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Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

@ashponders.bsky.social

5.1K followers 610 following 18K posts

I was a poet but then I wanted to get paid worse. I make photos for news. @ashponders.01 on signal. http://ashponders.com

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Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest @ashponders.bsky.social · Nov 20

Ok! A buncha people came through & suggested some images I've made that might find a home on the walls of my many many admirers.

Because of their wonderful labor, I've increased the 'bluesky' discount to 50% and refunded the difference to those of you who've used the code when it was only 25%.

Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest @ashponders.bsky.social · Nov 18

Hey friends. I'm doing a holiday printsale over on ashponders.darkroom.com. Please take a look, I make images of pretty things like monkeys who are disappointed in you and rainbows that aren't. If you can buy a print, do!

A capuchin monkey stares out judgmentally from a wall of leaves.

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Anil Dash @anildash.com · 17m

Unsurprisingly, I was just talking about this topic *yesterday* — @espiers.bsky.social perfectly describes the power of blogging. And the best part? It can still have that power right now. talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/what-... So glad to see @talkingpointsmemo.com and @joshtpm.bsky.social doing it!

What Made Blogging Different?

Whether I like it or not, the first line of my obituary...

talkingpointsmemo.com

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Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest @ashponders.bsky.social · 44m

Got an Ovid.tv subscription, Kanopy and Criterion weren't stretching my weird shit itch.

Let's see if this helps. Anyone got reccs?

Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest @ashponders.bsky.social · 56m

The news is a group project and I love it.

Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

McKenzie Funk @mckenziefunk.com · 2h

The reality of Kavanaugh stops: American citizens dragged, tackled, beaten, tased, and shot by immigration agents. Citizens held in the rain while in their underwear. A pregnant citizen's door blown off while Kristi Noem watched. Important story by @nicolefoy.bsky.social of @propublica.org

Screenshot of the article by Nicole Foy of ProPublica:
"When the Supreme Court recently allowed immigration agents in the Los Angeles area to take race into consideration during sweeps, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that citizens shouldn’t be concerned.

“If the officers learn that the individual they stopped is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States,” Kavanaugh wrote, “they promptly let the individual go.”

But that is far from the reality many citizens have experienced. Americans have been dragged, tackled, beaten, tased and shot by immigration agents. They’ve had their necks kneeled on. They’ve been held outside in the rain while in their underwear. At least three citizens were pregnant when agents detained them. One of those women had already had the door of her home blown off while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem watched.

About two dozen Americans have said they were held for more than a day without being able to phone lawyers or loved ones."

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Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest @ashponders.bsky.social · 1h

Nice to see homies at national outlets running full features on this story.

Homies at local indie nonprofit outlet @azluminaria.org have been keeping a steady vigilance on this story, which has led to greater community engagement, which led to greater national significance.

A virtuous news cycle.

Douglas Main @dmain.bsky.social · 1h

Wrote about the contentious Project Blue — a massive proposed data center in Tucson AZ — for my first feature with @theguardian.com!

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

‘The city that draws the line’: one Arizona community’s fight against a huge datacenter

Questions grow over water and energy costs of warehouse of computers in Sonoran desert – but will Project Blue be stopped?

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Rachel Monroe @rachelmonroe.bsky.social · 5h

Here it is: www.newyorker.com/news/letter-...

The Airlift Operation That Has Transformed Pet Adoption

Euthanasia in an under-equipped shelter used to be the fate of many dogs in Texas. Then chartered planes started bringing them North.

www.newyorker.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 2h

"inoculations against another Gilded Age are found far less in the works of cyberpunk and far more in the WPA ...Without that politics, we’re not just living in the prologue to a cyberpunk future. We’re living in the first chapter of a cybourgeoisie reality."

slate.com/technology/2...

The Fictional Future of Cyberpunk Is About to Come True

The real future may be more Amazon and less androids, but the dystopian power dynamics are hard to miss.

slate.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

John Schwartz @jswatz.bsky.social · 9h

Holy guacamole, this could be the weirdest story I ever worked on. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/s...

