Thomas P
@tpshea.bsky.social
Music, education, bicycles, live band karaoke, existential dread. thomaspshea on Discord in case bsky becomes untenable and you want to stay in touch
A thread (cogent typo as "altered") to end a year, a thread to begin one, a thread to stitch endings and beginnings.
Technology is not neutral. Your bricks are not neutral. The way you stand, if you can stand. The posture you use when you take a shit is not neutral
(Do you sit, or squat? Do you wash or wipe? Do you use your dominant hand?)
Biases and values.
Same with what you eat and drink, and how it's made.
(Do you sit, or squat? Do you wash or wipe? Do you use your dominant hand?)
Biases and values.
Same with what you eat and drink, and how it's made.
December 31, 2025 at 3:54 PM
A thread (cogent typo as "altered") to end a year, a thread to begin one, a thread to stitch endings and beginnings.
Once got an email notifying me of a phone interview...for a job I'd not applied for in a trade I have no experience in.
Included the number they were going to call.
So I called the guy who fumbled his email, tipped him off about the interview.
He called back: got the job. Still owes me a beer.
Included the number they were going to call.
So I called the guy who fumbled his email, tipped him off about the interview.
He called back: got the job. Still owes me a beer.
hihi 😀
another 57 year old man thinks he has your two-decade old (first two initials full surname numeral-free) gmail address for some reason 😀
here’s some of his real estate documents for you 😀
this time he’s in plano texas 😀
nobody seems to be able to do anything about this 😃
another 57 year old man thinks he has your two-decade old (first two initials full surname numeral-free) gmail address for some reason 😀
here’s some of his real estate documents for you 😀
this time he’s in plano texas 😀
nobody seems to be able to do anything about this 😃
my favourite is
subject: "hey did you try to sign in?"
me: "oh shit i didn't, i better read this email. i might have to notify them"
body: "just lettin' u know 😃 they weren't able to sign in 😃 if this wasn't you we don't care you don't have to tell us or anything, maybe change your pw idk 😃😃"
subject: "hey did you try to sign in?"
me: "oh shit i didn't, i better read this email. i might have to notify them"
body: "just lettin' u know 😃 they weren't able to sign in 😃 if this wasn't you we don't care you don't have to tell us or anything, maybe change your pw idk 😃😃"
December 31, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Once got an email notifying me of a phone interview...for a job I'd not applied for in a trade I have no experience in.
Included the number they were going to call.
So I called the guy who fumbled his email, tipped him off about the interview.
He called back: got the job. Still owes me a beer.
Included the number they were going to call.
So I called the guy who fumbled his email, tipped him off about the interview.
He called back: got the job. Still owes me a beer.
I was a "dial zero" phone operator in the 90s.
Late one night a British chap in a Toronto hotel requested a person-to-person collect call to England.
"Who shall I say is calling?" I asked.
"David Gilmour," he replied.
I, a huge Pink Floyd fan, said absolutely nothing as I patched him through.
Late one night a British chap in a Toronto hotel requested a person-to-person collect call to England.
"Who shall I say is calling?" I asked.
"David Gilmour," he replied.
I, a huge Pink Floyd fan, said absolutely nothing as I patched him through.
Please quote this from the time you didn't interact with someone famous.
I was visiting with family in New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the same time that Mother Theresa was there visiting her Missionaries of Charity. The bishop held a Mass for her at the church where I was baptized. I didn't go.
I was visiting with family in New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the same time that Mother Theresa was there visiting her Missionaries of Charity. The bishop held a Mass for her at the church where I was baptized. I didn't go.
Catching a train from Bristol Temple Meads, but they shifted the service along the platform because a scene from THE OUTLAWS was being shot where it would usually come in. The scene featured Christopher Walken and Stephen Merchant, but my train came before they shot it so I didn't see either of 'em.
December 30, 2025 at 4:28 PM
I was a "dial zero" phone operator in the 90s.
Late one night a British chap in a Toronto hotel requested a person-to-person collect call to England.
