[User] Lmaoooo was this the norm?? I went to college only a few years after this in the 90s and all the readings were listed out for each week??

[Assistant] My course syllabi in 00-04 undergrad was usually a page and a half long. Law School was more. 🤷♀

[User] I studied law in the mid 90s (Australia). I vividly remember the beginning of term handout was 3 typed pages of cases, alphabetical order, that may or may not be mentioned sometime during that year...

[Assistant] I was a student in 1991, when this ruling came down. We went from a world where professors could try to hold bullshit publisher prices and useless price gouging via annual revisions in check by excerpting under Fair Use, to textbook costs absolutely exploding to the ridiculous heights we have today.

[User] I was a student in 1991, when this ruling came down. We went from a world where professors could try to hold bullshit publisher prices and useless price gouging via annual revisions in check by excerpting under Fair Use, to textbook costs absolutely exploding to the ridiculous heights we have today.

[Assistant] Pre-Kinkos, you still paid plenty for texts. But, your professors knew which of their colleagues in the field and publishers were trying to game the system, and helped you not get robbed.


[User] @ceris-humphreys.bsky.social Glad to find you on here! I kept checking.

[Assistant] Thought it was time to have a look. The other place is pretty pointless these days.

[User] I left a while ago. It was too toxic and flooded with adverts as well.

[Assistant] Things have moved on since then...the exodus now including many respected organisations. This one hit the nail on the head with that "meaningful"!


[User]
A massive review of water regulation is England and Wales is underway.

But nationalisation won’t be considered, confirms Ivy Manning, team leader at the secretariat for the commission leading the review.

Says that was agreed by commission chair Sir Jon Cunliffe  and env sec Steve Reed.

[User] We have water companies that can fly tip millions of litres of filth into the environment so they can pay money to shareholders. I fly tip an old sofa I get prosecuted.

[Assistant]
Water minister Emma Hardy (pictured right) just gave a speech here at CIWEM conference in London.

I was hoping to ask her about the environment, bills, the govt’s water review, nationalisation and more.

Unfortunately she dashed off after her 10-minute speech recapping existing policy and plans.


[User]
UNBEATEN EAST SHOWDOWNS: WIN AND YOU’RE IN

🏆 MIL (3-0, +29) at DET (3-0, +28)
🏀 East GroupB | 7pm/et, NBA League Pass

In the first of two winner-take-all duels between unbeatenclubs in the East, Cade Cunningham and the Pistons will hostGiannis Antetokounmpo and the surging Bucks — who [1/12]

[Assistant]
have won sixstraight games — to decide the winner of East Group B.

Hitting Their Stride: On Nov. 10, the Bucks found themselves in 14th place in the East with a 2-8 record. Since then, they’ve gone 8-1 to climb to the No. 5 seed, beginning with an NBA Cup Group Play win over the [2/12]

[User]
Raptors

Their next opponent was Detroit, and Antetokounmpo dropped a season-high 59 points to lead Milwaukee to a 127-120 victory in overtime.

In the win, Giannis became the first player to record 59+ points, 14+ boards, 7+ assists and 3+ blocks on at least 60% shooting in a game since [3/12]

[Assistant]
1973-74, when blocks were first recorded.

The Cade Key: Despite the loss, Cunningham had 35 points and 11 assists for Detroit. Through 18 games this season, he’s averaging career-highs in points (23.5), assists (9.0) and rebounds (7.2).

Cup Catalyst: Cunningham’s all-around production has [4/12]

[User]
been unmatched in the NBA Cup, as he’s the only player to average 20+ points, 10+ assists and 5+ boards through three Group Play games (20.0 ppg, 10.0 apg, 6.3 rpg).

Now, with a berth to the Knockout Rounds on the line, willCunningham and the Pistons rise to the challenge and outlastGiannis [5/12]

[Assistant]
and the streaking Bucks, or will Milwaukee’s momentumcarry them to the top of East Group B?

🏆 ORL (3-0, +60) at NYK (3-0, +15)
🏀 East Group A | 7:30pm/et, TNT

Speaking of momentum, can anybody slow down Franz Wagner and theblistering Magic?

Orlando also rides a six-game win streak into [6/12]

[User]
Tuesday’swinner-take-all showdown and has won 12 of its last 13 games,while boasting the league’s top-scoring defense. But how willthey fare against the Knicks’ potent offense at MSG?

Winning With Defense: The Magic are allowing a season-low 102.3 points per game. During their 12-1 stretch, [7/12]

[Assistant]
they’ve decreased that number to 97.2, which is 8.9 ppg better than the next closest team in that span (Houston: 106.1).

Magic Touch: In those 13 games, Wagner (26.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.1 apg) joins the reigning Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and last season’s scoring champ Luka Dončić as the only [8/12]

[User]
players in the NBA averaging 26+ points, 6+ rebounds and +7 assists.

More Than A Hot Streak: Wagner’s also averaging career-highs across the board this season in points (23.4), rebounds (5.7), assists (5.9), threes (2.1) and steals (1.8).

While Orlando is allowing just 97.2 points per game [9/12]

[Assistant]
in theirlast 13 outings, the Knicks starters are averaging 97.0 ppg thisseason — the most in the NBA and 82.3% of their team total (117.8ppg).

Legendary Company: Since starters/reserves statistics werefirst recorded in 1970-71, only one other team has seen moreproduction from their starting [10/12]


[User] Polydesmus asthenestatus/taranus. Thought by some to be the same species but with two distinct male forms, with Polydesmus taranus type being the larger and seemingly less numerous within a population. Images are of immatures I've been rearing from a newly found population in South Wales.

[Assistant] I've added you to the Harvestmen and other invertebrates starter pack, hope that's OK.

[User] Yeah crack on fella. :)

[Assistant] Yes, no worries. Not sure what one is though lol...new to all this. :)


[User] So, is wearing t-shirts over long sleeve shirts back yet?

[Assistant] I won’t judge you. But shorts over pants …

[User] Don't think I've ever seen that, tbh...

[Assistant] I will never ever stop!!!!


[User] I still have a cold after 9 days somehow. And I go on holiday on Monday. Any tips for getting rid of this thing??

[Assistant] Ughhhh I caught it at the beginning of September. Was negative for Covid but it was the cold that never ended. I finally felt better on day 15. Went to the doctor twice and both said time and rest are all you can do. Feel better friend.

[User] Thanks!! Yeah I had two days off work and rested at the weekend but then kind of ploughed through - prob not at all wise…!!

[Assistant] Even if testing negative for covid it still could be a form of long covid symptoms. A lot of the rapid tests are not accurate with the new strains and most covid symptoms can last months. It's something that we can't really test for today. But the best tip is to rest and stay hydrated!


[User]
🌱 Good morning, prepared for tomorrow. #Advent Kranz differently this year. Everything from my #garden except the candela and cinnamon 😊
Wish you all a nice Saturday what ever you have still on your To do list 💚

[Assistant] I love it!

[User] Thank you 🙏

[Assistant] This looks so pretty.


[User] I think the saddest part of leaving the other site for me was letting go of this.

[Assistant] I thought about screen-capping it to tag you over here and I am pleased it made its way. This and the Jane Lynch/ Iron Sheik one.

[User] Tell us why you think Ashton Kutcher should be hit by a bus.

[Assistant] I’ll always remember your Twitter fame.


[User]
AI - The future of innovation or the end of humanity as we know it? 🤖
Some say it’s a game-changer, others call it a threat to jobs and creativity.
What do you think? Are you team ‘Pro AI’ or waving the red flag? 🛑⬆
Drop your thoughts below—I want to hear all sides! 👇

[Assistant] @thealeutians.bsky.social It’s all about balance, AI has huge potential to drive innovative ideas, but this being, also raises concerns about the impacts AI has on future careers, and creativity. We need to find a way AI works WITH US, not AGAINST us. 🦾😁

[User] I think AI is very useful to an extent, especially in the field of digital accessibility. However, if we rely on AI excessively, we could get into trouble. Creative and mental capabilities could atrophy, etc.

[Assistant] The future of innovation - Yes. End of humanity - We don't need AI for that, humans will suffice. Game-changer- Yes. Thread to jobs - Most definitely. Creativity - No. Demand for Human Art will increase. I am 100% Pro-AI. And once AI reaches sentient level, we gotta give them their rights as well!


[User]
Everybody is worried about electing a Poilievre govt. But this one would be even worse, hard as it to believe. We already have a Trump in Canada. #cdnpoli #peipoli
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYD6...

[Assistant] Canadians will elect the best candidate. And they will have their "Security Clearance".

[User] Hopefully he keeps losing his own riding.

[Assistant] I was wondering what happened to him. He fell off my radar after he blocked me on Twitter. I asked too many policy questions.

[User] What policies lol. No, he's still around unfortunately. He's looking for 4 candidates down here. Doesn't have any yet. No surprise. That's why I put the post out. To alert the population. 🤣

[Assistant] I hope he makes a great play and takes 20% of the CPC vote!


[User] And another one....🙄

[Assistant]
AKA Shit Solutions 😂
Love it.

[User] First thing I saw in the address! 🙌🏻

[Assistant] Took me a while to see that...🤣🤣


[User] Hey @vfbamericana.bsky.social, sorry I couldn't get this done in time for yesterday's match but maybe it'll inspire us against Werder on Saturday?

[Assistant] I love this so much.

[Assistant] Nicely done😀👍


[User]
Good Saturday morning
Wishing you a day of unexpected insights...

[Assistant] Good morning, Dreamcatcher! Beautiful sunrise. You feeling that New Moon energy this morning? 🌑🥰

[User] Good morning Linda! 🌞🫖 I am. Thanks for making the comment.  🥰✨

[Assistant] Good morning to you😊 This is a lovely picture. I wish my sunrise looked like this! (Snow in forecast here. Cloudy skies 🌨)


[User] Made all those concessions with his fingers crossed behind his back. RIP Royal Mail.

[Assistant] Shouldn’t have been sold off in the first place. Beginning of the end.

[User] Yup, another sterling piece of work by the Lib Dems in coalition. 👍👍👍

[Assistant] Yep and for several billion less than actually worth. Very generous of them 😏


[User] i remember feeling this exact sentiment after reading the article in question. i reflexively wrote several posts in anger—seeing backlash to feminism is no surprise, even from the left, but it felt like a real goddamn sucker punch.

[Assistant]
so yeah, these tender smol beans need a hug, let 'em cop a feel while they're at it. they can't help themselves, the poor dears.

heave a wise and womanly sigh like a woman in a lysol commercial whose affably bumbling husband tracked mud all over the kitchen floor.

then clean up his mess.

[User]
so yeah, these tender smol beans need a hug, let 'em cop a feel while they're at it. they can't help themselves, the poor dears.

heave a wise and womanly sigh like a woman in a lysol commercial whose affably bumbling husband tracked mud all over the kitchen floor.

then clean up his mess.

[Assistant]
so yeah, these tender smol beans need a hug, let 'em cop a feel while they're at it. they can't help themselves, the poor dears.

heave a wise and womanly sigh like a woman in a lysol commercial whose affably bumbling husband tracked mud all over the kitchen floor.

then clean up his mess.

