philtor
@philtor.bsky.social
Semi retired software developer in Oregon. Foodie. Gardener. Trying to make sense of <looks around> all of this.
Reposted by philtor
Yet another reason for Trump's campaign of killing civilians in international waters was to test which senior career officers would be willing to violate their oath of office to please Trump. Adm. Alvin Holsey resigned rather than carry out illegal orders, but Adm. Bradley was happy to comply.
January 4, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Yet another reason for Trump's campaign of killing civilians in international waters was to test which senior career officers would be willing to violate their oath of office to please Trump. Adm. Alvin Holsey resigned rather than carry out illegal orders, but Adm. Bradley was happy to comply.
Reposted by philtor
It's interesting that Russia withdrew all of its personnel from Venezuela exactly 14 days before Trump's invasion. China didn't withdraw their personnel. Cuba didn't withdraw theirs. Just Russia.
It is almost as if someone called Putin to warn him what's up as part of a quid pro quo.
Not almost.
It is almost as if someone called Putin to warn him what's up as part of a quid pro quo.
Not almost.
January 5, 2026 at 2:54 AM
It's interesting that Russia withdrew all of its personnel from Venezuela exactly 14 days before Trump's invasion. China didn't withdraw their personnel. Cuba didn't withdraw theirs. Just Russia.
It is almost as if someone called Putin to warn him what's up as part of a quid pro quo.
Not almost.
It is almost as if someone called Putin to warn him what's up as part of a quid pro quo.
Not almost.
Reposted by philtor
During Fiona Hill's testimony to Congress on Oct 14, 2019, she described how Trump and Putin discussed exchanging Ukraine for Venezuela. The quid pro quo was if Trump refuses to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, Putin would not help Venezuela (a Russian ally) resist a US takeover.
January 4, 2026 at 2:36 AM
During Fiona Hill's testimony to Congress on Oct 14, 2019, she described how Trump and Putin discussed exchanging Ukraine for Venezuela. The quid pro quo was if Trump refuses to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, Putin would not help Venezuela (a Russian ally) resist a US takeover.
So are we going to invade Cuba or Columbia next?
January 5, 2026 at 2:11 AM
So are we going to invade Cuba or Columbia next?
Reposted by philtor
Once again, one of the primary reasons we have arrived at this point (completely out-of-control & unconstitutional abuse of executive power to conduct wildly illegal foreign policy) is that no one, including the most senior people involved, went to jail for the rest of their lives for Iran-Contra.
January 3, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Once again, one of the primary reasons we have arrived at this point (completely out-of-control & unconstitutional abuse of executive power to conduct wildly illegal foreign policy) is that no one, including the most senior people involved, went to jail for the rest of their lives for Iran-Contra.
The Ghost of John Henry shows up below 👇 🧵
Ok:
Write a python package that does multivariate Nadaraya-Watson and local polynomial kernel regression with homo-/heteroscedastic goodness of fit checking and automatic crossvalidated order and bandwidth selection as an sklearn (fit/predict) compatible class.
Write a python package that does multivariate Nadaraya-Watson and local polynomial kernel regression with homo-/heteroscedastic goodness of fit checking and automatic crossvalidated order and bandwidth selection as an sklearn (fit/predict) compatible class.
January 4, 2026 at 11:59 PM
The Ghost of John Henry shows up below 👇 🧵
Reposted by philtor
The O-1B visa reserved for “exceptional” artists has become dominated by influencers and OnlyFans models given the metrics-based methodology for approval.
Showing you have a lot of followers has become the objective measure for identifying exceptional artists for visas.
Showing you have a lot of followers has become the objective measure for identifying exceptional artists for visas.
Influencers and OnlyFans models dominate US ‘extraordinary’ artist visas
Work permits increasingly being awarded on basis of online reach, favouring content creators
www.ft.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:44 PM
The O-1B visa reserved for “exceptional” artists has become dominated by influencers and OnlyFans models given the metrics-based methodology for approval.
Showing you have a lot of followers has become the objective measure for identifying exceptional artists for visas.
Showing you have a lot of followers has become the objective measure for identifying exceptional artists for visas.
This thread gets kinda wild where someone says "I'll bet you can't get AI to code up this very complicated mathematical thing in Python" and someone produces the code on GitHub in half an hour.
Jaana was a distinguished engineer at GitHub and is now a principal engineer at Google.
I expect more testimonials from accomplished engineers about productivity gains of AI in 2026.
