Stop. Pay attention to these content warnings: This story is not safe for work, for minors, or for the unconsenting. It is gory and tragic and full of rage and too, too timely. I was not ready for it, and it broke my heart, and it deserves a fucking Hugo. strangehorizons.com/wordpress/fi...

I generally prefer to work from home, but some days the office has its charms.

Ridiculous, indeed. Mine arrived today, and, uh. Four cubic feet of loose masks is not what I expected, but you can't beat the price! Anyone need masks? (I try hard not to support Bezos, especially recently, but I contain multitudes.)

I searched for my surname, not really expecting anything, and found hundreds and hundreds of hits: it's shared by one of the attorneys involved, no relation of which I'm aware. We need a better discovery mechanism. www.justice.gov/epstein

Signs left at Pioneer Square transit station after the march. This choked me up a little as I came around the corner.

Demonstration at City Hall: Seattle Public Schools students walked out today to protest ICE. The kids are all right.

Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again. #Pinks #ProudBlue

🧵

A we mourn the ravaging of the Washington Post, it's a great day to subscribe to your local newspaper or another regional paper. Local reporting has a huge positive impact on local rights & justice, & we are seeing local papers shut down at devastating speed Democracy dies in darkness is still true

Bezos's shell (I won't call it The Post) laid off Ukraine war correspondent Lizzie Johnson without bringing her home. Reportedly, they canceled her return ticket at her termination. I've said before, I used to love and respect The Post, but that paper is dead. Don't support Bezos.

I can't not hear this in the tone of voice of @carisahendrix.bsky.social's Lucy Darling

An orthopedic surgery clinic called Maslow's Hierarchy of Knees

The answer is for WA to become the anti-MAGA. Invest in higher ed, not cut it as Gov. Ferguson wants. Fund the research and health care that Trump and DOGE cut. Hire all the scientists and experts looking for a good job in a good place. Build a lot more housing so people can afford to move here.

🧵

Charismatic megafauna!

Deleting Signal now that I know it's compromised. Find me in the ominous low mechanical hum no one can trace to a specific origin.

Senator Murray's voice mail was full, but I left a message for Senator Cantwell, as well as one thanking Rep. Jayapal.

Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was an ICU nurse at the VA. www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...

Spherical humans of uniform density and viscosity

Voted for ICE funding

Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026

It’s Penguin Awareness Day which seems like a great excuse to post the greatest ever Wikipedia edit.

This is literally what I've been writing and podcasting about for years. I was planning to do an essay on this, but here's a 🧵. The main reason is psychology. Due to personal, family, and cultural histories, some people are inherently scared of the world.

Almost 29 years after I saw it on the theaters as a rising freshman in college - with an audience that lost its shit at "I used to be a helluva engineer, once" a few blocks from Georgia Tech - and it still raises gooseflesh on my neck.

I'm seeing reports that Gov. Tim Walz has activated (but not yet mobilized) the MN National Guard to "ensure the safety of peaceful protesters".

h/t @jaythenerdkid.bsky.social

Guardian's horny on main again

Thread as Hugo candidate for short story. (content warning: bleak)

Apropos of nothing, this is a useful list. bsky.app/profile/did:...

The noise I just made startled the cats

Udvar Hazy is right next to fucking Dulles Btw highly recommend if you’re ever in the DC area, it’s a gigantic fuck-off hanger stuffed full of planes spanning the whole history of human flight and they have both an SR-71 and a space shuttle

The Mandalorian seeing a blue-headed corvid: This is the jay.

NOPE

If you haven’t already, take the AGO’s AI labor impact survey to make your voice heard. Help us build a balanced future for our workforce: https://tinyurl.com/ysxevt8n

Good. These are things I'm proud to have voted for.

"haha laser printer go brrrrr"

John Green, twenty-first century Marcus Aurelius: "Take [the abusive self-talk] down a notch. You're doing the best you can as a decaying bacterial colony that's _thinking;_ of course you're struggling!" (Dear Hank and John #393, 16:50)

January 23rd, folks

Hobbes clearly votes for the Tigers Pouncing Schoolchildren Returning Home party.

Seriously. "Thank you for your labor; here is what exploitation looks like and how to safely report it, how to join the union, how to get health care, how to get an education, how to enroll your kids in school, and how to become a citizen. America is better with you as an American."

🧵 Me, too.

Hey, fellow Southern Californians - Please amplify this wide and far.

"I know you'll miss Cigna's campaign contributions, Senator, but they were a wasteful and ineffective way to provide patient care - and that's why we need Medicare For All and other large insurance pools." (with apologies to Gary Larsen)

WHAT

We've got a film fest and a craft market coming soon in our taproom SouthEnd Public House! What are you most excited about? #SlightlyFurry #SouthEndPublicHouse #queer #crowsnestcomics #craftmarket #artmarket #streetfair #Seattle

CALL FOR ENTRIES The annual Crypticon Seattle anthology writing contest is open until Feb 14, 2026 to writers local to Seattle/greater WA state. A great opportunity to get published alongside pros, get a weekend pass to Crypticon, win cash prizes. All info here: crypticonseattle.com/events/conte...

TIL that the coastal redwood was once native to Ireland, and there is a multi-generational project to reintroduce them as a forest ecosystem! #sharegoodnewstoo

"We make lives more valuable in the future by insisting that lives are more valuable today." youtu.be/twQluJ8bWi0