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Bob Hoyng

@bobhoyng.bsky.social
761 followers 485 following 3.1K posts

Living the middle way between thinking and being. Founder of Substrate Books. Systems thinker, musician, martial artist, and writer. First book available now: nothingbecomes.com

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Reposted by Bob Hoyng
Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is a really important story. You know how over reliance on AI makes you lazy and stupid? This shows how that’s happening within the military — a military, it cannot be pointed out often enough, that’s growing ever more reliant on AI. The children of Shajarah Tayyebah Elementary paid the price
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 12/09/2026
The Justice Department failed to secure felony convictions against most of the 102 protesters arrested in four major cities last year on charges of assaulting federal authorities — a record far below the norm in federal assault prosecutions. to.pbs.org/4rhig9u
to.pbs.org
AP analysis: Justice Department went after protesters for felony assault, but juries and judges were unconvinced
The Associated Press' analysis focused on arrests made during protests last summer and fall in LA, Chicago, Portland and Washington, D.C. — cities with significant protests where President Donald Trum...
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Many of you are asking how you can help me. My only ask is this: Spread the word about the threats to democracy and how we can fight back. Tell everyone to subscribe to Democracy Docket and share its content. Thanks. bit.ly/4qmEiFz
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Rightardia @rightardia.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Politico Sunday cartoon
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Alex Elizabeth Byrne McMillan @undeniablyalex.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
YOU’RE LISTENING TO SISYPHUS FM, THE HOME OF NON-STOP ROCK
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Here is what Democracy Docket is tracking today: Active Voting Rights Cases: 161 Active Redistricting Cases: 47 Active Anti-Voting Cases: 80 Active Pro-Voting Cases: 78 Active DOJ Lawsuits: 29 www.democracydocket.com
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I need a good explainer on proportional representation. Help?
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 07/05/2026
UNIVERSAL basic income? But why should we include Elon Musk? Because by including everyone, including Elon, universal programs become seen as RIGHTS. A program for only the poor will always be weaker than a universal one and will always exclude a great many of the poorest that universality reaches.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
The richest man owns X. The second and fourth richest men control Google. The third richest man owns The Washington Post. The fifth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 20/04/2026
"Having an [unconditional basic income] was such an eye-opening and different experience for them that really moved them forward in ways that are tangible, but aren’t as popular or sexy to talk about in policy... If someone’s telling you it’s changed their life, you need to listen to them."
open.substack.com
Unconditional: Stories from the Denver Basic Income Project
Producer Gwen Battis on the premiere of her guaranteed income documentary
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 15/04/2026
NEWS: Huge first win for Mayor Mamdani’s tax-the-rich plans in NYC. Mamdani just secured a deal with Gov. Hochul to create the state’s first-ever tax on $5 million+ second homes owned by ultrawealthy out-of-state residents.
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 11/04/2026
You will never convince me that we won't see more incredibly creative art like this with universal basic income. I want UBI for many reasons, but especially this reason. I want more people exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries and getting really good at stuff they love. I 100% adore AdP. 🏆
youtu.be
Angine de Poitrine - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)
YouTube video by KEXP
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Rex Masters @mastersrex.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
I went and saw Project Hail Mary. A guy came in with his service dog and the dog sat there the whole time just concentrating on the movie. Afterwards I told the guy I was amazed your dog watched the movie like that. He replied, me too especially because he hated the book.
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Wes Burdine @wesburdine.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
BREAKING: Following the American threat of an “Avignon Papacy,” Robert Kennedy has begun a Diet of Worms
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Dan Pfeiffer @danpfeiffer.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The calls for the 25th Amendment are understandable but misguided. J.D. Vance and Trump’s cabinet are not accountable to voters in November. We need voters to understand that Trump is only able to act like this because Republicans in Congress let him. messagebox.substack.com/p/the-25th-a...
messagebox.substack.com
The 25th Amendment Isn't Coming to Save Us
Trump's deranged behavior has some Democrats selling a fantasy to voters
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Sir, this is a Wendy’s
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Gracie12 📎 @gracienlucy.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌 @chanda.blacksky.app · 05/04/2026
The fact that NONE of the reporting on Artemis II has mentioned and analyzed the Trump 1 space directives that are governing why and how Artemis is happening and to what purpose is an extraordinary #scicomm failure and a sign of how bad journalism about policy and science has gotten
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 29/03/2026
Universal Basic Income works. It works extremely well because what people need is cash, trust, and dignity, not paternalistic bureaucratic hoops to jump through to exist. And yes we can afford it because the lack of it is very costly. UBI should be seen as an investment with a large expected return.
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TSN @tsnofficial.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler learned that he made the Rangers Opening Day roster during a mound visit 🥹 (via MLB)
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Craig Sicknick @jan6risingvoice.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
To those who are traveling to the U.S. to see the Football championships…. You still have time to cancel. It is not worth the risk.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 05/03/2026
From FT comments
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Jason Foster @byjasonfoster.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
With the World Baseball Classic about to get going, it’s time to bring this baby out again. IYKYK (cc @rotowear.bsky.social)
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Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
finished embroidering my jacket :)
a bright orange canvas jacket with bright blue, green, and magenta letters in a 3x4 pattern reading a b c d e f u c k i c e
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Bob Hoyng @bobhoyng.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
I've been lax about sharing my blog posts lately on social media...here's the latest.
substratebooks.org
Does Ultimate Reality Matter?
There’s a sharp objection to any philosophy built on emptiness as ultimate reality: we don’t live in emptiness. We live here, in conventional reality – in relationships, responsibilities…
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Bob Hoyng @bobhoyng.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
If you were still paying Anthropic because they were the only AI company that at least tried to balance ethics against profits, this is the time to cancel their service.
cnn.com
Anthropic ditches its core safety promise in the middle of an AI red line fight with the Pentagon | CNN Business
Anthropic, a company founded by OpenAI exiles worried about the dangers of AI, is loosening its core safety principle in response to competition.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 22/02/2026
Text on image:

