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smudgethirteen.bsky.social
smudge
@smudgethirteen.bsky.social
food markets, popups, IT / security consultancy and business concierge services
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When AI was added to a tool for sinus surgery: “Cerebrospinal fluid leaked from one patient’s nose. In another… a surgeon mistakenly punctured the base of a patient’s skull. In two other cases, patients suffered strokes after a major artery was accidentally injured”

www.reuters.com/investigatio...
As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts
Medical device makers have been rushing to add AI to their products. While proponents say the new technology will revolutionize medicine, regulators are receiving a rising number of claims of patient ...
www.reuters.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:58 PM
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Excellent work. 🤣😂
G11 in Glasgow had the perfect retort to Nigel Farage's divisive comments about Turkish barbershops... 😂
February 7, 2026 at 4:36 PM
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This is the future, lads, and we're living in it.
I don’t want to laugh at a small business but also VERY funny
February 6, 2026 at 2:23 PM
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I know you've heard that a federal judge ordered the release of 5 year old Liam Conejo Arias and his father, and that they're now home.

But did you look at the judge's order?

It's less than 2.5 pages and well worth a minute. "Jesus wept."

Link to pdf: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 2, 2026 at 7:11 PM
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Sometimes we really need some humour...
February 1, 2026 at 9:41 AM
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Holy moly this chart: Cumulative US measles cases
January 28, 2026 at 12:54 PM
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There's SO many good reasons to NEVER use Amazon, here's just the most recent one!
While independent bookstores are giving out free whistles, hosting protest sign making events, and donating proceeds to mutual aid, Amazon is *checks notes* providing technology that assists ICE in their terrorizing of communities.

Independent bookstores deserve your support. Amazon does not.
January 27, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Excellent
This woman’s cat named Missy is missing and she’s asked a graphic designer in her office for help with a poster. I laugh out loud every time I read it! It never gets old.

peripheralperceptions.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
peripheralperceptions.wordpress.com
January 24, 2026 at 10:23 AM
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“What’s with the clipboard? And the staring?”

“Must be Birdwatch weekend.”

“So they just... watch us?”

“No. They, er, count us.”

“Oh. Humans are weird, huh?”

#BigGardenBirdwatch
January 23, 2026 at 9:30 AM
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Off and on it
January 23, 2026 at 12:14 AM
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Reupping this cause it’s evergreen and I feel better knowing someone out there called him out like this
January 23, 2026 at 5:01 AM
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I came to Minneapolis to report on what's going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is "just what is the scale of the resistance?" After all, we're all used to the news calling Portland a "war zone" or whatever when it's just some protests in one part of town.
January 22, 2026 at 3:58 AM
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Italian voice actor Carlo Bononi was the voice of all of the characters on Pingu. A trained clown by trade, he used a theater technique called grammelot, which consists of "speaking" in a mix of babbled gibberish noises. He improvised all the voices live and unscripted.
January 20, 2026 at 3:49 PM
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January 17, 2026 at 6:26 AM
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“Over a three‑year period, across 382 public authorities in England - including local councils, NHS trusts and domestic abuse refuges - only four formal complaints were recorded regarding trans women using facilities such as toilets, hospital wards or shelters.”

Transphobic panics are manufactured.
New data shows only four complaints about trans women in single‑sex spaces
A major Freedom of Information investigation by advocacy group TransLucent has revealed that concerns about trans women in single‑sex spaces are vastly overstated. Over a three‑year period, across 382...
www.scenemag.co.uk
January 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM
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So, today marks 10 years since the passing of Bowie.

It also marks 10 years since I put something on Twitter about it which resulted in me having to take a day off work, chase down various international media, get blocked by half of Australia, and end up the filling in a Kanye and Madonna sandwich.
January 10, 2026 at 10:11 AM
If you need help deciding to cancel your amazon account, maybe this will help:

“Amazon provides ICE with the digital backbone for its data and surveillance operations through Amazon Web Services.”

From www.thenation.com/article/acti...
Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators.
ICE can’t function without help from the private sector. So we should force the private sector to stop helping.
www.thenation.com
January 10, 2026 at 10:06 AM
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ICE relies on companies to help carry out its thuggery — we need to go after these private sector collaborators

Here are our suggestions for corporate targets and campaign tactics

www.thenation.com/article/acti...
Want to Stop ICE? Go After Its Corporate Collaborators
ICE can’t function without help from the private sector. So we should force the private sector to stop helping.
www.thenation.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:37 PM
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We've removed the paywall from this guide so everyone can access it. 👇 Stay safe.
wired.com WIRED @wired.com · Jan 8
Just days into 2026, the killing of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the US.

If you’re planning to protest, here’s how to safeguard your digital security.
How to Protest Safely in the Age of Surveillance
Law enforcement has more tools than ever to track your movements and access your communications. Here’s how to protect your privacy if you plan to protest.
www.wired.com
January 8, 2026 at 6:35 PM
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A fascinating thread, worth taking the 5-10 minutes.
A very long and important THREAD -

The real reason the US is invading Venezuela goes back to a deal Henry Kissinger made with Saudi Arabia in 1974.

And I'm going to explain why this is actually about the SURVIVAL of the US dollar itself.

Not drugs. Not terrorism. Not "democracy." 1/
January 4, 2026 at 11:18 AM
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This is harrowing. But please do read it. We owe more to people like Seána than can be expressed. And there were so many of them.
It’s been 6 yrs since my sister rang me about the respiratory illness that she and her colleagues in respiratory medicine, were terrified of. That’s the last time I knew that version of her, the next 18 months traumatised her forever. I know the world had to move on, but its hard to see the erasure
December 31, 2025 at 4:27 PM
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In 2024, sewage was pumped into Britain's rivers for a record 3.6 million hours, making it one of the most popular outdoor activities in the UK.
In 2025, AI became pervasive in American life and the economy, with ChatGPT surging in adoption much faster than any other major technology in memory. @nytopinion.nytimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:47 AM
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Absolutely nobody asked for this BUT

English Anglican cathedrals that have burned down, fallen over, and sank into the swamp: a thread.
December 18, 2025 at 7:59 PM
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Starmer responding to months of people asking 'why are the government still on X when it supports Nazis?' by starting a Substack suggests he might actually be doing a bit
December 7, 2025 at 11:52 AM