Happy holidays, folks. I hope next year is a little kinder.

It’s beginning to look a lot like… Christmas Eve dinner?

Are they perhaps the tail lights of the craft in which the _intelligent_ aliens are fleeing the cosmic cesspool that is Earth in 2025? 🤔 👽💨🌎

Finished our LEGO Holiday Express Train kit! @brianwolven.bsky.social

Measles causes infection as early as four days before patients have symptoms. 1) Get vaccinated. 2) Wear N95 or better (eg @flomask.bsky.social ) constantly: in public, at work, etc. 3) If you have symptoms, stay home: protect your peeps! 4) Get vaccinated. 5) Yeet RFKjr into the Great Salt Lake.

Laundry bag stuffed with leftover plain brown wrapping paper… best cat toy ever?

One major problem, bluntly, is that lots of folks can't distinguish between good writing and poor writing. This is about education, not intelligence: they could learn the difference, but it's frequently not taught, even in "good" schools. This is ultimately a competitive disadvantage for them.

Merry Christmas from me, @vexedmuddler.bsky.social and Darth Ginger! (…and CinnaMom)

“I find your lack of cheer disturbing.”

This is both hilarious and terrifying, as so many businesses try to force “AI” into roles for which it is so clearly unsuited at this time.

The Trump administration says it will dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a cornerstone for American climate and weather science. I went on NPR today to explain what this could mean for climate research. Listen here:

Sincerely one of the funniest things the WSJ has ever written or done. www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anth...

The White House claims the vote to rename the Kennedy Center was “unanimous.” That is false. I was muted on the call and denied the opportunity to speak or register my opposition. That is not consensus. That is censorship.

“Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough. ~ President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Josquin would be proud. 🎶

Surely the people who file hundreds of demands that libraries they've never been to remove books that they've never read — surely those people wouldn't abuse an open syllabus law to harass professors teaching topics they don't like the sound of. Important reporting from @stephaniemlee.bsky.social

Whaddya know, they have MAGA cheese at the store now! 🤦‍♂️

I’m going to have to reflect on this one for a while.

Maybe he’ll win another FIFA Piece (of Shit) Prize for this accomplishment.

Don’t think I’ll be giving any Apple Gift Cards out this holiday season. 😱

So… what have you others out there who have lived with a kitten done when said kitten decides the robot vacuum cleaner is THE BEST TOY. 😹 The child lock feature is NOT enough to stop Timiny Cricket.

‘Magical’ galaxy frogs disappear after reports of photographers destroying their habitats

My coauthor @cdelawalla.bsky.social asks NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya whether, as he seems to have previously asserted, the polio vaccine is worse than the disease. Needless to say, he weasels and doesn't answer the question.

When I’m not in the kitchen, that is.

NCAR is quite literally our global mothership. Everyone who works in climate and weather has passed through its doors and benefited from its incredible resources. Dismantling NCAR is like taking a sledgehammer to the keystone holding up our scientific understanding of the planet. Unbelievable.

These people are nuts. NCAR developed the GPS dropsonde, which revolutionized the understanding of TC structure, improved forecasts, and validated remote sensing platforms, as documented in over 400 peer-reviewed publications in the last 25 years. And that’s just one of NCAR’s countless advances.

The trailer for Disclosure Day, a new movie about aliens directed by Steven Spielberg. Very excited for this! In theaters on June 12, 2026. [kottke.org]

"Mr. Trump's countenance was orange, his manner coarse, accent harsh, and wig ginger. No one could ascertain his income, as the number kept changing at his own report."

Last night’s crusty wintry mix was too much for unicorn magic, and even the mighty dragon struggled to lift its head.

Wha… huh… 🥱💤

Armed ICE agents trapped US citizens in a restaurant and demanded their papers. Federal agents walked into East African restaurants in Cedar-Riverside, MN. They closed and blocked the doors. Then they demanded to see everyone’s papers. Every person present was a US citizen.

Ya think Santa ever questions doing the Same Old Christmas Routine year in and year out for an eternity? #SantaExistentialCrisis

LOL. LMAO even.

There are reports of an active shooter situation at Brown University, but if you try to look up information about it, Google will automatically fill in your search field, demonstrating how common this has become in the US.

If anyone needs me, I’ll be in the kitchen. 👨‍🍳 youtube.com/shorts/0bVXx...

New holiday acronym coined in response to our just-completed trip to the grocery store—OFIFOEFY—pronounced pretty much how it looks, or however you’d like, really. Our Fridge Is Full Of Eggnog F*ck Yeah Say it with enthusiasm, and a tasty glass of the same.

Trump sent Vance there twice. He threatened to cut off all federal spending to the state. He vowed to back primary challengers of any Republican who voted against him here. He posted their names online, prompting his fans to send them death threats. But all that failed, so now he wasn't involved.

I kind of love this. And potatoes 🥔

You've heard of elf on a shelf. Now get ready for... 🔭

Wow. Canadian winters are not just dark in the “lack of sunlight” sense. 🎅🔪🩸

…at night the ice weasels come.

We don’t exactly need more Christmas ornaments in this household, but I couldn’t resist these two when we got our tree tonight.

Wow: Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (named for Holocaust survivor Raphael Lemkin, who coined term "genocide") calls Clinton's remarks "genocide denial." "Young people in the US are not stupid or gullible. They simply reject genocide – something the Secretary might consider doing as well."

This is actually a good example of why the customer model is wrong. I wouldn't have chosen poetry writing, but UNC made me take a class. And it absolutely made me become a much better writer, with an eye to concision and an ear now trained to the rhythm of words. I'm a better historian as a result.

jesus christ

POLITICO: You pardoned the former president of Honduras even though he was convicted in a massive intl drug trafficking scheme. How is that 0 tolerance on drug trafficking? TRUMP: Well I don't know him and I know very little about him other than people said it was like an Obama-Biden type set up

I think perhaps this is where the worlds of @artologica.net and @astrokatie.com collide. #squirrels #general_relativity

It's day 9 of the invertebrate macro photo #ArtAdventCalendar. Here, have a hermit crab 😘

A court with a normal-ish conservative majority would have been tolerable. I'm not eager for court packing, impeaching justices, and other such options. But this court sticking around post-Trump is untenable. They've already torched their own legitimacy, the only question is what do we do about it.

This is just some petty and cruel shit. I was very proud to serve alongside Rachel Levine. She has more leadership, integrity, and expertise in her little finger than the entire RFK HHS crew does all together. www.npr.org/sections/sho...