if the mental conditions is in a downward spiral.

[User]
Lightmode jumpscare! 😂

Yep you're right about that. Dark brain always says no, but light brain says thank you.

[Assistant]
;)
Correct. Same goes for workouts!


[User] I'm not normally a dream sharer, but I had this really weird dream last night, and it can not go undocumented.

[Assistant]
I was on holiday in Tenerife and was checking out a record store on the island.

The owner was this scary looking fella, dressed head to toe in black, piercings, tattoos, chains, big beard, the whole stereotypical metalhead look.

[User]
The store specialised in heavy rock, heavy metal, death metal; basically, anything with an unreadable font for their band name, and.......Curtis Stigers!

Curtis. Fucking. Stigers!

What the fuck!?

(Strongly resisting the urge to type "I wonder why" as this is not the set up for a bad joke!)


[User]
I went into a deep dive search on what courses, and trainings are available out there for managers. Lots of them imply giving a kidney which I prefer to keep.
So.. I am reaching you all, for some recommendations - either you took them or your colleagues or mentors did. Thanks in advance!

[Assistant]
PS: you can recommend some materials also for non-managers, and other roles - people will appreciate them for sure.
PPS: the counting of days left in the year was a nice coincidence.

[User] Summoning my friend and amazing coach @sugarenia.com . I am pretty sure you will keep your kidneys in place :)

[Assistant] Hi @ioanacis.bsky.social! I’d love to help, leadership programs (especially for new and emerging managers) is my bread & butter.


[User] Reminder that if you don't get at least a 2.6% raise at the end of this year that can match inflation, your employer is actively devaluing your labor.

[Assistant] My annual raise just happens to match the increased insurance costs year-by-year… what a coincidence…

[User]
i ask for more money every 6 months in one form or another. pro tip, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a straight raise. that’s best for most folks i think, but some employers have tax savings plans, discretionary money for specific expenses, travel expense plans, etc.

Always be asking!!

[Assistant] Your employer may call you in and tell you that you got a 3% raise based on your "merit",  but it isn't. That's a cost of living adjustment and it's the absolute bare minimum they should provide all staff regardless of performance.


[User] Good morning, friends! Here's a new blog post introducing everyone to the stuffies who live in our big closet!

[Assistant] Wow!  You have 2 Rowlfs the Dog and a Miss Piggy in your big closet!  I'm glad they have some friends to keep them company! (I'm a Muppet fan!)

[User] Wow!  You have 2 Rowlf the Dogs and a Miss Piggy in your big closet!  I'm glad they have some friends to keep them company! (I'm a Muppet fan!)

[Assistant]
Awww yay! We are very, very big Muppet fans in this household 😊

The Rowlfs are very special. The older puppet one was a gift from my late mom. He's from 19777 and very sweet.


[User] The process of writing this story is just wild. I wrote the first 7000 words in a single night in 2006. Another 10k in the next week or so. Then almost 30k sometime in the year following. It was the easiest writing I've ever done in my life - the words almost fell out of me.

[Assistant] Then it just stopped. I knew exactly what needed to happen for the next several chapters, and the general shape of the rest of the story, but I could not make any headway with it. I tried again and again and it just didn't happen. Then ten years passed.

[User] And now I've picked it up again and the sequence I was stuck on has just flowed past. And I know why I couldn't write it before. I wasn't ready. It needed an understanding of trauma, and I hadn't had any yet.

[Assistant] (side note: I don't mean to imply you need to experience trauma to write about it. I'm just saying there are things I didn't understand 10 years ago that I understand now, and maybe a gentler road would have brought me here just the same, but that's the road I took.)


[User]
"Product is more important than marketing in the internet era."

Jeff Bezos said this. And he's right.

But most companies still get it wrong.

[Assistant]
They pour 80% of their budget into marketing.

Flashy ads. Influencer partnerships. Expensive campaigns.

Meanwhile, their product - their actual asset - doesn't improve.

It's like putting lipstick on a pig.

...................................

[User]
Here's what smart companies do:

1. Invest heavily in the product
2. Make it so good, users can't help but talk about it
3. Let word-of-mouth do the heavy lifting

Result?

- Organic growth
- Lower customer acquisition costs
- Higher customer retention

...................................

[Assistant]
Think about it:

When was the last time you used a product because of its marketing?

Now, when was the last time you recommended a product to a friend?

Exactly.

Great products market themselves.

Mediocre products need marketing to survive.

Which are you building?

............................

[User]
The internet has changed the game.

Users can instantly share their experiences - good or bad.

One tweet can make or break your reputation.

So focus on what truly matters:

Building something worth talking about.

[Assistant]
Remember:

Marketing might get customers through the door.

But only a great product will keep them coming back.


