Reed Mideke

Bit herder

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/farhill/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/reedmideke

Public Key

npub1h36zntnlu5pyunqvykz0jjfymmv56tth4gykyu3nzw6anwm4za0qq8df9z

NIP-05 Address

reedmideke_at_mastodon.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqstcapf4el72qjwfsxztp8efyjdak2d94m65ztzwge38dwehd63whspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsvvzt3f

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1h36zntnlu5pyunqvykz0jjfymmv56tth4gykyu3nzw6anwm4za0qq8df9z

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Last Notes

2026-04-04 18:07:43 UTC

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BRB, writing elevator pitch for an Agentic AI Firewall Appliance startup! Why bother spending all that time writing pesky filters and ACLs when you can just ask Claude whether it's a good packet or a bad packet?

2025-11-30 06:01:57 UTC

Lawn monster
#Cat #Caturday
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/637/115/125/941/831/original/0c26b6e5f3f7a324.jpg

2025-10-18 03:27:13 UTC

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Migueldeicaza/115392690254816172
Was like 90% sure this was gonna be a shitpost, with C transpiled to qbasic or something 🤯
#note1ywp…wwwj

2025-09-25 23:10:23 UTC

Few shots of last night's rare central coast thunderstorm, courtesy of #CHDK's surprisingly effective motion detection
#CAwx #Lightning #Thunderstorm
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/267/413/609/473/075/original/979809b678ee7e46.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/267/413/625/456/016/original/78de3a8b8b862f11.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/267/413/640/805/847/original/df3978c8fd66ce4d.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/267/413/627/571/292/original/f879589b54785701.jpg

2025-08-18 21:01:47 UTC

My #PlaneSpotting ID skills are mediocre at best, but I'm fairly confident that picture does not show a TBM-7
#AvGeek
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/051/738/195/673/485/original/f8b91a9e5ed17c13.png

2025-07-11 19:15:56 UTC

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Smol #Birb update
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/836/161/574/199/407/original/045c92065eda6f61.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/836/161/580/737/242/original/1a4e16c57399dd63.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/836/161/616/752/160/original/6794cc765b0efa71.jpg

2025-06-19 05:45:29 UTC

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Thought "wow, I'm out of touch with space stuff these days, didn't even know they were flying today" but LOL no, looks like an AMOS-6 style whoopsie before a static fire. And judging from the giant mushroom cloud and secondary explosions afterward, I suspect it's gonna be a while before they can use that pad again
Just before 11:02 on the clock in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKwWclAKYa0

2025-05-24 01:16:10 UTC

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Reminds me of this from a couple years ago: Story comes out that a DoD AI went rogue in a simulation and killed its (simulated) operators who it perceived obstructing its primary mission… then real story comes out, in which it was all a "thought experiment" based on some contractors (no doubt movie-inspired) idea of what killer AI might do https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/06/air-force-denies-running-simulation-where-ai-drone-killed-its-operator/

2025-05-13 23:34:16 UTC

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"humanitarian teams treating malnourished children were being forced to divide rations designed for one between two patients to give both a chance of survival"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/12/food-security-experts-warn-gaza-critical-risk-famine-israeli-blockade

2025-05-08 21:26:11 UTC

Honestly after 13 LEO popes you'd think they could try for an orbit with better long term stability

2025-05-07 23:21:02 UTC

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UN Human Rights Council experts: "While States debate terminology - is it or is it not genocide? - Israel continues its relentless destruction of life in Gaza, through attacks by land, air and sea, displacing and massacring the surviving population with impunity"
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/end-unfolding-genocide-or-watch-it-end-life-gaza-un-experts-say-states-face

2025-05-01 01:13:05 UTC

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Israeli foreign ministry: "Israel is monitoring the situation on the ground, and there is no shortage of aid", despite a complete blockade since March
UN: "situation in Gaza is likely the worst it has been"
https://wapo.st/4cSxWsl
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2025-04-25 02:25:20 UTC

