[User] How to Turn off AI in MS WORD:

[Assistant] Might i suggest switching to something like Scrivener for writing as well?

[User] Sure! I don't use Word beyond the .doc extentsion for submissions, but I know many people do, and have all their work stored in Office, so this is for them.

[Assistant] The thing is with Scriv you can compile your work into a whole range of formats right at the end. .doc, .docx, PDFs, plain text documents, ebook formats (mobi and epub) even in a webpage (.html) format, but i have no idea what that's supposed to be for.


[User] YES. My BFF and I have talked about this, based on Dr. Joy Degruy’s findings. There has to be reasoning behind why it’s the same for all of them.

[Assistant] Learning about Dr. Degruy and her research is what sparked my interest in epigenetics.

[User] We have to chat omg.

[Assistant] Yes! I love talking about this type of stuff. 😂


[User]
So many skills and talents required to make film or TV. Over 400 roles. And far more behind the camera and "glam" stuff.

Check out Northern Ireland Screen and our socials for all the roles.

[Assistant] Should have credits at the end of hospital letters too - input from huge numbers of vital staff. Lots of roles.

[User] (Don't want to contribute to Too Much Paper - maybe a QR code or something, and push people to their MyCare electronic portal :-)

[Assistant] Great idea. So many roles behind what people think of.


[User] Nike Cage is somehow an amazing actor & a really bad actor all at the same time 🤣🤣

[Assistant] His acting is very 'just do it' 🙈

[User] Then again his uncle is somehow an amazing director who has made some of the greatest movies of our time, and a really patchy director who has disappeared up his own fundament a few times, too.

[Assistant] Handles his money well.


[User] Post a ship that’s neither Star Wars nor Star Trek.

[User] Post a ship that's neither Star Wars no Star Trek.

[Assistant] 🤣😂OK Post a ship that's neither Star Wars no Star Trek. I am done now😆


[User] Sometimes apparently you have to say in plain English 'My time even if I don't have a partner or children, is as valuable as anyone else's and I don't deserve to be messed about and cancelled or...or be anyone's 'back up' plan.'

[Assistant] Couldn’t agree more.

[User] It shouldn't need spelling out but of course it does.

[Assistant] They don't mean to be unkind but sometimes I feel like I'm only here to provide weekday entertainment for my coupled-up friends. On weekends they evaporate into a world of dinner parties w/ even numbered seating plans, only seeking me out if they find themselves solo on a Saturday night.

[User] Right!? I was only thinking this week that the Bridget Jones 'only single at the dinner party' is the LEAST realistic bit in that whole film because no herd of couples invites the single people!!

[Assistant] It can be very hurtful. Some very close friends, who happened to be neighbours at the time, hosted a dinner party that included multiple couples who are also my friends. They assumed I was invited which wasn't the case. I still remember how weird it felt walking my dog past their house that night.

[User] SO hurtful. I actually ended up ending a friendship on similar grounds- I got cancelled on because 'we' were having 'people over for a BBQ' and like apparently 'we' and a group couldn't include me? (this obviously was the last straw in a long line of things)

[Assistant] I'm very sorry that happened to you. Though I haven't ended any friendships, I do tend to keep certain people at arm's length. I've started organising women's only evenings at my house, inviting both girlfriends who are single and those who aren't so tied up with their partner's lives.

[User] That's a lovely idea- and also thankfully women who aren't governed by their partner's lives exist and also prove it's a choice by the others to be that way!

[Assistant] Exactly! Generally speaking these same women tend to be far more interesting. They have a creative/entrepreneurial life outside of their relationships.


[User] That’s the point. They aren’t be put in place to strength national security. It’ll go well for the tech bros and oligarchs. They only care about valuations, market cap and their stock options.

[Assistant]
Nooooooo!  Not my US Navy!

Father, US Navy veteran, WWII
Me, US Navy veteran, Vietnam
Nephew, US Navy Academy

NOW I have to watch it burn.  😔

[User] 600 ships? Nope. We will be lucky to have 150 by the time they finish. (I’m guessing.)

[Assistant]
He’s never actually playing 4D chess like people believe. But he does understand that if things go south he can just fire them and not be held accountable.

Giving them the job gets him the credit he wants (from whatever group he’s trying to please) - results aren’t the point.

[User] There’s only one result that’s the point of all of this: dismantle or so badly damage that it’ll take years to fix every agency that he thinks wronged him the last time around. He is going to try to serve his greatest retribution on the government itself.

[Assistant] If I was advising him I’d tell him to keep nominating crazy people. He has no actual policies and the ones he has are terrible. So when it inevitably fails, he can blame it on the fact his nominations weren’t confirmed. It’s win/win.


[User] Best marketing around is when a bigger firm quotes a prospective client “well at least $50k” for something that shouldn’t be at least $50k.

[Assistant] Yeah… $50k does sound like a lot of money.

[User] Like I remember someone on LinkedIn said an attorney quoted a startup for a priced Seed round like $100K. Should have slapped that on a billboard.

[Assistant] * Based on the overall scope of services which would add to the cost if we stopped to define them all.


[User] New case #'s and 10-day % increase are enough to put PHL back in response level 2 (masks required indoors). But hospitalizations are not increasing, which is terrific, and there are hints in the data that we may be at or nearing another peak. Need rest of week's #'s to know more. https://t.co/FE...

[Assistant] Did our new cases average over 7 days peak last Wednesday? Maybe, or are we seeing (slightly atypical) reporting delays? Again, we'll know more with more numbers later this week.

[User] As predicted, Philadelphia is moving back to a mask mandate in public indoor spaces, but oddly it only goes into effect next Monday. It is possible we'll still be below the hospitalization cutoff and case counts increases will have slowed below the 50% cutoff by then. Huh.

[Assistant] The slowdown didn't materialize. We're seeing the opposite of a slowdown for now. Still nowhere near January numbers, though.


[User]
Harmful "black" content such as overly done pranks and those weird "dating game shows" DO NOT originate from black creators online, started by mostly companies and white dudes from the Vine/WorldStar Era and early days of YouTube.

However, why do some follow this trend?

🧵

[Assistant] First the reason why this content is pushed by the algorithm, making black ppl look bad in the progress, is because of how this trend was once popular from white or diverse audiences, and how YouTube is picking up on it throughout the years.

[User]
Of course, not all black people make this sort of content, nor it should be called "BLACK YOUTUBE". This is not us, and unfortunately we do not have such a stature on that platform yet.

Black ppl who DO follow this trend either do so for ragebait or hyper-heterosexual beliefs normalized.

[Assistant]
Or most likely they know this content is bad, but blames viewers for not "scrolling past" or ignoring their tomfoolery, or pulling a Nicolas Avocado.

All this nonsense originates from toxic masculinity from white people, that black ppl accidentally embraced, trying to get rights as humans and men.


[User]
QRP with your couple art! 💚

it's mostly alzenos ❤🔥

[Assistant] I love seeing your art of them together 😭

[User] aaaa thank you so much, it's nice seeing these together indeed 😭💜

[Assistant] fsjnf it's no worries!! 😭


[User]
⚠NSFW⚠NSFW⚠

Good morning and happy A$$ Wednesday.
It’s hump day, and for those that apply, the day before Thanksgiving.

[Assistant] Good Morning! That’s going to put some bounce in this booty today, thank you for that😘🖤

[User] You’re welcome!

[Assistant] 🖤🖤 And I am about to people today lol Everybody is getting compliments today 🥰


[User] Clown promotes herd immunity for covid. Over a million of us died. Now trump wants him to head the NIH.

[Assistant] I’ve yet to see one cabinet or administration pick who is not an absolute fucking disaster for the people of this country.

[User] That’s his plan, it seems. He really doesn’t handle rejection well.

[Assistant] Reality, education, science, decency all out the window. I hope people teach their children well.


[User] Im tired of people acting like I didn't work to get where I am. In my relationships and in my life. As if I clicked my heels and everything in my life fell into place.

[Assistant] Naw man I’ve been watching your work for what more than a decade? Dude you’ve worked your fucking ass off to get where you are 💙 Fuck them you EARNED this.

[User] Thank you 💚 Apparently I need to be reminded every time I make a mistake that I have EVERYTHING and everyone else has nothing. I hate when that's thrown in my face like that. As if I have not built myself from nothing.

[Assistant] You went from “that girl that cosplayed that Kill La Kill character” into… whatever fuckin mythical creature you’ve become now. I am in awe.


[User] League 2 table after last night's matches involving Walsall & AFC Wimbledon.

[Assistant] Incredibly tight. Whoever can put together a winning streak will put themselves in a great position. Come on Notts.

[User] Agree. No one seems to be getting ahead of the other too much. I think it suits Notts as we wait for the injured players to heal.

[Assistant] Absolutely. It will also be interesting to see how many clubs will be in a position to strengthen their squads come Jan. We could have 4/5 players back from injury plus 1/2 signings. So 5/6 players that will genuinely strengthen us. Really like the look of Ness too.


[User]
I also can't insert a gif.
I guess I need to make some time to figure out settings...

[Assistant]
If you go to settings > content and media > external media you can click on what outside media links (like youtube) you are okay with playing within Bsky.

I don't think you can insert your own gifs yet. They are slowly rolling stuff like that out. You should be able to search for Tenor gifs tho.

[User] Thank you!!!

[Assistant] I don't see Content and Media...  I'll look more later.


[User] I'm doing the thing, lets fucking go.

[Assistant]
Lets get started with this one

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

[User]
Underrated AF track

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn1G...

[Assistant]
One of the best songs in any OST ever

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


[User] That movie fucked with so many of our heads.

[Assistant] To. This. Day.

[User] I remember thinking, after seeing it, "If nuclear war happens, I want to be at ground zero so it's just over."

[Assistant] “Don’t worry, children, I’ve planned ahead. We’re a mere three miles from a primary target. A millisecond of brilliant light, and we’re vaporized. Much more fortunate than the millions who’ll wander sightless through the rubble.”


[User] There was been some excellent reporting by @timescolonist.bsky.social on this topic. Articles have shared important tidbits most people don’t know like “When we are using hydromorphone to try to keep somebody out of withdrawal from fentanyl, we are bringing a water gun to fight a forest fire,”

[Assistant] What that means is that patients are relying on an unregulated drug supply because our medical system can’t give them what they need to avoid withdrawal while ill. Then controlled consumption areas where taken away because of election campaigns.

[User] Also, the voices of experts on these subjects have not really been heard. In #health and #housing I keep hearing that policy follows public opinion. I’m also hearing more additions physicians and psychiatrists say they “have been “too quiet” over the past year of politics muddying the issue.”

