So much of this era is the story of mean-spirited dumbasses getting enough power that decent, intelligent people can't step in and stop their terrible dumbass ideas.

Great segment on NPR recently where they interviewed teens about meme culture; turned into story about how we've pressed young people into having social relationships almost entirely virtually. Pointed out how we're overprotecting kids IRL (world has never been safer) but *under protect* them online

I really don’t have any goals for 2026 except to get through it and that’s ok.

Reading Zoë Schlanger's "The Light Eaters" and just got to the bit about plants making bad decisions while stressed and I feel like I need a sign saying "you are not above a plant in this" as an ongoing reminder.

As is my custom, going on 14 years now, my last minute year-in-review of what I read and loves: lizshayne.wordpress.com/2025/12/31/b...

No one says to legit business owners, "hey I see there's an underground market selling toxic knock-offs of your product: how will you incorporate the toxic product AND protect your customers against its harms?" But apparently it's fine to make this suggestion to educators with respect to AI.

90% of bluesky posts, to me

Government services aren't businesses. Delivering mail to citizens is something we pay for. But if these are businesses, you won't believe how much money the military loses.

When someone tells you who they are…

This trans instructor was doing her job, giving a failing grade to a student who cynically did not comply w the assignment. The instructor was targeted by Turning Point USA who worked hand in glove w the student in a highly orchestrated media hit job to advance its anti-trans hate campaign

this is just to say I have loosed  the blood-dimmed tide that you were probably saving for the ceremony of innocence forgive me the best lack all conviction while the worst are so passionate and so intense

Important context here: when Peter Thiel and David Sacks began their war on diversity as undergrads at Stanford, thirty years ago, the very first tactic they adopted was to normalize slurs that had already been stigmatized out of mainstream society. This return of these hateful terms was a key goal.

A reminder: Bari Weiss signed the Harper's Letter.

please let “bugs bunnying” become the slang for manipulating an LLM into ignoring its guardrails, i have never seen a more succinct and evocative term for it

Not only a travel guide but also a moral guide. . .

Specifying that they're being forced to "waste resources" protecting incumbents is INCREDIBLY telling re: how stuck they are in their thinking: a primary that produces a new, exciting, motivating candidate is worth WAY MORE than anything your campaign funds can do for your "check-the-box" incumbent!

For the rare jobs that do exist, faculty get to vote on who to hire. Many have an unofficial “no assholes” rule, which makes the working environment so much more pleasant for everyone. If you’re a grievance-obsessed weirdo, and there are 10 equally-qualified normal people, the decision is easier.

the ADA was probably the last piece of great bipartisan American legislation on civil rights, and it's fiercely under attack from a deeply ableist administration. But it's a great achievement!

The chances that the people a lot of folks won’t make eye contact with at the offramp have a stronger moral compass than the people in power are even money or better

I will not say do not weep, for not all tears are evil. thejewishindependent.com.au/air-traffic-...

Is the MTA making merch with the F M Swap icon cause they should be

So Yeshivat Maharat, the school that made me a rabbi, is fundraising for the end of year. There is an astounding amount of need in the world right now, but if your life is brightened by thoughtful and compassionate rabbis and you can help us train them, I would be so grateful.

why would immigrants do this www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

This is absolutely correct. Almost every artist I know is DROWNING in ideas. The issue is in executing the ideas.

The annual return of the Bat-menorah tonight. Happy Hanukkah 🕎.

feels like you kinda have to do universal healthcare first or else, ya know, you're just telling poor people they're allowed to kill themselves to free stuff up for the rich

The cliche that ‘having an idea’ is the hard part of writing is persistent and pernicious. Realising the idea is the craft of it. That FAQ of…

Compare the statement about the antisemitic terror attack in Australia by the Israeli Prime Minister with the one by Zohran Mamdani, and ask yourself who more truly cares about condemning antisemitism, as opposed to using it to promote unrelated politics.

No, Jews around the world don't suffer because of the actions of the government of Israel. Jews around the world suffer because antisemites use the actions of the government of Israel to justify attacks on Jews. And if you make the same association, you're also an antisemite.

My thoughts are with all those affected by the horrific antisemitic terror attack on a Hanukkah event in Australia in which at least 11 people were killed. Seen below is Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Muslim father of two who risked his life to disarm one of the gunmen and was also shot and injured.

This is a good statement.

“Despite the chaos & abject harm the law in Australia has wrought, US lawmakers are eagerly seeking to replicate it.” @taylorlorenz.bsky.social explains why a children’s social media ban will make the internet less safe & how such laws don’t hold Big Tech accountable. 🔗: zeteo.com/p/social-med...

This is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we act as though other communities have abandoned us, we retreat from relationship and coalition-building. Then, when we need support, we find ourselves isolated because relationships require ongoing commitment.

AS A PROFESSOR, I AM ASKING HOW ARE OUR STUDENTS SUPPOSED TO LEARN IN THESE CONDITIONS? HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GO TO SCHOOL AND TAKE EXAMS KNOWING SOMEONE MIGHT JUST SHOW UP WITH AN EASY TO ACQUIRE AUTOMATIC WEAPON? HOW??????????

(screams myself hoarse) This one is so much. It's SO MUCH, you don't even know!

This is really a huge part of why upper management is so in on AI. They think it will let them manage computers the way they currently manage the people who make the computer work. It will not.

Today is the 4 year anniversary of our first union victory! Since then, we've won over 650 union elections. It's been 4 years without a contract, and 4 years of union busting. That's why we're on day 26 of our national ULP strike - and we won't back down. www.cnn.com/2025/12/09/b...

The forbidden latke

Anne Boyer's "What Resembles The Grave But Isn't" is tattooed across my soul. "This is not your grave, get out of this hole." billmoyers.com/story/poetry...

Someone should tell us how much it costs annually, per person, to keep increasing the military's budget every year, and how much it costs annually, per person, to keep fucking up with health care infrastructure, and how much it costs annually per person to continue to increase police budgets. And...

Every single pro-life senator who voted to confirm RFK Jr should find out what it’s like to be called a baby-killer. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...

This idea is being pushed on us because billionaires don’t want art. They want decorations that don’t question the atrocity of their existence.

It's important to give conservative politicians their dues when they're on the right side of an issue like this, because we want elections to be fought over housing policy and taxes and stuff, not demonising minorities. Make politics boring again!

I have discovered the most curséd object of the holiday. Truly, tastefully beige minimalism has gone too far.

I would like the bookstore to send along some extra time to read when I order this many books… @tkingfisher.com, @koshersoul.bsky.social, @bogiperson.bsky.social,

As a bioethicist, I also feel the need to add that the central issue with eugenics is “it’s evil” not “it’s factually incorrect.” And if we finally learned that, maybe big name bioethicists wouldn’t publish “what if eugenics but hi-tech” every five years.

Another day of being deeply furious with Starbucks’ CEO because I miss my little peppermint white mocha treat and #nocontractnocoffee.