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Brian Minsker

@bminsker.bsky.social
610 followers 643 following 1.4K posts

Astros fan, Deadhead, board gamer, geek, husband of Dr. Barbara Minsker, dog concierge to Buddy. Back in Texas (Dallas) after 40 years in the wilderness. Opinions are my own.

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Reposted by Brian Minsker
Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 12h
My latest cartoon for @newscientist.com
As we join the great theoretical scientist, he is deep in thought. So still, quiet and focused that he might almost be asleep. But inside that brilliant mind, what new idea is forming? What certainty is being meticulously interrogated? What ingenious theory is ready to change our world forever? (the scientist snores lightly) Ah, it seems he actually is asleep. And that's fine. Science is hard and not every day can be a success. We will come back another time.
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Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 05/10/2026
Spooky bird stories. My Halloween comic from 2024.
A comic titled Spooky Bird Stories. In panel 1, a turkey vulture is telling stories to other vultures, and it says, "She walked toward the source of the terrible smell. She got closer and closer, and then, to her horror, she saw... No dead body." A black vulture says "No!" and a turkey vulture says "Did someone already eat it??" In panel 2, a northern cardinal is telling a story to some songbirds. It says "They peered through the windows of the house at the gory scene. Zombies had smashed through the door in the night. The homeowner was dead. But worst of all... He hadn't refilled the feeders." An eastern bluebird says "Aaah!" and an American goldfinch says "It can't be!". In panel 3, A screech owl is telling a story to other owls. It says "And then the ghost fluffed itself up really big to appear scarier." A saw-whet owl gasps, and a long-eared owl says "Horrifying!". In panel 4, a downy woodpecker is telling a story to other woodpeckers, and says "The eerie sound rang through the dark woods. Tap-tap. Tap-tap. It was the distinctive two-part knock of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The species had returned from the dead... FOR REVENGE." A red-cockaded woodpecker says "Yesss".
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A 10K contribution and a $900 million return. The scale of the graft in Homeland Security is a) off the charts and b) possible because no-one believes they will face any accountability
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gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
New: As gay bars across the country say that Meta is flagging and deactivating their accounts without warning, I spoke to an Austin queer bar that says Meta nearly destroyed their ability to advertise events: www.chron.com/culture/arti...
chron.com
How Meta's new content moderation upended a Texas gay bar
At least one LGBTQ establishment in Texas says the social media giant has incorrectly disabled its social media account, potentially hurting business.
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ContempraInn 🌹 @contemprainn.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The cutest ball boy ever 🎾 Fun for both 😊
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Gail Story Time!!!
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Nick Allison @nickallison80.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Walked a mile home after the Astros lost, thinking about dead raccoons, aging dynasties, cosmic entropy, a lucky Dusty Baker T-shirt, and whether it's silly for a 46-year-old to still have a favorite ballplayer. Wrote some of it down. #HoustonAstros #Astros #Baseball @raford3.bsky.social
nickallison80.substack.com
Good Years to Be Sentimental About
On Empty Seats, Closing Windows, and Another Astros Postseason Exit
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Robert Wilonsky @robertwilonsky.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
From Lawrence Wright's 2019 "God Bless Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State":
An excerpt from Lawrence Wright's "God Bless Texas" about the significance of Stanley Marcus. Or, Mister Stanley, as we knew him.
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Comfortably Numb @numb.comfortab.ly · 02/10/2026
Hegseth looking across the table at Gingrich, Luckey, and Musk.
His speech bubble reads "And remember: No fatties, beardos, or weirdos."
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Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
This is the funniest thing I've seen today, possibly ever
A tweet by SarahStarberry that says "oh god read the vertical axis" on top of a chart measuring AI models' release dates and model numbers rather than any real capabilities
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The sploosh must flow...
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Dr Hannah M. Rowland @hannahmrowland.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Hope your day was better than Darwin’s, on this day 165 years ago
I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody &everything.

Charles Darwin
Letter to Charles Lyell
1st October 1861
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Brandon Sheffield @brandon.insertcredit.com · 01/10/2026
Several weeks ago, Phil Tippett's legendary animation studio in Berkeley, CA closed. An anonymous hero noticed a folder of CDs. This turned out to be hundreds of unseen hi-res images and videos from Star Wars, Robocop, Jurassic Park, etc. ~90 isos for you to browse: archive.org/details/tipp...
A casual Star Wars alien fella at the cantina, in a sun faded, reddish photo. Someone will be mad at me for not knowing who this is. Phil, a balding Caucasian man, poses a model of the garthok, an antagonist from the Coneheads movie.Phil, a balding caucasian man, points at some CG on a CRT computer monitor, as a younger man looks on. The screen shows a model of a dinosaur attacking a jeep, while there's an actual physical model of that event in the foreground for reference.an isolated shot of a star wars vehicle. Sorry, I don't know star wars lol
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
TUVE! TUVE! TUVE! #Astros
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
That's now 3 straight 1-2-3 innings for the #Astros
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Wham, bam, thank you Cam! #Astros
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
static.klipy.com
Hawkeye: Don't Give Me Hope
Alt: Hawkeye: Don't Give Me Hope
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
OK, time to let the #Astros determine my mental health for the next 24 hours to five months...
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Garth Marenghi's Catbus @catbus.phd · 30/09/2026
don't bother addressing a congregation unless you're in the baroque creature pulpit
Baroque pulpit ca. 1750, rebuilt 1856, Parish church in Dobroszów.

