Ben Pfaff
@benpfaff.bsky.social
Co-founder and developer at feldera.com. GNU and former Debian developer. RenFaire enthusiast. He/him.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
The entire trick to academia is to be friends with people with distinct but relevant research specialities
Me: thank u for this photo of a door with no context. Here's the name of the church it's from, a historic photo, it's first appearance on an os map, and a chapter on it from a book that details the date it was built AND the two times it was heavily renovated. You should be able to go from there.
I would like to thank @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social for his service to the cause
January 23, 2026 at 6:50 PM
The entire trick to academia is to be friends with people with distinct but relevant research specialities
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
In America, anyone can become President. It is regrettable.
January 24, 2026 at 2:38 PM
In America, anyone can become President. It is regrettable.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
My loose info so far is that the Minneapolis General Strike today had about 80 unions sign on, and it might be one of the biggest labor actions in decades depending on your definition
January 23, 2026 at 11:16 PM
My loose info so far is that the Minneapolis General Strike today had about 80 unions sign on, and it might be one of the biggest labor actions in decades depending on your definition
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
Thanks for the helpful auto-complete, Gmail.
January 24, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Thanks for the helpful auto-complete, Gmail.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
Blumenthal: "I'm a no vote on that spending bill unless there are conditions that require ICE to go to a judge, to get a warrant, as well as other kinds of constraints -- the use of masks, the non-identification, the unmarked cars. These secret police, totalitarian tactics need to be stopped."
January 23, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Blumenthal: "I'm a no vote on that spending bill unless there are conditions that require ICE to go to a judge, to get a warrant, as well as other kinds of constraints -- the use of masks, the non-identification, the unmarked cars. These secret police, totalitarian tactics need to be stopped."
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
President Trump didn't end up invading a NATO ally this week. Are the Europeans even going to say thank you?
by J.D. Vance
by J.D. Vance
January 24, 2026 at 3:21 AM
President Trump didn't end up invading a NATO ally this week. Are the Europeans even going to say thank you?
by J.D. Vance
by J.D. Vance
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
Special Counsel Jack Smith in his Opening Remarks:
January 22, 2026 at 3:44 PM
Special Counsel Jack Smith in his Opening Remarks:
Ate lunch at Javelina Cantina in Sedona AZ and I took this mirror selfie there
January 19, 2026 at 10:24 PM
Ate lunch at Javelina Cantina in Sedona AZ and I took this mirror selfie there
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
Gary Larson: In my cartoon I invented Cow Tools as a cautionary tale
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
January 19, 2026 at 5:04 PM
Gary Larson: In my cartoon I invented Cow Tools as a cautionary tale
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
Cows: At long last, we have created the Cow Tools from classic newspaper comic Cow Tools
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
I stopped trying to debate software developers on LLMs a while back. It's fruitless. Even if they could be budged on empirical grounds, they are explicitly fine with using tools that are themselves deeply unethical.
January 18, 2026 at 12:18 PM
I stopped trying to debate software developers on LLMs a while back. It's fruitless. Even if they could be budged on empirical grounds, they are explicitly fine with using tools that are themselves deeply unethical.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
COW TOOLS COW TOOLS COW TOOLS
Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows
Brown Swiss in Austria has been discovered using tools in multiple ways – something only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:06 PM
COW TOOLS COW TOOLS COW TOOLS
I want an API for #rust collection types that acts like, say, HashMap::entry but takes a borrowed key type and clones it if an entry needs to be inserted. The entry API is great but I don't always want to construct the whole key type.
January 19, 2026 at 4:28 PM
I want an API for #rust collection types that acts like, say, HashMap::entry but takes a borrowed key type and clones it if an entry needs to be inserted. The entry API is great but I don't always want to construct the whole key type.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
The official message of the U.S. government to ICE is if you kill an American citizen while trying to deport brown people, not only will we cover it up but we will try to jail their spouse instead.
We all died during COVID and this is hell.
We all died during COVID and this is hell.
January 19, 2026 at 1:33 AM
The official message of the U.S. government to ICE is if you kill an American citizen while trying to deport brown people, not only will we cover it up but we will try to jail their spouse instead.
We all died during COVID and this is hell.
We all died during COVID and this is hell.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
The Nobel Peace Prize becoming so prestigious that wars are fought over a head of state coveting it is some real monkey paw stuff for Alfred Nobel.
January 19, 2026 at 8:47 AM
The Nobel Peace Prize becoming so prestigious that wars are fought over a head of state coveting it is some real monkey paw stuff for Alfred Nobel.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
Good morning. What a deeply embarrassing day to be a US citizen, on so many levels.
January 19, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Good morning. What a deeply embarrassing day to be a US citizen, on so many levels.
I went zip lining today.
January 19, 2026 at 3:00 AM
I went zip lining today.
I mostly read used books.
January 19, 2026 at 1:57 AM
I mostly read used books.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
My high school pal @dartsdomain.bsky.social has been selected as a judge for the 2026 International Mr. Leather, and I am both thrilled for him for this honor, and also of the opinion this is the best damn news of the day. Let the international healing begin!
www.internationalmrleather.com/judges
www.internationalmrleather.com/judges
Judges | Int'l Mr. Leather
www.internationalmrleather.com
January 18, 2026 at 3:18 AM
My high school pal @dartsdomain.bsky.social has been selected as a judge for the 2026 International Mr. Leather, and I am both thrilled for him for this honor, and also of the opinion this is the best damn news of the day. Let the international healing begin!
www.internationalmrleather.com/judges
www.internationalmrleather.com/judges
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
Amazing what ancient people built even though they were all skeletons
January 17, 2026 at 4:31 AM
Amazing what ancient people built even though they were all skeletons
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
January 16, 2026 at 12:17 AM
I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
Reposted by Ben Pfaff
a hug to whoever needs one. all this fucking sucks, man.
January 15, 2026 at 6:10 AM
a hug to whoever needs one. all this fucking sucks, man.
I like programming. I've had fun doing it since I was 7 years old. I have fun doing it as a profession, most days. I'll probably do it forever, because I like it.
January 15, 2026 at 3:45 AM
I like programming. I've had fun doing it since I was 7 years old. I have fun doing it as a profession, most days. I'll probably do it forever, because I like it.