Sign in

Jon Webb

@jonawebb.bsky.social
881 followers 217 following 2.6K posts

Quaker living in Philly. Married to @jwebbster. If you are rude you will be blocked. He/him.

PostsRepliesMedia
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
We were away for a few days so, to punish us, the cat has turned invisible.
Siamese cat hiding under bed cover.
030
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Michelle Smit at Massey University (NZ) tracked cat activities using motion collars. The top activities were: sitting, which occupied them for 20.1 to 41.4 per cent of their time, while a whopping 34.8 to 52.9 per cent went to the really important one: lying. www.newscientist.com/article/2590...
newscientist.com
Researcher finds that cats lie around for a ridiculous amount of time | New Scientist
Feedback digs into important work done in New Zealand into the movements of cats, which found – to no one's great surprise – that their favourite activity is "lying", followed by "sitting"
030
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Driving across Pennsylvania (the Turnpike) in an electric car with not great range (2023 Chevy Bolt EV) is like traveling with a dog or small child. You have to plan ahead where you're going to stop and charge. But the Turnpike has chargers every few rest stops, so it's not a big deal.
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Leaving "Resident Evil" (a fun, meaningless, well-directed horror movie), ahead of me was a grandmother and her teenage grandchild. "I can't believe you talked me into going to that! I'm probably going to have nightmares for weeks!" Bonding experiences are where you find them.
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We now have rigorous pooled data showing that even without active restoration efforts, cleared rainforest can rebound to 75% of their former species composition and 90% of species diversity within just thirty years. #goodnews
optimistdaily.com
Rainforest biodiversity rebounds within a single generation | The Optimist Daily
A major Ecuador study finds cleared rainforests can recover 90 percent of their species diversity in just 30 years, as long as humans leave the land alone.
61042455
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Some day these rogue AI systems are going to do something nasty to Trump and we'll be like, hmm...
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I'm not usually interested in celebrity interviews but something about this piqued my interest. I'm glad I read it. What a remarkable, horrifying life. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/m...
nytimes.com
Sylvester Stallone Hid His Struggles for Decades. Now He’s Coming Clean. (Gift Article)
The legendary actor on his disturbing childhood, his Hollywood missteps and the pain he caused to his loved ones, his body and himself.
162
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Guy just walked past on his phone, "I can't wait until AI can do the jobs of people. I'll never hire another person again. AI won't tell me it won't. AI won't tell me it can't." Sounds like a guy who could be replaced by AI.
020
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
We're staying in a Victorian b&b in Beaver. PA, and I cannot figure the town out. There are tons of well-kept shops, clean wide streets and sidewalks, numerous amenities, etc. Millions of dollars in investment and maintenance and there's no way the population here could support this economy.
010
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The networks banning coverage of Trump becoming seeing but not hearing him works well for me. I've never had a problem seeing him standing around, a goofy looking old billionaire. It's hearing him that I can't stand. So after the ban is over, could we please bring back the cameras but not the mikes?
010
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I've thought that tearing down the Trump ballroom doesn't really make sense—surely the next president could remove the garish decoration and use the building, a ballroom would be useful. But this makes me think the best option would be to rebuild from scratch. wapo.st/4hk45vL
wapo.st
‘I am the code’: Trump clashed with ballroom architect over safety issues
James McCrery II resigned in October after warning that the president was insisting on designs that violated fire and safety codes.
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
Oliver Willis @owillis.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
i think the best "electability" argument isnt race, gender or resume. its the person who attracts the most dedicated, genuine, organic support. sometimes that has been barack obama. sometimes it was donald trump. but thats the real electability.
26913
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I find CVS's pricing of common items like toothpaste to be a real barrier to buying anything. It's so confusing how much something costs—some things are packaged two in one box, others buy one get one 50% off, there are various sizes etc—that it's impossible to know if you're getting ripped off.
010
Reposted by Jon Webb
Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 17/09/2026
Over at the newsletter I wrote about the media's total failure to responsibly cover batshit claims that software has gained human-level awareness and will soon kill us all
karlbode.com
AI Doomsday Panic Is Completely Out Of Control
The press obsession with software-powered doomsday is a misdirection overshadowing a much deadlier reality: our public interest regulators no longer function.
20554117
Reposted by Jon Webb
Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
BREAKING: TV pool will not be providing coverage of presidential events until further notice b/c of CNN's ban, pool chair and FOX News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton said. It's effectively a boycott by the fellow members — ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
805149273701
Reposted by Jon Webb
The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 19/09/2026
If the AI future goes sideways, bots won’t be to blame—people will, @karaswisher.bsky.social told @adriennelaf.bsky.social at The Atlantic Festival:
bit.ly
Kara Swisher: AI Isn’t Going to Destroy Humanity—But the People Building It Might
The longtime tech journalist says she’s seen Silicon Valley make the same mistakes again and again.
17831