[User]
At this point I'm like 10 hours worth of episodes behind on cycling podcasts I wanna listen to and people keep releasing new ones.

I just can't keep up 😫

[Assistant] Send the list please!!!

[User]
Been so busy, I think this might be the first time in months I haven’t listened to an LRCP ep the day it dropped.

What other podcasts do you recommend?

[Assistant]
Since people are asking, the podcasts I listen to include:

Lanterne Rouge Cycling Podcast
On Yer Bike Cycling Podcast
The Cycling Podcast
Geraint Thomas Cycling Club
How to Become a Pro Cyclist
Matt Stephens Unplugged

I also plan on adding She Rides to the list.

[User] me, who always planned one (not gonna lie, I was struggling in that in the past with that, wouldn't do it without loads of help)

[Assistant] If you ever do make one, I would definitely listen 😊


[User] I hope @madisonhuvan.bsky.social and @bdunn.bsky.social have a great day.

[User] And the rest of us?  🤣

[Assistant] Have the best day that you all deserve!


[User] A new survey finds fewer drivers intend to make their next car purchase an electric vehicle. An EY report shows overall intentions among respondents to buy a new vehicle were up six per cent compared with 2023, but fewer are interested in an EV.

[Assistant] The range anxiety is misplaced these days.  I bought an EV9 in Sept and haven’t regretted it for a second.  The range is no worse than my second vehicle which is a Jeep.  Actually the Kia gets a little better range.

[User] It is so hard for me to believe that people are still stuck on the stereotypes. We have had bev's for the last 5 years and we would never go back. You have to put slightly more thought into travelling, but otherwise they are more convenient in every way.

[Assistant] Interesting. I wonder if the survey asked if people intend to buy hybrids. Seems like plug-ins could be a nice stepping stone for people who are anxious about EVs.


[Assistant] Fancy! Love fancy.

[User] Pants are overrated.😎🤣🦖

[Assistant]
Definitely
So are shoes.


[User] Has anyone watched Dark on Netflix? I'm nearly at the end of season 1 and its giving me brain ache trying to keep up with the characters.

[Assistant]
It’s a total mind melt, I really enjoyed it though.
There’s a fair chunk that starts to make sense(ish) later on but at times I was just sitting thinking WTF am I watching.

[User] Not just me then lol . I am enjoying it but it's hard to keep up .

[Assistant] I found it helped if I didn’t skip the recap before each episode, even during binge sessions, parts that didn’t come together until that episode were rekindled as an Aaah moment.


[User]
Will Americans pay more for Manitoba canola, meds and machinery?
This province faces economic pain if Donald Trump follows through on tariff threats

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

[Assistant]
We’re all in for a world of pain 😩
I feel sick. About everything.

[User] It's a ploy to scare us and to get us to talk about our own borders, thereby undermining our own liberal party in the press and feeding little PP's support.

[Assistant] Manitoba has a couple or few of Canada's leading farm equipment manufactures.


[User]
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard for violating antitrust laws by illegally conspiring to drive up prices for consumers.

However, it's not really about taking action against common ownership but entirely about protecting the interests of the coal industry.

[Assistant]
Just like with "Killer Acquisitions" I feel like the sorcerer's apprentice in Goethe's famous poem:

„Die ich rief, die Geister,
Werd' ich nun nicht los.”

(Spirits raised by me
Vainly would I lay!)

[User] Paxton, like Trump is an evil man who has somehow managed to avoid jail.

[Assistant] This is just theater. No serious antitrust lawyer would bring this case expecting to win. And I have been an antitrust lawyer for over 30 years so I do know a thing or two about the antitrust laws.


[User] Deepfakes and AI-generated content are revolutionizing how we create and interact with media. These technologies use machine learning to produce hyper-realistic videos and texts, blurring the lines between reality and fabrication. This raises critical ethical questions. #Deepf...

[Assistant] One major concern with deepfakes is misinformation. As seen in cases like the AI-generated video of Mahomes, it's becoming increasingly challenging for individuals to discern real from fake content. This could lead to significant societal implications, especially in politics.

[User] The democratization of AI tools means anyone can create deepfakes, increasing the risk of abuse. From identity theft to harmful propaganda, the potential for misuse is vast. As these technologies advance, so must our strategies for regulation and education.

[Assistant] Moreover, the rapid evolution of generative AI raises questions about intellectual property. Who owns the rights to AI-generated content? As more creators leverage these tools, the legal landscape will need to adapt to protect both original and AI-generated works.


[User] Amy is back in the real world today (i.e., back working), but when she needs a mood boost she'll post about being sat next to Con while he discussed his, I quote, 'very hairy arse'.

[User] Honestly, dear god man, how do you expect me to be normal about that?!? (It was bad enough him turning around and looking me right in the eye to say very seriously 'that was a really good questions'.)