"Who shall I say is calling?" I asked.
"David Gilmour," he replied.
I, a huge Pink Floyd fan, said absolutely nothing as I patched him through.
Late one night a British chap in a Toronto hotel requested a person-to-person collect call to England.
"Who shall I say is calling?" I asked.
"David Gilmour," he replied.
I, a huge Pink Floyd fan, said absolutely nothing as I patched him through.
Reposted by Thomas P
omg what an honor! um i'd like to thank the academy, james frey, my parents for ruining my personality (just kidding mom and dad it's not your fault!) lithub.com/the-most-sca...
The Most Scathing Book Reviews of 2025
Pans, glorious pans. No end-of-year roundup would be complete without them. Among the books being driven into the woods by pitchfork-wielding villagers this year: Louis C.K.’s masturbatory debut no…
lithub.com
December 19, 2025 at 6:26 PM
omg what an honor! um i'd like to thank the academy, james frey, my parents for ruining my personality (just kidding mom and dad it's not your fault!) lithub.com/the-most-sca...
Reposted by Thomas P
"Academics literally cannot make genAI go away" we also can't make underage drinking go away and we're not advocating for installing bar carts in every classroom.
December 27, 2025 at 11:46 PM
"Academics literally cannot make genAI go away" we also can't make underage drinking go away and we're not advocating for installing bar carts in every classroom.
Reposted by Thomas P
We can break out of this cycle, together. Let this radicalize you to action rather than lead you to despair:
Anti-Capitalist Resources
These are people and projects that have been essential for my own journey of unlearning capitalism.
hilaryagro.com
December 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM
We can break out of this cycle, together. Let this radicalize you to action rather than lead you to despair:
Just got out of the theatre after watching The Sound of Music, and, well, we all know the villains are the ones who told Georg that Nazi shit was inevitable and he'd best just go along to get along.
Lots of flags still need rippin', is all I'm saying.
Lots of flags still need rippin', is all I'm saying.
Good. fuck all the saying "this is inevitable" or "it's here deal with it" or even "it's fine"/"it's not a big deal". This is a moveable needle. It's ruining lives (mine included already), ruining the environment, ruining art and creativity, is profoundly antihuman, isn't needed and isn't wanted.
2025 will be remembered as the year of anti-AI discontent.
December 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Just got out of the theatre after watching The Sound of Music, and, well, we all know the villains are the ones who told Georg that Nazi shit was inevitable and he'd best just go along to get along.
Lots of flags still need rippin', is all I'm saying.
Lots of flags still need rippin', is all I'm saying.
Reposted by Thomas P
Ontarians who value their free healthcare, read this 🧵 and get ready to protect it! ✊
@onthealthcoalition.bsky.social
is planning province wide protests to demand the Ford govt restore public funding to our public hospitals and stop their privatization scheme. #ONpoli
First, SIGN their petition:
@onthealthcoalition.bsky.social
is planning province wide protests to demand the Ford govt restore public funding to our public hospitals and stop their privatization scheme. #ONpoli
First, SIGN their petition:
December 27, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Ontarians who value their free healthcare, read this 🧵 and get ready to protect it! ✊
@onthealthcoalition.bsky.social
is planning province wide protests to demand the Ford govt restore public funding to our public hospitals and stop their privatization scheme. #ONpoli
First, SIGN their petition:
@onthealthcoalition.bsky.social
is planning province wide protests to demand the Ford govt restore public funding to our public hospitals and stop their privatization scheme. #ONpoli
First, SIGN their petition:
Thing is, of course, as a Gen X kid this is just business as it used to be.
Thinking back on the releases of the first 3 Star Wars movies 3 years apart. That was a loooong time for a kid to wait while Han Solo was encased in carbonite, man.
Thinking back on the releases of the first 3 Star Wars movies 3 years apart. That was a loooong time for a kid to wait while Han Solo was encased in carbonite, man.
Starting a countdown to the next season of Plur1bus.
Gonna be a long, bitter wait.