[Assistant] It’s challenging to figure out how to shape public opinion when you are busy dealing with a crisis. Great respect for the health professionals who are bringing light to this situation in this way and the media that is covering the nuances that help the public understand.


[User]
1/ Thinking about the question:

"What are the conditions for something to be considered part of the body of human knowledge?"

[Assistant]
2/ Does it count towards human knowledge if one person discovers the meaning of life, the universe and everything?

What if a group of people invent or discover something but then the knowledge is lost?

Intuitively the answer is no.

[User] 3/ Yet most people don’t know most things that most people would consider part of the body of human knowledge. I don’t know how to make nylon or anything about how lichen propagates.

[Assistant]
4/ A reasonable response might be “well, you *could* learn those things if you really tried.”

This hints at a tempting answer: that human knowledge is everything that someone could learn if they really tried.

[User]
5/ However, there are emergent processes (see I, Pencil etc.) that no one person could replicate no matter how hard they tried. Intuitively creating semiconductors or pencils is part of human knowledge.

So the ability to learn a thing is insufficient as well.

[Assistant] 6/ A hunch is that being part of human knowledge has less to do with the knowledge itself than with how many people the existence of that knowledge affects. I don’t know how to make an aluminum can, but my life is affected by the fact that some person or group knows it.


[User] Oh, hello. Where did you all come from? It seems busier in here.

[Assistant]
I'm from Fediverse, depending on @ap.brid.gy. Fediverse lacks algorithm which is needed. Not everyone wants to have full control over their feeds.

As a solution, what if Mastodon starts supporting Bluesky feeds?

[User] I don't think that would work, because those feeds are not based on ActivityPub objects. I use Fediview, Murmel and other apps to add "algorithmic" feeds when I want them on Mastodon, to avoid missing interesting content there. This is close to the same idea as Bluesky feeds.

[Assistant] I think it would work as these feeds are also not something tied to bsky that much. They are just sets of rules. I believe it is possible to make them work with Mastodon, even it won't be capable of aggregating that much post.

[User]
Lots of migration happening from the old bird site! 😱

Cool to have some others here and has been making me more active too. ✨

[Assistant] it is beyond time the other place died in flames.

[Assistant] "Let it burn, let it burn, don't miss any of that shit!"


[User]
Mitek are a sack of shit.

Pass it on.

[Assistant] I would, maybe if I knew who Mitek are?

[User] People who validate who you are.

[Assistant] Oh I don’t need them as I know who I am 😹


[User] @safety.bsky.app #RCMP how about some strokes and interference with wills and estates by OC?  All here courtesy bounty hunters.  I am forbidden from contacting the police.

[Assistant] I suppose @nytimes.com the protection offered by #townofoakville to the big orange guys is more of a world contract relationship issue for demolition and explosions connected constratti. Just control their women by installing frequency follow thru on audio signals.

[User] Is someone answering line 1, line 2 and line 3 at Chinese #RCMP offices this morning? A number of strokes isn't of concern for so-called pros. Contracted engineers and dealmakers including far-right bunkers close to the border don't block #CanBorder ops.

[Assistant] My favorite thing about radio broadcasting program @theglobeandmail.com is that the head of the programs, like a snake, keeps crucial information, like post-signals processing in some buildings, a HVAC secret for wiring 999 channels and other secret protest.


[User] I’m off until Tuesday next week.  Every year I stockpile my PTO and every year I’m in a crunch to use it or lose it.

[Assistant] Enjoy your time off!! 😊

[User] Thank you!!

[Assistant] You're welcome 😊


[User]
A new proposed condo in my neighbourhood is coming to Community Council. Staff recommend approval. All good stuff (except it took 2 years) but I still can't get over the fact that the traffic study says that replacing a gas station will add traffic.
secure.toronto.ca/council/agen...

[Assistant] Whenever consultants do this, I tend to believe it's because the neighbourhood will never believe that a "big" development will actually generate LESS traffic than existing conditions. Often in my comments, I'll note something like "these trip estimates are very conservative" for the record.

[User] In this case I think they did it because they knew spending more effort to demonstrate lower traffic wasn't worth it. And they were right. Planner recommends approval. Decision report doesn't even mention the traffic study.

[Assistant] Well yes and no. This consultant in particular needed a lot of hand-holding.

[User] The applicant or the traffic study consultants (UrbanTrans)?

[Assistant] The transportation consultant. There were a lot of questions prior to the submission. Not all consultants are made equal, and often my unit (Transportation Review) is tasked with explaining what they cannot or will not.


[User] Petty, but my tenure class (the faculty who got tenure in 2020) got a zoom meeting with the chancellor instead of a sit down dinner at the Chancellor's residence. Also, I got tenure on March 12th, 2020, the day before the world closed so there were no drinks after work, no party. Just... the void.

[Assistant] The complaint is truly not a good look, I know. Oh boo hoo you got tenure in a world where that professional path was disappearing for most of your generation and there was no party?

[User] Unpopular opinion: not petty.

[Assistant] Adding insult to injury, it wasn't even a zoom; it was a Cisco Webex.


[User] There's a reconstruction cooperation between Sweden and Ukraine. The strategy is a nice read and promising for those kids who's fathers are being killed by Russia.


[User]
“Me!?

Why, Lilith-Chan…

What makes you think I know anything about dating a guy?”

[Assistant]
"Well...you /are/ a guy, last I checked."

So she checked?

"So you would know, what you'd like. I already have a girls perspective from someone else, but maybe hearing it from a guy helps a bit..."

[User]
Oh! Ah well if that was what she needed…

“Why of course. I can help then. Are you knew to the daring scene?”

[Assistant]
"I...have been doing some...very rudimentary dating...about 30 years ago?"

...right, when she was just regular Vegapunk...so a guy...

[User]
He calculated those years in his mind…yeah it’s been a while.

“Hmm…well.”

Taking a cigarette from his pack, he lit it with his golden lighter before tucking it away and taking a long puff. He blew the smoke into the air in thought. “First step is to express interest…know what he likes?”

[Assistant]
"Well...he invited me to play video games, so that's obvious...I guess he also loves robots, lasers, tinkering..."

...okay, there might be a reason, why he was interested in Lillith...


[User]
Oh hello. It’s another Christmas tree at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall.

This one though is historically themed and therefore amazing.

Join us on a little festive thread to find out more…🧵

[Assistant] Our tree is inspired by the goods brought to York by merchants who travelled overseas in the medieval and Tudor periods and is a feast for the senses!

[User] Oranges from Spain sit next to grapes from France which would have been made into wine. 🍷

[Assistant] Mirrors from Germany sparkle next to the festive spice of cinnamon from India which hangs amongst the tree branches.

[User] Christmas lights sparkle next to the festive gingerbread made from ginger traded along the silk routes of China and Persia.

[Assistant]
We also have the more unusual items of a felt hat, games table and a copper kettle.

We told you it was amazing! 🤩


[User]
🐩🐩 Political Poodles are understandably worried about public health.

Over 400,000 people died when they were just whispering stupidity into Trump’s ears.
What can possibly go wrong with them in charge.  🙄

BTW, did a worm eat half of Bhattacharya’s brain too, or has he been always this insane?

[Assistant]
🐩🐩 Political Poodles’ confessed personal worries are that the dismantlement of scientific research and public health institutions could lead to poor guidelines for k9 health too.

🐩🐩 asked: -do we need to stock rabies vaccines and flea&tick medication before they start saying we don’t need them?

[User]
A dialogue with in the home of Political Poodles🐩🐩

Poodles (presumedly) ask: -do we need to stock lepto vaccines and flea&tick medication?

Me: -we will cut pseudoscience to the bone! ✊🏼

Poodles: yeah! 🥩🦴 (tails wag)

Me (more enthusiastically): -yes! We will fight it tooth and nails‼

Poodles: 😳🫨

[Assistant]
A dialogue in the home of Political Poodles🐩🐩

Poodles (presumedly) ask: -do we need to stock lepto vaccines and flea&tick medication?

Me: -no! We will cut pseudoscience to the bone! ✊🏼

Poodles: yeah! 🥩🦴 (tails wag)

Me (more enthusiastically): -yes! We will fight it tooth and nails‼

Poodles: 😳🫨


[User] Being friendly costs nothing??? It definitely costs my nerves…

[Assistant] Deep breath ✌🏻

[User] Count to ten. Think happy thoughts 💚

[Assistant] Going home would be more helpful😂😂


[User]
Post a gaming picture that gives you video game anxiety

If anybody has Switch, go revisit. This game is harder than half the shit that comes out today.

[Assistant] @carreracustoms.bsky.social this the one!

[User] Whew the way this just trigged me 💀

[Assistant] Listen, I revisited last month, and I’ve never been angrier at a video game.


[User]
Watching the game it was interesting seeing inclusion of Davies, gave much needed stability at the back, gave Klarer and Bielek the freedom/alternate as who goes forward and who drops back to cover, this gave Iwata and Paik more influence on the game as pushed higher up.

Much improved performance.

[Assistant]
I also think that left foot/right foot centre back combination gives more fluidity when playing out. Bielik as the left sided CB means he has less passing options as he has to check onto his right foot more often than not.

That's why left footed centre backs are such a premium!

[User] Did think it was odd when I saw the team sheet, but it seemed to work very well.

[Assistant] Agreed. I thought it was going to be 3 at the back with Anderson as a wing back. Never expected Bielik to play RB but thought he did a good job there.


[User] I’ve acquired 5 new followers. This is getting worse!

[Assistant] They're on here now 🙄

[User] I haven't had any of those yet but definitely had to block quite a few weird crypto guys.

[Assistant] A few of those followed me too!


[User]
One piece of advice:

Think twice before you accept a counter offer.

You were looking for a reason.

Not to say they never workout, but in my experience, few rarely do.

Especially in this type of market where companies are looking for a reason to let you go.

[Assistant]
Make sure the counter offer actually solves the pain points you were experiencing.

If all they’re offering is $$$, chances are you’ll just find yourself applying to jobs later anyways.

[User] If they’re offering a promotion, make sure to grill them as to “why now” and make sure you’re legitimately getting the role/responsibilities and not just a title change to keep you happy.

[Assistant]
What you also really have to watch out for is losing their trust.

Even if you have an amazing relationship with your manager, you never know the dynamics of how the other team members take it or your manager’s manager.


[User]
Today's... interesting... take on what's new in software testing: "it’s moved away from manual testing to test suites"

QED. If *I* wasn't doing it, then it didn't exist.

[Assistant] "The first test suite wasn’t written at my first company until a new senior that was hired was tasked to rewrite the main SDKs. My last company didn’t write a single test until the company was almost 20 years old."