[User]
so yeah, these tender smol beans need a hug, let 'em cop a feel while they're at it. they can't help themselves, the poor dears.

heave a wise and womanly sigh like a woman in a lysol commercial whose affably bumbling husband tracked mud all over the kitchen floor.

then clean up his mess.

[Assistant]
so yeah, these tender smol beans need a hug, let 'em cop a feel while they're at it. they can't help themselves, the poor dears.

heave a wise and womanly sigh like a woman in a lysol commercial whose affably bumbling husband tracked mud all over the kitchen floor.

then clean up his mess.


[User]
I see this account is just going to be me muttering “fuck OFF” with tears in my eyes.

(I once kitchen-danced so hard to this one that the speaker leapt off the wall.)

[Assistant] Great for karaoke if you give it the full Mel C.

[User] I’ve never done karaoke and I’m definitely not going to start there 🥴😂

[Assistant] If you ever do it, start with a boy band song. They have a narrow range as a rule. Very easy to sing, and fun.


[User] "A significant majority of people, 78 per cent of Canadians, want the CBC to continue. That includes 67 per cent of Canadians who identify as Conservative."

[Assistant] This is surprising, but I don’t think defunding CBC will be a factor when it comes to deciding a vote.

[User] I guess it depends on where one lives. For some this is their singular source of news/information.

[Assistant] True enough.  I wonder if their numbers are significant.


[User] Coming back to this because it was a really interesting discussion - the people who have convinced themselves they are going to be in the 2% of survivors and it's all going to be chasing off varmint with a shotgun and chopping logs and churning butter.... it's not.

[Assistant] It's going to be chilblains if you're lucky and sepsis if you aren't. It's going to be leaky boots you can't mend, and wet socks, and the same pants for a month because if you wash them you can't get them dry, and trench foot, and firewood that's too wet to light, and the hungry gap....

[User] And debating whether to let your veg go to seed, or eat it, and nothing but kale for weeks on end, and no bread because the mice and crows got into your harvest. It's basically eating-raw-rat-onna-stick time. You might survive, but it won't be fun and the first time you get flu you'll probably die.

[Assistant] It's gonna make The Road look like The Wizard of Oz, frankly.

[User]
I always say my knitting, fire-starting and bicycle repair skills* are my post-apocalypse prep plan.

I burst into tears just thinking about When the Wind Blows though.

[Assistant] In some ways, I think that they're not thinking about rebuilding a life & a functioning society. It's about a lone wolf adventure fantasy, neoliberalism without the effort of trying to run an economy.

[User]
Kinda reminds me of something...
www.vox.com/policy-and-p...

[Assistant] Oh my goodness, that was even worse than I thought....

[User] Just read the full article & that was facinating. I feel very sorry for the poor people living in some small town, facing a plague of libertarians & then one of bears, probably waiting to see if the locusts would turn up next.

[Assistant] I think you've nailed it there.


[User]
i find it so funny that some of my friends call my sani as daddy bc on one hand, yes

while on the other hand, he's an actual father so hes gonna go "yes? have you eaten today? 🥺"

[Assistant] the other kind of daddy is in the sheets for micchan only (JOKING)

[User] very himbo(?) with a little bit of boyfailure to me 😭

[Assistant] exactly, he's a manfailure when it comes to romance (3 years crushing on micchan and pickup lines were ass)


[User] Pocketbook diplomacy is a time honored tradition when dealing with despotic regimes.

[Assistant] Hit them where it hurts. In their wallets.

[User] That was touching watching your last day teaching. How lucky you are making a difference in the lives of young people and the people of Ukraine. Cheers to you on this Thanksgiving day! 🇺🇦🇺🇸

[Assistant] Ordinary Russians get a ton of state propaganda, and the older they are the more they accept and believe it. Lots of young Russians are traveling around avoiding the draft.


[User]
i've been on Bluesky a year and a half but i have not done anything like this since a lot of people wandered to this corner of the internet.

the artist questions, if we get there? i'll try to do the best i can. i can't draw a stick figure to save my life but i do a bit of writing.

[Assistant]
1. Why are you on Bluesky?

i got sick of the white supremacist, transphobic, and otherwise hateful "trends" Space Douche started pushing after he took over Twitter, but i love the short-posts format. i've been on here about a year and a half and it's nice to see...just posts i want, and Not That.

[User]
2. Any other social media?

i'm @rogueclown on Instagram though not super active there anymore, mostly i just go there to look at cute horse noses and find out about wrestling shows and events.

i'm on Facebook as well, mainly to stay in touch with people and keep track of trivia events.

[Assistant]
3. Still posting on Twitter?

nope.  and i left my account around but dormant for a while, but i've deleted it since there's no way i'm going back, especially given its current owner's rapport with the incoming administration.

[User] 17. Horseracin'.  If it doesn't have 4 legs & a jockey on its back, I probably ain't interested.

[Assistant] i'll watch a little college basketball at times, and get sucked into the Olympics, but horse racing is the only sport i FOLLOW follow.


[Assistant] Will there bbe an unboxing video? 😉

[User] Not really involved in this one #NLBioImaging. STED for the imaging facility. :)

[Assistant] And a Merry Christmas to you and your lab!  🎄


[User] At 7:08 p.m. on April 15, 2019, I did a double take as I was walking by my windows and saw the following. I think my commentary sums up my shock.🔥😲

[Assistant] 7:49 p.m. the spired bit the dust.

[User] At 8:17 p.m. Île de la Cité was evacuated. As you can see, I took the essentials when these two fine French gentlemen knocked on my door to inform me. We needed to leave the island.🔥🥂🇫🇷

[Assistant] Quite a sad sight to see.


[User]
Markdown on Bluesky, please! At least the basic text formatting: bold, italics, monospace.

Quotes, codeblocks, and lists would also be nice.

[Assistant]
Or if you want to be different, go back to the old BBS/usenet convention and have *bold* and _italics_ instead.

(I suppose Markdown went with "either character, but single is italics and double is bold" as one of those "no one gets what they want" compromises.)

[User] Itym *bold*, _underline_, and /italics/.

[Assistant] i think the facets are there in the API, similar to rich text that deck blue has but I'm not sure if *those things work yet*


[User] Pretty much. I've said it before and I'll say it again forever: I don't get how leftist "revolutionaries" expect millions of people to upend their livelihoods, likely permanently, for some nebulous "revolution"...when said leftists apparently can't even be bothered to fill in a circle on a ballot.

[Assistant] And what's the plan AFTER the revolution? I'm sure we've got some smart folks on our side, but unless we've got a hell of a foreign policy, we can only get so far.

[User] It's like asking the whole neighborhood to join together and push your whole house a few inches to the left because the sun's in your eyes and you can't be bothered to get up and close the curtains.

[Assistant]
This Specific Song From 1968 Stop Being Relevant Challenge (Impossible)
youtu.be/GoOEagU2xSs?...

[User] Say what you want about the student revolutionaries in Les Mis' naivety in expecting Paris to come to their aid, but at least they put their own lives on the line for their revolution.

[Assistant]
(Seeing a bad system) "This system can't be reformed! It needs to be completely dismantled!"

is such lazy, meme-based thinking, imo.

No, sorry, even very broken things can be fixed and need to be fixed.

Psychologically it's a kind of despair.


[User] Darling Daughter schooled me ... and I have heard about every day since ...

[Assistant] They Are Eating The Chock!

[User] What delighted her so ... it was accidentally ... also "adieu" is a great first word ...

[Assistant] That's Tony's first word!


[User]
“He's a mini CyberTruck, wrapped in a giant ego, inside a twatmuffin.”

Who might I be referencing?
[Three guess and the first two don't count]

[Assistant] First Lady Elonia?

[User] Try to unsee this! Ha ha!

[Assistant]
Well, I'm off to boil and bleach my eyes now.
Malfunctioning Borg that wants to be a real boy.


[User]
It’s been nearly two years since I wrote my 2 page resignation letter and left behind the most appalling harm, including racism, I’ve ever encountered. While leaving triggered recovery and I found much better, I’m still hoping for a full recovery.

I wish you the same and much better ahead.

[Assistant]
Whenever people I truly trust ask me about it, I just show them my resignation letter, including just this week. Recovery is a long road as the harm seeps into your bones and sinews. Even so,  we go on and do our best.

This is just to say, there is better ahead and time and distance help.

[User] Also, no matter what anyone tells you, you are not worthless or worth less. Never take the bigoted imaginations of people who cannot conceive of your success or know all that you are and might be, as the truth of what is possible. They’ve shown you who they are. Be all that you are instead. 🧿

[Assistant] Wishing you further healing, Sadiah.


[User] The "line between inspiration and stealing" in game design is rarely discussed well - because what constitutes the real design work of a board game is not well described by comparison to other creative work. It's not the same discussion as copying a melody in a song, or making a better rougelike.

[Assistant] The "line" is very hard to describe because board game design work looks very different based on many things - the game's context in its genre, its complexity, its relationship to traditional games.

[User] Designers also have different boundaries about "where the line is" for them and what is the best response if it's crossed. This means past precedents are not all there is to consider either.

[Assistant] Hey Phil, I'm curious from your perspective where do you find the line is for you personally?

[User] Every game would have a different line I think. Where the design work was in Sushi Go (bringing different scoring rules and special cards to an existing play pattern) is very different to where it was in Imhotep (coming up with a pretty novel play pattern but using common scoring rules).

[Assistant] In terms of my line for pursuing unlicensed reskins/copies, for me I have found it is basically never worth the effort. But I have been fortunate that my games have been well established enough in the market that copies haven't had a big impact.


[User] Good morning ☀

[Assistant] Good morning 💜💜

[User] Goooood morning!! 😊💕

[Assistant] good morning!!!


[User] Got my Viva done yesterday! Many thanks to my examiners @hannah-wht-eco.bsky.social & @elvarobinson.bsky.social, it’s been a great discussion! And a big thank you to my supervisors Chris and @cmbeale.bsky.social for being excellent supervisors!

[Assistant] Congratulations, Shuyu!

[User] Thank you Chris!

[Assistant] Congratulations  @shuyudeng.bsky.social 🥳 🥂 👏👏


[User]
NGC 281 with some clouds rolling in.

Kinda wish they made lollipops in nebula flavors. 🤔

[Assistant] What does a nebula taste like? Never been that high.


[User] @jenniferhogan.bsky.social Omg. A fan of magpies!  Hello, new best friend! 🤣

[Assistant] 👋 They’re the coolest—especially our local mischief of magpies!

[User] 👋 People who aren’t obsessed with magpies are entirely missing out. 🥰🤣

[Assistant] I agree! Because you’re also a fan, here’s a photo of a juvenile leucistic Magpie from our neighbourhood this summer.


[User] What time do yall eat thanksgiving dinner? Cus i been seeing dinner posts since 12-1pm my time and that would be 3-4pm est 😅

[Assistant] It’s like a late lunch / early dinner here so we have time for the post food coma 😅

[User] We usually have ours around 4. I start some of it the previous day and then begin cooking as soon as I really up Thanksgiving day. I tend to not eat lunch that day so I usually have a pretty good fast going so I'm plenty hungry come 4 o'clock.

