Gifted. A short read, a good read. I sometimes feel the surreal nature of this when I look up from the news to see the city I know, and it feels like living in two worlds. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/o...

News of this morning's Chicago River Swim makes its way to the British press. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Someone was trying to take a portrait of their two fave Chickens, and this happened.

I think this comparison is largely right. Yes, it’s a replay of McCarthyism’s ugliest aspects but that was fueled by a widespread sense that the country faced dire external dangers while this is about a deeply unpopular president’s grudges.

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.

Is there anything more miserable than formatting references? 😭

This ad is good for all the reasons people say but also bc a) her shirt rocks and b) her beer is a Shorts.

“What Pritzker and his allies have actually accomplished is something arguably more powerful. They have sent the message to everyday Chicago residents that acquiescence to authoritarianism is not an option, and that someone will have their back if and when they resist.”

Wait what do you mean Jesus loves me? Did he say something to you? OMG I'm freaking out right now tell me his exact words.

This convo I had highlights the difference in what "respect your time" means in games. A lot of players want to trade time for in-game progress. It's purely transactional: 1 hour = 1 progress But I want to feel like my actions matter i.e. what I do with time creates progress, not time itself.

I was a Firaxis narrative designer/writer and lost my job today. Any help sharing leads on new opportunities would be great! Over 3.5 years, I contributed to Civilization VII and Marvel’s Midnight Suns, helping turn maps, mechanics, and chaos into memorable stories. See my work benreeves.carrd.co

I threw so much burning oil on invaders in Lords of the Realm 2, but that wasn't a real thing! Excellent 🧵👇

Hi! I was laid off from Firaxis this morning. I wrote leaders and civs for Civilization VII (NDA for now) and Deadpool and Storm for Marvel's Midnight Suns. I also wrote the award-nominated Hindsight. I'm available for full time, remote work starting ASAP. DMs are open: emmkid.info

If you want to pick a fight with Chicago, you may want to try the first week of February. Everyone has "greatest city in the world" mode on 11 this week specifically

Greatly enjoyed this piece by Mary F. Casey on thinking about history through theatre, especially the emotional perspective of historical characters. www.historians.org/perspectives...

Without insomnia, how would I know about money in a chip bag? What a gift.

manta rays are so freaking beautiful and majestic 🥰

civilization vi leader two turns before you destroy his lone attacking trebuchet unit with a missile cruiser

This man has zero idea what the fuck he's talking about. Eat shit and stay away from Chicago.

This is unfortunately so true and part of why I’m glad to just be making video games now. As depressing as this is, it’s worse the closer you are to it.

Every day on this app I see some insanely hip shit happening in Chicago. Often all at the same time! This city is rich.

😈 Announcing Thousand Hells: The Underworld Heists, a procedural narrative RPG by A Sharp @radiofreelunch.bsky.social and published by us! ▶ Wishlist the game now on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/3794210/...

Sometimes, even after 20 years, I read a piece of the Iliad, and my heart feels so full of awe and gratitude that we have this stunning work. I imagine this is how happily married people feel when they see their spouse and are overcome by love.

amongst current misunderstanding and simplistic understanding of AI, the popular narrative of "bias in, bias out" continues to frustrate me the most. this thread covers some of the reason

If it doesn’t cool down soon, I’m just going to blue screen irl and start speaking in tongues. I have to run the A/C all the time and can’t open my windows. It’s not right! I’m just a smol human, I require gloom!

I submitted changes in Perforce today. I'm basically a real dev now. Shh, yes, it was only text.

Miu is such a gift to the #FFXIV community. I backed their game in progress, and it's so close to being funded, you should back it too! I just backed 🔨 Teamcrafter - The cozy crafting Roguelite video game on @kickstarter.com www.kickstarter.com/projects/tea...

Does the bicycle make women cruel?

I'm fine with cybertrucks existing. I just assumed I'd be doing flips off them as they roar down the highway and then landing on the back of my friend's motorcycle after decapitating a corporate goon with the katana I'm using one-handed.

Developing video games in this day and age be like

Another teaching prompt for historians: What are the guiding principles of your survey courses? Not "outcomes." What ideas, approaches, orientations to the material do you want them to keep in mind during the term?

Free plums and propaganda.

Let me try to explain why it's important to study the foundations of quantum mechanics. (1/n) (Have to do some breathing exercises, b/c to me it's blindingly obvious that "understanding the most important theory in physics" is something physicists should care about, but apparently opinions differ.)

Instagram found me the perfect shirt. The algo knows me.

I’m guilty of missing literature, but grateful for peer review to help me find blindspots. Also grateful to Bob for posting this defense of standards and norms. We are all better for scholars like him.

I saw Flavor Flav in the mirror

Spaghetti such as one gets in Italy. Chicago 1908

July's Chicago Game Audio Hangout!! Come on doowwwnnn!!!! www.mixily.com/event/166025...

Never change, England

{𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀} Wow, we should abolish prisons for everyone {𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁} Wow, we should abolish prisons for everyone except Michel Foucault

Just discovered the city park fieldhouse across the street from me has a fitness center that is $100 for a year membership. Amazing. I walk through this park nearly every day to go grab a city bike and never knew lmao.

Also talked about The Onion being inefficient on purpose. www.status.news/p/the-onion-...

I have practiced close reading for nigh on two decades, but I've never seen it described so clearly and concisely. Terrific introduction to what is sure to be an amazing book. press.princeton.edu/books/paperb...

GDC talk submissions are open and just wanted to point out to people that if you were planning to apply to talk at a summit (like indie summit, narrative summit, tools summit, etc.) that there's only one call for submissions now and it's only open for a month: gdconf.com/gdc-call-for...

As a historian, I think of cities as the things that are real & permanent, not countries. Countries are like glaciers that move across & rearrange things, usually crawling slowly but sometimes cataclysmically fast when something triggers avalanche or flood; monument-boulders mark where they’ve been.

Building the first nuclear weapon

Love this. Reminds me of my sister who has only voted non-republican once and it was for Bernie sanders. Give the people something to vote for.

What can we do against such reckless hate? Enjoy & share widely the solidarity with all the amazing work in my 231st #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing, podcasts, new & forthcoming books from the last week. 🗃️ americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...

have been confused for days about insane cats invading our yard and destroying the plants for no reason only to find out I have accidentally planted fucking catnip all over the place, I am this neighborhoods feline drug lord, ive devasted their society

Mamdani’s victory in NYC says a LOT! Both Dems and the GOP are parties in *serious*transition. And history has important lessons for the here and now. Join us! Friday 10AM ET NCHEteach.org/conversations