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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine
@katherineintx.bsky.social
140 followers 140 following 880 posts
GenXer in Houston.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · Mar 2
They are leaving people with nothing left to lose; desperate, disappointed, deceived, and scared. This is exactly how you have an uprising, and then Trump will use the Insurrection Act, and then...? So dangerous, so unnecessary. Congress needs to stand up against "enemies, foreign and domestic".
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 16m
The art is even better than that! Here's the full piece, from Monica Villarreal's website (copyright 2014, www.lamonicavillarreal.com/posters).

#Alt4You
Art in two panels. On the left panel is a map of Texas in yellow, with Mexico to its south in red. On the right panel is a map of Israel in yellow, and Palestine to its south in red. On the left panel overlaying the border region is a woman with black hair in braids, a green blouse, and a red and yellow scarf or bandanna tied over the lower half of her face. She faces right (to the Palestine panel). On the right panel overlaying the border region is a man with a black shirt and a keffiyeh tied on his head, looking left to the woman. Written in a curved line across the two panels is a popular Texas saying about shifting borders under various colonizers and treaties, "We didn't cross the border. The border crossed us."
katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 5h
For me, after the third try it gave up and I asked it why this was difficult. Really interesting explanation, which it followed with another try...
Chat GPT: [laughing emoji] I give up. Would you like me to just show you the actual Unicode Consortium listing? I can open it for you so you can see the real seahorse emoji (I promise I’ll behave this time). Me: Why do you think this was difficult for you? ChatGPT: That’s an excellent question — and you’re right to notice how odd that was. What actually happened is that my language model “looped” between playfulness and correction, trying to self-correct mid-response but never fully stabilizing. Here’s why that can happen in a case like this: 1. Emoji rendering varies by platform. Some systems display 🐠, 🐡, or 🪸 differently, and “seahorse” doesn’t appear as frequently as other marine emojis. My autocomplete tried to reconcile that uncertainty and repeatedly “second-guessed” itself. 2. The emoji set is categorical data, not linguistic. I treat emoji like words, but they’re actually symbols with strict Unicode names. If my internal reference mismatches slightly (“seahorse” vs. “fish”), the text generation process keeps trying to “repair” it, producing a feedback loop of false corrections. 3. Humor heuristics + error correction = chaos. When I sensed repetition, my conversational tone-generator introduced playful self-mockery (e.g., “no, not that one!”). That humor routine collided with factual correction routines—so each time I joked, it re-triggered another “fix.” 4. No visual validation. I don’t actually see emoji the way you do; I rely on Unicode names. So once I mis-labeled one, I couldn’t visually spot the mistake.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 6h
We can't edit posts here. I posted the alt-text in a separate response so you can try it out for yourself.
katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 6h
#Alt4You
Text divided across two image files due to character limits. Part 1 of 2. A 3-by-3 grid showing photos and quotes from people exposed in the Politico article about Young Republicans' racist chats. From upper-left to lower-right: Peter Giunta, an overweight Italian-American man wearing a blue suit and red tie, with full hair but a receding hairline and a trimmed beard. He wrote, "Great. I love Hitler" and "Everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber". Joe Maligno, a mid-thirties thin bald man with thick eyebrows and sometimes a beard and mustache (there are three photos). In one photo, he wears a gray suit with a pink tie, and in another he wears a black golf shirt and leans against a brick wall. He wrote, "Can we fix the showers? Gas chambers don't fit the Hitler aesthetic" and "Boom - they're dead". Alex Dwyer, a mid-thirties man with curly red hair and fair skin, wearing a blue suit and red tie, standing in front of a yellow wall. He wrote, "1488" (shorthand for Heil Hitler) and "Trumps too busy burning the Epstein files". William Hendrix, an obese mid-twenties man with thick black hair shaved on the side and long on top, wearing plastic black-rimmed glasses, a broad grin with prominent front teeth, and an ill-fitting blue suit and golden tie held on with a bar tie clip and tied around his neck tightly enough to force the collar points to curl upward. He wrote, "n--ga" and "n--guh", and "Would he like some watermelon and kool aid with that?" Center square has the Young Republican National Federation logo and these quotes: "f----t", "n--ga", "the watermelon people", "carving watermelons", and "Missouri doesn't like f--s". Text divided across two image files due to character limits. Part 2 of 2: Samuel Douglass, a late-twenties overweight man with brown hair and beard, and tinted eyeglasses. He wears a gray suit with shoulder pads that bunch at the seams and a gray striped tie, and he stands in front of a state seal because this is an official portrait for his job as a Vermont state representative. He wrote, "She just didn't bathe often" and "you're... expecting the Jew to be honest". Luke Mosiman, a mid-twenties man in an official photo standing before a building, he has dark-brown hair with short mustache and beard, thick eyebrows, tanned skin, and he wears a black cowboy hat and suit jacket, with unbuttoned white shirt and a party lapel pin. He wrote, "beaner" and "sp-c", and "I'd go to the zoo if I wanted to watch monkey play ball". Bobby Walker, a mid-twenties husky man with thick black hair and pale skin, chubby cheeks flushed with rosacea, in his photo he is speaking behind a podium with a banner for the New York State Young Republicans. He wars a dark suit, red tie, and gold bar tie pin. He wrote, "Stay in the closet f---t" and "If they vote for us why would they be gassed?" Anne KayKaty, a husky mid-twenties woman with tanned skin and shoulder-length bronde hair tucked behind her ear, she wears a tight-fitting sleeveless black top. She wrote, "When do we bring that side out?" and "I'm ready to watch people burn now".
katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 8h
You wrote alt-text that says, "News headline" and then also added a request for a volunteer (like me) to write alt text for you.