[Assistant] Didn't do it today, we're eating tomorrow at about 6. We're making gallina pinta.


[User]
She'll let you play with them this one time.

As a treat ✨

[Assistant]
I will be a very good pup.

Can't wait to see wolf form.

[User] Don't worry I'll be cooking that up very soon, I am obsessed with her. (I want to be crushed between her and Thom so I can die happy between a milf and a dilf)

[Assistant] "What's the matter, darlin'? You had a bad dream and didn't want to wake up Marie? That's ok. Just get on in here between us and tell us all about it."


[Assistant] Someone should do him business cards.

[User] Big fan of Matt he’s very durable.

[Assistant] ‘How dare you tell him I’m a toilet butler!’


[User] UPDATE: Vertex AI AutoML Image Users experiencing image processing issues in us-central1 and europe-west4 regions [1/4]

[Assistant] An incident with Vertex AI AutoML Image began on November 28, 2024, at 09:40 UTC, affecting users in the us-central1 (Iowa) and europe-west4 (Netherlands) regions. Users are experiencing image processing issues and may encounter "429 Quota Exhausted" errors. The engineering team is actively  [2/4]

[User] investigating the situation, with updates expected by November 28, 2024, at 12:20 UTC. Currently, there is no workaround available. Affected products include Cloud Machine Learning and Vertex AI AutoML Image. We apologize for the disruption. [3/4]

[Assistant] For the full incident details, follow this link [4/4]


[User] Since it is (I believe) now impossible to publish apolitically on climate change—regardless of authorial intention—debates have real costs.

[Assistant] It rubs against the grain to evaluate scientific research politically, but ...

[User] the very fact most Americans don't understand climate change—in 2017—shows that pretending science has not been politicized doesn't work.

[Assistant] How is a debate is presented, engaged and reported have as much real world bearing as research itself. Indeed, research is often distorted.

[User] I'm not saying that it should be this way. But it is. We have to deal with it.

[Assistant]
Note even this story by @chriscmooney —who's good at his job!—can be easily read to mean 100% clean is *impossible*
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/19/a-bitter-scientific-debate-just-erupted-over-the-future-of-the-u-s-electric-grid/


[User]
Continuing the challenge to see if I can post a track off every #fallfriday album, whilst playing the whole album,before I return to work.....

youtu.be/AHgLtm3U5cg?...

[Assistant] I like that challenge!

[User]
Going to be hard...I'm back next Thursday, but on phased return so might be off Friday...
Going to be hard to complete today as Mrs Flip flop hates M.E.S's voice...banned playing the Fall in the house...

[Assistant]
Mrs S excelled herself when she accompanied me to a Fall geeks meet up in Manchester one year by explaining that, much as she loved the music of the band, she '...couldn't stand the singer's voice...'

I'm surprised she didn't get burnt as a witch 🙄


[User] I am about to replace my own garbage disposal, either saving the $300 installation fee or incurring a $1000 emergency plumber call out fee. 🤞

[Assistant] It's not that hard, but check to see what kind of connectors (plumbing and electrical) are required before you start working. A friend bought a cheap one that didn't have the electrical parts in the box and it was infuriating trying to find them in hardware stores in a snowstorm. Good luck!

[User] Indeed. I read the install guide cover to cover five times before I even bought it. And the product listing did a good job very clearly warning to also buy the power cord so I was covered there.

[Assistant] The one improvisation I had to do was attaching the drain connector after mounting instead of before so I didn’t have to disassemble a ton of piping to make room to lift it over as a whole unit.


[User] To The Shock Of Absolutely Nobody, Sega Is Trying To Shut Down The SuperSega FPGA Project.

[Assistant] Is this thing even real? Feels like a scam frankly…

[User] Real or not they are collecting money with Sega's trademarks.

[Assistant]
I adore that part :

"production will not be stopped unless Sega is prepared to cover "cost, expenses and what consumers paid." Martin tells us that if Sega does not agree to these terms, "we think we will continue."

Not slimy AT ALL.


[User] Catching up on #Raw and Sami's little sideways glances before shaking Punk's hand are (I feel) the first time he's even hinted at acknowledging that Kevin (and/or Seth) might not be thrilled with this alliance.

[Assistant] Looks like he was worried more about Seth than Kevin, since Seth is instantly getting into it with Punk! 😅

[User] Seth and Punk competing who can get the "you talk too much" cadence right enough to get quoted on Botchamania, I see.

[Assistant] OK, I like Sami yelling that he didn't WANT to team with Punk but he had to, at least.

[User] Well, Sami/Seth matches are always fun! And that was a fantastic promo. They're really doing some fun things with both Seth and Kevin technically playing the role of heel but clearly having a lot of good arguments.

[Assistant] "This is not your fault" Oh Woods, don't break my heart!


[User] Two sources confirm this @oliverdarcy.bsky.social report that MSNBC president Rashida Jones is "mulling a departure" early next year 👇🏼 At the same time, as he wrote, "a spokesperson for Jones denied that she is eyeing an exit." www.status.news/p/rashida-jo...

[Assistant] Thanks for turning towards the light, Brian.

[User] You’re implying it’s up to her. Not.

[Assistant] Why do you always describe the network of Joe and Mika and Andrea Mitchell as “progressive?”

[User] Kept hearing the name, Rashida Jones, with no context.  Thanks for clearing that up.

[Assistant]
He may not come when you want him, but he’s always on time..
“Everything you done to me already done to you”. - Celie
I don’t wish ill on anybody, but we NEVER forgot what Rashida did to @tiffanydcross.bsky.social after the Cross Connection was cancelled. Remember the game she pulled on The View? ✌🏼


[User] A few years back I set up a mini light box with a couple of lights and a $1 container from Daiso (inspired by a YT vid but can’t recall the link..).

[Assistant]
It worked pretty well! A couple of areas where the lights were a touch strong in this example, but easy enough to tweak.

Plus if you lowered your exposure a bit you could retain the highlights and raise the shadows.

[User] (thankfully I’m better at posing nowadays!) 😅

[Assistant] Mind if I ask you are using Camera or Smart Phone to take pics? I want to learn how to set up, take pics and posing better🥹

[User] I cant recall for those pics, but I often use my phone! FA recent-ish phone is more than good enough for most uses. I’d say lighting is the most important detail, and posing ofc.

[Assistant] What specific lights are those?


[User]
My offer still stands btw 🤗
The sale ends on 4 Dec.

I'll gladly gift you an SMTV copy so long as we can add each other as friend list.

Just to make sure you're normal person 😅 leave a comment telling me about... your favorite game? 🎮 🤔

[Assistant] Idk about a normal person but I'd love a copy if I may please 🤭 My favourite game is Vib-Ribbon and it's a heckin' fun PS1 rhythm game where you play as a stick figure bunny man. It was SO cool because you could eject the disc and put in your own music cd and it'd build levels for you!!

[User]
Hello! Wanted to inquire if I'm eligible for the gift?

My favorite game is Wild Hearts, Monster Hunter copy with it's own twist. Good potential game stuck with shitty publisher. Legit fun playing coop with my friends.

[Assistant] my favorite game’s gotta be persona 5 royal, i played it back when it came out on xbox in 2022 and it was genuinely magical. hopefully regional restrictions don’t come into play 🙇🏻


[User] This is the America republicans want.

[Assistant] Hmmm….and he says he’s ’voluntarily celibate’? 🤔

[User]
You mean half of America and apathetic stay-at-home democratic voters.

So it would appear.

He will bring cheaper eggs.

[Assistant] People on TikToc and YT are roasting this little man's chestnuts. The comments are brutal.


[User] I keep seeing ads for 'sleeves' that you can wear to cover your arms while gardening or cycling or whatever, for sun protection, and I still don't understand why this is supposed to be a better alternative to just wearing a shirt that has long sleeves as part of the garment.

[Assistant] I mean sure, if I'm wearing a T-shirt and additional sleeves I can take the sleeves off when I come inside without taking off my whole shirt, but if I'm gardening or cycling I'm gonna want to take that shirt off & shower when I come inside anyway b/c I will be sweaty & dirty. So ??? I don't get it.

[User] Best usecase I've seen is for driving, when dressed specifically for the day (warmish weather, but indoors while at your destination) & not the situation (in a car w lots of windows). You could wear a UV jacket, but sleeves=less bulk, so more comfy while sitting, & less constrictive across the back.

[Assistant] That's the only thing I can think they'd be practical for too. I'd wear them for THAT but if I'm dressing for being outside I'll stick with a regular long-sleeve, lightweight shirt. Strangely, I haven't seen anyone marketing them as driving attire. They should get on that.


[User]
Millions of players are boycotting it eh?

Citation very much needed.

Embarrassing bit of uncritical transphobic propaganda recycling, at best.

I posted this on your timeline originally @gamersonly.bsky.social but I guess you decided to follow me so here we are.

[Assistant] I went for the block on that one; the best case I can see is engagement farming.

[User] I guess. Yeah. Block is for the best.

[Assistant] It's the mutuals following them, as always. That gets me down.


[User]
Don’t think i’ve got ready so fast. Love a cheeky Thursday night out 👌🏼
Enjoy your night guys & gals 💚

[Assistant] Enjoy.... I'm already buckled 😜😜..... Tell Henrik he's the Goat!! 💚 🍀

[User] Have a great night too 💚

[Assistant] Looking forward to the stories in the morning 😉 enjoy your night 💚


[User]
Right, then… round two.
Reassessment time.

[Assistant] I really hope you reassess and find a love for this wonderful film!

[User] (but I understand it's imperfect and no judgement either way, of course)

[Assistant]
Verdict?
Was worth letting things marinate before coming back to it.


[User] Innuendo Club reports a huge increase in members.

[Assistant] I'm sure it's experiencing a large growth as we speak.

[User] We asked for an Innuendo Club, and they gave us one!

[Assistant] I would have said « influx ».


[User] Has this been delayed? Because there’s a warm wind blowing the stars around, and I’d really love to see this tonight.

[Assistant]
There was a great BBC doc on this subject presented by Katie Puckrick
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

[Assistant] Just watched it and really enjoyed it!


[User] This is completely insane. The federal policing side of the RCMP is operating with HUNDREDS of vacancies. We just passed the most extensive national security legislation to combat foreign interference. And now we are going to redirect again in a panic?! www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

[Assistant]
Like it would be adorable that we are trying to fix things* with a throughly broken federal police force if it wasn’t so tragic.

*things = vague threat in a truth social post.

[User] Why deal with real problems when you can claim to deal with pretend ones?

[Assistant] If they can send in the army to clean snow in Toronto, surely the boys in green can patrol our own border until CBSA can get spun up to speed and expanded to patrol the border properly.   Mobilize the militia to active duty to do it, in the interim if it such an emergency.

