Dirk.
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dirkbrandts.bsky.social
Dirk.
@dirkbrandts.bsky.social
Aging out gracefully
Pinned
First post: I’m simply curious about life. I travel a lot and love languages. I worked as a film producer with a prior background in graphic design and scientific illustration. Now I paint, draw, and write. I’m not pitching anything and I can live without clout.

My advice to all — do your best.
Reposted by Dirk.
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."

There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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1) End the drug war.
2) Oppose mass arrest and mass incarceration. Stop overpolicing vulnerable communities for crimes that are not mission-critical. Broken windows and Guiliani's claims are a fraud.
3) Demilitarize policing
4) Police the police and then...
5) Utilize the resources currently being..
November 14, 2025 at 6:16 PM
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Ms. Brown speaking the truth 🔥
November 14, 2025 at 3:25 AM
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When the theft of public money is used to sponsor a terror state, then we are looking at the ultimate form of predatory capitalism: a zombie society that has entered a hostage situation.
November 1, 2025 at 5:03 PM
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This is Antifa. Which, I guess, makes Republicans Profa.
October 13, 2025 at 10:05 PM
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Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
October 5, 2025 at 9:08 AM
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Listen to the video. This is what people have to do to get through algorithmic censorship.

With Meta, X, Tik Tok - we know only what they let us know. And AI has made their "thought police" capable of even reading that.

Maybe we'll have to bring back pig Latin or cursive to outwit AI censorship.
October 4, 2025 at 12:36 PM
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Scientists Finally Reveal Biological Basis of Long COVID Brain Fog.

Patients with brain fog may have disrupted AMPA receptor (AMPAR) expression—key molecules for memory and learning. Imaging of Long COVID patients showed elevated AMPAR density tied to more severe cognitive impairment.
Scientists Finally Reveal Biological Basis of Long COVID Brain Fog
Researchers employed a specialized brain imaging technique to identify a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for Long COVID. More than four years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, scien...
scitechdaily.com
October 1, 2025 at 11:14 PM
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This is all really unutterably depressing.
September 30, 2025 at 8:18 PM
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Hegseth is a joke..

Country over Party 🇺🇸

Fuck you and your loyalty test..
#SheShed
September 30, 2025 at 2:17 PM
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Pritzker: "People of Illinois, we need your help. Get our your cell phones, record and narrate what you see. Put it on social media. Peacefully ask for badge numbers and identification. Speak up for your neighbors. We need to let the world know that this is happening and that we won't stand for it."
September 29, 2025 at 8:28 PM
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This is certainly a different take I can get behind
September 15, 2025 at 2:04 AM
I’m with Michel Serres who considered argumentative or polemical debate an obstacle to invention and growth. Holding a fixed position creates division. Dialogue, on the other hand, promotes synthesis and connection.
September 15, 2025 at 1:09 AM
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September 14, 2025 at 1:49 PM
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This is a Melissa Hortman appreciation account for the next 24 hours.
Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman remembered as funny, savvy and 'a true leader'
Friends and colleagues remembered her as grounded, kind and compassionate.
www.pbs.org
September 10, 2025 at 11:39 PM
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I'm PhD in graphic design and Cracker Barrel's REAL problem is they didn't go *far enough*
August 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
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Multiple postal services around Europe say they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United States amid a lack of clarity over new import duties.
European postal services suspend shipment of packages to US over import tariffs
Multiple postal services around Europe say they are suspending the shipment of many packages to the United States amid a lack of clarity over new import duties.
bit.ly
August 23, 2025 at 4:01 PM
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Oh, hey, happy George Herriman's birthday!
August 22, 2025 at 8:08 PM
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Art expresses what words cannot
August 19, 2025 at 3:22 AM
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This letter to the editor in @postandcourier.bsky.social is dead on. Written by a museum curator with a history at the Smithsonian. I copied it in 2 parts so you could read it.
August 17, 2025 at 9:50 AM
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"We're proud of our history." --Pete Hegseth on restoring a Confederate monument in Arlington cemetery
August 7, 2025 at 10:33 PM
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Love this.
July 28, 2025 at 4:44 PM
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My latest: Polar scientists warn that the White House and NSF are planning to terminate the Nathaniel Palmer, the only US research icebreaker capable of handling Antarctic extremes, this October.

So far the plan has seen minimal pushback from Congress.
NSF plans abrupt end to lone U.S. Antarctic research icebreaker
Imminent termination of the RV Nathaniel B. Palmer shocks polar scientists
www.science.org
July 28, 2025 at 8:23 PM