Sign in

Simon St.Laurent

@simonstl.com
637 followers 790 following 938 posts

"Enraged hermit" aspiring to chaotic good. Tech, gardening, politics, Quakerism, Green, and more. Cis, he/his. Also @simonstl@mastodon.social

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Erin Grievances @erinbartram.bsky.social · 5h
The remarkable thing is that there is a US historian who did a ton of damage to the world and not a single person mentioned him! Pretty pathetic honestly that no one brought up Woodrow Wilson as an example of a historian who did harm. He was right there!
4332
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Weird Spy Satellite @weirdsatellite.bsky.social · 5h
Intercept #956 from NROL-111 (CONFIDENTIAL) 1. Obscure Abacuses 2. Abyss of Aether 3. Distortion Dugout
Aerial satellite photo labelled in bright yellow letters: 

1. Obscure Abacuses
2. Abyss of Aether
3. Distortion Dugout

Actual coordinates: 18.5197° S, 14.5535° E
052
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Lisa Wade @lisawade.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Historically White, wealthy fraternities traffic in risk. They revel in recklessness. Violence and contagion are the same opportunity to consolidate their power and demonstrate their impunity. It won't stop; it's their currency.
0339
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Dan Hirschman @asociologist.bsky.social · 9h
In case it's useful to anyone, I put together a collection of links about a horrific 2024 sexual assault at Cornell and recent uproar about Cornell's response to that event. scatter.wordpress.com/2026/09/29/s...
scatter.wordpress.com
sexual assault at cornell
As most readers here likely know, Cornell has been in the spotlight this week as new details came out about a sexual assault that took place at a fraternity in 2024. This post contains a collection…
12114
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Dan Hirschman @asociologist.bsky.social · 7h
"what we need to demand from universities far and wide is clear: Cease to be a place where sexual assault is often subject to less punishment than protesting and plagiarism." Cornell philosophy prof @katemanne.bsky.social in The Cut:
thecut.com
What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now
As a professor at the Ivy League school, Kate Manne has known many, many victims. There’s a palpable feeling on campus, she writes, that this is big.
08526
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Colleges won't get rid of fraternities because of the alumni money and power. So the only way to fix it is to make it cost more to keep them.
2353
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Imani Gandy @angryblacklady.blacksky.app · 28/09/2026
The trans women in sports panic has got to be one of the GOP's most successful manufactured culture war campaigns. Somehow they got a lot of people who would otherwise say they support trans rights to somehow fear "fairness" in sports. It's a non-issue.
111160218
Simon St.Laurent @simonstl.com · 29/09/2026
I was extra unhappy this morning to realize that the not very secret South Korean torture center built in 1976 was right near the US military base for unstated reasons. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationa...
en.wikipedia.org
National Museum of Korean Democracy - Wikipedia
020
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 28/09/2026
here we witness an isolated yuddite in hostile territory. realizing that its traditional ink-cloud defense mechanism has failed to ward off a larger predator, it defaults to its second core defense mechanism: attempting to draw the larger predator into a completely pointless pedantic argument
1929428
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Jacqueline Antonovich @jackiantonovich.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I also think tech bros overestimate how willing women will be to hand over shopping to agents. Not for some “women be shopping” reason, but because it requires patience, cross-checking, knowing a real deal from a fake one, deciding what you actually need, & knowing when to pull the trigger.
913912
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Dr. Sandra Steingraber 🏳️‍🌈 @ssteingraber1.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Student reporting that named names at the @cornellsun, thereby igniting organized public outrage, did this. Your reminder that campus police report to the board of trustees, not the general public. Gift link: Cornell Sexual Assault Investigation to Be Reopened www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/n...
nytimes.com
Cornell Sexual Assault Investigation to Be Reopened (Gift Article)
After outrage over allegations in a lawsuit, the Tompkins County district attorney will revisit the decision not to pursue criminal charges against seven fraternity members.
32413
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Dr Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I don’t believe anyone should force other people to engage in the practice of their religion, but it’s not as weird as forcing other people to engage in the practice of someone else’s religion, especially when it makes truth claims completely incompatible with your own.
101255
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Ken Burnside @kenburnside.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
And...having been at PenguiCon and seen the idiotic behavior of CompSci/Programmers/Linux Nerds who, having gained marginal competence in something requiring discipline with abstractions? The number of arrogant nerds who thought women could be 'programmed' by smarter men was...large.
371
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
matty stratton @matty.wtf · 27/09/2026
Talked to my two 16 year old sons about the Cornell rapists today Neither of them had heard a darn thing about it. They were both horrified though. So yes, talk to your sons about it. They aren’t seeing the same algorithm that we are.
0198
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 26/09/2026
like I suspect many of you on This Website, I think a core reason why I find Eliezer Yudkowsky and his rationalist and effective altruist satellites so intensely annoying is because I had a VERY similar “being a super weird, pretentious, hyper-literate kid” experience - I just, you know, grew up.
522547258
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Liz Fong-Jones (方禮真) @lizthegrey.com · 18/09/2026
if there's a more than even 1% chance that you'll encounter someone you know from work at a sex party, you probably should find a different workplace and/or a different sex party
325226
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Ingrid Burrington @lifewinning.com · 27/09/2026
But who wrangles the prompt wranglers
1101
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Micah @rincewind.run · 27/09/2026
it’s bad, actually, that much of the industry is gatekept by people whose standard for hiring a woman is “are you a Cool Girl who is into weird men doing sex stuff at her all the time?”
282628467
Simon St.Laurent @simonstl.com · 27/09/2026
You may not like it, but this is peak Dodge truck.
An old small olive green Dodge pickup truck in pretty good shape.
010
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Astra Taylor @astra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Forget grandiose talk of curing cancer - this is what AI is actually doing to healthcare. In the words of one cardiologist: “it’s bots fighting bots, agents fighting agents, a horrible dystopic future nobody wants to live in.”
282158851
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Matt Cameron @mattcameron.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
my man went so rogue that he wrote everything out as a chapter in the single most influential document of the MAGA movement a full year before the election before sliding comfortably into exactly the position he was lobbying for after it
1118764
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Anthony B, @swearyanthony.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
It's very funny how the same folks who sneer about "participation trophies" keep making up awards to present to each other. See also: News Corp Australia's News Awards, the Economics "Nobel", &c.
084
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Weird Spy Satellite @weirdsatellite.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
SIGINT #136 from Zuma (TS/SCI) 1. Meta-Vaporization 2. Fact Protocol Q9 3. 400-Year-Old Teeth Conference
Aerial satellite photo labelled in bright yellow letters: 

