CurtAdams

Semi-retired biologist with interests in speciation models, urbanism, liberal/left politics, economics, quartertone music theory, boardgames, ambient music, house rabbits, and yoga. He/him. #fedi22

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curtadams_at_urbanists.social@momostr.pink

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Last Notes

2026-09-12 14:28:47 UTC

La Muerte and Xibalba in "No Fair!"
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/117/258/537/704/334/024/original/ac9fab99eaf08552.mp4

2026-06-10 18:00:05 UTC

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We got an induction stove three years ago and we love it too.

2026-05-14 23:51:53 UTC

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Telling that China started paying Iran's tolls when Trump is in Beijing and will have problems if he raises a fuss.

2026-05-13 17:02:29 UTC

Episode 9 of my retro modded Minecraft journal is out: "The Thaumaturge - sort of". #retrocomputing #minecraft
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal?page=3#c51
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/568/334/579/818/739/original/afbb5fd44fd18dc3.png

2026-05-12 21:25:07 UTC

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I like the idea of only allowing new datacenters if they can produce verifiable carbon removal for all the carbon they emit. Since AI is so awesome, it should be easy, right? They'd have nothing to complain about from such a requirement.

2026-05-11 14:07:13 UTC

Episode 8 of my modded retro Minecraft journal is up: "An Old New Direction" #retrocomputing #minecraft
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal?page=3#c48
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/556/321/480/118/661/original/1ce9bfd3eea4ad83.png

2026-05-07 11:48:14 UTC

Episode 6 of my retro modded Minecraft journal is out: Imperfections in Paradise.
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal?page=2#c37
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/533/125/113/275/709/original/c63e7123c34df7e8.png

2026-05-05 19:26:50 UTC

Episode 5 of my retro modded Minecraft journal is up: The Hunt for Hot #minecraft #retrocomputing
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal?page=2#c25
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/523/606/446/526/018/original/c9b22d39c06c564f.png

2026-05-04 19:53:56 UTC

4th episode of my retro modded Minecraft journal is out: Trying Tinkering Two. #Minecraft #retrocomputing
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal?page=2#c24
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/518/044/550/035/324/original/ee58188dbb1f2dfd.png

2026-05-03 15:51:58 UTC

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I see you followed the rule that all AI logos look like buttholes.

2026-05-03 15:00:10 UTC

Episode 3 of my retro modded Minecraft journals is up: Trying Tinkering #Minecraft #retrocomputing
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal#c15
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/511/229/497/609/269/original/67792bfbae4c8c6e.png

2026-05-02 19:23:32 UTC

Second episode of my retro Minecraft journal is up: Explosive discoveries. https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/506/606/009/757/217/original/15042a1b2cacf202.png

2026-04-30 14:47:46 UTC

Just posted the first episode of my retro (1.12) modded minecraft journal: "A-Sheepish Start".
Why I'm playing in an old version is in the first post in the thread. I'm outing myself with this journal because previously I've kept my Minecraft and real-life personas separate but I don't think it makes a difference anymore. #Minecraft #retrocomputing
https://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/minecraft-java-edition/survival-mode/3228271-old-familiar-friends-a-retro-hardcore-journal?comment=2
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/494/178/564/753/417/original/90831f2b0051e880.png

2026-04-29 13:23:21 UTC

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The billions were mostly embezzled, as is par for this administration. Everything is done under no-bid rules at several times the already high cost for government contracts.

2026-04-29 13:20:58 UTC

CBS News continues sinking to record viewership lows under new hardline conservative leadership: https://www.status.news/p/tony-dokoupil-cbs-evening-news-ratings-bari-weiss

2026-04-28 19:44:35 UTC

New collection being kickstarted by SMBC:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/kickstarter-launch

2026-04-27 00:59:54 UTC

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Multiplayer - 3, I think.

2026-04-26 23:55:42 UTC

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Wow, this is a great read on the intensity of botnet activity constantly trying to break into every computer on the internet.

