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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 6h

I would simply buy a bunch of nuclear submarines from the United States on behalf of the Australian Navy.

doctober @docseuss.bsky.social · 1d

lets say a wizard has cursed you with a lot of money. you are going to become permanently brain damaged simply by being in possession of so much money. the only way out of it is to spend a lot of money on something ridiculous and not at all useful

what would you buy to break the curse?

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Reposted by Liz

Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 10h

It’s time we had more movies about submarines and I’m sick and fucking tired of having to say this obvious truth!

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 9h

(I didn't WANT to have opinions about this, but my TikTok algo is doing that thing where it's resisting my attempts to shape my experience, and really I need to just step back from the app until the album promo cycle is over.)

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 9h

(I do not think Swift herself is MAGA, she seems very much a Rich White Liberal Who Has Unexamined Issues With Black Women, but I also think she's a billionaire and a capitalist and money trumps everything.)

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 9h

I don't think this was an intentional reference to the SS, but I do think this plus the "I PROTECT THE FAMILY" hat make it way too plausible that Swift's merch team is targeting MAGA.

tanya/таня @tanyavolt.bsky.social · 10h

not speculating too hard on this, this is just very bad design LMAO

Taylor Swift necklace with eight lightning bolts

close up of necklace, two lightning bolts very close together

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 9h

Yeah, I felt like season 3 had a problem where every episode had really amazingly well-written, well-acted scenes (especially on the adult track), but they never quite coalesced into a coherent story. I was enjoying each episode as a set of vignettes rather than a whole.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 10h

Broke: Joseph M'Benga is a war criminal.

Woke: Joseph M'Benga is the only ethical special forces operative.

Bespoke: I just think he's neat, okay!

Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 10h

Last week I read Chris Masters' book on Ben Roberts-Smith's wear crimes, and this week I'm reading The Fort Bragg Cartel by Seth Harp, and it's possible that creating elite military units based around a culture of secrecy and impunity was a bad idea.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 10h

I used to like getting Japanese editions that had a couple of different songs and different art, plus I could practice reading katakana on the liner notes. That felt like real value!

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 10h

And, like, some parents don't have full-time custody? Or they have a coparent? Or a support network?

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 10h

Last week I read Chris Masters' book on Ben Roberts-Smith's wear crimes, and this week I'm reading The Fort Bragg Cartel by Seth Harp, and it's possible that creating elite military units based around a culture of secrecy and impunity was a bad idea.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 12h

Emailed the vet, who says Dale's eye is of concern but not urgent, so we have a home visit organised for next Thursday. Deepest apologies to the boys, but it's for their own good. And how cold can the thermometer really be, anyway?

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 12h

Earlier this year I spent $500 putting multifocal lenses in my favourite discontinued frames, and now I just spent the same amount putting my new multifocal prescription in a rereleased identical frame.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 12h

Oooh, I know the reason for this! Australia was the anglophone market where ABBA were most successful, so we got to be in their movie!

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 13h

At the optometrist. My eyes are too expensive.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

Oh yeah, compared with the time Harvey bit one of the nurses, it'll be a cakewalk! I just worry it will set him back.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

UGGGHHHHH I just know that getting Dale to the vet will be a chore, and though the vet does visits, it seems like an imposition to ask them to inspect a cat under my bed.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

I enjoyed the complaints that the SFA trailer looked too cinematic and visually interesting.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

This is especially gross because of Marilyn Monroe's life and experiences, but ALSO it's extra funny to use the intellectual property of George R. R. "all fan fiction is plagiarism and if I see it I will sue" Martin to promote this "feature".

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 2d

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

Want to See Marilyn Monroe in Game of Thrones? AI Could Make It Soon

Despite early, and familiar, copyright growing pains, Sora may be the prelude to AI-generated on-demand TV and movies

www.scientificamerican.com

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

Star Trek fandom be less of a self-parody challenge

Jessie Gender @jessiegender.bsky.social · 16h

OMG! I made an offhand joke in my latest Star Trek video calling out r/Star_Trek_ for their centrist takes by assuming any left-leaning critique is just about “diversity points” instead of discussing how Trek should challenge the modern status quo - and then they literally did that to my vid. LMAO!

A post on the subreddit r/Star_Trek_ saying "Strange New Worlds is not wokey enough for Jessie Gender" with a picture of Jessie Gender's latest video "STRANGE NEW WORLDS IS A STATUS QUO STAR TREK COMFORT BLANKET" and a subhedding that reads "Don't worry, Jessie. I'm sure Starfleet Academy will be more to your palate..."

POST SAYING - "
I don't care about criticisms of political messaging. I care about criticisms of storytelling quality.

Strange New Worlds is not a good show - not because of trans representation or lack thereof. But because it's written like crap, is gratuitously violent, and incorporates little to no science fiction.

Discovery was also very bad, and not because it had a trans character. Because it was written like crap, was gratuitously violent, and incorporated little to no science fiction.

Picard was also very bad, and not because it had a bisexual character. Because it was written like crap, was gratuitously violent, and incorporated little to no science fiction."

POST SAYING - "The Youtuber's name is literally Jessie Gender - I think it's fairly clear what lens she'll be viewing content through. I avoid her channel (not because she's trans) but because I know that she'll always review, or generally assess, Star Trek media through that gender/sexuality lens. Which is valid, and has its place, but isn't for me - so I get my Trek content elsewhere." and a second comment saying "It must be tiresome caring about one thing only in media you consume"

COMMENT SAYING - I think these people are fake Trek fans, they’ve never cared about the franchise. Only how it can be used as a vessel to carry their beliefs. They thought Trek was progressive so they believed its only value came from being progressive.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

Exactly! You can be super cute AND comfortable!

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

Anyway, should I be worried about his squinty eye? I wouldn't give it a thought if he was Harvey, but these boys are FIV+ so I worry about EVERYTHING. Is it worth emailing the pics to the vet?

Close up on a ginger cat's right eye, which looks mildly irritated and has some discharge.

Portrait of a ginger cat with some discharge from his right eye. He looks judgemental.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 15h

Colin is DEFINITELY the Jean to Dale's Jorts, I just went in to get some photos of Dale's manky eye, and moments later, Colin was aggressively grooming his face. No word yet on Dale's politics, though.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 16h

To quote Sabrina Carpenter, "a little respect for women can get you very, very far".

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 16h

You don't even have to be THAT funny - listening to what a woman says and having even a fraction of a sense of humour goes a long way.

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Liz @lizbarr.bsky.social · 16h

(Also I am not faulting the men, I think jeans, sneakers and a nice shirt are totally appropriate for a ComicCon, I just think this should also go for the women.)

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