Ted Fickes
@tedfickes.bsky.social
I run Bright+3 which provides content, community and fundraising strategy to nonprofit leaders. I also run the Future Community newsletter and jobs list. All that and more at https://brightplus3.com
Remember when we got all worked up about Congress voting to release the Epstein files?
Kinda fun pretending Congress was relevant.
Kinda fun pretending Congress was relevant.
December 1, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Remember when we got all worked up about Congress voting to release the Epstein files?
Kinda fun pretending Congress was relevant.
Kinda fun pretending Congress was relevant.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
ONLY THE BOSSES WANT AI TO WORK and only because they think it'll be cheaper than paying people.
November 30, 2025 at 8:30 PM
ONLY THE BOSSES WANT AI TO WORK and only because they think it'll be cheaper than paying people.
Fossil fuel companies are no different than the opioid industry or any other entity that relies on power to create a class of people addicted to short term relief.
If you take away the potential systemic change of clean energy you condemn society.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
If you take away the potential systemic change of clean energy you condemn society.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Deeply demoralizing’: how Trump derailed coal country’s clean-energy revival
Biden earmarked billions for former coal communities in Appalachia – and his successor came and took it away
www.theguardian.com
November 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Fossil fuel companies are no different than the opioid industry or any other entity that relies on power to create a class of people addicted to short term relief.
If you take away the potential systemic change of clean energy you condemn society.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
If you take away the potential systemic change of clean energy you condemn society.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Ted Fickes
We are talking Mutombo levels of defensive greatness we are watching. Ray Lewis or L.T. Hall-of-Fame play.
November 30, 2025 at 2:04 AM
We are talking Mutombo levels of defensive greatness we are watching. Ray Lewis or L.T. Hall-of-Fame play.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
Tis the seasona and all that, so I put together a little gift guide of cool artists, makers, authors and other good stuff I like a lot. All rad, no bad. dansinker.com/posts/2025-1...
All Rad, No Bad | dansinker.com
dansinker.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Tis the seasona and all that, so I put together a little gift guide of cool artists, makers, authors and other good stuff I like a lot. All rad, no bad. dansinker.com/posts/2025-1...
Among other things, Northwestern's capitulation commits the University to eliminating student protest on campus. The Rock even gets a few mentions.
This is the university essentially agreeing to implement discrimination against students based on race, religion, nationality and thought.
This is the university essentially agreeing to implement discrimination against students based on race, religion, nationality and thought.
November 29, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Among other things, Northwestern's capitulation commits the University to eliminating student protest on campus. The Rock even gets a few mentions.
This is the university essentially agreeing to implement discrimination against students based on race, religion, nationality and thought.
This is the university essentially agreeing to implement discrimination against students based on race, religion, nationality and thought.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
ICE is kidnapping people on Thanksgiving.
If you think they can be reformed, ask your family how they would feel if they never saw you today.
If you think they can be reformed, ask your family how they would feel if they never saw you today.
November 27, 2025 at 9:23 PM
ICE is kidnapping people on Thanksgiving.
If you think they can be reformed, ask your family how they would feel if they never saw you today.
If you think they can be reformed, ask your family how they would feel if they never saw you today.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
*You know what this view needs? Oil wells.*
–President Trump, essentially
–President Trump, essentially
November 27, 2025 at 9:31 PM
*You know what this view needs? Oil wells.*
–President Trump, essentially
–President Trump, essentially
Reposted by Ted Fickes
I feel much safer today knowing that we deported a Babson College student back to a country where she hasn't lived since childhood.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
A Babson College student wanted to surprise her family for Thanksgiving. She was deported instead. - The Boston Globe
Any Lucia Lopez Belloza was at Logan to catch a flight to Texas when immigration authorities detained her as she was about to board the plane.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:47 AM
I feel much safer today knowing that we deported a Babson College student back to a country where she hasn't lived since childhood.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
She wasn't even flying internationally. She was flying to Texas.
So sorry to hear about Faith Winter’s tragic death last night. She worked so hard for Colorado and her community - and dealt with a lot of obstacles. She was lovely and kind every time I spoke with her. Sending peace to her family and friends.
coloradosun.com/2025/11/26/f...
coloradosun.com/2025/11/26/f...