2026-04-26 23:47:25 UTC

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I think I found nostalgic content most appealing in my 40's. I'm 60 now and my interest has faded. There are a lot of things I miss from my youth but I don't feel much benefit from looking at or reading about them.

2026-04-26 23:39:32 UTC

I treat most recipes as guidelines, except for baking, where you need to know how a recipe works pretty well before you piddle with it.

2026-04-26 23:25:56 UTC

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I played 3 Ring Circus once and would be interested in your take.

2026-04-23 21:37:15 UTC

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If you drink every time somebody in the admin "2 weeks" their Iran mess, you're going to give yourself liver damage.
Take care of yourself, we appreciate your posts!

2026-04-22 12:43:53 UTC

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Supposedly Anthropic is using its own coding tools for much of its programming, so no surprise that its security is shit.

2026-04-21 20:05:11 UTC

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What about Ivory Coast? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivory_(color)

2026-04-20 18:36:16 UTC

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I am pleasantly astonished that a MSM outlet is actually calling Trump out on spewing nonsense.

2026-04-20 18:35:16 UTC

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The Onion promises Infowars will be filled with ads and scams to the rafters.
So, an improvement over when Alex Jones ran it.

2026-04-20 18:32:29 UTC

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Happy Birthday, Cenobyte!

2026-04-20 12:14:40 UTC

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I really like Tasha Suri's writing. The Burning Kingdoms trilogy is even better than Empire of Sand and its sequel.

2026-04-15 16:03:05 UTC

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Is this a joke?
<does online search on Allbirds and AI>
OMG, it's true. This timeline is insane.

2026-04-14 01:34:26 UTC

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Yeah, Becky Chambers is great. It's great to see sci fi with healthy interpersonal relations (and after reading Chambers, I realize how depressingly rare it it.)

2026-04-14 01:17:27 UTC

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I've had the example of ungrounded AI claims. I was looking to see if allulose (a nonnutritive sweeter) would be toxic to my rabbit (like xylitol) and couldn't find anything. The annoying AI "summary" that popped up claimed it wasn't (reasonable, that's what I suspected). But I skeptically checked its sources, and none actually said anything about allulose. All just make up.

2026-04-10 23:35:00 UTC

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I can hardly wait for the first air traffic controller ragequit.

2026-04-09 14:54:30 UTC

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I enjoyed the Golem and the Jinni as well.

2026-04-09 14:51:53 UTC

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I suspect it would be an advantage for Tesla if Musk, the mastermind behind the Cybertruck, wasn't involved or interested in a new Tesla design.

2026-04-09 01:52:13 UTC

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When I saw Oxbow had been sold I was very disappointed, as they had seemed to be a fairly good and scientific company. Disappointed but not surprised they are cutting corners and endangering out smol friends.

2026-04-06 23:39:12 UTC

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There's all kinds of stuff on Mastodon. Lots of disagreement on politics and AI, two of the issues cited. I don't follow stuff I don't want to see, which pretty much means I don't see it. Occasionally I block when necessary. This isn't "echo chamber", it's quality of life.
I think most of the "echo chamber" posts come from people with flimsy ideas who are upset nobody's interested in what they're peddling.

2026-04-05 06:52:28 UTC

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I am not foreseeing smashing success for the likely forthcoming ground assault.

2026-04-03 17:08:16 UTC

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Reusing cups totally works for keeping your desk tidy! And if you put in something hot, like tea or coffee, at least once a day, nothing grows.
I conceded it is a chore when I eventually wash it out.

2026-04-02 05:56:42 UTC

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I would say you'd want a culture to find out what bacteria it is (or are) and what it's sensitive to. Just chucking antibiotics and hoping something works doesn't seem to be working.
That said, you can't cure all bacterial infections with antibiotics. For example, sometimes nothing cures human sinus infections.

2026-04-02 05:40:20 UTC

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That many nuclear plants, at current construction costs, would be 500 billion dollars. California is wealthy, but not *that* wealthy. We'll continue with much cheaper solar, wind, and battery power.

2026-03-30 04:53:49 UTC

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Looks like real shortages should be already affecting Eastern and Southern Africa. Any reporting? I know the US press loves to ignore Africa.

