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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 45m

I understand the impulse and I sympathize somewhat, but the phenomenon where someone who wasn't as clued in about something, finds out about it and expresses their dislike only to be met with "you're just learning this now? 😏" is so counterproductive. They're starting to agree with you! Let them!

Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 1h

Has it been rainier this year or does it seem like... Just the favor of the gods?

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2h

The male form of the word Tetris is Tetreur.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 4h

It was entirely families with kids and people smiling and waving signs and cars honking in support when I went to one. It was the most mild protest I've ever been to in my life.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 6h

I believe we need people who stick to their principles even when it's annoying to others. People gave up on standing for anything or backing up their beliefs out of fear of being accused of "virtue signalling" and look where it got us.

Live by your virtues. Signal them! Believe in something.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 7h

They know they're smart and good, and wouldn't get involved with a scam, so since they're involved it must not be a scam.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 7h

Similar phenomenon to the "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it" thing. People don't want to believe that the thing they're making a lot of money from is just fake and useless.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 18h

It's neither here nor there but whenever one of their spokespeople talk about the masked goons black bagging people they always make a point to call them, specifically, "our brave ice agents." Our special brave boys, they were so brave today. They deserve a little lollypop for being so, so brave.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 1d

January 2025: get ready, chat GPT is gonna take your job. You'll be on the streets because we're making a machine that can do everything you can but without the backsass. Prepare to join the masses of the useless.

October 2025: OK what if we made chat gpt cyber with you? Would you invest then?

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 1d

You know it's cliché these days to quote that poem The Second Coming, but the line about the best of us lacking all conviction while the worst are full of furious intensity really hits home. The biggest scumbags in the country are really feeling their oats and there's no organized resistance left.

Reposted by Flabberghaster

Rebooca Hex (She/Her) @rhicks.bsky.social · 2d

This clip knows my soul.

Alex Kain @tdcpresents.bsky.social · 4d

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 1d

I'm not trying to be rude here but I think people just want to go "back to normal", not realizing that this has been brewing for while. Not recognizing that ever-ballooning budgets, impunity, and radicalization in their ranks is part of why trump has an eager army of goons like this at his disposal.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 1d

Being nice to you doesn't mean policing as an institution, and police unions and departments as organizations do not function as armed paramilitaries. They are intensely political forces and they have the monopoly on violence. The are overwhelmingly right wing and by definition authoritarian.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 1d

The police themselves have been a right wing militia for decades. They don't need to hire J6ers, they're already on board with this.

When we said "defund the police" this was why.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

People are always telling me they spent half a day trying to use some feature the robot told them about only to learn the robot made it up.

This technology is worse than useless!

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

They have been pushing these things at my work for months and every time I try eg, the AI that summarizes your jira tickets for you or the AI that summarizes the documentation, it's just completely wrong.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

It's true the right projects onto the left all the bad stuff they're doing, but I think they overestimate the institutional dems. "We would fire all the lefties when we get power, so it stands to reason a dem party that wants to protect itself would do the same." History shows those fears unfounded.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

They also are a blue city in a region with an active right wing militia scene; throughout the 2010s these right wingers went in to Portland and cause havoc hoping to provoke a response by attacking people on the street. The city fought back, and thus the image of rampant street battles were rife.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

Why isn't it ever "civil rights are here to stay." "Unions are here to stay." It's always "Things are just worse now -- get used to it." It's never "Great news! Something good has happened!"

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

Now, "AI is here to stay." We all should start using AI because if we don't we'll be left behind and lose our jobs to more agile people who're willing to use the slop dispenser.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

"Crypto is here to stay" was deployed constantly to shut down naysayers who thought crypto was stupid and keep people on board who had bought int.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

"XYZ is here to stay" seems to be deployed a lot as a way to shut down opposition to bad things but it never goes the other way. "Covid is here to stay; time to Learn To Live With The Virus" always meant give up on masking and other mitigation strategies to slow the spread, like improved sick leave.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

I've always felt if there's a god and if that god made us and gave us free will but if we don't do the right things (which we specifically are not told what are beyond a shadow of a doubt) then we go to eternal torture, then that god is probably evil. If god is reasonable no one could be in hell.

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Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 2d

I find emojis on in my console logs to be a little annoying and unprofessional even when made by humans. Don't get fancy on me, just output text.

Flabberghaster @flabberghaster.bsky.social · 3d

Zuckerberg read Robert Nozick and thought "You know what I should do, is create The Experience Machine and trap people in it. That sounds great. Filter everyone's reality through a device of my choosing, that'd be so awesome, people will love it."

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