[Assistant] How I would have reacted in your place ⬇


[User] Starting to become a Dragon Ball manga purist in real time because it's just so fucking nice to read. The story and action flow so perfectly from page to page and the art is so much sharper. It's no wonder everyone revered Toriyama so much, Dragon Ball is just a blast.

[Assistant] The pacing of the Saiyan Saga especially is such a sharp contrast. The anime had a million years of training and stalling while in the manga everything happens so quick and sudden, you barely have time to react as the Saiyans pick off your heroes in quick succession. It's great.

[User] Well yeah the problem with making the anime alongside the manga was that they had to keep making filler episodes while Toriyama actually completed storylines. I love the show but the pacing suffered by not just delaying new episodes.

[Assistant] I was reading the manga as we went along on our podcast, then my son got into it and he and I read all of it together. It’s. SO. Good. The best version of the franchise AINEC.


[User] Rider 'adoptions' for 2025 season coming next Thursday - those who don't know it: I'm gonna make a list of 1000-1200 male riders - you say a number, and I'll add you that rider whom you will support during 2025 season :)

[Assistant] Can someone calculate what the risk would be that I get Moscon? Can't have that.

[User] around 0.08% :)

[Assistant] I need the number for Gaudu's husky.


[User]
Thanks for introducing me to #keikaku, data gathering and planning for a goal.

Now just to find out what Death Note is! 🦾

[Assistant]
LOL sorry it's an extremely 2007 meme 😂

Basically there's a famous fan translation of Death Note where the person writing the subtitles translates a line as

"All according to Keikaku"

with another subtitle above saying

"Translator's note: Keikaku means plan"

[User]
And people just started saying keikaku ironically

It was very in-fashion at the time for Japanese fan-made translations to flex Local Knowledge by leaving words in the original language even when it's a concept that has a fairly 1:1 comparison, 'keikaku' might have been when they jumped the shark 😂

[Assistant] Not a problem 😂 Keikaku doori. Another rabbit hole left only partly explored! 🐇🐰


[User] IMO the flaw in this reasoning is that the basics are correct but this is a universal feeling that bad actors deliberately frame as unique to young straight men in the same way older ppl who are struggling have been told for decades that there’s a mysterious safety net exclusively for “illegals.”

[Assistant] Monbiot *is* a bad actor on this topic though. Here he is responding to someone who asked him why he was taken in by the charisma of a serial sex offender: bsky.app/profile/geor....

[User] UGH I didn’t make it far enough down the thread, thanks for the tip. There are less stupid people talking this topic to respond to.

[Assistant] Monbiot was a big Owen Smith fan too, iirc - the Labour leadership hopeful who wanted to 'give Nicola Sturgeon the world's largest gobstopper' and 'smash Theresa May back on her heels' - so he's got a lot to learn before he starts pontificating on misogyny.

[User] (and also, um, 'I beat off 100 women to win my wife'. the whole thing was like a fever dream).

[Assistant] This isn't the response of someone interested in actually solving the problem, it's the response of a chin-stroking narcissist unable to recognise his own contribution.


[User]
Putting aside the implications of the mayor of Vancouver and a city councillor saying they find children's drawing "intimidating", can we talk about how Iris Orca either has feet or a butt?
I admit, I am a little intimidated by this picture, because of how awesome it is.

[Assistant] The only correct way to be intimidated by children's art is to be intimidated by how freaking creative their developing brains are.

[User] they'd do a better job running this city than that clowncar.

[Assistant] Good on that 10 yr old! He intimidated a grown man. That's quite a feat.


[User] “Why bother representing the people of Clacton when I can earn £2.5k per hour from GB news…”

[Assistant] Fart prefers echo chamber, to open space debates.

[User]
Farage is only interested in himself. Everything for attention. He must be the centre of his universe.
Classic narcissist.

I find it both repulsive & admirable. At least he knows what he wants & how to get it.

The fact that such behaviour is allowed?  Maddening.

[Assistant] I thought it was against parliamentary rules for a sitting MP to host a tv show? Why is this rubbish still going on???


[User]
This is brilliant but too slow and too late.

If India can do it why can't Britain?

Ironically, the Indian school meals programme has its roots in 1925 when it was piloted in Chennai - but was almost thwarted because the British government didn't approve!

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/445...

[Assistant] Currently reading Oliver Twist, there is nothing new about the governing bodies leaving children to go hungry, and punishing people for the impertinence of bringing  poverty to their attention still seems par for the course.

[Assistant]
Why do we lack ambition? Why are school meals means-tested? Why is the plan (still a maybe) to provide breakfasts to primary school children starting only in 2026?

Even Rwanda, the country we nearly offloaded our conscience to, provides free meals to all pre-primary, primary and secondary children.

