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gem

@spurll.com
179 followers 273 following 358 posts

Family doc doing primary care and low risk obs in Treaty One territory. Former software dev. Host of the Life, the Universe & Everything Else podcast. On Mastodon @spurll@ramshackle.town. Trans rights are human rights. Website: spurll.com

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Reposted by gem
Thomas Ha @thomasha.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
i should clarify, when i write people doing bad things, it's because i am bad. they are me. more importantly, when you read about those bad things, they also become you. that's how story works. in fact, you are going to think about murder before this skeet ends. how's that feel, sicko.
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Hannah Vardit @hannahvardit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
you will encounter more opportunities in life to change the batteries on a smoke alarm than you will to run into a burning building and no one gives a shit you changed those batteries but it is still very important and why are you waiting on a burning building, know what i’m saying, it’s a metaphor
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Hannah Vardit @hannahvardit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
i worry that men think being A Good Guy is dramatically and heroically intervening on behalf of an endangered woman and then being publicly rewarded on a grand scale when actually being A Good Guy is just usually saying, “hey man that’s not funny” or “wow that’s fucked up” and there is no reward
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shaun @shaunvids.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"does this also apply to a combine soldier from half life 2" is my "AI" news bullshit test
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Corey Beckner @captaincorey.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
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Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 27/09/2026
"we can't uninvent this" we can't uninvent my car either but it still doesn't go anywhere without gas in the tank
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Alex Gibney @alexgibneyfilm.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The trailer for my new film, "Musk," has just been released.
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Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 09/05/2026
hating ai is a pro-social activity
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Chris Bratt @chrisbratt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
In recent years, the media has quietly begun to change the way in which it writes about Bobby Kotick, the former CEO of Activision Blizzard. PMG investigates how Kotick used the threat of defamation to reshape his legacy in the games business, one article at a time. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKwp...
youtube.com
Inside Bobby Kotick's Campaign Against the Press
YouTube video by People Make Games
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leon @leyawn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
ceo of burger king: our burgers have gone rogue again and infected people with e coli
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gem @spurll.com · 26/09/2026
evergreen
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David Lindsey Pittman @dphrygian.com · 25/09/2026
It would be just terrible if this caused a Streisand effect 🤭 www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
hollywoodreporter.com
The Major Social Media Platforms Are All Rejecting Paid Ads for ‘Musk’ (Exclusive)
The Alex Gibney doc has received denials from YouTube, Meta, TikTok and X on running the trailer. Its U.S. distributor is appealing.
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gem @spurll.com · 25/09/2026
Got a fun weekend planned!
Cardboard boxes containing laptop parts, labelled "Framework Laptop 14", "USB-A", "MicroSD", "USB-C", and "USB-C".
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gem @spurll.com · 25/09/2026
Comrades in Winnipeg, come hang out with the Wobblies and a bunch of other leftist friends on Sunday 15 November 2026!
IWW & FRIENDS PRESENT:
RED NOVEMBER BLACK NOVEMBER
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 15 11AM-4PM
HONOURING LABOUR'S DEAD AND THOSE WHO'VE FOUGHT FOR WORKERS' RIGHTS WITH JOY, COMMUNITY, AND CONNECTION

Red and Black Themed Buffet

All Ages Dance Party

Featuring CWG Entertainment
Crafting Corner, LeftieSelfieBooth, and Anti-Capitalist Board Games!
Organizer Networking Opportunities