1. Meta-Vaporization
2. Fact Protocol Q9
3. 400-Year-Old Teeth Conference

Actual coordinates: 16.7094° S, 33.5918° E
063
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Boo-Rian Making Comics @necroknights.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I’ll never forget a a conversation I had with a younger coworker where he insisted that women’s sports “were pointless” and a waste of money for colleges, and I was trying to counter that point- And he grinned and told me, “Look, they aren’t here. You can stop pretending to care.”
21109
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
joshz2012.bsky.social @joshz2012.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
If you separate it out - these men love the female body, and hate the female mind's insistence she is a fully formed person with a perspective "as valid as his own." Autonomy is a threat when control is the goal. It's why I think so much religion seeks control of women, especially their sexuality.
425013
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Here's how we get Medicare for All done: Make Medicare whole (no one can keep all the parts straight!) Include vision, dental, and hearing. Begin extending to more people, starting with children. We arrive at Medicare for All, which means great Medicare for everyone.
786177934754
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It’s amazing how when you go fishing with bait the fish are positively DESPERATE to swallow, you catch a lot.
0311
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
รℓσαɳε ℓყรɓεƭɦ @sloanelysbeth.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
'vote labour or else you get reform!' buddy @lucympowell.bsky.social and co have replaced my healthcare with conversion, reintroduced section 28, stripped me of my civil rights, segregated me out of public life and regularly smear me as a man and a rapist im already surviving fascism. can you?
011427
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
When fascists win, centrists get to feel good about themselves because they are kinder and more tolerant than those people. When progressives win, centrists find themselves cruel and narrow minded by comparison, and can't bear that feeling.
7470125
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Jeff Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is Nazi rhetoric. Not similar. Not Nazi-like. It’s straight up lebensraum.
362974910
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Jessica Ellis @baddestmamajama.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
If you are champing at the bit for a nice piece of plainly obvious propaganda to come along so you can indulge a weird desire to bash some faction of marginalized people who bother you, consider…not doing that.
320131
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
World Health Network @thewhn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Prior infection doesn’t guarantee protection from getting COVID again. Reinfections can happen, and every new infection is another opportunity to develop Long COVID. Reducing the number of times we’re infected still matters. #COVID #COVID19 #LongCOVID #CovidIsNotOver #CleanAir
World Health Network graphic on a black background with white and bright pink text. Large headline reads: “More exposure doesn’t equal better protection.” Supporting text reads: “Getting COVID doesn’t protect you from getting it again. Repeated COVID infections create repeated opportunities for developing Long COVID.” The top includes “whn.global” and the World Health Network tagline, “Science for a safer, healthier world.”
111758
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Einav Rabinovitch-Fox @einavrfox.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There‘s much to appreciate in Mamdani, but his insistence that culture isn’t a privilege of the rich is one of his strengths.It is reminiscent of how unions and the government treated it in the 1930s -art for the masses - paintings, music, opera, theater - democracy for all.
9737180
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
🌬Breeze @cool-summer-breeze.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is the Stolen Neighbors Quilt. Each of the 11,000 squares represents a person taken by ICE in Minnesota.
121121475127
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 25/09/2026
an ai system doesn't have a will, intention or feelings. nor the capacity to want or care. a neural network does not go rogue, escape, or rebel. just tech bros' narratives projected onto machines. and pls, don't mansplain my post to me
745385
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Bryan (they/them) @chaosgreml.in · 24/09/2026
Oh, im laughing. A lot 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 cc: @cozylittle.house @tynanpurdy.com bastardica.mitpit.com
