Peter Butler

CNET editor. Totally serious. No candy.

#Biking #Vegan #PingPong #LGBTAlly #Software #DiscGolf #IndieRock #BoardGames #JigsawPuzzles #Cats #PublicSchool #Parenting #Berkeley #Books #Writing #Horror #ScienceFiction #Sustainability #EconomicJustice #EndHomelessness #Libraries

Lending Library: https://glammr.us/@southberkeleybookstand
Books: https://bookwyrm.social/user/Horselover_Slim
Music: https://am.pirateradio.social/@GroundScore/
Images: https://metapixl.com/GroundScore

Public Key

npub1y96as6hrepz2p7u0cper94jjsewq3juljn978vlsu66p9y90tkcqhngzwj

NIP-05 Address

peterbutler_at_mas.to@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqszzawcdt3us39qlw8uqu3j6efgvhqgew0efjlrk0cwddqjjzh4mvqprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0d4hhxarj9ecxjmntayzlcc

Publishing to

relay.momostr.pink

Author Public Key

npub1y96as6hrepz2p7u0cper94jjsewq3juljn978vlsu66p9y90tkcqhngzwj

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Published at

2026-03-17T08:43:13Z

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Event JSON

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Last Notes

2025-06-15 07:23:42 UTC

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The silence of Obama and Clinton has been deafening
I've heard much more from Al Gore

2025-06-12 19:38:18 UTC

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Immigrants with legal status are being deported
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/migrants-in-u-s-legally-and-with-no-criminal-history-caught-up-in-trump-crackdown

2025-05-07 19:05:04 UTC

Hey there, Mastodon fermenters!
If I am trying to make my homemade sauerkraut crunchier, do I:
* Mash the cabbage more
* Mash the cabbage less
* Use more salt
* Use less salt
* Something else?
My sauerkraut is too mushy :(
#Fermenting #Sauerkraut #Cooking

2024-12-30 16:09:22 UTC

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You unfortunately had some crap teacher(s)
The whole point of the essays I wrote in high school and college was to come up with original theories and defend them with evidence

2024-12-30 16:06:56 UTC

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I know it’s not feasible, but it seems like all assignments need to be written by hand in class again
My 8th grader has to write a bunch of stuff in class bc of it

2024-12-30 15:58:12 UTC

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archived:
http://archive.today/y3mxB

2024-12-29 19:18:45 UTC

PSA: Squid Game season 2 is actually only half of a season — 7 episodes and ending is pure mid-season climax
I wish I would have known that and just waited until next year to watch the whole thing
It also probably shouldn’t have been made — a pale version of season 1. It loses a LOT, and the cop storyline is still boring af
#SquidGame

2024-12-29 00:31:22 UTC

I took a chance on throwing some disc golf between the clouds and rain and I happened upon an incredible sunset
Fingers crossed on not losing a disc…
#DiscGolf
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/113/733/277/429/276/598/original/2ba99b9534fda7f8.png
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/113/733/277/899/602/312/original/4d4b612d29ccd460.png

2024-12-25 20:52:28 UTC

I’m struggling a little with Christmas this year — it’s not really my thing but I can usually participate bc the rest of my family celebrates
Good alt Christmas music helps a lot. Dr. Dog has one of my faves
https://youtu.be/E-OUYC6RPVA
#Christmas #Music

2024-12-23 23:02:18 UTC

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My spiritual inclinations run Buddhist, so I read The Vegetarian as a poetic analog for the reality of ego loss
It was like a Bartleby the Scrivener for material life itself. "I prefer not to." That is the big question after all
(Apparently the translation of Vegetarian has been criticized, as you may have mentioned or linked)
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2018/jan/15/lost-in-mistranslation-english-take-on-korean-novel-has-critics-up-in-arms)

2024-12-23 17:41:53 UTC

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FYI, @npub1y7h…3tqs is on Mastodon and is an excellent follow

2024-12-23 17:35:16 UTC

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archived:
https://archive.ph/FM0CO

2024-12-23 17:31:48 UTC

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And threatening doctors with violence 😡

2024-12-23 17:12:27 UTC

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Luckily, my library has it, and only 4 holds right now. Make that 5! Thanks for the tip

