We lost Douglas Adams 25 years ago today. This has made a lot of people very sad and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

So much — SO MUCH — of the political news lately reminds me of JFK's "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

And yesterday’s winner of the internet is…..

I have said this before and I will say it again, but it is my firm belief that given the blatant and naked corruption exhibited by some members of the Roberts Court, decisions of the Roberts Court should not be treated as precedentially binding on later courts.

Fashion tips from nature. A very old comic that I still really like.

Imagine that everything he promised his base turning out to be a lie. Shocking. Just shocking.

I like how the headline should always be "president is insane" but it never is.

#LunarEclipse FAQ: Q: Is it safe to look at? A: Absolutely! Unlike a solar eclipse, there's no UNsafe time to look at a lunar eclipse. Q: Do I need a telescope? A: Nope! Best view is with naked eye. Just look up! Q: Does the eclipse portend terror & doom? A: Not at all! The news has that covered.

Evergreen. Sigh.

Asking an LLM something is just like asking a random stranger for a film review. What they tell you could very well be true, but you have no way of knowing that. You can't trust the source, because there may well be no source. It's just confident-sounding words.

I was thinking of an analogy for this the other day, specifically about trusted sources vs. AI output. What I think it's like is if you want to see a movie, and you don't really know anything about it (maybe title, genre, one actor in it, idk) so you do some research.

Never forget: 8 years ago a random person on Craigslist wrote the most effective ad for the Toyota Corolla, ever.

@brian.dev Hi, Brian. Please check your messages at tty0.social. Please consider making JdeBP a mod. Thanks.

“‘The persecution is the point,’ said Rep. Abi Boatman, a Wichita Democrat and the only transgender member of the Legislature, who received the [Kansas Dept of Revenue] notice on Wednesday.” To underscore that: a Kansas state legislator is among those whose driver’s license will be voided. (🎁 link:)

Stay TF out of Kansas. Easy for me to say, I know.

"A man free of patriarchy is a man who has found not only every woman's humanity, but one who has at last discovered his own. The actual path to liberation for lonely men is feminism—because pursuing an identity based on dominating others is self-isolating." www.the-reframe.com/fix-your-hea...

This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.

yeah, just out of interest, how many people choose the pen on the right for real work or art? See a lot of them in professional workplaces, do you?

I gotta say I disagree with The Spruce Eats including Woodnose Sacré Zero Proof on their list of Best Amarettos. It tastes nothing like amarettto.

Has France ever said, just for fun, how much we owe them for their help in the US war for independence? "You might still be speaking English!" Or perhaps more horrifying to Americans, "You might be using the metric system!" I imagine both of these with an outrageous French accent.

The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.

Here is a video of a frozen creek that had begun to thaw, and the water was flowing beneath the thin ice on top. I took this because it was soothing and wonderfully bloopy and I wanted to listen to it for hours. You are all welcome to enjoy it, too. Let your brain settle here and rest for a moment.

Timeline Cleanse: Please enjoy this photo of a praying mantis that was sitting on top of my car windshield, but the angling and lighting were so weird it looks like a giant praying mantis wandering a corn field in Iowa.

It's so fucking convenient that they get to "fear for their lives" anytime they want to absolve themselves of anything and when we actually fear for our lives because of them and do anything a scared person would do it's justification for our death.

There's a whole movie about Soylent.

Tell me we should trust AI to give us the facts. Tell me it's a future we can put our faith in. Come at me. I'm right here, waiting.

all this is both foolish and unnecessary

Finally.

This is what they've done.

A rare, but much needed TL cleanse of levity that speaks to and for many of us belonging to the WDNC club. Enjoy:

I guess I'm a mostly-down-on-his-luck bass player, in the middle of a professional and spiritual awakening. The Music Lesson, Victor L. Wooten

And an important distinction for anyone learning both Dutch and German... In German, Ich komme klar means "I'll be fine" or "I don't need any help," whereas the similar Dutch phrase Ik kom klaar means "I'm about to orgasm."

Several businesses in Germany have hiring posters that say "we're looking for you." In German that phrase is "wir suchen dich," which could be mistaken for an English phrase with a somewhat different meaning.

what is a jellicle cat

We took the Star Trek: The Next Generation quiz, and we are… Wesley Crusher. Quizzes are irrelevant.

I hope those observing had a fantastic Christmas, that those observing have the most Kwanzaa blessings ever, and that you all have amazing New Years'. Here's to a 2026 full of health, safety, care, inspiration, righteous doings, love, joy, connection and solidarity. ❤️‍🔥 And making meaningful change.

God people are idiots. (The blockEE not the blockER.)

A very #Discworld morning.

The answer, in my opinion, is that it is harder to charge people with crimes if you do things by the book and that is why they do not do things by the book.

As somebody who has probably, over the last 30 years, spent something over 20,000 hours analyzing jobs data, this is the single most gonzo employment graph I have ever seen in my life. The only thing that comes close is the employment data in March/April 2020.

While Amazon is investing billions of dollars to expand AI, independent bookstores are hosting community events, personally recommending books to readers, and providing a space that is safe and welcoming during a time when we need them most. Never underestimate the power of a local bookstore.

Do you ever feel vaguely betrayed (I mean, not a lot, just a little) when someone reposts something and you like several posts in the thread and then realize it's over a year old?

'Sup, bitches?

This year, I set out to chronicle free speech under the Trump admin. No small feat. Trump attacks dissent & leverages the White House to go after critics constantly. But how? Read our bombshell new @freepress.bsky.social report. I'm proud & horrified: www.freepress.net/attack-on-fr...

Imo, this is tied to the quote about how conservatism relies on 1. ingroups are protected by law, but not bound by it and 2. Outgroups are bound by laws, but not protected by them Part of their protection is making sure you're never allowed to be away from them. You aren't allowed to be free

The real question is not "Why is Bluesky so left-coded," the real question is "Why can't the right exist in a social media environment without algorithmic assistance, where people can ignore them"

doomscroll break

I hope Santa brings me a Miwaukee Stan Perpler!

Today! Yes, on a Monday! The official release of SNAKE-EATER! www.amazon.com/dp/B0DW4KNLR...