a fanciful scaled sculpture where the serpents open mouth serves as the pulpit
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
the bsky team is working on various ideas for making the main bsky feed entirely @jcsalterego.bsky.social posts
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Tom the Dancing Bug, by Ruben Bolling @rubenbolling.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🔴 Brand new Tom the Dancing Bug now up on @boingboing.net - Who really caused the apocalypse? Hollingsworth Hound knows! 🎾 - boingboing.net/2026/09/30/t...
boingboing.net
Tom the Dancing Bug: What was the cause of the global armaggeddon?
Tom the Dancing Bug, IN WHICH Hollingsworth Hound points to the cause of the armaggeddon that destroyed Earth! -> ANNOUNCING The Tom the Dancing Bug Community Saves America Drive! For…
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Luca @lucagalletti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Two of the world’s largest pine cones. A heavy Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri, left/taller) and a long sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana, right/shorter. IG: @bigtreehunters www.instagram.com/bigtreehunte...
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Eric Columbus @ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Not a great sign when your 12-person private fundraiser includes someone who hates you enough to leak damaging audio
The audio of Mr. Paxton was shared with The Times by an attendee who recorded him speaking at a private fund-raiser in Washington attended by roughly a dozen people. The person, who opposes Mr. Paxton’s campaign and provided the recording to The Times, was granted anonymity because Mr. Paxton’s remarks were private.
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Finally on the board #Astros
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ullola!! #Astros
static.klipy.com
Spongebob Wipe
Alt: Spongebob wiping his brow and saying, "Whew"
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Someone had to win the AL West... #Astros 🎆
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kwisatz haderade (#FreeSkylar) @booksandbows.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
okay, we’ve got until 11:59PM ET to get him over the top. if you haven’t voted, now is your time to take a stand in favor of truth, justice, and genuine growth. a vote for josh is a vote for the belief that there’s a better world out there and it’s worth fighting for! www.mlb.com/community/ro...
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Oregon 🕎🎲 @oregonthedm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Most riveting thing I've seen all week
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Rebecca 🐶⚾🌲 @bsblgrl.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Happy Dolly Day!!
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Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Heads up for anyone else still using Chrome and trying to limit the AI as much as possible: the most recent update seems to have turned on, without notifying me, two things: "Skills in Chrome" and "On-device AI" both under the AI in Chrome setting
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 24/09/2026
So this story is WAY wilder than I thought The Trump post I flagged this morning because it includes Natalie Harp is actually based on the Getty photo you can see below. But there is one key difference -- MONICA CROWLEY'S FACE HAS BEEN EDITED TO LOOK LIKE NATALIE HARP'S WTF is going on here?
Getty pic of Xi and TrumpTrump TS post featuring the mentioned edit of Monica Crowley's faceoriginal pic image of MonicaTrump TS post which shows Natalie's face where Monica's is on the original. very weird
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Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Wu on redistricting if Dems get control: "You do the exact same thing that they did to you until they say mercy" and agree to national, bipartisan reform.
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We just dropped a bombshell investigation into ChatGPT's role in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting. Incredible reporting from @markfollman.bsky.social that will have far-reaching effects...hopefully: www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Sanho Tree @sanho.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Prohibition is the mother of invention.😂
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Paul Cornell @paulcornell.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
My company @cosmiclighthouse.co.uk is putting out a Murderbot graphic novel, All Systems Red, with a new @marthawells.com Mb short story too! @ericaschultz42.bsky.social @garyerskine.bsky.social @stillwintercraft.bsky.social @simonbowland.bsky.social ! www.kickstarter.com/projects/cos...
kickstarter.com
Coming soon: Murderbot: The First Graphic Novel | Multi-award-winning SF!
The official adaptation of the international bestselling multi-award-winning ALL SYSTEMS RED, part of The Murderbot Diaries series.
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Bru @brubaker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Where can you check? I’m so glad you asked! Head over to votetexas.gov and use the handy “Am I Registered?” lookup to check! If you aren’t registered, the deadline is October 5th! Please register to vote!
votetexas.gov
Your Guide to Voting in Texas | VoteTexas.gov
VoteTexas.gov is your go-to resource for voter registration, election dates, polling locations, and more. Get the info you need to make your vote count.
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
A federal judge has ordered Texas to air condition all of the state’s prisons by the end of 2029 High temperatures violate the Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment, the judge ruled.
texastribune.org
Texas ordered to air condition all prisons by the end of 2029
High temperatures violate the Constitution’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment, the judge ruled. Just over a third of Texas prisons are fully air conditioned.
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Sarah Andersen @sarahseeandersen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The image is of a four panel comic.
In the first panel we see Sarah, the protagonist, next to a stick figure labeled “AI”. The stick figure says, “my outputs look just like yours now.”
The second panel zooms in on Sarah’s face. Above her we see text reading “I think”.
The third panel zooms in closer on Sarah’s face. Text above her reads “you missed”.
The fourth panel shows Sarah drawing happily in a sunlit room. The text above her reads “the point”.
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The Authors Guild @authorsguild.org · 22/09/2026
“Newly unsealed comments made in briefs filed by the tech giants reveal that executives knew they were illegally training their products on copyrighted books and that AI generated books would likely displace human-authored books in the market.“
publishersweekly.com
Unsealed Files Show Open AI/Microsoft Knew Copying Was Illegal and Could Hurt Authors
Newly unsealed comments made in briefs filed by Open AI and Microsoft reveal that executives knew they were illegally training their products on copyrighted books and that AI generated books would lik...
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
Sen. Susan Collins helped steer millions in federal defense contracts to Navatek, whose CEO illegally funneled thousands of dollars to her campaign. The FBI sought to launch a probe and was eyeing Collins and other lawmakers. Then Trump gutted the unit in charge. THREAD 🧵
Martin Kao, CEO of defense contractor Navatek, poses next to Sen. Susan Collins for a photo. Collins is holding a model of a boat in her hands. Behind them is a large sign with the Navatek logo.
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Your Internet Friend Tom Tomorrow @tomtomorrow.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
new toon: large language muddle www.dailykos.com/stories/2026...
dailykos.com
Large language muddle
A cartoon by Tom Tomorrow.
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Michael Warburton @michaelwarburton.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This aired just the once in 1998 on the live SNL show for which McKay wrote it. It was effectively banned as it never aired again. I wonder why. MEDIA-OPOLY
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Jenny @loraxthatshit.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Also Sunday, in Evanston. Bystanders interrupted the attack, rendered aid, and called emergency services. ICE drove off leaving the man bleeding and injured in the street. They tossed his wallet onto the ground. A US citizen. He reportedly refused to give them id, his right under IL law.
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Brian Minsker @bminsker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Yo, @bsblgrl.bsky.social y'all need to connect.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Jesus Christ, this article will enrage you like nothing else
kron4.com
Tesla driver charged with murdering 2 in San Jose shows no remorse, prosecutors say
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — When Ivana Balistreri and her baby were trapped inside a “fireball,” a Tesla driver who had just crashed into the victims’ car on Highway 87 in San…
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Katie Hodges-Kluck, PhD @klhkhistorian.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
**Lights Out Alert Sunday & Monday Nights** Birdcast is estimating 300-400 million birds will be in flight.
From meteorologist Eric Snitil