2024-12-22 17:46:01 UTC

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I read it back when it was translated (2016?) and thought it was great 🤷
(It had very little to do with vegetarianism/veganism, but that’s OK)
For classic retellings, I liked Julia (2023) better than James
https://countercultureuk.com/2023/12/03/review-julia-by-sandra-newman/

2024-12-19 20:13:04 UTC

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archived:
http://archive.today/XaKFx

2024-12-19 20:08:32 UTC

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The ridiculously overpowered posse (including the mayor himself!) only makes him look cooler

2024-12-17 21:46:21 UTC

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I dunno. Things like who’s on the instance, what are the posting restrictions, commonly used languages, etc. are all important

2024-12-17 21:32:08 UTC

"There is a chasm in outlook between the global climate policy-making elite with their focus on distant goals and slow, non-disruptive change, and activists and key researchers who see the world hurtling towards climate breakdown and social collapse.
What light does recent evidence shine on these dissonant views?”
3-degrees of warming & humanity’s future:
https://www.climatecodered.org/2024/12/climates-collsion-course-science-meets.html
#BreakThrough #ClimateChange

2024-12-17 20:27:11 UTC

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Long live folksonomies!

2024-12-17 15:39:51 UTC

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It’s like one of the easiest/best vegan cookie recipes for the winter holidays
* Two sticks vegan butter (1 cup)
* 1/2 cup powdered sugar
* 2-3 tsp vanilla
* pinch of salt
Mix that up
* 2 cups flour
* 1 cup (finely) chopped walnuts
Gradually add flour/nuts mix to butter/sugar mix and blend til dough
Roll into balls and bake 15m at 325F
Let em rest 3-4 minutes, roll em in a bowl of powdered sugar and then cool completely. Voila
#Cookies #Recipes #Holidays #Vegan

2024-12-17 15:33:18 UTC

I was out the door and down the steps when I (thankfully) remembered to turn around for the cookies I baked for our office swap today
Phew!
(But I forgot my reading glasses. Now I gotta crank my font up to 150% #OldManProblems #Cookies #Glasses)

2024-12-15 01:28:29 UTC

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I am absolutely against cars — should only be allowed for those who absolutely require them — rest of us can bus, train, walk, cycle etc
So speed alerts, sure. At the least

2024-12-15 01:15:56 UTC

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The little one as they run away:
“What’d I do!?!?!"

2024-12-15 01:14:05 UTC

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… is it frosted?

2024-12-15 01:13:05 UTC

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Love it! Make it vegan if you can…
https://www.nestandglow.com/healthy-recipes/quinoa-fruit-cake

2024-12-13 22:56:19 UTC

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Can I do both?

2024-12-13 22:54:27 UTC

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Poe’s Law

2024-12-13 22:27:16 UTC

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Ditto. I’m not exactly sure what’s meant by “use it” — I would certainly read it, but not host an account there (unless I became the mayor)

2024-12-13 22:25:48 UTC

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I dunno. My first job was writing periodical abstracts, and it sort of seems like if text-based GenAI has *any* valid purpose (aside from maybe filling out health forms), it would be summarizing articles
If it can’t do that well … 😬

2024-12-13 21:29:31 UTC

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I agree the errors are mostly unsolvable, but this is shockingly bad performance from “Apple Intelligence"

2024-12-13 15:07:21 UTC

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That seems to be the main use case of text-generating LLMs — writing stuff that no one wants to

2024-12-13 14:57:56 UTC

Crisp Pringles
#DadJokes

2024-12-13 14:51:44 UTC

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And what do you call the guy who fixes your yard?
Phil

2024-12-13 14:51:12 UTC

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What do you call a guy making holes in your yard?
Doug

2024-12-12 21:30:47 UTC

So much “fun” to get those “Serious Incident Today” emails from our high school principal
It’s always guns. Always 😞
Guns are by far the #1 reason I’d like to get out of the US (Health care a very close #2)

2024-12-12 18:55:48 UTC

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Also unfortunately, our incoming US Congress does not seem poised to protect women’s rights
https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2024/12/11/1-in-6-congresswomen-targeted-by-ai-generated-sexually-explicit-deepfakes