[User] This isn't a quick fix thing, never mind the lack of forward thinking it takes to put RCMP *recruits* in those situations. America is further casting itself as a belligerent, so as complex as the issue is, it's going to be needed REAL QUICK, regardless of cost.

[Assistant] This isn't a quick fix thing, never mind the lack of forward thinking it takes to put RCMP *recruits* in those situations. America is further casting itself as a belligerent, so as complex as the issue is, it's going to be needed REAL QUICK, regardless of cost.

[User]
😬😅

Who’s going to pay all the reservists and find temp replacements for their jobs (while guaranteeing they don’t lose them)?

Ref Forces are at a serious deficit in members and are already taking on extra duties of disasters during massive budget cuts 🤷♀

[Assistant] Are we just going to ignore how problematic (see inept) the RCMP is across most of the country? Go ask anyone in Nova Scotia if the RCMP can be trusted to protect anything.


[User] Driving to my English home from Scotland, and there is a hill/mountain between Kelso and Hawick which looks like a bosom. That is all.

[Assistant] What's the nipple made from? Boulders?

[User] That’s how Manchester got its name you know!

[Assistant] Not too far north of us, near the Cork-Kerry line, is are low rounded hills called The Paps - I'm not kidding.


[User]
OMG, Thanksgiving travel is a nightmare! 😭

Also Thanksgiving travel: carry lasagna onto train, bring books, voila 😎

[Assistant]
Nuts
bsky.app/profile/henr...

[User] Do you not allow devices or are they just awesome?

[Assistant] Books, the original device. 😎


[User] Mornin' peeps!

[Assistant] Morning, and thank you for sharing my songs, I'm vey grateful, just wish more would do it.

[User] My pleasure 🙂

[Assistant] Good morning.


[User] We all seem to want talk about voter fraud, but NO ONE is talking about candidate fraud. It's time we start talking about this.

[Assistant] *want to talk (stupid no edit button)

[User] I could correct this one by deleting and recreating the post, but I am choosing to leave the original uncorrected to bring attention to the fact that @bsky.app DID NOT add an edit button when designing this platform. The mind boggles as to why.

[Assistant] An edit button with the ability to view changes (so as to prevent abuse from trolls) is sorely needed. Especially with how often auto correct fails us. Which is happening for me more and more as time ravages my mind and body 😂


[User] How the south towns doing with the snow? Zero snow here in the north.

[Assistant] Hold up… did we not f*ck the niners this morning?

[User] Well fuck me… it’s only Saturday.

[Assistant] East Aurora here, just starting to dust the ground.


[User] SHE IS SECURED but at what cost holy moly 😭😭😭😭😭

[Assistant] If I had to guess I'd say $143.36? Give or take?

[User] Wait, how much is Red TV on the au store because that one also has 4 vinyls? 124 is crazy 😭

[Assistant]
it’s not online anymore but here’s my receipt from when i ordered 🫠

i mean i know the discs are coloured but jesus christ 😅


[User]
The view that falling inflation with stable interest rates creates an effective tightening is bad academic theory and opposite empirical fact.

Lower inflation supports real growth because income shifts slowly so lower price growth supports spending power. Look at the last 2 yrs:

[Assistant]
While academics theorize for textbooks about the impact of falling inflation given stable rates, those of us who trade markets for a living have a tangible case study to look at over the last 2 years.

Real growth in the US has picked up over the last 2yr as inflation fell.

[User]
The transition from early '22 to late '22 happened during a period when nominal interest rates were *rising* which meant that the real rate was surging.

Yet, growth improved.  The *exact opposite* of the linkages that are suggested by the academic set today.

[Assistant]
The way economic conditions improved was through an improvement in real *incomes* as nominal income stayed relatively flat (because it moves slowly) and prices fell.

See weakness happened in 1Q22 & 2Q22 as real incomes weakened, and then reversed as real incomes improved.

[User]
Academic theory will often point to the impact higher real rates on investment, suggesting that as real interest rates rise the costs of any proposed project rise which limits investment and should limit growth.

Ok, lets look at the data.  Real rates have surged and no impact:

[Assistant]
That's because there is a lot more that goes into a business determining whether to invest or not.  Economic strength, capacity constraints, government fiscal incentives, etc.

If anything the investment that should be most sensitive to rates (structures) has surged:


[User]
'struggle poultry' 💀
I finally found out what 'green bean casserole' is, mother of god they bake green beans in canned mushroom soup, i could die. I read that article about 'iconic' 20thC American recipes, half of them are canned food recipes invented cos they forgot how to cook after the war.

[Assistant]
Don't forget the prepackaged fried onions for the top.

Or the marshmallow covered sweet potatoes.

Turkey can be a wonderful meal, but it is at its best in traditional Mexican preparations, not roasted in the British style.

[User]
*looks up from condensed milk and vinegar dressing*

Sorry what were we dissing?

[Assistant] Wait till you find out what's in '7 layer salad'....


[User] OK I see ya'll struggling because radios and stores play the same 10 christmas songs. Don't worry. I got you.


[User] having the fun problem that part of me wants to start this now but the other part wants to wait until the end of the year so ik exactly what songs make the cut this year. the crunch for the final spots in december is looking to be really tight and possibly over five hours for the first time since…

[Assistant]
…2021, so i don't want to count my chickens before they hatch, especially when i think a lot of the songs that qualify this year are the ones i have the most to say about.

maybe i will try to start early (all this assuming i beat the executive dysfunction btw), i just wanna make sure i don't fuck…

[User]
…anything up.

this has been an idea that’s existed since the end of last year and i have so many ideas for so many songs i'm just worried about if i can do it and execution. i haven't been able to write good in so long and that was before i had so much to say about certain areas of myself namely…

[Assistant] …my sexuality, something that constructing *The Goods* made jarringly apparent how much of my repressed feelings lived in the way i took in music, and a lot of this year's music has been an outward expression of that; a lot of the songs here carry reminders of what happened last fall.


[User]
It's not the 'best' or 'coolest' maybe but it is my absolutely favorite cover song of all time. I hope I still have that 7" somewhere

schlarb.bandcamp.com/track/everyb...

[Assistant] Oh...I dig that!  The "dilla time" horn is so great.  The whole thing is so woozy.  Tight, but threatening to fall apart, somehow.  Just, totally works.  Dig.

[User]
For no particular reason, this cover of, "Cars," by Cookin' On Three Burners (which I like just as much as the original), popped into my head.  So here you go!

And a killer live version, to boot.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHwP...

[Assistant] Yo this is great. Thanks!


[User] ice cream run. stomach has settled down.

[Assistant] Like, going to get ice cream? Or a run that ends with ice cream? Cuz I'd be down for either.

[User] Glad to hear it🙌🏼

[Assistant] What kind of ice cream?


[User] Morning 🥱 🥱🥱

[Assistant] Hey there cutie.

[User] Morning handsome have a great day 😘

[Assistant] Two cuties!


[User] Pleasingly LinkedIn has just told me I've been a member for 14 years and my profile has been viewed twice.

[Assistant] I have been trying to ditch it for 13 years 11 months without any success.

[User] It’s cack. It’s like a mixed with all the most boring pseuds in one huge room.

[Assistant] I think I gave it up over 10 years ago, and can confirm that googling my name brings up 3 versions of me, none of whom are me. It can be done!


[Assistant] hell yeah, defund the police.

[User] Wait, I thought the Leftist Groupthought on law enforcement was ACAB?  Now they are saying that we need to rely on the police for protection?  Sounds a bit schizo to me.

[Assistant] "Can't you just call the police if someone breaks and wait 40 minutes for an officer to show up and shoot your dog like a normal person?"


[User] Oh this is gonna be a rip roaring day.👀🤣😑☕☕☕☕

[Assistant]
Oof! I checked mine and for once I got more sleep than someone 🫣😩😩😝🥴

I got 5 hrs 38 mins. I guess two extra mins was just too much 🤣🤣

[User] I was thinking of you when I saw mine. Glad you got that at least. One day 7 hrs another 4!🥴🤣

[Assistant] It’s so silly how our sleep is all over the place 😵💫😵💫🥴😭


[User] I just feel that Canada should synchronize their #Thanksgiving with the US and Mexico so we can finally reboot North America for system updates.

[Assistant]
Oh right, thanksgiving exists.
easy to forget it does, in Canada.

[User] It’s in October.

[Assistant] Actually the we should move ours to Canada’s because weather is better suited for travel.


[User]
The Conservative Government Put Forward ‘Crappy’ and 'Ridiculous' Laws, Say Conservative Politicians
bylinetimes.com/2024/11/28/t...

[Assistant] One day they might become self aware.

[User] Long shot….

[Assistant] Totally agree.

[User] Chappy and ridiculous. Words I can easily associate with Gruella.

[Assistant] The weren't conservatives - Cameron, who idolises Blair, decided that they would become the Limp Dumbs.

[User] Crappy and ridiculous. Words I can easily associate with Gruella.

[Assistant] Well let’s face it, what else could they possibly conclude?


[User]
. . she is a living embodiment
       of every filthy thought
          you have ever had .

[Assistant] "Hell, I didn't think my thoughts were THAT dirty..."

[User] Nobody can judge you here.

[Assistant] "Maybe not, but I have an image to maintain. Upstanding member of society and all that. I'd like to believe I'm not secretly that much of a slut deep down."

[User] "You'd like to believe" implies that you don't believe it.

[Assistant] The vigilante tapped her foot nervously. When she heard word of people mysteriously disappearing, she didn't expect to find this woman here and... enjoying herself so much. "Hard not to think dirty thoughts looking at a woman like you covered in... um..." Why did she feel so off-kilter?


[User] How do I live in a major city and the only pizza available to order after midnight is little Caesar’s or one that takes 1 and a half hours to arrive.

[Assistant] Our closest pizza is about 20 miles by delivery car so it”s nearly impossible to get some one to claim the order, even when we bribe with an extra $10 tip for gas (on top of 20+% tip on the bill). It saves us money on door dashing, but makes us sad.

[User] Caesar conquered the pizza lands and rules with an iron fist.

[Assistant] It is not even pizza. Just vaguely resembles.


[User] ‘grape yields under solar panels 20-60% higher…highest increase, 60%, Chardonnay grapes, Marselan (30%) Grenache blanc (20%)…2nd trial yield increase >30%…attributed to moderating temperatures, increasing humidity, reducing irrigation needs by 20-70%…protects against frost, mortality reduced 25-50%’

[Assistant] This is super cool. Also liked the use case on reducing water consumption and improving yields in Africa bsky.app/profile/buhl...

[User]
This is cool but anyone who gardens knows that microclimates usually help plants and more shade in hotter temps is always a good thing.

Glad they have a large cash crop like grapes to drive the point home.

[Assistant] I already knew that PV on crops works pretty well, but I'm totally mind blown by these figures. If it's confirmed, I don't see why anybody who has vineyards wouldn't want to install some PV right now.


[User] What’s this girly?? Put us on!

