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Michael Lauer

@mrlauer.bsky.social
80 followers 350 following 158 posts

Lurker, dilettante, and occasional poetaster

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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
😂
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
when you work at the BPAF but you’re beginning to realize there’s not going to be a successful IPO
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
And if you can get to a convention, or a really big group with 100+ people, it's life-changing. YouTube videos and choirs doing SH pieces don't prepare you for the real thing.
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
In my (admittedly limited) experience Sacred Harp groups are very friendly, happy to welcome new people. Community is a big part of it.
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victoria scott @victoriascott.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am sympathetic to Silicon Valley guys ascribing human-level consciousness to AI because if I had to talk to people from Silicon Valley all day I’d probably have a real low bar for sentience too
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Pile Of Garbage @pileofgarbage.net · 01/09/2026
I love how Werner Herzog is ALWAYS like this:
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shauna @goldengateblond.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
i know i know “we shouldn’t laugh, that’s how we got trump” but reader i cackled
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"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Folks are understandably taking @mattyglesias.bsky.social to task for the 'HR training' focus, but I am struck by the inability here to recognize an educational failure. It is *your* (/our) job to explain to those voters that the collapse of democracy *will* have a greater impact on their lives.
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Digital Brain @yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Kids recreated the Roman testudo formation and it worked exactly like ancient historians described it
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Hannah Sparwasser Soroka @hannah-historian.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
The fundamental, delicious paradox of studying history is that: 1. These people are radically different from me, and I may never properly understand them. 2. These people are exactly like me.
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
This is magnificent
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Torsten Kathke @kathke.com · 18/07/2026
Whatever your feelings are about AI it is essential to understand that ChatGPT is *not* a search engine even though its output might look similar. If you treat it like one you will provoke mistakes because you don't understand the tool you are using.
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Maureen Johnson @maureenjohnsonbooks.com · 13/07/2026
JKR and her new org apparently helped get the new Amnesty International report on how TERF organizations destroy lives taken down from their site. Well, guess what? The Streisand Effect is real. Here's the entire report in a thread. Read it. Share it.
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Off the top of my head, and maybe I’ll have a completely different list tomorrow Charles Portis, True Grit Glen David Gold, Carter Beats the Devil Percival Everett, James
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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
In the well-over 100,000 documents written by founders included in the Founders Online database from the National Archives, no one uses the phrase "God's noble experiment." No one.
Chuck Schumer: "The founding fathers called America God's noble experiment. I believe in all three words to this day: we are one nation under God, we have clung to noble ideals for longer than any other nation, and we are an experiment always changing, trying to make ourselves better.
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
No, they did not call it that. Please delete this post.
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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
TMZ DC with perhaps the most brutal video from Trump's Great American State Fair, showing Dr. Oz on stage bragging to Dean Cain about how big the crowd is, only for the reporter to pan around and show absolutely nobody is there. Original post: x.com/i/status/207...
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Polly Mackenzie @pollymackenzie.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
My nine year old asked for a Rosetta Stone cake for his birthday
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Helena Fitzgerald @hellafitzgerald.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
[taking the deepest possible breath] the Dutch East India Company was established in 1602,
headline that says “why is trump hosting a cage fight at the White House” with photo of same
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Joe Dator @joedator.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Today's Daily Cartoon for @newyorker.com by Kevin Maher and me.
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This Many Years Ago @thismanyyearsago.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
164 years ago, on the 13th of May 1862, Robert Smalls escaped slavery by capturing the steamboat 'Planter' and steering it through Confederate lines. The US Navy commissioned it as the USS Planter and appointed Smalls as captain, making him the first black man to command a US ship. #otd #history 🗃️
An article on Smalls published in Harper's Weekly, June 14, 1862
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Mark J. Nelson @mm-jj-nn.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
interesting rationale from a prospective juror in the Elon Musk Twitter stock manipulation case
Judge Breyer: Okay. Thank you very much. Juror 96, I think that you also have strong views. Could you set them aside?

Juror 96: I believe that in a criminal trial, I would feel morally obligated to convict. However, in a civil trial, I feel I can set those views aside.

Judge Breyer: That’s interesting.

Juror 96: I’m happy to expand.

Judge Breyer: Sure.