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The reaction of the news media still allowed into the White House to hear our Dear Leader's pearls of wisdom to the banning of CNN, Politico, and MS Now is as if the host of a dinner party shot dead three guests and everyone left said, "Oh, that's just not done! Now, what's for dessert?"
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
My little website (phillyactions.org) listing all the actions, protests, etc in Philly has broken through! I hadn't checked the logs for weeks. Just did and it's like 7x the average daily traffic! So satisfying!
phillyactions.org
Philly Actions Calendar
010
Reposted by Jon Webb
David M. Schulman 🦅 @schul.dev · 18/09/2026
jim morrison's dad gave that order. favorite thing i've learned so far from the @andrewhickey.500songs.com podcast
141
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I don't know where the data for this would come from. I can see how AIs could get increasingly better at say math. But what about everything else that matters? As Robin Williams said in "Good Will Hunting", what about the smell in the Sistine Chapel? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/s...
nytimes.com
The Liftoff Scenario That Terrifies A.I. Doomsayers (Gift Article)
“Recursive self-improvement” is the idea that artificial intelligence could learn to build and train itself, creating exponential new progress — and risk.
010
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Grew up in Shadyside.
010
Reposted by Jon Webb
Lawrence Hurley @lawrencehurley.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
BREAKING: Supreme Court won't allow Trump to enforce Postal Service mail-in ballot regulation ahead of the midterm elections
819345
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I just finally finished Half Man. I found it very hard to take but find it to be one of the most impressive series I've ever seen on television.
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Ayatollah Khamenei and Mitch McConnell—separated at birth? (Death?)
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"People are really mad and however mad you are, it’s not enough. Because there is something so profound about no longer believing in the future, about seeing no value in our shared home, in the natural world. They’re traitors to creation.” www.theguardian.com/books/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Naomi Klein: ‘Extreme wealth has a deranging effect. It turns you into a supremacist’
She’s tackled neoliberalism and the digital world, now the writer and activist is taking on tech billionaires. She explains how the super-rich are capitalising on climate and financial chaos in pursui...
6539011325
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I'm thinking what we really need to do is find a way to punish AIs that misbehave. You don't keep people in line only by raising them and telling them to behave. There's also a threat that if they don't they could end up in jail, or not having friends etc. We need something like that for bad AIs.
020
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It's natural to try to figure out the motivations of people with power so you can tell what they're going to do next, and possibly influence them. But with Trump and Fetterman you really don't have to. They're fixed. They're not going to change.
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The payments are likely illegal to receive, which is not a problem so long as you stay in Trump's good graces so he can pardon you. See the catch? He's involved you in crime, but only he can let you out. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Doled Out $45,000 Cash Gifts to Natalie Harp and Other Aides Last Year (Gift Article)
The money, listed as “cash gift for the holidays,” was detailed in financial disclosure forms released by the administration.
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Watching the AI warnings is like seeing an ad for Cyberdyne technologies where they show robots driving over a pile of skulls with the tagline "coming in 2023" and everybody goes, meh.
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
Gianmarco Soresi @gianmarcosoresi.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Finally saw Obsession and I’m so freaked out but if my gf tries to comfort me it only makes it worse
72445
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Ok I know there's more to this story. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...
nytimes.com
Sinkhole Opens at Nicolas Cage’s Malibu Home, Forcing Evacuations (Gift Article)
The expanding sinkhole formed under the driveway of a house that the actor bought in 2024. Dozens of other homes were evacuated.
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The whole Republicans in Texas/Grindr discussion feels like homophobia to me. Not cool even if it's directed at Republicans.
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 07/09/2026
worth tying this into the political economy of the slave south as well. from roughly the 1820s onwards, slavery became enormously lucrative in ways that had never been seen before. slave traders became millionaires. large planters had tremendous purchasing power. just huge amounts of wealth.
8157211153
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The campaign against mail-in voting reminds me of the deportations. One goal is to stop mail-in voting; that may fail, but the secondary effect is to scare people away from it. And that is getting help from people like us, who amplify fear.
100
Reposted by Jon Webb
Patton Oswalt @pattonoswalt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Apparently people are sharing this far and wide on social media, which I think is horrible. This could cripple ICE operations. PLEASE do not share this.
15223965216058
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
One thing to keep in mind about about mail-in voting is that the administration can accomplish it's goal in two ways: actually blocking mail-in votes from being delivered, or making people think it's useless to try. Fewer people using mail-in voting likely means fewer Democratic votes.
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The lead alone, of the WSJ article on Fetterman www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
"One morning in June, three paralyzed military veterans in wheelchairs from rural Pennsylvania arrived at the office of Sen. John Fetterman for a long-awaited meeting to discuss legislation that would improve their care. 