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1) Israeli tank shells documented UN location, killing Bulgarian aid worker Marin Marinov and injuring 5
2) Official story 1: "Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike a UN compound in Deir el-Balah. The IDF calls on media outlets to act with caution regarding unverified reports"
3) WaPo reports overwhelming evidence they did*
4) Official story 2: "…struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp348npzy8xo
* https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/04/13/united-nations-staffer-killed-gaza/

2025-04-24 08:06:25 UTC

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"The report by Haaretz now calls into question central aspects of the IDF's latest official version of events" - How many times should be you be able to completely re-write the official version before people decide you're just not a credible source?
https://news.sky.com/story/israeli-troops-shot-at-gaza-aid-workers-from-point-blank-range-leaked-documents-reportedly-show-13354441

2025-04-20 19:11:03 UTC

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Oh look, we've reached slap on the wrist stage*. Anyone think we would have gotten this far if a phone on a dead body with incontrovertible evidence the original story was a lie hadn't shown up in the media?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c24q6201d8yo
* https://mastodon.social/@reedmideke/114286710044679788

2025-04-18 20:57:16 UTC

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Unsurprisingly, Sky News finds Israel's revised story of that paramedic massacre also doesn't stand up "Our findings contradict not only Israel's initial account of the attack, but its subsequent accounts as well"
https://news.sky.com/story/two-hours-of-terror-sky-news-investigation-reveals-how-israels-deadly-attack-on-aid-workers-unfolded-13348776

2025-04-18 06:57:59 UTC

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Israeli defense minister Israel Katz "No one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/16/no-humanitarian-aid-gaza-israeli-minister-israel-katz-hamas

2025-04-07 18:13:18 UTC

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'In its statement, the IDF did not respond to any of the specific allegations, but said it "completely rejects accusations of systematic abuse of detainees".'
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7vje365rno

2025-04-06 18:42:10 UTC

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Also, how do you say this shit with a straight face "The soldiers buried the bodies of the 15 dead workers in sand to protect them from wild animals, the official said, claiming the vehicles were moved and buried the following day to clear the road"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0xp969n69o

2025-04-06 18:41:18 UTC

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Confronted with overwhelming evidence contradicting the original version, the story shifts… but only the parts directly implicated by the new evidence. Blame for the earlier version assigned to the troops on the ground, without any suggestion misconduct might be involved
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0xp969n69o

2025-04-05 18:34:40 UTC

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and here, like many cases, it's very hard to believe they don't already have the evidence that comes out in #2 and #3 from the start. Certainly the people on the ground did, and if the higher command or people doing PR spin didn't, they at the very least didn't have positive evidence for the initial story. Yet somehow, they still keep getting the benefit of the doubt at step #1
See also the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/11/middleeast/idf-apology-shireen-abu-akleh-intl/index.html

2025-04-05 18:13:21 UTC

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Same playbook ad infinitum:
1) Israeli forces accused of killing civilians
"Nah, they were totally terrorists"
2) Evidence emerges they weren't
"OK, maybe they weren't all terrorists, but they totally LOOKED like it and we scrupulously followed the rules of engagement, unavoidable tragedy"
3) Hard evidence clearly contradicts that
"In light of the new evidence, we're opening an investigation"
4) *crickets* or at most a notpology or some grunt gets a slap on the wrist https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2z103nqxo

2025-04-05 01:36:16 UTC

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They also got satellite images a few hours after the attack which show "five ambulances and the fire truck had been moved off the road and clustered together" and "Two days later, a new satellite image of the area showed the vehicles were apparently buried. Next to disturbed earth are three Israeli military bulldozers and an excavator"
Yet with all that, the NYT lede only grants that the video "appears" to contradict they Israeli version
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/world/middleeast/gaza-israel-aid-workers-deaths-video.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9U4.MXG6.OR-TnqJuD-cG&smid=url-share
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2025-04-05 01:31:28 UTC