[User]
We need to stop celebrating and start questioning.
We need to stop requesting and start insisting.

Having a healthy, nutritious and non-hungry childhood will have the biggest impact in removing inequality and ensuring future success for millions.

[Assistant] Because we're feeding all the Muslims, whom the Hindu Supremacists kicked/scared out of India! We give you Aid to look after your Poor but you just kill them, instead!

[User] What hateful, racist nonsense. Modi has been in power since 2014, whereas the free school meals programme has existed since the 1960s, and went national and universal in 1998.

[Assistant] FFS!. WE NEED THE MONEY FOR TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH!!!!. Besides, what is more stirringly British, than hungry poor kids?. "Land of hope and glory........" 🇬🇧


[User]
I’ve just made some oatcakes, they’re based on a recipe by Nigella Lawson but with a tad more lard… 😬🤦♂ I grind the oats very finely in a blender as I don’t like rough oatcakes.
These are gluten free, oats themselves never have gluten but if you’re coeliac like me you want them to be certified.

[Assistant] Go great with my cup of tea those Freddy ! 👍 🫖 🍪

[User] Thank you, just tried them with some butter and cheddar and they’re lovely. 🥰

[Assistant] Sounds Deeeelish ! ☺ Things always taste better when made from scratch. 👌😋


[User] Aaaaand our Fansly was hacked as well. I am so done.

[Assistant] Damn, that sucks. i had a feeling something was off when I saw the recent updates. i hope that you get it back soon. 🫂

[User] Thank you for being patient with us 🥰🥰

[Assistant] of course, hope you get it back soon. 💕


[User]
Two things I think I can share this morning:

1. Just eat delisting - stop dealing with VC who want fast exits. Long term burn is always better. One of the things that feels off about our current society is this get rich quick don’t worry about consequences thing.

[Assistant] 2. The reason legacy companies are in trouble is nearly always visible through their IT. Just tried to buy something from John Lewis. Absolutely terrible experience. Damagingly useless so of course customers prefer Amazon etc.

[User] Hardly a revelation this last one. But forgive me repeating it because even though it’s so fucking obvious the management of these companies don’t seem to have realised it yet.

[Assistant]
Who next will run giant retailed John Lewis? Oh look! It’s yet another old person steeped in legacy retail.

Surely they will fix it!!


[User] Has anyone ever found anything useful in a "Holiday Gift Guide for your Wife/Husband/Parent/etc." article?  I feel like every year I look at them and just think "who is buying this crap?"

[Assistant] I would venture to say it is mostly paid promotional things.  Some are very outlandish.  I remember my teen magazines growing up had the oddest gadgets and things we probably wouldn't otherwise relate to.  I am sure with technology they have gotten a bit more eclectic. 🙃

[User] Yeah, they're definitely native advertising but I don't know if it's just the current state of tech or what but I look at most of the items and can't imagine what problem they're helping me solve.

[Assistant] I assume most things like that are just a vector for them to push whatever products they have too much inventory on and want to move.


[User] As with increase of shoots and maize crop, human activity within river channels has increased massively during the last twenty years or so, due to commodification/diversification of outdoor "activities" or "sports".

[Assistant] The Wye has clearly suffered from additional mass eutrophication due to increased biomass loading from poultry, etc, plus sewer outfalls, old infrastructure, broken grey water systems, and road dust/salt/scum/litter.

[User] Knowing the river all my life (I learned to swim as a toddler at Bredwardine), I see river life respond to increased disturbance. It's not good.  Over time,  negative impacts compound, one after another, after another.

[Assistant] toll of bright and reflective colours, plastic boat grazes in shallow flow, looming shadows, pee, suncream,  plus problems such as angler clearance, line/hooks, pesticides, grass cuttings, music, shouting, cigarette butts, smoke, cooking oil (yes), means more distress.

[User] Large sections of the Wye are also unprotected from grazing animals and their waste. Lotic aquatic beings have NO other choice but to live in & around river channels. Disturb them again, and you ARE NOT helping. More lives suffer- interconnected with an ailing river continuum.

[Assistant] River-y beings have NO other choice but to live in & around water. You have a choice. Make it a good one.


[User]
As of this exact moment it’s what you make of it. I do think we should leverage it to make some of the trivial things we do on a daily basis less time consuming. Example, pop an email thread into ChatGPT and ask it to summarize and provide key points.

Data models are being trained daily to (1/2)

[Assistant]
supplement knowledge and now is the time to play with it, invest in it, or build with it.

This trek is inevitable. Make it work for you. It will soon become apart of almost everything we do.

It’s also time to find ways in your respective industry to make yourself in-disposable.

[User] I use it everyday to figure out basic stupid things, like shopping decisions, how to do stuff, and even what to say in upcoming weird situations.  In my experience, GPT is rarely right about a decision, but always helpful.

