Pinned
Tom
@tomel.bsky.social
· Sep 17
(to the tune of “a day in the life”)
i quantum leaped today, oh boy
i quantum leaped today, oh boy
Reposted by Tom
I think the AI angle of this is obscurant. It doesn’t matter that grok is “an AI” whatever you take that to mean. Suppose X hired a team of guys to photoshop the clothes off of women and children whenever anyone asks. That’s functionally identical what happening here. It’s not complicated.
A functional country would shut Grok down permanently. Like, immediately. Right now. Last week. Whatever. Just flip the switch. Obviously.
January 4, 2026 at 11:25 PM
I think the AI angle of this is obscurant. It doesn’t matter that grok is “an AI” whatever you take that to mean. Suppose X hired a team of guys to photoshop the clothes off of women and children whenever anyone asks. That’s functionally identical what happening here. It’s not complicated.
Reposted by Tom
if i have to keep thinking about this being a thing that we all have to live it will send me into a psychosis
A functional country would shut Grok down permanently. Like, immediately. Right now. Last week. Whatever. Just flip the switch. Obviously.
January 5, 2026 at 2:58 AM
if i have to keep thinking about this being a thing that we all have to live it will send me into a psychosis
Reposted by Tom
“If a woman dares to show herself in public in any way, then she can and will be sexually harassed with the aid of genAI-driven tools that can easily turn her face into highly realistic pornography” is an absolute red-alarm human rights disaster
The end goal of Grok sexual harassment is to make women afraid to be visible. It’s a punishment for daring to exist in a way the perpetrators can’t control. There’s no one solution to this, because the problem isn’t just technological. It’s cultural. It’s misogyny. This is just one expression of it.
January 5, 2026 at 3:02 AM
“If a woman dares to show herself in public in any way, then she can and will be sexually harassed with the aid of genAI-driven tools that can easily turn her face into highly realistic pornography” is an absolute red-alarm human rights disaster
Reposted by Tom
me: “Biden should do XYZ”
libs: “You IDIOT!! The president can’t do that! Take a civics class!!”
Trump: [goes ahead and does LMNOP]
libs: “this is why elections matter!!”
me: “but you assured me that—“
libs: “YOU SUPPORT THIS!!”
libs: “You IDIOT!! The president can’t do that! Take a civics class!!”
Trump: [goes ahead and does LMNOP]
libs: “this is why elections matter!!”
me: “but you assured me that—“
libs: “YOU SUPPORT THIS!!”
January 5, 2026 at 2:38 AM
me: “Biden should do XYZ”
libs: “You IDIOT!! The president can’t do that! Take a civics class!!”
Trump: [goes ahead and does LMNOP]
libs: “this is why elections matter!!”
me: “but you assured me that—“
libs: “YOU SUPPORT THIS!!”
libs: “You IDIOT!! The president can’t do that! Take a civics class!!”
Trump: [goes ahead and does LMNOP]
libs: “this is why elections matter!!”
me: “but you assured me that—“
libs: “YOU SUPPORT THIS!!”
Reposted by Tom
Last year Navigating with You won a few awards, but Dog Knight from me & got a very different distinction:
Last year The Dog Knight got banned.
I always suspected books of mine would get banned, but this one hit hard, because it's a book about a nonbinary kid finding their place in the world.
Last year The Dog Knight got banned.
I always suspected books of mine would get banned, but this one hit hard, because it's a book about a nonbinary kid finding their place in the world.
January 5, 2026 at 3:08 AM
Last year Navigating with You won a few awards, but Dog Knight from me & got a very different distinction:
Last year The Dog Knight got banned.
I always suspected books of mine would get banned, but this one hit hard, because it's a book about a nonbinary kid finding their place in the world.
Last year The Dog Knight got banned.
I always suspected books of mine would get banned, but this one hit hard, because it's a book about a nonbinary kid finding their place in the world.
Reposted by Tom
NYT:
The death toll for the US attack on Venezuela has risen to 80, including civilians and members of security forces, and could rise further.
The death toll for the US attack on Venezuela has risen to 80, including civilians and members of security forces, and could rise further.
January 4, 2026 at 7:17 PM
NYT:
The death toll for the US attack on Venezuela has risen to 80, including civilians and members of security forces, and could rise further.
The death toll for the US attack on Venezuela has risen to 80, including civilians and members of security forces, and could rise further.
Reposted by Tom
the Grok situation is a perfect distillation of why this is about cruelty towards women
because, at the end of the day, if you want to put some words into a text box and get pictures of naked women perfectly tailored to your desires, Grok is the worst way to do it
but it's ideal for harassment
because, at the end of the day, if you want to put some words into a text box and get pictures of naked women perfectly tailored to your desires, Grok is the worst way to do it
but it's ideal for harassment
The end goal of Grok sexual harassment is to make women afraid to be visible. It’s a punishment for daring to exist in a way the perpetrators can’t control. There’s no one solution to this, because the problem isn’t just technological. It’s cultural. It’s misogyny. This is just one expression of it.
January 5, 2026 at 2:22 AM
the Grok situation is a perfect distillation of why this is about cruelty towards women
because, at the end of the day, if you want to put some words into a text box and get pictures of naked women perfectly tailored to your desires, Grok is the worst way to do it
but it's ideal for harassment
because, at the end of the day, if you want to put some words into a text box and get pictures of naked women perfectly tailored to your desires, Grok is the worst way to do it
but it's ideal for harassment
Reposted by Tom
Reminder to delete your fucking X account.