bastardica.mitpit.com
Bastardica
A type foundry for bastard web fonts.
3102
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
New York Focus @nysfocus.com · 24/09/2026
A “grassroots” homeowners group leading the charge against Local Law 97 has deep ties to a powerful real estate industry association.
nysfocus.com
Who’s Behind the Push to Weaken NYC’s Climate Law?
A “grassroots” homeowners group leading the charge against Local Law 97 has deep ties to a powerful real estate industry association.
11911
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Hagen Blix @hagenblix.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
There's a very peculiar (and highly gendered) phenomenon around money, and infantilization that we can witness in unusual clarity with these people: They expect to be taken care of, and they think that having rich, mutual relations with people is an awfully taxing thing that everyone wants to avoid
22213
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Second Great Bisexual Awakening @suesswassersee.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Remember when you could call a business and someone would answer the phone and you could ask a question and then you could hang up and have the answer to your question
57815
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 24/09/2026
over the past few weeks several AI evaluation/cybersecurity experts have explained how what's happening is a result of human incompetence rather than "AI going rogue". I'm begging the media to show a shred of journalistic integrity and stop parroting what altman or amodei say
6336731430
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The old line that analytic philosophy is answering questions that come naturally to toddlers via methods that come naturally to lawyers remains undefeated.
7556103
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Kathleen @deloebrenti.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is a terrible historical moment to censor our information landscape.
064
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
mtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The New York Times has now run two prominently placed stories about Zohran Mamdani's comms department coordinating with unpaid influencers as if it is a huge scandal. Will they cover Trump using our tax dollars to buy literal campaign ads as if it is equivalent scandalous? If not why not?
171321296
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 24/09/2026
trying to find corporate soundtracks is soul killing in a way unlike any other task. i just searched shutterstock music for "angular and forward thinking"
152053
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 24/09/2026
Look, we know for fucking sure that my dog is sapient and also unpredictable and it turns out of he mauls someone I’m liable and he can be put down.
222256518
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Stephanie Kemmerer @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
@michaelehayden.bsky.social The weirdest band is coming to the weirdest place. The Residents are playing in Felton, CA. I'm going with a bunch of friends. This is like the time I saw GWAR at a dive bar in Bethlehem, PA.
171
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I’ve floated, “GET YOUR HAND OUT MY POCKET, FOOL” for this purpose. So far no takers.
333763
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Antonia Juhasz @antoniajuhasz.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What I hear most from those who live where large energy projects take place, including fossil fuel, petrochemical, & now data centers, is their fear that "permitting reform" is designed to cut them out of the democratic process, to speed past public input which for them is too often life or death.
0167
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Thanh Neville, MD, MSHS @thanh-neville.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I am so triggered by RJK Jr's comment about ICU's being empty during #COVID. I re-read what I wrote after one of the surges. How do others forget. The trauma was--and is--real.
huffpost.com
I'm An ICU Doctor. I’m Haunted By What I’ve Seen During The Recent COVID-19 Surge.
“I can’t stop thinking about the 40-something man who told me, ‘I can’t die like this. I just got engaged and have a 6-month-old baby.’ I encouraged him to be positive, but that didn’t stop him from d...
611802624
Reposted by Simon St.Laurent
Micah @rincewind.run · 24/09/2026
lmao that’s pretty dire
Laurent says that when she pitches her tech-employed male clients to women, she acknowledges their hesitation right off the bat: “Listen, I have a great guy to tell you about. He’s such a good match for you. Now hear me out: He’s in tech.” The justifications are a new feature of her work.
1979098