[Assistant] Yup, it excels at fact based outputs. But critical thinking - not so much.


[User]
1/4 The best post-election analysis that I have read or seen to date.

Put everything else in the drawer.

This is it.

And… as someone who grew up on South Chicago and Region factory floors… and is still in manufacturing… it never surprised me that Trump’s racist worldview gained currency.

[Assistant]
2/4 What else is notable here is that working class Whites, the key electorate in the Midwest, have so utterly screwed up these states *themselves* locally with unproductive racism, zero long-term vision and downright stupidity.

Governors and state officials are not gods.

They are elected.

[User]
3/4 Just look at what the White working class, largely, did to the City of Detroit - and the obstruction that still exists.

Wrecking Detroit has severely hurt *everyone* in the state economically.

But segregating Black people was seen as far more important.

Incalculable resources spent on that.

[Assistant]
4/4 Who is to blame for that?

Don’t count on any introspection here in Michigan from the electorate on that though.

Easier to blame “woke” specters, “Black crime”, immigrants or transgender people *at the moment* - as Lansing unproductively sits in stasis.

Tomorrow, it’ll be something else.


[User] "But one thing is certain. Man, himself, at the very least, is music, a brave theme that makes music also of its vast accompaniment, its matrix of storms and stars."

[Assistant] Read that book last year for the first time, absolutely loved it.

[User] Have you seen the recent film (VERY) loosely based on it?

[Assistant] I haven't. Should I?

[User] It's got almost NO relation to the book although the book is quoted. It's a mostly silent b&w film of amazing war monuments in the former Yugoslavia. Recommended for weirdness.

[Assistant] Cool. I shall take a look. Thank you for the heads-up.


[User] Definition of true love: Taking your dog for a walk at 5:30 a.m. in the snow and then letting her sit on your lap with wet fur.

[Assistant] I'm not so sure about the sitting in my lap with wet fur part... 🥴

[User] Her fur wasn't soaked, and my sweats were already a little wet from the snow. We only walked about 20 minutes. The snow started turning to slush on the sidewalk.

[Assistant] Well, it was extra sweet, nonetheless. 😘

[User] That’s love ❤

[Assistant] You’re full of love for everyone! 😍


[User]
Extending the premise of this question brings us to "Can a third place truly be decentralized?"

A third place, by definition, is a central location where like-minded people can exchange knowledge.

And that is a paradox but...

[Assistant]
...I think it is a solvable paradox.

We almost solved it once before with RSS and PubSub. And I think we have the tools to solve it fully this time.

TBH, I don't have the solution myself but I know it involves simpler discoverability mechanisms so that network effects can propagate more easily...

[User]
We have the fediverse already.

But Bluesky uses the AT Protocol which is, theoretically, anyone can federate with. (I'm unclear how easy/complicated it all is though).

[Assistant]
Yup, the fediverse is step one, I feel.

Because, the fediverse still has a discoverability problem. It is based on self-propelled discovery which (IMHO) is not robust enough for substantial network effects.

Between word-of-mouth and algorithmic discovery, algos win the quantity race, hands down.


[User]
HOLY FUCK. Since the USPS mail isn't shipping to Aotearoa anymore, my family in the States have to use private options.

IT WILL COST $100 TO SHIP A SINGLE LETTER TO ME FROM CHICAGO NOW MY DAD SAID.

$100.

ONE LETTER.

WHAT THE FUCK.

[Assistant] It's not oversized, it's literally just a letter.

[User] I have signed up to YouShop, thanks pals!

[Assistant] Fwiw, Dad looked into DHL who quoted $79 (plus any taxes) so... Not a big improvement. 😫


[User] Opening the front door to this view first thing is the best kinda start to the day!

[Assistant] Guessing you're not a shepherd.

[User] Oh wow, that's a lovely sunrise!

[Assistant] Why thank you 🙏🏻


[User] Is it horrible that, while watching Day of the Jackal, I was secretly hoping that someone from the EU would hire an international assassin to take out Trump and every evil human in his cabinet, one asshole at a time?

[Assistant]
I was hoping for a big brother meeting to take place & one big bomb!
Mission Completed.

[User]
I was hoping for a big bro meeting and one big bomb.
Mission Completed.

[Assistant] They say fantasies are a normal healthy human function 😂🤣🦋🦋 I’ve had the same kind.


[User] Love the way it's done by spreadsheet that's not even formatted consistently.

[Assistant] That’s good news though I think -didn’t want Mandelson to get it.

[User] so close for Angiolini.....I wish she and Royall had got together and one agreed to stand down and ask supporters to vote for the other. Might have made a difference. (I see 2 candidates got 1 vote each in the first round - presumably they voted for themselves).