**Lights Out Alert Sunday & Monday Nights**

"Heads up birders, I would not be surprised if the biggest bird migration night of the year happens over the next 2 nights. Birdcast is estimating 300-400 million birds will be in flight. That is a lot, but the pattern could not be better for migratory birds. A massive area of high pressure will turn the low level winds from the northeast to the southwest across most of the US. The last time we had anything similar to this in the fall was early October last year when a record 1.25 billion birds were in flight. I doubt we get to that level, but I suspect the number will top 500 million especially Monday night which looks to be the bigger of the two nights. You can help by turning off those outdoor lights on big migration nights, and the next 2 nights is about as big as it gets."
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Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 20/09/2026
InterRAI isn't even new! This was one of the companies i first learned about via my 1st time working w/ @cdt.org, back in 2020! Go look up "Challenging the Use of Algorithm-driven Decision-making in Benefits Determinations Affecting People with Disabilities"! What are we doing???! archive.is/d5RXZ
nbcnews.to
A secretive computer algorithm is taking caregiving money away from disabled people
After Nebraska used a new interRAI tool to slash Medicaid funding for nearly 900 people, NBC News uncovered the hidden logic behind some of the cuts.
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𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 @sundaedivine.lol · 19/09/2026
Okay, this got me.
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Rebecca Spang @rlspang.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
A few more historian's thoughts on Kennedy Center crowd/Paris 1789 analogy: 1) when "rule of law" no longer rules, people do what they think they must; 2) crowd at Bastille (1000+) was largely local, artisanal; 3) defiant, defensive, not sure about joy in 1789 4) here origins/nature Trumpism is impt
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Cliff @cliff.leaninto.it · 19/09/2026
Never lose your keys again
A buttplug that can hold keys
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