Engineers claiming AI tools don’t work well will increasingly look like a skill issue than a problem with AI tools
I expect more testimonials from accomplished engineers about productivity gains of AI in 2026.
Engineers claiming AI tools don’t work well will increasingly look like a skill issue than a problem with AI tools
January 4, 2026 at 11:49 PM
This thread gets kinda wild where someone says "I'll bet you can't get AI to code up this very complicated mathematical thing in Python" and someone produces the code on GitHub in half an hour.
Reposted by philtor
Looks like they have made up their mind about Greenland. "Trump renews push to annex Greenland after Venezuela strike
President Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about annexing Greenland. He reupped those calls hours after the U.S. captured Venezuela's leader." www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
President Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about annexing Greenland. He reupped those calls hours after the U.S. captured Venezuela's leader." www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
January 4, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Looks like they have made up their mind about Greenland. "Trump renews push to annex Greenland after Venezuela strike
President Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about annexing Greenland. He reupped those calls hours after the U.S. captured Venezuela's leader." www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
President Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about annexing Greenland. He reupped those calls hours after the U.S. captured Venezuela's leader." www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
Reposted by philtor
Colombian President Petro commenting on the US;
“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy. To keep Epstein's list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen & threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil."
“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy. To keep Epstein's list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen & threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil."
January 4, 2026 at 3:40 AM
Colombian President Petro commenting on the US;
“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy. To keep Epstein's list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen & threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil."
“A clan of pedophiles wants to destroy our democracy. To keep Epstein's list from coming out, they send warships to kill fishermen & threaten our neighbor with invasion for their oil."
Reposted by philtor
The main difference between Trump’s invasion of Venezuela and GW’s invasion of Iraq is that there’s zero pretense. This is about oil and enriching American oil companies.
RIP to the dozens of Venezuelan fishermen who were killed in the lead up to the invasion under the pretext of drug smuggling.
RIP to the dozens of Venezuelan fishermen who were killed in the lead up to the invasion under the pretext of drug smuggling.
January 4, 2026 at 1:24 AM
The main difference between Trump’s invasion of Venezuela and GW’s invasion of Iraq is that there’s zero pretense. This is about oil and enriching American oil companies.
RIP to the dozens of Venezuelan fishermen who were killed in the lead up to the invasion under the pretext of drug smuggling.
RIP to the dozens of Venezuelan fishermen who were killed in the lead up to the invasion under the pretext of drug smuggling.
Reposted by philtor
"Does the leadership at my company promote a xenophobic agenda and use the wealth I help them acquire to donate directly to bigoted causes and politicians I find despicable? Yeah, sure. Did I celebrate my last birthday at Drag Brunch? Also, yes."
#McSweeneysTop25of2025.
#McSweeneysTop25of2025.
I Work For an Evil Company, but Outside Work, I’m Actually a Really Good Person
Our 7th most-read article of 2025. - - -I love my job. I make a great salary, there’s a clear path to promotion, and a never-ending supply of cold...
buff.ly
January 4, 2026 at 2:00 AM
"Does the leadership at my company promote a xenophobic agenda and use the wealth I help them acquire to donate directly to bigoted causes and politicians I find despicable? Yeah, sure. Did I celebrate my last birthday at Drag Brunch? Also, yes."
#McSweeneysTop25of2025.
#McSweeneysTop25of2025.
Reposted by philtor
Specifically, a protest song about how the sons of the rich were able to avoid fighting, like fighting-age Donald Trump who got four deferments for being in college and another for bone spurs.
Trump posts footage of the Maduro raid set to "Fortunate Son" -- a protest song about the Vietnam War draft
January 3, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Specifically, a protest song about how the sons of the rich were able to avoid fighting, like fighting-age Donald Trump who got four deferments for being in college and another for bone spurs.
Reposted by philtor
In 1995, Sandra Bullock was the first person ever to buy movie theater tickets online, in promotion for her new film THE NET.
January 3, 2026 at 12:01 AM
In 1995, Sandra Bullock was the first person ever to buy movie theater tickets online, in promotion for her new film THE NET.
Reposted by philtor
for too long, news has meant connecting viewers with facts, context, and expertise. but here at cbs, we are committed to making sure the news is just whatever you already believe.”
January 2, 2026 at 10:17 PM
for too long, news has meant connecting viewers with facts, context, and expertise. but here at cbs, we are committed to making sure the news is just whatever you already believe.”