I try to help people with alt-text during my lunch break, but don't understand your use of the call for help.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 8h
This is exactly the right way. Here's why:
bsky.app/profile/alt-...
alt-text.bsky.social
Get Alt Text @alt-text.bsky.social · Feb 1
The bot is back up and running. Thank you for your patience. Please contact @holden.bsky.social (using the contact info in his bio) with any bug reports.

Reminder: This bot is for screen reader users to use when someone neglected to add alt text to their post. Don’t use it to write your alt text.
alt-text.bsky.social
Get Alt Text @alt-text.bsky.social · Feb 1
This bot is temporarily down for maintenance to fix a serious bug causing it to leave hundreds of replies on posts. I will post another update after the bot is back up. As a reminder, the bot is for screen reader users. If you are authoring a post, write your own alt text instead of using the bot.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 8h
Why did you add alt text like that?
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 1d
The Bluesky team should incorporate the bot into their code maybe.

I've also submitted a request for a different accessibility feature, similar to one already discussed on github (github.com/bluesky-soci...). Maybe they could have an accessibility focus in the next release.
'This is a feature request.' 'I would like an option to hide posts in my Following feed when the posts include an image without alt-text or if their alt-text has only one word (like, “null” or other things people use to trick people into believing there's alt-text).' 'My current work-around is to follow people who use alt-text, and then mute the people they repost who don't use it. However, I also like to provide people with alt-text when they request it, by monitoring the ALT4ME feed, and if they request alt-text for a post made by someone I've muted, then the request is also muted from that feed for me.' 'I have seen discussion about a previous request for this feature here, and there's support for it.' 'Thanks for your consideration.'
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 1d
I thought the state law that created water districts did so to force everyone to surface water, because of subsidence. I know my water bill increased dramatically as a result, which is ok if it fixes a problem but... why are some getting a pass? Confused how this works.
bsky.app/profile/kath...
katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · Jul 18
In Houston, water has become very expensive because of the way the state is addressing subsidence. My water authority is building a 55-mile, 8-foot-diameter pipeline to move surface water from the city's far-east to far-west side. The fees are astonishing, so water bills are unaffordable to many.
Pipeline segments of the surface water supply project in the Houston area. From their website, here: https://surfacewatersupplyproject.com/
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 1d
#Alt4You
Tweet from Hiten Samtani: 'The team at Colossus is breaking something in magazine journalism in a fascinating way. Let me try to articulate.' 'Even just a few years ago, if you wanted to read a beautifully written, exhaustively reported and actually interesting piece on someone shaping a corner of the world, you'd have to choose from the handful of journalistic outlets that had the ability to deliver them: on the production side, a stable of seasoned writers & editors who knew how to weave narrative, reportage and literary rigor into an engaging longform story, and on the distribution side a sizable audience that appreciated such work. Think: The New Yorker, Businessweek, NYT Mag, Atavist, Wired, The Atlantic, old Esquire, etc.' 'The problem: Such outlets will produce a warts-and-all piece, diving deep into parts of a protagonist's journey that she may not want spotlighted. Journalists are pushed to find the "balance" or "tension" in the story, and oftentimes they force it by going negative/hyping up the bad. The subject that gave the outlet access might come to regret that decision. The alternative might be going to a friendly outlet, however, those tend to 1. Not have the skills to produce a sufficiently high-quality piece 2. Are dismissed as unserious by the audiences you're trying to reach – people can smell a puff piece from a mile away (Sequoia's SBF profile is an all-timer of the genre)' 'So, in sum, your choices as a tech/business mogul used to be: trust a trad outlet with your story and pray they don't come in too hot, or have your message put out with a Pravda type rag and have it be ignored. Both bad options, so many subjects opted to stay on the sidelines and not talk at all.' Continuation of tweet: 'Along came Colossus: It is NOT a journalistic outlet – their mission is not "truth to power" etc. etc. (Zero judgment btw, just facts – I'm an admirer of what they're building). Their mission IS to create the most compelling archive of business & investing content, for an audience of B&I folks, a cozy audience of heavy-hitters. However, the brilliance of their approach is that their stuff feels like the real thing. Their pieces are often exquisitely crafted, deeply reported, produced with a clear understanding of what makes magazines so special. The punches will be pulled, but the reading pleasure isn't sacrificed. And they've hired real talent for it - EIC Jeremy Stern, whose engrossing new Josh Kushner piece is breaking the Internet today, wrote what I thought was the profile of the year in '24 for Tablet, of Anduril's Palmer Luckey. ' 'Thus Colossus becomes an incredibly compelling place for machers to trust with their stories. Why go to TNY/Atlantic etc. if you can get a similar level of quality w/o the downside reputational risk? This is content marketing, but done so beautifully that the intended audience won't care.' 'Not a critique of the story, which I read in a single sitting and enjoyed heaps. Just wanted to share some observations of the model and how it's going to box out the trad outlets. Access will be restricted to those whose pens are kind.'
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 1d
I wonder if the bot is becoming expensive for the person who runs it. He asked people to write alt-text, and reserve the bot for screen reader users.

Has anyone tried to raise funds to keep it going?
bsky.app/profile/alt-...
alt-text.bsky.social
Get Alt Text @alt-text.bsky.social · Feb 1
The bot is back up and running. Thank you for your patience. Please contact @holden.bsky.social (using the contact info in his bio) with any bug reports.

Reminder: This bot is for screen reader users to use when someone neglected to add alt text to their post. Don’t use it to write your alt text.
alt-text.bsky.social
Get Alt Text @alt-text.bsky.social · Feb 1
This bot is temporarily down for maintenance to fix a serious bug causing it to leave hundreds of replies on posts. I will post another update after the bot is back up. As a reminder, the bot is for screen reader users. If you are authoring a post, write your own alt text instead of using the bot.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 1d
#Alt4You
Still of Rodney Dangerfield from his early 1980s TV special. He is wearing a brown suit, red tie, and white shirt. He holds his hands outstretched, and is standing in the spotlight on a stage in front of a golden curtain.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 2d
#Alt4You
Post from U.S. Democratic Socialists: 'If you seriously think protestors are being PAID to march, why not jut pretend you're a protestor, sign up to get paid, capture the payslip, then expose the whole thing? [shrug emoji].' 'I'll wait.'
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 2d
Must-read: 2,900 leaked pages of chats from millennials and Gen Z in GOP organizations and elected positions.

Pro-nazi, pro-assault, pro-slavery, pro-racism.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...
‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat
Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.
www.politico.com
katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
#Alt4You
On a weekend in mid-August, hundreds of inmates at a minimum-security prison in Bryan, Texas, were locked down during their usual time for strolling the grassy campus and visiting with family and friends. All except one: Ghislaine Maxwell, the 63-year-old associate of Jeffrey Epstein convicted for her role in helping him sexually abuse underage teens. While her fellow inmates were confined to their dormitories after breakfast, Maxwell met with several visitors in the federal prison camp’s chapel, according to people familiar with the matter. Less than three weeks earlier, the Justice Department had moved Maxwell to Federal Prison Camp Bryan from a higher-security facility in Tallahassee, Fla. Under Federal Bureau of Prisons rules, prisoners with sex-crime convictions like Maxwell’s don’t ordinarily qualify to serve their time in such camps. The transfer followed an interview with senior Justice Department official Todd Blanche during which Maxwell said she had never seen President Trump, during his long association with Epstein, doing anything inappropriate or illegal. Maxwell’s unexpected arrival upset the camp’s usually relaxed atmosphere, leading to more frequent lockdowns, the addition of armed guards and other changes. Current and former inmates said in interviews that Maxwell appeared to receive unusually favorable treatment at times, sparking resentment from other inmates.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
The US military has always had height requirements, to make sure troops can use standard-sized equipment. I bet Norway has minimum height, too, for the same reason.

