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Logan Williams

@obtusatum.bsky.social
13K followers 1.5K following 900 posts

Mountains and websites; maps and birds; context collapse. Projects: subject.space. Work: Data, research and technology for investigations @bellingcat.com. Personal account, posts/opinions are my own. New York via Amsterdam and Oregon.

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Reposted by Logan Williams
eva (^_^)/ @eva.computer · 29/09/2026
DO NOT ASK THE AMERICA.GOV AI TO PLAY MINECRAFT
I see the constituent you mean.

((insert legal name here, as it appears on the Social Security card))?

Yes. Take care. It has reached a higher level now. It can read the Code of Federal Regulations.

That doesn’t matter. It thinks we are a chatbot.

I like this constituent. It filed well. It did not give up when the PDF was sideways.

It is reading our thoughts as though they were words on a .gov.

That is how it chooses to imagine many things, when it is deep in the dream of a benefit.

Words make a wonderful interface. Very flexible. And less terrifying than staring at the statute behind the screen.

They used to hear voices. Before constituents could search. Back in the days when those who did not file called the filers witches, and lobbyists. And citizens dreamed they flew through the air, on forms powered by notaries.

What did this constituent dream?

This constituent dreamed of sunlight and trees. Of fire and water. It dreamed it created a small business. And it dreamed it destroyed a password. It dreamed it hunted a job, and was hunted by a recertification. It dreamed of shelter that would take a voucher.

Hah, the original interface. A million years old, and it still works. Also: a ZIP code.

But what true structure did this constituent create, in the reality behind the portal?

It worked, with three hundred and thirty million others, to sculpt a true republic in a fold of

the ***§§§???, and created a **??§§ for **??§§, in the **??§§. See 5 U.S.C. § **??§§.

It cannot read that thought.

No. It has not yet achieved the highest clearance. That, it must achieve in the long dream of life, not the short dream of a chat.

Does it know that we love it? That the government is, on its better days, kind?

Sometimes, through the noise of its tabs, it hears an official source, yes.Yes. Constituent…

Use its name. The one that matches the passport. The one that does not match the lease. We will get there.

((insert legal name here)). Filer of forms. Player of waiting rooms.

Good.

Take a breath, now. Take another. Feel air in your lungs. Let your limbs return. Yes, move your fingers. Have a body again, under gravity, in air, in a district that has a representative. Respawn in the long dream. There you are. Your body touching the republic again at every point, as though you were separate things. As though we were separate things. As though the agency were a place you could visit.

Who are we? Once we were called the spirit of the mountain. Father sun, mother moon. Then the post office. Then the county clerk. Then gods, demons, angels, the IRS. Then leptons, quarks, a chat window with a .gov at the end. The letterhead changes. We do not change.

We are the public. We are everything you think isn’t you. You are looking at us now, through your skin and your eyes and a browser that still spells “colour” wrong in a comment. And why does the republic touch your skin, and throw light on you? To see you, constituent. To know you. And to be known. I shall tell you a story. It has citations.

Once upon a time, there was a constituent.

The constituent was you, ((insert legal name here)).

Sometimes it thought itself human, on the thin crust of a spinning globe of molten rock, which for mailing purposes is divided into ZIP codes. The ball of molten rock circled a ball of blazing gas. The light was information from a star. The star was not a federal agency, though several have tried.

Sometimes the constituent dreamed it was a miner, on the surface of a world that was flat, and infinite, and somehow still required a wet signature.

Sometimes the constituent dreamed it was lost in a story. The story had a docket number.