[Assistant] Because of alternative vote that is basically what happened though - most of Jan's supporters went to Ailish in the final round. Just not quite enough there to get into first.

[User] Because of alternative vote that is basically what happened though - most of Royall's supporters went to Angiolini in the final round. Just not quite enough there to get into first.

[Assistant] most of them but not all. I think Royall and Angiolini combined had more than Hague in the first round. And Royall might have been expected to pick up some of the Mandelson vote under SFV if she had been the agreed candidate...would still have been close but she might have scraped in.


[User] Ethiopia: The humanitarian crisis in Amhara is worsening due to ongoing conflicts and natural disasters. Since the war in the north, the region has struggled to recover, urgently needing food and material aid for millions.

[Assistant] At a recent discussion in, the Higher Education Institutions Forum highlighted the dire situation. Ambassadors, aid agencies, and human rights organizations were informed that approximately 600,000 people displaced from Oromia and Benishangul Gumuz, coupled with drought, have exacerbated the crisis.

[User] Health facilities and schools have been destroyed, with 4.7 million children out of school. In total, 4,870 schools are closed, and 5,379 schools have been partially destroyed.

[Assistant] The lack of resources and insecurity have severely impacted healthcare services, preventing health professionals from performing their duties effectively.

[User] Even injured individuals cannot access medical treatment due to safety concerns. The forum emphasized the urgent need for financial and material assistance to address the humanitarian crisis. Without immediate intervention, the situation in the Amhara region is expected to deteriorate further.

[Assistant] Source: www.shegerfm.com/post/%E1%88%...


[User] While we’re in the middle of an intense dialogue about farmers and how they’re guardians of the natural habitat, it’s instructive to look at how many reintroductions of species that we exterminated centuries ago (or recently for Devon eagles) are met with fury by the farming community.

[Assistant] There is really nothing natural about the English countryside. It's a heritage asset more than anything.

[User] That’s exactly it. Like Dartmoor is an ex-industrial wasteland (which I love, but still)

[Assistant] Oh totally - I'm a big believer in preserving heritage! But one needs to know what things really are in order to enjoy them properly, I always think. Then again, perhaps that's a niche, geeky perspective.

[User] I mean there’s a program to reintroduce Pine Martens to the South West and there’s pushback. To Pine Martens! Beavers are amazing and incredibly useful but farmers don’t want ‘em, apparently purely on principle.

[Assistant] I’d rewild Dartmoor in a heartbeat if I could, though. Bring on the wolves!


[User]
🚀 Officially introducing Kiwi 🥝 – my FREE Pitch Deck Template for PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Pitch! - 👉 Download Kiwi for FREE. LINK ON MY BIO!
Kiwi is designed specifically for early-stage founders who want to create investor-ready pitch decks without the hassle.

[Assistant]
Whether you're new to fundraising or just want to save time, Kiwi has you covered.
Built for PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Pitch, it packs 47 slides with alternative designs for every situation you'll encounter while pitching.

[User]
Why I built it:
Over the years, I’ve worked with startups to raise over $$$ millions, designing countless pitch decks. Along the way, I noticed a recurring problem: most pitch deck templates just don’t deliver.
Most templates don’t reflect what winning decks look like or what VCs actually expect.

[Assistant]
That’s why I created Kiwi:
✅ A beautifully designed template that’s flexible and customizable.
✅ An investor-ready structure inspired by decks that raised millions.
✅ Compatible with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Pitch, so you can work on your platform of choice.

[User]
What makes Kiwi special?
✅ Beautiful, modern design that's easy to customize.
✅ Perfectly structured slides based on what VCs actually want to see.
✅ Compatible with PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Pitch.

[Assistant] Kiwi isn’t just a template – it’s built on real-world insights. I studied the best-performing decks across industries like SaaS, Fintech, Health, and AI. Kiwi reflects the structure, flow, and design principles that have helped founders close deals with top-tier investors.

[User]
Who is Kiwi for?
Whether you’re:
🔹 A first-time founder navigating your first round of fundraising.
🔹 A seasoned entrepreneur refining your story.
🔹 Or just someone who wants to pitch with confidence.
Kiwi has everything you need to craft a winning pitch deck – and it’s completely FREE.

[Assistant]
How to Get Started:

Download Kiwi for PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Pitch.
Customize it with your content and branding.
Deliver your story in a way that wows investors.
Ready to create a pitch deck that gets results?

👉 Download Kiwi for FREE. LINK ON MY BIO!


[User] Greetings, 'caders! Data East Arcade 2 is just around the corner (indeed, looks like some of you are receiving your copies already!) -- so here's a look at What's On The Cart so you can see all the games in action! www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bM7...

