Matt the Knife
@messerman.org
Proud father, lucky husband, decent improviser, experienced software engineer, avid reader, podcaster (Knights of the Rolled Table, Hacking the Grepson), gamer (single player).
Be kind, or shut up.
For legal reasons, this account is satire.
Be kind, or shut up.
For legal reasons, this account is satire.
Pinned
Matt the Knife
@messerman.org
· Jun 10
Believing that all people should be treated with kindness and respect (regardless of their nationality, skin color, monetary status, health, etc) should not be considered an extremist viewpoint.
Being opposed to that, however, should be.
Being opposed to that, however, should be.
Reposted by Matt the Knife
Borders also keep you in
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Borders also keep you in
RIP Catherine O’Hara - I’ve been a fan since SCTV (reruns of, I don’t remember from when I was a bebe). Home Alone, Nightmare Before Christmas, Schitt’s Creek, and so many more - I just can’t process this yet. Her character in Home Alone was so essential - she grounded the ridiculousness in reality.
January 30, 2026 at 8:26 PM
RIP Catherine O’Hara - I’ve been a fan since SCTV (reruns of, I don’t remember from when I was a bebe). Home Alone, Nightmare Before Christmas, Schitt’s Creek, and so many more - I just can’t process this yet. Her character in Home Alone was so essential - she grounded the ridiculousness in reality.
Reposted by Matt the Knife
This is why I always talk about social correction and the need to tell these people to fuck off
One of the points of Altemeyer's research on authoritarian personality types is that they tend to exhibit much higher degrees of social conformance sensitivity. They really care about what's normal and they really care about both feeling and being perceived as normal.
Their biggest weakness is their massive self-soothing mechanism. They're convinced that everyone agrees with them but some people have been peeled away by propaganda and money
They just can't imagine earnest disagreement and coming across it not only confuses but spiritually harms them
They just can't imagine earnest disagreement and coming across it not only confuses but spiritually harms them
January 27, 2026 at 3:08 AM
This is why I always talk about social correction and the need to tell these people to fuck off
Presidential
Amid these dark moments, something important is beginning to shift.
It's clearly the result of healthy political pressure - which we must sustain, and build.
It's clearly the result of healthy political pressure - which we must sustain, and build.
January 27, 2026 at 7:16 AM
Presidential
Reposted by Matt the Knife
Cartoon by Adam Zyglis
January 27, 2026 at 1:01 AM
Cartoon by Adam Zyglis
Reposted by Matt the Knife
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
January 25, 2026 at 5:39 PM
The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.
Anyone complaining about the way the captain in Starfleet Academy sits being weird or unrealistic must not know any bisexual or neurodivergent people. #startrek #starfleetacademy
January 23, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Anyone complaining about the way the captain in Starfleet Academy sits being weird or unrealistic must not know any bisexual or neurodivergent people. #startrek #starfleetacademy
Reposted by Matt the Knife
Once you put aside the hype and figure out how to use an LLM effectively, it's hard to imagine not using it. I don't want to give up that help any more than I want to give up my phone, and for the same reasons.
9/10
9/10
January 20, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Once you put aside the hype and figure out how to use an LLM effectively, it's hard to imagine not using it. I don't want to give up that help any more than I want to give up my phone, and for the same reasons.
9/10
9/10
Reposted by Matt the Knife
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his life fighting for equity and justice. He taught us that even in the face of intimidation and discrimination, we must never stop working towards a better future – a lesson that feels especially relevant today.
January 19, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dedicated his life fighting for equity and justice. He taught us that even in the face of intimidation and discrimination, we must never stop working towards a better future – a lesson that feels especially relevant today.
I just realized that the power/responsibility relation is key to my moral framework - I am morally responsible to help those I have the power to help, but those that I don’t have power/control over do not require (but can still take on) great responsibility.
Spider-Man is perhaps THE best comic book character for a future leader to read - the balance of personal vs professional life, anxiety and stress, closer ties to lower-middle class working people, and of course “with great power there must also come great responsibility”.
January 17, 2026 at 7:25 PM
I just realized that the power/responsibility relation is key to my moral framework - I am morally responsible to help those I have the power to help, but those that I don’t have power/control over do not require (but can still take on) great responsibility.
Reposted by Matt the Knife
FYI:
“There won’t be elections” and
“There might be elections but they’ll just deny the results so it won’t count”
IS VOTER SUPPRESSION LANGUAGE.
You say this, YOU are participating in discouraging people from voting.
You are part of the problem.
“There won’t be elections” and
“There might be elections but they’ll just deny the results so it won’t count”
IS VOTER SUPPRESSION LANGUAGE.
You say this, YOU are participating in discouraging people from voting.
You are part of the problem.
January 16, 2026 at 10:04 PM
FYI:
“There won’t be elections” and
“There might be elections but they’ll just deny the results so it won’t count”
IS VOTER SUPPRESSION LANGUAGE.
You say this, YOU are participating in discouraging people from voting.
You are part of the problem.
“There won’t be elections” and
“There might be elections but they’ll just deny the results so it won’t count”
IS VOTER SUPPRESSION LANGUAGE.
You say this, YOU are participating in discouraging people from voting.
You are part of the problem.