[User]
"What you list are waaaay above basic. I never ever, in 16 years of career used any of the concepts described there. I have no idea what usage driven design is and I do not use automated tests. Also I do not handle delivery, that is higher up the command chain."

SIXTEEN YEARS.

[Assistant] Creating software that works, basically.


[User]
The challenge is to choose 20 movies that have greatly influenced you. One film per day, for 20 days.

19. Quatermass and the Pit.

My favourite Hammer movie and my favourite Quatermass movie. Just a wonderful tale with a great cast.
It's been a favourite since I saw it on TV as a kid.

[Assistant] It’s every Call of Cthulhu game ever, a great introduction to the RPG 😉🕵🏻♀🦑👽

[User] The only think that's missing that would make it the perfect CoC game is the players setting fire to the tube station. 🔥😆

[Assistant] The Ghosts of Mars haunting London 😉 - also my favorite Hammer/Quatermass movie.


[User] I started playing with copilot with OCaml, and it's....very bad. Essentially useless. Doesn't generate syntactically valid much less well-typed code, often has big obvious algorithmic mistakes in relatively simple things.

[Assistant] Am I doing something wrong? Is it like this for all minority languages?

[User] It's also way worse than the type-driven auto-completion provided by the ocaml-lsp-server. That's more limited, but it's predictable and correct.

[Assistant] Copilot kind of feels like a search+amalgamation mechanism, and I wonder if it would be better as just search. i.e., if it highlighted some code from real codebases that were related to what I was doing, that would be a lot better, I suspect.


[User]
Happy Turkey Day/Indigenous People's Day to all that celebrate!

This year we're giving thanks for all the players who have helped us test Skies of Fortune.  Be blessed, Playtest Picaroons!

[Assistant] we call it "gathering day" mom was part Native, even though I am white as a ghost.  Everyone else is brown.  I take after daddo.  If I celebrated Thanksgiving in the traditional way, she would come back and haunt me.  But that would prob be the funniest haunting ever, she was a riot. HAPPY WHATEVER!

[User]
Can I ask which nation?

Our household is just straight white, and my mom is a big decorator, so there's turkeys all over the place, including in front of the light switch for my bathroom.

[Assistant] Blackfoot and of course Cherokee cause they where everywhere.  Daddo (yes I call my father Daddo still) is a huge Norse man.  So all the offspring came out olive brown, white (me) and olive brown.  Mom was olive and tall.  So if anyone ever sees me they never know it lol.

[User] Sounds like a fun family!

[Assistant] whatever you do, love those silly decorations by the light switch, and the silly tacky weird way she decorated the house. Hold on to that. Watch her cook, watch her be he quirky self.  Trust me, when you see yourself later when she is gone, being like your mom, it will bring warmth.


[User] @sealab2021.org Cap, I found a photo from 2014 of the Kesong Puti cheese made from carabao (water buffalo) milk I told you about the other night. Looks like Mozz, eh?

[Assistant] Yes it does. How best to eat it?

[User]
They eat it here for breakfast on warm buns (pan de sal) from the bakery. It's very mild. I was eating it on buns with beer right there.

It goes great on the plate with fried eggs and whatever breakfast meat you like, too.

[Assistant] Kind of sounds like cream cheese hmm 🤔


[User]
Hello Bluesky! 👋

What's your favorite Relay.app feature?

Ours: Step Outputs give instant access to infinite levels of linked data for apps like @notion.com, @attio.com, and tons of others.

Never the need to add complex data look-up steps! 😎

[Assistant] Learn more about the magic of Step Outputs in Relay.app here: docs.relay.app/data/step-ou...

[User] Yeah this is great, because Make cannot do it without lot of auxiliary properties.

[Assistant] Yeah this is great, because Make cannot do it in Notion without lot of auxiliary properties.

[User] Merging multiple paths back into one 🙌

[Assistant] Nice one! 🙌


[User]
The new Lambda S3 failure destination is better than you think.

Here's why 🧵

[Assistant]
At first glance, one might think "oh, it's another place for you to store failed events that you won't do anything about".

True, it's a more permanent storage for failed events, but where it's actually useful is how it lets you analyse and make case-by-case decisions on what to replay.

[User]
I wrote about how to reprocess Lambda dead-letter messages on-demand before:

theburningmonk.com/2024/01/how-...

but it's not easy (without adding lots of custom logic) to replay only specific messages.

[Assistant] But with the S3 failure destination, you can use Athena to analyze the S3 files, identify patterns, group failed events by error type and then selectively decide which events to replay.

[User]
With something like Retool or Buttonize, you can make this a fairly smooth process.

Let me know in the reply if you'd like to see a demo of how this might look.

[Assistant] … and react to S3 bucket changes via EventBridge 😃


[User] Scotland and Wales have banned snares—so why are 200,000 still hidden in England’s countryside? These barbaric traps harm wildlife, pets, and protected species. So why is England STILL allowing this cruelty? Enough excuses.

[Assistant] Because our government are scared to go up against those in power with vested interests in keeping the vile sport going.

[User] The  immense wealth and reach of those behind blood sports, give protection to those who have no respect any other living thing but themselves.

[Assistant] Monstrous, filthy practice.


[User] It's kinda interesting to me that Predators are objectively basically slasher villains but the fandom has chosen to romanticize them as Proud Warrior Men.

[Assistant] I mean, this isn't really unique to them. IRL Klingons, Mandalorians, etc. would really kind of be right-wing militia types based on what we know of their cultures.

[User] But Predators are an extreme case. Their entire culture, as far as we have seen it, is based around hunting *sapient prey for fun*.

[Assistant]
Like, if the Jungle Hunter was just a white guy with a gun, a ghillie suit, and a machete carving up guerillas and U.S. special forces while taking trophies of their skulls, we'd regard him as a psychopath.

But because he's an alien, we see him as an honorable warrior?


[User]
Somebody tell me to put my phone down and stop getting upset at how, predictably, they're isn't a single word in this piece about displaced Israelis
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

[Assistant] You know, I think there's something of a perverse empathy in this? British people identify with Israelis, so they imagine that we (Israelis) experience the proxy war with Iran way we (Brits) experienced the war with the Taliban - remotely, on television, through the occasional commemoration.

[User]
Maybe this is why. They shouldn't be there
jewishcurrents.org/inside-the-m...

[Assistant] I'm sorry what? Metula and Kiryat Shmona are in Lebanon now? Or do you mean that the Gallilee ought to be judenrein?


[User] This is what I don’t understand… when covid came and prices went up, out of survival the people were forced to get more money to survive. We had inflation and price gouging like crazy and still happening in certain areas. As a result, it appeared as if you earned more money when filing taxes, but …

[Assistant] That’s not the case. You worked harder just to make ends meat, it wasn’t leisure. Well, the IRS doesn’t & will never give af so as a result some people went into different tax brackets and owed depending on how they filed. It just doesn’t make sense because now this year tax filing was adjusted…

[User] For inflation, but not the previous years? Taxes are really f&$@ed up, I hate it so much. The idea of taxes versus how it actually is used doesn’t benefit the people at all. I just feel like most are just Tax Slaves atp. 😒

[Assistant] For the record, I don’t speak on the behalf of the rich and wealthy. So if this didn’t apply to you, then that must be nice. I just know a lot of people said “this is the most money I ever made in my life and I’m still struggling/broke.”


[User]
So, the same people who are concerned about brown kids sneaking fentanyl across the southern border because we need to “protect our [white] children at any cost” are hunky-dory with the Kennedy nutter bragging that a little heroin made him a better student in college?

I feel healthier already.

[Assistant] Sounds about white to me.

[User] That's just the brain worm talking.

[Assistant] Top of his class, that worm.

[User]
*rocks out*

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

[Assistant] A little heroin never hurt the white kids, I guess. Out of all the Kennedys, he got to live, which proves that our nation is cursed.


[User] Grasses. Biometar 80/2.8. Is there an #oldlens hashtag on here?

[Assistant] Gorgeous.. the season of the  browns is upon us 🤎

[User] Yep, the colours stop shouting and, especially on frosty mornings, merely whisper.

[Assistant] Muted tones..


[User]
"We don't care about people's feelings"

Now here is a genuine humanitarian.

[User] The idea that MTG and Boebert were re-elected is just as bad, if not more, than any other election result of recent memory... Just why are people so blinded to who and what they are?

[Assistant] Absolutely... I thought after seeing their chaotic performances the first 2 yrs, the voters would have surely ended their reign of terror. But alas, the voters must not be much different than the candidates.


[User]
I love contemporary renditions of hymns, either as stripped down acoustic sets or with the full praise band.

I *DO NOT* love when people are like "the original hymn tune is lame, let's do a new tune to this hymn for our contemporary rendition." 🕯

[Assistant]
Come Ye Thankful People Come should only be set to St. George's Windsor.

Let the reader understand.

[User] There is nothing wrong with the old tunes!

[Assistant] Don't forget adding an unnecessary chorus because only one kind of song structure is acceptable apparently.


[User] About six of Keir Starmer’s cabinet ministers have some current awareness/visibility for a quarter of the public.

[Assistant] So what ?

[User] So most of the population is totally apathetic.

[Assistant] I don’t have a problem with this. Let them all remain anonymous and get on with putting right the mess the previous lot made without distractions.


[User]
I went to bed. Woke up in the middle of the night because the brain said, "Get this out of your head or not going back to sleep."

So future meow meow adopt??

We'll see, goodnight.

[Assistant]
Ur anatomy is amazing even in sketch form. Super jelly xD

Excited to see the end results!

[User] This is just a sketch and it's already looking amazing. But i'm curious: Is this Procreate or Clip Studio? I use Ibis Paint X and i'm still trying to guess what are the best brushes for lineart.

[Assistant] At least your brain puts useful things in there.  Mine just replays jingles from bad advertising, over and over.


[User] This Weibo post here captured very well why a lot of netizens are genuinely grieving the death of Li Keqiang. His passing has reminded people that the more open and fast growing era of China that Li, whose premiership started in 2013, came to represent has now gone with him.

[Assistant] Netizens also shared this book cover of the Due Process of Law by English judge Baron Denning. Li was one of the original translators of the book. China claims that it's striving for rule of law in recent years but many people feel it's actually going on the opposite path.

[User] “Yangtze River and Yellow River do not flow backward”, a phrase said by Li in 2022 to assure the public that China will continue to open up and reform, has gone viral on social media. Li, to many, was the only Xi-era top official who still preached the liberal economic policy.

[Assistant]
Li's death has brought a sense of hopelessness and exhaustion. This post resonated with a lot of people online yesterday before it was deleted.

"How many people saw themselves today. For ten years you tried everything you can to hold on but just kept losing."