2026-03-28 18:54:22 UTC

Just got back from my local #nokings protest. I counted 1626 attendees, about the same as last time. But the driver response was very different! CONSTANT honking, constant waving; just tremendous support. Last time there was a lot, but not continuous like last time.
The protest was around an inbreeding so I couldn't get a good crowd shot. So you'll have to settle for this very funny costume:
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/308/300/090/654/755/original/fae59029050c62d4.jpeg

2026-03-28 05:59:49 UTC

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I did calorie restriction for several years and I found I felt much nore satisfied when I made sure my daily food meet all my nutritional requirements.

2026-03-24 22:30:54 UTC

From Ed Zitron's latest:
"Not to sound unprofessional or nothing, but what the fuck is going on? We have 241GW of “planned” capacity in America, of which only 79.5GW of which is “under active development,” but when you dig deeper, only 5GW of capacity is actually under construction? "
https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-industry-is-lying-to-you/?ref=ed-zitrons-wheres-your-ed-at-newsletter

2026-03-24 19:11:45 UTC

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1 billion an hour for AI compute? The entire industry is only getting 25 billion or so a year. According to this guy, you could run one server one day and then turn off every AI server on the planet for a year. I don't think he's very good at business.

2026-03-24 15:59:35 UTC

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I suspect in the end the bizarre gyrations of oil prices now will be similar to the repeated electricity blackouts in 90's California: corporate manipulation. The only question is who.

2026-03-24 15:58:16 UTC

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Billionaire conservative who sponsored all sorts of nasty causes dies in freak pickleball accident. Maybe there is a good force in the universe?

2026-03-24 15:32:08 UTC

Baby, It's Cold Outside. 1000 pieces. New York Puzzles. Untimed (done irregularly with my husband)
No time but seemed easy from being sortable and varied piece shapes. Cute and fun as well. #jigsawpuzzle
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/116/284/859/019/703/669/original/9af807d329cab266.jpeg

2026-03-23 21:46:16 UTC

ICE "helping" at airports:
https://bsky.app/profile/adamparkhomenko.bsky.social/post/3mhqgangm6k2h

2026-03-22 23:41:57 UTC

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Race "science" is bad science because the whole concept of race turned out to have no biological basis. "Science" is a term implying there is evidence and functional analysis, and using it gives race "science" credibility it doesn't deserve, and that influence laypeople in a bad way.
Race pseudo-science is a reasonable descriptive term.

2026-03-21 14:53:52 UTC

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Is there a better term than "race science"? 'Cause it sure ain't science.

2026-03-20 16:32:23 UTC

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Beautiful setting for a beautiful bunny's pics.

2026-03-18 18:24:16 UTC

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I must say Galbor has a deep booming voice in my mind's ear.

2026-03-18 18:08:46 UTC

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Meh on that negative study. It shows the Dunning-Kruger effect can be created with random data. But this would only apply if the results of the knowledge tests were random, and they're not.
The most you could say is that the Dunning-Kruger effect is somewhat smaller than reported.

2026-03-17 23:51:59 UTC

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Never mind Palm Springs. It was 99 today in Orange (near the coast in Southern California for those not familiar with detailed California geography).

2026-03-14 16:17:49 UTC

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If Elio had been coded as "possibly queer" I'd have gone to see it. I skipped it as I'm getting tired of 'young protagonist saves the world stories'. But I'd have made an exception if they'd tackled some new themes as well.

2026-03-14 14:24:32 UTC

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Next stop the bunny Olympics!

2026-03-13 05:02:17 UTC

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Also ignoring there's an entire ocean of alternatives to the Straits of Malacca - somewhat longer, but quite viable, unlike the Persian Gulf with only one way out.

2026-03-13 03:33:47 UTC

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I went on a fancy National Geographic tours with my mother 20 years ago as kind of "bucket list" thing for her. They *still* send me catalogs multiple times per year, even though I never would take them on my own dime. This includes catalogs for round-the-world jet trips at jawdropping prices that would have been out of my mother's price range as well.

