Matthew Gress
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athanatic.bsky.social
Matthew Gress
@athanatic.bsky.social
77 followers 220 following 43 posts
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athanatic.bsky.social
@pftompkins.bsky.social are you sold out at the Fitzgerald?
April 4, 2025 at 7:27 PM
athanatic.bsky.social
I think we need action on this danger.
youtu.be/27KDl2uPiL8?...
#FLI #agi
We Can’t Stop AI – Here’s What To Do Instead [Keep The Future Human]
YouTube video by Future of Life Institute
youtu.be
March 11, 2025 at 5:36 PM
athanatic.bsky.social
I need perspective looking from outside. I was struck! People have believed more from John Carpenter!

youtu.be/vAXLR88r7Gs?...
Living in the tunnels of Las Vegas | DW News
YouTube video by DW News
youtu.be
February 21, 2025 at 7:09 AM
athanatic.bsky.social
Astonishing how good visualizations can spread widely-established, but little known settled science to so many in the world!

youtu.be/P5jEKs7AxVc?...
Apoptosis 4K (2006) by Drew Berry wehi.tv, sound design Franc Tétaz
YouTube video by WEHImovies
youtu.be
February 21, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Reposted by Matthew Gress
josephscrimshaw.bsky.social
A story about my fourth grade teacher and nazis
l've shared this story before but l'm thinking about it a lot right now: When I was in the fourth grade, I had a very kind, gentle teacher named Mr. File. One day, after recess he stormed into the classroom, fuming, his head bright red. Never saw him angry before and now he was furious. He grabbed the chalk and drew a huge swastika on the blackboard. He pointed at it and yelled, "Do you know what this is? Do you know what this means?" He had discovered that some kids were drawing the symbol somewhere on the playground during recess. He went on to tell us the very blunt truth of the holocaust. The death, the cruelty, the human evil. "That's what this means," he said. Mr File was determined that the next generations didn't forget the horrors of the nazis. Of an authoritarian government. Of scapegoating groups of people to fuel cultish devotion to a strong man leader who can't be questioned. Mr. File could have let this go. He could have sighed and thought "kids these days" and not made a fuss. But he would not allow a swastika to become some edgy, ironic thing a kid scrawled on the playground to test the boundaries. He demanded that the symbol be known for what it truly is, what it truly means. 1 keep imagining Mr. File rapping his knuckles on a picture of Elon Musk doing an obvious nazi salute. I hear Mr File demanding, "Do you know what this is? Do you know what it means?" Mr File made that speech about the swastika to me and my classmates in 1984 so we wouldn't forget. So we wouldn't let the Overton Window shift. So the next generations would hold the line. So in honor of Mr File: Elon Musk did a nazi salute because he is a neo nazi. He supports the ideology of nazis. He is actively advocating for a far-right party in GERMAN politics. He has multiple posts on social media advocating white supremacist ideology. And there is no "doing it ironically to get a rise out of people" excuse in my book. The swastika means what the swastika means and so does that salute. He wants to play a childish game where he can wink at fellow nazis and say, "look at the nazi salute I did." Then turn around and claim he didn't do it while snickering behind his hand. He's an obvious, sad bully. He's the sad, angry kid who pulls on another kid's hair then when they turn around claims he didn't do it. He gets power over people both in the doing of it and the denying of it. He is pathetic and extremely dangerous because he has power. I want to do every little thing I can to take that power away. So I will add my tiny voice to the chorus and call him out. He's a nazi. I'm done posting on X. Sadly, I don't own a Tesla so I can't get rid of one. Life was already very difficult. Balancing career, finances, personal joy, etc is incredibly challenging. I'm lucky to have many, many advantages and I know it's even more challenging for lots of other folks for lots of different reasons. Uprooting ourselves from websites, stores, vehicles, drinks that provide comfort and connection is not easy. These companies have wormed their way into our lives in a way that often leaves us little choice. But I think we have to use every lever of power to pushback that we can personally manage. That will be different for different folks, but I feel we should at least try to use our power where we can. The very least I can do is be honest. I know what that salute is. I know what it means. And I'm not going to ignore it or accept it. Mr File passed that classroom a baton. I really don't want to drop it.
January 28, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Reposted by Matthew Gress
cribou64.bsky.social
January 27, 2025 at 11:30 AM
athanatic.bsky.social
Behold, ladder tree! (Also a turkey fryer rig at its other job.)
December 26, 2024 at 7:18 AM
athanatic.bsky.social
@theauthorguy.bsky.social
After Terry died, I looked for the new. It turned out I had already read "Lamb!"

I love your work and you are the most famous person that follows me...

I love Alex to death, he did "Zappa!" doco!
I worry about the trends in discourse on Bluesky.
bsky.app/profile/alex...
December 11, 2024 at 6:40 AM
athanatic.bsky.social
@stephenfry.bsky.social As for the culture here. I would never ask this elsewhere!

I feel uneasy about the fun folks make of things like the death of the UHC executive. I shadenfreude too!

Is there a bright line even I can detect when not condoning murder is overwhelmed by lack of accountability?
December 8, 2024 at 9:33 PM
athanatic.bsky.social
@mariabamford.bsky.social
This very much reminded me of things I learned from you!
youtu.be/DBDjZ13dsGk?...
Intrusive Thoughts | The Second City
YouTube video by The Second City
youtu.be
December 7, 2024 at 12:26 AM
Reposted by Matthew Gress
indyfromspace.bsky.social
If you're in line to topple a fascist genocidal regime STAY IN LINE
December 6, 2024 at 8:36 PM
athanatic.bsky.social
I miss you!

Does someone want to bring this whimsy back? I may invest!
#psychosuzis
November 28, 2024 at 2:53 AM
athanatic.bsky.social
Could we possibly do something even like "Bleet" and avoid using the term (which I have seen) "Skeet" for posts on this platform?!

There is still time! #bleet (or whatever!)
November 26, 2024 at 7:57 AM
athanatic.bsky.social
We watched em trickle in! (I am most wary of the upper right...)

Children of all ages, the suspects!
November 26, 2024 at 7:30 AM