A C.I.A. Secret Kept for 35 Years Is Found in the Smithsonian’s Vault

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Dr. Stephanie @punkrockscience.bsky.social · 6h

The punk ethos has always been about mutual aid and community. We *know* our systems and institutions will fail us; that’s why we’re punks. “Pick someone up in the pit” is much more than literal, and especially when we’re most down in the shit, we need to remember that.

Sydney Bauer @sydney-bauer.com · 7h

Good morning I’m in @theverge.com profiling @ekkoastral.bsky.social @jael.bsky.social and some other cool trans musicians who are bringing the organizing energy they learned from being trans online to music venues across the country. These musicians are meeting the moment.

The DIY and IRL energy of punk rock mutual aid

Bands like Ekko Astral are bringing the urgency of online solidarity into the mosh pit.

www.theverge.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

zeldman @zeldman.bsky.social · 1d

While Hitler plotted and Europe crumbled, a motley crew of mathematicians, philosophers, architects, and economists met weekly to invent Computer Science. Mark Bernstein mines this forgotten history for lessons that just might save today’s web from its worst impulses.  alistapart.com/article/desi...

Designing Amiable Web Spaces: Lessons from Vienna's Café Culture

Explore the impact of amiability in web interactions and learn from the history of Vienna Circle's collaborative spirit in dealing with disagreements.

alistapart.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Tom Flood @tomflood.bsky.social · 8h

Enough.

Awesome to see this billboard up in Vancouver.
Was really incredible to work with the people at @visionzerovancouver.ca to bring this to life.

an outdoor blllboard There will never be a bell loud enough, a helmet strong enough, or clothing bright enough to make up for poor infrastructure. Picture of child biking in a painted bike lane

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

mattie lubchansky @mattielubchansky.com · 5h

"women don't like the vehicle" is going to be lodged in my brain's neocortex for the rest of my natural life www.wired.com/story/owning...

Q: And are you married?
A: I was married, but I’m not married anymore. Women don't like the vehicle.

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Alabama Political Reporter @alreporter.com · 5h

Student journalists at The Auburn Plainsman defied university officials and threats to report on a brutal 1960 beating, facing backlash for their groundbreaking coverage.

In 1960, Auburn students reported on the beating of a Black man, despite pushback

Student journalists at The Auburn Plainsman defied university officials and threats to report on a brutal 1960 beating, facing backlash for their groundbreaking coverage.

www.alreporter.com

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Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest @ashponders.bsky.social · 1d

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Marianne Dhenin @mariannedhe.bsky.social · 1d

You can now listen to my writing on the Gulf's relationship with air conditioning, read by a voice actor. (Alright, I'll admit I listened to my own work read aloud on a walk to the supermarket; it was good!) Let me know what you think. 🎧

The Gulf World That Air Conditioning Wrought | NOEMA

From Saudi Arabia to Qatar, rulers have used modern air conditioning to control landscapes and lives, forgoing traditional methods of keeping cool.

www.noemamag.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

stacy-marie ishmael @smi.bsky.social · 1d

pain assessment / treatment is one of those “how racist and sexist can science and medicine be? oh buddy let me tell you just how much” areas so i am sure this will go just fine

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 1d

“In nursing homes, neonatal units, and ICU wards, researchers are racing to turn pain—medicine’s most subjective vital sign—into something a camera or sensor can score as reliably as blood pressure.”

AI is changing how we quantify pain

Artificial intelligence is helping health-care providers better assess their patients’ discomfort.

www.technologyreview.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Alex Tomlinson @alextomlinson.com · 1d

Flat, graphic illustrated poster entitled "Red-Eyed Birds of North America" featuring shadowy gray-blue silhouetted birds punctuated by bright red eyes. 23 birds are depicted in total, some highlights being the Snail Kite, Roseate Spoonbill, Common Loon, and Wood Duck.

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Autonomy News @autonomynews.co · 1d

NEW: Recordings from a crisis pregnancy center conference, shared exclusively with Autonomy News, reveal that anti-abortion physicians are reluctant to prescribe abortion pill “reversal”—even as the conservative legal movement uses the supposed treatment to expand CPCs’ free speech rights.

Abortion Pill “Reversal” Is a Hoax. It's Also a Powerful Right-Wing Legal Strategy.

