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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Walking off enough of the anxious energy to allow me to sleep through the dystopian nightmares

Screenshot of the iPhone step counter showing that I’ve averaged > 11 miles / day over the last month

Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Share the last photo of the sky from your camera roll. Philly hit me with this earworm yesterday & I can’t get it out of my head

The sky over the eastern end of Market Street, with a yellow sign in the foreground which reads “TAKE WARNING” in black lettering with the iconic Operation Ivy “jumping man” figure

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Watching this bee frolic in the blossoms from the seeds I planted at the beginning of the season is a welcome reminder that doing our small part can often mean a lot for someone else #bloomscrolling

Fuzzy bee appears to be embracing a vibrant orange Mexican sunflower

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Long walks are my primary coping strategy, so this air quality alert is a challenge. But this baby is helping me ride it out. He was born in our back alley last summer and I thank him every day for agreeing to come inside & make my life immeasurably sweeter.

POV: looking down at my legs and feet propped up on a couch with a cute tabby cat stretched out in my lap.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

That sticker speaks the truth! Someone recently put up this rowhouse-shaped little free library on a sidewalk here in Philly, and it makes me so happy every time I pass it! I’m so grateful to people who put this kind of creative generosity out in the world.

A dollhouse sized 3 story brick rowhouse with hinges and a knob to open the front to a cupboard full of books sits in front of a full sized brick rowhouse

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Joined my neighbors declaring independence from billionaires & solidarity with each other at today’s “people’s parade.” Carrying this sign home across Philly was amazing too - so many people voiced their agreement: Abolish ICE!

“Abolish ICE” sign is screen printed with barbed wire & roses on a large piece of fabric stretched over a wooden frame with a tall handle

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

PSA: Trader Joe’s lemonade makes an excellent frozen coping strategy

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

The semiquincentennial decorations all over Philly just look like epitaphs at this point

Rowhouse & tree decorated with red, white & blue bunting which reads “America: 1776-2026”

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

I still have that (aged & stained) memento 30 yrs later bc I experienced it as a turning point + a formative memory as a young organizer.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

City of Brotherly Love: a play in three acts

Two cats are playing in a cat tree. One is reaching out to bop the other on the head, but gently without claws

The bopped cat is returning the bop, equally playfully: the first cat is receiving the blow with tucked ears but no actual pain or fear

Tired out, the brothers are curled into one round cuddle pile of snoozing kittens.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

While this hasn't been a healthy society at any point in my lifetime, the past decade has undeniably taken a particularly deep toll.

Sticker on a Philly lamp-post depicts a pink, blue & white cartoon dog with a pink mullet, spiked collar and cute big eyes, with the caption "I am consumed by Rage :3"

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Beautiful poem, makes me think of this mural in West Philly.

Large mural on the side of a building depicts a silhouetted woman holding an umbrella over herself and a child. The rain bouncing off the umbrella pools at their feet, then evaporates back into a cloud at the side, which curls over them to produce the rain, in a looped system. Through the woman’s dress, you can see her heart with branching blood vessels fed my many other silhouetted figures. Within the child’s dress is just the mother, holding the umbrella.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

These mounds aren't going anywhere: street artists in Philly have started tagging the piles of snow!

A huge pile of snow is so firmly-packed and frozen over that someone has tagged the side of the snow mound with "t$u" in dark red spray paint.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

So much this! Spotted on the street in Philly today.

Heart-shaped sticker in the blue pink & white colors of the trans flag reads "Fuck your executive order" - affixed to a rusty railing with rain droplets adding texture.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

I was feeling demoralized about men’s domination of public space after several patriarchal micro aggressions on my walk today. Then I passed this masterpiece & my mood lifted. Art is powerful.

Mural on a brown brick wall depicts a smiling feminine-presenting 1950’s-style woman holding a bloody knife in one hand and a man’s severed head in the other.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

“When we lose our fear, they lose their power” mask by @rlmartstudio.bsky.social was the perfect outer layer to protect my N95 from the rain while protesting at the detention center in Philly this morning.

Selfie of a white woman with rain-splattered glasses wearing a face mask with Ricardo Levins Morales’ distinctive art showing a crowd of marchers & the words “when we lose our fear they lose their power.”

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

Happy new year! The vet just cleared this pair of kittens I rescued during the recent polar vortex, so I’m entering 2026 with a joyfully enlarged family.

A pair of 5-month-old tabby cats cuddle together in an office chair lined with a shaggy blue bath mat. Both are extremely cute, looking at the camera with relaxed but interested expressions.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

#Philly has no shortage of fabulous window cats but this one is seriously living the dream

Black cat snoozing on a cat-sized chaise longue in a window with rowhouses across the street reflected in the glass. A wallpaper with birds & plants serves as a backdrop, and next to the chair are two fish-shaped ceramic planters, a water bowl, and a framed portrait of a black cat wearing a turban and an old-fashioned formal coat

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

One year ago, a skinny, dirty, stray cat marched right in and made himself at home in my house & my heart. Today, we’re celebrating our 1st anniversary as a family. Happy Gotcha Day to Boo, my Halloween surprise!

