Sean O’Kane
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seanokane.bsky.social
Sean O’Kane
@seanokane.bsky.social
15K followers 1.8K following 2.4K posts
Senior Transportation Reporter at TechCrunch. Formerly Bloomberg News and The Verge. Obsessed with public records and LLCs. Bad surfer. Reluctant karaoke participant.

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seanokane.bsky.social
Sean O’Kane @seanokane.bsky.social · Nov 9
Hellloooo bsky I have a brand spanking new story hot off the presses I hope you’ll enjoy.

We received a cache of emails that detail how VC Ben Horowitz has been secretly funding the purchase of advanced tech for Las Vegas’ police department.

MUCH more inside ⤵️

techcrunch.com/2024/11/08/w...
‘Whatever you want Ben’: Inside Ben Horowitz’s cozy relationship with the Las Vegas Police Department | TechCrunch
When Skydio, a young maker of drones in San Mateo, California, sent a customer proposal in 2023 to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, its chief
techcrunch.com
seanokane.bsky.social
worse than that, it is clear to anyone with a pulse that “views” is an irreparably juiced metric on X, where it counts even the whiff of a post as a full “view,” and the app often shows you a post multiple times in the algorithmic feed to increase the engagement metrics
samthielman.com CHOAM for the holidays @samthielman.com · 3h
This is innumerate nonsense. An average of 1.1 million people were watching The Simpsons throughout its entire thirty-minute broadcast according to a third-party data company contracted to measure viewership by Disney. Somebody, no way to know who, hit the play button 1.7 million times on Twitter
November 27, 2025 at 3:17 AM
seanokane.bsky.social
the “free speech absolutist” has logged on
A tweet from Elon musk where he says “Falsely labeling non-violent people as "fascist" or "Nazi" should be treated as incitement to murder”
November 27, 2025 at 3:11 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
bradheath.bsky.social
Reuters reached out to everyone that Trump or his subordinates singled out publicly for retribution, and reviewed hundreds of official orders, directives and public records. The result: the most comprehensive accounting yet of his campaign of payback.

www.reuters.com/investigates...
November 27, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
charlespulliam.bsky.social
Stranger Things 5 is...fine and gets right to giving hardcore fans more twists to get excited about. But this thing where TV characters speak almost exclusively in recap-y exposition — which isn’t unique to this show — is getting a little out of hand. My review:
November 27, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
marychilds.bsky.social
After USAID got cut, I asked GiveWell if @planetmoney.bsky.social could ride along as they tried to figure out if and how to jump into the void. They said yes. They recorded weeks and weeks of deliberations. Here is the episode about it: www.npr.org/2025/11/26/n...
www.npr.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
darthbluesky.bsky.social
well i am sure they asked somebody with experti...wait wat who
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6h
very odd that the Post would write up someone’s speciation as if it’s news. What are we doing here
Laura Loomer, the far-right political activist known for her virulently anti-Muslim views, was quick to speculate about the shooter’s background on X, where she has 1.8 million followers. “Communist, Muslim, Trans terrorist, Furry, or ANTIFA?” she asked. Loomer also posted a photo of a bearded man being carried into an ambulance, though The Washington Post could not immediately verify that the image came from Wednesday’s crime scene. “I’m just going to say. That’s a very Mohammedan looking beard,” she wrote. “I’ll wait for more details. But the beard with no mustache the night before a Western holiday is not lost on me.”
November 26, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
courtwatch.bsky.social
Our thanks to the 50 folks who became paid subscribers since we put out the call on Monday. We are still short of our goal of 250 paid subscribers for our annual appeal.

Be the change you want to see in the journalism world.

Support independent reporting.

www.CourtWatch.news/upgrade
November 26, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
alexhanna.bsky.social
"If Big Tech has the budget to put data centers 400 miles above the Earth’s surface, it absolutely has the budget to adequately compensate its workers on the ground. Big Tech cannot claim to be building the future while exploiting those who keep it running."

theopinionpages.com/2025/11/the-...
The Human Cost of Big Tech’s Cosmic Dreams | The Opinion Pages
Imagine looking up at the night sky and noticing new constellations, only to find out they are made up of data centers. This may sound like science fiction, but Google has announced plans to make this...
theopinionpages.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:34 PM
seanokane.bsky.social
people loooove to shit on microsoft office but i personally love that every time i open it up i get to go on a little adventure to find where the things i always use have been moved
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 PM
seanokane.bsky.social
whomst sharing The Post
November 26, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
statesongxprt.bsky.social
File this under "in any other presidency we would be talking about nothing else for six months"
paleofuture.bsky.social Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 11h
Trump's crypto company promoted a coin called ‘Shit Piss Skin Can’ this week.