Speakers at a crisis pregnancy center conference made rare admissions about the challenges of providing so-called abortion “reversal,” and indicate its importance as a litigation tool.

www.autonomynews.co

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Asher Hellbein @asherelbein.bsky.social · 1d

When did big multicellular organisms evolve — and how many times did it happen? In my first big print feature for @sciam.bsky.social, I wrote about *extremely* controversial 2.1 billion year old specimens from the Francevillain, and the question of how to recognize life on a basically alien planet

These Enigmatic ‘Fossils’ Could Rewrite the History of Life on Earth

Controversial evidence hints that complex life might have emerged hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought—and possibly more than once

www.scientificamerican.com

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Leah Millis @leahmillis.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve seen this a few times & this is why context w content & media literacy matters. This person is a professional photojournalist who knowingly puts his name next to his photos every time he covers something. I’m asking people to respect that. & crediting professional journalism is helpful context.

Patti T. @ptuller.bsky.social · 1d

Will highlighting and crediting the photographer also make him a target???

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

Randy Watkins @bluetortoise3.bsky.social · 11d

The ESA protects wildlife and its habitat by preventing illegal “Take“, a legal word meaning “harass, harm, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct“ except by federal permit. Removing HARM protection will increase their greatest threat: habitat loss.

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 11d

The Endangered Species Act has protected species and their habitats for over 50 years. A single word change could significantly alter the way the law is implemented. The only beneficiaries of this plan are extractive industries. 🌎 by @morgansjogren.bsky.social

This One Word Change Could Gut Our Strongest Conservation Law

The bipartisan Endangered Species Act is on the line as the federal government proposes a new change

www.sierraclub.org

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Reposted by Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest

ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d

After signing up for self-deportation, Emily and Deybis sold their car and moved to an unfinished basement. But DHS never sent them the promised plane tickets.

Now they worry about surviving winter. Weeks ago, they sold their daughter’s bed to pay rent.

➡️ Read more: https://propub.li/4ohnDm6

Article excerpt: Emily said she made clear the family didn’t have Venezuelan passports but was told that wouldn’t be a problem; the U.S. government would procure any necessary documents for them. They said the operator gave them an Aug. 1 departure date and told them to expect their plane tickets by email.

Emily and Deybis sold their car and moved with their children to Columbus, Ohio, where Deybis’ nephew let them stay in his unfinished basement apartment until their departure. The plane tickets never came.

Then the nephew was detained in a traffic stop and deported. Panicked, Emily and Deybis said they called the toll-free number again and again, leaving messages that went unanswered. Emily submitted a new application and sent more emails.

Article excerpt: ...They found travel agencies that offer to procure travel documents at a cost but said they were told the Venezuelan government requires an arrival date and proof that plane tickets have been purchased. Emily and Deybis can’t afford them.

“Thank you so much for your patience and we understand your frustration,” they heard back in another email. “Wait for new instructions from DHS.”

As they wait, they worry about how they’ll survive when winter comes. Most days, Deybis visits local food pantries and looks for discarded items in alleys and on street corners that they can resell. A few weeks ago, they sold their daughter’s bed to help pay the rent.

“We’d rather be in Venezuela with our family than suffer here,” he said.

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Leah Millis @leahmillis.bsky.social · 1d

While we are on the subject of journalist safety in the field: follow along as I build up this space to share tips and eventually provide training and resources to journalists who would like to or expect to work in hostile environments.

@protect-the-press.bsky.social

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Leah Millis @leahmillis.bsky.social · 1d

The @chicago.suntimes.com photographer who risked their personal health and safety to take this photograph is Anthony Vazquez. Please credit photographers and media outlets. In this age of misinformation, a photo with no context could be anything at all.

50501: The People’s Movement ❌👑 @50501movement.bsky.social · 1d

Please remind us who the domestic terrorists are again.

Photo from Chicago: DHS militarized agent holding a gun up directly in someone’s face as the victim has their hands up, pleading for them not to shoot.

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Ash Ponders is judging the Smithsonian Photo Contest @ashponders.bsky.social · 1d

I’ll never quite understand why businesses have tvs showing broadcast television.

Why are you paying money to show your customers advertisements for other businesses, often your competitors.
Apart from sports bars, it just doesn’t seem worth it.

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