NYC, we've declared a local state of emergency ahead of this blizzard. 

Here's what that means for you:

Roads closed at 9pm — streets, highways, and bridges closed to all vehicles (cars, trucks, scooters, e-bikes) through 12pm Monday. Essential and emergency trips only.
 
No school Monday: snow day, not remote.
 
Warming centers: open citywide.

Parking: alternate side suspended Monday.
 
Up to date info: Text NYC to 692-692 for live alerts | nyc.gov/BeReady for prep tips

Stay safe, New York.
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ArtButMakeItSports @artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Suprematism, by Nikolai Suetin, 1920-21, 📸 by @tiltoncreative
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IndivisibleTX24❌👑 @indivisibletx-24.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
The so-called Save America Act will force 21 million American citizens to produce passports or birth certificates just to register to vote. Most do not have them ready. Turning paperwork into a barrier is a poll tax by another name. #HandsOffHerVote social.demcast.com/s/L9X3k1fQ
social.demcast.com
Contact Your MOC
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 11/02/2026
"Rather than creating an age of abundance in which most people no longer have to worry about money, new technologies have contributed to a two-tiered society comprising a relatively few with extraordinary wealth and a vast number of people barely making it." It's all about distribution We need UBI
open.substack.com
AI and the Coming Jobless Economy
AI will make most of us poorer and a few fabulously wealthy — unless its productivity gains are allocated fairly. Here’s what we should we be considering now.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 11/02/2026
Saying it doesn’t make it so. www.theverge.com/tech/876866/...
“These are not tools for mass surveillance.”