Selfie of a smiling blonde woman with glasses hugging a cat with a white face, green eyes, and a black, brown & grey striped body. He also has a dashing small black birthmark between his lip & nose, suggesting he may have been Marilyn Monroe in a past life.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

Nice way to support neighbors this year: in addition to candy, offer kids a bag of chips or pretzels too.

THIS HALLOWEEN, BE THE VILLAGE!
If you're passing out candy this year, consider adding SHELF-STABLE KID FOODS to your treat bucket! With SNAP benefits delayed - some families are struggling more than usual - let's support our neighbors in small but meaningful ways.
Ideas to include:
Ramen cups, Microwave mac & cheese, Protein bars, Snack pudding packs, Chips or Mini pretzels, or muffins.
Every little bit helps keep a child's belly full — and shows that kindness can be just as sweet as candy.
#BeTheVillage #HalloweenKindness #CommunityCare #ShelfStableSnacks

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Trash day reminder that, while not everyone considers it a "Good Neighborhood," I live on the best block, actually.

Blue recycling bin painted with the inscription "ALL CANS ARE BLUE for recycling!" with a thumbs up.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 09/09/2025

I'm so old I still have the cassette! My CD player died years ago, but this tape deck will probably outlive us all.

Closeup of my face, open-mouthed with astonishment, leaning over a cassette player which is playing the quoted Newcleus track.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

I've been fostering this adorable, tiny, soft, young kitty & wish I could keep her, but she'd be happier in a home without other cats. Please share w/ anyone in range of #Philly who's looking for a #cat. More pics at the link and I can answer any Q's: www.petfinder.com/cat/tiny-gre...

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

“Eggs are too expensive bc all the chickens are in Congress” - “kitchen table politics” in #Philly

Sign in a sidewalk-facing window reads “eggs are too expensive bc all the chickens are in congress”

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

The zinnia seeds I planted a while back gave me the sweetest birthday gift yesterday #BloomScrolling

Closeup of a vibrant magenta flower blossom

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

Saw this tribute to the spring’s baby goslings on my favorite trail by the Schuylkill River in Philly this week 🪿 💕

Chalk drawing of a goose & baby goslings on a paved bike path. Also features a heart, rainbow, and the words “I ❤️ U” turned to the side, as if to be read by geese on the grassy riverbank.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

The pace of normalization is terrifying! This sticker I spotted recently on the street in Philly feels more useful than the vast majority of media coverage these days

Image of Elon Musk’s Nazi salute with the quote "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. IT was their final, most essential command." - George Orwell, 1984

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

Philly sticker artists could teach a much-needed master class in messaging for this country's "opposition" politicians.

Red white & blue sticker: "If not fascism, why fascism-shaped?"

Sticker depicts Elon Musk's Nazi salute, with text that reads "The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. IT was their most final, most essential command." - George Orwell, 1984

Sticker: simplified image of Donald Trump posing triumphantly with a bloody machete in one hand and the bleeding, severed head of the Statue of Liberty in the other.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

I’ve been “represented” by some pretty terrible schmucks, but Fetterman is the actual worst.

Spotted in South Philly: a Fetterman bumper sticker partially covered by a Palestinian flag sticker.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Philly, March 2025. Description of quoted NYC image: a Tesla showroom with a cyber truck and humanoid robot figure. Outside, police have their backs to the glass storefront, “protecting” it from a crowd of protesters.

Black cyber truck rolls through a crosswalk, with a light pole in the foreground bearing a sticker that says “Democracies don’t have billionaires.”

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Boo turns 3 today! He was named for appearing on Halloween, but when we learned that he was born in Feb, we realized he’s a Valentines baby too. Still can’t believe my luck that this sweet boy moved in & made himself part of the family. He’ll get a tasty tuna dinner tonight to celebrate.

Closeup of a tabby cat’s face, with green eyes, pink nose, white cheeks and elegant whiskers.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

I got my first death threat in middle school bc of of my father's journalism. What the Boston Globe wouldn't run, he published as a book with South End Press. If Congress - with way more security than he & @kimkelly.bsky.social ever had - can't stand up to fascism, they don't deserve their seats.

Blue book cover with the title and author in yellow text: "Break-ins, Death Threats and the FBI: The Covert War Against the Central America Movement," by Ross Gelbspan

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Direct action is meaningful, even at small scale. #Philly

Park bench with the middle divider freshly removed, making it possible for someone to lie down.

Closeup of the bare spot where the armrest was taken off. The screws that were removed are laying on the seat, next to a single bright yellow flower. A few more pieces of hardware are visible on the ground under the bench.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

“Monarch Butterflies Are Recommended For Protected Status.” I literally just read this passage from Andrea Gibson’s poem Homesick: A Plea For Our Planet and can’t get the image out of my head. Layers of tragedy.