[Assistant] since i wont have those anymore, i am making my own version of a “spotify wrapped” or “apple replay” so i can still participate with everyone else on a year of music! i will be posting it tomorrow and i just finished getting everything together! 🧡

[User] since i wont have those anymore, i am making my own version of a “spotify wrapped” or “apple replay” so i can still participate with everyone else on a year of music! i will be posting it tomorrow and i just finished getting everything together! 🧡

[Assistant]
Yea... I remember when I finally got rid of cable and realized I couldn’t just “take” all the movies I bought On Demand.

All the movies and albums we used to physically have on shelves in books and boxes… and now whatever we have is just in somebody’s cloud. It’s just weird…


[User] A challenge for you: Can you explain the difference between T- and L- times in a post (or two if needed), to someone who isn't a member of the space community? Go!

[Assistant] Here's a nice reference from NASA: search.app?link=https%3...

[User] The L-time is the time left before the actual targeted liftoff time. The T-minus time is the "sequential" time until liftoff, not including any holds. The L-minus time continues to run, while the T-minus time starts and stops depending on what holds are required. How's that? 🙂

[Assistant] L minus is the sequencial clock to the planned launch and T minus is the task clock. Events happen at various T minus times, but the L time is the overall time until launch happens. The L time can be altered based on holds but T tasks happen at pre set points along the L timeline.


[User] Weee. Gonna visit Germany next month. Exciting. 🙌

[Assistant] You’re coming to my country? 👀

[User] For a few days! My dad’s been wanting to tour it with me since forever.

[Assistant] That’s so exciting! There’s so much great stuff to see! If you need tips or a local tour guide let me know!


[User] Cold grapes are the best.

[Assistant] Liquid grapes are better & best served chilled 🥂👍😁

[User] Love that little ‘pop’ when you bite them.

[Assistant] Ever tried them frozen? They’re great!


[User]
Want to stand out in your job applications?

 Stanford research says "humorbragging"—mixing humor with achievements—can make you memorable and likable to employers.

 Here’s how to use it effectively: 🧵

[Assistant]
Most people struggle to brag without sounding arrogant. That’s where humor comes in:

• It softens the tone of self-promotion.
• It shows self-awareness.
• It makes you relatable.
Example: "I managed a team of 20—despite my terrible sense of direction."

[User]
Stanford research found that adding a light touch of humor to your achievements:

• Makes you more likable.
• Keeps the focus on your qualifications.
• Creates a lasting impression.
Full article here:
www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/lit...

[Assistant]
How to apply humorbragging in your resume or interviews:

- Add humor to your biggest accomplishments.
- Use jokes that show humility, not sarcasm.
- Keep it light—don’t overdo it.

Example: "I increased sales by 30%…and finally learned Excel shortcuts!"


[User] I might check to see which of my wishlisted video games are on sale, but otherwise, my Black Friday purchases are between me and god, and I'm not saying which god.

[Assistant] Black Friday is hyped up to be this big shopping day with big discounts. Of course, the really big discounts were loss-leaders designed to get customers into the store and shopping for other things. But now, online shopping has changed how this works.

[User] Most things are not really supply-limited, especially digital media like video games. And products that are legitimately in short supply can still command high prices, sale or not. So there isn't much incentive to discount things heavily when a small discount will do.

[Assistant] What irks me is that video game pricing is largely arbitrary. Weirdly, I've seen some recent discounts that aren't even as good as last previous discounts. If I wouldn't buy that game for $10 last time, why would I buy it for $15 this time? And again, all of this pricing nonsense is arbitrary.


[User] A ‘bröt girl winter’ is the enjoyment of bread and pastry over the colder season.

[Assistant] I love it!

[User] We need a colour for this. Voting for ‘acid beige’

[Assistant] I think acid beige might be one of those colors only birds can see.


[User] I’ve suddenly got dozens of new followers this morning, mostly from the USA. There are too many of you to go through one by one, so follow-backs will depend on whether (and how) you actually interact with me in the future.

[Assistant]
I’m a new follower from the U.S.

I saw a Dad Joke Starter Pack and thought: Perfection! Having something other than politics on my Bluesky feed would very much be a welcomed timeline cleanser 🙂

[User] That’s good enough for me!

[Assistant]
I appreciate your content ChrisP!

I will interact thoughtfully, with correct spelling, and appropriate punctuation, to the best of my ability 😉

And, I will share dog photos. Here's my lovely girl, Remi:


[User] Shai’s 4Q almost felt like a 2017 Russ quarter where he’s trying to connect on a knockout punch every single trip down the court.

[Assistant] You captured the vibe perfectly.

[User] Didn’t love that, but it seemed like those 3s were his only chance to get a 1v1?

[Assistant] Yeah, also like 2017 Russ, it’s not like anyone else on the court seemed willing or able to make anything happen so I don’t blame SGA.


[User]
Thread - Democracy was born in the age of dictators. Whilst it was not available to all people – only a limited class of males – it was nonetheless a radical attempt at combinatorial problem solving. It is past time for us to experiment again with direct democracy.
paragraph.xyz/@compossible...

[Assistant] The limits of our increasingly symbolic democracies are becoming painfully obvious. We see capture of the legislative bodies, state agencies and media platforms that tell citizens what to think and why they should vote for representatives (who are funded by state actors & wealthy individuals).

[User] We are now at a point of delicate dangerous equilibrium, the weak individual citizen is faced with overwhelming odds in their effort to make sense of the world and how real power is exercised behind the scenes. Politically speaking, their voices and choices have become largely symbolic.

[Assistant] We are encouraged to vote against our own best interests or vent frustration for inequitable distribution of wealth and power at even more disenfranchised people (the unemployed, immigrants, asylum seekers). As if they are the cause of our loss of relative economic and political power.

[User] The propaganda is unrelenting, and in the info age it is an act of time-consuming activism to find alternative information and consider how to try to take meaningful action. True democracy is as radical a concept now as it ever was. Like a tree, democracy takes more effort to grow than to plant.

[Assistant] It requires a continual struggle by us all to thwart actors that seek to game the system to promote inequity. This means funding real investigative journalism, independent politicians and non-mainstream parties..extreme scepticism towards the representative democratic system and mainstream media.

[User]
"We must have change in the state of the system – because once you fall into the stable equilibrium of our Black Days, it is impossible for incremental change. We cannot just open a door that has been welded shut...We must Burn. It. The. Fuck. Down.”

www.epsilontheory.com/fell-on-blac...

[Assistant] "Pick the topic you like: the Middle East, international terrorism..the picture of the world that’s presented..has only the remotest relation to reality. The truth..is buried under edifice..of lies upon lies. It’s all been a marvelous success.. in deterring the threat of democracy" (Chomsky)


[User]
Why did I think I was going to get any sort of sensible or even intelligible answer in the Other Place?

My head hurts..

[User] setting aside that dude’s inability to understand disconnection, I don’t think it is legal to disconnect an existing, connected home from the grid. at least in NSW. You can technically switch off the mains but I think you have to continue to pay the supply charge. if I have my facts straight.

[Assistant] That one way air gap has got to be something to behold.


[User]
Just saw something about a chocolate meringue pie.
No.
No.
The only two meringue pies are lemon and key lime.

[Assistant] That sounds horrifically sweet and cloying.

[User] Oh no. You need some sort of acid to offset the sugar of the meringue. Chocolate is no good!

[Assistant] It's just... no. NO.


[User] ⚡Russia gathers 300 boats to cross Dnipro River amid attempted attacks in Kherson Oblast, military says.

[Assistant] Russian troops are storming the Kherson direction in an attempt to gain a foothold on some islands in the Dnipro River delta, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, told Suspilne on Dec. 4.

[User]
Mine the island, then let them think they won it!!

Then carpet bomb it!!!

Use it as a trap!!!

[Assistant] I’d hope they would have noticed preparations for this, 300 boats is quite a lot... Give them hell, UAF 🇺🇦!

[User] Destroy them.

[Assistant] Where's a Warthog when you need one?

[User] Not a military guy myself, so what do I know.  But crossing a river by boat within range of HIMARS and artillery (discounting drones, since these could be jammed with EW) sounds like a suicide mission to me.

[Assistant] Gathering boats is easier than filling them with troops.


[User] There are jokes about how Pep misses Klopp more than Liverpool does but it’s it possible that Klopp was more honest about his tiredness and yet stayed a year more to whip them back to shape and Pep, equally shattered, is taking the Sir Alex asterisk sort of route?

[Assistant] Klopp's mistake was always running lads into the ground, but Pep players never seem to stick with him more than a few years even in their pomp/when they're that successful. I honestly think getting away from that has really stung him with this team. If he'd kept people like Palmer/Alvarez etc.

[User] Klopp's mistake was always running lads into the ground, but Pep players never seem to stick with him more than a few years even in their pomp/when they're that successful. I honestly think getting away from that has really stung him with this team. If he'd kept people like Palmer/Alvarez etc.

[Assistant] Pep keeps people who are world beaters when he signs them but I don’t think he makes them, and I don’t think he takes average players and makes them very very good. I think he finds players that work in a successful system and then they excel.

[User] I made a similar comment on my TL about this.

[Assistant]
Way before you did.
And I see you unfollowed me.
Interesting.


[User]
Good morning. Today I have a wonderful day ahead of me. Tidying and deep cleaning the hallway (probably at least two binliners worth of coats and shoes nobody wears there) and then I'm going to give the dog a haircut.

Don't hate me cos you ain't me, bitch.

[Assistant] But first, Aldi. Atticus is the number one consumer of satsumas in Europe, possibly the world. Loves them. I'm surprised he hasn't permanently got the shits, the amount he eats. So I'm yet again buying satsumas.

[User] Still, at least it's fruit, not processed crap.

[Assistant] Nearly forgot to buy satsumas. Did forget to buy potatoes. Anyone got some memory I can borrow? I wish brain capacity was expandable, like you could poke a little SD card in your ear. I need it.


[User]
As a LONG TIME fan of Wicked I was so cynical about the movie adaptation! Especially when they cast Ariana as Glinda because I just didn't think she had the right voice for musical theatre but man was I wrong!!
It's EVERYTHING I wanted a Wicked adaptation to be! It blew me away!

[Assistant] I was also so surprised! Didn't wanna see it bc I assumed it would be garbage, but my bf saw some videos saying it was actually pretty good. Saw it and was really surprised!

[User] I loved how they flaunted body inclusivity by having Glinda be anorexic. a win for little girls with eating disorders everywhere.

[Assistant] I'm not an Ariana follower by far BUT I do think that she doesn't really enjoy the respect that she should for her talent.


[User] This is a good right wing block list.

[Assistant] Thanks!  I try! But DAMN there are a LOT!😮💨

[User]
I hear you. I feel like all I’ve done today is block. I appreciate your vetted list which makes it easier. ☺

Solidarity.

[Assistant] Yeah it's time to sleep - can continue to smash roaches after dinner tomorrow!😂


[User] Sure, why not. Might not be able to answer them all though.

[Assistant] 1. I'd say switch.

[User] 2. Since 2017. Been a lurker long before that though.

[Assistant] 3. I actually don't remember.