Juror 96: I believe it would be to the benefit of the human race were Mr. Musk to be sent to prison. However, I don’t believe a loss of several hundreds of millions of dollars in a civil trial would be even a drop in the bucket to his wealth, so it doesn’t really matter. Therefore, I would be able to consider the facts.
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michael lutz @ztul.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
i remember learning "there is no silver bullet" in my cs classes and it's bleakly hilarious that all tech speculation now is "what if we made a silver bullet? we will add the line 'you are the silver bullet' to claude's code"
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 05/05/2026
While the world’s eyes are on fashion’s biggest night, we’re turning ours to the garment, retail, and warehouse workers who keep the industry running. From true love found on the picket line to a free tailoring school out of a Brooklyn basement — meet the New Yorkers who make it all possible.
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Chrissy Stroop @thebugbeardispatch.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Richard Dawkins: Trans women aren't real Also Richard Dawkins: AIs are conscious and my Claude is a Claudia
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Charlotte Clymer @charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I realize this is obvious to most but allow me to rant: At the core of Trump's base love for him is a simmering resentment over their mediocrity and gratitude for him making it permissible to be arrogant whilst mediocre. Everything in this cult can be traced back to that. (thread)
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Impromptu (George Sand and Chopin) - it‘s delightful, a word I don’t think I’ve ever used about any other biopic.
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Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Ah! 19 April – 126th anniversary of the day William Butler Yeats kicked Aleister Crowley downstairs as they fought for control of the British branch of the not-at-all-ridiculous Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the Battle of Blythe Road. According to legend, anyway... 🧵
L: A young W B Yeats wearing pince nez and a large bow tie. R: A middle-aged Aleister Crowley wearing a large (possibly homburg) black hat and the ‘I’m mad, me’ expression that he always put on for photos
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Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
I can't stop laughing at this post. It's perfect.
A guy asking ChatGPT to review a series of fart sound effects and getting a serious kiss ass response that calls it atmospheric
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Senator, with respect, I think you need to fire your comms team.
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Sarah E. Bond @sarahebond.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
The best way to explain AI in humanities classrooms is as kudzu. Much as kudzu was introduced in the 19th century and later touted for its ability to stop erosion in the 1930s, AI is invasive, takes constant culling, and instead of stopping erosion is in actuality consuming our individuality.
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ogk...
youtube.com
Cheques - SNL
YouTube video by Saturday Night Live
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
housing is more expensive now, but also a lot safer. this kind of home was considered cream of the crop in the 1980s
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Adrian Bott @cavalorn.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
do I really have the energy for another round of 'why the Easter elements you think are pagan aren't, and why a load of Easter elements most people haven't even heard of probably are'
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
I wrote about Kat.
benhiiv.beehiiv.com
Kat.
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
It's not and they aren't! The opposite! And the star-killing energy-absorbing space microbes aren't even close to the most unbelievable part. But I sorta liked it anyway. I don't understand why.
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 08/03/2026
When all the other time travelers are busy killing Hitler, I’m gonna take out Laura Ingalls Wilder.
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Colin Gorrie @colingorrie.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Written English has barely changed in 300 years. If you can read Harry Potter, you can read Robinson Crusoe (1719).
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
No. It is unreformable. Abolish it.
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Office of Mayor Michelle Wu 吳弭 @mayorwu.boston.gov · 05/02/2026
I just signed an executive order instructing @boston.gov departments to take a range of actions to protect our residents and make clear that we will hold anyone accountable who commits violence, property damage, or any criminal conduct in the City of Boston—including federal officials.
EXECUTIVE ORDER OF MAYOR MICHELLE WU
An Executive Order To Protect Bostonians
From Unconstitutional and Violent Federal Operations
WHEREAS: The City of Boston is the safest major city in America, and remains committed to
ensuring public safety for all its residents and holding all perpetrators of crime
accountable; and
WHEREAS: This commitment to public safety requires the pursuit of justice regardless of the
identity of the victim or the perpetrator; and
WHEREAS: The U.S. Constitution reserves for state and local governments—not the federal
government—certain “police powers,” including providing for public safety1
; and
WHEREAS: The Tenth Amendment enshrines this reality, establishing that state and local
governments hold the authority to enact public safety policies, and prohibiting the
federal government from commandeering state and local resources2
; and
WHEREAS: Courts across the country have held that the federal government cannot compel
the use of local resources for federal immigration enforcement3
; and
WHEREAS: The Boston Trust Act—enacted in 2014, amended in 2019, and reaffirmed in
2024—reflects the City of Boston’s commitment to dedicating resources to
criminal law enforcement, not civil immigration enforcement, consistent with the
Constitution, state law, and the City’s dedication to the community policing that
keeps its neighborhoods safe4
