Lisa Schmeiser
@lschmeiser.bsky.social
Editor in Chief, No Jitter; podcast @ The Incomparable; writer of an intermittent Substack (lschmeiser.substack.com); parent/partner/community volunteer/aspiring long distance swimmer.
Senate Democrats thinking both strategically and tactically beyond "How many times can I text this list I bought from ActBlue?" and "How many times can I blow off my constituents and vote to confirm Republican nominees?" Crazy talk.
February 10, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Senate Democrats thinking both strategically and tactically beyond "How many times can I text this list I bought from ActBlue?" and "How many times can I blow off my constituents and vote to confirm Republican nominees?" Crazy talk.
I went to an MLB game where the Who's "Baba O'Reilly" played and an NPR tote-bag-wielding "libby" turned to his friends & excitedly said, "I didn't know there would be mazurka in triple meter played here!"
Believe me when I say the libbies would be overjoyed if the NFL showcased the digeridoo.
Believe me when I say the libbies would be overjoyed if the NFL showcased the digeridoo.
Both these options sound objectively amazing, why do racists keep assuming everyone's racist?
February 10, 2026 at 7:23 PM
I went to an MLB game where the Who's "Baba O'Reilly" played and an NPR tote-bag-wielding "libby" turned to his friends & excitedly said, "I didn't know there would be mazurka in triple meter played here!"
Believe me when I say the libbies would be overjoyed if the NFL showcased the digeridoo.
Believe me when I say the libbies would be overjoyed if the NFL showcased the digeridoo.
There's something uniquely American about getting our citizens to voluntarily acquire & pay subscription fees for our our surveillance state apparatus: www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
With Ring, American Consumers Built a Surveillance Dragnet
Ring's 'Search Party' is dystopian surveillance accelerationism.
www.404media.co
February 10, 2026 at 5:42 PM
There's something uniquely American about getting our citizens to voluntarily acquire & pay subscription fees for our our surveillance state apparatus: www.404media.co/with-ring-am...
The BEST costume I ever saw at the Cal Academy of Science's annual Run to the Far Side was a two-person number where one person was the door for Midvale school and the other one was pushing against the door as they did the 5K.
February 10, 2026 at 5:41 PM
The BEST costume I ever saw at the Cal Academy of Science's annual Run to the Far Side was a two-person number where one person was the door for Midvale school and the other one was pushing against the door as they did the 5K.
Reposted by Lisa Schmeiser
We will all push on a pull door and lower our heads for a moment of silence.
February 10, 2026 at 4:37 AM
We will all push on a pull door and lower our heads for a moment of silence.
By contrast, when Gary Larson dies, nearly every remaining scientific lab, academic department & company in the U.S. will have to lower their Far Side clipping collections to half-mast. I know people who reference his strips daily.
And I didn’t see ONE Dilbert cartoon posted in tribute. No one was like, “all time favorite gag! Hung this on every cubicle I had!”
It’s like his whole body of work evaporated years ago
It’s like his whole body of work evaporated years ago
I was thinking how when Scott Adams was about to go and rightwingers were saying “you have no idea what impact it’s going to have when Scott Adams dies, he was loved by millions” and then he just died and nothing happened. These ghouls just disappear when they stop talking
February 10, 2026 at 4:00 AM
By contrast, when Gary Larson dies, nearly every remaining scientific lab, academic department & company in the U.S. will have to lower their Far Side clipping collections to half-mast. I know people who reference his strips daily.
So I spent a lot of time in 2025 reporting on why workers did not really want to embrace AI & a consistent reason was, "It will only mean that I will end up doing more at work."
And lo, these workers were right to be concerned: gizmodo.com/researchers-...
And lo, these workers were right to be concerned: gizmodo.com/researchers-...
Researchers Studied Work Habits in a Heavily AI-Pilled Workplace. They Sound Hellish
A case study found that workers worked at a
gizmodo.com
February 10, 2026 at 3:02 AM
So I spent a lot of time in 2025 reporting on why workers did not really want to embrace AI & a consistent reason was, "It will only mean that I will end up doing more at work."
And lo, these workers were right to be concerned: gizmodo.com/researchers-...
And lo, these workers were right to be concerned: gizmodo.com/researchers-...
Reading @thecut.com's piece on the rise of Mormon ladies in pop culture and got a handy reminder of what makes corporate America jump one way or another in the pursuit of profit.
February 9, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Reading @thecut.com's piece on the rise of Mormon ladies in pop culture and got a handy reminder of what makes corporate America jump one way or another in the pursuit of profit.
This is where I pulled the numbers.
February 6, 2026 at 9:34 PM
This is where I pulled the numbers.
They don't break it out by gender or race, and the age group covers 30-64, which is a huge range. It's one thing for a 31 year old woman to have $59,192 in retirement savings and quite another for a 64 year old woman.
February 6, 2026 at 9:13 PM
They don't break it out by gender or race, and the age group covers 30-64, which is a huge range. It's one thing for a 31 year old woman to have $59,192 in retirement savings and quite another for a 64 year old woman.
I want the report on how much money would be freed up for retirement savings if we forgave student loans and subsidized daycare for working parents.
February 6, 2026 at 8:43 PM
I want the report on how much money would be freed up for retirement savings if we forgave student loans and subsidized daycare for working parents.