Everyone is agitated that Grok keeps sexualizing photos of women and children for users and ignoring that it is also editing photos in more modest ways, like putting women in, uh, Nazi uniforms.
January 4, 2026 at 10:57 PM
Reminder to delete your fucking X account.
Reposted by Tom
it certainly does not mean I secretly like the roaches and want them to carry on infesting my house
if I were happy with the roaches infesting my house I wouldn’t be mad at my shitty exterminator
if I were happy with the roaches infesting my house I wouldn’t be mad at my shitty exterminator
January 3, 2026 at 9:51 PM
it certainly does not mean I secretly like the roaches and want them to carry on infesting my house
if I were happy with the roaches infesting my house I wouldn’t be mad at my shitty exterminator
if I were happy with the roaches infesting my house I wouldn’t be mad at my shitty exterminator
Reposted by Tom
if I hire an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he instead presents me with a list of reasons he is incapable of doing so while asking for more money so that he can maybe handle it later, I am not angrier at the roaches, I am in the market for a better exterminator
January 3, 2026 at 9:25 PM
if I hire an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he instead presents me with a list of reasons he is incapable of doing so while asking for more money so that he can maybe handle it later, I am not angrier at the roaches, I am in the market for a better exterminator
Reposted by Tom
I expect evil people to do evil things
I also expect people selling themselves as a bulwark against those evil people to fight tooth and nail against the evil things evil people do
only one of these groups is currently performing according to expectations
I also expect people selling themselves as a bulwark against those evil people to fight tooth and nail against the evil things evil people do
only one of these groups is currently performing according to expectations
January 3, 2026 at 9:22 PM
I expect evil people to do evil things
I also expect people selling themselves as a bulwark against those evil people to fight tooth and nail against the evil things evil people do
only one of these groups is currently performing according to expectations
I also expect people selling themselves as a bulwark against those evil people to fight tooth and nail against the evil things evil people do
only one of these groups is currently performing according to expectations
Reposted by Tom
the reason people sometimes act madder at democrats than republicans when republicans do impossibly evil shit is the same reason why, if you hired an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he showed up to feed and play with them instead, your first instinct wouldn’t be to yell at the roaches
January 3, 2026 at 9:19 PM
the reason people sometimes act madder at democrats than republicans when republicans do impossibly evil shit is the same reason why, if you hired an exterminator to handle a roach infestation and he showed up to feed and play with them instead, your first instinct wouldn’t be to yell at the roaches
Reposted by Tom
Call your reps this January and tell them:
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
January 5, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Call your reps this January and tell them:
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
Reposted by Tom
Congress is about to make a huge push into online ID verification, entrenching the power of big tech and mandating that they collect even MORE data on users. Mass surveillance/censorship laws are being framed as “child safety” but they’re really abt at removing LGBTQ ppl, repro justice info, etc.
January 5, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Congress is about to make a huge push into online ID verification, entrenching the power of big tech and mandating that they collect even MORE data on users. Mass surveillance/censorship laws are being framed as “child safety” but they’re really abt at removing LGBTQ ppl, repro justice info, etc.
Reposted by Tom
greetings from hell
January 4, 2026 at 7:11 PM
greetings from hell
Post a famous bathroom scene.
January 5, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Post a famous bathroom scene.
Reposted by Tom
Imagine marvel dropping this now.
January 5, 2026 at 12:06 AM
Imagine marvel dropping this now.
Reposted by Tom
The paper that buried the leak about the Venezuela mission vs the publication that didn’t.
January 5, 2026 at 12:57 AM
The paper that buried the leak about the Venezuela mission vs the publication that didn’t.
Reposted by Tom
this is why you must always oppose every act an imperialist country does, because then they’ll soon come for everyone
January 3, 2026 at 10:44 PM
this is why you must always oppose every act an imperialist country does, because then they’ll soon come for everyone
Reposted by Tom
Reposted by Tom
saw someone do the calculation that putting solar panels on every house in the US would cost roughly $1 trillion, which sounded like a lot, but then I saw that the Department of Defense spent $2.21 trillion in 2025, so
We gotta figure out climate change. Not a scientist but my answers are “something with azollas” “something with mushrooms(?)” or “something with algae”. Also they should hand out free apartment solar panels at your post office.
January 4, 2026 at 1:36 AM
saw someone do the calculation that putting solar panels on every house in the US would cost roughly $1 trillion, which sounded like a lot, but then I saw that the Department of Defense spent $2.21 trillion in 2025, so
Reposted by Tom
Can't help but feel like this is one of the reasons why the Constitution says If a dude in office does an insurrection, don't let that motherfucker hold office again
Bc clearly they cannot be trusted with power & control over the levers of government, & they do not care about democratic constraints
Bc clearly they cannot be trusted with power & control over the levers of government, & they do not care about democratic constraints
January 3, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Can't help but feel like this is one of the reasons why the Constitution says If a dude in office does an insurrection, don't let that motherfucker hold office again
Bc clearly they cannot be trusted with power & control over the levers of government, & they do not care about democratic constraints
Bc clearly they cannot be trusted with power & control over the levers of government, & they do not care about democratic constraints
Reposted by Tom
I mean this nicely - I think anybody who bets on this should be killed.
Not arrested, not tortured, not sentenced in prison, just full on bullet to head killed.
Not arrested, not tortured, not sentenced in prison, just full on bullet to head killed.
January 4, 2026 at 1:44 AM
I mean this nicely - I think anybody who bets on this should be killed.
Not arrested, not tortured, not sentenced in prison, just full on bullet to head killed.
Not arrested, not tortured, not sentenced in prison, just full on bullet to head killed.