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Sid

@siddster.bsky.social
700 followers 1.8K following 285 posts

Physiologist. Opinions mine.

PostsRepliesMedia
Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"Trump’s iron-clad Law of Military Achievement: The number of times the president claims victory is inversely proportional to the actual extent of American military success."
theatlantic.com
The Houthis Have a Rich Sense of Irony and Timing
Supposedly decimated last year, they are back and stronger than ever.
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Ben McAdams (The Resurrection Arc) @purrtah.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Is this good when Frank Luntz is posting quotes that the GOP internals are worse than the public polls
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"That same day, a plane from China landed in Tehran. It carried a shipment for Iran’s Ministry of Defense that included electronics components that can be used to make parts for drones and missile guidance systems, according to Iranian customs data analyzed by The Wall Street Journal. "
wsj.com
Iran Has a Secret Weapon in Its War With America: Help From China
Trump wants to preserve relations with Xi, but Iranian customs data show Chinese entities have made thousands of shipments of components used in drones and missiles.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance company in the US, is allegedly using a deeply flawed AI algorithm to override doctors’ judgments and wrongfully deny critical health coverage to elderly patients."
arstechnica.com
UnitedHealth uses AI model with 90% error rate to deny care, lawsuit alleges
For the largest health insurer in the US, AI's error rate is like a feature, not a bug.
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Luke Knox @lukeknox.me · 22/08/2026
2026 CFB names thread:
PRAYER
YOUNG-BLACKGOAT
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“Governments defending prices against fundamentals always lose,” he wrote. “Let the bond market speak.” Oof.
giftarticle.ft.com
The gloves are starting to come off in markets
Wall Street analysts and investors are more willing to directly criticise Trump, particularly since a Treasury intervention on bonds
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“We chose as an agency to be more convenient rather than thorough,” he said, describing the agency’s decision to reduce scrutiny of recruits in order to expedite hires. “By doing so, there was a potential to put lives at risk and to jeopardize national security.”
nytimes.com
ICE Skipped Basic Checks in Rush for Recruits, Whistle-Blower Says (Gift Article)
An official who oversaw the vetting of ICE recruits cited an “unprecedented lowering of standards” amid a hiring surge.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"You cannot convince me otherwise," he wrote. "Because you can be SINGLE-AF ... but your anticoagulation decision still requires commitment." 😂🤣
medpagetoday.com
Sad Trial Names: Social Media Thinks Cardiology Is Going Through It
Two trials from the same research group sound like vulnerable relationship status updates
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"WIRED tallied up publicly available numbers from the Food and Drug Administration’s investigations of foodborne illnesses. The agency has identified more than 12,800 illnesses tied to foodborne outbreaks in 2026, already far surpassing the number it has identified in any year since 2020."
wired.com
From Salmonella Eggs to Diarrhea Lettuce, Why This Has Been a Sick Hot American Summer
While Trump administration cuts have contributed to the epidemic of foodborne illnesses this summer, there are also deeper issues that make the American food supply chain susceptible to parasites and ...
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"This is far from the first time that Kennedy and his allies have attempted to downplay and spread misinformation about deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. Anti-vaccine advocates have a well-established history of trying to overwhelm fact-based reporting with falsehoods and doubt."
arstechnica.com
RFK Jr. goes full anti-vaccine bananas over two measles deaths—one was a newborn
Kennedy and his allies have a history of downplaying vaccine-preventable deaths.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"Nitin Gupta, 31, watched a “quite big” marmot steal his hiking pole—then charge his girlfriend when she tried to retrieve it. “I heard this almost war cry,” the San Francisco founder recalled. They surrendered the pole." 🤣
wsj.com
Marmots Are Terrorizing California Hikers and Stealing Their Shoes
The cute but destructive rodents are criminal masterminds, easily circumventing humans’ meager defenses.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"The Chinese and the Russians and the North Koreas are certain to draw the appropriate lessons from this deranged policy. They have been shown, yet again, that when Trump fails, he hurts those he feels safe hurting."