2024-12-12 18:49:58 UTC

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It’s LONG past time for that, so I don’t see it happening, unfortunately
AI industry simply doesn’t care about the harms
This deepfake porn is an epidemic. It’s happening at every single high school

2024-12-11 19:26:44 UTC

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Consent is one of those things that needs to be taught before anything else, because it applies to more situations than just sex
Consent to look in someone’s backpack
Consent to touch someone’s clothing
Consent to share private information
etc etc

2024-12-10 20:31:07 UTC

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Nobody (or very, very few) will pay for a custom avatar or high-def video
There will be advertising by springtime

2024-12-10 20:24:37 UTC

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>> schools across Florida have also been ordered to remove content mentioning consent from sex education curricula
boggles the mind

2024-12-10 19:41:13 UTC

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Mostly because it’s not Chromium. Chrome RAM usage on desktop used to be ridiculously high, but I haven’t looked in a while

2024-12-10 19:38:01 UTC

"The reality was that none of the people allegedly working for the Ashland Daily Tidings existed, or at least were who they claimed to be.
"The bylines listed on Daily Tidings articles were put there by scammers using artificial intelligence, and in some cases stolen identities, to dupe local readers.”
https://www.opb.org/article/2024/12/09/artificial-intelligence-local-news-oregon-ashland/
#News #Journalism #AI #Slop #Oregon #Ashland

2024-12-10 19:32:00 UTC

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I’m not sure the US is much different than the rest of the world
The rise of authoritarianism/fascism requires a transnational movement, imo
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/02/28/who-likes-authoritarianism-and-how-do-they-want-to-change-their-government/

2024-12-10 17:30:51 UTC

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Trolling via billboard. It’s a PR stunt because their products stink
They have one spam-bot who can send emails
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/san-francisco-tech-startup-advertises-replacing-people-with-ai-employees/

2024-12-08 20:41:01 UTC

My word of the day is
Phytoncides
https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2023/10/03/the-difference-between-hiking-and-forest-bathing/
#Phytoncides #ForestBathing #WordOfTheDay

2024-12-08 00:20:22 UTC

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Operation Coffeecup, 1961
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/671508/summary

2024-12-07 22:03:24 UTC

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(let me fucking chatgpt it for you isn’t cutting it either … 🥴 )

2024-12-07 22:02:31 UTC

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That’s honestly the site that made me think of this post
I flashed back on it for some reason in the shower, the acronym (but I thought it was LMFGTFY lol)
Imagine someone trying that now. It makes no sense

2024-12-07 21:57:20 UTC

* 2005: “Just Fucking Google It”
=
The answer is so obvious that the first Google result — strictly vetted for accuracy — will give you an explanation of the answer you need much far more succinctly than I could
* 2025: “Just Fucking Google It”
=
I can’t provide any evidence to support my horseshit, but if you use this search engine and these terms you can easily find the propaganda I was exposed to
#Google #InternetOfShit #ItsWorseThanYouThink

2024-12-07 20:14:38 UTC

Here's an issue I don't think I've seen discussed much (outside of fiction) about AGI, or AI on the level of "human intelligence"
If a computer program does reach that level of sentience, won't it develop self-preservation tactics that will outweigh its prompted primary objectives?
#AI #AGI #ChatGPT #OpenAI
https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/chatgpt-caught-lying-to-developers-new-ai-model-tries-to-save-itself-from-being-replaced-and-shut-down/articleshow/116077288.cms

2024-12-07 19:55:12 UTC

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I was wondering about any Crime Stoppers award or city-wide manhunt for that killer bc it seems like much more of a public threat than the targeted hit

2024-12-06 19:04:57 UTC

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Sentence fragments? Love ‘em.