323 BRUCE AVENUE
$15 OR PAY WHAT YOU CAN

For tickets, e-transfer winnipegiww@gmail.com
Please leave a note with # of guests
NOVEMBER FIFTEENTH!
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Phil McDuff @mcduff.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The thing about living in a society where we need to throw people into the volcano every day, is that you can't really be the one to say "maybe we shouldn't do that" or you get thrown into the volcano.
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Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 21/09/2026
12. it is usually better to focus on people, and why people are doing things a) why are tech CEOs saying these things? b) why are bosses so excited about it? c) why do we write, draw, and make art? d) what is the fucking point?
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Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 21/09/2026
3. LLMs are ill-suited or dangerous for many of the purposes for which they are advertised 4. there has been a heavy top-down push for institutional adoption by bosses and administrators, which has reinforced public perception that using them is a safe, responsible choice
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Anthony Moser @anthonymoser.com · 21/09/2026
1. most people do not know how LLMs work, or what inherent limitations might exist as a result of that approach 2. companies that make LLMs describe what they can do and how they work in misleading and often contradictory ways
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Chef Kennedy🐸🏳️‍🌈 @kennedy.northsky.social · 21/09/2026
Ally McBeal was a questionable show in many respects but my personal beef with it is that it set back normalization of unisex bathrooms terribly.
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Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 20/09/2026
"You're absolutely right, there was indeed another commercial jet on the runway. That's my fault, I should have checked before assuming that runway was clear to land on. Since the runway is now closed, let me know if I can help with anything else. Do you know how runway numbers are selected?"
FAA tees up $875M AI tool to help manage air traffic congestion
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Claire Willett @clairewillett.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
every day of my life I think about the people using “she” to describe this computer program who still need to be convinced to use it for trans women
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The Nerdskull @nerdskull.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This is the way LLMs could cause human extinction. It’s not fucking Skynet, it’s humans putting LLMs in the process of shit it has no business being involved in.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
My grandfather, who is 102 and a medical doctor, has told me about the times before polio was cured. Most years, upon returning to school after summer’s break, there would be some children would didn’t make it back to school because of polio.
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gem @spurll.com · 17/09/2026
It's about damn time! news.gov.mb.ca/news/index.h...
news.gov.mb.ca
Province of Manitoba | News Releases | Manitoba Will Move to Permanent Daylight Saving Time
Province of Manitoba
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 16/09/2026
Folks, remember when Geoff Hinton called gpt-2 humanity's caterpillar and gpt-3 humanity's butterfly or something like that? Also remember how he said radiologists were gonna be obsolete in 5 years (but he said that ~10 years ago)? Ok now, he says ChatGPT is an alien being.
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Existential Comics @existentialcomics.com · 17/09/2026
It's funny how AI tech bros are all like "soon AI will be able to perform all human labor" and the next sentence is never something like "and that's why we can easily move to a 32 hour work week now."
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Peter @notalawyer.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
My latest newsletter is a friendly bit of political advice for Democrats.
stringinamaze.net
Don't Surrender On Trans Rights
Many Democrats are running scared on trans issues. They shouldn't be.
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Robert McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Quiznos is partnering with Blackwater to crush insurgencies in their supply chain.
A notification reads "Chipotle is partnering with Palantir to track food safety risks at its stores"
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 10/09/2026
No matter how much you throw trans people under the bus, you are still going to get attacked. All you've done is betray a vulnerable minority, anger your base, and made the issue front and center.
Alt Text:
Screenshot showing two sequential posts on X by journalist Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) discussing Texas politics:
 * Top post: Text reads, "Paxton on Talarico: 'He wants to transition your kids!'" accompanied by an embedded video frame of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaking at a podium in a dark suit and red tie.
 * Bottom post: Text reads, "Talarico says he would vote in favor of a national ban for transgender surgeries for minors," above a video thumbnail from Fox News Channel featuring a woman anchor in a red blazer, with lower-third banners reading "EXCLUSIVE," "SHIFTING THE REINS?", and "TALARICO STANCE DIFFERS FROM EARLIER COMMENTS."
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gem @spurll.com · 10/09/2026
Saddle Creek First Nation will be providing gender affirming healthcare on reserve. Given the Alberta government's laws barring transgender healthcare, and their historic disrespect for indigenous sovereignty, SCFN will likely face legal challenges. Donate here! gofund.me/7f1f59f85
gofund.me
Donate to Saddle Lake Cree Nation Treaty Health Legal Defense Fund, organized by James Makokis
Help Saddle Lake Cree Nation Defend Treaty Health Rights and Pr… James Makokis needs your support for Saddle Lake Cree Nation Treaty Health Legal Defense Fund
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gem @spurll.com · 08/09/2026
I have historically had many quibbles with the CMA's priorities (and this is unlikely to change), but here they are absolutely spot on. This move toward a two-tiered health system must be opposed vigorously. Healthcare should not be a matter of "what you can afford". www.cma.ca/about-us/pre...
cma.ca
Federal government must strongly oppose Alberta's latest move toward American-style health care: Canadian doctors
Today, many Alberta doctors can now work in private clinics, billing patients’ credit cards while working in the public system at the same time. The Alberta government has taken this extraordinary ste...
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gem @spurll.com · 08/09/2026
✊ www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
Strike begins for Manitoba Dynacare workers after contract talks hit impasse | CBC News
Dynacare laboratory technicians and technologists across Manitoba are now on strike, after their union says the company refused to raise wages during contract negotiations on Friday.
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cmrn knzlmn @ckunzelman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
JRR Tolkien
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gem @spurll.com · 03/09/2026
Solidarity with the workers at Dynacare, who have authorized a strike action against their employer. Dynacare maintains an effective monopoly on laboratory testing in Manitoba. Sadly I missed the picket yesterday (I was in clinic all day) but I was there in spirit!
I'm standing with laboratory professionals at Dynacare. MAHCP.Lab pros are feeling the pinch.

Wages at Dynacare have fallen 20-50% behind public hospital laboratories since Dynacare, a for-profit American-owned corporation, became Manitoba's only private outpatient lab provider in 2017.

