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Paul Callahan (he/him)

@paulcallahanmv.bsky.social

570 followers 130 following 5K posts

Computer scientist with a bunch of weird hobbies. I have mostly been linking news and making political comments. I plan to post more 3D print models and other math crafts when I can. "When the world falls apart, some things stay in place."

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Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · Aug 16

Sadly, I mostly post news and politics these days. I post a little AI art now and then as well.

But see my printables link for what really gets me going: tesselations and puzzles.

Paul Callahan | Printables.com

I've had an interest in puzzles and tilings for many years and use 3D printing to try out ideas. – 3D models

www.printables.com

Reposted by Paul Callahan (he/him)

Mike Davis • Feed After Midnight @mjdavis1988.bsky.social · 9h

Some of these stories are difficult to read, but it’s important that as many people as possible know what is happening. We are 100% living in a police state. SHARE widely.

mdavis19881.substack.com/p/reddit-thr...

Reddit Thread Details Horrific ICE Encounters

These stories are happening all over the country. We CAN'T look away and we must share them.

mdavis19881.substack.com

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Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 11h

But Dick Tracy, yeah. Colors, costumes and makeup, star power particularly Madonna, and a massive marketing campaign. It wasn't quite enough to make it a blockbuster, but it was not a bomb either.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 11h

Funny, I was also thinking about The Shadow. I vaguely remember the gimmick was it could be produced cheaply by reusing sets and they planned to do others like it. It was entirely forgettable. The Mask came out soon after and was much more successful.

Pulp Fiction also came out soon after.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 11h

Exactly! It was all about the look.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 11h

I remember it, and yes, there was buzz around it. I don't recall any critic saying it bombed. I do recall talking with my friends about it afterwards and agreeing it was a disappointment.

I think (as I wrote already) it was judged on ambience, makeup, and star power. Definitely not on plot.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 11h

I remember when it came out and it sucked then too. Warren Beatty and Madonna were the big draws (but I checked and I see Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman were in it). I think the make-up got some attention. Live action comic had been done (Howard the Duck, Popeye) but this added novelty.

No plot.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 13h

I think if you can't behave yourself in front of friends, you can't be persuaded to limit the damage to a large audience. In fact, that audience is likely to encourage your worst self.

It's kind of like if you're racist in private but careful to strangers. You're still a racist.

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Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 13h

I started my Bluesky account to post things like this link and occasionally remark on politics. I still try to post other things. I can't make a new 3D print project every day, but I will sometimes link science articles that come up on my phone. This shit show hasn't sucked all the joy from my life.

Penrose kite and darts with snap fitting and surface bumps by Paul Callahan | Download free STL model | Printables.com

www.printables.com

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 13h

🤣🤣🤣 Has anyone asked him if he remembers who was president on January 6, 2021?

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Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 13h

They're probably going for bonuses and couldn't care less. The same people put Korean technicians in handcuffs and imprisoned Subu Vedem immediately following his release after 43 years of imprisonment over a wrongful conviction. They may be sociopaths or they may be more normal than I like to think

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 14h

Stephen Miller probably does. He's one of the people who came up with the idea, and it was long before the 2024 election.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 14h

Then maybe he should release the Epstein files!

(That was my spontaneous thought, by the way, and not a canned reply.)

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 14h

I missed the original thread somehow, but people increasingly get incensed at the suggestion that they have any responsibility at all for what they say whether it is to a small or large audience.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 14h

I agree, but this is not quite the same as saying that their "responsibility" is different. I am still unpersuaded that the responsibility is actually different, though I agree that the impact is worse.

There is an increased obligation of others to mitigate their damage. This may be the same point.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 14h

In practice, I believe that someone who is incapable of showing good judgment in front of a small group is unlikely to be swayed by the fact that their poor judgment is even more damaging to a larger group. There is probably a social obligation to limit their damage rather than expect self-control.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 14h

... that is ethically just as bad in a small group as to a larger audience, though clearly the impact is greater with a larger audience.

I am not an ethicist, so there might be a hole in my argument. My point is only that audience size is a utilitarian rather than intrinsic consideration.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 14h

I think you're assuming utilitarianism here. I cannot think of any justification for spouting rumors or panic. You might talk bullshit to friends, but in context, that's because there's an unstated assumption that it's bullshit. If you are carelessly unconcerned about misleading or panicking them...

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 15h

As a critic of speech, it is reasonable to make a distinction in audience size from a utilitarian perspective. I should indeed be more concerned when I hear something from POTUS than when I hear the same thing from a drunk in a bar. But I think both have the same onus of self-regulation.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 15h

... I would not want to see laws that limited speech on social media based on follower size, because it seems hard to do anything close within the constraints of the first amendment.

So I don't see how audience size really affects the question of either legal or ethical responsibility.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 15h

I missed it, but here is my mild pushback. We all have an ethical responsibility to make the world better, not worse through our actions and words. That's true whether your impact is large or small. But there is only a legal responsibility to follow the law, so I would ask which do you mean? ...

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 15h

Yeah, I gathered that from other articles. Does Flanagan address this at all? I don't mean to dismiss how damaging this is, and e.g. what has happened to WaPo.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 15h

You couldn't pay me any amount to be Bret Stephens's assistant. You'd have to pay me just to get me to read the toxic drivel he spouts. Usually the headline is enough.

Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 15h

I started to read the Flanagan piece and she does get at an important point sideways. CBS has outlived its relevance. People "love" the legacy, not today's network.

This doesn't argue for hiring Weiss, who still seems to be biased and incompetent, unless the point is to kill it off faster.

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Paul Callahan (he/him) @paulcallahanmv.bsky.social · 15h

Remember when this was a "controversy"?

'"While the president can name his son Barron, he can't make him a baron,” Karlan responded, inciting light laughter in the room.'

Kind of a dumb joke ("dad humor") but requiring an apology because Trump is so fucking thin-skinned.

How a question from Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee led to a joke about Trump's son in the impeachment hearing

The witness later apologized after First Lady Melania Trump condemned the comment.

www.texastribune.org

Reposted by Paul Callahan (he/him)

dgassen 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @dgassen.bsky.social · 5d

This story needs to be promoted everywhere. The Chicago Sun Times gathered the facts locally & published what really happened.

Don’t let billionaire MSM bury the truth with their misinformation.

Publish these links 2 links

chicago.suntimes.com/news/2025/10...

newrepublic.com/post/201444/...

“Do Something B*tch”: Damning Video Shows CBP Agent Shooting Protester

The Department of Homeland Security initially said the agent had shot the woman five times in self-defense.

newrepublic.com

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