Colorado state senator killed in multi-vehicle crash south of Denver
Faith Winter, a Broomfield Democrat, was a fierce advocate for transit. She was entering her 12th and final year as a state lawmaker.
coloradosun.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:24 PM
So sorry to hear about Faith Winter’s tragic death last night. She worked so hard for Colorado and her community - and dealt with a lot of obstacles. She was lovely and kind every time I spoke with her. Sending peace to her family and friends.
coloradosun.com/2025/11/26/f...
coloradosun.com/2025/11/26/f...
Reposted by Ted Fickes
It was the evening before Thanksgiving...and EPA dropped a final rule granting oil & gas companies more than a year to comply with some Biden-era mandates to replace leaky equipment & routinely monitor for escaped methane.
Story w/gift link @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Story w/gift link @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
New EPA Rule Gives Oil, Gas Firms More Time to Fix Equipment Leaking Methane
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a rule granting oil and gas operators more than a year in additional time to comply with mandates set by former President Joe Biden to replac...
www.bloomberg.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:42 AM
It was the evening before Thanksgiving...and EPA dropped a final rule granting oil & gas companies more than a year to comply with some Biden-era mandates to replace leaky equipment & routinely monitor for escaped methane.
Story w/gift link @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Story w/gift link @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Ted Fickes
Everyone knows data centers use a ton of water.
What hardly anyone knows: they can poison the water that remains.
And in eastern Oregon, Amazon is doing exactly that.
What hardly anyone knows: they can poison the water that remains.
And in eastern Oregon, Amazon is doing exactly that.
AI’s water problem is worse than we thought
A new investigation reveals how Amazon is amplifying Oregon’s nitrate pollution crisis.
heated.world
November 25, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Everyone knows data centers use a ton of water.
What hardly anyone knows: they can poison the water that remains.
And in eastern Oregon, Amazon is doing exactly that.
What hardly anyone knows: they can poison the water that remains.
And in eastern Oregon, Amazon is doing exactly that.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
Thinking of the dangerous conditions poultry workers face to feed America: sentientmedia.org/the-hidden-c...
Heat Exhaustion, Amputated Fingers, Crushed Limbs: The Hidden Cost of American Turkey
Three charts reveal details of the 351 workplace injuries experienced by turkey industry workers in 2024, which include severed fingers, injured corneas and musculoskeletal disorders.
sentientmedia.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Thinking of the dangerous conditions poultry workers face to feed America: sentientmedia.org/the-hidden-c...
Reposted by Ted Fickes
shared with consent from friend who was on site for this latest gassing of neighbors gathering outside for their community in Minnesota.
November 25, 2025 at 10:15 PM
shared with consent from friend who was on site for this latest gassing of neighbors gathering outside for their community in Minnesota.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
Ice is gassing neighbors in St. Paul this morning g during a paramilitary fascist raid on the city.
November 25, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Ice is gassing neighbors in St. Paul this morning g during a paramilitary fascist raid on the city.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
One of the big tidal forces of the coming years is that the baseline reliability of things you see on a screen is going to decline.
I think this has not been adequately metabolized.
This is one version, but there are a bunch of them.
I think this has not been adequately metabolized.
This is one version, but there are a bunch of them.
NEW: AI “recipe slop” is overrunning search and social. Food creators say Google’s AI Overviews and glossy fake food pics are drowning out real, tested recipes — collapsing traffic and setting home cooks up for disaster, especially this Thanksgiving.
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
AI Slop Recipes Are Taking Over the Internet -- And Thanksgiving Dinner
Food bloggers see traffic dip as home cooks turn to AI, inspired by impossible pictures
www.bloomberg.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:39 PM
One of the big tidal forces of the coming years is that the baseline reliability of things you see on a screen is going to decline.
I think this has not been adequately metabolized.
This is one version, but there are a bunch of them.
I think this has not been adequately metabolized.
This is one version, but there are a bunch of them.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are truly living in an American golden age of big ideas and leadership.
Sean Duffy: "Dressing with respect -- whether it's a pair of jeans and a decent shirt, I would encourage people to maybe dress a little better which encourages us to maybe behave a little better. Let's try not to wear slippers and pajamas as we come to the airport."
November 24, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Ladies and gentlemen, we are truly living in an American golden age of big ideas and leadership.
I had a geography professor at Northwestern, the legendary John Hudson, who said that every US city had a natural reason to exist. On a navigable bay. Crossroads of rivers. Gold mines. Or water or salt deposits that created wildlife centers.
