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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 9h

I've been maintaining sanity in part by reading a lot more fiction

I am on a mystery kick and am finding Elis Peters' Cadfael books particularly comforting right now. They're set during "The Anarchy" in 1100s England, make of that what you will!

What's helping your sanity right now?

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Senator Ed Markey @markey.senate.gov · 1d

Trump just bombed six more people in the Caribbean, for a total of 27 civilians who have been killed so far by the US military. It’s illegal for the military to target civilians who do not pose an immediate threat. This is murder.

U.S. Military Kills Another 6 People in 5th Caribbean Strike, Trump Says
In a social media post, the president said the people aboard a boat were suspected of smuggling drugs for an unspecified group his team had labeled terrorists.

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 4d

This is such a clever idea on taking kids to museums/galleries
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Nadia from London has an idea that sounds such fun you'll be booking a day out asap.
"I've always loved museums," she says,
"but they can be overwhelming for children. For decades now, I've done something called 'playing postcards'
We do
the museum backwards, visiting the gift shop first. Each child gets to choose three postcards. Then they take it in turns to find that particular artwork in the museum and give us a little information about the piece from the details on the postcard, or from any gallery plaque. At the end of this treasure-hunt-style activity, we vote for our favourite in the cafe."

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 3d

I know someone who tried microdosing to treat depression and it went badly wrong. They started spouting absolutely weird things and basically destroyed their life

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 3d

I really wonder what portion of the bananapants nonsense that comes out of these Silicon Valley guys is due to micro dosing psychoactive drugs

Maybe some future historian will be able to sort it out

Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 3d

Every time someone makes me read something Peter Thiel said it’s like “Scrooge McDuck is Jesus Christ and Huey, Dewey, and Louie are Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel and Daisy is Mary Magdalene and that’s why women voting has lowered American sperm count.”

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Mark Histed @markhisted.org · 4d

So to summarize:

- There is a pattern where Vought makes the RIFs too wide, apparently to flood the zone with sh*t and see who will draw protests.
- They restore some people after outrage and work by us.
- But we are still left with many who remain fired at the end.

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Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 4d

OOOPS! UPDATE: Two HHS officials tell me that disease detectives, measles response officers, global health officials and the MMWR staff were laid off by mistake and will be reinstated. But Washington office is still RIFed

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 5d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

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Old White Nepo Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 4d

Trader Joe's Exec1: we'll sell lots of really good stuff at good prices

Exec2: that doesn't sound at all evil. We're a big company, we're supposed to be evil

Founder1: we are going to have the most inadequate, cramped, badly designed parking lots in the fucking world

Founder2: ok that works

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sarah jeong @sarahjeong.bsky.social · 4d

I have a theory www.theverge.com/policy/79849...

American politics has devolved into shitposting and aura farming

The Frog is owning the president.

www.theverge.com

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Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 4d

“We can give $20 billion to Argentina but we can’t afford the CDC’s measles experts” is a hell of an argument

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 5d

I am so sad for all of us

Sheryl Gay Stolberg @sherylnyt.bsky.social · 5d

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 5d

I want pictures

Rachel W. Martin @rwmartin.bsky.social · 5d

Ours have never won any medals, but they have worn party hats and been dressed up as Star Wars droids for Halloween.

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Kate Muller @katemuller.bsky.social · 6d

Evvie Drake Starts Over by @lindaholmes.bsky.social! It’s fantastic.

Amanda Lane Cumming @amandalc.bsky.social · 6d

The way my brain works though, somebody OBVIOUSLY needs to write a romance novel where the hero is a baseball player who messes up in a big game and has to deal with the fallout and confront what it means to fail, to earn redemption, and to believe you're worthy of love as an imperfect human.

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 5d

For accountability: I did cancel my subscription

The editorial page was just getting too gross and my addiction to Caroline Hax wasn't enough to counter that

Not sure what I will replace it with. I subscribe to my local paper but I liked having a more national perspective, too

Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 27d

It also happens that my Washington Post subscription is almost due to renew. I will cancel instead. I will miss my Carolyn Hax fix but I will find something to replace it with

Currently trying to figure out what to subscribe to in it's place (I already subscribe to my local paper)

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 5d

Newsom signed SB79! So, so huge. Enormous props to all the people who worked so hard, for so long, to make this happen, above all @scottwiener.bsky.social. It's going to change California, and the country.

Governor Newsom Signs Senator Wiener’s Landmark Law To Build More Homes Near Public Transit

Official website of Senator Scott Wiener, representing California Senate District 11.

sd11.senate.ca.gov

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🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 🔥🧊 @chrisdafer.bsky.social · 6d

To be fair, we thought they said "the best and the brightest" but obviously they said "no breasts and the whitest."

Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 6d

Without comment.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

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TrustedReveler @trustedreveler.bsky.social · 8d

LA: we will fight you.

Chicago: we will fight you.

PDX: we will make you endure week after week of of improv theater.

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 7d

This thread is a travel nightmare

One entitled dude screwing with a plane full of people's day

Kashmir Hill @kashhill.bsky.social · 7d

This is absolutely wild. I’m on a cross country flight. We are being diverted midway through to Denver. The reason? Some dude is sitting in the exit row who didn’t pay the $155 fee and he refuses to move back to his seat.

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 7d

Me too! A company I worked at had a lead compound that had a very narrow range of "efficacious and does not make the ferrets throw up"

Derek Lowe @dereklowe.bsky.social · 8d

Oh, the “vomiting ferret” model is absolutely a real thing - I’ve encountered it in my own drug discovery career.

They’re one of the smallest animals that show this response- weirdly, rodents can’t do it at all.

Dan Kaszeta FRHistS @dankaszeta.bsky.social · 8d

that's my day gone then

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madison! @madepn.bsky.social · 8d

here is my first rendering of the bread scale of triviality (any suggestions welcome; I love thinking about bread)

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Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 8d

We will rebuild

Frank A. Stengel @frankstengel.com · 8d

Horrible, horrible images from Portland:

Senator Ron Wyden @wyden.senate.gov · 10d

It was a beautiful Sunday in Portland. Farmer’s markets, the Portland Marathon, peaceful protests, and some views of Mt. Hood. This city is vibrant, peaceful, and resilient. We do not need a federal occupation, and we sure as hell don’t want one.

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 9d

Ooh I second this as a reader

(V)Ladz The Impaler @ladzwriting.bsky.social · 9d

sometimes when you're plotting a book, it's important to consider if it wouldn't be more interesting if we already knew the great revelation to come

sometimes what we do with that information is far more compelling than learning it

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 9d

Ok shot in arm!

And to be clear I think all of them are safe and effective. Data is clear on this! Side effects are probably different for different people. Our immune systems are variable!

Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 9d

I gave up on my quest to get the novavax covid shot this year. Couldn't find it anywhere and have travel coming up so I'm currently at the pharmacy waiting for a Pfizer shot

If I feel like shit tomorrow I'm going to be so mad (past experience with side effects is moderna > Pfizer >>> novavax)

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Wandering Scientist @wandsci.bsky.social · 9d

I just left him a message, it really is easy!

David Roberts @volts.wtf · 10d

Reminder that @governor.ca.gov is reportedly considering vetoing SB79, the best housing bill to clear the CA legislature in decades.

It would be a *disaster*, substantively & for Newsom's political future. Really hope he doesn't self-immolate.

Tell him!

Contact the Governor | Governor of California

You can contact the Governor a few different ways. The best way is through his online form.

www.gov.ca.gov

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