William B.
@wbrafford.bsky.social
Asheville, NC. Erstwhile Presbyterian.
The paragraph here about Time Robinson's "The Chair Company" extracts a little bit of sense from that thoroughly unsettling show.
NO OTHER CHOICE is a movie about a guy in a dying industry whose job technology has made obsolete and who maintains an unhealthy attachment to analogue media, which means I could not identify with him in any way whatsoever. www.thebulwark.com/p/no-other-c...
‘No Other Choice’ Review
Park Chan-wook, Tim Robinson, and masculinity in crisis.
www.thebulwark.com
January 23, 2026 at 4:09 PM
The paragraph here about Time Robinson's "The Chair Company" extracts a little bit of sense from that thoroughly unsettling show.
"I don't listen to radio hits. I prefer good Weird Al Yancovic parodies. That way you get both the band's music as well as Weird Al's jokes."
January 23, 2026 at 2:05 PM
"I don't listen to radio hits. I prefer good Weird Al Yancovic parodies. That way you get both the band's music as well as Weird Al's jokes."
Reposted by William B.
What is new to me and quite useful here is treating paranoia as a genre.
Another AI psychosis story. I think understanding genre would actually be helpful for people trying to make sense of LLM outputs. If you prompt it with cosmic / SF / paranoid ideas it will accept that genre premise in the tone of its responses futurism.com/artificial-i...
A Man Bought Meta's AI Glasses, and Ended Up Wandering the Desert in Search of Aliens
After encountering Meta AI, a man's mental health unraveled. As he lost touch with reality, the chatbot continued to affirm his delusions.
futurism.com
January 18, 2026 at 2:45 PM
What is new to me and quite useful here is treating paranoia as a genre.
Reposted by William B.
This photo was taken in 1911 using glass plate technology by Herbert Ponting who was part of Scott's Antarctic expedition,
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
January 17, 2026 at 7:12 AM
This photo was taken in 1911 using glass plate technology by Herbert Ponting who was part of Scott's Antarctic expedition,
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
The composition and detail are exquisite with the band of white snow/ice creating a perfect frame around the two people and the ship in the distance
Iconic imo
Reposted by William B.
Incredible piece of Search Engine Optimisation
January 16, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Incredible piece of Search Engine Optimisation
Reposted by William B.
crazy how Attack Of The Clones predicted this
January 15, 2026 at 9:45 PM
crazy how Attack Of The Clones predicted this
Reposted by William B.
Have you heard about Gas Town? No? Well I'm gonna explain what it is anyway.
www.todayintabs.com/p/all-gas-to...
www.todayintabs.com/p/all-gas-to...
All Gas Town, No Brakes Town
You sling beads to a hook which activates a polecat according to GUPP.
www.todayintabs.com
January 13, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Have you heard about Gas Town? No? Well I'm gonna explain what it is anyway.
www.todayintabs.com/p/all-gas-to...
www.todayintabs.com/p/all-gas-to...
I would rather have NATO than Greenland! What is going on?
January 15, 2026 at 2:08 AM
I would rather have NATO than Greenland! What is going on?
It can be helpful to see the difference between coercive power and authority.
January 14, 2026 at 7:06 PM
It can be helpful to see the difference between coercive power and authority.
Reposted by William B.
Critical support to NATO in its struggle against NATO imperialism. No blood for a base we already have.
January 14, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Critical support to NATO in its struggle against NATO imperialism. No blood for a base we already have.
I'm not great at music but I really do love making it.
January 13, 2026 at 2:57 PM
I'm not great at music but I really do love making it.
I definitely see the appeal of the idea of demiurgic creation.
January 13, 2026 at 2:16 PM
I definitely see the appeal of the idea of demiurgic creation.
(value of thought to me) + (estimated value of thought to followers) - (consequences if bsky literalist latches on)
January 13, 2026 at 11:31 AM
(value of thought to me) + (estimated value of thought to followers) - (consequences if bsky literalist latches on)
Reposted by William B.
Good reason to re-up this story, in case others missed it too.
Don't know how I missed this three weeks ago (my best guess is: Christmas) but @sarahweinman.com on the de-sanctification of Buford Pusser is terrific. Reading it today brings a lot of thoughts about what we have historically applauded in law enforcement. www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
He Was a Legendary Sheriff Who Inspired a Movie. Did He Also Murder His Wife?
When Buford Pusser’s wife was killed, his grief turned into the movie ‘Walking Tall.’ But a new report from investigators suggests it was all a lie.
www.rollingstone.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Good reason to re-up this story, in case others missed it too.
Reposted by William B.