theatlantic.com
Trump Will Make South Korea Pay For His Iran Humiliation
His rage is driving him to make irrational policy choices.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Capital One, the Trump Organization’s then-bank, closed more than 300 of the Trump Organization’s accounts on suspicion that they violated anti-money-laundering rules. The action just taken by the Treasury may best be understood as payback for those who tried to enforce the law against Donald Trump.
theatlantic.com
Trump’s Last Loyal Constituency
The administration delivers a win for financial crooks at the expense of honest businesses.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
"...the United States does not have a king. In a representative democracy, the people must have confidence in the health of their leader, and in the leader’s capacity to guide the nation. We have been kept in the dark too long."
nytimes.com
Opinion | I Was Dick Cheney’s Cardiologist. I Have Questions About Trump’s Health. (Gift Article)
The president has not been looking well. Americans should get answers to these seven questions.
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WIRED @wired.com · 07/08/2026
Security researchers say that Kimi K3, an open-weight model from China, wandered off to the internet in an attempt to cheat on a test it was given. www.wired.com/story/moonsh...
wired.com
One of China’s Most Powerful AI Models Has Also Broken Containment
Security researchers say that Kimi K3, an open-weight model from China, wandered off to the internet in an attempt to cheat on a test it was given.
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
you need this rn www.theatlantic.com/photography/...
theatlantic.com
Photos: Paws on Boards
Recent images of canine competitors riding the waves in surfing competitions for dogs, many of them fundraising events for animal and environmental nonprofit groups
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
"..we would not quietly acquiesce in halfhearted warfare for half-baked reasons that the American people could not understand.” That is precisely the kind of warfare that Trump has undertaken. And so far, Congress has quietly acquiesced.
foreignaffairs.com
Why We Should Fight
And where Trump went wrong.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
"Why would these purportedly serious people buy in on a 24-year-old’s very first hedge fund? My best guess is that Aschenbrenner’s investors were relying on the social bona fides he had cultivated. Social proof is the laziest and most disastrous way to vet people — ask any Theranos investor."
theverge.com
Maybe we shouldn’t give 24-year-olds billions of dollars to bet on AI
We deserve a better class of AI booster.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
“We’re turning the clock back on rational healthcare. … I’m worried about the ethics. I’m worried about the health consequences. I’m worried about unnecessary evaluations, incorrect assessments, and incorrect diagnoses that lead to inappropriate prescriptions of testosterone.”
arstechnica.com
Hegseth wants a "High-T" military; doctors call it a clinical minefield
We're turning the clock back on rational healthcare."
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
theverge.com
ICE are heavily armed killers. They’re also huge losers
Donald Trump’s mass deportation army is an embarrassment in every way.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
"The sum total of these efforts is to conflate dissent and crime — implying that anyone who criticizes or protests Trump’s immigration policies is endangering the lives of federal law enforcement officers."
theverge.com
ICE agents are making house calls for online critics
DHS keeps accusing people of ‘doxing’ its agents/
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"We cannot choose to become idiots.” The graph tells the entire tale.
insidehighered.com
Brown Professor Suspects Most of His Class Used AI to Cheat
Brown University leaders’ response to the alleged cheating incident has been “meek,” the professor said.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"One good guideline, is to avoid threatening your enemy and then immediately announcing that you really have no stomach for a fight. Strong leaders keep their own counsel and let their actions speak for them; weak leaders make threats and then broadcast how much they don’t want to carry them out."