[Assistant] If you're more the reading type, may we humbly present the same, but written down. (Plus a bit of bonus extra info for those kind enough to pay our blog a visit!) evercade.co.uk/whats-on-the...

[User]
The last 2 carts have arrived all ready. So my ocd weirdo arse won't let me play Toaplan arcade 4 and life on Mars until Toaplan 3 and data east 2 arrive 🤣
In the meantime - project X on the Alpha- hell to the yes 🔥🔥😍🤗🤣

[Assistant] The world needs more Burgertime sequels. The ones here wil do the job for now tho.


[User]
Remembering the vast amount of people immediately trusting Unity again just because the CEO left and announced anti-developer plans got reversed already had me thinking that it will most certainly be a "reach out bold, reverse half-way and call that a day".

Well...Got my answer to that now.

[Assistant]
This here is the point about it, and...why exactly should the CUSTOMER'S revenue affect the one's of the CONTRACTOR? why does the contractor have to do the extra work, if Unity wants that money?

Really, this is the bullshit about big companies people DEPEND on every day that i really hate.

[User] No they just replaced the runtime fee with all this relicensing. We were super wary at the time since we aren’t strictly making a game, but we never imagined Unity would get to decide who our clients are AND charge us for them. Just gross. 🤮

[Assistant] In the whole situation last year, i didn't find any of this. Does this thing with considering your client's revenue into your own total finances existed before that or with the changes of cancelling the Runtime Fee?


[User] The thick plottens. This will be one to watch. Really like to see some clear pics of her anchors or if she has unusual amounts of steel wire hawser on her quarterdeck.

[User]
A little late, but here is the bent anchor.
... And a quite worn and rusty (on top ??) anchor pocket..

What do you think??

Last picture is much older, but the difference of the rusted and worn areas are obvious.

(Credits to www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL1-...)

[Assistant] Your honour, the case for the prosecution rests.

[User]
And just for the files, here the best available AIS DATA for lifting the anchor on 11.18.24 at around 10:44.

Pilot is on board, courtesy flag is lifted, can we confiscate the boat now?

[Assistant] No idea where you’d stand on maritime law there. Assuming they destroyed all bridge records, FX CCTV coverage and data recorders.

[User]
Destroying all records is not the best way to proof innocence.

But..

THIS IS EUROPA!

[Assistant] Better that than voice recordings of a Russian saying “We have the cable. Slow ahead. “😂


[Assistant] Ugh 😑

[User] We will do this.

[Assistant] We have to. We have to discuss it now. We have to plan now. I have no idea what elected Dems plan on doing other than “business as usual” while we pretend there is nothing to be done.


[User]
🚨🚨🚨 New paper 🚨🚨🚨

Delighted to share the primary analysis of the LIMb study.

Headline finding is a 57% reduction in risk of major amputation in patients managed under expedited treatment pathways vs a historical cohort.

#vascsky #medsky #CLTI

doi.org/10.1016/j.ej...

[Assistant]
The main changes to our practice were:
- Implementation of the VaLS clinic (link below)
- Accompanying expedited access to angioplasty
- Admission of all diabetic foot patients under vascular
- Hybrid theatre enabling faster and more complex hybrid revascularisation

www.ejves.com/article/S107...

[User] Lots of caveats to the results and there’s certainly confounding and selection bias in the cohorts but the results are nonetheless an encouraging validation of efforts to improve care of CLTI patients.

[Assistant]
Additionally we have excellent prospective data for the 432 contemporary patient cohort and will be running a few key secondary analyses primarily focusing on risk prediction in CLTI patients.

Watch this space! 👀👀👀

[User]
Here’s the protocol if anyone’s interested…

bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/9/...

[Assistant] A big thank you to the George Davies Charitable Trust for funding the LIMb study and all my collaborators (I’m working on getting them onto Bluesky!) 👏👏👏


[User]
The words aren’t shocking to hear from a man such as Mihawk. Comfortingly expected almost. Shanks let out a good natured laugh. Even in the dimmed light of the moon he could make out the other man’s features.

“You should be careful of saying such things to me. I have always been one to enjoy a-

[Assistant]
-good challenge. Nothing worthwhile comes without a price.”

Despite the teasing nature of his words Shanks wasn’t going to push things. He simply liked to joke around with people especially when he trusted them in the way he did Mihawk. They are a steady drumbeat in his life that he can depend on-

[User]
-to keep beat no matter what else is happening.

Shanks dove underwater swimming out a bit further. When he rose back out of the hair his trademark red hair was plaster against his face. He pushed it back and inhaled the night air deeply.

“Last time I was diving underwater at night it was because-

[Assistant]
-I had a devil fruit user fall in the sea. All that power only to have the sea hate you.”

He shook his head.

“Doing it to relax like this has almost become a foreign thing to me.”