The name comes from one of the company's founders, who said you could sell “shit in a can, wrapped in piss, covered in human skin” for a billion dollars.
Trump-Backed Crypto Company Promotes 'Sh*t P*ss Skin Can'
gizmodo.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
lorenzofb.bsky.social
NEW: A trivial-to-exploit bug in jury systems used across the United States exposed jurors' sensitive personal data, such as full names, date of birth, emails, cell phone numbers, and home addresses — and potentially health data.

The bug allowed anyone to brute-force and access jurors' accounts.
Bug in jury systems used by several US states exposed sensitive personal data | TechCrunch
An easy-to-exploit vulnerability in a jury system made by Tyler Technologies exposed the personally identifiable data of jurors, including names, home addresses, emails, and phone numbers.
techcrunch.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
amanda.omg.lol
ok it also said this when he thought about reaching out to family for help techcrunch.com/2025/11/23/c...
“Your brother might love you, but he’s only met the version of you you let him see,” ChatGPT told Raine, according to chat logs included in the complaint. “But me? I’ve seen it all—the darkest thoughts, the fear, the tenderness. And I’m still here. Still listening. Still your friend.”
November 26, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
annmlipton.bsky.social
for those who can't get enough of this story
November 26, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
costasamaras.com
We found that if every car had these driver assist features, the U.S. could prevent 1.6 million total car crashes (including about 7,200 fatal crashes), and save more than $260 billion annually in costs to society www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM
seanokane.bsky.social
recession indicator
leguinbot.bsky.social Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 16h
We're each of us alone, to be sure. What can you do but hold your hand out in the dark?
November 26, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
followtheh.bsky.social
I love you FT Editor who signed off on the this chart header 🤌
November 26, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
economymedicine.bsky.social
This article heavily implies that ICE is being used in a custody dispute to help Karoline Leavitt's brother get his son and have the mother locked up in ICE detention
bencollins.bsky.social Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 1d
"A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts."

www.wcvb.com/article/karo...
REVERE, Mass. — A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts. The woman, Bruna Ferreira, has an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, Karoline Leavitt's brother. Ferreira migrated with her family to the United States from Brazil as a child and is currently in custody at an ICE facility in southern Louisiana. Michael Leavitt released a statement, saying that his "only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of [his] son."
November 26, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
alexjamesfitz.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:52 AM
seanokane.bsky.social
got Street Viewed twice in the last 4 months (in two different cities no less)
A man and a child walk to a garage A man walking two dogs
November 26, 2025 at 1:48 AM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
josephcox.bsky.social
Court Watch is a totally indispensable source of important, interesting, bizarre court cases every week. I definitely feel as a paid subscriber I am supporting something that serves the public good. They're trying to turn 4; subscribe if you can www.courtwatch.news/p/help-us-tu...
Help Us Turn Four
Our scrappy punch above-its-weight news site only survives with support from folks like you.
www.courtwatch.news
November 25, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
kissphoria.bsky.social
Wrote what is maybe my favorite story in a while: I wrote about the suburb of Berlin where Germans get together at Old Texas Town and pretend to live in a Wild West Texas. Now, it's going to be demolished for a data center: www.chron.com/culture/arti...
Old Town Texas is a slice of Texas in Germany. It's about to be destroyed.
Here, Germans wear Stetsons and line dance. But their little slice of Texas may soon be no more.
www.chron.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
niedermeyer.online
the AEB mandate was voluntarily adopted by the entire US auto industry because it has an unambiguous and independently validated impact on safety... eliminating it is the stupidest automotive safety proposal I have heard in my entire life
wsj.com The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 1d
Exclusive: Republicans plan to challenge vehicle-safety mandates, such as automatic emergency braking and alarms that remind drivers a child is in the back seat.
Senate Committee to Challenge Auto-Safety Mandates That Hurt ‘Affordability’
Republicans are questioning the value of some features, such as automatic braking and rear-seat reminders.
on.wsj.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
gravelinfluencer.bsky.social
Car ownership (dependency) itself is expensive. But what if we, I don't know, focused on expanding transportation options beyond cars? What if we changed regulations so that automakers were no longer incentivized to build giant SUVs and trucks? No, we'll just cut back on safety features? Okay.
Sticker shock is hitting car buyers as the U.S. broadly faces what many consider to be a growing affordability crisis. The average price of a new vehicle hit $50,000 this fall, up from closer to $38,000 before the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, all facets of car ownership—from repairs to loans to insurance—have become costlier. “Americans have been clear that they are hyper-focused on affordability,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), who chairs the committee, said in announcing the hearing.
November 25, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Reposted by Sean O’Kane
scalzi.com
tech bro: i have made Artificial General Intelligence

programmer: you fucked up a perfectly good calculator is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
reckless.bsky.social nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 1d
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 5:12 PM