Reposted by philtor
In an alternate reality I just took a Tesla robotaxi to the spaceport for my annual trip to Mars.
In this reality, we are watching performance art of how the world’s richest man is also its biggest grifter
In this reality, we are watching performance art of how the world’s richest man is also its biggest grifter
January 2, 2026 at 4:36 PM
In an alternate reality I just took a Tesla robotaxi to the spaceport for my annual trip to Mars.
In this reality, we are watching performance art of how the world’s richest man is also its biggest grifter
In this reality, we are watching performance art of how the world’s richest man is also its biggest grifter
Reposted by philtor
"As a nation, we Americans are not wealthier because 60-year-old, 1,500-square-foot homes in suburban Boston sell for a million dollars."
dubious source but I find the basic argument in here pretty convincing www.mercatus.org/research/res...
"We Are Not as Wealthy as We Thought We Were": Elevated American Household Net Worth Reflects Poverty, Not Wealth
Abstract
www.mercatus.org
January 2, 2026 at 4:18 PM
"As a nation, we Americans are not wealthier because 60-year-old, 1,500-square-foot homes in suburban Boston sell for a million dollars."
Reposted by philtor
Criminals fleeing New York as Mamdani takes charge
Some news — George Santos has fled NYC due to Zohran Mamdani.
January 2, 2026 at 5:27 AM
Criminals fleeing New York as Mamdani takes charge
Reposted by philtor
"Take Us Home by Another Way" by Christopher Grundy
YouTube video by Christopher Grundy
www.youtube.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:36 AM
Reposted by philtor
YouTube’s moat is that it’s one of the few creator-centric apps besides OnlyFans that has created generational wealth for thousands of creators.
January 2, 2026 at 12:53 AM
YouTube’s moat is that it’s one of the few creator-centric apps besides OnlyFans that has created generational wealth for thousands of creators.
Reposted by philtor
Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee. n.pr/49cmd6E
Capitol riot 'does not happen' without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee.
n.pr
January 1, 2026 at 2:30 AM
Former special counsel Jack Smith also described President Trump as the "most culpable and most responsible person" in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a transcript of Smith's closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee. n.pr/49cmd6E
Reposted by philtor
“Known as the Freya hydrate mounds, these structures act like a “frozen reef,” a haven for creatures that have evolved to live in environments unlike any other on Earth.
In a new paper..the deepest ever found of these mounds [is] at 3,640 meters—or some 2.26 miles—below the surface.”
👇 🦑 🌊
In a new paper..the deepest ever found of these mounds [is] at 3,640 meters—or some 2.26 miles—below the surface.”
👇 🦑 🌊
Bizarre Ecosystem Discovered More Than Two Miles beneath Arctic Ocean
Bizarre Ecosystem Discovered More Than Two Miles beneath Arctic Ocean
Dynamic mounds made of methane at a depth of some 3,640 meters act like “frozen reefs” for a bizarre array of deep-sea creatures, new observations reveal
www.scientificamerican.com
December 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM
“Known as the Freya hydrate mounds, these structures act like a “frozen reef,” a haven for creatures that have evolved to live in environments unlike any other on Earth.
In a new paper..the deepest ever found of these mounds [is] at 3,640 meters—or some 2.26 miles—below the surface.”
👇 🦑 🌊
In a new paper..the deepest ever found of these mounds [is] at 3,640 meters—or some 2.26 miles—below the surface.”
👇 🦑 🌊
If only we could do this here.
BREAKING: Australia has passed a Bill that will limit the total spending on a party by billionaires like Elon Musk to Just $50,000
This will ban billionaires from single-handedly buying Elections in Australia.
https://x.com/politvidchannel/status/2004998838147485890?s=46
This will ban billionaires from single-handedly buying Elections in Australia.
https://x.com/politvidchannel/status/2004998838147485890?s=46
December 29, 2025 at 5:32 AM
If only we could do this here.
Reposted by philtor
This administration lied about the people it sent to an overseas torture prison. It lies about the people it’s deporting. It lies every day to gain political advantage. Not a chance in hell they won’t lie about huge swaths of people they suspect might vote for the other party.
December 27, 2025 at 12:31 AM
This administration lied about the people it sent to an overseas torture prison. It lies about the people it’s deporting. It lies every day to gain political advantage. Not a chance in hell they won’t lie about huge swaths of people they suspect might vote for the other party.