These lab professionals serve nearly
1.2M patients a year in Manitoba, performing over 15M labs tests during the last fiscal alone.
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Nick Varga @karaoke-god.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
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Jake (Real) @jakemhs.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
the thing about "champagne socialists" is that a lot of us know we were extraordinarily lucky due to the circumstances of our birth and want better lives for everyone as a result, I do not understand how this is supposed to be a gotcha
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Amanda Mull @amandamull.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
This is my favorite type of AI whinging because it does require admitting you’re a talentless piece of shit up front
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gem @spurll.com · 15/08/2026
Extremely fucked up that over the last six years my idea of "relaxation" has become so twisted that now the most relaxing thing I can imagine is having some uninterrupted time to catch up on work in peace
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Crow @abbyjane.cloverdalelane.com · 14/08/2026
I think about this a lot.
Tim Henke
@TimHenke9
eat shit, René Magritte
Translate Tweet
Mauv @ThatsMauvelous • 1d the machine refused to recognize my humanity until i professed to believe that a sign painted to look like a traffic light is indeed a traffic light.
Show this thread
Select all squares with traffic lights
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Micah @rincewind.run · 13/08/2026
Q. Does Reacher believe in due process? A. As an angry and enormous justice hobo, Reacher believes that evil needs to be punched repeatedly in the face until it goes away. It is very cathartic, but not necessarily the sort of thing that fits within the American justice system.
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Micah @rincewind.run · 13/08/2026
Q. What kind of criminal conspiracies are we talking about here? A. All kinds! But most prominently Reacher takes on the kind of local businessmen who are exploiting their communities through thuggery. If Reacher sees that the little man is in trouble, he comes to the rescue because he is big.
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Chris Franklin @errant-signal.com · 12/08/2026
The Simpsons' Disco Stu pointing to a chart that reads "Disco Record Sales" that spiles upward exponentially forever
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gem @spurll.com · 11/08/2026
Huge fan of @kavehmd.bsky.social, but even I have trouble imagining how you stretch "lol fuck no" to an hour and five.
Screenshot of the Podcasts app showing the latest episode of The House of Pod, titled "Should You Go To Med School?" with a runtime of 1h5m.
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Chef Kennedy🐸🏳️‍🌈 @kennedy.northsky.social · 10/08/2026
You know who else got a bit too high and then regretted it? A little fella named Icarus.
Headline: Hospital visits from condition linked to frequent marijuana use on the rise, CDC study says
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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 31/07/2026
Amnesty have issued an apology to JK Rowling and the rest. Adjust your expectations, and donations, accordingly www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/an-ap...
amnesty.org.uk
An Apology for A Growing Threat briefing, published on 8 July 2026
Amnesty International UK has made a public apology for the publication of the briefing “A growing threat: the anti-rights movement in the UK”. Click here to read it in full.
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Rose Schmits @roseschmits.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Free speech in the UK is getting held hostage by one mean old witch in a caste in scotland
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Aftermath @aftermath.site · 29/07/2026
I Hate Adobe: aftermath.site/i-hate-adobe/
The adobe logo with devil horns
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Neverway - COMING IN 2027! @coldbloodinc.studio · 29/07/2026
our indie game: - hand drawn by Celeste's pixel artist - music by Disasterpeace - made on our own game engine - a slow-burning horror RPG - meet (or date) 10+ charming characters - fast-paced combat - customize your playstyle with crafted items and combat abilities
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Nathan Grayson @nathangrayson.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
I'm just saying
I was invited to the Riyadh Comedy Festival (in Saudi Arabia), which is something that I obviously did not want to do. They offered me, I’m not going to say how much, but it was seven figures to do one show, which is way more than I’ve ever been offered in my life to do a show. But I just couldn’t be part of that. I’m not dissing anybody that took the money because I’m sure everybody that went there got a lot of money. I’m sure they had their own reasons and justifications for doing it. But I’m doing enough that I don’t need to take any amount of money if it makes me feel icky, and that kind of did.
I respect Weird Al’s restraint here, but also those people deserve to be dissed! They took money from a government with numerous human rights abuses on its record that relies on popular entertainers (and athletes) specifically to cover up those abuses. 

Which brings us to Kojima, who—alongside other video game bigwigs like Activision COO Joshua Taub, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, Sega president Shuji Utsumi, and former Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada—was a speaker at the 2025 Esports World Cup’s New Global Sport Conference, another Riyadh-based, Saudi-government-backed act of reputational whitewashing. He did not need to! None of those executives did. They chose to. It’s unclear whether or not money changed hands, but that’s kind of beside the point. (Let’s be real, though: Considering that Saudi Arabia is about to fork over billions to complete its purchase of EA, it probably did.)
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