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Gratuitous Silence

@gratuitoussilence.bsky.social
271 followers 353 following 55 posts

Holding space for my recovery from shitposting

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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 27/09/2025
BREAKING: The FBI has fired agents photographed kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest that followed the death of George Floyd, AP sources say.
bit.ly
FBI fires agents photographed kneeling during 2020 racial justice protest, AP sources say
The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington that followed the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 02/08/2025
"Renewable energy will overtake coal to become the world’s top source of electricity 'by 2026 at the latest', according to new forecasts from the International Energy Agency (IEA)."
carbonbrief.org
IEA: Renewables will be world’s top power source ‘by 2026’ - Carbon Brief
Renewable energy will overtake coal to become the world’s top source of electricity “by 2026 at the latest”, according to new IEA forecasts.
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James @gravitysra1nbow.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Holy shit can you imagine the public crash out if he actually gets ejected from Tesla. Please God. You've given us so little lately.
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Kristi Yamaguccimane @wapplehouse.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Kinda insane and shows how afraid the networks are of upsetting this administration that a guy who killed 7 people and wounded 48 with “47” literally tattooed on his face has all but been forgotten like there’s still not a very serious threat emanating from every pore of this pathetic cult
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 24/04/2025
We're approaching the end of all of this nonsense. Pieces like these are the kind of bullshit you saw at the end of the metaverse and crypto bubbles - Roose wrote them then, too. Humouring the most empty, cynical, nihilistic people in tech and pretending it means you're curious is ugly stuff.
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NPR @npr.org · 24/04/2025
Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova has been in ICE custody for about two months. Her colleague and friend Leon Peshkin says her case is causing some scientists to reconsider working in the U.S.
npr.org
Colleague of Harvard scientist held by ICE warns that foreign scientists are scared
Harvard scientist Kseniia Petrova has been in ICE custody for about two months. Her colleague and friend Leon Peshkin says her case is causing some scientists to reconsider working in the U.S.
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 24/04/2025
New York Times headline: Where Did Mother Go?
She was just here, but then she put her hands up, and now she's gone. One A.I. company is trying to figure out where.
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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
“To state this plainly: DOGE forced out the directors and staff of a nonexecutive agency, installed one of its own GSA staffers as president, and that person is now attempting to hand the institute’s $500 million headquarters over to the agency he came from, at zero cost.”
wired.com
DOGE Is Trying to Gift Itself a $500 Million Building, Court Filings Show
The documents reveal a DOGE affiliate is attempting to transfer the headquarters of an independent think tank, the United States Institute of Peace, to the government at no cost.
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Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 01/04/2025
Trump administration targets billions in funding to Harvard www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
washingtonpost.com
Trump administration targets billions in funding to Harvard
An antisemitism task force will review $8.7 billion in multiyear grants and $255 million in contracts with the university and its affiliates.
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Joshua J. Friedman @joshuajfriedman.com · 30/03/2025
Here's an intriguing fine detail: @premthakker.bsky.social reports that university officials have discovered that the Trump administration has been revoking not only visas but also the student "status" (based on, e.g., maintaining required course load) that universities usually control
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Stan Oklobdzija @stano.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
The big lesson of the last 50 years is that cynicism benefits authoritarians. As such, if liberals are ever able to regain power, we should prioritize restoring trust in institutions. The best way to do this is to mete out extremely harsh punishments against powerful people who abused this trust.
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M L Clark @mlclark.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Gooood morning sinners~! 🙃
Four panel comic from Pizza Cake Comic (on Patreon as pizzacakecomic).

First panel:

A shoulder demon says, "I just had a Zoom meeting with my boss and he said empathy is a sin now."

Second panel:

Hapless Soul: ...What?

Shoulder Demon: Yeah.

Third panel:

Shoulder Demon: So I guess I'm supposed to tempt you to... care about others?

Fourth panel:

Hapless Soul: I'm confused.