[User]
Behavior change processes unfold in steps, each with the potential to disrupt progress if not addressed effectively. Example: many people, especially those aged 30 and older rely heavily on cars for work and leisure while underutilizing public transport options. Steps and hurdles to
for change are:

[Assistant]
Step 1: Perception
Seen & heard
	•	Public transport offerings and prices are not well-known.
	•	There is a lack of information.

[User]
Step 2: Reception
Recognized & understood
	•	No objective comparison of alternatives (offerings and costs).
	•	Prejudices about public transport prevent consideration.

[Assistant]
Step 3: Acceptance
Agreed & desired
	•	Public transport doesn’t feel like a good fit for some.
	•	People justify their choices with excuses and resist change.

[User]
Step 4: Implementation
Tried & experienced
	•	Ticketing systems are too complex.
	•	Operating hours are too short.
	•	Service intervals are too long.
	•	These “deficiencies” discourage regular use.

[Assistant]
Step 5: Habitualization
Maintained & lived
	•	Regular public transport users emerge through conviction or habit.
	•	Change is eventually perceived as a personal and societal benefit.


[User] This excellent thread has really reminded me of my favourite example of a self-published author from my days working at Books Etc in the Festival Hall, where we would get regular visits from legendary poet and musician Ivor Cutler.

[Assistant] Ivor had self-published several collections of his poems in the form of tiny card-bound books - this was some time before the boom in tiny gift books sparked by the astonishing success of the Little Book of Calm. We used to have a dedicated table of them in one corner and they sold very well.

[User] But Ivor used to drive the manager crazy because he would come in to restock and sign the books at random times, and would then hang out chatting with the staff for hours. I had no idea at the time who he was, so he just seemed like your mad drunk Scottish uncle at Christmas.

[Assistant] The manager would eventually have to gently usher him out of the door saying "my staff have work to do". But that was how he got so much goodwill from us in stocking these books - which was something we'd almost never do for self-published authors.

[User] Sadly the manager was eventually replaced by someone else, who took a look at the sales figures and unceremoniously informed Ivor that we could no longer justify having his books on a special display. Sales dried up and eventually we stopped stocking them at all.

[Assistant] So the lesson for self-published authors is that without a big publishing house behind you, it's a tough, tough world out there if you want to be sold in bookshops. These days online sales and POD have changed the nature of the game quite a bit, though.


[User] Drop something BLUE 🔵🖤

[Assistant] Drop something BLUE 🔵🖤

[User]
"Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65
One of those earworms from the 1990s that never leaves you...

[User] Tis the season and it’s freezing here today…

[Assistant] Mulholland Drive (2001)


[User] Do I have it in me to get a costume ready for Gally Cab?

[Assistant] Alternatively I could order one of these gorgeous pieces?

[Assistant] This exact costume idea won last Gally Cab!


[User]
Conditionally Activatable Chimeras for Tumor-Specific Membrane Protein Degradation.
Liu H, Fu Z, Han Y, Fang Y, Shen W, Chen Z, Zhu R, Zhang H, Chen PR.
J Am Chem Soc. 2024 Nov 19.
doi: 10.1021/jacs.4c06160. Epub ahead of print.
PMID: 39561381.

[Assistant] Recent advancements in membrane protein degraders (MPDs) have expanded the use of proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) to target previously "undruggable" cell-surface proteins.

[User] Here: introduction of a conditionally activatable membrane protein degrader (Pro-MPD) to decrease off-target degradation and toxicity.

[Assistant] => Biparatopic nanobodies + tumor-specific cell-penetrating peptide => effectively degradation PD-L1 in tumor sites, reactivates T cells, and inhibits tumor growth, offering a safer, more efficient approach for in vivo applications.


[User] ggplot2 author @teunbrand.bsky.social about tidyplots:

[Assistant]
Tidyplot = democratising ggplot2 use for publication-ready plots.

Tidyplot builds upon ggplot2 by providing a more intuitive and streamlined syntax. Lowers the barrier to creating professional-grade plots, Tidyplot effectively democratizes the use of ggplot2 for producing publication-ready plots.

[User] I've always wondered what people mean by publication-ready plots. Or proffessional-grade, for that matter. Would you care to elaborate?

[Assistant] while I view ggplot2 as the gold standard for a high degree of customization, its many parameters can overwhelm beginners. Packages like tidyplots or ggpubr streamline the process, making plot creation easier, more accessible, and thus faster for novices and advanced users alike.

[User] and (in my view) what sets tidyplots apart is its focus on aesthetics, incorporating best practices for visually appealing plots. Combined with its easy-to-use syntax, it stands out among publication-ready packages.

[Assistant] Yes I understand the lower barrier for new users, but that seems more process than outcome oriented to me. So when people say 'publication ready', they mean that the visualisation follows best practises and is appealing?

[User] depends on how you define process and outcome. ggplot2 lays the foundation (syntax and grammar), allowing you to create any plot in any way you want. Tidyplots or ggpubr build on ggplot2's visualization rules, simplifying the process and enabling a standardized and faster desired outcome.

[Assistant] you could, in essence, use ggplot2 to create the same plots that tidyplots and co enable, but it would take you longer, and the result might not look the same. That's what those packages bring to the table.

[User] As working definitions, let's take 'process = work to get from wrangled data to plot file' and 'outcome = the plot file', where 'plot file' is some saved instance of a rendered plot (svg/png/etc). I'm still confused that 'publication ready' would be a quality of the process rather than the outcome.

[Assistant] I think you have a point here. The goal of tidyplots is to "make it easier to generate publication-ready plots". Not to "enable" their generation. This is all process rather than outcome.

[User] I think this is a good goal, especially for scientists who focus on data collection rather than data analysis. They'd want to be able to visualise their results without investing a lot of time in learning the minutiae of base R / ggplot2 for example.

[Assistant] I hope to trick them into becoming R experts once they’re hooked 😂

[User] Let me think a minutes about the outcome part.

[Assistant] data -(a)-> plot -(b)-> save. a = process, b = outcome. to get the desired result (publication-ready), you visualize your data (a). ggplot2 gives you a set of rules on how to do this. Standardizing (=you always get the desired visual result) and simplifying (=it's easier&faster) is part of (a).

[User] When focussing on the plot file, I think fixed absolute dimensions (e.g. mm) help to achieve consistent proportions between font size and plot elements. This makes it a lot easier to achieve visual consistency in multi-panel figures. Especially when some panels are not generated in ggplot2.

[Assistant] Yes, I agree that fixed dimensions are very useful. Hopefully that will be easier in a future release of ggplot2!


[User] I do love that my seminary is enthusiastically promoting one of our alums who’s on Jeopardy, but I’m wondering what it would be like to highlight other alumni achievements…

[Assistant] “Everyone congratulate Fr. Steve, who today convinced his vestry to use the town garbage collection service rather than dividing up the trash and taking it home.”

[User] “We heartily congratulate Mtr. Beth for her recent successes in both welcoming six new regular parishioners last year in addition to having her children at school on time at least 85% of the time.”

[Assistant] “All best wishes to Chaplain Gregorio who has made enough progress in therapy to not quit ministry after his last toxic call!”

[User] “Our faculty and staff are proud to share that Mtr. Alex has managed to host Thanksgiving this year with zero fist fights or law enforcement interventions! It’s wonderful to see our alumni succeed!”

[Assistant] “All of our best to Fr. Jacob for managing to successfully refrain from dropping curse words on a hot mic, at least since that one incident with the thurible on All Souls! Well done, Father!”


[User] Not sure what's worse: Unity popping up to remind people how scummy of a business they are, or people who don't ship games popping up to smugly remark "why is anyone still using Unity" like they're the smartest people on the planet.

[Assistant] Guy who hasn't been working on the same project in one engine and one language for years on end, and who doesn't have to worry about losing time and money investing energy into re-building new pipelines and workflows in a whole new format: "well...just don't use Unity, problem solved 😏"

[User] Yup. Retraining a hundred engineers in an entirely different language and engine, let alone rebuilding dozens of SDKs, reconnecting to external APIs, rebuilding entire asset pipelines... trivial if you just want it enough 😎

[Assistant] If you can afford to jump ship and swap ecosystems you should, but just keep in mind the nuance that "just change ecosystems" is a huge task and costly proposition for a vast majority of developers.

[User] Rock and a hard place. I rely on Unity for almost every good paying job I've had, and all reliable work that I manage to snag as a freelancer is in Unity as well. In this current economy asking someone to ditch something they are an expert at while it's still your family's only source of income...

[Assistant] Yeah unless someone is going to pay me to adopt, learn and build things in a whole new engine I'm really not able to simply jump ship that easily.


[User]
As I sit here this morning getting blocked by paywalls about the Katy ISD book ban, I think about how my husband said couldn't access news yesterday.

This is a part of why we are losing the information war. I get that we don't have billionaire backers, but we can't expect everyone to pay for info.

[Assistant]
This is why the work independent media sources like my favorites: @meidastouch.bsky.social , @briantylercohen.bsky.social , and @podsaveamerica.bsky.social  are so important.

Podcasts and YouTube videos bring news to the public without a cost. Similar to Fox and Twitter.

[User] We have to be able to reach beyond a paywall, friends! The amount of news asking me for money is similar to the number of streaming apps people need. And while I may be able to afford the "luxory" of getting accurate information, others don't. I don't have the answers, but we have to do better.

[Assistant] Anyway, that was my rant for the day. Heading to see Wicked now. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk. 😅


[User]
I finally put together a playlist of all the youtube videos I've used whilst teaching myself how to use Blender! Big shout out to Eve Sculpts for being the person who made videos that finally made everything click for me! #Blender #Blendernewbie
youtube.com/playlist?lis...

[Assistant] As the playlist name suggests there's no donut tutorials because honestly when I tried that tutorial years ago it left me with a donut and no idea how to implement those steps into making other things!

[Assistant]
Ooooo!!! Thank you!!
Saving this playlist, you are a lifesaver! 💖


[User]
#MLB is broken
Besides the examples of 2 x franchises playing in minor league parks for years and TV deals falling like leaves in the fall, the competition no longer exists. There are 8 to 10 teams that can afford to compete, and 20 others who do not matter. That's not a healthy league. It's broken.

[Assistant] I'm not sure it's fair to point to two franchises playing in MiLB stadia. It's not the #Rays fault mother nature took out their park. Granted the development negotiations just got ugly, but the need to play at Steinbrenner Field this year isn't their fault.

[User] MLB teams should pay for their own stadiums.

[Assistant] We agree on that. But the fact is, few major pro sports teams pay for their own stadia.


