Ian M Rountree
@ianmrountree.com
Copywriter, fiction writer, spreadsheet enthusiast.
Executive Director @ LITE Winnipeg
www.ianmrountree.com
Executive Director @ LITE Winnipeg
www.ianmrountree.com
Platforms are being convinced to set up Data Breach Engines at massive cost to themselves to the benefit of no one but the fee-extractors, and none of them are fighting it.
"We don't want to be taxed for the sake of a badly-informed trend" - said no tech co ever.
I'm so tired.
"We don't want to be taxed for the sake of a badly-informed trend" - said no tech co ever.
I'm so tired.
February 9, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Platforms are being convinced to set up Data Breach Engines at massive cost to themselves to the benefit of no one but the fee-extractors, and none of them are fighting it.
"We don't want to be taxed for the sake of a badly-informed trend" - said no tech co ever.
I'm so tired.
"We don't want to be taxed for the sake of a badly-informed trend" - said no tech co ever.
I'm so tired.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
Your turn, @mark-carney.bsky.social.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt's Liberal government will no longer use X for "routine" government communications:
February 5, 2026 at 7:12 PM
Your turn, @mark-carney.bsky.social.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
I feel like getting the dudes who demand government issued girlfriends out of the gene pool might be one of those problems that solves itself
📢 “A huge amount of men between the age of 15 and 50 will not pass on their genes. They will effectively die out of the gene pool ... Should society intervene?” Steven Bartlett asked last year.
Two top podcasters have identified a global decline. The problem, they say, is women
www.smh.com.au
February 3, 2026 at 3:53 PM
I feel like getting the dudes who demand government issued girlfriends out of the gene pool might be one of those problems that solves itself
A little character description.
February 3, 2026 at 3:18 PM
A little character description.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
This is something really special, from one of my favorite science communicators, but also one of my favorite cultural commentators. Do yourself a favor and set aside some time to watch it. Your dishwasher will thank you.
February 2, 2026 at 7:31 AM
This is something really special, from one of my favorite science communicators, but also one of my favorite cultural commentators. Do yourself a favor and set aside some time to watch it. Your dishwasher will thank you.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
Our February 2026 issue features stories by Sarah Pauling, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Raahem Alvi, Claire Jia-Wen, Fiona Moore, Rich Larson, and Louis Inglis Hall.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/issue_233
Subscribe at:
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
clarkesworldmagazine.com/issue_233
Subscribe at:
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
February 1, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Our February 2026 issue features stories by Sarah Pauling, D.A. Xiaolin Spires, Raahem Alvi, Claire Jia-Wen, Fiona Moore, Rich Larson, and Louis Inglis Hall.
clarkesworldmagazine.com/issue_233
Subscribe at:
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
clarkesworldmagazine.com/issue_233
Subscribe at:
clarkesworldmagazine.com/subscribe/
Who do they think they're hiring with these quals?
I charge three times this for what little contract writing I do, and I'm only a moderate-speed writer at ~4-500 words an hour my top range.
I charge three times this for what little contract writing I do, and I'm only a moderate-speed writer at ~4-500 words an hour my top range.
X is hiring a creative writing specialist at $40 an hour to make Grok better at writing and a true LOL at the qualifications
January 30, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Who do they think they're hiring with these quals?
I charge three times this for what little contract writing I do, and I'm only a moderate-speed writer at ~4-500 words an hour my top range.
I charge three times this for what little contract writing I do, and I'm only a moderate-speed writer at ~4-500 words an hour my top range.
I'm so glad I left tech in 2015, I can't even tell you how much I could never have possibly kept up with this.
January 29, 2026 at 3:18 PM
I'm so glad I left tech in 2015, I can't even tell you how much I could never have possibly kept up with this.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
It’s the 1990s. I’m trying to explain many abuses we see at Ruby Ridge and Waco reflect entrenched practices of law enforcement.
It’s the 2000s. I’m trying to explain many abuses we see under the PATRIOT ACT reflect entrenched practices of American law enforcement.
It’s 2025. Guess the fuck what.
It’s the 2000s. I’m trying to explain many abuses we see under the PATRIOT ACT reflect entrenched practices of American law enforcement.
It’s 2025. Guess the fuck what.
January 29, 2026 at 12:12 AM
It’s the 1990s. I’m trying to explain many abuses we see at Ruby Ridge and Waco reflect entrenched practices of law enforcement.
It’s the 2000s. I’m trying to explain many abuses we see under the PATRIOT ACT reflect entrenched practices of American law enforcement.
It’s 2025. Guess the fuck what.
It’s the 2000s. I’m trying to explain many abuses we see under the PATRIOT ACT reflect entrenched practices of American law enforcement.
It’s 2025. Guess the fuck what.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
I regret to inform you the head of Instagram quietly announced last month that videos on the platform he runs can no longer be trusted to be real and it is only a matter of time before that becomes the immediate authoritarian response to any atrocity www.theverge.com/news/852124/...
January 25, 2026 at 12:59 AM
I regret to inform you the head of Instagram quietly announced last month that videos on the platform he runs can no longer be trusted to be real and it is only a matter of time before that becomes the immediate authoritarian response to any atrocity www.theverge.com/news/852124/...
There is no excuse for keeping and using tiktok at this point.