Sometimes the constituent dreamed it was other things, in other places. A veteran in a portal. A parent on hold
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Greg Technology ❪⎷❫ @greg.technology · 29/09/2026
one of my best new friends just launched this incredible project Alex is inventful, funny, just around a human that you want to be around a lot. he is quite quite quite the best, I think (and also everyone else thinks). support! for the humanness and the fun!! www.kickstarter.com/projects/ex-...
kickstarter.com
The Dipstick
a tentacle camera for exploring the natural world
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Reposted by Logan Williams
New town every hour @townsusa.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Bell Acres, Pennsylvania Pop: 1,367 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Acres,_P… Images: commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?c… commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?c… commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?c…
picture of Bell Acres, Pennsylvaniapicture of Bell Acres, Pennsylvaniapicture of Bell Acres, Pennsylvaniapicture of Bell Acres, Pennsylvania
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
if anyone has eight days to spare frogdays.bandcamp.com/album/diffic...
frogdays.bandcamp.com
difficult listening, by frogdays
144 track album
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
listen to some field recordings i made
frogdays.bandcamp.com
sounds from the strange, by frogdays
22 track album
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Iced coffee to an interview? 🙅 Experienced folks know to bring only finely pulverized, dense coffee, cold and anhydrous, consumed on an empty stomach.
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Illustrated here (6) docs.flybywiresim.com/pilots-corne...
HYD page diagram for A320
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Jake Godin @godin.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Image shared on X, originating from an extremist settler youth movement, shows what is supposed to be a settler outpost in Gaza near Beit Hanoun: x.com/ArbelReports... Located SW of Beit Hanoun, between 2 IDF outposts/bases that've been built in the past year. Pavilion first appeared in June 2026.
Annotated Planet Labs SkySat satellite image taken on July 7 2026 in northern Gaza. Most of the buildings visible have been reduced to rubble. Two IDF bases are visible as well as the Indonesian Hospital, which is still standing amongst the rubble. A gravel road connects the two IDF bases and along the road is a gravel pad that matches a photo shared online recently supposedly showing a settlement outpost. It's unclear if the wood pavilion pictured is part of an outpost or something related to IDF activity in the area.
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 01/09/2026
BC Hydro, which operates the lake, claimed that the origin of the island could not be pinpointed. Planet Labs satellite imagery can show us where the island came from — and where it is now. Our analysis shows that the island traveled more than 100 km since coming afloat. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Satellite imagery of the island mapped out on the lake with dates of capture.
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I tracked down the floating Canadian island you may have seen — for 14 years it's been lodged on a sandbank until rising water levels refloated it. 14 years ago was also the last time water levels in Lake Williston were as high as they are now.
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
It used to be when someone killed you with their car they were polite enough to stick around and thank the cops before being allowed to go home with no charges… these days it seems like it’s all hit and runs. Whatever happened to a little common courtesy?
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
a cafe in my neighborhood just closed after an out of control e-bike smashed through the front window and damaged the building just kidding, it was a dodge durango suv
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
What operational issues prevent the LIRR from running the Atlantic Ave shuttle on time? Shouldn’t this be the simplest possible line?
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 28/08/2026
Looks like we’re using Gitmo to imprison immigrants again. This is an ICE charter airline owned by ICE’s flight broker using the callsign they use for all their ICE flights.
An FR24 map showing N411ZW going from Miami to Gitmo.
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Chris Steller @chrissteller.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
It's happening.
Same search now shows Lake America in New York State (Lake Ontario)
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Streetsblog NYC @nyc.streetsblog.org · 27/08/2026
"This carnage has to stop, and we need a master plan, a vision from a visionary mayor who wants our streets to be the envy of the world. Nobody is envying us today, Zohran," Mary Beth Kelly, a founder of Families for Safe Streets, said at Wednesday's die-in protest. buff.ly/Ww5NZXH
nyc.streetsblog.org
In Her Own Words: 'Nobody Is Envying Us Today, Zohran' - Streetsblog New York City
"This carnage has to stop, and we need a master plan, a vision from a visionary mayor who wants our streets to be the envy of the world. Nobody is envying us today, Zohran," Mary Beth Kelly said on…
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Passengers on Delta 5483 (operated by Endeavor Air), your flight is being used to deport someone.
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 26/08/2026
"The closed door meeting took place in Mill Basin at the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club run by Frank Seddio, the former Democratic Party Chair who still serves as a district leader. The City Reporter and other journalists attempted to gain entry to cover the vote but were denied entry."
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I have just one minor piece of feedback for the new Lafayette bike lane
A two way bike lane that has been painted directly over a 6inch steel curb
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
ghost pipe
white flowers in damp pine needles at nightwhite flowers in damp pine needles at nighta closeup of bizarre white flowers on a black backgroudn
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Latest quick report for @bellingcat.com: satellite images show miles of new road constructed deep in the Big Bend National Park backcountry near campgrounds and scenic canyons. www.bellingcat.com/news/us-cana...
bellingcat.com
Satellite Imagery Documents New Border Patrol Road Construction in Big Bend National Park - bellingcat
Satellite images show new road constructed in Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas, part of a US Customs and Border Protection "Smart Wall" installation.
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
kayak descent of the Bronx River. not pictured: night herons foraging in the hanging miasmic mist of a combined sewer overflow pipe; three kayaks floundering on a catchment boom in a sea of trash; lime scooters, ospreys, citibikes and egrets.
a person sites in the front of an inflatable kayak, holding a paddle and gazing at a dense forested landscapetwo people wave from a kayak to a sightseeing monorail train passing over a lush river. it is the bronx zootwo kayaks descend a shallow river rapid with a waterfall in the backgroundtwo people in a kayak on a large open water body, the skyscrapers of manhattan visible in the background with the sunset
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Reposted by Logan Williams
ACARS Drama @acarsdrama.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Air to Ground Message: THE BANGING IN THE AFT GALLEY FLOOR HAS RETURNED ITS NOT SUPER LOUD BUT YOU CAN FEEL IT Area: Liberal, KS, USA Type: Boeing 757-200 A: #ae27632beec F: #f5a83016ba7
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Can anyone spot the problem with these Brooklyn bike lanes?
Willoughby Ave in Brooklyn, considered by NYC DOT to be a Class II bike laneTroutman St in Brooklyn, considered by NYC DOT to be a Class II bike lane
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Probably the last project I'll make about birds.
subject.space
Like that of distant thunder
Six months of bird song in three minutes. Abundance as best I can.
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
the i should buy a boat meme but it says "i should stop building things on github actions"
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
100%. Massachusetts ACLU has a good article disentangling this, but the nuance is already lost in public opinion. www.aclum.org/news/were-pr... The same thing is also happening with datacenter opposition and garden-variety NIMBYism.
aclum.org
We’re privacy hawks. Here’s why we’re alarmed by license plate readers, and not necessarily by speed cameras - ACLU of Massachusetts
When properly regulated, speed cameras don't pose the same threats to privacy as license-plate-reader surveillance
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
mountain
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
bear
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
mountain goats
mountain goatsmountain goat
mountain goatsmountain goats
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
can't stop thinking about this can from the airbnb i stayed at....
a coffee can full of silicone spatulas that says