2026-03-13 03:27:40 UTC

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I figure some fancy furniture business needs to get its catalog numbers up to get a loan or some such.

2026-03-12 23:37:28 UTC

Video of a wild octopus interacting with a mirror. The octopus quickly figured out it's not dealing with a real octopus in the mirror, but I'm not so convinced it understood it as a reflection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DcytnIOcSU

2026-03-10 17:52:45 UTC

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AI usage requirements + mandatory senior reviews of AI code = one hell of a bottleneck.
Oh, and I would hate to be a senior programmer whose job suddenly become reviewing iffy code that nobody can explain, because they didn't write it.

2026-03-08 21:13:58 UTC

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What's the game?

2026-03-06 17:53:46 UTC

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I doubt the Amazon outages are related to the attacks in the Persian Gulf area. I suspect they do US processing locally. A more likely suspect is AI slopification of their programming.

2026-03-06 17:34:12 UTC

https://bsky.app/profile/lesterb.bsky.social/post/3mgdbdlq4m32y

2026-03-06 14:40:05 UTC

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I think Trump is too addlepated to realize what a failure he is. I mean, at a Medal of Honor ceremony he starts rambling about the color of his fantasy ballroom drapes.

2026-03-06 12:47:07 UTC

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Do I count if I already quit all sugared/sweetened beverages years ago for health reasons?

2026-03-04 18:28:04 UTC

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"Attempting regime change in Iran?' After the US and Israel assassinated 40+ of the top leadership, including Khamenei, I think that particular cat is already out of the bad.

2026-03-04 03:24:24 UTC

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I'm sure Khamenei's son will be very gracious in his dealings with the country that blew up not just his dad, but his mom as well, at a different location.

2026-03-02 23:15:16 UTC

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Brad Karp, the chairman of one of the law firms that caved to Trump, had to resign because he's prominent in the Epstein files.
Blackmail or collusion? Hmmm.

2026-03-01 21:28:14 UTC

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Demented Donnie could never manage a convincing pro-war speech, even with a teleprompter.

2026-03-01 20:49:58 UTC

Epstein was also the subject of a drug trafficking investigation: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-files-dea-document-drug-trafficking-investigation/

2026-02-27 16:21:39 UTC

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It's good you're encouraging your human to get more fiber.

2026-02-26 01:46:15 UTC

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Looks like I need to endeavor to unearth more nuance in my writing.
(Fitting that AI underused the word "nuance")

2026-02-23 16:38:25 UTC

Trump's FBI told New York to stop investigating Epstein: https://www.justsecurity.org/132230/fbi-stand-down-directive-epstein-timeline/

2026-02-22 15:47:34 UTC

Man accidentally gains control of 7,000 vaccuums, including cameras, audio, and maps: https://www.popsci.com/technology/robot-vacuum-army/

2026-02-22 01:15:53 UTC

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UCLA does not allow the flat floor power strips because of the risk of shorts and fire from liquid. Wall plug-in or other vertical only. Once I thought about it, I decided not to buy any more horizontal strips at home as well.

2026-02-20 20:30:41 UTC

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Sander-Trump in 2016 is no mystery. It's the same people who voted Hillary-McCain in 2008 - Republicans who voted in Democratic primaries to mess up the Democratic nomination.

2026-02-20 16:48:29 UTC

Scientific predictions on what happens to the Antarctic Peninsula under various global warming scenarios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1oI20UOF-I

2026-02-17 23:24:18 UTC

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ConocoPhillips mobile rig slated to explore Alaska's North Slope crashes, will be scrapped. #goodnews

2026-02-17 18:16:48 UTC

Some things the wellness industry doesn't want you to know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-bx5P0LbCM

2026-02-17 15:39:51 UTC

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Politics is how important things get done.

2026-02-17 15:33:14 UTC

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Weirdly alarmist to say crypto is "drowning in red" at $68,000 when it was briefly below $63,000 2 weeks ago (although, down more to $66,800 as I write this). And the linked article doesn't cite anybody predicting Bitcoin to $10,000. AI summary?

