Sign in

Zach Peterson

@zachprague.bsky.social
436 followers 794 following 407 posts

My lover, the river, makes a better soldier than a bride. Northern MN transplant in CZ.

PostsRepliesMedia
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 15h
I'll admit that I have always loved Tool and I was, for a time, that guy. We were all young once. Gimme a break. It's still "Undertow" though. That's still the album that does it.
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
MacFarlane: The Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio has got the same issue. Last year, they paid $50,000 for diesel to transport their food. Now, they’re paying $150,000 for the diesel to transport their food.
25390773986
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Today, we're announcing Fake School. We've lined up a bunch of dudes who all went to Real School but now hate that. They hate all schools, but Fake School is a different. Here at Fake School you'll learn firsthand how the top nihilists in the world think everything is a cap sheet.
010
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I get that a headline is a headline, but framing this as governments being left behind really--ostensibly based on things gov't officials have said--is pretty wild. Governments (stand-ins for real people...representatives even!) have actively chosen this path again and again w/r/t tech.
100
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Dr. Émile P. Torres @xriskology.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
My interview with The Philosopher is now up! We discuss the ideologies behind the race to build ASI and the history of thinking about human extinction, among other topics! www.youtube.com/watch?app=de...
youtube.com
Are We Living in End Times? w/ Émile P. Torres
YouTube video by The Philosopher
0178
Reposted by Zach Peterson
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Wtaf is this question my university just asked me about my project?
Does the project involve any work that could be interpreted as promoting DEIA, climate change research, or non-compliant to any Presidential Executive Orders?
15145821297
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Finally there's a way for people who absolutely can't afford it to go into debt betting on how many chicken wings will be eaten on the new episode of Tracker. What's the point of these companies beyond outright extraction and moral rot?
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The provost of Dartmouth, at which I teach, has been using AI to write both academic papers & national op-eds, according to brave reporting by @thedartmouth.bsky.social. Many students are already bitter about AI. This leaves us as faculty no ground to stand on. www.thedartmouth.com/article/2026...
thedartmouth.com
Op-eds, academic articles by Provost Santiago Schnell flagged as ‘AI-written’ by ‘near-zero error’ AI detector Pangram
Schnell said he used artificial intelligence for “making writing processes more efficient,” but that AI was not a “substitute” for his own “intellectual judgment or authorship.”
711481490
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Been getting a lot of water buffalo content in the algo lately (regenerative farming stuff) and it seems pretty clear that they are aptly named. Those things really seem to like the water.
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
“Five of the officials said there have been at least 22 military fatalities — four more than what appears in the Pentagon’s public database…”
wapo.st
More U.S. troops have died amid Iran war than Pentagon has disclosed publicly
Officials who spoke with The Post expressed frustration that the additional loss of life in the Middle East is not reflected in the Defense Department’s casualty database.
58741
Reposted by Zach Peterson
beetle moses @beetlemoses.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Three panel comic. Panel 1: a man is standing in front of an older gentleman walking his dog in the park. The man, making a friendly gesture towards the little white dog, asks, “does he bite?” The older man replies, “no.” Panel 2: the little dog grabs the first man’s hand with his paw and gives the back of his hand a sensual smooch. Panel 3: the man pulls his hand back in disgust.