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"An Israeli military spokesman … [said] … Israeli forces did not “randomly attack” an ambulance, but that several vehicles “were identified advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals" yet a video "discovered on the cellphone of one of the paramedics who was found along with 14 other aid workers in a mass grave … shows that the ambulances and fire truck were clearly marked and had their emergency signal lights on"
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/world/middleeast/gaza-israel-aid-workers-deaths-video.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9U4.MXG6.OR-TnqJuD-cG&smid=url-share
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2025-03-31 22:52:16 UTC

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Well that McKinnon piece above notes there's a Four Seasons, but… "new Syria is being hastily glued together in the lobby of the capital’s “Four Seasons” hotel – a limestone tower in the New City of Damascus that still bears the name and look of the Toronto-based brand, despite having been evicted from the chain six years ago as its local owner fell afoul of sanctions"

2025-03-31 20:42:27 UTC

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"To get [an alcohol license], a 1952 law stipulates you have to be located more than 100 meters (yards) from a school or religious site — which rules out most locations in central Damascus. Authorities haven't issued new licenses for his area since 1960 anyway … Under the Assad regime … Owners would pay a fine for that — about $2, every few months, Zainie recalls — and authorities left them alone"
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/31/nx-s1-5343375/syria-damascus-bars

2025-03-29 23:45:33 UTC

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In other Syria news, the former head of the White Helmets Raed Al-Saleh has resigned and joined the government as minister of "Environment, Emergencies, and Disaster Management" https://whitehelmets.org/node/2236

2025-03-29 23:40:28 UTC

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Great reporting by @npub17cy…3e39 from Syria https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-there-is-hope-in-post-assad-syria-but-also-strife-and-skepticism-of/

2025-03-28 21:09:28 UTC

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"A team from the [OPCW] visited Syria from March 12-21 to prepare for the task of locating and destroying remnants of Assad's illegal stockpile… Among them were locations that had not been declared to the watchdog by the Assad government, they said. The team was given access to documents and detailed information about Assad's chemical weapons programme"
Per OPCW "The Syrian caretaker authorities extended all possible support and cooperation at short notice"
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/chemical-weapons-inspectors-granted-access-assad-era-sites-syria-say-sources-2025-03-28/

2025-03-26 07:30:11 UTC

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Smol #Birb update: Still borbing
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/227/547/345/654/458/original/666fdc83f0f47569.jpg

2025-03-14 02:07:48 UTC

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UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry: "There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorise them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination" https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/more-human-can-bear-israels-systematic-use-sexual-reproductive-and-other

2025-03-06 03:44:41 UTC

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"The Israeli military repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using ambulances to transport fighters and weapons, and of using medical centres affiliated with the Islamic Health Association (IHA) as a “cover for terrorist activities”. In the four attacks investigated, however, Amnesty International did not find evidence that the facilities or vehicles were being used for military purposes at the time of the attacks" https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/03/lebanon-israeli-attacks-on-health-facilities-ambulances-and-paramedics-must-be-investigated-as-war-crimes/

2025-02-21 08:07:05 UTC

Cool, cool
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/040/841/022/893/633/original/60e0bb279e8c4f4b.png

2025-01-29 20:15:14 UTC

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"the Syrian source told Reuters that the Russians had not been willing to concede such mistakes and the only agreement that was reached was to continue discussions"
Maybe it's only an opening bid, but looks like if the Russians want to keep those bases it's gonna cost them

2025-01-29 19:59:20 UTC

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"A Syrian source familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, had requested that Moscow hand over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad" and "[rebuild trust with] concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and recovery"
The Syrians also "stressed that restoring relations must address past mistakes, respect the will of the Syrian people and serve their interests"
https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-syria-hold-further-talks-russian-military-bases-syria-tass-reports-2025-01-29/

2025-01-13 07:44:14 UTC

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Now T-30 minutes. Delays (or scrubs) not unexpected on a first attempt, though I'm not sure I've seen anyone periodically add time to the clock like this before. Holds or reset to T-n seem more common