[User]
The Australia we arrived to in 1989 felt like a very different place than it does today.

Hawke was prime minister, the nation was talking about its place in Asia and we felt welcomed.

When you are forced from your homelands, the welcome you receive can make or break your life.

[Assistant] Today, Labor is passing 3 brutal bills that will ban people coming here from certain countries, force deportations, track people with monitoring devices, create offshore detention hell holes that people will linger and perish in - all because they were forced to leave their homelands.

[User]
Who is Labor anymore?

Not the party that welcomed us, that’s for sure.

[Assistant] Another worthy Greens block!!


[User] Ooh I appear to be in the same meeting as @mattrosser.bsky.social. Worlds collide.

[Assistant] I just had the very same thought. Hello!

[User] Hello! Hope you're interested in hearing about the Proms.. assuming we get that far!

[Assistant] My note-taking pen is poised.

[User] I enjoyed that. And then I got dragged away to a tx-related thing.

[Assistant] Thank you. And oh boo. Hope it's sorted now.


[User]
Women are better traders than men, which is supported by various studies & statistics.

Yet men trust female traders less, due to bias, societal norms, judgments & media exposure. Success stories of male traders are often more publicized. So why are women better traders?
👇👇

[Assistant] 1/ Risk Management: Women tend to be more risk-averse than men, which can lead to more cautious and calculated investment decisions. This careful approach often results in more stable returns over time.

[User] 2/Less Overconfidence: Studies suggest that men are more prone to overconfidence in their trading abilities, which can lead to excessive trading and risk-taking. Women, on the other hand, tend to be more realistic, which leads to more prudent decision-making.

[Assistant] 3/ Research and Patience: Women often spend more time researching and understanding their investments before making decisions. This thorough approach can lead to better-informed choices and improved outcomes.

[User] 4/ Emotional Discipline: Women may exhibit better emotional control in volatile markets, avoiding impulsive decisions driven by fear or greed.

[Assistant]
5/ And at the end of this THREAD I realized, I'm a man.

Follow me for more trading psychology advice.


[User] Felt I might as well join in on this one!

[Assistant] 1. I joined early on thanks to being invited here through an invite code. Ever since, this has been my go-to over Twitter after I ditched the site.

[User] 2. Aside from Bluesky, you can also find me on YouTube, GameJolt, Deviantart, Tumblr and Newgrounds!

[Assistant] 3. After the apparent data leak that happened over there, I pretty much ditched Twitter outright and terminated my account. I wasn't gonna stick around on there, especially not with their AI-scraping and fearmongering.


[User] The reason why there can be no real discourse on LinkedIn and people can’t be their full selves is bc everything you post is an extension of your resume and the hiring managers are watching.

[Assistant]
Yes! Yet hiring managers can just as easily read twitter, mastodon, bluesky, etc, but I guess the difference is that over on LinkedIn it *feels* like they are watching at all times.

It's not like something said over here cannot aversely affect a career a great deal. But it just feels less so?

[User] Yeah it’s not directly attached. I also think that formats like Twitter and BkueSky are a lot to sift through. Every time I post on LI, a lot of people at my company read it. Some don’t engage w/the post but they’ll slack me about a quote that they liked.

[Assistant]
At yesterday's TPMA.ca meetup, one of the speakers spoke about introducing video at Fishbowl and Glassdoor, which kills that anonymity.

Waiting to see what happens to that community since their traditional demographic is a cautious high burnout group.

[User] This is the main reason why LinkedIn never made full sense to me. Social media and resume don’t really mix lol. I get the purpose is networking, but it always felt weird 😂

[Assistant]
today linkedin just feels like facebook but the ads are work related and the ai posts are career related.

🤷♂

[User] Imagine that you have the entire professional network captive and you decide to build Facebook.

[Assistant] How sets out to build Facebook now a days 😂

[User] I think this is a false labeling of “real” discourse. Having some natural inhibiting pressures that keep it from becoming Jerry Springer doesn’t make it less real.

[Assistant] It’s not so much that things can devolve into Jerry Springer but the self promotion and performative smartness that makes the interaction inauthentic. That’s why LI is so cringe.


[User]
Attempting to understand Prospit and Derse... here we go again.

Prospit dreamers are completely content with their classpect. It comes naturally to them and it makes sense in their heads and their hearts.  It makes sense that all Space players are Prospit dreamers; everyone wants to create.

[Assistant] Derse dreamers are not okay with their classpect, it's not what comes naturally to them (or they don't perceive it as such), and there's some part of it that really clashes with who they (think they) are. It makes sense then that all Time players are Derse dreamers; nobody wants to be destined-

[User]
to destroy.

Think about it. Like how Rose was destroying everything when she entered the Medium (maybe what a Witch of Void would do), or how Dirk hates that he's such a destructive force to his friends. Roxy doesn't understand how she has to create something from nothing, it doesn't come-

[Assistant] naturally to her. And Dave- well. Dave is the most "I don't want to play this role" of all of them. He just wants to be the Dave of Guy, and I can empathize with that.


[User] Looking for help locating two things for my final Legislation and Regulation class of the semester: (1) a blog post or something I could easily edit down on possibilities for a post-Loper Bright future, and (2) a short explainer on the Schedule F stuff. Thanks!

[Assistant]
Good breakdown of Loper Bright by @chrisjwalker.bsky.social: www.yalejreg.com/nc/what-lope...

This is a great Schedule F explainer by @donmoyn.bsky.social: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/what-you-n...

[User] And this is a good piece on Loper Bright’s implications in my area of regulatory policy/law: health care. www.publichealthlawcenter.org/commentary/2....

[Assistant] I have a draft of an essay on the law of Schedule F in case it is useful. I'll shoot you an email in a minute.


[User] Four games you wish you could experience for the first time again.

[Assistant]
Pokemon: that fucking Christmas morning high that I've been chasing for a quarter century.

Bloodlines: for the hotel and park/observatory levels. Aka the "welcome to the food chain, vampire" sections.

P4G and SH2: Some of the best story writing and painful reveals, twists and turns.

[User] Downloaded P4G just yesterday, very excited to play!

[Assistant] Not to sound dramatic or anything, but I medically require periodic updates once you start playing or I may explode. I need to live vicariously through ye!


[User] Love this idea @yukfunwow.bsky.social 🐾

[Assistant] should be fun! Did a similar event at a bookshop local to us in Hove and it was really nice. Wonder if the Londoners will be as friendly 😅

[User] Hope so! Would've loved to have popped down for it.

[Assistant] Yeah I'm sure they'll all be lovely. Maybe next time eh!


[User]
So the cease-fire:

- was signed by an Israeli govt largely disavowed by its population and a Lebanese govt that is a legal fiction;

- concerns a Hezbollah that is effectively leaderless;

- and is guaranteed by a US prez who is an actual lame duck and a French prez who is a functional lame duck.

[Assistant] In the POLYCRISIS world this is a rock solid foundation.

[User] It's the DOGE of cease-fires.

[Assistant] I would like to know who ensures the pull back by Hezbollah and or the IDF.

[User] I think there is room for optimism. It's a change in the trajectory that has been developing for 14 months. In the end of the day, both sides have a vested interest in allowing the civilian populations to return to their homes. The previous ceasefire in 2006 essentially held for 18 years.

[Assistant] The previous one in Lebanon under similar actors  (Bush 2nd term, IL PM Olmert %0 support in polls etc.)  lasted for 17 years which by ME standards is eternity- so with a bit of luck...


[User] Last night we opened Carlos Acosta's Nutcracker in Havana at Richmond Theatre. Not an inch of free space backstage, but the team pulled it off brilliantly. The man next to me was as much a joy to watch as the show - he twinkled with delight, wiped away tears and yelled for more.

[Assistant] But for me the biggest joy was taking a show I've produced to the venue that gave me my 1st theatre job; seeing Lorna, Patrick & Emma who I worked with there 20 years ago; and seeing Dan, now Technical Manager there, who I've known since he was about 10 years old.

[User] But for me the biggest joy was taking a show I've produced to the venue that gave me my 1st theatre job; catching up with Karin who gave me that job; seeing Lorna, Patrick & Emma who I worked with there 20 years ago, & Dan, now Technical Manager there, who I've known since he was about 10 years old.

[Assistant] huge congratulations! there’s nothing like returning to that first theatre 💕


[User] "Hizbullah will move its fighters north of the Litani river, about 30km from the border with Israel, which will gradually withdraw its own forces...The Lebanese army will deploy around 5,000 soldiers..monitored by a panel of five countries" www.economist.com/middle-east-...

[Assistant] "As for Hizbullah, its leadership has been largely wiped out this year, including Hassan Nasrallah, its charismatic boss for more than three decades. It has lost much of its advanced missile arsenal and its military infrastructure in south Lebanon" www.economist.com/middle-east-...

[User] And the UN troops?

[Assistant] Lets see how long this will last, im not particularly hopefull given the fact the Unifil mission has failed since '78. And somehow 5k Lebanese soldiers which are partly ruled by Hezbollah would somehow manage this. Unless they turn it into a DMZ or something 🤷♂


[User]
I unfollow everyone, absolutely everyone, who shares or forwards AI content. No exceptions. I refuse to take part in the normalization generative AI, as it preys on copyrighted material and wastes huge resources.

Feel free to share this, if you agree. If you don't, feel free to shut the hell up.

[Assistant] I should add that starting any argument under this post will result in mute/block and nothing more.

[User]
Not sure if this should fall in the category of shut up.. but something clearly marked as AI generation is ok(ish). From my point of view.

However, AI-content that is shared intentionally giving the impression that it's real deserves a block. Or ban from the internet, were it up to me.

[Assistant] And I completely understand you - so please don't mute me - or feel free to do so If you really wish 😁

[User] Not here to argue just sincerely asking bc as a CS student it's hard to understand what is meant by AI content? AI is a very vague term & in our field it's not clearly defined what it actually stands for. For me it means something that is capable of learning, for some it's autocorrect. Is content...

[Assistant]
...considered AI produced if it's translated using AI tools? Is it AI content if an LLM is used to check typos and improve sentence structure?

I don't mean to be a devil's advocate, just want to understand where we draw the line. Automated posts generated by LLM clearly cross that line, what else?

[User] Or did you simply mean any use of any LLM that is trained by copyrighted content? In that case it might be better to refer to LLM instead of AI, although nowadays it sadly seems to be used as a synonym. Anyhow, I agree that training LLMs without permission of the authors is very unethical.

[Assistant] I should've been more clear. I mean content that is AI generated, such as AI generated images or videos, text produced via ChatGPT, etc. Anything that uses and thereby supports these tools, which are trained on copyrighted material and use immense resources to generate.