53116781937
Reposted by Zach Peterson
The Onion @theonion.com · 13/09/2026
Nation’s Smart Toilets Begin Counting Down
theonion.com
Nation’s Smart Toilets Begin Counting Down
WASHINGTON—Announcing “60… 59…58…” through their waterproof Bluetooth speakers in a booming, robotic voice that horrified millions of Americans across the country, the nation’s smart toilets have begu...
1789872
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Diesel gas at the pump here in CZ is roughly $9/gallon today. So…that’s good…?
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Talked to @wired.com about a bunch of things, including: r/bald, Bluesky, Elon ruining twitter, why I live the inbox zero life, LLMs, and more. Here it is: www.wired.com/story/user-b...
wired.com
Want to Get Off Your Phone? Mina Kimes Suggests Having a Baby
“I think that's been the most helpful thing,” says the ESPN journalist. “So there you go, Zoomers. There's a reason to have children.”
1101873127
Reposted by Zach Peterson
ProPublica @propublica.org · 10/09/2026
Sept. 21, 2020: Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz is involved in a car crash in the Dominican Republic that kills three people. This is how Cruz avoided prosecution — with the help of a local fixer who would go on to become a Red Sox legend’s business partner. THREAD:
Oneil Cruz photographed in his Pittsburgh Pirates uniform. Credit: Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
6384164
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Luckily this is the only AI out there and the guys trying to make chemical/bio weapons using AI have no other options to choose from. We should be fine. Trust the process.
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
404 Media @404media.co · 08/09/2026
404 Media is revealing the name of Border Patrol's predictive policing units, which analyze financial data and have local cops pull people over. The people are not suspected of any particular crime.
404media.co
A Secretive DHS ‘Predictive Policing’ Unit is Analyzing Americans' Financial Habits and Pulling Them Over
404 Media is revealing the name of Border Patrol's predictive policing units, which analyze financial data and have local cops pull people over. The people are not suspected of any particular crime.
391086618
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 08/09/2026
Report of the @mit.edu Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training —> aiandeducation.mit.edu/report/
aiandeducation.mit.edu
Report – AI and Education
062
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Age verification makes everyone less safe. Age verification makes everyone less safe. Age verification makes everyone less safe. Age verification makes everyone less safe. Age verification makes everyone less safe. Age verification makes everyone less safe.
techdirt.com
Hackers Had A Live Feed Of Every ID This Verification Company Scanned. For Over A Year.
From the very beginning of this recent obsession with identifying everyone online (yes, they like to call it "age" verification, but it always ends up as identity verification), we've been pointing out that it was a huge privacy nightmare waiting to happen. Or maybe it wasn't waiting. Maybe it was already happening. This week a...
81148287741
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
[me, the most annoying elder millenial at the function]: The thing about the band Incubus is that the album S.C.I.E.N.C.E. is actually weird, good and even interesting. I'm not a doctor, but this was a classic case of Lead Singer Being too Hot in the Early 2000s-itis.
110
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This is a real plot line from a full season (and then some) of Veep. Just unbelievable.
000
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Sometimes @theonion.com actually stings. 30 years ago this was me. I was not a freakishly good c/c runner, but I was at least halfway decent, and I listed to nu metal and wore cargo pants. It burns.
000
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Sports gambling is an absolute scourge. Even ESPN is writing hell stories about it...under its sports betting vertical with all of today's betting lines. Nice touch. www.espn.com/sports-betti...