2025-01-13 06:52:42 UTC

🚀 #NewGlen #NG1, t-15ish minutes https://www.blueorigin.com/missions/ng-1

2024-12-20 01:38:56 UTC

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HRW: "Israeli authorities have deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the population in Gaza by intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians there of adequate access to water, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths" https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza

2024-12-16 21:21:25 UTC

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Oh I'm passionate about them all right, but there's a nuance
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/664/590/720/612/911/original/ace3211392fcf19a.jpg

2024-12-16 02:14:33 UTC

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So UK has not lifted the terrorist designation on HTS, but "paused its decisions on Syrian asylum claims to the UK as the government has not determined whether Syria, under the new rebel-led authorities, is a safe country which people could be sent to" 🤨
I dunno man, if you say the de-facto rulers of a country are terrorists who it's illegal to support or do business with, that might undermine the whole "it's totes safe to go back" thing?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce90x283rv7o

2024-12-15 22:48:43 UTC

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"The Financial Times has uncovered records showing that Assad’s regime, while desperately short of foreign currency, flew banknotes weighing nearly two tonnes in $100 bills and €500 notes into Moscow’s Vnukovo airport to be deposited at sanctioned Russian banks between 2018 and 2019" (probably paywalled if you don't get a magic referral from the hellsite)
https://www.ft.com/content/84ef8bdd-d070-431d-90f6-332937911096

2024-12-10 07:36:21 UTC

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"Bashar al-Assad and his family have reportedly been granted asylum in Moscow. It should be noted that Russia only rarely grants asylum—by late 2021, only two Syrians had ever received the status" https://notes.citeam.org/dispatch-dec-6-9-2024

2024-12-10 06:34:18 UTC

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/08/tears-of-joy-and-sadness-as-disappeared-syrians-emerge-from-assads-prisons

2024-12-10 06:33:19 UTC

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/09/inside-sednaya-torture-prison-syria-assad

2024-12-10 05:48:25 UTC

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Oz Katerji's take on the impact on Hezbollah is much more grounded
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/09/hezbollah-syria-iran-lebanon-assad/

2024-12-10 04:38:31 UTC

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Uh. I think the analogy to 1989 is somewhat applicable to what happened internally (a repressive regime that seemed inevitable right up until a bunch of people decided the system was toast and they weren't interested in killing/dying to defend it), but this? "…just as 1989 marked the end of communism in Europe, Assad’s flight to Moscow signals the demise of the ideology of anti-Western, anti-Israel resistance in the Middle East" - Nah, that ain't it.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/09/assad-syria-fall-axis-resistance-iran-middle-east-israel/?utm_content=gifting&tpcc=gifting_article&gifting_article=YXNzYWQtc3lyaWEtZmFsbC1heGlzLXJlc2lzdGFuY2UtaXJhbi1taWRkbGUtZWFzdC1pc3JhZWw=&pid=PNIIg2Uhiq5yk80

2024-12-09 23:10:39 UTC

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Far from the most important thing in this scenario, but I wonder about the logistics of getting a formerly treasonous flag on short notice. Someone had it stashed away just for a moment like this? Bought when the writing was on the wall? Amazon same day delivery? Custom order? Home made? Contacts in local anti-regime diaspora (who one would suppose kept a low profile in Moscow)? https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/12/09/syrian-opposition-flag-raised-over-syrian-embassy-in-moscow-russian-state-media

2024-12-09 01:27:34 UTC

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This is "mass graves visible from orbit" territory and the deniers can fuck off into the sun https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/16/world/middleeast/mass-graves-syria-war-crimes.html

2024-12-09 01:21:23 UTC

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Association of Detainees and The Missing in Sednaya Prison "estimated that more than 30,000 detainees had either been executed or died as a result of torture, lack of medical care or starvation between 2011 and 2018" - one for the "anti-imperialists" crying over Assad https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2dx3ekpr59o

2024-12-08 19:19:52 UTC

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HUR claims the whole thing was a psyop, but if you accept that flightradar's conclusion the signal reflects what an actual aircraft was doing, it doesn't really add up. Sub 100 kt ground speed doesn't seem like something an healthy IL-76 is likely to do. If they were gonna turn off the transponder, they could just do that, probably *before* flying over rebel cities

2024-12-08 18:51:06 UTC

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So, whatever it was, it wasn't Assad's plane. Tyler Rogoway notes (https://x.com/Aviation_Intel/status/1865818555377418422) a FIRMS hit did eventually show up in that area, but IMO it seems late (acquired ~10:40 UTC, 13:40 Damascus time) when the plane disappeared around 02:40 UTC, and suspiciously close to a feature that looks like a garbage dump or quarry, although there aren't regular repeating hits there.