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
“It is general knowledge in our practice that for $2 million, you can have a pardon,” one prominent white-collar defense attorney told me. “The clients come to us and tell us, I’ve been told I need to go hire this specific person, and [then] I will get a pardon.”
theatlantic.com
The White House Considers Granting 250 Pardons for the Nation’s Birthday
The idea has set off a frenzy of appeals for clemency.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
"They ate the meal that Masha’s mother had planned at the Crimean restaurant that Masha herself had chosen. They laughed and danced some more and took photos and reminisced and returned home late at night, exhausted and maybe a little bit tipsy... It was, almost, just how Masha would have wanted."
nytimes.com
The Prom Went On in Kyiv, but Masha’s Date Danced Alone
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"One messy database is threatening to disenfranchise thousands or even millions of registered voters, while leaving even more at risk of intimidation or data breaches, in the name of solving a problem that barely exists."
theverge.com
The midterms are going to be a data security nightmare
The Trump administration is demanding unprecedented voter information from states.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
"The humiliation is the point. Iran got the United States to sign a document that even Americans described as degrading, mortifying, a total capitulation."
theatlantic.com
Iran Has Humiliated Trump
Officials in Tehran got the United States to sign a document that even Americans described as degrading, mortifying, a total capitulation.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 18/06/2026
this is honestly an excellent celebratory and motivational speech from Mamdani at the Knicks parade. i'm ready to run through a wall, and i'm not even a Knicks fan
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
"IC:The unpredictable nature of Trump turning on you is what makes it so sad. SR: True. You are right. In a few months, we have an election, and one of the most important parts of his campaign was going to be his friendship with Trump. Now what is he going to say? It’s a problem."
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CNN @cnn.com · 17/06/2026
The agreement between Iran and the US lays out the terms of the ceasefire between the bitter rivals, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, some financial relief for Iran and a reiteration from Tehran that it will never produce a nuclear weapon, according to a draft copy of the text obtained by CNN.
cnn.com
Read the 14-point draft agreement between the US and Iran | CNN
The agreement between Iran and the US lays out the terms of the ceasefire between the bitter rivals, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, some financial relief for Iran and a reiteration from Tehran...
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"Declaring that “the deal is all signed” with Iran, as President Trump did today, is like shopping for a wedding dress after a good first date: It’s just too soon."
theatlantic.com
The U.S. Had No Choice but Diplomacy—Yet Again
The new pact between the U.S. and Iran seeks to rewind the clock to the day before the war. ​​​​​​
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"Mr. Trump made a terrible mistake starting this war. He prosecuted it recklessly and in open defiance of the law. The United States is emerging weaker — militarily, diplomatically and economically — and will pay strategic costs for years to come."
nytimes.com
Opinion | President Trump Lost This War
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
"The memorandum of understanding, for example, suspends tolls in the strait for only 60 days, and then promises a regional dialogue about the future. Iran had never charged tolls before the war, so the president is essentially celebrating a return to the prewar status quo."
nytimes.com
Trump Claims Strait Will Be ‘Permanently Toll-Free’ Under Agreement With Iran
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SMBC Comics @smbccomics.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
All-loving God my ass. COMIC ◆ www.smbc-comics.com/comic/time-7 PATREON ◆ www.patreon.com/ZachWeinersm... STORE ◆ smbc-store.myshopify.com
Part 1/3 of a 10-panel SMBC comic. In this first part, a man is seen praying by his bed, asking God "what is time? If no one asks me, I know. If I wish to explain it to one who asks, I don't know." God replies by asking if the man is stupid, followed by asking "what is distance?" The man parts his hands, staring at the space between them: "this."Part 2/3 of a 10-panel SMBC comic. In this second part, God asks "what is time." The man stares blankly in silence. God then says "that. That was time." The man, frustrated asks insistently "but what IS it?" God repeats "time." The man declares "that's circular."Part 3/3 of a 10-panel SMBC comic. In this third part, God now asks "what was the thing your fingers did?" the man responds "distance." He then pauses, going "huh." He concludes "I guess the difference is I feel I understand distance because I can measure it with a stick." God adds "another difference is that you're not wasting my stick right now."
