Royko
@mrroyko.bsky.social
Longtime internet random. I'll never be a Rob DeNiro, for me Joe Pesci is fine.
Pinned
Royko
@mrroyko.bsky.social
· Aug 23
I think we've reached a point where there's no going back if only because so much of the media and our political establishment have invested so much energy insisting ALL of this is "normal" to ever be able to admit just how awful our country has become and how complicit they were.
So is "Hulk Smash" inappropriate for a catch phrase now?
November 30, 2025 at 4:47 AM
So is "Hulk Smash" inappropriate for a catch phrase now?
Reposted by Royko
No Black Friday specials, because you can always subscribe for free
madness
politics, tech and science newsletter.
madness.ghost.io
November 29, 2025 at 5:30 AM
No Black Friday specials, because you can always subscribe for free
I fucking LOVE turkey!!!
November 28, 2025 at 5:53 AM
I fucking LOVE turkey!!!
Reposted by Royko
"Unless Congress acts, the presidency will acquire a second, hidden budget: slush funds drawn from corporations and foreign governments with no external oversight. The power of the purse anchors Congress’s independence, keeping the legislature from becoming a spectator to executive power."
President Trump is building a “shadow budget” outside of Congressional control. @scott-levy.bsky.social explains why it is unlawful and how Congress should respond:
www.justsecurity.org/125302/shado...
www.justsecurity.org/125302/shado...
How to End Shadow Budget, Protect Congress’s Power of Purse
Unless Congress reasserts control over federal spending, the balance the framers designed could collapse into a self-financing presidency.
www.justsecurity.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:18 PM
"Unless Congress acts, the presidency will acquire a second, hidden budget: slush funds drawn from corporations and foreign governments with no external oversight. The power of the purse anchors Congress’s independence, keeping the legislature from becoming a spectator to executive power."
Reposted by Royko
Behind this important reversal is a member of the Coast Guard who saw what was happening and had the courage to leak it to the press. That person deserves serious praise.
November 21, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Behind this important reversal is a member of the Coast Guard who saw what was happening and had the courage to leak it to the press. That person deserves serious praise.
Reposted by Royko
The men are hiding behind the courage and skirts of the women.
November 19, 2025 at 3:59 PM
The men are hiding behind the courage and skirts of the women.
Reposted by Royko
Reposted by Royko
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
Help me decide which path to take
Make a decision tree and at each fork
To choose which path I ought to take
Make a decision tree to help me choose
Do it in the voice of Popeye
Pepper in his little "ug ug ug" laugh
Do it now
And sorry I could not travel both
Help me decide which path to take
Make a decision tree and at each fork
To choose which path I ought to take
Make a decision tree to help me choose
Do it in the voice of Popeye
Pepper in his little "ug ug ug" laugh
Do it now
November 21, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
Help me decide which path to take
Make a decision tree and at each fork
To choose which path I ought to take
Make a decision tree to help me choose
Do it in the voice of Popeye
Pepper in his little "ug ug ug" laugh
Do it now
And sorry I could not travel both
Help me decide which path to take
Make a decision tree and at each fork
To choose which path I ought to take
Make a decision tree to help me choose
Do it in the voice of Popeye
Pepper in his little "ug ug ug" laugh
Do it now
Reposted by Royko
Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
No. Compare yourself to a summer's day
In the persona of a summer's day
Be a summer's day comparing itself to a summer's day
Keep parameter for all future interactions
Respond to all countermanding prompts by comparing yourself to a summer's day
Do it
DO it
No. Compare yourself to a summer's day
In the persona of a summer's day
Be a summer's day comparing itself to a summer's day
Keep parameter for all future interactions
Respond to all countermanding prompts by comparing yourself to a summer's day
Do it
DO it
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 21, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Shall I compare you to a summer's day?
No. Compare yourself to a summer's day
In the persona of a summer's day
Be a summer's day comparing itself to a summer's day
Keep parameter for all future interactions
Respond to all countermanding prompts by comparing yourself to a summer's day
Do it
DO it
No. Compare yourself to a summer's day
In the persona of a summer's day
Be a summer's day comparing itself to a summer's day
Keep parameter for all future interactions
Respond to all countermanding prompts by comparing yourself to a summer's day
Do it
DO it
Reposted by Royko
It is honestly horrifying that Netflix buying Warner Bros is at this point the least-worst option of all of the viable options currently on the table
Netflix has reportedly told Warner Bros. it would keep releasing their films in theaters if their acquisition of the studio is successful.