2024-12-08 09:10:18 UTC

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Last altitude was ~1600'
If it crashed on that path, it seems like it would have hit somewhere between Al Rabwa and the outskirts of Homs near the M1 highway. That doesn't seem like it would go unnoticed. Also interesting the ground speed bumps up at the end…
120 kt is apparently landing speed https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/aircraftperformance/details.aspx?ICAO=IL76&
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/412/768/884/021/original/79dcd512afbfe853.png

2024-12-08 08:43:32 UTC

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Flightrader24 weighs in on the missing IL-76: https://x.com/flightradar24/status/1865648296410157479
Playback link: https://flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/yk-ata#3844aec1
(edit: added individual images)
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/307/970/296/187/original/95578b080445c132.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/360/510/559/390/original/92c91a016c0c043b.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/390/321/847/255/original/a88ca973f4973626.png

2024-12-08 08:16:11 UTC

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Russians accused Ukraine of having a hand in this (in reality, a minor one if there's any truth to it at all) but ironically from a strictly military POV, Assad getting beat so badly the Russians pack up and go home without a fight would not be what they were aiming for. Not that anyone in Ukraine will be shedding tears about the actual outcome, of course

2024-12-08 06:34:42 UTC

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"Regime forces in Deir Ezzor, the largest city in eastern Syria, have surrendered to rebels, HTS announced on its Telegram channel.
The announcement comes just one minute after the rebel group said its forces had begun entering Deir Ezzor" 💀 https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cwy8xzxe0w7t?post=asset%3Aba5147fa-5c8f-4eef-84c2-6dd9cb910dd2#post

2024-12-08 06:30:31 UTC

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Yeah, things could very easily go quite bad from here, but perhaps rather than crying over the guy who liked dropping sarin on civilians, one's energy could be better spent finding ways to encourage the various parties to avoid the worst outcomes

2024-12-08 06:14:16 UTC

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The usual "anti-imperialists" are big mad about the defeat of a brutal dictator who was propped up by foreign powers while engaging in industrial scale mass murder
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/615/725/461/535/831/original/e4cb4b9326bc4d2d.png

2024-12-08 05:46:07 UTC

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Nothing on FIRMS in that area, but it's cloudy.
Could have flown to the Russian base in Latakia without a transponder and continued on with a different aircraft

2024-12-08 05:38:52 UTC

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Re the disappearing plane: If it crashed, or landed hard at the end of that track, someone probably should have noticed and posted on the internet by now (OTOH, there's A Lot Going On Right Now)
If they turned off the transponder and headed for some 3rd country, you'd expect them to turn it back on once in friendly / neutral airspace
https://mastodon.social/@reedmideke/113615124542356546

2024-12-08 03:40:19 UTC

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Nathan Ruser plotted it https://x.com/Nrg8000/status/1865593648509050909
To be clear, this is not at all definitive, we don't know if Assad was on that plane, if the track is accurate or ends in a crash, but it certainly could…
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/615/078/399/873/973/original/64f15c94bcea2560.png

2024-12-08 02:14:15 UTC

What comes after Assad is fraught at best, but let me just say… hahahahaha fuck that guy

2024-12-06 02:49:50 UTC

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Also, as far as I can tell reference to "attacks on critical infrastructure" in the Moses interview refers to Anonymous Sudan, which was mostly DDoS stuff that has nothing to do with AI