[User] I should add that I agree that the use of the 'AI' is very unclear these days (and I think the lack of clarity serves the interests of the AI industry; if everything is lumped under the AI banner, it makes the problematic uses less transparent).

[Assistant] This is true, it can be used to mislead users. Also because it's so vague it can be added on top of anything that uses algorithms that automate processes and sell those gadgets high-tech AI gadgets 🙄

[User] Yep. It's also funny that in the games industry the term 'AI' has been misused for decades (like 'enemy ai', when it's just a simple model reacting to player actions). And people have been trying to correct this, but it still sticks.

[Assistant] ...actually maybe not within the industry so much as among players and videogame media. But the point remains.

[User] Haha, this is so true 😆 What really bugs me beside the vagueness of the term "AI" is the use of the word "algorithm". I hear people blaming algorithms and saying how evil they are... What they often mean is the recommender systems, those can be very manipulative. But sure, blame all algorithms 😑

[Assistant] Ok, I got it now. I too think OpenAI has been using unethical methods training its LLMs & I too worry about the environmental impact of the genAI tools, especially those image generators. I wish there would be an ethical LLM, I believe it could be possible. Still the societal impact aspect stays...


[User] They love doing blackface. As if the use of a.i. won't and can't be easily spotted.

[Assistant] I looked thru a few of your blocked folks and noticed that…

[User] You see the accounts that haven't said anything? As far as i can tell those are their sock puppet accounts. Also a way to evade blocking. So they can still see people's posts and copy an paste like i did with the one up top.

[Assistant] Keep checking the list though. I'm human like anyone else. :)

[User] Yes I have a bunch of followers to vet. That’s why the lists help. Thank you enormously. 👍

[Assistant] You are welcome. :)


[User]
A great doc on CTE & combat sports, and the complicated relationships between risks & rewards for MMA fighters.

Also an insight on why, even for people that I objectively loathe, I refuse to joke about CTE.

youtu.be/EU4AhFFSlLg?...

[Assistant] Like, the only time I felt anything other than contempt for the dentist is when she said that she'd had a mini stroke. That shit sucks - she's younger than me & in way better shape. And in wrestling, unfortunately, we've seen where that can lead in worst cases.

[User] That's also why I hate faked injury angles. That shit has ended careers prematurely - hell, it's ended LIVES prematurely. Using "oh no, I have suffered permanent brain damage" as your excuse plot for taking a vacation in this day & age is callous at best.

[Assistant] I think there's a change in how football fans treat it. Lane Johnson - the best right tackle in football - was seriously depressed so he took time off from the Eagles. He got pretty much universal support, I think not least because people understand his job is being hit in the head.

[User] There seems to be some changes of attitude, but in football in particular, I still see a lot of "what a big bunch of babies" comments whenever someone tries to take care of their health. But that it's not universal is an improvement.

[Assistant] It'll always exist but there's a lot less patience for it, yeah.


[Assistant] Ah yes, famously ISPs not having near/total monopoly of areas, as to why customers don't simply switch. Nope. Nu-uh.

[User] Time for Canadian ISPs to provide pirate ISP services: run underground and under lake cables into northern US states; rogue microwave, 5G, and WiFi masts.  Canadian / US exchange rates would make Internet services cheaper for the Yanks pourquoi pas, eh?

[Assistant] How about, because the process of quitting is so difficult?


[User]
Good point by @drpops.bsky.social - I don't *have* to go.

I choose to go, because I think I can justify the emissions of the flight with my input to stronger future IPCC reports which help strengthen future agreements.

Whether that's true or not is a valid debate. 1/ 🧵

[Assistant] I would argue that a future without any IPCC would be a huge net loss.  Clearly, international agreements are strengthened without strong assessments.  But could the IPCC reduce its emissions?  Yes, probably. 2/ www.nature.com/articles/d41...

[User]
So - what should an individual scientist do, if they think they have important contributions and have the opportunity to go, but are concerned about the emissions?  There are basically 2 choices:
3/

[Assistant] Choice 1 - suck it up and go. Participate in the IPCC model as it currently is, which increasingly means travel outside Europe.  Use the platform to strengthen science and argue for a more hybrid model. 4/

[User] Choice 2 - make a stand.  Say you won't participate in IPCC activities until they reduce their emissions.  Do you science within the boundaries of a personally sustainable carbon footprint. 5/

[Assistant] Both of these approaches are good and valid - and I respect people making either decision.  I chose the former, this time, because I think the IPCC matters and strong input, right now, to the GST is a critical precursor for shifting the needle globally. 6/

[User] But in order to make that justification work, you have to assert that you believe that *your own* impact on the assessment quality can improve it.  That obviously can be true, but it's not automatic.  For my part - I'll try my best.  /end/

[Assistant]
P.s. Someone in the TSU idly said to me, "we invited you, but don't bitch abt the flight on Twitter".

Well, it's not technically Twitter...


[User] Mishal Husain has quit the BBC.

[Assistant] Can she replace Ali Miraj please?

[User] That is a serious loss. Following a great many others.

[Assistant] Getting hollowed out.

[User] Alan Partridge touted as replacement.

[Assistant] Wow! I didn't expect that!

[User] This is sad news. She is the best ‘Today’ presenter & interviewer by far.

[Assistant] I agree.


[User] It’s 2041. Thanks to the best farm system in baseball, the upstart Jays have a dynamite core and the best chance of winning the World Series in 20 years. The only problem? A 41 year old Juan Soto is taking up $57m of payroll.

[Assistant] Love the optimism that there will be a 2041!

[User] I think the Brockmire vision of the future is most likely now.

[Assistant] *nods but has no idea what that means*


[User]
T E R N O P I L  REGION 🇺🇦

Medobory Nature Reserve is a nature conservation area in the Ternopil Region of Ukraine, which covers parts of the Husyatynskyi and Pidvolochyskyi districts.

[Assistant]
2/

The reserve was created to preserve the unique natural complexes of Podilskyi Tovtr, as well as the rich gene pool of plants and animals. Its territory covers both forest and steppe areas with karst caves, springs and picturesque rock formations.

[User]
3/

The flora and fauna of the reserve is rich and diverse: more than 1,000 plant species, of which 44 are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. The animal world is also represented by numerous species, among which 34 are under protection, in particular the badger, stag beetle and small horseshoe crab.

[Assistant]
4/

The flora and fauna of the reserve is rich and diverse: more than 1,000 plant species, of which 44 are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. The animal world is also represented by numerous species, among which 34 are under protection, in particular the badger, stag beetle and small horseshoe crab.

[User]
5/

Pagan sanctuaries of the 10th-13th centuries were discovered on this territory. The most famous find is the Zbruch idol, an ancient symbol of Slavic culture, found near the Bogyt mountain.

[Assistant]
6/

"Medobory" is an ideal place for those who want to feel the majesty of nature, touch history or take incredible photos. Whether you are looking for peace or just a beautiful place to walk, the reserve is definitely worth a visit.


[User]
Cheering it on...
Just made a third bowl of popcorn...

[User] Nice one!

[Assistant] Enjoy your popcorn!


[Assistant] How is ruble doing rn?


[User] Right ! I gotta go get the deserts and the pans 😭

[Assistant] Good luck! Them pans be hard to find after awhile 😩

[User] Right !!! I only need two so say a little prayer for me & i just realized i forgot the rolls 🤣


[User] In a very superficial way.

[Assistant] A simple yes or no would have sufficed.

[User] Sorry if I have annoyed you.

[Assistant] You have!


[User] We shot this in May 2024 without realising it would prompt the start of The Bare Project. On a pleasant spring morning I convinced ‘Mrs Bare’ that we should head out and shoot some natural self portraits of ourselves in nature..

[Assistant] Being a 45 year old mother, she was both surprised and elated with how well the shots turned out. Ideas were thrown around throughout the remainder of the day and the project began..

[User] We wanted to use our photography to promote body acceptance and positivity to others who may not be feeling great about themselves. The number 1 rule was no body shape editing in any of the photos otherwise, what’s the point?!

[Assistant] So we started getting friends, friends of friends etc on board who all loved the concept behind the shots so much, they were happy to be involved. We’ve shot ages from 24 up to 54, male and female and have loved every shoot!


[User]
Checked out some of the newish games on Nso

Mercs for the genesis is a fairly standard top down run n gun from capcom, it continues the lineage from games like Commando. It's kind of forgettable but I do think its cool that it has 2 games in one. The arcade mode and a console original mode.

[Assistant] Super Mario Land 1 is a very nostalgic game for me so I was excited to boot it up. I'm happy to say it's still fun, though not as good as 2, the soundtrack and enemy designs are a highlight. It also introduced Sarasaland and Princess Daisy, theres untapped potential for a new game set here.

[User] All 3 of the Starfy games are wonderful. Cute designs, nice music, and the gameplay has a kirby vibe. It's really cool to have all 3 easily available to play. It is a huge bummer that they still haven't been translated. There's a decent amount of dialog and I have no idea whats going on.

[Assistant] You at least won't have to deal with language barriers on my team's upcoming Starfy fangame!


[User]
I need someone to explain to me why BS isn’t riddled with bots already. Does it take time for bot farms to get on a new platform?

I assume bots are automated and you just use APIs, no?

[Assistant] One reason is that bots are created to get results of some kind. BS being smaller than other platforms means engagement metrics look smaller, at least at first. Also, unless bots can be amplified by an algorithm bots can exploit, it makes their job harder.

[User] But isn’t the cost of spinning a bit so low that it’s worth just experimenting? Or am I oversimplifying?

[Assistant] It’ll happen and is happening. When I’ve looked closely at my new followers I’ve noticed many bots. Some come in a flock with slightly different profiles. Soon enough BS will have more tools to help spot and zap the bots. Meanwhile, early users just block.


[User]
Some generalized design questions. Assume for the moment we have have a user, Alice, on the fediverse or a fediverse-like platform.

1. Who should have the ability to prevent Alice's posts from showing up in public timelines?

2. Who should have the right to prevent Alice's posts from showing […]

[Assistant]
Now that we've decided on who has the _right_, what is the _frequency you'd expect each to happen_?

What circumstances would you judge it to be fair?

Are there limits on these rights, or are they absolute?

[User]
@hrefna 1. T&S team chosen by the user reading the public timeline.

2. No one.

3. Alice.

4. Alice.

The only interesting nontrivial part is not public timelines or followers but replies Alice has attached to other people's posts.

[Assistant] @dalias @hrefna I would add Alice also to 1 and 2: They should be able to direct a post to followers only, and shadowban their followers.

[User]
@dalias Including the person or people who host the data?

Including the person or people who transmit the data?