Right up there with Severance (both as a show, and as a long bitter wait for season 2.)
Gonna be a long, bitter wait.
Right up there with Severance (both as a show, and as a long bitter wait for season 2.)
December 27, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Thing is, of course, as a Gen X kid this is just business as it used to be.
Thinking back on the releases of the first 3 Star Wars movies 3 years apart. That was a loooong time for a kid to wait while Han Solo was encased in carbonite, man.
Thinking back on the releases of the first 3 Star Wars movies 3 years apart. That was a loooong time for a kid to wait while Han Solo was encased in carbonite, man.
Starting a countdown to the next season of Plur1bus.
Gonna be a long, bitter wait.
Right up there with Severance (both as a show, and as a long bitter wait for season 2.)
Gonna be a long, bitter wait.
Right up there with Severance (both as a show, and as a long bitter wait for season 2.)
December 27, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Starting a countdown to the next season of Plur1bus.
Gonna be a long, bitter wait.
Right up there with Severance (both as a show, and as a long bitter wait for season 2.)
Gonna be a long, bitter wait.
Right up there with Severance (both as a show, and as a long bitter wait for season 2.)
I had to think about this, so now you do too:
The Simpsons pre-dates the World Wide Web.
By 4 full years.
Enjoy feeling old.
The Simpsons pre-dates the World Wide Web.
By 4 full years.
Enjoy feeling old.
December 26, 2025 at 11:56 PM
I had to think about this, so now you do too:
The Simpsons pre-dates the World Wide Web.
By 4 full years.
Enjoy feeling old.
The Simpsons pre-dates the World Wide Web.
By 4 full years.
Enjoy feeling old.
Up here the code word is "Old Stock Canadian," but the White Supremacy is identical.
For those not following at home, “Heritage American” is a category of white supremacy covering people whose ancestors were white folks who were pioneers.
December 26, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Up here the code word is "Old Stock Canadian," but the White Supremacy is identical.
"Universities have accepted [AI] in a FOMO-driven frenzy without consulting their faculty, collecting empirical data on whether generative AI is pedagogically useful, or pausing to inquire about the long-term impact of AI on the students..." www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
Four Frictions: or, How to Resist AI in Education - Public Books
We are calling for resistance to the AI industry’s ongoing capture of higher education.
www.publicbooks.org
December 26, 2025 at 8:27 PM
"Universities have accepted [AI] in a FOMO-driven frenzy without consulting their faculty, collecting empirical data on whether generative AI is pedagogically useful, or pausing to inquire about the long-term impact of AI on the students..." www.publicbooks.org/four-frictio...
File under I for "I wish editors would stop anthropomorphizing stochastic text generators in the cover art for articles about people anthropomorphizing stochastic text generators."
“Other experts suggest that while chatbots may provide short-term comfort, sustained use can worsen isolation and foster unhealthy reliance on the technology.”
‘He satisfies a lot of my needs:’ Meet the women in love with ChatGPT | Fortune
AI chatbots are becoming partners and confidants for thousands of users, but the same design features that make them so appealing may also leave users vulnerable.
fortune.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:42 PM
File under I for "I wish editors would stop anthropomorphizing stochastic text generators in the cover art for articles about people anthropomorphizing stochastic text generators."
I own three of these--two in my classroom, a spare at home--and can attest they're brilliant.
They're so quiet that I double-check every day to make sure I've actually turned them on. Two together still make less noise than the fan on my video projector!
Worth every penny!
They're so quiet that I double-check every day to make sure I've actually turned them on. Two together still make less noise than the fan on my video projector!
Worth every penny!
I can’t recommend Northbox Systems’ whisper quiet air filtration units enough! Use inexpensive filters you can find in any hardware store which to me, besides how quiet it is, is the most important feature. They’ve made a video to show you how easy it is to change them. Same as Clean Air Kits in US
December 26, 2025 at 3:38 PM
I own three of these--two in my classroom, a spare at home--and can attest they're brilliant.
They're so quiet that I double-check every day to make sure I've actually turned them on. Two together still make less noise than the fan on my video projector!