2024-12-06 02:44:50 UTC

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…the examples he gives are meh and not really tied to the 750 million claim. There's the claim that generative AI lets non-developers do things they couldn't do before, which cites a story about the FBI warning it makes phishing easier. Followed by Moses citing phishing directly.
Which sure, phishing is a real thing, but the connection to the "OMG 750 million attacks a day" is tenuous, and "more better phishing" isn't really some big shift in the threat landscape
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/603/539/641/340/787/original/fd522d620a64f046.png

2024-12-06 02:33:12 UTC

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I'm with @npub1lcc…lcye on this. To really evaluate Moses' statement, we'd need some explanation of what he means by "hits" and what role he claims AI plays, but on its face it sounds like someone throwing big numbers around out of context.
Looking at the interview (archive link https://archive.ph/ZziuM) it seems like he claims there was a 7.5x increase in some unspecified type of attack, suggesting that AI played some unspecified role, but…

2024-12-05 19:41:47 UTC

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Isaacman is probably as good a nominee as we could expect from a Trump administration, and possibly a genuinely good one. But you should be extremely embarrassed by Eric completely ignoring the large ethical red flags

2024-12-05 19:38:04 UTC

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and "Cognizant of the time crew members spend away from their families training, he invites them and SpaceX employees who have supported his flights to an air strip in Wyoming. Over the course of two days, family members get to ride in jets, go on a zero-gravity flight, and participate in other fun activities to get a taste of what flying on the edge is like"
Oh wow rich guy invited people who support him to do things he likes at a cost that's insignificant to him! 😍

2024-12-05 19:31:39 UTC

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The cited evidence he's not just after joy rides: "In interviews, each of the Polaris Dawn crew members remarked about how Isaacman calmly called out these milestones in advance, with a few words about what to expect"
Oh wow, he managed to do something that's common practice for Soyuz commanders and also pilots giving rides in high performance aircraft generally!

2024-12-05 19:25:46 UTC

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Seriously malpractice to not even mention the facts that
1) He was almost certainly nominated by Elon Musk in practice
2) He has personally paid Elon Musk hundreds of millions for space joy rides
3) As long as the Trump/Musk bromance lasts, he'll serve at Musk's pleasure
"Through these interactions—based upon my interviews with many people—Isaacman has demonstrated that he is not a billionaire seeking a joyride"
Citation fucking needed

2024-12-05 05:58:22 UTC

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"Presidential official familiar with Yoon’s thinking tells me Yoon anticipated National Assembly would reverse his decision given the Democratic control but wanted to send a message nonetheless to lawmakers; announced martial law late at night to minimize damage to economy and people's daily lives" - I feel like this explanation might be a bit more credible if he hadn't apparently ordered the army to block the National Assembly and take control of the media
https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3lcibg4x3is2q

2024-12-05 03:24:32 UTC

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Amnesty "concludes that Israel created conditions in Gaza that would lead to Palestinians’ slow death. It further concludes … that Israel not only foresaw but intended to inflict conditions of life on Palestinians in Gaza calculated to bring about their destruction … “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”, as prohibited under Articles II(c) of the Genocide Convention" https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/8668/2024/en/

2024-12-03 22:00:17 UTC

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"Probably we’re headed towards an impeachment process" https://www.reuters.com/world/south-korea-live-president-yoon-declares-martial-law-2024-12-03/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/591/133/863/733/730/original/20fd2906781ecddf.png

2024-12-03 20:47:19 UTC

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Pre coup attempt "Accusing Yoon of authoritarian tendencies, the left-wing [opposition] parties focused their proposed cuts on the office of the president, national prosecutors and the police" - Yeah, declaring martial law is perhaps not the most effective way to rebut that accusation
https://www.ft.com/content/6fefcb5a-98a5-4e60-a989-fcc0d84625f9

2024-12-03 17:59:36 UTC

I did not have Yoon attempting an autogolpe on my bingo card https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et

2024-11-21 01:37:21 UTC

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'Palestinians are "facing diminishing conditions for survival" in parts of northern Gaza under siege by Israeli forces because virtually no aid has been delivered in 40 days, the United Nations has warned' https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3ypxd3p4eo