WHEREAS: The federal government has recklessly deployed immigration enforcement agents to American cities, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portland and Lewiston, Maine, and in these deployments, federal agents have fomented chaos, violated residents’ constitutional rights, and perpetrated egregious acts of violence, including the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti; and WHEREAS: The International Association of Chiefs of Police, in recognition of the fear and tension this federal administration has caused nationwide, has called for a renewed “commitment to constitutional protections that safeguard individuals from unlawful or unreasonable searches and seizures, recognizing that public trust and effective policing depend on faithful adherence to these fundamental rights”5 ; and WHEREAS: Federal officials may be subject to criminal prosecution for violations of state law, 6 contrary to the dangerous, unfounded claim by seniormost Trump Administration officials that ICE agents enjoy “absolute immunity”; and WHEREAS: The deployment of federal officials to Minneapolis and St. Paul constitutes an unlawful occupation of those cities, violating the constitution and subverting the Supreme Court’s prohibition on the deployment of National Guard troops to achieve the same coercive goals7 ; and WHEREAS: ICE officials have consistently employed tactics designed to create fear and escalate tension, including wearing masks and hiding their identities, refusing to identify themselves, claiming the right to enter private homes without warrants, and not using body-worn cameras, practices which are unfamiliar to Massachusetts law enforcement, below the high ethical standards reflected in our laws, and all of which jeopardize public safety and order in our communities; and WHEREAS: The official response from senior federal officials to the death and violence caused by ICE operations demonstrates a callous disregard for human life and a willingness to sanction violent attacks on innocent Americans, perpetrated without accountability to law, which undermines public safety in communities across this country; and WHEREAS: In this moment of national crisis, the City of Boston shall continue to prioritize public safety, including protecting residents from violence and ensuring accountability for all who perpetrate it; and WHEREAS: On January 29, 2026, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey issued an executive order and introduced legislation that would prevent ICE from conducting operations in places of worship, courthouses, schools, child care facilities, and hospitals; prevent ICE from making civil arrests in nonpublic areas of state-owned properties; and prohibit ICE from using state-owned properties for staging, processing, and related civil immigration actions8 ; and WHEREAS: The City of Boston has long led the fight against tyranny, rooted in the principle that the United States is a nation of laws, and that governments—federal, state, and local—must respect the law to protect the fundamentally American values of democratic accountability and respect for the dignity of all people; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED: Pursuant to the authority invested in me as the chief executive officer of the City of Boston by St. 1948, c. 452, s. 11, as amended, I, Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston, hereby order and direct as follows: Section 1: De-escalation of Federal Provocations and Provision of First Aid In the event of federal operations, including a surge in ICE agents or other federal officials, the City of Boston, through its public safety agencies, shall ensure, consistent with long-standing practice, that established de-escalation protocols are used to protect peaceful protestors and ensure public safety across the City. 9 In the event that any person is injured when City officials are present, City officials shall immediately summon emergency medical services. First responders shall make all reasonable efforts to render aid according to long-standing protocols established by Boston Emergency Medical Services, the Boston Police Department, the Boston Fire Department, and the Office of Emergency Management.10
Consistent with the Trust Act and state and federal law, nothing in this section shall be interpreted to require or permit obstruction of federal immigration enforcement. Section 2: Transparency in Federal Conduct The City of Boston Public Records Department and the Chief Information Officer shall, consistent with the Massachusetts Public Records Law, work with the Boston Police Department to publicly release video footage of violence or property damage by federal officials captured by Boston Police Department body-worn cameras or other City-controlled surveillance cameras, provided that such release does not unduly interfere with an active criminal investigation, as determined by state and local law enforcement agencies.11 Section 3: Investigation of Criminal Conduct by Federal Officials The City of Boston Communications Department shall, in consultation with the Office of Neighborhood Services, issue guidance to all relevant City departments to provide for communications to residents, through all available channels, that consistent with its statutory authority and longstanding practice, the Boston Police Department shall investigate all violence, property damage, and allegations of criminal conduct, including by federal officials, and appropriately document such incidents; and such investigations shall be independent of parallel federal investigations, if any; and the Boston Police Department shall, whenever appropriate, work in collaboration with and make referrals to the Suffolk County District Attorney or the Massachusetts Attorney General. The City of Boston Law Department shall work with the Boston Police Department in securing complete and timely cooperation from federal agencies, exercising all available legal avenues. Such cooperation shall include, but not be limited
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
The only possible “common sense reform” is to abolish ICE and prosecute every one of its agents.
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Sansa Sandisk @cheatlines.co · 01/02/2026
Thinking about whoever said that by accepting a meal from people and then arresting them ICE agents broke a cultural taboo that was invented by, like, the first humans to set up a tent
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Thomas [DARK MODE], DO @tom.medsky.social · 27/01/2026
Downfall Bovino Edition. You're welcome.
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Josh Zingher @zingherpolisci.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
Thank god Chuck Schumer isn’t alive to see this.
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
You are in a position to do something about it. Will you?
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
If only you were in a position of power to exercise some kind of leverage against the administration to make this happen.
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
my Blackest opinion is that the presumption of conflict between "America has a long and deeply rooted history of violence" and "we can and should fight against today's version of that, as did those who came before us" is less a philosophical debate about how to treat the past and more a skill issue
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Michael Lauer @mrlauer.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
What exactly do you hope to accomplish with this?
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Starfire’s Deranged Neocon Foreign Policy Podcast @irhottakes.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
My crank opinion is that like 85% of the bad shit going on now would have been avoided if elites had held the line that it's the Gulf of Mexico.
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