January 24, 2026 at 8:40 PM
There is no excuse for keeping and using tiktok at this point.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
I don’t think a state that is threatening wars of territorial aggression and has random death squads wandering about its mid-tier cities assassinating civilians should be hosting the World Cup
January 24, 2026 at 4:41 PM
I don’t think a state that is threatening wars of territorial aggression and has random death squads wandering about its mid-tier cities assassinating civilians should be hosting the World Cup
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
I watched the video and pretty much everyone is representing it pretty much accurately and I don't think you need to watch it if your takeaway is that a bunch of ICE guys were on top of a dude who they were beating and then one of them decided to shoot him at point blank range for no obvious reason
January 24, 2026 at 4:06 PM
I watched the video and pretty much everyone is representing it pretty much accurately and I don't think you need to watch it if your takeaway is that a bunch of ICE guys were on top of a dude who they were beating and then one of them decided to shoot him at point blank range for no obvious reason
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
"abolish ICE and prosecute everyone involved" is the moderate position
January 24, 2026 at 4:15 PM
"abolish ICE and prosecute everyone involved" is the moderate position
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
paging those seven dems to tell us how much money and how many body cams would have prevented this
January 24, 2026 at 3:57 PM
paging those seven dems to tell us how much money and how many body cams would have prevented this
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
The one gift of arguing online (with real people, not bots)—or offline—is that it does show you the caliber of bad faith you’re dealing with
January 24, 2026 at 4:03 PM
The one gift of arguing online (with real people, not bots)—or offline—is that it does show you the caliber of bad faith you’re dealing with
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
You argue with enough people online and you realize there’s no point in trying to placate, convince, or compromise with people who are fundamentally backwards
January 24, 2026 at 4:02 PM
You argue with enough people online and you realize there’s no point in trying to placate, convince, or compromise with people who are fundamentally backwards
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
This is absolutely what the video shows. A person is wrestled to the ground by 6 ICE agents and then executed at point blank range.
executions in the street.
January 24, 2026 at 4:01 PM
This is absolutely what the video shows. A person is wrestled to the ground by 6 ICE agents and then executed at point blank range.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
It’s just an execution. Five armed and armoured men against one evidently unarmed guy who they’ve already beaten; once again, zero credible way to claim they felt in danger, though of course they’ll do it anyway.
There is now a video of the incident. It is predictably horrific and almost certainly fatal.
www.reddit.com/r/Minneapoli...
www.reddit.com/r/Minneapoli...
January 24, 2026 at 4:07 PM
It’s just an execution. Five armed and armoured men against one evidently unarmed guy who they’ve already beaten; once again, zero credible way to claim they felt in danger, though of course they’ll do it anyway.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
ICE is a paramilitary that summarily executes people who dare to protest against them. That is who they are. They cannot be reformed. Everyone who works for them at this point must face consequences.
January 24, 2026 at 4:06 PM
ICE is a paramilitary that summarily executes people who dare to protest against them. That is who they are. They cannot be reformed. Everyone who works for them at this point must face consequences.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
Not only does ICE need to be abolished, but there should be publically aired tribunals for as long as it takes to hold every last one of these thugs accountable. No one, not even the people who file paperwork or handle payroll, should be immune from prosecution.
January 24, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Not only does ICE need to be abolished, but there should be publically aired tribunals for as long as it takes to hold every last one of these thugs accountable. No one, not even the people who file paperwork or handle payroll, should be immune from prosecution.
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
This was a big "laws are fake" moment -- we had a huge bipartisan vote to ban tiktok, the Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional, and the Biden administration ... decided not to do anything because the Trump administration planned not to do anything (all of which violated the law)
US politicians: TikTok is an evil Chinese surveillance tool that must be sold to a god-fearing American company! Spying is evil!
TikTok the day of the Oracle switch:
TikTok the day of the Oracle switch:
January 23, 2026 at 6:45 PM
This was a big "laws are fake" moment -- we had a huge bipartisan vote to ban tiktok, the Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional, and the Biden administration ... decided not to do anything because the Trump administration planned not to do anything (all of which violated the law)
Reposted by Ian M Rountree
906 days.
That's how long Meta's been blocking news in Canada.
Doesn't matter if the outlet is based in Canada, the U.S. or Germany – we can't read it. Small non-profit or legacy newspaper. Can't read it. Posts made before Aug. 1, 2023? Nope. But disinformation, AI-generated spam, that'll pass.
That's how long Meta's been blocking news in Canada.
Doesn't matter if the outlet is based in Canada, the U.S. or Germany – we can't read it. Small non-profit or legacy newspaper. Can't read it. Posts made before Aug. 1, 2023? Nope. But disinformation, AI-generated spam, that'll pass.
January 23, 2026 at 3:14 PM
906 days.
That's how long Meta's been blocking news in Canada.
Doesn't matter if the outlet is based in Canada, the U.S. or Germany – we can't read it. Small non-profit or legacy newspaper. Can't read it. Posts made before Aug. 1, 2023? Nope. But disinformation, AI-generated spam, that'll pass.
That's how long Meta's been blocking news in Canada.
Doesn't matter if the outlet is based in Canada, the U.S. or Germany – we can't read it. Small non-profit or legacy newspaper. Can't read it. Posts made before Aug. 1, 2023? Nope. But disinformation, AI-generated spam, that'll pass.
Exterior setting descriptions. I miss them a lot. Town and street stuff.
And clothes, actually. It's fun detailing how people are dressed, it's good for characterization, but I don't use it as much as I should.
And clothes, actually. It's fun detailing how people are dressed, it's good for characterization, but I don't use it as much as I should.
What's something you tend to always forget in your writing? #WritingPrompt
January 23, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Exterior setting descriptions. I miss them a lot. Town and street stuff.
And clothes, actually. It's fun detailing how people are dressed, it's good for characterization, but I don't use it as much as I should.
And clothes, actually. It's fun detailing how people are dressed, it's good for characterization, but I don't use it as much as I should.