Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 5h

I viscerally dislike the idea of AI girlfriends / sexbots but if something tragic befell my wife it might actually be better than what dating is today

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 5h

Huh, I missed a Devo + B-52 concert in Mass. two weeks ago. That would have been worth considering

consequence.net/2025/06/devo...

DEVO and The B-52s Announce "Cosmic De-Evolution Tour"

DEVO and The B-52s are teaming up for the "Cosmic De-Evolution Tour" this fall. The 11-date outing kicks off in September 2025.

consequence.net

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 5h

At the time, to be clear, that was an utterly absurd image for teenagers. Lol, old people and punk rock instead of "You Are My Sunshine"

Now?
variety.com/2023/music/n...

Are They Not Memes?: Devo on How De-evolution Is More Meaningful Than Ever, as Band Celebrates 50 Years With a New Compilation and Tour

Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale on the band's history, current tour and new collection, and encounters with the Stones and Joni Mitchell.

variety.com

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 5h

I recall a column from a college student in the early 80s musing about how she and her classmates would be gathered around a cheery piano singing "You Must Whip It, Whip It Good" in a retirement home fifty years hence

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 5h

www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-Wg...

The Contra Rap - Rich Little [1987]

YouTube video by Estonius

www.youtube.com

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 5h

My college roommate and I listened Sunday nights on KLSX, I see many of the late 80s Funny Five staples are there in the all time top 40 (but I get how Rich Little's "Contra Rap" didn't stand the test of time). Thanks for all the laughs Dr.!

The A.V. Club @avclub.com · 2d

The influential, top hat-wearing DJ, Dr. Demento, wrapped his long-running radio show yesterday with a countdown of his top 40 most requested songs.

www.avclub.com/dr-demento-f...

Dr. Demento ends 55-year run as radio's weirdest DJ

www.avclub.com

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 6h

Right. From the review and others tidbits I've read, sounds like it's a regular ballistic weapon in the movie

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 6h

(*) to allow for the special cases of maneuvering off of an MET during boost and a launch from the DPRK - China - Russia triborder area

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 6h

If we figure out which American city it is headed towards, which apparently we do, we also then know where it came from (*)

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 6h

I'm on the record worrying that a single low-yield Trident warhead fired during a war might not stay limited -- and that I wouldn't count on the US holding back if it were us receiving -- but that assumes an ongoing war against a known adversary

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 6h

Maybe that BAS review is written poorly but if not, "we don't know where this lone missile came from" and "advisors recommending we must do full retaliation before it hits" is nonsensical. Hopefully in the actual movie fleshes out and makes more sense.

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 6h

Johnson actually said this, about naked people on a cold rainy day: “the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet was the naked bicyclers in Portland who were protesting ICE.
I mean, it’s getting really ugly.”

Uh, threatening... how? Hidden weapons 😬?

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 6h

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson calls Sunday's naked bike ride in protest of the Portland ICE facility and and Trump troop deployment "the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet"

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 7h

For those unfamiliar -- the term is more common w far right movements in Europe than here -- "remigrate" implies not deporting migrants here illegally, which DHS does. It implies pushing legal migrants, naturalized citizens, even people born here to give up US citizenship and go 'home' [sic]

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 7h

X post today from Homeland Security @DHSgov that says "Remigrate."
3:06 PM · Oct 14, 2025

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 10h

Regular reminder that:

1. Strictly personal posts here not affiliated with any employer

2. Currently furloughed / unemployed so at all times no government property, government equipment or government time used

3. The rose 🌹in my profile is for solidarity with Portland in these tough times

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 11h

Wut?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11h

Trump to Milei: "Do you need any Tomahawks in Argentina? You need them for your opposition, I guess, because in this country they use Tomahawks on the opposition. I don't do that. I'm much nicer. The Democrats would use them if they had the chance. They're sick people."

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 11h

Nearly 3000 pages of this! Given the blatant antisemitism these Young Republican leaders displayed I'm sure the administration and national GOP will clean their house fast given the priority they place on the issue.

Democracy Action Network @democracyactionnet.bsky.social · 11h

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by David Burbach 🌹

Gene J. Mikulka @genejm1017.bsky.social · 12h

A reminder: we still need to see a complete demonstration of on orbit fueling to see this thing really come into it's own. It might be great for delivering the company's Starlink satellites but there is a LONG road to hoe before it's ready to deliver on its promises.

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 17h

With the successful eleventh test flight of its Starship megarocket, SpaceX is on the cusp of a new era in spaceflight

SpaceX’s Starship Succeeds in Final Test Flight of 2025

With the successful eleventh test flight of its Starship megarocket, SpaceX is on the cusp of a new era in spaceflight

www.scientificamerican.com

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 14h

This looks like a great event from my alma mater, MIT SSP (not on BluSky, only X). I'll be at an in person conference but would tune if if I could

t.co/2BMR4RqIIm

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 15h

The scale of wealth relative to pay in traditional journalism / academia / politics is grossly distorting. I mean that crowd can afford to toss what would be a generous endowed chair at a 19 year old troll on a lark bsky.app/profile/dbur...

David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 1d

Spring 2025, a Brown freshman "used AI" to list 'bullshit staff jobs' in the univ administration and sent harassing emails to individual employees demanding they justify their jobs to him.

Kid dropped out and now has $5M and climbing to do "anti-fraud journalism"

turnto10.com/news/local/b...

Brown University sophomore exits Ivy League to launch fraud-busting startup

A Brown University sophomore who made national headlines for sending a DOGE like email to faculty has dropped out.

turnto10.com

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 15h

Eample:

In 1975 J. Paul Getty (richest American at the time) was worth about $4 Billion and Washington Post-Newsweek market value of $0.5 Billion (wealth 8x WaPo)

In 2022, Jeff Bezos was worth about $175 Billion, and bought the Washington Post for $0.2 Billion (wealth 90x WaPo)

David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 15h

Important point. More generally, we've reached a point where traditional media properties are worth so little compared to the scale of top plutocrat wealth that they don't need to worry about profitability if they think it has leverage on other lines of business or just hobby value to them

Spooky Back From the Dead Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · 15h

Bezos is perfectly happy to publish the Post at a loss if he can use it to keep demonstrate obedience to the regime so his other businesses can keep making money. It’s just an operating cost to him.

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 15h

Important point. More generally, we've reached a point where traditional media properties are worth so little compared to the scale of top plutocrat wealth that they don't need to worry about profitability if they think it has leverage on other lines of business or just hobby value to them

Spooky Back From the Dead Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · 15h

Bezos is perfectly happy to publish the Post at a loss if he can use it to keep demonstrate obedience to the regime so his other businesses can keep making money. It’s just an operating cost to him.

karl rove knausgård @uhactually.bsky.social · 1d

Lmao WaPo has fewer than 100K circulation now. It turns out “alienate your liberal subscriber base” is not a good strategy when the Republicans also hate you. www.forbes.com/sites/andyme...

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 16h

Absolutely Kori did, but not when I posted my reply.

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 16h

But more broadly that's still a good sentiment for many of us to hear, different of course if directed to do things that cross legal or moral lines

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 16h

I get the general sentiment but aren't these reporters saying they'll keep covering DOD without official access, not that they are quitting the beat? Given the terms of the press agreement, hard to see how they could do actual journalism by signing.

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David Burbach 🌹 @dburbach.bsky.social · 16h

Yeah, that's me, the dorky dude in the red-white-and-blue necktie very violently hating on America. Come and see the hate!

( /sarcasm tag because such are the times)

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