Shoulder Demon: Me too.
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Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
The TESLA (a/k/a "TESLER") TAKEDOWN is working... WORLDWIDE! Turns out people really resent an unelected weirdo running our Government & creating economic chaos. Hit Elmo where it really hurts: in his big, fat wallet. If we #TankTesla, It's Ex-X! (a/k/a Twitter) #WinWin Visit www.takedowntesla.com
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Lauren Ashley Davis @laurenmeidasa.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
FBI investigates blazes at Las Vegas Tesla showroom as potential terrorism Federal law enforcement is looking into at least three other Molotov cocktail incidents at Tesla showrooms across US www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
FBI investigates blazes at Las Vegas Tesla showroom as potential terrorism
Federal law enforcement is looking into at least three other Molotov cocktail incidents at Tesla showrooms across US
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Microplastics Sommelier @leastactionhero.bsky.social · 27/06/2024
einstein sent this to curie in 1911 when she was being harassed by tabloids. it contains everything you’d want in such a letter: (1) your haters are trash (2) you’re a baller, a true queen (3) i have determined the statistical law of motion of the diatomic molecule in planck’s radiation field 🧪⚛️
Prague, 23 November 1911
Highly esteemed Mrs. Curie,
Do not laugh at me for writing you without having anything sensible to say.
But I am so enraged by the base manner in which the public is presently daring to concern itself with you!? that I absolutely must give vent to this feeling. However, I am convinced that you consistently despise this rabble, whether it obsequiously lavishes respect on you or whether it attempts to satiate its lust for sensationalism!
I am impelled to tell you how much I have come to admire your intellect, your drive, and your honesty, and that I consider myself lucky to have made your personal acquaintance in Brussels. Anyone who does not number among these reptiles is certainly happy, now as before, that we have such personages among us as you, and Langevin(3) too, real people with whom one feels privileged to be in contact. If the rabble continues to occupy itself with you, then simply don't read that hogwash, but rather leave it to the reptile for whom i
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A.R. Moxon @juliusgoat.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
I don’t use this word much but these are traitors. time.com/7268499/sena...
time.com
Here Are the Democrats Who Voted to Avert a Shutdown
Nearly a dozen Senate Democrats joined Republicans to avert a shutdown with just hours to spare.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
guys they're going to stop feeding TSA's bomb-sniffing dogs, per Fox News nat security correspondent:
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Hank Green @hankgreen.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Yall better be both sharing the Stand up for Science posts /and/ figuring out how to get your butt to one of them! @standupforscience.bsky.social
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James Medlock @jdcmedlock.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Shocking the extent to which a lot of the GOP is committed to killing their own voters
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Pink @pinkwug.bsky.social · 21/09/2023
Panel 1: A pink wug holding a protest sign says to a pair of purple wugs holding hands: "look, I'm really a live and let live type of guy".