This network analyzer is very efficient and allows you to find interesting accounts, eg. people followed by lots of the people you follow (but not you).
bsky-follow-finder.theo.io
(Reposting this for folks who have joined Bsky more recently)
bsky-follow-finder.theo.io
(Reposting this for folks who have joined Bsky more recently)
January 12, 2026 at 6:17 PM
This network analyzer is very efficient and allows you to find interesting accounts, eg. people followed by lots of the people you follow (but not you).
bsky-follow-finder.theo.io
(Reposting this for folks who have joined Bsky more recently)
bsky-follow-finder.theo.io
(Reposting this for folks who have joined Bsky more recently)
Stranger Things moved all the characters (except Murray?) to pretty satisfying endpoints, without much regard for plausibility.
January 5, 2026 at 5:01 PM
Stranger Things moved all the characters (except Murray?) to pretty satisfying endpoints, without much regard for plausibility.
Reposted by William B.
Have yourself an 8-bitty little Christmas 🎄👾
🎶 Up On the Housetop was performed using two Atari 2600 consoles playing together in stereo 🤯
The full 2003 album celebrates classic retro platforms.
⬇️ Download The 8bits of Christmas by The 8bitpeoples
archive.org/details/8bp0...
#8Bit #Chiptune
🎶 Up On the Housetop was performed using two Atari 2600 consoles playing together in stereo 🤯
The full 2003 album celebrates classic retro platforms.
⬇️ Download The 8bits of Christmas by The 8bitpeoples
archive.org/details/8bp0...
#8Bit #Chiptune
December 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Have yourself an 8-bitty little Christmas 🎄👾
🎶 Up On the Housetop was performed using two Atari 2600 consoles playing together in stereo 🤯
The full 2003 album celebrates classic retro platforms.
⬇️ Download The 8bits of Christmas by The 8bitpeoples
archive.org/details/8bp0...
#8Bit #Chiptune
🎶 Up On the Housetop was performed using two Atari 2600 consoles playing together in stereo 🤯
The full 2003 album celebrates classic retro platforms.
⬇️ Download The 8bits of Christmas by The 8bitpeoples
archive.org/details/8bp0...
#8Bit #Chiptune
I had been lurking on my old Twitter account, but I got fully logged out recently and without any access to context these dispatches are bewildering. Not that it makes a ton of sense in context but it helps a little to know who it is doing the beefing.
Just popped over to Twitter and they're deep into a fight over "Heritage Americans" and if it's acceptable to gesture vaguely at one of your 512 ancestors or you have account for all of your greatx7 grandparents or if the designation is based on whether your last name sounds anglo enough
December 22, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I had been lurking on my old Twitter account, but I got fully logged out recently and without any access to context these dispatches are bewildering. Not that it makes a ton of sense in context but it helps a little to know who it is doing the beefing.
Reposted by William B.
happy fourth Sunday of Advent youtu.be/SLaZ2Nka6_E
The Eighth Tune (demo)
YouTube video by William B.
youtu.be
December 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
happy fourth Sunday of Advent youtu.be/SLaZ2Nka6_E
happy fourth Sunday of Advent youtu.be/SLaZ2Nka6_E
The Eighth Tune (demo)
YouTube video by William B.
youtu.be
December 21, 2025 at 1:24 PM
happy fourth Sunday of Advent youtu.be/SLaZ2Nka6_E
Reposted by William B.
This essay by the author of a recent well-reviewed book about Tolkien starts modestly and then stabs you with a Morgul-blade halfway through, where you are pinioned by a twist in the telling. You may never recover. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...
Opinion | Why I Keep Returning to Middle-Earth
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:46 PM
This essay by the author of a recent well-reviewed book about Tolkien starts modestly and then stabs you with a Morgul-blade halfway through, where you are pinioned by a twist in the telling. You may never recover. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...
If you make a synth jam that you really like with presets, do you have a moral obligation to redo it with your own programmed sounds?
December 18, 2025 at 3:01 PM
If you make a synth jam that you really like with presets, do you have a moral obligation to redo it with your own programmed sounds?
Reposted by William B.
Pretty shot of a Baltimore Light Rail train doing its thing in the snow
December 14, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Pretty shot of a Baltimore Light Rail train doing its thing in the snow
I'm not sure if I watched the last two episodes of The Chair Company or if I fell asleep and had a nightmare about watching the last two episodes of The Chair Company.
December 13, 2025 at 1:23 PM
I'm not sure if I watched the last two episodes of The Chair Company or if I fell asleep and had a nightmare about watching the last two episodes of The Chair Company.