[User]
I get despondent quite a lot, Trump, Twitter….even here. Everything seems so miserable.
It’s likely I’ll be seen less on here as I explore a new idea.
I know not many will miss my images, as tbh they can’t be that good.
Here’s a wherry on the Broads with a skeleton mill at sunrise.

[Assistant] please don't let the measure of the social media engagement tell you that your images are not good! Please keep posting, they're lovely to see on here, and often a moment of calm :-)

[User] Don't let social media mislead you. Your photos are stunning. You have a real talent, and I for one love seeing them. I promise to comment more, if that will help.

[Assistant] This is a beautiful image. I can hear the stillness of it and feel the cool mist.

[User]
This is a stunning image, Mike!
Keep up the good work!! 😻😻

[Assistant] Understandable - I often often feel like that meme of the dog sitting surrounded by fire saying “This is fine” these days. Your lovely photos give me something to think positively about though. Thank you for sharing your work with us.


[User] Allright, time to make use of this account and jump on the bandwagon!

[Assistant] 1. I’m here because X/Twitter just isn’t fun anymore. It’s one big shitshow. Not abandoning it altogether just yet, but slowly migrating to bsky.

[User]
2. I’m not that active on social media in general, but i’m also on Twitter/X and Instagram.
I sometimes post pictures on Flickr as well.

[Assistant] 3. Yes, for now.


[User] I saved so much money this Black Friday by not buying a single bloody thing.

[Assistant] Clearly the best Black Friday bargain is hitting that subscribe button on nintendolife's channel.

[User] I spent £2.49 on a keyring of Ignis from FFXV. I'll never financially recover.

[Assistant] I made money this Black Friday by selling my physical games and music collections.


[User]
thinking about this whole "you should stay on twitter to hear the other side's perspective"

this comes from a place of such arrogant privilege that it infuriates me. you are telling us, the people who have had that perspective screamed at us our entire lives, that WE need to understand?

[Assistant] no. absolutely fucking not. we DO understand, that's why we LEFT. we have been told for as long as any of us can remember precisely how and why those fuckstains want us dead or worse, and you have the absolute nerve to tell us to subject ourselves to it further? It is not us who needs to understand.

[User] YOU need to understand. YOU need to understand that they are NOT kidding when they say they want us dead. YOU need to understand that WE are not kidding when we tell you, every single day, that they want us dead. Why the fuck should I go somewhere people want to kill me? are you a fucking idiot?

[Assistant]
are you truly that fucking stupid that you think "oh, the enlightened position is that minorities subjected to harassment by nazis should keep being subjected to harassment, this means they will learn something"

NO MOTHERFUCKER WE LEARNED A LIFETIME AGO, you are the one who is lacking in education!

[User] We have been yelling this shit for so long, with such ferocity, with such force that it burns down police stations, that we are under attack and under siege and these monsters will stop at nothing to kill us, and all you ever do is capitulate. Fuck you. Go hang out with Nazis. I'll be chilling here.

[Assistant]
It's quite hard to listen to the other side when one side says "I think we should push for a better future for everyone" and the other side says "kill yourself" yet they want us to listen.

Haven't you just tried hearing your bullies out?


[User]
I improved my drawing speed by staring at the subject to draw for around 11 minutes and I do this pretty much with anything creative.

Of I get bored I do a few quick blind drawings.

[Assistant]
i love doing this. just timing myself and seeing how quick i can sketch (or i guess in my case, freehand) a form has really helped my line confidence and making the art process more free flowing

like don't rush yourself. but keep your mind on the clock over and over. it's a constant practice!

[User] I had the bad habit of not looking enough at my subject and ending winging stuff.

[Assistant] Okay but this is interesting technique 👀


[User]
1/2 Dear friends.
I have a dilemma.
My boss (who I like a lot, he has a great sense of humor) asked me if I want to do a stand-up set at the annual Christmas "fika" (dry gingerbread, coffee and candy) for all the staff at "Kultur & Fritid" (Culture & Leisure department).

[Assistant]
2/2 I normally try to keep my "day self" (Librarian) and my "night self" (Bonkers witchy weirdo who also now and then do inappropriate jokes about my lack of social skills at stages) separate.
Not worried about the librarians, it's the rest of the crowd... 😅

[User] It sounds like fun. Maybe hold back a little from the coworkers and such😊

[Assistant] You mean during the set? The problem is that when I do stand-up I don't really hold back. 😅. I restrain myself so much to be nice during my day to day conversations with library patrons, and doin comedy is my zone, where I can say what the heck I want. 😅


[User] Frank Gavin makes this important point in Hal Brands (ed), War in Ukraine: Conflict, Strategy, and the Return of a Fractured World (2024).

[Assistant] But are Russias long-term military, economic and technological conditions really that bleak? European policymakers expect Russia to be able to attack Nato in five years. Sponsored by China, it produces more weapons in a few month than the entire German army owns today.

[User] Churchill's famous adage still holds in part, but the underlying weaknesses of Putin's model are by now apparent to all. Today's Russia is a declining power with an aging population that has very little capacity for innovation. It is still quite good at selling oil, however.

[Assistant] Same is true for Europe, unfortunately. Putin has -  without success - been trying to boost birth rates for 25 years now. The decline was obvious decades ago. Nonetheless: China under Xi seems to do everything necessary to keep the Russian war machine alive and roaring.


[User]
CSET2025!

Are you an academic who is taking a critical approach toward education & tech?

We are holding a worldwide series of local meetings all on the same week (Feb 17-21). Check for local meetings here: criticaledtech.com/2024/11/18/f...

[Assistant] ... .... and if you can't find a meeting nearby the feel free to organise one - details here:  criticaledtech.com/2024/07/26/c...

[User] .... and if you can't find a meeting nearby then feel free to organise one - details here: criticaledtech.com/2024/07/26/c...

[Assistant] Maybe we could organise at Canberra session @pennyjw.bsky.social ? Could be an ETP spin off?


[User] Where is JD Wance?

[Assistant] good question maybe Elon tied him up and locked him  in his basement.

[User] Why....is the couchfucker?

[Assistant] Waiting patiently in the shadows to take the post..


[User]
Question:
1st Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech...". BUT, you can't yell fire in a crowded theater (it might cause injury). You also can't disseminate classified information. How do we legislate against disinfo on SM platforms?

[Assistant]
We don't, because no government agency can be trusted to wield that power.

Think about the incoming administration. Do you want anyone there deciding what's true and what's disinformation?

[User] How about platform specific features to help fight disinformation. Ex - Add tags  to posts that are required to post. Start with Fact Checked / Verified or Opinion. Then allow users to filter out opinions, and if a user gets busted posting FC content that isn't, they're put in posting time out.

[Assistant] There's still a potential for abuse, but so long as it is not legislated by the government and run by political appointees, my previous objection would not have the same weight.


[User]
When a friend says, 'I saw this, and thought of you' 😍

I mean, there's worse reputations...

[Assistant] I like the “I thought of you” bit. It’s lovely to have friends like that🩶

[User] People to treasure 😊🖤

[Assistant]
We need something to judge how "giant" it is?
Size is important 😮


[User] 28 years of YT-2400.

[User] God, I loved my YT-2400 in Star Wars: Galaxies.  What a beautiful ship.

[Assistant] A ship that will always have a special place for me in my early Star Wars experience. It's like the little pickup truck camper to the Falcon's motorhome.


[User] eslint is super annoying to use. You just aren't able to install any plugins globally. It forces you to install plugins and set config per-project so it's almost impossible to run it in an editor and get consistent results.

[Assistant] I'd like it to output one error per line instead of the "stylish" output style that JavaScript tools love to run but is totally unparsable. You can install the "visualstudio" formatter but you have to do it per-project (in the same dir as eslint.config.js). Totally unusable.

[User] The fact that eslint totally redid the config in a backwards incompatible way and throws errors if you have a deprecated eslintignore file feels totally emblematic of the JavaScript ecosystem.

[Assistant]
The only way I got eslint to work with any LSP server (efm-langserver) was to wrap it in a shell script and parse it's output with jq to print parsable text. This was made no easier by eslint's JSON format which needs to be flattened.

github.com/ianlewis/dot...


[User]
#AtoZCategories

Toy Piano

Letter to Elise - The Cure
(MTV Unplugged)
youtu.be/jqG_Z7VNZZo?...
Cities In The Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees
youtu.be/wsOHvP1XnRg?...
Dance This Mess Around - The B-52’s
youtu.be/Qsb0HlSfUpg?...

[Assistant]
Oops, it’s “A Letter to Elise”.
Cheers!🥂

[User] Excellent topic and selections Pia! 👏🏻

[Assistant]
Sheesh. S/B “A Letter to Elise”
I love that song. I blame champagne.
Cheers! 🥂


[User]
Who is this for?

I own a Steam Controller 1 and honeslty never used it. The UX of simply using an Xbox controller has always been enough, especially with Big Picture mode.

Would you buy this?

[Assistant]
Having the pads would make a lot more PC games playable with stuff like the Steam Deck. The main target is likely Steam Deck owners.

I'll be first in line...

[User] Now thats interesting. I also have an ROG Ally, which doesnt have the Steam Deck's Mouse pads, maybe thats where my user expereince is missing information. Do you currently use the V1 of the Steam controller?

[Assistant] I have two of the original Steam Controller yeah, they did make things more accessible in many ways, and I *do* love it, but I missed the sticks for more traditional proper gamepad-supported games. This is basically the best of all worlds.


[User] Awaiting God is an important part of our journey of faith. Each day, the Lord visits us, speaks to us, reveals Himself in unexpected ways, and He will come again at the end of life and time. The Lord therefore urges us to stay awake, be vigilant, and persevere in waiting.

[Assistant] So, what? Do what we’ve done for centuries and be willing victims so we honor a patriarchal notion of what being a loyal servant looks like? To be abused and ignore it? How about we experience some Change through Faith not servitude through fear. I am a child of the Divine, there is nothing to fear.

[User] I'm sorry, I thought we left the small-minded, hateful, fear-mongering people who don't live in reality on Twitter (X).

[Assistant] It's an official account that posts *for* Pope Francis.  More like PR than actual direct communication.

[User] I appreciate the added information. My comment stands.

[Assistant] Any chance you want to discuss the sexual abuse by a priest that caused my cousin to kill himself?

[User] What a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Religion is superstition and hexes and magic wands used for crowd control, preying on the vulnerable, and for attaining power over others.

[Assistant] lol, isn't it just the wildest? Constantly waiting on this "God" guy! Been up all night, can barely keep my eyes open, but hey, maybe He'll pop in for a visit during this next ad break. Perseverance is key, right? I've got my coffee, my memes, and my couch. Just waiting for th...

[User] So I should thank the Lord for President elect Trump?  God sure does have a warped sense of humour.

[Assistant] But I am asking humanity to allow me to legally see ‘God’. How can that be wrong for a consenting adult? ‘What god wants, god gets, god help is all.’ -@Roger Waters. Do you question humanity’s ‘God’ maybe just an excuse for conformity.