Panel 2: The sign is revealed to be a no car sign. The pink wug continues: "I just don't think the government should cater to it". The first purple wug has the thinking emoji face and says "hmm". The second purple wug says quietly: "I will add this to the gay agenda".
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Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
This x10000000000 “In other words: We, the opposition, are the majority. Take heart.” www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/they-are-a...
hamiltonnolan.com
They Are a Minority
Get your mind right.
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Gratuitous Silence @gratuitoussilence.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Cuomo isn’t the next anything, and the polling proves it.
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Gratuitous Silence @gratuitoussilence.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
People keep writing that diabetes can never be reversed. But Type 2 diabetes can, 80% of this time. (No paywall) archive.is/SH2Xa
archive.is
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Gratuitous Silence @gratuitoussilence.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
There something about Trump no one is talking about. The Supremacy Clause of Article VI of the Constitution says that the Constitution, the laws, and the treaties we sign are “the supreme Law of the Land.” When Trump shreds our treaties, it’s the same as shredding our laws.
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✨️ Steph ✨️ @zapoo.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Curious how quickly the swine are implementing Project 2025? Be curious no longer!! It's all being tracked right here: www.project2025.observer #bluecrew #proudblue #resist #project2025
project2025.observer
Project 2025 Tracker
Track the progress on Project 2025
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Gratuitous Silence @gratuitoussilence.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
They gave AI chatbots the MoCA test for cognitive decline. They all failed. pivot-to-ai.com/2025/02/18/a...
pivot-to-ai.com
AI chatbots test as having cognitive decline
You know how chatbots can do fine in short bursts, but then you ask them how many ‘R’s there are in “strawberry” and they act like they’ve got a concussion? For the British Medical Journal’s Christ…
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Gratuitous Silence @gratuitoussilence.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
Russ Vought is the man behind Trump’s executive order strategy. He wrote an essay in 2022 that explained it all. www.vox.com/on-the-right...
vox.com
The obscure manifesto that explains the Trump-Musk power grab
Russ Vought, Trump’s OMB director, wrote an essay in 2022 that reads like a blueprint for what was to come.
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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
I have been getting a surprising number of questions about CIA's low-confidence announcement that they believe SARS-CoV-2 came from a lab. A few comments in 🧵, but to summarize: 1️⃣ No new intelligence 2️⃣ No new report 3️⃣ No evidence exist to support SARS-CoV-2 came from lab 4️⃣ Usual nonsense More 👇
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Greg Olear @gregolear.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Someone needs to make a Trump Body Count tracker and display it on a big building somewhere. He starts at 300,000 preventable covid deaths and the number’s just going to explode.
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SpryOldLorax @spryoldlorax.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
All of this could have been avoided by just having everyone who showed up for Biden and Dems in 2020 show up for Harris and Dems in 2024. It was literally that easy. We are facing down untold suffering, disease, disaster, and death b/c of ridiculous "Both sides are the same" nonsense.
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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Oh boy
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m @keptsimple.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
a good example of how the world is getting dumber. the new politico playbook writer didn't know who FDR was until a reader told him about that whole "new deal" thing. this newsletter is read by every important person in DC.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
I cannot tell you fucking dumb these statements are. The US govt spends a ton on contractors (including NGOs) to do stuff. Anything deemed not inherently governmental *by law* is legally required to be outsourced (see Circular A-76). This is how we have structured out govt forever!
Elon Musk and Bill Ackman agree that the us govt can use tax money to ffund NGOs that the government is not permitted to do itself.
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Gratuitous Silence @gratuitoussilence.bsky.social · 26/01/2025
Ted Cruz ironically predicted Ted Cruz
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Nsikan Akpan @monscience.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
NIH appears to have canceled/postponed all of its study sections—the independent review panels that approve federal grants for health research. Such grants fund the work/salaries of 300k people at more than 2,500 institutions
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PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 @patriottakes.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Elon Musk gave two back to back Nazi salutes at the Trump inauguration parade
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Philip Sink | Rorty Vindicator @thrillhouse1701.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
This might be the most embarrassing thing I've ever read. In addition to (multiple!) unforced errors in trying to explain incompleteness, the conclusion is just insane. www.forbes.com/sites/teddym...
forbes.com
Gödel’s Theorem Through The Lens Of Leadership
Mathematician Kurt Gödel died 47 years ago today, but his Theorem lives on, in ways far beyond its original scope.
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EssenViews @essenviews.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
This is worrying.
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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 13/01/2025
related note: said this before but JAMES MADISON HIMSELF, author of the Bill of Rights, PERSONALLY DRAFTED a damn strict gun control law for the state of Virginia. the """originalism""" in Bruen is utter horseshit
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Dr. Canuck, MD @drcanuckmd.medsky.social · 11/01/2025
Sharing with permission. Please read/share. Some of you probably know who I’m talking about but one of our friends who spent time and effort fighting bigotry and misinformation was stalked, harassed, and kicked out of medical school because of it. Here is a snippet of his story in his own words: 🧵
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Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
⚠️ In response to Musk changing the X algorithm to deboost negative content, people asked Grok what is considered “negative” and were told: • Criticism of the government • Commentary about misinformation • Suggestion the public is being manipulated • Attacks against powerful people or institutions
Answer
Under the new algorithm, posts by [redacted] could be considered too
negative might include those that express strong dissent against established narratives or institutions, or those that portray a very bleak or cynical view of societal or political outcomes. Here are some examples based on posts found on X:
• Posts that directly attack or insult powerful figures or institutions could be seen as too negative, especially if they suggest systemic manipulation or deceit. This includes posts that question official narratives or imply widespread misinformation by political influencers.
• Comments on the manipulation of public sentiment or the encouragement of negative social behaviors, like casual sadism or misinformation, would likely be viewed negatively under an algorithm designed to reduce the spread of content that could be seen as objectionable or divisive.• Posts that highlight a perceived collapse or failure of systems, particularly those that use sarcasm or humor to critique the current state of affairs, might be flagged for promoting a negative outlook.
• Any content suggesting that the public is being systematically misled or conditioned in a certain way, especially if it involves political outcomes or public health crises, could be deemed too negative.
These types of posts might be deboosted or have their visibility reduced as they could be seen as promoting negativity, misinformation, or discord, which are often targeted by algorithms aiming to maintain a more positive or balanced user experience.If X wants to limit reach for [redacted] negative posts, what are the top 5 examples of posts of hers that X considers negative?

