Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
@unvarnished.com
Entrepreneur, Speaker. 🤓 Owner HopStudios.com web-design-dev. ExpressionEngine++ CraftCMS #eecms #craftcms 🌐 OpenMedia.org board president #YVR #YYC 🥏 Spirit of the Game wonk (VUL/ UC/ WFDF/ USAU) #Ultimate #SOTG @[email protected] #2SLGBTQ they/them
Pinned
Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
@unvarnished.com
· Dec 4
Blueskys, Substacks and Mastodons, Oh My! - Hop Studios
I was recently asked if I recommended moving to Mastodon or Bluesky, given that Bluesky is experiencing a big influx from X right now. I thought I’d answer here to share with a wider audience.
hopstudios.com
A client recently asked if I recommended moving to Mastodon or Bluesky, given that Bluesky is experiencing a big influx from X (a.k.a the big Xit) right now. I thought I’d answer here to share with a wider audience.
hopstudios.com/blog/bluesky...
hopstudios.com/blog/bluesky...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
ever since i was a little boy i knew i wanted to stare at rectangles that make me angry
December 18, 2025 at 6:55 AM
ever since i was a little boy i knew i wanted to stare at rectangles that make me angry
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Found only in the Galapagos Islands the marine iguana is the only marine lizard species in the world, they can dive as deep as 30m (98 ft) and spend up to 30 minutes at a time underwater
📹Shelton Dupreez
📹Shelton Dupreez
December 14, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Found only in the Galapagos Islands the marine iguana is the only marine lizard species in the world, they can dive as deep as 30m (98 ft) and spend up to 30 minutes at a time underwater
📹Shelton Dupreez
📹Shelton Dupreez
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Wow. This is an absolutely terrifying read. We now live in an age when a single company can, through what appears to be plain old bureaucracy, can more or less brick your entire digital life.
December 13, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Wow. This is an absolutely terrifying read. We now live in an age when a single company can, through what appears to be plain old bureaucracy, can more or less brick your entire digital life.
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Deeply disappointed to hear that the BBC has pushed out one of the most brilliant presenters in all of science communication for speaking with integrity and honor in support of human rights and dignity.
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
December 13, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Deeply disappointed to hear that the BBC has pushed out one of the most brilliant presenters in all of science communication for speaking with integrity and honor in support of human rights and dignity.
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
The UK has turned into a censorious nightmare state because of transphobia
Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people
December 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The UK has turned into a censorious nightmare state because of transphobia
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
I mean, the Penn student newspaper isn't wrong, but www.instagram.com/p/DSH1X4EDwP...
December 12, 2025 at 2:23 AM
I mean, the Penn student newspaper isn't wrong, but www.instagram.com/p/DSH1X4EDwP...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
We're excited about the Drupal AI Summit in Paris tomorrow!
@andrewmallis.bsky.social will give a presentation on AI-Assisted Migrations in Drupal as part of a 3-day event featuring 400 speakers discussing all aspects around the future of tech.
Register:
new.drupal.org/ai/events/Dr...
#Drupal #AI
@andrewmallis.bsky.social will give a presentation on AI-Assisted Migrations in Drupal as part of a 3-day event featuring 400 speakers discussing all aspects around the future of tech.
Register:
new.drupal.org/ai/events/Dr...
#Drupal #AI
December 8, 2025 at 6:47 PM
We're excited about the Drupal AI Summit in Paris tomorrow!
@andrewmallis.bsky.social will give a presentation on AI-Assisted Migrations in Drupal as part of a 3-day event featuring 400 speakers discussing all aspects around the future of tech.
Register:
new.drupal.org/ai/events/Dr...
#Drupal #AI
@andrewmallis.bsky.social will give a presentation on AI-Assisted Migrations in Drupal as part of a 3-day event featuring 400 speakers discussing all aspects around the future of tech.
Register:
new.drupal.org/ai/events/Dr...