Do you know the mountains of California used to look like they'd been set on fire because they were so covered in monarch butterflies?
Do you know monarch butterflies migrate three thousand miles using only the fuel
they stored as caterpillars in the cocoon?
We need so much less than we take.
We owe so much more than we give.
Squirrels plant thousands of trees every year just from forgetting where they left
their acorns. If we aimed to be just half as good as one of the earth's mistakes, we could turn so much around.
Our living would be seed, the future would have roots.
We would cast nothing from the garden of itself. And we would make the thorns proud.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 20/11/2024

Post a non-religious photo you think of as holy (with bonus alt text in honor of Sarah J. Jackson’s commitment to that practice.)

Gray tabby cat sleeps peacefully in a west-facing window with striking sunbeams illuminating the frame. She passed to the angelic realm last October, but she sent me a skinny stray tabby who showed up on my porch in need of help this Halloween. He is happily settled in & enjoying eating his way to a healthier weight.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

This is Boo: so-called because he showed up unexpectedly on Halloween, super skinny and dirty but sweet from the moment we met. When I opened the door and invited him in, he walked right in off the street and made my house his new home.

Grey tabby cat with splashes of white on his face, chest, and feet lounges atop a multicolored duvet against a blue wall.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

No luck finding his former owners, but my new friend is settling in nicely. I've been calling him "Boo" since he was a Halloween surprise. Not sure yet if that's going to be his official name or just a temporary term of endearment.

The same tabby cat as in the quoted post, looking cleaner and healthier, and very comfortable on a multi-colored Dutch duvet against a blue wall.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 10/11/2024

The Geranium in my backyard just started blooming after holding out on me all summer. A timely instance of thriving against the odds to share with the battered but resilient spirits who might happen to see it on here…

Bright pink flower almost fully open, next to one that is 1/4 open, surrounded by several other buds getting ready to open

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 06/11/2024

Boo walked in off the street (in west philly) on Halloween and made my house his new home

Tabby cat with black body, Grey & white body and green eyes on multi-colored bedding

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 01/11/2024

Halloween surprise: this little guy walked right in off the street yesterday & made himself at home in my house. Microchip says he’s 2 years + 8 months old, was adopted from ACCT in 2022, but the listed phone contact is outdated. Pls share with anyone missing a cat around West Philly

Green-eyed tabby cat sprawled on the floor, looking quite pleased with himself.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 11/10/2024

PSA courtesy of this vigilante street sign spotted in Philly this weekend.

Street sign on a standard-looking pole reads “crosswalks are for walking not parking” followed by a rainbow of dancing (Grateful Dead?) bears

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 07/10/2024

Seeing a community theater production shut down by violence for including the word "ceasefire" yesterday has me reflecting on Aimé Césaire's observation that "fascism is colonialism turned inward." Solidarity with Palestine is imperative for our collective survival and freedom.

A rope tied to a tree in a leafy green park is holding multiple colorful art prints, one of which features the word "ceasefire" in bold red letters.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 24/09/2024

The local art gallery has an absolutely stunning security guard

Black & white cat is perched in a street-level bay window among several works of art, vigilantly surveying the street.

The same view, but the cat is sitting taller, and is caught in the middle of a big yawn.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 17/08/2024

I don't drive, so I hired movers to transport my stuff when I moved from Providence to Philly. Before I even asked, my bestie offered to drive down from Western MA, load all my plants in her van & deliver my cat & I to our new home. Huge favor, but her sincere willingness made it easy to accept.

View into the open back of a minivan packed with houseplants.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 12/06/2024

Not sure if @ssteingraber1.bsky.social is active on here, but I was struck by the statement she posted on the other site this morning on her way to engage in civil disobedience at Citi HQ. Too long for alt-text: see the following thread for the full message.

Fish, Bees, and Human Rights during a Climate Emergency
prepared remarks for Scientists Teach-In Citi Headquarters, NYC, June 12, 2024, by Sandra Steingraber, PhD. Page 1 of 2.

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 03/06/2024

The cop who asked me why I was taking a picture did not appreciate my answer, that it's great to see someone speaking the truth about the murder machine.

US Armed Forces Career Center defaced with graffiti which reads: "Free Gaza," "Stop the US War Machine," "Escalate 4 Gaza" and "U.S. Army Kills Babies."

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Artifice is not Intelligence @outgrained.bsky.social · 09/05/2024

I experienced this too, with the same takeaway. I'm not usually naive but the lack of notice was stunning: it just stopped feeding my cat with zero warning. Also, the camera felt creepy: I generally try to avoid installing surveillance tech in my home.

Screenshot of the "FeedAndGo" online portal, with a camera view of my cat staring at the bowl, waiting to be fed.

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