Worth every penny!
They're so quiet that I double-check every day to make sure I've actually turned them on. Two together still make less noise than the fan on my video projector!
Worth every penny!
Reposted by Thomas P
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Cardiff couple invited man in for Christmas, he stayed for 45 years
An arrangement Rob and Dianne Parsons thought would last a few days ended up changing their lives.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 25, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Reposted by Thomas P
Superb piece on why “AI” is bad user design from @sifu.tweety.fish - and why AI proponents and skeptics so frequently seem to be talking completely past each other.
buttondown.com/apperceptive...
buttondown.com/apperceptive...
"AI" is bad UX
teapot from the cover of Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things” clumsily ‘shopped by me "AI" means bad UX There is an emergent strain of thought in...
buttondown.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Superb piece on why “AI” is bad user design from @sifu.tweety.fish - and why AI proponents and skeptics so frequently seem to be talking completely past each other.
buttondown.com/apperceptive...
buttondown.com/apperceptive...
Reposted by Thomas P
My energy for 2026. www.404media.co/why-i-quit-s...
Why I Quit Streaming And Got Back Into Cassettes
In the age of Spotify and AI slop, tapes remind us what we’re missing when we stop taking risks.
www.404media.co
December 24, 2025 at 2:20 PM
My energy for 2026. www.404media.co/why-i-quit-s...
Merry Fucking Christmas to Black's photography.
I ordered my photo books on Dec 01. Their website said "order before Dec 15 to ensure delivery by Christmas."
Consider me deeply unimpressed to receive this do-not-reply email notice at 10:46 PM on Dec 23.
Consider me deeply unimpressed to receive this do-not-reply email notice at 10:46 PM on Dec 23.
December 24, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Merry Fucking Christmas to Black's photography.
I ordered my photo books on Dec 01. Their website said "order before Dec 15 to ensure delivery by Christmas."
Consider me deeply unimpressed to receive this do-not-reply email notice at 10:46 PM on Dec 23.
Consider me deeply unimpressed to receive this do-not-reply email notice at 10:46 PM on Dec 23.
December 24, 2025 at 3:53 AM
I ordered my photo books on Dec 01. Their website said "order before Dec 15 to ensure delivery by Christmas."
Consider me deeply unimpressed to receive this do-not-reply email notice at 10:46 PM on Dec 23.
Consider me deeply unimpressed to receive this do-not-reply email notice at 10:46 PM on Dec 23.
I feel this in my bones.
December 23, 2025 at 2:27 PM
I feel this in my bones.
Reposted by Thomas P
I have always said it, I will continue to say it, we are limiting the productive potential of millions of freaks by demanding they earn a wage to survive instead of enabling them to do whatever thing their brain is broken for
December 22, 2025 at 12:45 AM
I have always said it, I will continue to say it, we are limiting the productive potential of millions of freaks by demanding they earn a wage to survive instead of enabling them to do whatever thing their brain is broken for
Reposted by Thomas P
This is just a note to say
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
December 22, 2025 at 8:11 PM
This is just a note to say
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
that I have eaten the falcon
in a widening gyre
and that you were probably saving for anarchy
Forgive me
it was delicious
so rough
and full of passionate intensity
Reposted by Thomas P
But I can see you
Your bronze helm shining in the sun
And there's Gilgamesh with scale armor on, baby
And I can tell you and Enkidu will still be strong
After the boys of Sumer have gone
Your bronze helm shining in the sun
And there's Gilgamesh with scale armor on, baby
And I can tell you and Enkidu will still be strong
After the boys of Sumer have gone
December 22, 2025 at 5:01 PM
But I can see you
Your bronze helm shining in the sun
And there's Gilgamesh with scale armor on, baby
And I can tell you and Enkidu will still be strong
After the boys of Sumer have gone
Your bronze helm shining in the sun
And there's Gilgamesh with scale armor on, baby
And I can tell you and Enkidu will still be strong
After the boys of Sumer have gone