It's my birthday today! I am now 43. I am no longer the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything, but I am now prime, so I got that going for me, which is nice. My birthday wish/request is for everyone to maximize your empathy and actually give a shit about everyone else. Thank you!

I'll believe Bluesky really has the juice once we start see a steady stream of complaints about the MBTA Orange Line

BEZOS: Hey, go tell that newspaper I own to write another piece about how taxing billionaires like me would be bad

BEZOS: Hey, go tell that newspaper I own to write another piece about how taxing billionaires like me would be bad

Wishing all of you today a very happy release from your eternal time loop

May he never know a moment's peace in the interim before he is brought to justice

For those who don't know, a significant majority of baseball players are generally pretty right-wing, many of them far-right. For a number of them to start speaking up like this in the past few days is honestly remarkable.

Honestly hope that some countries boycott, but I can't imagine it'll actually happen. The World Cup should be step 1, and taking away the Olympics should immediately follow.

Car windshield wipers everywhere raised to the heavens, in supplication to the sky gods to bless them with snow

You're my representative. You are in House leadership. You need to actually do the work, and get all Democrats in line, or you are just as accountable as Jeffries for failing to meet the moment. You led a House sit-in with John Lewis ten years ago. Where is your same level of ACTION now?

The world should move the World Cup and block the US from competing in the Olympics. They won't, but that's absolutely what they should do.

I walked the dog and regret going outside at all

I end each of my classes by reminding my students that their physical and mental health has to come first, that my course is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I know the world really sucks right now but I offer you the same reminder. Please take care of yourselves.

pulling this reflection on white silence/fear over here, too:

you don't have to be like "oh I got whatever's going around" "yeah something nasty is going around" etc. it's the flu. it's always the flu. get your flu shot and wear your mask. it's the fucking flu. wash your damn hands already

Scott Adams lived a life of smug hate and I guess that's a legacy you can pick for yourself if you want

A engineering group I've done some work with is rebranding some of their efforts from Integrating Curriculum with Entrepreneurial Mindset (ICE) to Advancing Curriculum with Entrepreneurial Mindset (ACE), and yeah, the decision makes sense

Sometimes I think our government was reading old Marvel comic books and was inspired by how outrageously evil Marvel's Canadian government is

24-hour news channels on in the gym, and after getting stuck with them in in front of me, it's clear they only exist to generate anger and hate

Chris is unbelievably good at what he does

"Purdue Becomes First US University To Implement AI Graduation Requirements" Well, that's going to be real unfortunate when the AI bubble bursts and no students are allowed to graduate anymore www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/ja...

5) Walked into a tree in the dark, bruised my whole face 4) Walked into a brick wall, chipped a tooth 3) Walked into a girder, split open my forehead 2) Was in a play as a drunk, acted too hard, slammed my chin into a pewter mug, split chin open 1) Accidentally injected myself with turtle medication

If you view New Years resolutions as a list to check off as you go along, here's an old list from STW of 365 resolutions so you can tackle one per day!

Plans for 2026 and my final post to Substack: danteshepherd.substack.com/p/plans-for-...

The last line really sets a strong standard

A side quest goal for 2026 is to read 2000 single-issues of comics. After 4 days, I'm on pace for 3193. I'm sure that pace will be maintained!

I read 151 books (plus 20 graphic novels) in 2025. Out of all the new reads, these were my favorites

The leader of Country A being kidnapped by Country B, because Country B has filed legal charges against Country A's leader within Country B's borders and thus claims it is legal to do so, is a strange precedent to want to set, but what do I know

if you are talking today about how bad maduro was and were alive, at all, during the run-up to the iraq war you are potentially the dumbest person to ever live

You should be embarrassed to be a member of congress and issuing anything other than impeachment resolutions. You're in the model UN. They should give you legos and a propeller hat

The world should move the World Cup and block the US from competing in the Olympics. They won't, but that's absolutely what they should do.

"We should sign this 25-year old baseball player to our major league team, but before we do so, have him report his stats from his U-10 little league team!"

"You thought that thing was strange? ... I've seen stranger." What a stupid final line of a show. Just a collective waste of time.

I'm not afraid of 2026, 2026 should be afraid of me

The best New Year's resolutions are ones you can stick to!

Today is January 1st, this is only the 8th day of Christmas. If your true love hasn't by this point given you: 8 partridges in pear trees 14 turtle doves 18 french hens 20 calling birds 20 golden rings 18 geese a-laying 14 swans a-swimming 8 maids a-milking then are they really your true love?

I hope that 2026 brings nothing but good and love to everyone except the jerks, who I hope are dragged into the future kicking and screaming and forced to fix their hearts

There's a scene in the latest episode of Stranger Things that is a 2020s-view on how some stuff should have been handled in the 1980s, but is so far from the reality of the time that it's the biggest stretch in a show with monsters, alternate dimensions, and superpowers, and it simply irritated me.

Merry Opossumas! ✨🎄🎁

and Tiny Tim, who faked his own death for insurance money and is now living abroad as Uriah Humperdinck

Bari Weiss watches It's A Wonderful Life and thinks Mr. Potter's side of the story was unfairly silenced

Hey, Sporcle published another one of my quizzes today, I guess because it's kind of winter solstice themed? www.sporcle.com/games/dsheph...

I've been feeling rough lately for a number of reasons, certainly including (gestures at the world), and it's not a full solution, but I think I need to get back to creating stuff on a regular basis.

Just a reminder.

The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality. And trans lives are grounded in reality. We see y'all. No matter what. www.popsci.com/science/tran...

Fuck the three Democrats who were the difference on this passing and especially fuck the Democratic leaders who made no effort to whip them into line and who will do nothing to punish them after the fact. I will never support a party who cannot pass the most basic tests of human decency.

MMOLB has established early-blaseball levels of community now and I'm thankful for it

I am so so so so goddamn sick of reposting this STW panel. So sick of gun culture. So sick that this never stops happening. The Bible also says 'faith without action is dead' but you never hear that part when the pro-gun politicians offer their latest mealy-mouthed thoughts and prayers, do you?

You can find this whole special on YouTube and it is my absolute favorite holiday special. My sisters and I quote it all the time. The Fraggle Rock song is great. The humor is repeatedly topnotch. The whole thing is perfect. Can't recommend enough.

This time of year, I will forever think of @danteshepherd.bsky.social's STW Lesson 514. "Let's be clear--it's "Seasons Greetings" not "Seasonings' Greetings." So put away your basil bandolier." survivingtheworld.net/Lesson514.jpg