Bernie Michalik
@berniemichalik.ca
Bernie is a father, runner, chief cook, bottlewasher, Cape Bretoner, & IT Architect working for IBM in Toronto.
Pretty obvious when the AI scrapers are scraping my blog
December 2, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Pretty obvious when the AI scrapers are scraping my blog
Amazing and hilarious.
Kristi Noem: "Sir, you made it through hurricane season without a hurricane. You kept the hurricanes away. We appreciate that."
December 2, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Amazing and hilarious.
Going to have to filter "Mad Men" so I don't see that image again.
December 2, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Going to have to filter "Mad Men" so I don't see that image again.
Good luck finding any of these once Wirecutter puts out a list.
We asked Wirecutter staffers to recommend the most hilarious gifts under $25 that made them smile. We think they’ll make you smile too.
Win the White Elephant Party With One of These Gifts
Want to bring the most sought-after gift? Check out this list of covetable picks, all under $25.
nyti.ms
December 2, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Good luck finding any of these once Wirecutter puts out a list.
Reposted by Bernie Michalik
Before you get an A.I.-enabled toy for a child for Christmas, please read about this modern Teddy Ruxpin gone bad www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/u...
An A.I. Toy Bear Speaks of Sex, Knives and Pills, a Consumer Group Warns
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Before you get an A.I.-enabled toy for a child for Christmas, please read about this modern Teddy Ruxpin gone bad www.nytimes.com/2025/11/22/u...
Two things: 1) This seems like a good Toronto account to follow 2) Following verified account tracker is a good way to find out new accounts to follow.
✅ @cyclingpedestrian.cityof.toronto.ca has been verified by @toronto.ca.
December 2, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Two things: 1) This seems like a good Toronto account to follow 2) Following verified account tracker is a good way to find out new accounts to follow.
Yes, that would be good. It would also be good if Congress approached technical reviews with a modicum of knowledge. Some of the hearings I have seen with tech leaders have been worse than useless, with congressmen and women clueless as to what was being discussed.
"Despite the extraordinary importance of this issue and the speed at which it is progressing, AI is getting far too little discussion in Congress," writes Senator Bernie Sanders.
AI poses unprecedented threats. Congress must act now | Bernie Sanders
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Yes, that would be good. It would also be good if Congress approached technical reviews with a modicum of knowledge. Some of the hearings I have seen with tech leaders have been worse than useless, with congressmen and women clueless as to what was being discussed.
Astounding.
December 2, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Astounding.
Listening to snowploughs, watching the steam from the dryer vent, sipping hot coffee, soaking up the warm air flowing through the house. Happy 2nd of December. The Christmas season is ramping up.
December 2, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Listening to snowploughs, watching the steam from the dryer vent, sipping hot coffee, soaking up the warm air flowing through the house. Happy 2nd of December. The Christmas season is ramping up.
Canadians. Here are you Christmas/Holiday shipping deadlines shippingchimp.com/blog/holiday...
Holiday Shipping Deadlines 2025 – Canada Post, FedEx, UPS - ShippingChimp | Blog
Stay ahead of the 2025 holiday rush with Canada Post, FedEx, and UPS holiday shipping deadlines. Find last shipping dates and ensure gifts arrive on time.
shippingchimp.com
December 2, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Canadians. Here are you Christmas/Holiday shipping deadlines shippingchimp.com/blog/holiday...
How IBM made Christmas shopping easy in Toronto :) www.righto.com/2021/12/chri...
Christmas shopping the IBM way: computerized gift selection in 1962
In 1962, the Simpson's department store in Toronto used an IBM computer to help customers select Christmas gifts, based on the characteris...
www.righto.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:33 AM
How IBM made Christmas shopping easy in Toronto :) www.righto.com/2021/12/chri...
Almost time to watch my favorite Christmas movie: youtu.be/DTuxqsIxwFA
Metropolitan | Trailer | New Release
YouTube video by Film at Lincoln Center
youtu.be
December 2, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Almost time to watch my favorite Christmas movie: youtu.be/DTuxqsIxwFA
Makes me think "moat"
NADELLA: “.. At the end of the day, I think that this industry — to which I belong — needs to earn the social permission to consume energy ..”
@politico.com $MSFT $XLU
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
@politico.com $MSFT $XLU
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
December 1, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Makes me think "moat"
Meh.
Entirely remote work means less training and opportunity for advancement, especially for younger workers, new research suggests. Here's what economists say.