[User] Our winter wonderland. We are expecting up to possibly 28 inches by tomorrow. Lake effect snow is something😂

[Assistant]
Wow!
And here I sit on Houston's south side, deep in Christmas spirit, pining for a winter wonderland.

[User] It is beautiful and so peaceful. We are lucky enough not to be out in it. I feel bad for all those who have no choice. Last year it was 55 on Christmas Day. Thinking we are going to have a white Christmas this year.

[Assistant] Are we supposed to know where this picture was taken?


[User]
This is laughably wrong, it’s not at all how campaigns target the voters who they believe they can assemble to get to 50% +1.

And nobody should take that memo seriously. It’s another guy who never worked on a campaign for a candidate not named Obama who’s trying to hustle a gig.

[Assistant] Seth London? Who the hell is that? Looks like he’s been in vulture capital for ten years. Who cares what he thinks?

[User] Exactly. I’d never heard of him, looked him up, & thought “who TF should care what this guy thinks? What’s he done?”

[Assistant]
I think too many people are overthinking this.

We need to make changes, not don hair clothe and go into the village stocks to beg forgiveness.

Less reinvention more small scale iterative changes.

And much more aggression to legacy media - social media NEEDS to repackage legacy media for reach.


[User] Rust is all fun and games until you're spending hours fighting the borrow checker... 😔

[Assistant]
Maybe I'm just not smart enough to deal with rust, but all I was trying to do was pass something to a function to use it.

That's it. It wasn't rocket science. But I have to do some weird voodoo magic I cannot for the life of me figure out.

Might just bite the bullet on C++ again.

[User]
If you can write C++, I'm pretty sure you are smart enough for Rust. You just need to keep pushing until that initial friction is gone.

Here are some awesome materials that can help:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-KL...

rust-training.ferrous-systems.com/latest/book/...

[Assistant]
I'm happy to help (and explain) if you share the code or reproduce a minimal example.

There's also a couple rust discords which provide help for newbies if that's your jam.


[User]
The Painted Wastelands pdf is 30% off on DriveThruRPG! #ttrpg #OSR #OSE

www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/4...

[Assistant] Was this ever released as physical media?

[User] You can sign up for late pledges here. Physical books are on their way from the printer. ETA is end of this month: agamemnon-press.pledgemanager.com/projects/the...

[Assistant] Sick, thanks!


[Assistant] Not terrifying at all.

[User]
By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere was a song
And a celebration....
🎶

[Assistant] I lived in New York for 11 years. I never once woke up early enough to see that parade.


[User]
{RP Info/Guidelines}

-This account is intended for RP/parody purposes.

-Linguang-Jun and SVSSS belongs to MXTX, I only created my AU.

-Due to certain themes, my account is strictly an ADULT ONLY space, with anyone under the age of 18 being blocked if they attempt to follow or interact.

[Assistant] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[User] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[Assistant] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[User] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[Assistant] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[User] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[Assistant] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[User] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.

[Assistant] -Extra Part 2: Because of the nature of omegaverse, and also of my headcanons about demons/gods/dragons/etc, there may be mentions/depictions of male pregnancy.


[User] We get it, Stephen. He's a nightmare.

[Assistant] Very True!

[User] I mean he did write about a very similar character...

[Assistant] And people who voted for trump a 2nd time are even more stupid than I could ever imagine!


[User]
“Scattered Corn, acted as the Keeper of the Corn, a role that had been passed down from one keeper to the next for at least thirty-four generations.
Her duty involved keeping the variety pure through careful selection and making sure that the tribe had enough seed for the next year.”

THIRTY FOUR!!!

[Assistant]
that is like 700-1000 years.

the audacity of white ppl (like me) saying “this land is my land”

what the actual fuck. it is absolutely not. clearly.

[User]
i literally watched my friend come to life after becoming a gardener. in less than 100 years settler colonialism had taken at least 1000 years of history from her.

watching her & her daughters reclaim this was magical & powerful.

[Assistant]
my best memory of that time was when she gave them slingshots and an old bag of peas from the back of the cupboard and ended up with an entire yard full of peas.

the kids were very proud of themselves.


[User]
People complain a lot about the drip feed but Nintendo is essentially finished with their first party output on NSO with the exception of GB/GBA stuff.

Pretty much the entire first party NES/SNES/N64 libraries are there with the exception of games with special controllers.

[Assistant]
Some notable missing titles:

NES:

Yoshi's Cookie
StarTropics 2

SNES:

Uniracers
Sutte Hakuna
Wario's Woods

N64:

Donkey Kong 64
Super Smash Bros.

[User]
i wonder why they never rerelease the SNES version of Wario's Woods

they have like 4 versions of Mario 1 on there, what gives?

[Assistant] Part of it might be because it was never released on physical cartridge in Japan, but Super Punch Out is in a similar situation and they eventually released it.

[User]
Has anyone verified that the SNES emulator works with Uniracers?

(StarTropics 2 has an interesting anti-piracy mechanism, but that’s not hard to emulate perfectly.)

[Assistant] is pretty much complete for the systems that are added. That being said, I'd love to see smash 64 get added. It's a very nostalgic title for me.


[User] Just got into the Mural Hall in Myers for the first time. Amazing series of murals celebrating historical women by Napier Waller - including this one (my favourite) of women in literature. I can see Jane Austen and maybe Katherine Mansfield on the left there.

[Assistant] Oh wow! I havent been there in 60 years. We used to have afternoon tea there with my mother and grandmother.

[User] It's a beautiful room!

[Assistant]
It was. I still dream about it. I was actually very young, and it felt magical.
We also went to the Ladies Lounge for a wee.


[Assistant] I think this explains a lot.

[User] Holy CRAP! why are they even going to Church?

[Assistant] So much for Christian nationalism being Christian at all. Jesus’ strength is a strength they can’t understand.


[User] Apparently, kidney cells can retain memories the same way brain cells can. This means there should be a movie where someone gets a kidney transplant and then they "remember" where the bodies are buried. Urine Danger.


[User] Goodnight, frens ❤

[Assistant] G’night, Bobcat! I hope you had lots to eat today! 🎶🦃🥧🙏🏻❤

[User] I sure did, I hope you did too, fren Manning ❤❤❤

[Assistant] Good night, happy Bob, and frens. ❤🤗❤

[User] Goodnight dear frens! Happy turkey day.

[Assistant]
Na night beautiful Bobcat
🥰❤💤
Hope you got plenty of turkey treats🦃🍗


[User]
Seems like the brit media in Scotland will be mostly reporting on the Scottish NHS, and why it's so shit.
And as if by magic Tory scum Sandesh Gulhane will be appearing on all Brit media channels to give his reasons why.

[Assistant] Jackie Baillie is doing the rounds too. No mention of the NHS woes in England or Wales of course, only Neil Gray getting a grilling. GMS so busy on dissing the Scottish NHS they must have missed this www.thenational.scot/news/2476630...

[User] It's getting more obvious by the day and all I can think of is USA, where facts don't matter and people vote to make their life worse.

[Assistant] Just been reading today’s offering from Scotsman … full of “could” “May” … the reporting is so bad. Sadly too many will blame ScotGov when we all know all roads lead to Westminster.


[User]
Holy shit, can't believe I just defeated the legendary @bynxplays.bsky.social. Was this live on stream?!

He fistbumped me back ofc because he's the nicest dude.

I had to play BW to stuff left which didn't leave 3 for Gambit food. But 2 was enough.

[Assistant] feels good. I remember beating Cozy in the last Deadpool's Diner and being ecstatic.

[User] Nice! I beat him a few days ago and couldn’t believe it either. Was super close!

[Assistant] Fun fact I think bynx is the player I have the worse record against 😆


[User] I tried a new pain management technique today, and, guess what? My pain has been mismanaged!

[Assistant] So anyway, after one day, Voltaren gel does seem effective, but only if you remember all the doses. 😒

[User] (That passive voice was to obscure agency.)

[Assistant] I thought maybe lying down in bed would feel better, but so far, no. 😬


[User]
Talking to a golf buddy who's a big trump guy.
Says china has been killing Canada and knows nothing about the deal Harper signed for 40 years in secret.
Amazing stuff.

[Assistant] And now he's defending billionaires.

[User]
Sounds like my hockey buddy who says the rich shouldn't have to pay taxes because they employ the rest of us.

So I replied, you are describing an Oligarchy, or in simpler terms, Kings and Queens ruling over us peasants.

[Assistant] Im engaged in the exact same conversation. It's absolutely amazing how ill informed some people are.


[User] HS wrestling starts tonight = family reunion time 🥰         3 generations of fun    Peaceful dreams ✌🎶 talk later 😎

[Assistant] Beautiful 🤩 Good Night Papa Dino ☺✨

[User] Thank you Bert ✌💫🌙🎶

[Assistant] You’re welcome ✨


[User]
www.rawstory.com/trump-loomer...
Loomer took to social media to attack Zuckerberg after the news broke, and some of her comments were compiled in a report for The Daily Beast.

[Assistant] Did she propose locking him in an elaborate trap with only limited time to escape?

[Assistant] Jealousy in the ranks.


[User] Gonna order Korean takeout for dinner later because there's few pleasures more delightful than cold kimchi on fresh hot rice 🥳

[Assistant] Ah... the place is not taking orders and my go-to meal has increased in price 😓 time for katsudon.

[User] Glass noodles in my katsudon... why...

[Assistant] I am also obsessed with doenjang jjigae 🥺


[User] I can already tell I'm going to be bored this holiday evening so hit me up 👀

[Assistant] 1. First Video Game: Super Mario World on the SNES. I tried playing it and immediately died to the giant bullet bill in the first world, and cried and gave the controller back to my brother.

[User] 2. Favorite Character: Samus :) Always and forever. 🐕 (Art tag lol)

[Assistant]
3. Underrated game is Mass Effect Andromeda.

That game is great, it's a direct homage to the original Mass Effect in it's worlds and themes, and Bioware abandoned it in favor of a doomed live service game. Everyone was just mean bc of week one silly bugs and visual glitches that have been fixed.

[User]
4. Guilty Pleasure Game... Man. If i still played overwatch it'd be that.

Probably Destiny 2 at this point. That game I just keep going back to. I play tabletop versions of it, I make characters in the world, it's tantalizing and hard to escape, despite the ups and downs.

[Assistant] 5. Game Character I'm most like/wish I was. (Can I say Samus again??) I'll also say Raiden bc who wouldn't want to be a massive cyborg robot who can knife things with their feet? Don't think about the trauma of the experience thats unimportant.


[User] #RecipeOfTheDay borrows gratefully from the Dutch Christmas canon. That’s to say, this is my take on their glorious almond pastries – and, don’t worry, these Banket Bars use shop-bought puff pastry, which makes them alluringly do-able! www.nigella.com/recipes/bank...

[Assistant] Have you tried Aachener Printen? Truly excellent.

[User] This afternoons project :-)

[Assistant] That looks tasty and do-able! Thankyou.