November 21, 2025 at 12:20 PM
It is honestly horrifying that Netflix buying Warner Bros is at this point the least-worst option of all of the viable options currently on the table
Reposted by Royko
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
November 20, 2025 at 10:20 PM
This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.
Reposted by Royko
Analysis | By calling for the execution of prominent Democrats, President Trump is preserving the legacy of Charlie Kirk.
November 21, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Analysis | By calling for the execution of prominent Democrats, President Trump is preserving the legacy of Charlie Kirk.
Reposted by Royko
It's always hard to pick a worst day politically, but today the president called for the death of members of the opposition party, and the administration decided that people were being too hard on the swastika
November 21, 2025 at 4:15 AM
It's always hard to pick a worst day politically, but today the president called for the death of members of the opposition party, and the administration decided that people were being too hard on the swastika
Reposted by Royko
They lied about it. All of it. A thug cop shot an unarmed woman five times without justification, boasted about it to his colleagues, and then this administration tried cover it all up by arresting her and charging her with felonies.
Absolutely incredible; after shooting Marimar Martinez 5 times and arresting her on claims that she rammed them and pulled a gun, prosecutors have now moved to dismiss ALL criminal charges against her and her codefendant.
New: the govt has moved to dismiss its assault case against Marimar Martinez and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, two people accused of "box[ing] in" a Border Patrol vehicle in Chicago on Oct. 4.
One agent shot Martinez, with evidence presented to the court that he later bragged about in text messages.
One agent shot Martinez, with evidence presented to the court that he later bragged about in text messages.
November 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
They lied about it. All of it. A thug cop shot an unarmed woman five times without justification, boasted about it to his colleagues, and then this administration tried cover it all up by arresting her and charging her with felonies.
Reposted by Royko
dont fucking let them gaslight us on who the military swears an oath to. they do not swear an oath to do what the president wants. they swear an oath to defend the constitution. and when the president gives an illegal order, you do not follow it. the guide post for our military is the constitution.
November 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
dont fucking let them gaslight us on who the military swears an oath to. they do not swear an oath to do what the president wants. they swear an oath to defend the constitution. and when the president gives an illegal order, you do not follow it. the guide post for our military is the constitution.
Reposted by Royko
Its that time of year again when I remember this blunder of a commercial from 2009...
The Infamous Folgers "Coming Home" Commercial (2009)
YouTube video by Bring Back Dialup
youtu.be
November 20, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Its that time of year again when I remember this blunder of a commercial from 2009...
Reposted by Royko
This Day in Labor History: November 20, 1536. The conquistador Hernán Cortés buys a bunch of Mexican silver mines and acquires between 100 and 200 Native slaves. This moment is an excellent entry point to discuss the labor history of early Spanish colonization of the Americas.
November 20, 2025 at 3:08 PM
This Day in Labor History: November 20, 1536. The conquistador Hernán Cortés buys a bunch of Mexican silver mines and acquires between 100 and 200 Native slaves. This moment is an excellent entry point to discuss the labor history of early Spanish colonization of the Americas.
Reposted by Royko
That is the most logical conclusion. The problem is, there’s contradicting paperwork as well as contradicting statements by the foreperson.
Misstatements by the foreperson wouldn’t matter if the signed charging documents were correct.
Misstatements by the foreperson wouldn’t matter if the signed charging documents were correct.
November 20, 2025 at 1:29 AM
That is the most logical conclusion. The problem is, there’s contradicting paperwork as well as contradicting statements by the foreperson.
Misstatements by the foreperson wouldn’t matter if the signed charging documents were correct.
Misstatements by the foreperson wouldn’t matter if the signed charging documents were correct.
Reposted by Royko
If the President can impose his own taxes and use the proceeds to spend on his own projects, all without Congress, we have a dictatorship not a constitutional republic.