Young Workers Learn to Embrace the Office
Remote work means less training and opportunity for advancement, especially for younger workers, research suggests. Some are getting the message.
nyti.ms
December 1, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Meh.
Sure sure
December 1, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Sure sure
ok I lold. (You have to see the initial one from Hegseth to get it)
December 1, 2025 at 2:59 PM
ok I lold. (You have to see the initial one from Hegseth to get it)
This is especially good for me, someone who has always been a bit of a weirdo, to see how people -- who are afraid of being a weirdo -- think.
This is actually quite brilliant, up to and including the final sentence 🔥
December 1, 2025 at 2:58 PM
This is especially good for me, someone who has always been a bit of a weirdo, to see how people -- who are afraid of being a weirdo -- think.
Even die hard NYC capitalists should approve of this. Also there can be no title cooler than Mom and Pop Czar. Good stuff.
Soon small businesses won’t have to wait for Small Business Saturday to get attention from their Mayor.
Some changes that they can look forward to:
Some changes that they can look forward to:
December 1, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Even die hard NYC capitalists should approve of this. Also there can be no title cooler than Mom and Pop Czar. Good stuff.
Interesting insight here. Also in places like Charleston SC it’s common real estate what flood zone you’re in: Zillow can’t really hide that.
Lol, Zillow tried to rate the climate risks facing individual properties. The real estate industry *hated* it, precisely because it worked -- it made selling risky properties more difficult. So they rebelled & Zillow caved.
Don't look up!
Don't look up!
Zillow Removes Climate Risk Scores From Home Listings
www.nytimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Interesting insight here. Also in places like Charleston SC it’s common real estate what flood zone you’re in: Zillow can’t really hide that.
As someone who had multi MRIs due to a brain bleed, I can’t tell you that it’s pretty much impossible not to know what it’s for.
Reporter: Governor Walz called for the release of your MRI results
Trump: They were perfect like my phone call where I got impeached.
Reporter: Can you tell us what they were looking at?
Trump: I have no idea. It was just an MRI. It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it.
Trump: They were perfect like my phone call where I got impeached.
Reporter: Can you tell us what they were looking at?
Trump: I have no idea. It was just an MRI. It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it.
December 1, 2025 at 4:05 AM
As someone who had multi MRIs due to a brain bleed, I can’t tell you that it’s pretty much impossible not to know what it’s for.
A few great paintings of the genius painter Mary Pratt at Canadian Paintings (for those that don’t follow that account) including this one
Fruitcake - Very Dark, Very Rich
Mary Pratt
1993
Mary Pratt
1993
November 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM
A few great paintings of the genius painter Mary Pratt at Canadian Paintings (for those that don’t follow that account) including this one
There’s a poetic justice in contemplating that spammers will use LLMs from Meta (that were made to compete with OpenAI) to make Instagram Reels (that they made to compete with TikTok) unwatchable.
November 30, 2025 at 2:01 AM
There’s a poetic justice in contemplating that spammers will use LLMs from Meta (that were made to compete with OpenAI) to make Instagram Reels (that they made to compete with TikTok) unwatchable.
Did Pope Leo Pray in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque? Not Visibly, at Least. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/w... < an odd story. I had the great privilege of being in the Blue Mosque and I believe it would inspire anyone to prayer…it’s a divine place. Stunningly beautiful.
Did Pope Leo Pray in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque? Not Visibly, at Least.
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Did Pope Leo Pray in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque? Not Visibly, at Least. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/w... < an odd story. I had the great privilege of being in the Blue Mosque and I believe it would inspire anyone to prayer…it’s a divine place. Stunningly beautiful.
youtu.be/-f6gON_OMcQ you could do worse than watch Gary Oldman and Tim Roth perform Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead 1990
YouTube video by Rolo Tomasi
youtu.be
November 29, 2025 at 11:00 PM
youtu.be/-f6gON_OMcQ you could do worse than watch Gary Oldman and Tim Roth perform Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead.
It’s good to review this in light of things en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-com... and remember around 50% if companies at that time managed to continue, some becoming very large. I expect something similar to happen after the gen AI bubble bursts in the upcoming recession.
November 29, 2025 at 10:50 PM
It’s good to review this in light of things en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-com... and remember around 50% if companies at that time managed to continue, some becoming very large. I expect something similar to happen after the gen AI bubble bursts in the upcoming recession.