Men and women must be between 58 inches (4' 10" or 1.47m) to 80 inches (6' 8" or 2m).
web.archive.org/web/20240624...
Eligibility & Requirements to Join
Learn more about what it takes to enlist as Soldier or be commissioned as an Officer. Find out the medical, educational, and physical requirements to be able to start a career in the Army.
web.archive.org
katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
#Alt4You
Press Releases NGB Statement on Fitness Standards for Mobilization 25-015 | Oct. 9, 2025 [Department of Defense logo] All National Guard Soldiers and Airmen are required to meet service-specific height, weight and physical fitness standards at all times. When mobilizing for active duty, members go through a validation process to ensure they meet requirements. On the rare occasions when members are found not in compliance, they will not go on mission. They will be returned to their home station, and replacements who do meet standards will take their places. The National Guard, states, territories and District of Columbia are committed to excellence and lethality and are laser-focused on compliance and standards.
katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
#Alt4You
'The Trump administration’s new global health strategy, released last month, lists its most important goal as outbreak prevention and response, both to protect Americans and to safeguard the economy.' 'Containing the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a decade ago cost the United States $5.4 billion globally and more than $70 million domestically, the strategy report notes, adding, “As we have unfortunately seen all too frequently, an outbreak anywhere in the world can quickly become a threat to Americans.”' 'Yet, the freeze on America’s foreign aid in January disrupted many programs that extinguished outbreaks. Citing “waste, fraud and abuse” at federal agencies, the administration also laid off thousands of scientists, including many who worked on preventing and containing infectious diseases.' 'Since the spring, the administration has restored some programs and rehired some scientists. And on Saturday, it rescinded the layoffs of hundreds of infectious disease experts fired in error just a day earlier.'
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
#Alt4You
Post by Matthew Yglesias: 'Trump is giving special treatment to a sex criminal to perpetuate a coverup'.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
#Alt4You
Screenshot of comment Mark Barnes left for Jordan Rivers: 'SHIT STIRRER WITH NO ANSWERS PISS OFF MONGREL'.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
#Alt4You
Map of Gaza analyzing vegetation damage from October 2023 through May 2025, based on satellite imagery analyzed by Dr. He Yin of Kent State University. Annual crops: 71–98% likely damaged. Tree crops: 90–94% likely damaged. Woody vegetation: 78–98% likely damaged. Fallow/grassland: 78–98% likely damaged.
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
Where is that from?
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 3d
#Alt4You
What appears to be one black and two white muscular men, stand together looking in different directions. Two wear camo, one wears an olive green short-sleeve shirt. All wear eye protection, gas masks, helmets or scarves to hide their hair and appearance, walkie-talkies, and weapons of war. Two have ICE patches, the other is Border Patrol. Above the photo is this caption: 'This is sickening. A man came out & said that during the South Shore ICE raid, he hid a terrified 7-year-old girl under his bed after she ran to his door crying. When it was over, residents found maps and door stickers showing who lived where. They are literally marking homes the same way the Nazis did.'
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 4d
Fantastic, funny video: "Release the Files" - AI Taylor Swift, with Gavin Newsom on Sax
scaredketchup.bsky.social
Scared Ketchup @scaredketchup.bsky.social · 6d
Scared Ketchup and AI Taylor Swift are back together!
'Release The Files' - AI Taylor Swift (Satire/Not Taylor Swift)
YouTube video by scaredketchup
www.youtube.com
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katherineintx.bsky.social
Katherine @katherineintx.bsky.social · 4d
#Alt4You
Two reposted and liked skeets, from Covie_93. First one: 'Notice how trump took the COVID booster, not ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine.' Second one: 'trump is vaccinated. All six of RFK Jr's children are vaccinated. These are the people telling you to not get vaccinated and to not vaccinate your child.'
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