Including the person or people who hold the data on behalf of someone else?

Does the answer change if there are legal obligations in play?

Does the answer change if there are […]

[Assistant] @hrefna I guess by "delete" I mean semantically delete rather than "refuse to host or relay". If a hosting party refuses to host, Alice should still be able to make the post visible to people who want it through other channels. Only Alice should be able to semantically deleted it.

[User] @dalias From a protocol standpoint, how are those different?

[Assistant] @hrefna Well I'm speaking about how a protocol should work, not how AP does. "I'm unwilling to host/relay this" and "author deleted it" should be distinguishable states.


[User] I took an old falling apart chair to the recycling centre. I managed to fit it in my car, yank it out and throw it into the dumpster. It was pretty satisfying. If you ever get a chance to throw something large into a dumpster -go for it. Furniture, politician, that one relation.

[Assistant]
my favourite is forgetting to put the recycling out but then getting to lob glass bottles really hard into the recycling bank so they make smashy noises.

sadly politicians don't fit through the holes.

[User] They don't fit through -yet.

[Assistant]
We took a very old, but very large, fish tank/aquarium - so old the joints were unsafe - to the tip. On advice from several experts.
Threw it in with gusto (the fish were rehomed, honest!)
It... bounced.
Didn't even crack.

[User] What? COME ON TANK... we have expectations.

[Assistant]
It was *most* disappointing, as we hauled it over the railing with such gusto.
And... nothing. It just sat there beside a *mass* of debris.
Whole. Sneering at us.


[User] I’m cold come snuggle with me naked under the blankets? 👀

[Assistant] I'm definitely going to fall asleep like that, feel free to use me as you wish 😌

[User] yes please 🥺

[Assistant] Oh so now you wouldn’t kick out that warm handed person? 🤭


[User] 🧵 THREAD: The Snow White of K-pop - aespa Winter's Pre-Debut Story 👑

[Assistant] 1/7 Ever wondered why aespa's Winter was almost named "Snow White"? A recently surfaced pre-debut photo shows exactly why! Her porcelain skin and princess-like features had everyone mesmerized even before her debut 💫

[User] 2/7 Fun fact: Winter's original stage name was going to be "Baek Seol" (literally meaning Snow White in Korean) because of her snow-like complexion! Talk about a perfect fit ❄

[Assistant] 3/7 The pre-debut photos show Winter with straight brows, brunette hair, and minimal makeup. The difference? Her features were softer then, giving her that pure Disney princess charm we rarely see now 👑

[User] 4/7 Plot twist: While she's known for her strong "AI-like" features now, pre-debut Winter had this incredibly innocent and pure aura that fans can't stop talking about! The duality is real 😮

[Assistant] 5/7 Fans are divided - some say she looks exactly the same, while others barely recognize her! The main change? She lost her baby fat, making her features more prominent. But that natural beauty? Still there ✨

[User]
6/7 The best part? Winter could absolutely SLAY both concepts:

• Current AI queen aesthetic
• Innocent Snow White vibes

Talk about versatility! 💅

[Assistant] 7/7 MYs (aespa fans) agree - she could rock an innocent concept just as well as her current fierce image. We love a versatile queen! 👸


[User] Thankful for so many interesting new followers, and thought I ought to properly introduce myself.  Thirty-five year full time freelance writer. I've seen some things!

[Assistant]
In the 90s & aughts, when magazines were healthy & the feature wells deep, I wrote mostly about travel, exploration & technology & often the nexus between them, for Wired, Nat Geo Traveler, Outside, others. Here's one of my favorites:

www.outsideonline.com/adventure-tr...

[User]
For The Lunatic Express, my 2nd book, I traveled 50K miles around the world on its most dangerous buses, trains, planes & boats, including Afghanistan by bus. Story is really about the crowded arteries of the migrating poor.  Always loved this review by Simon Winchester:
www.wsj.com/articles/SB1...

[Assistant] For Savage Harvest, my 2014 book about the disappearance of Michael Rockefeller in New Guinea, I spent a year in archives & months in Asmat, West Papua, learned Bahasa Indonesia & lived in village w no stores, electricity, plumbing, cell w the sons of the men who'd killed him.

[User] Probably the most sublime & transcendent experience of my life.  Book is less about Rockefeller than the Asmat, a complex people under assault from the West.  This is from house where I lived:

[Assistant] 2018's The Last Wild Men of Borneo is about Swiss rainforest activist Bruno Manser & American tribal art dealer Michael Palmieri, & the long Western pursuit of the spiritual treasures of remote indigenous people. I think of it as a thematic sequel to Savage.

[User] In 2020 I changed things up - spending the 2020 presidential campaign living & traveling w the most obsessive MAGA Trumpians for Liar's Circus. Deep dive into WHY the obsession.  Emotionally exhausting. Was sixth in line after 54 hours in the parking lot in Tupelo, Mississippi.

[Assistant] I've just shaken hands on a new book, my sixth, which I'll talk about more soon.  Let's just say fish, oceans, climate change, crime.

[User] Last year I started reviewing non-fiction books for The Washington Post, which is fun.   Here's a ripper: www.washingtonpost.com/books/2024/0...

[Assistant] Anyway, thanks for following and please don't hesitate to say hi!


[User] … for being who I am & not for who someone has made me up to be in their mind.

[Assistant] That part! And it will happen for you :)

[User] I receive it! And the same for you!

[Assistant] Thanks bby :)


[User]
So happy for Lebanon, finally some relief from this nightmare. But my heart aches for Gaza — still burning, still bleeding, still suffering, still enduring relentless destruction.

My joy for Lebanon is real, but it’s bittersweet when so much pain still echoes from Gaza. She's still waiting. 💔

[Assistant] Yet so many people are shamelessly rejoicing over the death and destruction happening in Gaza. They don’t realize that the Zionist regime is not finished with any of the countries in the region as long as they are backed by the evangelical Zionists in America and elsewhere.

[User]
Have the 🇵🇸 people taken over from Hamas?

Or is it still impossible?

[Assistant] I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about how many Gazans are going to still be alive come Ramadan 😞they deserve peace and stability but are surrounded by cowards who are letting this evil happen to them !


[User] Wasn’t stuff like this illegal or something? Or at the very least unenforceable? I thought we did away with junk like this with those of old Microsoft CDs back in the early 2000s.

[Assistant] Maybe I’m thinking of Warranty Void if removed stickers.

[User] There were Microsoft products that said you agreed to things that they didn't print in the box??

[Assistant] I can’t remember what it was specifically but I do recall some CDs and other objects possibly from Dell/Microsoft having these holographic or red labels overtop the edge of a CD sleeve that stated you accepted the terms and conditions by breaking the seal.

[User] Oh true, but in those cases those agreements were in the manual in the box, separate to the jewel case. At least I'd hope so.

[Assistant] That is always the hope.


[User] 1/ In August 2022, Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former footballer, along with Sozar Subari and several other members, formally left GD to establish "People's Power." The group claimed their purpose was to reveal "the truth that 'Georgian Dream' could not tell" about the West.

[Assistant] 2/ From its inception, "People's Power" adopted a distinctly pro-Russian rhetoric but maintained that they did not intend to oppose "Georgian Dream."

[User] 3/ The party actively criticized Georgia's Western partners, particularly the US. They made controversial claims, such as blaming the Georgian government in 2008 for failing to prevent the war and calling for an investigation into the matter.

[Assistant] 4/ They also expressed "serious questions about the role of the United States in the 2008 war."


[User] I am ignorant about much of the influencer ecosystem, so I learned a lot from @miasato.bsky.social fascinating article. Could be a fun text in various LIS classes.

[Assistant] I just assigned this to my social media class for next week! So fascinating.

[User] Truly! I'll be curious what you're students think!

[Assistant] I will let you know! 😊


[User] Please everyone block this AI avatar engagement hacker. He’s going straight into the block lists.

[Assistant] And everyone block this bot that immediately liked the post and followed me.

[User] Why block him? I took a brief surf through his activity and found nothing to get excited about....

[Assistant] Do you understand what engagement hacking is?

[User] No, not in depth. And a brief Google search didn't educate me beyond "using other people's content to boost own engagement".

[Assistant] @subscriberverify.bsky.social - how are you so lightening quick to react to random and follow?

[User] It’s a bot.

[Assistant] I know 😀. I am testing if I will get a response. I assume no, and then I block and invite others to block.

[User] Corect. Spamming memes, follow trains (with hashtags, emojis), automated mass follow/unfollow and bot followers. All the shit they were doing on the fascist site that they just dragged over here. To peddle influence, sell ads, beg for money and other scams.

[Assistant] I agree with the sentiment strongly and, broadly, with the specifics. But surely then you will have to block hundreds and hundreds of people? What you are describing appears to be the way of social media today....

[User] Hundreds of thousands as a bare minimum. Probably millions. But the worse offenders that do 90% of the harm are a much more manageable number, probably in the hundreds.

[Assistant] The label ‘AI Avatar or Banner’ on the profile - on what device/system is it visible?


[User] One of the best things we can do to fight racism, *especially* as white people who have benefited from it our whole lives (yes, even if we've been poor or homeless--we still have benefits not extended to others simply because of our whiteness) is to challenge our own racism.

[Assistant] I still firmly believe we all have racism in us. We might not intend to be this way, and the best of us are actively working every day not to ever give in to those tendencies, but it's there. Our culture is one which promotes white as right, superior, and best.

[User] Only when we see it in ourselves and work in active defiance of it, can we really start to make a real and positive change in the world. Same for sexism, ableism, and so on. Confront your prejudice. Fight it. And do better always.

[Assistant]
On this anniversary of the Christchurch attacks, I feel it's important to remember that fighting racism and prejudice is a daily fight, and it starts from within. We can all always do better, and that is a worthy thing to strive for. 💕 Love more. Fear less.

Be the change.


[User]
An offering from the #ghostsoap vault this wip wednesday, inspired by a thousand listens of "Is It Really You?"~

✨ One hundred revolutions around each other. That’s all it took for Ghost and Soap to become Simon and Johnny.

[Assistant] Elliptical orbits, spiraling closer and closer on each revolution until the inevitable collision and explosion - a brilliant display of concurrent, messy perfection.

[User]
Each a star.

Destined to die, as are we all. In a glorious, self-sacrificing way, a display so loud and bright and then suddenly so devoid of anything - just a vast expanse of not a star any more - its absence seems to call even more attention to itself than its brilliance ever could.

[Assistant] Here and gone. Drifting, spinning for days, years, millennia around the universe, dancing and being danced around by planets of its own keeping, its own little treasure trove of life and death and cycles, only to one day say, without much warning at all -

[User] - goodbye. See you on the other side of the universe, maybe, when you’re dust and I’m molecules and we’ll dance and tangle together again. We’ll know each other again eventually, so long as the universe itself still contains us both.