Fetterman’s staff greeted them with bad news: The Pennsylvania Democrat had to cancel. He’d told his staff he may have eaten something bad and wasn’t feeling well, according to people familiar with the matter.

Less than an hour after his staffers met with the veterans in his place, Fetterman walked into his office, showing no signs of illness. He had an appointment he didn’t want to miss, he told staff: an interview on Fox News to discuss Israel and the war in Iran. "
1133585
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
People should start talking about what they'd like to see built to replace Trump's abominations. Not just talking about tearing then down. What should replace the ballroom? Say, a smaller ballroom + visitor's center?
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
brent sewer socialist🚰🌹 @therealbrent.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This is how Fetterman responded to a proposed meeting with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) because they were worried about Medicaid cuts, holy shit this guy needs to resign tonight
26825217
Reposted by Jon Webb
The Onion @theonion.com · 04/09/2026
“Whether you’ve been sideswiped by a tractor-trailer on a two-lane road or dragged through an intersection by a furniture delivery truck, you can now easily plot a course that fully accommodates your mangled body.” — Jasmine Harper, lead product developer
theonion.com
Google Maps Introduces Crawling Directions For Cyclists Hit By Truck
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA—Touting the new feature as yet another innovation to help every traveler get where they’re going, Google Maps on Thursday began offering crawling directions for cyclists who have bee...
201166163
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
There's something interesting happening with HBO, superhero series, and race. Watchmen explored a world where Blacks received reparations, and the hero was a Black woman. Now, in Lanterns, the conflict is between a white guy who got the job by default, and a Black guy who's far more competent.
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It's easy to be pessimistic, even terrified, of the future, especially here. But there are reasons for optimism. We are ending centuries where energy, communication, and knowledge were hoarded by a small number of wealthy nations and entering an era where they will be available to anyone anywhere.
000
Reposted by Jon Webb
Cutscene Jensen @eggover1979.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Reminds me of the fact that Arnold couldn't do the German dub of the Terminator, since his Austrian accent sounds like a yokel to German audiences, which lead to this hilarious, sadly deleted scene in Terminator 3. youtu.be/kayFrIR-Qfw
youtu.be
Terminator 3 Sergent Candy Scene
YouTube video by Rohon Nag
014031
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
BTW Apple maps still shows the lake's real name, if it matters to you.
Zoomed in Apple maps screen capture showing Lake Ontario is still named that.
010
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The only potentially positive outcome of the evil being perpetuated by this administration that I can think of is that some of the people deported may build better lives in their home countries. They have connections here, understand our markets, may have saved money. They may create wealth there.
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I have been protesting outside Fetterman's office on a weekly basis for years now. It's gratifying to see that it's impossible for him to win a Democratic primary. (And he can't win as a Republican either since he's pro-choice, good on LGBTQ, etc). www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/u...
nytimes.com
John Fetterman’s Popularity With Republicans Surges, Poll Finds (Gift Article)
Pennsylvania Republicans now view John Fetterman, the state’s Democratic senator, more favorably than its sitting G.O.P. senator, a New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll found.
131
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Doing the math, likely over 40% of NFL players end up with CTE. (Counting the 215 known cases and extrapolating to include another 25% of the unexamined brains, which is still conservative). www.nytimes.com/2026/08/25/u...
nytimes.com
At Least 1 in 4 NFL Players Gets CTE, Major New Study Finds (Gift Article)
The actual prevalence, researchers said, may be much higher.
020
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
My ranking of the Anne Hathaway 2026 movies, so far: Most silly: The End of Oak Street Most tedious: Mother Mary Longest: The Odyssey Best fashion: The Devil Wears Prada 2
000
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I really think a) allowing corporations to feed us content that drives us down conspiracy rabbit holes to increase engagement is a primary reason our country is coming apart at the seams, and b) we can stop allowing it legislatively.
030
Jon Webb @jonawebb.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
They should make a "Survivor"-type show where the goal is to live in a big city on a certain income. You have to find housing, food, transportation. Throw in a language barrier. "Survivor: Singapore."
000