I DO need to be right, but not the way most people think. I don’t need my current worldview to be right - I need to understand which contradictory fact is wrong, so I can update the information in my brain and then be correct from then on (and the other person can do the same thing - it’s a win win)
There's an extremely common misconception that autistic people need to be right. That we are always correcting others because we think we know better than everyone else.
And I want to explain why this is a wildly inaccurate understanding of the internal autistic experience...
And I want to explain why this is a wildly inaccurate understanding of the internal autistic experience...
January 17, 2026 at 7:32 AM
I DO need to be right, but not the way most people think. I don’t need my current worldview to be right - I need to understand which contradictory fact is wrong, so I can update the information in my brain and then be correct from then on (and the other person can do the same thing - it’s a win win)
Reposted by Matt the Knife
We are *compelled* to correct *information* (not people) when we believe it is incorrect or inaccurate because it confuses our understanding of the world around us.
It confuses our own learned knowledge, perceptions, and experiences.
It confuses our own learned knowledge, perceptions, and experiences.
January 16, 2026 at 11:24 PM
We are *compelled* to correct *information* (not people) when we believe it is incorrect or inaccurate because it confuses our understanding of the world around us.
It confuses our own learned knowledge, perceptions, and experiences.
It confuses our own learned knowledge, perceptions, and experiences.
Reposted by Matt the Knife
Reposted by Matt the Knife
So, to me, culture fit is essential because neither the person nor the culture can change. New tech skills are easily learned.
That's even more the case now, in the brave new world of AI-assisted software engineering.
4/10
That's even more the case now, in the brave new world of AI-assisted software engineering.
4/10
January 15, 2026 at 10:47 PM
So, to me, culture fit is essential because neither the person nor the culture can change. New tech skills are easily learned.
That's even more the case now, in the brave new world of AI-assisted software engineering.
4/10
That's even more the case now, in the brave new world of AI-assisted software engineering.
4/10
Reposted by Matt the Knife
Wednesday is TRANSPHOBES ARE TRASH DAY!
Congratulations to those who celebrate this wonderful day.
Also, every other day is also Transphobes are Trash Day, I forgot to mention that.
Congratulations to those who celebrate this wonderful day.
Also, every other day is also Transphobes are Trash Day, I forgot to mention that.
January 14, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Wednesday is TRANSPHOBES ARE TRASH DAY!
Congratulations to those who celebrate this wonderful day.
Also, every other day is also Transphobes are Trash Day, I forgot to mention that.
Congratulations to those who celebrate this wonderful day.
Also, every other day is also Transphobes are Trash Day, I forgot to mention that.
Reposted by Matt the Knife
The so-called party of free speech and small government is happily supporting armed, masked government agents conducting “show me your papers” stops and brutalizing U.S. citizens.
Their real “party values” are terrorizing communities of color and anyone else who speaks out.
Remember this.
Their real “party values” are terrorizing communities of color and anyone else who speaks out.
Remember this.
January 14, 2026 at 9:30 PM
The so-called party of free speech and small government is happily supporting armed, masked government agents conducting “show me your papers” stops and brutalizing U.S. citizens.
Their real “party values” are terrorizing communities of color and anyone else who speaks out.
Remember this.
Their real “party values” are terrorizing communities of color and anyone else who speaks out.
Remember this.
Or (and I'm just spitballing here) an ICE officer murdering a woman for no fucking reason has led to people fighting back. But, sure, blame "Democrat Rhetoric" or whatever. 🙄
January 14, 2026 at 12:42 AM
Or (and I'm just spitballing here) an ICE officer murdering a woman for no fucking reason has led to people fighting back. But, sure, blame "Democrat Rhetoric" or whatever. 🙄
Reposted by Matt the Knife
A 'retronym' is a term consisting of a noun and a modifier which specifies the original meaning of the noun.
Many retronyms have come about due to technological advances.
Many retronyms have come about due to technological advances.
January 13, 2026 at 7:49 PM
A 'retronym' is a term consisting of a noun and a modifier which specifies the original meaning of the noun.
Many retronyms have come about due to technological advances.
Many retronyms have come about due to technological advances.
When, when will the headline come? I don’t think we can take much more. A cult of personality ends when the personality does.
January 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM
When, when will the headline come? I don’t think we can take much more. A cult of personality ends when the personality does.
ICE protestors should start showing up to the protests in ICE “uniforms”. Apparently you can buy the whole ensemble for under $100
January 13, 2026 at 5:23 PM
ICE protestors should start showing up to the protests in ICE “uniforms”. Apparently you can buy the whole ensemble for under $100
Reposted by Matt the Knife
“Which is why we are posthumously indicting Paul Revere.”
Rep. Pete Sessions: "This protesting that goes on -- honking of horns, obstructing federal law enforcement -- should not be tolerated ... I stand completely with the administration on this effort."
January 12, 2026 at 3:55 PM
“Which is why we are posthumously indicting Paul Revere.”
Reposted by Matt the Knife
Most conservatives, most religious people are hierarchical thinkers. The military DEMANDS it - “trains” those that are able to think for themselves into observing a strict hierarchy. Their brains have trouble even imagining that someone in power over them could be wrong.
Scares the hell out of me.
Scares the hell out of me.
January 13, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Most conservatives, most religious people are hierarchical thinkers. The military DEMANDS it - “trains” those that are able to think for themselves into observing a strict hierarchy. Their brains have trouble even imagining that someone in power over them could be wrong.
Scares the hell out of me.
Scares the hell out of me.