A screenshot from an ESPN story about sports gambling on a subpage with resources for people who want to do sports gambling.
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Mina Kimes @minakimes.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Yes—it’s been 12 years (!) and this remains one of the most prescient pieces of media criticism ever written. And everything has only gotten worse. deadspin.com/the-future-o...
deadspin.com
Deadspin | The Future Of The Culture Wars Is Here, And It's Gamergate
Deadspin | The Future Of The Culture Wars Is Here, And It's Gamergate
332257382
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Such an interesting discussion with @sreenet.bsky.social and @hiphopprez.bsky.social on HBCUs and education generally
youtube.com
Walter Kimbrough Teaches Sree about HBCUs, the State of Education & More
YouTube video by sree sreenivasan
101
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
This is utterly insane. Somehow, he manages to actually rob something from literally every single person in America. Doing this once means doing it again and the effects are, and will be, profound. Just completely perverted.
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Looks to Give a Swath of Yosemite Park to Developer (Gift Article)
The proposed land swap would allow easy access to the crown jewel of the national park system. Democrats and former Park Service officials are incensed.
111
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Seems a bit odd for the CIA chief to do this in-person in Russia, but...ok. This passage is pretty good though. Famously, spies are super trusting of other spies, especially the CIA. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/u...
000
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
crazy to write "we live in a society" and it's a valid, full-throated response to hundreds and hundreds of words...but today we can do just that with this --> bsky.app/profile/usat...
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Max Blau @maxblau.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
I’ve reported at length about abuses of foreign farmworkers who come to the U.S. on H-2A visas: stolen wages, guns pointed in their faces. One woman I met was kidnapped, raped and nearly killed. I wanted to know: How do I tell if the produce I buy is part of the problem? 👇
Blueberries beginning to ripen in a field in Georgia. Credit: Zaydee Sanchez for ProPublica.A trove of passports that federal prosecutors say had been confiscated illegally from farmworkers by labor contractors. Obtained by ProPublica.
13574236
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I gave @sreenet.bsky.social a little assist this week for his newsletter. Been spending more and more time in Scandinavia lately and I really really appreciate their way of life.
open.substack.com
Nordic Happiness Can Scale in the U.S. if We Let It
Lessons from Scandinavia + did you know Republicans once had a platform similar to Democratic Socialists?
010
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
I was on the metro when @davidjroth.bsky.social and @drewmagary.bsky.social played that first voicemail on the latest Distraction episode and I absolutely guffawed out loud. Thank you so much for that
1131
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Not the Guy @notnotnuanced.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
1732738
Reposted by Zach Peterson
404 Media @404media.co · 11/06/2026
As Americans brace for heatwaves coast to coast, new software update is turning off the AC in Amazon delivery vans after 10 minutes or 30 seconds under certain conditions. @evystadium.bsky.social has more. @emanuelmaiberg.bsky.social story: www.404media.co/software-upd...
713083
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Kathryn Brightbill ✒️ @kebrightbill.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
In case anyone was wondering, Joe Namath's daughter has been hanging out outside the gates of the Everglades detention center documenting everyone who's been coming and going www.facebook.com/share/p/1CDB...
I’ve been asked numerous times if I see a change at the site recently, (ie. this week), and my response is yes for a few reasons:

