Ben Cates
@bencates.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben Cates
The kinds of databases:
• Fancy files
• 1970s stays winning
• This would be so cool if it worked at scale
• Oh, that's why google has a monopoly on search
• Fancy files
• 1970s stays winning
• This would be so cool if it worked at scale
• Oh, that's why google has a monopoly on search
November 27, 2025 at 12:26 AM
The kinds of databases:
• Fancy files
• 1970s stays winning
• This would be so cool if it worked at scale
• Oh, that's why google has a monopoly on search
• Fancy files
• 1970s stays winning
• This would be so cool if it worked at scale
• Oh, that's why google has a monopoly on search
Reposted by Ben Cates
Most XKCD strips: fuck yeah science!
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
Just having a little cry reading the latest xkcd how about you xkcd.com/3172
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Most XKCD strips: fuck yeah science!
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
A small number of special XKCD strips: *sobbing uncontrollably* fuck yeah science
Reposted by Ben Cates
The Only Children of White Collar Professional Parents In The 1990s website is uniquely badly-positioned to have good memories or holiday food
November 24, 2025 at 1:35 AM
The Only Children of White Collar Professional Parents In The 1990s website is uniquely badly-positioned to have good memories or holiday food
This is maybe my most cancelable take. Cultures don't have inherent value. People have inherent value, and cultural preservation is useful only to the extent that it improves the lives of the people in and around the culture being preserved.
I can grant that there really is a culture that really is dying and that really does suck for the people who are native to it. I'm just not willing to ignore that the people we would have to hurt to preserve that culture have dignity too.
November 21, 2025 at 5:35 PM
This is maybe my most cancelable take. Cultures don't have inherent value. People have inherent value, and cultural preservation is useful only to the extent that it improves the lives of the people in and around the culture being preserved.
Reposted by Ben Cates
you will never understand politics if you cannot accept that *some people want bad things*. not because they've been tricked, not because Capital has manipulated them, because they *have bad values*
November 21, 2025 at 5:06 PM
you will never understand politics if you cannot accept that *some people want bad things*. not because they've been tricked, not because Capital has manipulated them, because they *have bad values*
Reposted by Ben Cates
this shop did not 'scrub' the Epstein files, guys
November 19, 2025 at 5:02 PM
this shop did not 'scrub' the Epstein files, guys
post your favorite Star Trek character, wrong answers only
November 18, 2025 at 7:06 PM
post your favorite Star Trek character, wrong answers only
Reposted by Ben Cates
Mfs do not have the appropriate human level of fear re: 1) making a mortal enemy and then 2) commanding that mortal enemy to cook food for you.
November 17, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Mfs do not have the appropriate human level of fear re: 1) making a mortal enemy and then 2) commanding that mortal enemy to cook food for you.
Reposted by Ben Cates
"Average American believes in freedom and democracy" factoid actually just statistical error. Average American believes in cheap consumer goods and low wages.
Thaddeus Stevens, who believed in equality of man before his creator, was an outlier, and should not have been counted.
Thaddeus Stevens, who believed in equality of man before his creator, was an outlier, and should not have been counted.
July 13, 2025 at 4:21 AM
"Average American believes in freedom and democracy" factoid actually just statistical error. Average American believes in cheap consumer goods and low wages.
Thaddeus Stevens, who believed in equality of man before his creator, was an outlier, and should not have been counted.
Thaddeus Stevens, who believed in equality of man before his creator, was an outlier, and should not have been counted.
It's really amazing how much of American history boils down to either "dirt too good" or "llamas are shitty pack animals".
actually, it's all because of shallow seas that covered large parts of what is now the continental United States during the late cretaceous period
People want to believe that the GOP’s electoral success in red states is the result of dirty tricks and gerrymandering instead of the sincerely held beliefs of a majority of the population because a mechanical issue is easier to fix than wrestling with how to make people not believe what they do.
November 16, 2025 at 6:21 PM
It's really amazing how much of American history boils down to either "dirt too good" or "llamas are shitty pack animals".