— Emma Daniels, Ring
“These are not tools for mass surveillance,” Daniels said. “We build the right guardrails, and we’re super transparent about them.”
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Allen James @lalenjames.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
The economy is doing great actually as long as you revise and account for the fact that it currently sucks ass.
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Melissa Ryan @melissaryan.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
The good folks at @wired.com continue to do the Lord's work.
wired.com
ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next
ICE plans to lease offices throughout the US as part of a secret, monthslong expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Do they all get deported now? Is that how this works?
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.” Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
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Brian Gormley D7 @bgormley.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Nice piece on @cnbc.com about @tudublinsustain.bsky.social Tallaght campus which has reduced carbon emissions by using excess heat from an Amazon Data centre. @seai-ie.bsky.social @codemadublin.bsky.social #SpeirGorm
cnbc.com
This university campus is heated by an AI data center. Your home could be next
AI’s energy problem may also be its solution, as cities are increasingly exploring opportunities to repurpose excess heat from data centers.
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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 05/02/2026
Folks outside SF/F don't know that Asimov was a sexual harasser because while he was alive fandom thought it was cute (up to and including Asimov being invited to give a lecture on "The Power of Positive Posterior Pinching" at Worldcon, which he, wisely, declined). daily.jstor.org/asimovs-empi...
daily.jstor.org
Asimov’s Empire, Asimov’s Wall - JSTOR Daily
The science fiction author Isaac Asimov engaged in forms of unwanted touching with countless women. It set the tone for the entire genre.
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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Cops were frequently getting caught planting drugs in 2017 because body cameras were new and many of them didn't understand how the technology worked. When cops hit "record" it saved the 30 seconds from *before* they hit the button. Eventually, they figured it out.
gizmodo.com
Why Cops Frequently Got Caught Planting Drugs in 2017
Look. All technology comes with a learning curve.
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Elizabeth Nelson @paranoiacs.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Shirley Povich writing in 1962, with the most immaculate burn conceivable of the Redskins awful, vile owner George Preston Marshall, the last NFL owner to insist on an all white roster: "Jim Brown, born ineligible to play for the Redskins, integrated their end zone three times yesterday." RIP WaPo.
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Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Shout out to Akash for casting the first vote for our campaign in McHenry County this morning! Early in-person voting is now open in McHenry and Lake County, and mail-in ballots start going out across the district today. After you vote, by mail or in person, send us a selfie. We love to see it!!
Selfie of Akash smiling after waking up early to be first in line to cast the first vote for Kat in McHenry County! 

We added an 'I voted for Kat' sticker, some star stickers and copy that reads "FIRST VOTE CAST IN IL-09 FOR KAT!"
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Omg. WTF is Happening? @lalahaenzy.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again. #Pinks #ProudBlue
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Bob Hoyng @bobhoyng.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Amazing feeling over the weekend...I'm sitting, reading a book, as my adult children were setting up to play on the Wii. Couldn't get a controller working. Eyes turn to the old man..."try unplugging it and blowing it out." Game won't load, "turn it off and back on." Fixed. Gen X tech support. :)
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Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Georgia Fort, an independent journalist and vice president of the Minnesota NABJ chapter, was also arrested by federal agents this morning I was sent this video of agents at her door:
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/01/2026
Ossoff: "This is a seismic event. This should have people across the country absolutely shook. This is a huge deal. This is an FBI raid on the Fulton County Elections office ... This is a shot across the bow at the midterm elections. He tried to steal power when he lost it in 2020."
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Dave Weigel @daveweigel.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Philip Glass boycotting the Kennedy Center Philip Glass boycotting the Kennedy Center Philip Glass boycotting the Kennedy Center Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass Philip Glass boycotting the Kennedy Center
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Tanya 🧚‍♀️👑 @faeryqueene73.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
A coworker took this from her apartment. I haven't seen a crowd this size before. Maybe the first Women's March? But it was much much warmer that day. ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA!
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Ann Aguirre @annaguirre.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Hey. I get it if you're trying to de-Amazon. I stopped shopping there a few years ago. They're big evil. But you know who's not big evil? Your favorite writers who're struggling cos people aren't buying their books anymore. It's OK to use Kindle to support your faves. I'm giving you permission.
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 23/01/2026
This right here is one of the biggest reasons we need universal basic income. High consumption inequality creates a fragile consumer economy. We need to widely spread consumption. UBI to grow the consumption of the entire bottom 80%. Taxes to decrease the top 10% to balance for inflation management.
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
Repeat after me - the institutions of this economy depend on the institutions of this democracy, among which is the rule of law
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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
A major coalition is launching a general strike in Minnesota tomorrow, aimed at pushing out ICE. It includes: -Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005 -The MN AFL-CIO -SEIU Local 26 -UNITE HERE Local 17 -CWA Local 7250 -Saint Paul and Minneapolis Federations of Educators -Faith leaders And more. 🧵
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