Alex Boyd
@alexboyd.bsky.social
National misinformation + politics reporter.
Toronto Star, but in Alberta.
Signal: alexboyd.56
Toronto Star, but in Alberta.
Signal: alexboyd.56
Explaining this to friends who have a healthier relationship to the internet.
November 6, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Explaining this to friends who have a healthier relationship to the internet.
I am joining the Ostrich Watch.
November 6, 2025 at 9:40 PM
I am joining the Ostrich Watch.
Update: one of the birds who seemed to previously have an issue with its leg has died and the AI tributes are spreading fast.
October 6, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Update: one of the birds who seemed to previously have an issue with its leg has died and the AI tributes are spreading fast.
Scammers today just don't have the hustle they used to
September 8, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Scammers today just don't have the hustle they used to
So many great quotes in this.
September 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
So many great quotes in this.
Did Drake write this
August 26, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Did Drake write this
Wrote something in support of the Star’s Fresh Air Fund and mostly pleased to have gotten my mom’s most quoted line into the newspaper. (She still proclaims this regularly.) www.thestar.com/initiatives/...
August 20, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Wrote something in support of the Star’s Fresh Air Fund and mostly pleased to have gotten my mom’s most quoted line into the newspaper. (She still proclaims this regularly.) www.thestar.com/initiatives/...
In a not particularly shocking update, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is projected to win the by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot in rural Alberta, earning himself a ticket back to Ottawa and the House of Commons.
August 19, 2025 at 3:50 AM
In a not particularly shocking update, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre is projected to win the by-election in Battle River-Crowfoot in rural Alberta, earning himself a ticket back to Ottawa and the House of Commons.
Okay so I know we've all seen a lot of these but this is a pretty great example of its kind, I think.
August 18, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Okay so I know we've all seen a lot of these but this is a pretty great example of its kind, I think.
Encountered my first Alberta Forever Canadian Petition signing in the wild. I’m at my local park with my dog and I have never seen it this bananas. No parking for blocks, dozens waiting in three different lines, people on bikes, one guy in a full suit, multiple people in Canada-branded (?) shirts.
August 16, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Encountered my first Alberta Forever Canadian Petition signing in the wild. I’m at my local park with my dog and I have never seen it this bananas. No parking for blocks, dozens waiting in three different lines, people on bikes, one guy in a full suit, multiple people in Canada-branded (?) shirts.
New conspiracy just dropped on Meta.
August 14, 2025 at 3:15 AM
New conspiracy just dropped on Meta.
Day 1: I had to go pick up my paper maps from a friend but I didn’t have a paper map. She just moved so I found a city map of her new neighbourhood and made one. Very confused by the tennis courts, which don’t exist. Was the city map wrong? Did I get misled by a green blob? Is cartography hard? Yes.
August 2, 2025 at 9:01 PM
Day 1: I had to go pick up my paper maps from a friend but I didn’t have a paper map. She just moved so I found a city map of her new neighbourhood and made one. Very confused by the tennis courts, which don’t exist. Was the city map wrong? Did I get misled by a green blob? Is cartography hard? Yes.
A friend and I are starting No Google Maps August tomorrow. I realized recently I'd driven to IKEA 4 times in a week in a state of glazed-eyed disassociation—just following the map!—but still didn't know the way. Starting a thread to keep myself accountable, plus evidence if I'm never seen again.
July 31, 2025 at 11:26 PM
A friend and I are starting No Google Maps August tomorrow. I realized recently I'd driven to IKEA 4 times in a week in a state of glazed-eyed disassociation—just following the map!—but still didn't know the way. Starting a thread to keep myself accountable, plus evidence if I'm never seen again.
UPDATE: I have obtained the photo of the alleged backwards hat. That front brim does look suspiciously wide, though it's not entirely conclusive, according to me, a person who worked at a western store for most of undergrad whose duties included (poorly) steam shaping hats.
July 14, 2025 at 10:52 PM
UPDATE: I have obtained the photo of the alleged backwards hat. That front brim does look suspiciously wide, though it's not entirely conclusive, according to me, a person who worked at a western store for most of undergrad whose duties included (poorly) steam shaping hats.
Of course, it's worth noting that the remote locale is not just about peace and quiet. With one road in and out it's (relatively) easy to defend and (very) hard for protesters to reach. As political scientist John Kirton put it when Kananaskis hosted in 2002:
June 16, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Of course, it's worth noting that the remote locale is not just about peace and quiet. With one road in and out it's (relatively) easy to defend and (very) hard for protesters to reach. As political scientist John Kirton put it when Kananaskis hosted in 2002:
Sidebar: The devil works hard, Amazon drop shippers work harder.
May 1, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Sidebar: The devil works hard, Amazon drop shippers work harder.
There is apparently a Bird Feeder Bandit in my local park that is so devoted the city had to make a giant sign and chain it to a tree.
May 1, 2025 at 12:11 AM
There is apparently a Bird Feeder Bandit in my local park that is so devoted the city had to make a giant sign and chain it to a tree.
Everyone worried AI would be used to trick people into believing false images were true and most analysis of it focuses on whether images *look* real. But the Canadian election suggests we missed (part of) the point. It's often used to wink at the true believers. Not to convince but to rally.
April 29, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Everyone worried AI would be used to trick people into believing false images were true and most analysis of it focuses on whether images *look* real. But the Canadian election suggests we missed (part of) the point. It's often used to wink at the true believers. Not to convince but to rally.
Come on, that's not even real Howie Mandel is this fake Howie Mandel ad! Justice for the real fake Howie Mandel!
April 25, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Come on, that's not even real Howie Mandel is this fake Howie Mandel ad! Justice for the real fake Howie Mandel!
You know, fake ads using Mark Carney are (rightfully) getting all the attention during an election, but I remain fascinated by the enduring scammer appeal of Howie Mandel. In a sea of prominent, affable Canadians who one might convincingly imagine have a shady past, why him??
April 25, 2025 at 6:55 PM
You know, fake ads using Mark Carney are (rightfully) getting all the attention during an election, but I remain fascinated by the enduring scammer appeal of Howie Mandel. In a sea of prominent, affable Canadians who one might convincingly imagine have a shady past, why him??
Good chat about misinformation and the election on TVO’s Big (If True), airing this weekend.
April 24, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Good chat about misinformation and the election on TVO’s Big (If True), airing this weekend.
I posted this picture of a “Canada is not for sale” shirt to Instagram with the caption “It has reached airport merch status” and it immediately got yanked down for violating standards against harassment and violence?? This is a weird mistake right? Does the maple leaf mean something else now?
April 23, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I posted this picture of a “Canada is not for sale” shirt to Instagram with the caption “It has reached airport merch status” and it immediately got yanked down for violating standards against harassment and violence?? This is a weird mistake right? Does the maple leaf mean something else now?
Looks like the convo about Peterson Academy is getting a bit more critical, at least on Reddit, than it was when it initially rolled out. Would be very curious about enrollment numbers.
April 21, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Looks like the convo about Peterson Academy is getting a bit more critical, at least on Reddit, than it was when it initially rolled out. Would be very curious about enrollment numbers.