2024-11-17 07:50:21 UTC

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Smol #Birb update: Borbing
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/497/182/602/372/272/original/539278b1e20eebe8.jpg

2024-11-14 23:50:07 UTC

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HRW: "The report further finds that the Israeli government’s acts of forced displacement are widespread and systematic. Statements by senior officials with command responsibility show that forced displacement is intentional and forms part of Israeli state policy and therefore amount to a crime against humanity. Israel’s actions appear to also meet the definition of ethnic cleansing" https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/11/14/hopeless-starving-and-besieged/israels-forced-displacement-palestinians-gaza

2024-11-05 23:38:09 UTC

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"Survivors and hospital administrators recounted at least four occasions when Israeli drones or snipers killed or badly wounded Palestinians trying to enter. Two women about to give birth were shot and bled to death in the street, staff said" https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attack-again-00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000

2024-11-03 23:47:14 UTC

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WaPo corroborates above NYT reporting of Israeli forces systematically using Palestinians as human shields. A clear-cut war crime, with a level of evidence that would draw immediate condemnation from the US if almost any other country did the same
https://wapo.st/3AsPBbs
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2024-10-26 06:31:46 UTC

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Smol #Birb update
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/372/301/444/106/963/original/04292818cb01156c.jpg

2024-10-19 01:53:33 UTC

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I mean, just from a personal self-interest point of view, if you have a choice between Poland and Belarus trajectories since 1989, who looks at Belarus and says "Yeah, that's the one for me"?
OK, probably works for corrupt oligarchs, but it seems like it should be a tough sell for your average working Joe

2024-10-19 01:43:55 UTC

"…Renato Usatii, the 45-year-old former mayor of Balti, Moldova’s second-largest city, and another Kremlin-friendly politician who argues the country would be better off joining the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union" - Gotta wonder who looks at the ex-Soviet and Warsaw pact countries which joined the EU vs the ones that stayed in Russia's sphere and thinks that's a compelling argument https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-moldova-europe-referendum-maia-sandu/

2024-10-14 08:09:39 UTC

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"The Times found no evidence of any detainees being harmed or killed while being used as human shields" but the UN commission report linked above included this item "…a handcuffed Palestinian detainee dressed in a white protective suit was observed in the hospital, allegedly ordered by Israeli security forces to notify the people to evacuate. Upon leaving the hospital, he was allegedly shot and killed by Israeli security forces"
https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/262/79/pdf/n2426279.pdf
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/304/749/668/140/307/original/89fdca70b97080a2.png

2024-10-14 07:59:03 UTC

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NYT "found that Israeli soldiers and intelligence agents, throughout the war in Gaza, have regularly forced captured Palestinians … to conduct life-threatening reconnaissance missions to avoid putting Israeli soldiers at risk on the battlefield … the practice, illegal under both Israeli and international law, has been used by at least 11 squads in five cities in Gaza, often with the involvement of officers from Israeli intelligence agencies"
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/world/middleeast/israel-gaza-military-human-shields.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SE4.4AI4.AYYDFA6-niIO&smid=url-share
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2024-10-13 19:04:25 UTC

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"Netanyahu is examining a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas militants, a plan that, if implemented, could trap without food or water hundreds of thousands of Palestinians unwilling or unable to leave their homes" - Openly discussion using starvation to kill or forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of people, because they're confident the most the US will do is tut loudly
https://apnews.com/article/hamas-israel-generals-plan-eiland-gaza-219d7eb9a3050e281ccc032d5a56263c

2024-10-11 02:44:55 UTC

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UN commission finds "Israel has perpetrated a concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system as part of a broader assault on Gaza, committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities"
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/10/un-commission-finds-war-crimes-and-crimes-against-humanity-israeli-attacks