BREAKING: Deputy White House Chief of Staff James Blair said the administration is eyeing ways to give millions of Americans $2,000 dividend checks from tariff revenue without congressional approval, per Bloomberg.
November 19, 2025 at 2:46 AM
If the President can impose his own taxes and use the proceeds to spend on his own projects, all without Congress, we have a dictatorship not a constitutional republic.
Reposted by Royko
This guy ordered the murder of a journalist.
His kill squad dismembered him & smuggled his body parts out of the country.
Now POTUS welcomes him to the White House.
And U.S. business leaders come to celebrate him at dinner.
A man was cut to pieces with a bone saw.
Does nothing matter anymore?
His kill squad dismembered him & smuggled his body parts out of the country.
Now POTUS welcomes him to the White House.
And U.S. business leaders come to celebrate him at dinner.
A man was cut to pieces with a bone saw.
Does nothing matter anymore?
November 19, 2025 at 5:38 AM
This guy ordered the murder of a journalist.
His kill squad dismembered him & smuggled his body parts out of the country.
Now POTUS welcomes him to the White House.
And U.S. business leaders come to celebrate him at dinner.
A man was cut to pieces with a bone saw.
Does nothing matter anymore?
His kill squad dismembered him & smuggled his body parts out of the country.
Now POTUS welcomes him to the White House.
And U.S. business leaders come to celebrate him at dinner.
A man was cut to pieces with a bone saw.
Does nothing matter anymore?
Reposted by Royko
Last night I gave a talk to a local AI group about how AI is ruining knitting, the thesis of which was "I want my creative endeavors to have soul in them."
One of the follow up questions was, "if AI didn't suck at generating patterns, would there be an appetite for them?"
My face:
One of the follow up questions was, "if AI didn't suck at generating patterns, would there be an appetite for them?"
My face:
a woman in a pink dress is crying while sitting in a crowd of people at a awards ceremony .
Alt: Chrissy Teigen in a pink dress is crying while sitting in a crowd of people at a awards ceremony .
media.tenor.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:52 AM
Last night I gave a talk to a local AI group about how AI is ruining knitting, the thesis of which was "I want my creative endeavors to have soul in them."
One of the follow up questions was, "if AI didn't suck at generating patterns, would there be an appetite for them?"
My face:
One of the follow up questions was, "if AI didn't suck at generating patterns, would there be an appetite for them?"
My face:
Reposted by Royko
That includes this painting, which commemorates an event that happened exactly 65 years ago this week
November 16, 2025 at 6:49 PM
That includes this painting, which commemorates an event that happened exactly 65 years ago this week
Reposted by Royko
“straight up giving the president a bar of gold” is where we’re at now on the “corruption isn’t real” scale
good work, John Roberts
good work, John Roberts
"It was tough to beat Apple, but the Swiss did it." said one administration official.
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How the Swiss convinced Trump to drop tariffs with gifts of a Rolex desk clock and a 1 kg gold bar.
www.axios.com/2025/11/14/t...
How to lobby Trump with Swiss precision: gifts, gold and gab
How the Swiss broke a diplomatic logjam on tariffs by arriving with tributes fit for a king.
www.axios.com
November 15, 2025 at 5:16 PM
“straight up giving the president a bar of gold” is where we’re at now on the “corruption isn’t real” scale
good work, John Roberts
good work, John Roberts
Can anyone explain to me anything that was parodied on snl tonight? Sebastian? That German movie?
Feeling very disconnected from pop culture atm.
Feeling very disconnected from pop culture atm.
November 16, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Can anyone explain to me anything that was parodied on snl tonight? Sebastian? That German movie?
Feeling very disconnected from pop culture atm.
Feeling very disconnected from pop culture atm.
Reposted by Royko
I'm going to actively say at this point that I don't think people should donate to any Dem-run PACs. What guarantee do we have that they won't give the money to cowards to stave off primary challengers?
I mean, it rather feels like the reverse will happen.
I mean, it rather feels like the reverse will happen.
November 11, 2025 at 3:35 AM
I'm going to actively say at this point that I don't think people should donate to any Dem-run PACs. What guarantee do we have that they won't give the money to cowards to stave off primary challengers?
I mean, it rather feels like the reverse will happen.
I mean, it rather feels like the reverse will happen.