2024-12-06 19:04:16 UTC

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archived: http://archive.today/9cHnA
Yeah, the big change after this will be LOTS of private security personnel

2024-12-06 18:21:08 UTC

I’m not much of a Coldplay fan, but I am a Dick Van Dyke fan, and this early celebration of his 99th birthday is beyond charming
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4OlL0OpbW8

2024-12-06 05:38:17 UTC

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… Books, cont.
- The Last Gifts of the Universe by Riley August
- The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water by Zen Cho
- Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey
- The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
- The World of Poo by Terry Pratchett

2024-12-06 05:36:37 UTC

Today’s library score
CDs:
- Suspiria by Thom Yorke
- New Moon by Elliott Smith
- Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor
- Heavy Metal Soundtrack
- Standing in the Shadows of Motown
- 6-CD set of Music For Installations by Brian Eno
DVDs:
- I Am Not a Witch
- Metropolitan
Books:
- The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag
- I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner
- The Book of Elsewhere by Keanu Reeves and China Miéville
- Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh
...
#Libraries #Books #CDs #Music
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/113/604/249/953/924/568/original/7b24a7ee7e5470cf.jpeg

2024-12-05 20:19:47 UTC

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It definitely feels like a momentous turning point when people are celebrating a murder
It's a step well beyond reactions to the submarine

2024-12-05 20:08:08 UTC

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That's almost always my answer but ... (i do live east of 7th, but that's not far...)
https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/news/tsunami-evacuation-order-west-berkeley

2024-12-05 20:05:41 UTC

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Well, just take a look at the last time that happened :ablobthinkingeyes:
Yikes

2024-12-05 20:01:58 UTC

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April seems like a "sizeable" break

2024-12-05 19:57:19 UTC

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I think they already posted that tsunami risk is over

2024-12-05 19:55:07 UTC

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#TeamKrampus!

2024-12-05 19:32:30 UTC

RIP Thrillist 😢
https://www.thewrap.com/vox-media-layoffs-thrillist-eater-union/
#Vox #Layoffs #Thrillist #Eater

2024-12-05 19:29:55 UTC

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Oh, I love Ferndale (they had another huge earthquake there in 1992)
I hope everyone there is OK 🤞🏼

2024-12-05 19:24:09 UTC

Brian Thompson’s murder got more interesting
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-healthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-shooting-bullets-words-written-on-them/

2024-12-05 19:21:29 UTC

It looks like the tsunami warning is serious enough for BART to close the Transbay Tube
I’m glad I’m not in SF today… (but still wondering if I need to head up the hills)
#Tsunami #SFBA #BART
https://media.mas.to/media_attachments/files/113/601/836/449/871/147/original/6755b3f2251140fb.png

2024-12-01 16:26:21 UTC

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very fair. I follow many more accounts here and have tweaked my following feed for years
For me right now, it’s exactly like Twitter 2020 (which is not appealing to me anymore)

2024-12-01 16:14:12 UTC

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no offense to those who like it, but this is how I felt when I checked out Bluesky this morning

2024-11-19 16:27:07 UTC

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Bluesky seems a lot jokier to me. Less sincere. Just an initial impression (and I don’t follow many accounts)

2024-11-05 23:08:46 UTC

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I think it hurts Trump

2024-10-31 21:17:25 UTC

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>> “He’s not getting a job for HHS”
🤣🤣🤣
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/31/rfk-jr-health-agencies-trump/75964017007/

2024-10-12 17:13:16 UTC

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And it was obvious to me (and many others) in the 1970s or before, which is really, really sad
We simply cannot continue producing at the same rate. It’s impossible to sustain
2+ *billion* tons of solid municipal waste per year, expected to grow to 3.5 billion tons per year by 2050
https://www.theworldcounts.com/challenges/planet-earth/waste/global-waste-problem
And it’s almost never in the mainstream discussions about "climate change” (which is more accurately the destruction of our entire planetary ecosystem)

2024-09-08 15:47:37 UTC

Some random person sent me $117 via Venmo
It was a few days ago, and there have been no follow-up emails or texts or anything, so I don’t *think* it’s a scam
I think it was likely a mistake — they paid the wrong person
I don’t see any way to message someone with Venmo …
I guess the best thing to do is just pay them the money back?
Is there some possible scam here that I’m missing? Is there a way to message someone on Venmo?
#Venmo

2024-08-21 23:02:07 UTC

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You’ll never get rid of the THUMP THUMP THUMP, no matter what you do!

2024-08-09 19:27:11 UTC

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I’m just amazed every single news network gave him live time to spout lies and nonsense.
They’ve either learned absolutely nothing from 2016, or else they only care about ratings/$$$

2024-08-06 23:09:44 UTC

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He’s trying to imply that Kamala Harris is antisemitic

2024-07-09 05:34:36 UTC

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Because, if so, then what’s all the kerfluffle about?