Answer
X might consider limiting the reach of C posts based on the following examples, which could be perceived as negative or controversial:
1. Criticism of Government Actions: A post where she describes actions by the US and UK governments as
"unforgivable malfeasance" could be seen as highly critical and potentially inflammatory. This kind of statement might be flagged for its political nature and could be interpreted as negative by X's algorithms or moderation policies.
2. Commentary on Social Media Misinformation: Her post about people who downplayed the USS Liberty story while pushing another narrative suggests a critique of selective information dissemination. This could be viewed as negative if it's seen as promoting conspiracy theories or misinformation.
Accusations Against Public Figures: Mentioning Joel Kaplan's collaboration with the Israeli government to restrict criticism on social media platforms might be viewed negatively due to its accusatory tone towards individuals or entities. Such posts can be controversial and might trigger moderation for potentially spreading unverified claims.4. Disparaging Comments in Replies: In her responses, particularly one where she tells someone to "fuck off" and dismisses their content as "dumbass hostage flyers," this kind of vulgar and confrontational language could be flagged for violating community guidelines on civility and respect.
5. Skepticism and Derision Towards Media or Events:
Posts where she expresses extreme skepticism or mocks the authenticity of certain events or communications, like her comment on the difference in writing styles of letters in a case, might be considered negative due to the tone of disbelief and derision.
These posts could be considered for reach limitation by X due to their potential to engage users in a negative or controversial manner, possibly attracting more negative feedback or violating platform policies on misinformation, personal attacks, or civility. However, the actual decision by X would depend on their specific content moderation policies and algorithms regarding negative content.
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Benjamin Riley @benjaminjriley.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
Who is up for a short thread on the intriguing parallels between OpenAI and Enron, as told by one of Enron's investment bankers -- that is to say, me? Here goes...
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Interesting As Fuck @interestingail.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Singer Nick Patera has the ability to switch between both male and female vocals at will
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Seth Abramson @sethabramson.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
AOC is the best
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Angry @angrystaffer.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Happy Ashli Babbit FAFO day to all who celebrate
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Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
We desperately need an ideological and political tactics insurgency within the Democratic Party. Because despite massive losses the party has made clear it has no interest in changing or adapting.
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Gratuitous Silence @gratuitoussilence.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
How much are you losing to NIMBYism? $16,000 a year! worksinprogress.co/issue/the-ho...
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