Every city except Dallas which had no reason at all.
Every city except Dallas which had no reason at all.
Dallas is the future of America-- physically, spiritually, and politically. I went to the fastest-growing city in America to see what is in store for us all.
Today, the final part of my story: Sprawling to Freedom.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/america-is...
Today, the final part of my story: Sprawling to Freedom.
www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/america-is...
America Is Becoming Dallas
Part Two: Sprawling to Freedom
www.hamiltonnolan.com
November 24, 2025 at 5:32 PM
I had a geography professor at Northwestern, the legendary John Hudson, who said that every US city had a natural reason to exist. On a navigable bay. Crossroads of rivers. Gold mines. Or water or salt deposits that created wildlife centers.
Every city except Dallas which had no reason at all.
Every city except Dallas which had no reason at all.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
LLMs aren’t “neutral” by default — they’re products.
Products reflect the goals, risk tolerance, and incentives of the companies that build them.
Products reflect the goals, risk tolerance, and incentives of the companies that build them.
November 23, 2025 at 7:48 PM
LLMs aren’t “neutral” by default — they’re products.
Products reflect the goals, risk tolerance, and incentives of the companies that build them.
Products reflect the goals, risk tolerance, and incentives of the companies that build them.
Reposted by Ted Fickes
Opinion | How the Elite Behave When No One Is Watching: Inside the Epstein Emails
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:47 PM
These numbers crack me up. Big difference between having once created an account, logging in once every 12 months, and being an actual user.
X is still used by 21% of U.S. adults, Pew found, only down from 23% in 2021, despite increased competition from Meta, startups, and decentralized social media.
Pew's latest social media report shows X's staying power in the U.S., despite competition | TechCrunch
X is still used by 21% of U.S. adults, Pew found, only down from 23% in 2021, despite increased competition from Meta, startups, and decentralized social media.
techcrunch.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:44 PM
These numbers crack me up. Big difference between having once created an account, logging in once every 12 months, and being an actual user.
Pretty sure I had to replace this CD at least once because it was on constant repeat. Huge bass lines.
One of the best baselines ever. So simple but huge. RIP Mani.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D2q...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D2q...
The Stone Roses - I Wanna Be Adored (Official Video)
YouTube video by StoneRosesVEVO
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Pretty sure I had to replace this CD at least once because it was on constant repeat. Huge bass lines.
And in today's news:
A painfully pointless nation spends the holiday season debating the merits of pajama clad travel.
A painfully pointless nation spends the holiday season debating the merits of pajama clad travel.
Trump's Transportation Secretary on how to improve air travel:
"People dress up like they're going to bed when they fly... We want to push people as we come into a really busy travel season, help people out, be in a good mood, dress up"
"People dress up like they're going to bed when they fly... We want to push people as we come into a really busy travel season, help people out, be in a good mood, dress up"
November 20, 2025 at 10:49 PM
And in today's news:
A painfully pointless nation spends the holiday season debating the merits of pajama clad travel.
A painfully pointless nation spends the holiday season debating the merits of pajama clad travel.
Nothing google hates more than an actual customer...
If you turn off AI machine learning, Google will punish you by getting rid of your promotions/social inboxes and turning your primary into CHAOS 😭
If anyone finds a way around this, I’ll be eternally grateful
If anyone finds a way around this, I’ll be eternally grateful
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Nothing google hates more than an actual customer...
To restate this...
the extraordinary amounts of money going into AI companies is completely dependent on paying very little for natural resources and even paying even less to contribute to societal pollution and climate change impacts.
the extraordinary amounts of money going into AI companies is completely dependent on paying very little for natural resources and even paying even less to contribute to societal pollution and climate change impacts.
Always follow the money. AI and energy companies have an extraordinary interest in ripping apart any kind of progress on climate and clean energy. Here they offer a deep dive.
open.substack.com/pub/a16z/p/g...
open.substack.com/pub/a16z/p/g...
Gas-Fired Intelligence
Everything you need to know about the resource powering AI
open.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:43 PM
To restate this...
the extraordinary amounts of money going into AI companies is completely dependent on paying very little for natural resources and even paying even less to contribute to societal pollution and climate change impacts.
the extraordinary amounts of money going into AI companies is completely dependent on paying very little for natural resources and even paying even less to contribute to societal pollution and climate change impacts.