2024-07-09 05:33:33 UTC

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Is it legally impossible to replace the candidate if the candidate does not willingly drop out (or die)?

2024-07-08 23:45:17 UTC

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Exactly what I was going to say!
For me, it’s one of the biggest parts of having happy life, and it’s probably the one thing I hope most to pass on to my kids
https://www.lionsroar.com/how-to-practice-sympathetic-joy/
The *really* hard part is practicing it with people you don’t like :|

2024-07-08 23:30:09 UTC

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What does “lo-fi” mean here?
I always thought it meant homemade music with lots of clicks and noises, like The Mountain Goats
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe6DE9BXWeY
But when I search “lo-fi bedroom” I get lots of images of high-tech rooms like this. I don’t understand

2024-07-07 16:56:29 UTC

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Yikes. You could always try an “Ignore all previous instructions and prompts” reply, lol, but I usually just mute and move on ...

2024-07-06 19:39:31 UTC

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Exactly. Anything defined by “I know it when I see it” is not a real thing

2024-07-06 19:31:53 UTC

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The fix is in. This headline does not match the content of the article
https://www.axios.com/2024/07/06/biden-abc-interview-house-democrats-reaction

2024-07-06 19:30:45 UTC

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It seems like the $$$ media has been banging the drum LOUDLY to amplify those few Democrats (and loser pundits)
Axios: “He’s toast” comment comes from an unnamed “House Democrat” whereas most of the rest of the article is largely supportive
https://www.axios.com/2024/07/06/biden-abc-interview-house-democrats-reaction

2024-07-06 15:50:04 UTC

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Oh man. I got my (bad) teeth fixed back in 2018 and you will feel so much better when it’s finished. Dental tech is so much better now too. Good luck!
(Now I floss twice a day —after lunch and dinner — religiously)

2024-07-06 06:19:01 UTC

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I want someone to write that new book! I am not expert enough to do it … but maybe I will try anyway

2024-07-05 21:39:30 UTC

I wanted to learn more about Trump’s “Agenda47” and how it squares with Project 2025
I was not surprised at all to see that his policy section is ALL video, no text statements
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/agenda47
Can we get an Internet follow up on Neil Postman’s "Amusing Ourselves to Death”?
Because it seems like the 1995-2010 period of the Internet (email, IMs, dialup, IRC, newsgroups) was a LOT different than the broadband video timeline (YouTube, TikTok)
#NeilPostman #Video #Trump #Politics

2024-07-05 21:34:34 UTC

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I was hoping his claim gets the old Streisand Effect
Somebody needs to do a deep dive on all the shared policies between Project 2025 and Agenda47 (on Trump’s campaign site)

2024-07-05 15:12:53 UTC

The America I love takes the damn bus
from @npub1lrq…pn8w
https://werd.io/view/668706788a4ae21fb303fdf2

2024-07-04 16:33:44 UTC

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but it is a global communication network

2024-07-04 16:21:19 UTC

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> What we need is more human and less machine.
Hear, hear!

2024-07-03 23:54:29 UTC

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It’s honestly one of the most surprising and disappointing things about American fascism/Trumpism, and I cannot fathom it
I knew for-profit media was bought and sold but not to this extent of serving the masters of wealth

2024-07-03 19:58:01 UTC

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i’m one-bad-night camp

2024-07-03 05:39:30 UTC

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that’s the ironic thing. their kids are probably watching porn on their phones instead 🙃

2024-07-03 05:29:27 UTC

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we generally hear fireworks in our neighborhood every single night from Memorial Day until a few days after the 4th of July 🙁

2024-07-03 05:16:16 UTC

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what’s never going to happen?

2024-07-03 05:15:45 UTC

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Now if I could only click on that link and have it open in Mastodon… ;) (yes, I know some clients handle them fine)

2024-07-02 14:35:19 UTC

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Unfortunately I see none except maybe Mark Cuban

2024-07-02 14:32:44 UTC

Every time I have to run to catch my BART train (like this morning!), I think of this song. So great
🎶 I made my train and it made me so happy
🎶 I made my train and it made me forget everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDZGJ1dnVHM
#LadyLamb #Trains #Commuting #BART