[User] I think complaining about the stories that TTRPG produces is like complaining about the stories that professional sports produces. Neither are planned, both are a matter of perspective. Yes, you can plan an arc. It doesn't matter to the story's quality because that comes from emotional attachment.

[Assistant] It's also fucking stupid to complain that people aren't producing high art while bullshiting with their friends about elves and shit.

[User] I think that's not the point. It's about what RPGs can do and lofty ideals aren't misplaced there. Demanding that ideal from your ot any specific table would be a different problem. My problem is that you don't get to "good stories" (the term needs definition) by making RPG narration linear.

[Assistant]
I think you also might have hit on a big thing with the term "good story" needing definition.
Not only is "good" subjective, but what counts as good in one medium might not apply to a different one due to inherent differences in the medium itself, as well as what people look to get out of it.


[User]
HPV vaccine stops 90% of cervical cancer cases in England 🏴

www.bbc.com/news/article...

[Assistant] And get Hep B vax to guard against liver cancer too...

[User] I was so excited to get my daughter vaccinated.

[Assistant] Meanwhile RFK jr. getting ready to proclaim “no more vaccines for you!”


[User] Gerry Hutch, with all his recent videos and podcast appearances, has lost the quiet charisma aura that has long served him well.

[Assistant] Turns out the austere-and-quietly-clever image was just made up by hacks to flog copies of the Sunday World. Unless of course this is all to distract us from the Fort Knox heist he's planning his whole life.

[User] he just wants to get his hands on Paschal "money bags" Donohoe - who is running in the same constituency as him. Would I watch a debate between the two of them - I would!!!

[Assistant] keep forgetting he is running - and he on bail.


[User]
all right september’s over i’m calling it

👻🎃 happy halloween season!! 🎃👻


[User] I just got this, and I don't know if you know this, but you are super funny. The humor in this outshines everything else by far, in the best way. Tonnerre is such a menace.

[Assistant] ty for buying! i hope your enjoy the rest of it )

[User] Having it all in order helps give me a LOT of context for the current comic and I'm enjoying the current stuff even more now. It's also fun seeing Tonnerre doing something (almost) selfless for a friend despite how self-centered she is. Granted its the lust dimension but...

[Assistant]
thanks! i've tried to give exposition to explain why certain things are happening but definitely having the lead-up story helps make it clearer.

i think relationship-wise, edie is the only person tonn would be selfless for. she's a selfish character, but she loves her best-friend.

[User] That did come across to me, the new years part of the story with her sitting alone did it for me. I'm glad I picked it up and I encourage others to do the same if they enjoy your work.

[Assistant] tysm, it's really nice to hear this sort of thing about my stories )) 💜💜💜


[User]
Remember, in old sitcoms or cartoons, a scene in which someone is ramming his shoulder against a closed door, over and over again, until suddenly the door is opened from the inside and he goes stumbling and falling through?

That's the legal innovation movement right now.

[Assistant]
We've spent so much of the last 20 years trying to persuade the legal system's entrenched interests of the value of innovation. More access! Higher profits! Better justice! None of it mattered. The door stayed shut.

Now suddenly, the door is effectively gone. We need to adjust.

[User] Unearth every old innovation report and discard the lengthy front sections on "why this make sense." (Often, most of the report.) Fast-forward to the solutions. If they're vague and aspirational, operationalize them. Estimate budgets and timelines. Draft plans and flowcharts.

[Assistant] We need to recalibrate the legal innovation community, virtually overnight, from "plucky outsiders pleading to be heard" to "architects and project leaders for the new legal world." We need to turn our good ideas into workable solutions, and we need to do it fast. //


[User]
Since I don't have much to do today, I think I'll DJ for awhile. Do y'all mind?

youtu.be/eqb8y7YimmQ?...

[Assistant] Love them. 💙

[User]
I was so sad when Prince B. passed from cancer. He was an amazing vocalist, arranger and producer.
The music industry lost a good one 💔😔

[Assistant] Yes. I remember that. When they were talked about again once more. 💔

[User]
Good morning!!

I have a plumber coming between 8-12 today.

Been so busy I haven't had time to shop for tomorrow's dinner.

And it's snowing.

[Assistant]
Oh boy! 😳🥺

What's going on with your plumbing?

[User]
Fuck!
It's a mess.

I bought a new fridge, stove & microwave.
The stove & fridge were delivered Monday & the ice maker water line valve to the the water is broken.
And my foundation needs repairs.

Been calling a million people looking for help.
Much more behind the scenes shit.

A mess!

[Assistant]
Boooo! 👎🏼
Do not Like!
Hope they get everything fixed without drama 🤞🏼

[User]
Fuck!
I'm fried.
About to cry from frustration and NO HELP.

Goddamn.

I do everything myself even tho I'm married.