#Drupal #AI
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
A thing I believe is that governments should¹ pass laws banning the development or deployment of machinery that reads thoughts. The fact this technology does not exist makes it even more important it be illegal
¹ If someone wants narrow cutouts for accessibility devices I do not see a problem
¹ If someone wants narrow cutouts for accessibility devices I do not see a problem
December 6, 2025 at 8:59 PM
A thing I believe is that governments should¹ pass laws banning the development or deployment of machinery that reads thoughts. The fact this technology does not exist makes it even more important it be illegal
¹ If someone wants narrow cutouts for accessibility devices I do not see a problem
¹ If someone wants narrow cutouts for accessibility devices I do not see a problem
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Developer attempts to replicate "Liquid Glass" in CSS, and once finished realizes what she'd actually created is an exploit for a fundamental, previously unknown, and rather serious browser vulnerability
lyra.horse/blog/2025/12...
"CSS hack accidentally becomes regular hack"
lyra.horse/blog/2025/12...
"CSS hack accidentally becomes regular hack"
SVG Filters - Clickjacking 2.0
A novel and powerful twist on an old classic.
lyra.horse
December 5, 2025 at 2:03 AM
Developer attempts to replicate "Liquid Glass" in CSS, and once finished realizes what she'd actually created is an exploit for a fundamental, previously unknown, and rather serious browser vulnerability
lyra.horse/blog/2025/12...
"CSS hack accidentally becomes regular hack"
lyra.horse/blog/2025/12...
"CSS hack accidentally becomes regular hack"
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”
—FDR, 1944
—FDR, 1944
November 30, 2025 at 8:08 PM
"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”
—FDR, 1944
—FDR, 1944
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Attacks on VPNs are attacks on digital privacy and digital freedom. And that battle is being fought by people who clearly have no idea how any of this technology actually works. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Lawmakers Want to Ban VPNs—And They Have No Idea What They're Doing
It's unfortunately no longer enough to force websites to check your government-issued ID before you can access certain content, because politicians have now discovered that people are using Virtual
www.eff.org
November 29, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Attacks on VPNs are attacks on digital privacy and digital freedom. And that battle is being fought by people who clearly have no idea how any of this technology actually works. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Im really trying to keep my posts non political today........
This FUUUUUUUCK just has to ruin that!!!!
I would have returned the insult in a childish voice to mock him further!!!
This FUUUUUUUCK just has to ruin that!!!!
I would have returned the insult in a childish voice to mock him further!!!
November 28, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Im really trying to keep my posts non political today........
This FUUUUUUUCK just has to ruin that!!!!
I would have returned the insult in a childish voice to mock him further!!!
This FUUUUUUUCK just has to ruin that!!!!
I would have returned the insult in a childish voice to mock him further!!!
Now that ExpressionEngine can use Twig for templating and Gutenberg for entering content, I think it's the most flexible, most powerful CMS available. #eecms > #cms
expressionengine.com/add-ons/layr
expressionengine.com/add-ons/layr
LAYR | Add-ons
Sick of losing clients to WordPress? Bring the Block builder to ExpressionEngine. FREE IN BETA!
expressionengine.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Now that ExpressionEngine can use Twig for templating and Gutenberg for entering content, I think it's the most flexible, most powerful CMS available. #eecms > #cms
expressionengine.com/add-ons/layr
expressionengine.com/add-ons/layr
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Here are the final Spirit of the Game statistics for World Beach Ultimate Championships 2025 in Portimao Portugal #wbuc #ultimate #beachultimate #sotg
November 24, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Here are the final Spirit of the Game statistics for World Beach Ultimate Championships 2025 in Portimao Portugal #wbuc #ultimate #beachultimate #sotg
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
As a teenage electronics and Linux hacker in the 90s, I remember all the buzz around Y2K vividly. This episode about it from @arshy.bsky.social and @canadaland.com is so, so good. 😯
www.canadaland.com/podcast/was-...
www.canadaland.com/podcast/was-...
Was the Y2K Bug Really a Hoax?