So while the initial story can be about how scanty the "typical" U.S. worker's retirement savings is, a little digging reveals that much of the disparity might be linked to structural inequalities in the U.S. & the rise of assortative mating in the 21st century. It's worth examining. /end 🧵
February 6, 2026 at 8:39 PM
So while the initial story can be about how scanty the "typical" U.S. worker's retirement savings is, a little digging reveals that much of the disparity might be linked to structural inequalities in the U.S. & the rise of assortative mating in the 21st century. It's worth examining. /end 🧵
The report goes on to demonstrate a lot of disparities by race, gender, industry and income level. Did you know that people in the highest quintile in the U.S. also have the highest rate of retirement savings? More white-collar fields offer employer-sponsored retirement options like a 401(k)?
February 6, 2026 at 8:39 PM
The report goes on to demonstrate a lot of disparities by race, gender, industry and income level. Did you know that people in the highest quintile in the U.S. also have the highest rate of retirement savings? More white-collar fields offer employer-sponsored retirement options like a 401(k)?
Another contributing factor to retirement income gap: student loans. People without student loans had 401(k) balances that were 2.5 times higher than those with student loans, and IRA balances that were 3x higher. Note that while earnings were 10% higher for loan holders, net worth is lower. (2/n)
February 6, 2026 at 8:39 PM
Another contributing factor to retirement income gap: student loans. People without student loans had 401(k) balances that were 2.5 times higher than those with student loans, and IRA balances that were 3x higher. Note that while earnings were 10% higher for loan holders, net worth is lower. (2/n)
I dug into the report that the CBS article is based on, and there are some fairly significant gaps in who's got money for retirement. Married people have 35% more in self-reported financial assets than divorced or widowed people, and 2.5 times more than a never-married person. (1/n) 🧵
February 6, 2026 at 8:39 PM
I dug into the report that the CBS article is based on, and there are some fairly significant gaps in who's got money for retirement. Married people have 35% more in self-reported financial assets than divorced or widowed people, and 2.5 times more than a never-married person. (1/n) 🧵
Oh, the bitter laughter I just laughed: theonion.com/ai-chatbot-t...
AI Chatbot That Only Responds ‘Huh’ Valued At $200 Billion
PALO ALTO, CA—Hailing the new product as a “game changer” in the development of large language models, Silicon Valley insiders confirmed Tuesday that an AI chatbot that only responds “huh” had been va...
theonion.com
February 5, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Oh, the bitter laughter I just laughed: theonion.com/ai-chatbot-t...
Case in point in re: state regulation of AI: bsky.app/profile/niem...
The NY FAIR News Act would require news organizations to label AI-generated material and mandate that humans review any such content before publication. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/a-ne...
A new bill in New York would require disclaimers on AI-generated news content
A new bill in the New York state legislature would require news organizations to label AI-generated material and mandate that humans review any such content before publication. On Monday, Senator…
www.niemanlab.org
February 5, 2026 at 10:04 PM
Case in point in re: state regulation of AI: bsky.app/profile/niem...
Reposted by Lisa Schmeiser
While reporting this, I had something happen that's never happened. A comms rep for one of the co's disputed my reporting and said what I was telling them was untrue because it was not in Grok, xAI's chatbot.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
Epstein had many known connections to Silicon Valley CEOs, but less known was how he made money from those relationships.
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
Jeffrey Epstein’s Money Mingled With Silicon Valley Start-Ups
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:38 PM
While reporting this, I had something happen that's never happened. A comms rep for one of the co's disputed my reporting and said what I was telling them was untrue because it was not in Grok, xAI's chatbot.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
Watch this story. State-by-state regulation of AI is going to be a thing the same way state-by-state regulation of data privacy was: calmatters.org/economy/tech...
Gavin Newsom hesitated on AI. Labor says he must regulate it if he wants the presidency
The governor will need workers and unions in 2028. They are trying to push him to the left on AI — even as business interest push the other way.
calmatters.org
February 5, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Watch this story. State-by-state regulation of AI is going to be a thing the same way state-by-state regulation of data privacy was: calmatters.org/economy/tech...
Reposted by Lisa Schmeiser
Scenes outside of the Washington Post headquarters right now:
February 5, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Scenes outside of the Washington Post headquarters right now:
Notable quotable from @fxshaw.com: "It is always okay to change as the world changes, but key to that is acknowledging the change and the why behind it."
We're working on Issue 4 of Signal Magazine, but you can take a look at what I had to say about trust in Issue 3.
news.microsoft.com/signalmagazi...
news.microsoft.com/signalmagazi...
February 5, 2026 at 12:45 AM
Notable quotable from @fxshaw.com: "It is always okay to change as the world changes, but key to that is acknowledging the change and the why behind it."
Some days, you just have to boost your own serotonin by putting on 1989's "The Indigo Girls" and chair-dancing along as you work.
February 4, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Some days, you just have to boost your own serotonin by putting on 1989's "The Indigo Girls" and chair-dancing along as you work.
The thing is: California leads the nation in EV adoption. Gas prices become less relevant when you don't buy that much gas. Also, many Californians enjoy not breathing smog & will pay for that: www.theautopian.com/one-state-ha...
February 4, 2026 at 6:39 PM
The thing is: California leads the nation in EV adoption. Gas prices become less relevant when you don't buy that much gas. Also, many Californians enjoy not breathing smog & will pay for that: www.theautopian.com/one-state-ha...
I love how this man thought shaving everything off would make him unrecognizable.
February 4, 2026 at 6:32 PM
I love how this man thought shaving everything off would make him unrecognizable.