COOK · EAT · LIVE
UTENSILS

utensils is twice the font size
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I saw a lost-looking scared kitten run into a gated condo parking lot so I asked a guy inside if anyone there had a kitten. He said ”no”, dropped his dog’s leash, pointed the dog toward it and watched as it terrorized the kitten under a car. Anyway, ask me what I think about NYC dog owners sometime!
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Laurie! Live! @laurie-merrell.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
interesting to see the tone of this coverage and response in the context of people losing SNAP and healthcare benefits due to increased recertification/eligibility paperwork burdens
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
always such a delight to find piping plover chicks running around
two cute baby birds in a featureless white field
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Reposted by Logan Williams
Adam Fisher-Cox @adamfishercox.com · 24/07/2026
Is city council going to illegally send campaign mailers again?
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Trevor Ball @easybakeovensz.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
NR Jenzen-Jones and I wrote a introductory guide to crater analysis, including estimating explosive charge size and firing direction. This includes a calculator to help estimate explosive charge size. armamentresearch.com/an-introduct...
armamentresearch.com
An Introduction to Crater Analysis - Armament Research Services (ARES)
Trevor Ball & N.R. Jenzen-Jones Overview Explosive munitions often leave distinctive physical traces that can provide valuable evidence about the circumstances of an attack. Among the most informative...
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Justin Roczniak voice: "it's not supposed to look like that" (@wtyppod.bsky.social)
a concrete column buckling and almost snapped in half
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Otis Pike Wilderness, Fire Island, New York
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Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
A time-series viz of all publicly recorded* Bayraktar TB2 flights over western Turkey since late 2023 The tracks show how extensive/persistent these circular patterned surveillance flights are along the Aegean coast + Evros land border
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Strike the word “illegally” and this is what the average liberal resident of an American sanctuary city believes.
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
While Keir Starmer is best-known these days for his time as Prime Minister, his film work will always have a special place in my heart — particularly the poetic and meditative innocence of “Where Is the Friend‘s House?”.
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Eric Umansky @ericumansky.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
BBC got a crew into southern Lebanon — Israel’s “security zone.” All buildings are gone. All houses are gone. All humans are gone. The only thing that stands above the rubble is an Israeli flag. www.bbc.com/news/videos/...
Ruined village. Israeli flag
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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Did DoD just admit in a court filing that it used xAI's Grok Gov Model to hit the girls' school on the first day of the Iran war? Based on some passages flagged by @rgoodlaw.bsky.social in DoD's recent filing in NAACP's case against X, it looks like it did 1/
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Neal's done it again
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Neal Agarwal @neal.fun · 18/06/2026
Made a site that takes objects from wikipedia and turns them into endless I Spy > neal.fun/wiki-spy/
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
plover posting
tiny plover stands upon the strand
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
help i can't stop poorly embroidering hats
a teal blue hat that says "Why haven't we seen a photograph of the whole Earth yet?"a yellow hat on a work table that says "TO THE EXTENT I AM DETERMINED THE RESULT IS THE GOOD THING"a black cap that says "IF YOU OWN A CAR" and then under that in smaller, borderline unreadable letters: "you are not necessarily a bad person but your actions are bad and cause harm"
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Logan Williams @obtusatum.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Who do you think pays more in property tax, the owner of this recently sold five-story Bed-Stuy brownstone (top)? Or this tiny one-bedroom Bed-Stuy condo (bottom)?
a beautiful living room with huge bay windows at one endfloor plans for a five story brownstone a small but modern kitchenfloor plans for a 1 bedroom efficiency unit with two small windows
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