The Millenium Bug was supposed to bring the world to a halt, but governments claimed they squashed the problem. Was it all a panic over nothing?
www.canadaland.com
November 28, 2024 at 8:42 PM
As a teenage electronics and Linux hacker in the 90s, I remember all the buzz around Y2K vividly. This episode about it from @arshy.bsky.social and @canadaland.com is so, so good. 😯
www.canadaland.com/podcast/was-...
www.canadaland.com/podcast/was-...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
I use 20+ years as my cut off for what's retro, but Mafia Wars from 2008 feels like it's from another era.
November 20, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I use 20+ years as my cut off for what's retro, but Mafia Wars from 2008 feels like it's from another era.
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Sure. "The Grand Jury did not see the operative indictment" is the kind of fuckup where lawyers literally don't actually know what happens next because it SO fundamental a thing that it is LITERALLY possible nobody had even thought of this as a thing that could happen.
Translate for us non-law-talkers...?
November 19, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Sure. "The Grand Jury did not see the operative indictment" is the kind of fuckup where lawyers literally don't actually know what happens next because it SO fundamental a thing that it is LITERALLY possible nobody had even thought of this as a thing that could happen.
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Canceling Cancel Culture w/Daryl Davis
How can we get along in a world of divisive politics?
Ask Daryl. He's convinced 200 members of the KKK to give up their robes.
open.substack.com/pub/brianjka...
How can we get along in a world of divisive politics?
Ask Daryl. He's convinced 200 members of the KKK to give up their robes.
open.substack.com/pub/brianjka...
Canceling Cancel Culture
Marjorie Taylor Greene vows to abandon toxic warfare - Daryl Davis shows us how
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Canceling Cancel Culture w/Daryl Davis
How can we get along in a world of divisive politics?
Ask Daryl. He's convinced 200 members of the KKK to give up their robes.
open.substack.com/pub/brianjka...
How can we get along in a world of divisive politics?
Ask Daryl. He's convinced 200 members of the KKK to give up their robes.
open.substack.com/pub/brianjka...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
This is an incredible marathon of posting on Bluesky from a City of Vancouver Councillor. He’s documenting an unofficial filibuster at City Hall as over 600 people have signed up to speak at the budget hearing. Over 200 have said their piece so far. Follow along.
#democracy #bluesky
#democracy #bluesky
218: owns a home, born in saint Paul’s. Grumbles when he gets tax bill but then realizes it’s what makes our beautiful city. Most concerned with cuts to sustainability department. Son asked once, will we drown when sea level rises. So I’ve dedicated life to climate solutions. Reconsider thus.
November 13, 2025 at 4:57 AM
This is an incredible marathon of posting on Bluesky from a City of Vancouver Councillor. He’s documenting an unofficial filibuster at City Hall as over 600 people have signed up to speak at the budget hearing. Over 200 have said their piece so far. Follow along.
#democracy #bluesky
#democracy #bluesky
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Check out Gate Crashing – EFF’s interview series where we talk to people who have used the internet to take nontraditional paths to break into the traditional worlds of journalism and creativity. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now! www.eff.org/pages/gate-...
About the Series
There is a lot of bad on the internet and it seems to only be getting worse. But one of the things the internet did well, and is worth preserving, is nontraditional paths for creativity, journalism,
www.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Check out Gate Crashing – EFF’s interview series where we talk to people who have used the internet to take nontraditional paths to break into the traditional worlds of journalism and creativity. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now! www.eff.org/pages/gate-...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
There's a more secure alternative to texting via your phone's native messaging app. Signal is a free app that employs end-to-end encryption and we have a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to use it. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...
How to: Use Signal
Download location: Google Play Store, Apple App Store
System requirements: Android 5 or later, iOS 13 or later
Version used in this guide: Android: 7.38.6 iPhone: 7.5.1
License: GPLv3
Level: Beginner
Time required: 15-20 minutes
Other reading:
https://signal.org/
https://support.signal.org/
https://signal.org/blog/
Table of Contents
Download and Install Signal
Register and Verify...
ssd.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 9:01 PM
There's a more secure alternative to texting via your phone's native messaging app. Signal is a free app that employs end-to-end encryption and we have a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to use it. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...