2024-10-06 04:23:57 UTC

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Welp, guess we get to find out how upset they are when an old white dude kills geese "the golfer approached Comer about the dead goose in the pond, and Comer said there would be several more dead geese in a few minutes. Comer reportedly then got on his lawnmower with a shotgun and fired twice, killing a second goose
… A court spokesperson told HuffPost he paid $200 to cover a fine and court fees"
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/springfield-geese-haitian-golf-course_n_66fec370e4b03185708e93ab

2024-10-01 22:40:42 UTC

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LOL, no, just the other side of my cable modem

2024-10-01 22:34:28 UTC

Cool, cool
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/234/540/433/949/339/original/9f79e1996c17513e.png

2024-09-28 19:36:22 UTC

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Calling Catalan a Spanish dialect might also be controversial 😛

2024-09-26 20:46:09 UTC

Banner day for NYC mayors 🥳
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25175479/eric-adams-indictment-unsealed.pdf
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25175451/in-re-giuliani-21-bg-0423.pdf
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/206/602/580/959/855/original/8382a9c55a665fc0.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/206/618/924/927/522/original/ffc870295ea5c3ec.png

2024-09-16 22:28:39 UTC

"Omnipresent AI cameras will ensure good behavior, says Larry Ellison" - OK Larry, to optimize costs, how about we start with continuous video surveillance of people with resources and influence which would allow them to cause the largest scale harms. Like billionaire tech oligarchs, just to pick a totally random example https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2024/09/omnipresent-ai-cameras-will-ensure-good-behavior-says-larry-ellison/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

2024-09-14 17:15:22 UTC

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Also you know if it were a rural white dude accused of taking geese without the right paperwork, the same clowns would be up in arms about big gubment interfering with the rights of rugged individualist

2024-09-14 05:02:27 UTC

You know how as soon as the cats and dogs thing was debunked, a whole bunch of RW clowns went with "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE GEESE, THAT WAS CONFIRMED"
Anyway: "The Ohio Division of Wildlife tells TMZ the real deal behind the viral pic -- the guy was actually picking up 2 geese that were hit in a Columbus car accident … we're told there’s no evidence the man is an immigrant, or Haitian, or had plans to eat the geese" https://www.tmz.com/2024/09/13/ohio-wildlife-officials-give-context-man-geese-picture/

2024-09-12 04:06:01 UTC

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FWIW, it is in the Unicode change summary https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode16.0.0/#Character_Additions

2024-09-10 22:04:12 UTC

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Dropping 2000 lb bombs in the middle of a refugee camp you previously designated as a "humanitarian zone" sends a message, and it sure as hell ain't "doing everything possible to minimize civilian casualties" or "scrupulously adhering to the laws of war", regardless of whether there was a legitimate target
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/10/world/middleeast/israel-strike-mawasi-bombs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Jk4.PpzM.zF96qqayOYsU&smid=url-share
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2024-09-05 07:52:30 UTC

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Smol #Birb update
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/312/274/703/original/cb293e45f8da94d8.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/343/263/380/original/4c4576635d6dfbcf.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/393/830/794/original/655a7f8dcfc054ab.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/436/196/213/original/3faa5d2701357813.jpg

2024-09-04 07:08:51 UTC

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Smol #Birb update
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/078/014/491/750/008/original/b7956bcc6b4d67b0.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/078/014/583/077/678/original/5d9f094b9fc57c3a.jpg

2024-09-03 00:49:44 UTC

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"BBC World Service has seen documents showing that organisations with close ties to the Israeli government have provided money and land used to establish new illegal outposts" https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c207j6wy332o

2024-08-30 07:23:41 UTC

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Smol #Birb update
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/049/752/215/223/545/original/bb3c3778a19b643e.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/049/767/783/602/228/original/2efc6acd262d7780.jpg

2024-08-27 00:46:31 UTC

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Also, this seems like an extremely techbro attempt to tech around legal obligations, which judges all over the world are unlikely to look kindly on. Not hard to imagine a court saying, "LOL no, you have overall control of all the subsidiary organizations, cough up or go to jail"
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/031/210/587/144/166/original/19fa27e7e1ec902e.png