When teens go missing in my neighborhood now, I generally assume they were kidnapped by the federal government, which is ... a way to live, I guess.

Finals is hard on everyone, but a semi-delirious student TOOK MY DIET COKE this week, and I almost cried. I didn't ask for it back, because once you've put your mouth on the straw, it's yours now, but dang, I was really looking forward to that bucket of soda.

Carly Kocurek's digital collage "Becoming Lara" imagines a middle-aged Lara Croft through the lens of an imagined feature in a women's magazine @sparklebliss.bsky.social Open access now! online.ucpress.edu/.../11/3/118...

Chicago is an easy city to love. www.reddit.com/r/PublicFrea...

This week on the pod, @sparklebliss.bsky.social came by to discuss her book, Coin-Operated Americans. If you have fond memories of going to the arcade, this episode is for you. youtu.be/blWlUj07d7I

Like, I'm not lazy (I was a full professor at 40, it's all downhill from there), but you also couldn't pay me enough to work 13 hour days.

"We millennials." I spent TWENTY YEARS hearing about how "kids these days" (ie, we millennials) didn't WORK hard enough and QUIT things.

New statement from National Lawyers Guild of Chicago: 18 total arrests at the protest yesterday at the Broadview, IL ICE facility; 13 by feds and 5 by state or local police. Four more arrests observed today in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood. Likely being brought to Broadview, per statement.

Genuinely crazy how much we went from debates about body cams to "is the camera rolling? good. now watch me assault this dude."

At the Broadview, IL ICE detention center— IL state troopers are already pushing non-violent demonstrators out of the street and away from the ICE facility. One arrest so far.

Local Chicago news is covering a lot of what is happening. I am not seeing this reported in any detail in national outlets (I assume it might get there eventually) but the harm is being done right now. www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/t...

More feds and protesters have arrived. Maybe 100 neighbors here now. Close to 50 Feds. Agents appear armed with a full assortment of chemical munitions. Protesters moved 30+ feet back as agents with tear gas launchers moved to the front line. It’s also 86° in Chicago rn.

The news cannot show what is happening in Chicago because the FAA banned all non-government drones for 12 days over a 15-mile radius (100s of square miles). They don't want anyone watching them disappearing our neighbors. They don't want anyone reporting what they're doing. Please, don't look away.

My old neighborhood, historically a Mexican neighborhood. The lawlessness and criminality is from the US government.

My alderperson was cuffed by ICE agents because she showed up and asked if they had a warrant. The agents are wearing masks and not displaying badges, in violation of city policy. My neighbors are organizing grocery pickup for perle afraid to leave their homes and standing watch over school pickup.

A lot of people have weirdly strong opinions that letting a second grader play a massively multi-player battle royale game us Good, Actually.

Sorry, kid, I don't care if other parents let their kids play Fortnite, your mom researches games and so is a HUGE DRAG who is not going to let you play anything multiplayer with strangers for a long time.

Sometimes I think about how much I love the west Texas desert, and my heart just breaks all over again.

The mainstream media continues to be absolute fucking willfully ignorant useless trash when it comes to internet culture and as a result is stoking partisan terror.

1/ A longtime Wired editor just wrote a mush-brained essay about how he totally missed the political rot of Silicon Valley (& still doesn't get it). But in the late 1990s, a Wired journalist warned of a toxic ideology bubbling up from tech. Paulina Borsook has largely been erased. Let's change that

“If you make statements that right-wing politicians don’t like, then you can lose your job. Period. That is chilling,” said Isaac Kamola, director of the American Association of University Professors’ Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom

@sparklebliss.bsky.social , @emmavphd.bsky.social , Alisha, and I were recently on the New Books Network podcast to talk about Historiographies of Game Studies! Check it out! And huge thanks to Rudolf Thomas Inderst for having us on! newbooksnetwork.com/historiograp...

the trans music archive has announced a residency for 2 trans bands/artists at their recording studio in NY, plus a $1000 stipend www.transmusicarchive.org/residency

just saw a tiktok from a disney adult reading from On Tyranny and asking their followers to cancel their d+ and disney trips omg

Exciting IP tip for these troubled times: If you are going to make a picture of a Disney character carrying a fascist symbol or something, Steamboat Willie is in the public domain.

No demographic loves bumper stickers as much as a Unitarian Universalists.

We're watching Blowout, and there's a scene where Sally's in the hospital and wants to leave and says, "I don't want to be observed" really plaintively, and like, same.

I told a colleague this, and he said, "My problem is finding an arcade."

A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say. This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand. All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

For many this isn't our first rodeo, but ... the tactics are the tactics of previous rodeos, just now with a more sophisticated and institutionalized apparatus (which isn't too say it isn't more/worse, just ... also familiar).

reposting this for Reasons buttondown.com/theswordandt...

Little girls at Aldi decreed my Labubu a "church Labubu" because it has on a fancy dress and "church shoes." <3

If you know anyone who works in higher ed, none of us are ok right now. Like, it is taking 100% of my will power not to walk out of my office and go hide in an arcade for the next 6 hours.

One of my college professors once told us, "look, I am transparent about my politics, because everyone has politics. If I tried to hide them, what I said should still be political, but I would be pretending it wasn't. I think that would be dishonest." I think about that a lot.

I knew which churches teachers belonged to. I absolutely got taught a really warped version of U.S. history, especially with regards to the Civil War. Like ... the idea that teachers politics weren't transparent is silly. It was obvious even in math class.

Grade school principal at public school had us all sing "God Bless the USA" every morning for months. Some teachers would actively pressure us to attend public prayer events. Biology teacher told us some truly bonkers stuff about how condoms don't work (not factual).

ICE is the most disruptive presence in Chicago right now. My kid's public school had to cancel planned outdoor activities because ICE is scaring all the children so badly.

This is the translation. A foreign op is grifting emotional Americans while turning them against each other. That is what is happening.

I read Spanish language news to build my vocabulary and wow was this a hilarious was to learn "alma" heraldodemexico.com.mx/mundo/2025/9...

If you are in #Chicago and like arcades, Clawit has a deal up on Groupon. Totally delightful claw machine arcade in Chinatown.

Sometimes someone says they'll pray for me, and I just want to say "No, thank you" because I'm pretty sure the deity they're advocating to isn't one I'd recognize.

*breathe in* I am not a dumpster fire. *breathe out* I am a dumpster phoenix.

The accessible seating at the Salt Shed is so nice. After getting here, I probably would have been ok without it (there are other places to sit, and I get around on but can't stand for extended periods), but I was nervous and this alleviates that. Also, this way I have a seat even if I arrive late.

Oh holy sweet Juno, this is amazing (On the left, click More and then Manage subscriptions.)

The Golden Cobras are live! Come write us a game: www.goldencobra.org?fbclid=IwdGR...

Immediate save

Congratulations @emmavphd.bsky.social, @sparklebliss.bsky.social, @cmejeur.bsky.social, and @onlyalishak.bsky.social! And thanks to @punctumbooks.bsky.social for publishing! 👾 Find "Historiographies of Game Studies" on JSTOR here: bit.ly/3JDOha2

The Simple Sabotage Field Manual might be a useful reading for Chicagoans ... chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://ia801309.us.archive.org/14/items/Simplesabotage/Simplesabotage.pdf

They are so angry about Chicagoans being decent to people.