1️⃣. I’m comparing the traffic to the previous two months. 

2️⃣. I like to observe shift changes, both am and pm, and quantify traffic. I count vehicles in and vehicles out. I break it down to law enforcement, vendors, transport, ambulances, and personal vehicles. 

3️⃣. When comparing personal vehicles entering and exiting the site I’ve been able to correlate those changes with intel or reporting. 

➡️Ex. I noticed a decrease in the number of personal vehicles at shift changes at the same time I heard that hundreds of workers were furloughed. 

4️⃣. So yes, I’ve noticed a general uptick since June 1st. The increase in personal vehicles made sense despite the decrease in detainee numbers - dismantling requires workers for labor and material transport off site. Also, there’s been more variety of vendor vehicles aside from just the daily regulars. 

🔮 A lot of detainees have been transferred to other facilities the past 72 hours. My guess is once they’re all out, dismantling and transporting materials offsite will become the focus, which is basically what we initially heard reported from the anonymous sources. So let’s hope to see some major changes in the coming week! 🧐

Here’s some of what I’ve seen June 1 - 5:
249590
Reposted by Zach Peterson
The Onion @theonion.com · 04/06/2026
FCC To Investigate TV Shows Where The Mom Has Job theonion.com/fcc-to-investigate-tv-…
FCC To Investigate TV Shows Where The Mom Has Job
Agency Bans On-Air Portrayal Of Employed Mothers
11274721439
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
What even is this? I was a dumb college student at the time and it was plainly obvious what the motivations for it were. Read the book @attackerman.bsky.social wrote (Reign of Terror), and fast. Please. Good lord.
020
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Chris Osieck @chrisosieck.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
"The vast sums show how Binance has been used as a financial artery for the IRGC, the powerful political, military and economic force that dominates Iran."
wsj.com
Iran Moved Billions Through Binance to Fund Regime—Continuing Into This Month
The crypto transactions took place despite repeated red flags. Binance says it has “zero-tolerance for illicit activity.”
033
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Jason Meisner @jmetr22b.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
JUST IN: A day after the collapse of the "Broadview Six" case, attorneys for the former defendants have filed an emergency motion seeking preservation of U.S. attorney's office emails and texts about the case. A motion for sanctions will undoubtedly be filed down the road
322543506
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Huge s/o to Jeremy Culhane for his first season on SNL. @aoaoaoapod.bsky.social heads know how funny he is, and it's so cool to see him absolutely kill it on the show. There are too many "best" eps of aoaoaoa, but his Eurovision guy is fuckin incredible, and this is actually the best episode.
youtube.com
Eurovision Superstars (with Paul F. Tompkins)
YouTube video by Artists on Artists on Artists on Artists Podcast
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Jason Meisner @jmetr22b.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
///BREAKING/// The feds are DISMISSING all remaining counts in the politically charged "Broadview Six" case days before trial, marking the final collapse of what had been one of the marquee criminal cases to come out of Operation Midway Blitz. Background: www.chicagotribune.com/2026/05/07/b...
chicagotribune.com
Judge tells ‘Broadview Six’ defendants ‘Congratulations’ and dismisses conspiracy count
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed the felony conspiracy count against the remaining defendants in the “Broadview Six” case, further winnowing a politically charged prosecution that is now down to ...
473361677
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Internet Archive @archive.org · 21/05/2026
Tell publishers to keep the news in the Wayback Machine: www.savethearchive.com/newsleaders/
5794406
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Hey, I have this great idea to destroy art, hear me out...
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Jimmy Kimmel @jimmykimmel.com · 21/05/2026
Tonight we congratulate our friend Stephen Colbert and his writers, staff and crew for eleven years of excellence. Watch Colbert’s finale tonight, and then never watch CBS again.
480247645131
Reposted by Zach Peterson
ashley fairbanks @ziibiing.com · 19/05/2026
a mission I don't know if I can fulfill, but I hope that we can get it done together: an immigrant student in MN needs $6,100 by tomorrow to be able to stay in their law program and in the country. dean's list, first-gen. their status stops me from saying more. www.paypal.com/pool/9pjLvyI...
4155137
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Talking about TV tends to be really stupid, but @jowrotethis.bsky.social and Mallory Rubin are just so good at not being weird about talking about shows. I could listen to them talk about Daredevil forever. Mallory's baseball tie-ins are a real chef's kiss. Really appreciate their work a lot.
110
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
On the left is an Onion headline from March. On the right is Reuters, today.
The Onion
MAGA Voter Claims She Loves High Gas Prices
March 10, 2026Reuters
Trump says Iran war is worth the economic pain. These rural voters agree.
By Brad Brooks
May 16, 20265:14 AM CDT
21491792482
Reposted by Zach Peterson
Solomon @solomonrmissouri.com · 15/05/2026
This This and This ... are not 3 things... they are one thing
172799802
Zach Peterson @zachprague.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
pretty amazing insights here, thank you for explaining the world to me.
000
Reposted by Zach Peterson
404 Media @404media.co · 14/05/2026
Between 2021 and 2024, USAID is estimated to have saved 91 million lives. Before it shut down, the agency accounted for less than 1% of federal spending. The collapse may have already caused 762,000 preventable deaths and could lead to more than nine million preventable deaths by 2030, study says.
404media.co
DOGE Cuts Unleashed a Deadly Wave of Violence Across Africa, Study Finds
The dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is associated with measurable increases in Africa, especially in areas most dependent on the agency’s support.
7304184
Reposted by Zach Peterson
404 Media @404media.co · 14/05/2026
The dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is associated with measurable increases in Africa, especially in areas most dependent on the agency’s support.
404media.co
DOGE Cuts Unleashed a Deadly Wave of Violence Across Africa, Study Finds
The dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is associated with measurable increases in Africa, especially in areas most dependent on the agency’s support.
13498217