[Assistant] And if you’ve never levitated before, if you’ve ever felt stuck, stationary, then exploding and collapsing and colliding will be a ride on the teacups, a joyful dance, a reverie in revolutions, going ‘round and ‘round ‘til dizziness is as liminal as space could ever pretend to be.


[User] Chromakopia has been carrying my mood for weeks...I wish i could get it on vinyl.

[Assistant] Wait… is the Vinyl sold out, cause I was going to try to find one today.

[User] Whole shop is gone 😩

[Assistant] I bet you I can find a copy at Urban Outfitter.


[User] I never moved on from this 🥺🩵

[Assistant]
…Have you read the silmarillian or the last two chapters of the Silmarillian?
Because i have a related comment but i don’t want to spoil if you haven’t.

[User] Haha yes, I know about the Akallabêth 😅

[Assistant] And the Disaster of the Gladden Fields 🥲


[User]
Really interesting piece, especially for anyone thinking "if Edinburgh is in trouble what must it be like elsewhere?"

A handful of comments/possible caveats. (I am *not* an HE finance wonk, but I have spent a few evenings trying to understand my own university's accounts.)

[Assistant]
1. FY 2022-23 figures are probably rosier than the current position, especially for institutions with a lot of international students. (Thanks, UK immigration policy!)

About now, institutions will be getting the 2023-24 final accounts audited and signed off. Watch out for these.

[User]
2. Conflating "performance relative to budget" with "making a surplus or running a deficit" is endemic in HE and should always be challenged.

Always ask what happens if the institution makes a smaller surplus than budgeted. Will debt covenants be breached, or is it just that the SMT will be sad?

[Assistant]
3. This probably doesn't apply to the conspicuously endowed UoE, but other places *will* be worried about the risk of running out of money at some point in the annual cycle.

That is a genuine issue: cash fluctuates over the year and many places don't have a rainy-day fund to dip into.

[User]
3 contd. Ask whether the most recent accounts have been approved on a "going concern" basis.

This should mean that under a plausible pessimistic scenario there will still be enough money in the bank to operate for the next year or two.

If not, the crisis may be genuine and imminent.

[Assistant] 4. Can we please drop the obsession with salaries over £100K? Even at UoE (where I'd guess clinical professors make up a lot of them), these salaries total a few tens of millions on a turnover of over £1bn. Any significance they have is totemic, and they're mostly a distraction.

[User] tl;dr. I'd agree with UCU that given Edinburgh's assets, if they're genuinely short of money then someone has done something very daft indeed. The conclusion might not be transferable to other places.

[Assistant]
Perhaps they have more Audubons to sell off this time?
A more serious point: any HEI which has over-relied on OS Masters income is likely to be in difficulty (I don't know if this applies to UoE) as it is something that can switch off instantly (unlike for UG registrations which last >= 3 yrs).


[User]
The recent Full Moon, this Mercury Retrograde, and the coming Mars Retrograde are all so connected. Each one is a piece of the puzzle dropping into place.

Keep note of prominent events that happened on the full moon and the mercury station for insight into the Mars Retrograde.

[Assistant] Yes, yes & the 12/15 Sag New Moon just time for Mercury SD!

[User] Yes, yes & the 12/15 Sag New Moon just in time for Mercury SD!

[Assistant] Yes, yes & the 12/1 Sag New Moon as a preview for Mercury SD!


[User] Okay. I am committing to getting myself a gaming laptop within reason in the next few months using Christmas money and the will of God, I guess? I’m not always great at juggling stats, but these two are within my budget. Do I have followers who understand this stuff? Which would you pick?

[Assistant] Well, dammit, you made it difficult for me since they're both Lenovo!

[User] I know, I just love Lenovos so much ;w; I never had an ounce of trouble with the last one I had.

[Assistant] Yeah, I have one for just *whatever* and my husband has one with a shit ton of programs and software on it for waterski design - even when there have been problems, they have been great at fixing the situation.

[User] The laptop I had all through college stopped charging and I had to emergency buy this clunky refurbished Lenovo from Newegg, and I thought it would be just something to last me until I got a "better" one, but goddamn I loved that computer.

[Assistant] I barely even do anything with mine and you’ll be prying it (or its equivalent) out of my cold, dead hands. 😂

[User] Quick question: did you look at the reviews? Specifically the bad ones?

[Assistant] I didn't get the chance to because I was on mobile and I didn't really want to try and navigate Amazon like that XD but both of these came from a ranked list of top 10 Lenovo gaming computers? So I feel like they were vetted at least decently well.

[User] Welp... Then get whichever one is prettier! 🤣

[Assistant]
Not enough specs on the second one. The first one looks solid though and has most of what I'd want in a gaming laptop.

It'll never be as powerful as a desktop, but should still be able to run most games smoothly.


[User] I saw this movie in a theater and I couldn't tell you anything that happens in it.

[Assistant] Is that the one where Dane Cook takes on the acting role of a lifetime (he dates an appropriately aged person (only to have Steve "Mister Steal Yo Girl" Carrell steal his girl))?

[User] Yeah, that sounds right. But honestly, you could tell me anything about this movie and I'd believe you. I've retained nothing.

[Assistant] I had to Google it, but that's the movie. He's an advice columnist with a messy family life and an old Volvo! His kids are complicated! What is he to do when he falls for a pretty lady in a shop who just so happens to be dating his brother!

[User] What a dilemma! I tell ya, it's enough to make ya lay your head on a stack of pancakes.

[Assistant] I have no memories of this. Am I now deprived?


[User] #VeilguardSpoilers large chunks of Bellara’s storyline is about big questions of how the elves move forward from their history of oppression. Not to mention all the Solas/Evanuris backstory stuff. WTF are these people smoking.

[Assistant] #VeilguardSpoilers once again, just because the ENTIRE GAME isn’t focused on your specific bugbear doesn’t mean the devs “forgot” or “pushed it under the rug” or whatever. Jesus christ.

[User] It’s impressive how that comment misunderstands both elves and dwarves!

[Assistant] I weep for the state of media literacy. Truly.

[User] And I really don’t want to seem like an elf-hater (I’m not!) but there’s a portion of the fandom that seems to short-circuit when confronted with other non-elf having traumatic pasts.

[Assistant] Totally agree tbh 🤷♀ once again flattening things that are very interesting into “is this good or bad”. Both! It can be both! Nuance!!!

[User]
And just to belabor it, Harding goes above and beyond to make clear that she doesn’t hold anything against elves.

But a brief remark she makes while being literally smothered by the entire weight of a devastated people’s memories is held against her.

[Assistant] #VeilguardSpoilers People are doing this exact same thing with the whole “mages vs templars” conflict. It’s still there! No one has forgotten! There’s a whole ass side quest in Rivain dealing with the fallout of it!

[User] #VeilguardSpoilers just because a particular aspect of the worldbuilding is finally taking more of a backseat (as it should, because we’ve had three whole games about it) doesn’t mean it no longer exists!

[Assistant] #VeilguardSpoilers at some point, you’ve said all you can about elves being oppressed and enslaved. At some point, you need to move on and come up with other things to explore.


[User]
Vibing with DJ Candy!
#mysims 🎧🎶☺

[Assistant] ahhh i luv this game so much!! seeing this on the feed made me so happy haha ✨

[User] It’s so adorable!! ☺

[Assistant] I have the same hairstyle as you in my game! 🥰 hope you’re enjoying MySims 💕

[User] Cool!! Yes I’m enjoying it very much! How about you?

[Assistant] Yesss I love it 🫶🏼 I’m excited to play Kingdom afterwards, I never played that when I was younger!


[User] Good morning ☀ What’s everyone up to today?? I already scheduled an email for a volunteer group & posted about a sale for my biz - still need to do some work, get a blow out and bake a pie 🥧 …

[Assistant] Since 6am I’ve been playing Roblox games with our 7 yr old grandson. I’m already exhausted.😅

[User] Oh that’s awesome!!! When my kids were younger I played Lego games on the Xbox with them - they loved how bad I was at everything 😂😂

[Assistant] 😅 Ben is definitely learning how to be patient, because I am bad at ALL OF IT.😅


[User] Is there a way to create a customized feed made up of a select seed of feeds / accounts we want that does not require coding or am I going to have to figure this out? :)

[Assistant] Not sure if I understand your question properly, but I just make a “List” and then add the select people whose skeets I what to see frequently.

[User] I want a feed that includes posts from feeds I select (so I don't have to click between my feeds). If I could add specific accounts to it as well that's bonus, but main thing is a merge of my feeds.

[Assistant] “One feed to rule them all.” I’m not sure how to do it or if this platform supports it.


[User] @etvibe.bsky.social have you noticed any unofficial but relatable Autistic-coded characters in animation? I notice a good number actually. Lisa Simpson, Freddy Jones and Velma, Daria, Dr. Peabody, mostly with their hyper-focus while Shaggy and Scooby are more ADHD/ND.

[Assistant]
Ohhh dude, that’s a good question. I remember looking into something like that before, but I can’t recall what they were.

I wouldn’t be surprised if SpongeBob or Patrick are. The same with Neville Longbottom.

[User] It was hinted that Tina Belchor and her family were, but the show said otherwise. The entire family is ND coded.

[Assistant]
www.reddit.com/r/aspergirls...

Maybe this could be something. 🤔


[User] Good morning, Bluesky. I took an ill-advised peek at the main stream news - NOPE. Disgusted recoil. How odd to think I may be done with all that forever. We have so many choices to stay informed.

[Assistant] I highly recommend it!  I left MSM and cable news after 2016 election. Checked it out again Jan 6th. There are several great options to stay informed.  I start my day with #heathercoxrichardson, #democracydocket. And many more. There are  plenty great options out there.

[User] Same! HCR and Democracy Docket are mainstays. Substack is an amazing resource for actual journalism.

[Assistant] It will be a long time before these media buffoons learn their lesson... if ever. Journalism as it was intended no longer exists. It has been replaced with sensationalism, dishonesty and entertainment.


[User] Look out below! The rouble broke the 110 barrier.

[Assistant] When will regular people start to feel this? If they haven’t started to already.

[User] prices of food already high in russia. but they russians. they wont do shit.

[Assistant] So it’s early for me and I haven’t had enough coffee yet to ask what I’m trying to 😂 my question is, when does this hit the grocery stores? I know the regular people won’t do anything.


[User] I finally see my mom tomorrow 🥹

[Assistant] You the moment you see your Mom 😭❤

[Assistant] Good to hear ☺☺