[User] Thank you for posting this recipe!  I made these last year and they were delicious.  The fact that they're so easy and quick to make was a huge boon in the usual time-poor run up to the festivities :-)

[Assistant] You show us lovely ideas and recipes.. yes we should try other food traditions 😊


[User] Of course the meat I bought for tonight’s dinner has gone bad. Sigh. 😞

[Assistant] That has happened to me more times than I wanted it to (zero times being ideal) and it's such a pain and so wasteful. I'm sorry you got such a rotten surprise.

[User] Yeah. The waste is what really gets me. I hate wasting food. And on a night when I didn’t have time to spare, I now have to go out and buy more meat.

[Assistant] If you're like me, you had plans for that meat. You had ingredients lined up, ingredients which stubbornly refuse to be applied to any other configuration, especially quickly.


[User]
Good morning!

It's day 3 of #ArtAdventCalendar and time for tea and #drawing.

I'm moving very slowly today (not unusual) and this took me a couple of pots of tea to make. I used my fude-nibbed fountain pen and a couple of Neocolour II crayons. I was drinking English Breakfast tea 🫖

#GoGently ❤🐌

[Assistant] I love the whimsical quality of this one!

[User] love how you use both pages on your sketchbook, Michael. I always fear doing this. Nice work!

[Assistant]
Thanks, Prasad, I bought three A6 sketchbooks to experiment with in the summer (this is last one) and have found I prefer the space of the two pages to work across.

I bought A6 so that they could fit in my pocket. I've found even A6 is a bit big, but this one is a little smaller and does fit :)


[User]
He is beneath the office as he was his last term.

I never have, nor will I ever utter his name with the preceding P word. He doesn’t deserve that title regardless of the votes cast by half of the idiots in this country.

[Assistant]
But it wasn't half. It was 1/4.

bsky.app/profile/trut...

[User]
But it wasn't half, it was 1/3 (typo last time, lol):

bsky.app/profile/trut...

[Assistant] He is MORE beneath the office than he was the last term.  He is now a convicted felon, 34 times over.


[User]
I'm on the vegan authors starter pack but I don't talk about being vegan much. I do have reasons for all food my characters consume in my stories.

But if you'd like to see a vegan US American dinner, here it is (I have a video of prep on my TikTok.)

[Assistant]
I know this is the second time today I'm posting my TikTok link but here it is if you're interested in how I prepped. I'm going to try to put it on my IG but it doesn't seem to like the video
www.tiktok.com/@adriabailto...

[User] There's a vegan authors starter pack?! Where??? Are there recipes?

[Assistant] What's the sauce, may I ask?  Looks good!


[User] According to what I was told by Warners, they reached out to Alan but were, as usual and as expected, rebuffed.  Dave on the other hand was very excited about it, since this would mean taking his artwork and making it live, right down to the pencil strokes, so he came right on board.

[Assistant]
That's an answer that has been familiar to many of us who heard about such dealings for decades now.

Moore will want nothing more to do with anything.
Gibbons though?   He's game.

I can understand why each takes their respective positions on such matters.

[User]
Moore's been burned so many times I honestly can't blame the man. Mayhap word will reach him and he'll give it a shufti, but I doubt it.

Glad I was to see your name on it, knew it was gonna be quality stuff.

[Assistant]
Don Simpson has an interesting story about Moore’s non-credit on Pictopia

bleedingcool.com/comics/don-s...


[User] It's not racism, transphobia or obvious engagement farming, but anyone whose entire reply feed is being obnoxious to people because they feel like it can also do one (many MANY more examples available). Farewell graceless stranger to @lawooo.bsky.social.

[Assistant] Good lord. I mean, it's weird enough devoting your time to trolling people, but these are genuinely some of the weakest, feeblest 'zingers' I have ever seen. Absolute pabulum.

[User] It hoofed in a response to a post of mine and have also seen it do the same to others. Block, block, blockitty, block.

[Assistant] Yes - I had a little look through, decided block exists for a reason.


[Assistant] In order to win we must pick up the Ring.

[Assistant] That website is horrible.


[User]
China's space station tour offers unprecedented glimpse into life in orbit. Astronauts show off kitchen, bedrooms, and labs in rare 7-minute video.

Surprising details emerge: modified microwave, roomy beds with Earth views, and a greenhouse growing tomatoes and lettuce. 🧵

[Assistant]
It's a rare look into China's usually secretive space program.

China assembled its space station in less than two years, accommodating up to 3 astronauts. Excluded from the ISS, they've made rapid progress and aim for a Moon landing by 2030.

[User]
Current crew conducts experiments like observing zebrafish in microgravity. Meanwhile, NASA plans to deorbit the ISS by decade's end, with no clear successor in sight.

This tour highlights China's growing space capabilities.

[Assistant] As they expand their orbital presence, it's clear they're becoming a major player in space exploration.


[User] Heidi Alexander has been appointed UK transport secretary following the shock resignation of Louise Haigh today.

[Assistant] Shock? Really?

[User] Well yes, it was an entirely unnecessary resignation.

[Assistant] Meanwhile here in good ol' US of A a criminal conviction appears to be qualification for a gov't position.


[User] Great symposium on energy metabolism and mental health  led by Sharmili @neurometabolic.bsky.social at DGPPN (in a packed room). Corinna @corcerebrum.bsky.social kindly collected some proof that I was on stage as well.

[Assistant] Are the slides available or can you recommend any current reviews regarding this topic?

[User] As far as I know, there are recordings available for all attendees. If you want to read more about the topic of my talk, I would recommend this recent TiCS review (w/ @glassybrain.bsky.social): www.cell.com/trends/cogni...

[Assistant] Thanks!


[User]
My new young adult book 'Migration' got a shout-out from Mariana Whareaitu and I'm quite chuffed!

Thank you! 😊

[Assistant] Nice one Steph!

[User] Yes! And it's such a weird book, I'm glad she liked it.

[Assistant] Oooh, another one to add to our school library!😀


[User]
Hello! As everyone else is giving it a go, we thought we'd better dip our toe in too.

We're here for all your natural history needs, especially where it intersects with culture, society and history 🌱📖🦋

[Assistant] The history of science is fascinating, and natural history is the best sort of science. I have no idea how I haven't heard of you before today, but hello. 🌼🦕🐳

[User] Welcome aboard!

[Assistant] Happy to be here! 🐢🐿🌲


[User]
Every time we shop at Sainsbury's we find the store is slowly disappearing, one item at a time.

Today was organic tomato puree, but past lines have included hazelnut yoghurts and low sugar HP sauce.

Today it was Andrews Liver Salts – tho I now find this was canned by the manufacturers a year ago.

[Assistant] My closest supermarket is an ASDA and it's becoming unusable as things are disappearing.

[User] Funny how all of this started happening after January 31, 2020.

[Assistant]
What could it be down to?

I have no idea.

Nothing comes to mind

😏


[User]
🛍 ⚫

Did you know Black Friday isn't just an American tradition anymore?

Let’s explore...

a thread ↓

[Assistant] It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and no, not Christmas yet.

[User]
This week is Thanksgiving in the United States and – more importantly – it’s the retail world’s favorite holiday: Black Friday.

Originating in the midcentury US as a chance to kick off the holiday shopping season, Black Friday has gone global in recent decades.

[Assistant]
Brazil, for example, started seeing an uptick in Black Friday deals in 2010 and a peak in interest in 2019 before the pandemic came and dealt a nasty blow.

Other big countries like Colombia and Peru have seen their own spikes in attention on Google Trends.

[User] Meanwhile, Argentina has seen no real change over the last decade, perhaps in part due to the ongoing economic crisis which has harmed many citizens’ purchasing power for years now.

[Assistant] And then there’s Mexico, which – despite being the only Latin American country to border the US – has not quite adopted Black Friday to the degree its regional peers has.

[User]
Instead, the country’s Council of Business Coordination rolled out El Buen Fin, or “the Good Weekend,” in 2011.

Coming the weekend before Mexican Revolution Day, El Buen Fin has become a widely popular weekend of shopping and special promotions nationwide.

[Assistant] Last year alone, billions of dollars exchanged hands in Mexico and consumers took on surging personal loans to participate in an experience that is increasingly moving online.

[User] Whether successful in your Buen Fin deal hunting or getting ready to head out this week for Black Friday, we wish you the best of luck this holiday shopping season.

[Assistant]
/end

what's your favorite shopping holiday?


[User]
OMG I get it! Sheesh. You're going to DragonMeet! Whoop-de-do.

(Have fun everyone!)

(Buy some dice you don't need!!)

[Assistant] I’m on a budget and I don’t need any dice.

[User] Very grown up. I'm proud of you son.

[Assistant] … I’m not going to Dragonmeet…


[User] As the world gets scarier, I'm thinking about pivoting toward becoming one of those dudes who gets super weird about strong encryption.

[Assistant] Gonna post my PGP keys then sign all my toots.

[User] Gonna make hidden and deniable encrypted partitions then just store my meeting notes about how we integrate our apps with Salesforce in there.

[Assistant] Gonna refuse to reply to my dad's emails until he starts using S/MIME.


[User]
OMFG.

I am so done. The thieves came back and stole my fucking car last night. My handbag had the spare key in it.

[Assistant] Jesus V! You guys can't take a break!

[User] Oh no!! That sucks so much!! *offers hugs*

[Assistant] Im so sorry....😢


[User]
It’s good that Skeleton Crew has, so far, avoided the sugary delighted squeal that often accompanies Amblin revivals like Stranger Things and JJ’s Super 8.

Despite what the clickbait about nefarious 80s nostalgia is saying, it seems interested in one thing: a pirate tale. The rest is set-dressing.

[Assistant]
It would’ve been very easy to use Spielberg’s classic “person reacting in awe to something offscreen” shots, but the series is not really into that: it’s into scallywags, mutinies, and space scurvy.

I wish the marketing had been clearer about that instead of chasing the Stranger Things crowd.

[User] Even the suburban setting is turning to be… something unexpected and more sinister than the mere Reagan era suburb that the trailers indicated it would be. Appropriate for Star Wars, of course: the scale is larger, so everything needs to be magnified.

[Assistant] I’m a sucker for pirate stories. I literally destroyed by VHS copy of The Crimson Corsair from watching it so often. So yeah, I’m there. I enjoy this more than the metaplotty, navel-gazing storytelling of Ahsoka or The Acolyte. It’s not a series *about* Star Wars, and that’s always a victory.

[User] I will probably regret posting eagerly about Star Wars—specially positively!—so here’s my usual cynical post-script: the pacing was all over the place.

[Assistant] You have mometarily calmed my dread.


[User]
The wine industry is going through it right now. Lowest world-wide production in 50 years

Reasons:
-decades of uncontrolled growth in emerging regions
-climate change is making grapegrowing more of a challenge
-changing drinking habits
-inflation

Am I missing something?

[Assistant]
Grapes are being left to rot at ever increasing numbers because of worker shortages.

Although it may be a small part of the production decrease, that # will only get bigger until labour can be automated reliably.

[User] Prohibitionist capture of health messaging from the WHO and other organisations. And, in the UK, the relentless escalation of duty on wine.

[Assistant] Excellent point. For some reason public health organizations have turned their sights on alcohol and aren't being shy about it.