2026-02-17 15:22:41 UTC

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I'm embarrassed to say I've gotten the American Heiress in Obsession and not won. My play times haven't been quite as long as Jerk's - we've never hit 4 hours - but I agree the box time is a joke.
(Obsession is a real hoot to play, tho.)

2026-02-16 02:07:42 UTC

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"Do something different, and you may attract the casuals but alienate the core audience."
Civ 7 has entered the room.

2026-02-16 02:00:09 UTC

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Our rule, which we have found pretty accurate, is to take the time for the game on the box and double it. Box times only happen with experienced players (thus no teach) and no AP. In one of my regular gaming meetups there's a group of us who pride ourselves in actually being able to knock out Terraforming Mars:
Ares Expedition in the 45 minute box time.

2026-02-14 17:34:58 UTC

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I would say it as "Every Republican since Coolidge has increased the deficit" (Hoover did too) and "Every Democrat since LBJ has decreased the deficit".

2026-02-12 08:23:39 UTC

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I have a gaming acquaintance who got to stage three breast cancer because she refused Western medicine for Ayurvedic treatment. Oh, and several who died of refusing COVID vaccines.

2026-02-09 05:08:40 UTC

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The water by itself won't go bad, but the plastic jug might.

2026-02-06 21:28:08 UTC

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Much better than Microsoft Copilot.

2026-02-06 05:38:51 UTC

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Here's the official video of his routine. Frighteningly, he only got third place! @akamran@indieweb.so and it's in landscape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDkv-vkml1Q

2026-02-04 15:28:24 UTC

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Missed the procedure report. Keep recovering, Skye!

2026-02-03 16:04:17 UTC

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"Joy to the World" was the first pop hit I noticed and liked as a child. RIP.

2026-02-03 15:17:45 UTC

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This is significant because it attacks Tesla. All Tesla's cars have those handles, so they have to redesign all their doors on fairly short notice. But with no cars in the pipeline and a history of releasing cars years late, they're going to have a hard time redesigning fast enough.

2026-02-02 22:02:25 UTC

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Those annoying text and emails rarely come from the DNC. They come from independent "marketing" groups that keep 98% of the money for themselves and send 2% to the DNC or whatever. Just ignore them and donate directly to whomever you like. https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/mothership-strategies-democratic-consultants-fundraising-pleas/

2026-02-02 21:06:55 UTC

Argentine right-wing leader Milei's cuts result in disastrous record fire in UNESCO world heritage forest: https://apnews.com/article/argentina-patagonia-milei-trump-austerity-wildfires-drought-f07520babbbb3ea18f9da96d47a7c3b4

2026-01-31 17:15:18 UTC

Spacewalk, Page Publications, 8 hours 40 minutes, sort of.
Another puzzle I thought would be relatively easy but which was pretty hard. The reason was the all the pieces are in two groups nearly identical in shape so I could place only by pattern - which in some cases was ambiguous so I was doing a lot of squinting! Generally the last few pieces are fun and easy to slap in but here it was agonizingly placing and replacing a lot of very slightly different space pieces. #jigsawpuzzle
https://cdn.masto.host/urbanistssocial/media_attachments/files/115/990/794/112/619/783/original/0db49b817f9fb422.jpg

2026-01-29 00:30:56 UTC

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I love Beardsley's work and "The Peacock Skirt" is one of the best. I love the shape of the skirt and the magnificent decorations.

2026-01-29 00:06:23 UTC

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The point of any proposed reform is to win the next election. Now that the Republicans ignore the law it's all about power. Sadly most Americans don't follow politics and don't understand what's going on (the time I spend talking with bothsidering normies, urgh) and they still want "bipartisanship" and "compromise". They're the ones that elected Trump (Harris won 2 to 1 with people well informed about politics) and so the Democrats have to appeal to them.

2026-01-28 23:48:07 UTC

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That's how I learned dentists aren't kidding when they say "Don't open a bottle with your teeth". Fortunately in my case it was a bicuspid and a small chip and I did not need a repair.