Reposted by Ben Cates
actually, it's all because of shallow seas that covered large parts of what is now the continental United States during the late cretaceous period
People want to believe that the GOP’s electoral success in red states is the result of dirty tricks and gerrymandering instead of the sincerely held beliefs of a majority of the population because a mechanical issue is easier to fix than wrestling with how to make people not believe what they do.
November 16, 2025 at 2:43 AM
actually, it's all because of shallow seas that covered large parts of what is now the continental United States during the late cretaceous period
Reposted by Ben Cates
absolutely seething how historians keep discovering stuff they thought was made up by Herodotus turns out to be true
November 13, 2025 at 1:39 PM
absolutely seething how historians keep discovering stuff they thought was made up by Herodotus turns out to be true
Reposted by Ben Cates
As his work would have been orally composed rather than written, I think it's more accurate to consider Homer an early sort of podcaster
November 9, 2025 at 2:04 AM
As his work would have been orally composed rather than written, I think it's more accurate to consider Homer an early sort of podcaster
Reposted by Ben Cates
God, a thousand times this.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
November 7, 2025 at 5:56 PM
God, a thousand times this.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
That's the thing with dopamine being tied to task initiation - there's a set of gears that won't - CAN'T - engage in my brain, but none of my problems are with analysis.
I can be fully aware of all the necessary steps, and stressing about starting, and just... not.
"Make shit work the way normies assume it already worked" is a winning platform in all fifty states.
i do think Dems should moderate on immigration in the sense that Dems should redesign our immigration policy to work like people think it works: you wait for a while (but not forever) to get into the country and then you wait for a while (but not forever) to become a citizen.
November 4, 2025 at 8:55 PM
"Make shit work the way normies assume it already worked" is a winning platform in all fifty states.
Reposted by Ben Cates
Reposted by Ben Cates
I don't know who rocked the tadpole antifa patch at No Kings but they're probably on Bluesky and I have no choice but to stan
October 23, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Ben Cates
For those new to bluesky, if the bell icon says "30+" that means everyone who interacted with you is over thirty
October 17, 2025 at 12:44 AM
For those new to bluesky, if the bell icon says "30+" that means everyone who interacted with you is over thirty
Reposted by Ben Cates
Back when I was young, the question was "will capitalism kill us through its relentless extraction of surplus value from nature-obliterating technology?" Turns out no, it's dumber than that, the capitalists actually want to build solar panels now but that's not ok because it's soy or something.
October 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Back when I was young, the question was "will capitalism kill us through its relentless extraction of surplus value from nature-obliterating technology?" Turns out no, it's dumber than that, the capitalists actually want to build solar panels now but that's not ok because it's soy or something.
Detailed like and repost data becomes visible after 24 hours. Real-time notifications for replies and quotes but everything else gets collated into a single daily digest. If you really want to post for big numbers you can, but with some intentional breakage to the dopamine gacha loop.
honestly niche microblogging posting websites would be vastly improved if followers, following, faves, and reskeets were all hidden from users
The "follow" button confounds "I'm looking at your content" and "I endorse this content." We need two different ways to signal the difference between the two.
October 10, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Detailed like and repost data becomes visible after 24 hours. Real-time notifications for replies and quotes but everything else gets collated into a single daily digest. If you really want to post for big numbers you can, but with some intentional breakage to the dopamine gacha loop.
Reposted by Ben Cates
a big part of the problem for these types, at least the ones i know, is that they have a really hard time thinking in terms of systems and structures, because they haven’t had a lot of engagement with systems and structures in their lives, to the extent that they have, it’s usually one-way
September 22, 2025 at 5:08 PM
a big part of the problem for these types, at least the ones i know, is that they have a really hard time thinking in terms of systems and structures, because they haven’t had a lot of engagement with systems and structures in their lives, to the extent that they have, it’s usually one-way
Reposted by Ben Cates
If I hated him he would not frustrate me so much
September 21, 2025 at 12:32 AM
If I hated him he would not frustrate me so much