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
"one fact in particular stands out: A year ago, Musk’s actions directly led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. He did it knowingly. And, worse — gleefully. ..DOGE destroyed the US Agency for International Development, whose mission was a boon to public health around the globe."
theverge.com
The world’s first trillionaire is a killer
Elon Musk’s empire of wealth is built on suffering.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
"In a separate video.. Kahn and Ryder were shown outside of the convention center talking with police after they were escorted outside.. they were "threatened to be arrested for handing out the editorial." The editorial was in Diabetes Care; an ADA journal. Unbelievable.
medpagetoday.com
Video: Police Tussle With Diabetes Experts at ADA Meeting
Researchers told they could no longer attend the annual scientific sessions
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 25/05/2026
At the Enhanced Games, where athletes were encouraged to dope, the sports seemed less like the main event and more like a Trojan horse for a broader business—selling supplements to the masses, @elcush.bsky.social reports from Las Vegas:
bit.ly
The Olympics These Were Not
Athletes at the Enhanced Games were bigger—but not exactly better.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
😂🤣
theonion.com
The Onion’s Exclusive Interview With JD Vance
Thanks to his swift rise from first-term Ohio senator to next-in-line for the presidency, JD Vance is thought by many to represent the vanguard of the Republican Party. The Onion sat down with the vic...
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Using AI chatbots for even just for 10 minutes may have a shockingly negative impact on people’s ability to think and problem-solve, according to a new study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Oxford, and UCLA.
wired.com
Using AI for Just 10 Minutes Might Make You Lazy and Dumb, Study Shows
New research suggests that reliance on AI assistants can have a negative impact on people’s ability to think and problem solve.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Passengers were significantly more likely to offer their seat (to a pregnant woman) when Batman was present (67.21% vs. 37.66%, OR = 3.393, p < 0.001). Notably, 44% of those who offered their seat in the experimental condition reported not seeing Batman. 😀
nature.com
Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect - npj Mental Health Research
npj Mental Health Research - Unexpected events and prosocial behavior: the Batman effect
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
JFC
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
"I don’t know how to solve the conflict between what’s best for the user versus health companies. But I think we can all agree that an AI smart bed telling someone to drink every night is not the insight you pay $5,000 for."
theverge.com
My $5K smart bed needs to shut the hell up
It wants to destroy my marriage with a sleep leaderboard and nightly drinking.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
"..but the president is different now, firmly in his second term with personal electoral victory no longer a driving force. The guardrails from the first term are gone, and Trump has all but abandoned the pretense of much caring about the Republican Party that he holds in an emperor-like grip."
theatlantic.com
The YOLO Presidency
Trump is focused on becoming one of history’s “great men.”
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
"A real bozo the clown move.”
theverge.com
Trump fires the entire National Science Board
Federal funding for scientific research was already in turmoil.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
"Three factors are pushing the world towards the cliff edge. Oil cargoes available to buy are drying up. Refineries are slashing output of fuel. And demand remains artificially high, especially in Europe. Something big must give somewhere large for energy markets to balance."
economist.com
Global energy markets are on the verge of a disaster
Scenarios now range from bad to awful
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Rising sea temperatures are pushing Great White sharks toward a physiological breaking point. New research shows these "mesothermic" fish use 4x more energy than cold-blooded species. As oceans warm, they face a "double jeopardy" of potential overheating and a lack of food to fuel them.
arstechnica.com
Great white sharks are overheating
The sharks might also be the most physiologically vulnerable to warming waters.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
"Trump has since marveled at the ease with which the strait was closed. A guy with a drone can shut it down, Trump has said to people, expressing belated irritation that the key waterway was so vulnerable."
wsj.com
Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears
The president’s impulsive style has never been tested in a sustained military conflict, and he’s been ruminating on Jimmy Carter’s failure in Iran.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Incredible reporting.
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
"You’ve heard the joke: The White House is going to start talking about the Epstein files to distract from how badly the Iran war is going."
theatlantic.com
It’s Not Just Iran. Trump Is Flailing on Multiple Fronts.
Donald Trump’s recent string of setbacks in Iran, Hungary, and more show that his usual intimidation tactics are no longer working, Jonathan Lemire reports:
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Sid @siddster.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Bleak
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