Tim Smith
@dgtlysmitten.bsky.social
Not good at describing myself. Primarily interested in media and culture.
Reposted by Tim Smith
so cool! now when I commit high crimes in flagrant violation of international law, all I have to do is refuse to talk about them on camera, and then, since they couldn't get "both sides," I can avoid an embarrassing news report on them! amazing system. A+
Bari Weiss this morning on the 60 Minutes segment: "We need to be able to get the principals on the record and on camera."
Of course, most journalists know that oftentimes people who are the subject of negative reporting don't want to speak on camera or on the record.
Of course, most journalists know that oftentimes people who are the subject of negative reporting don't want to speak on camera or on the record.
December 22, 2025 at 2:54 PM
so cool! now when I commit high crimes in flagrant violation of international law, all I have to do is refuse to talk about them on camera, and then, since they couldn't get "both sides," I can avoid an embarrassing news report on them! amazing system. A+
Reposted by Tim Smith
This and the discussion about how academics can now just read AI summaries of things really drives home how much these guys always confuse the product for the goal. You don't do a coloring sheet because you want to have a colored sheet at the end!!! The coloring is the point!!!
December 21, 2025 at 11:39 PM
This and the discussion about how academics can now just read AI summaries of things really drives home how much these guys always confuse the product for the goal. You don't do a coloring sheet because you want to have a colored sheet at the end!!! The coloring is the point!!!
Reposted by Tim Smith
Like these people are murderers. Straight up. And should be called that. Not “complex figures with controversial views sure to raise eyebrows of academics and pundits alike” or whatever
They will have literally, knowingly, through their direct actions killed thousands of children and others.
They will have literally, knowingly, through their direct actions killed thousands of children and others.
December 20, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Like these people are murderers. Straight up. And should be called that. Not “complex figures with controversial views sure to raise eyebrows of academics and pundits alike” or whatever
They will have literally, knowingly, through their direct actions killed thousands of children and others.
They will have literally, knowingly, through their direct actions killed thousands of children and others.
Reposted by Tim Smith
I know it won’t matter because democrats are useless and even if they take back power they’ll just have some limpdick reconciliation message, but this is literally going to kill people and RFK Jr should spend the remainder of his life in a cell in a just world, just as Musk should.
BREAKING: RFKJr directs that the US instantly stop recommending all vaccinations for children. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Under RFK Jr., U.S. plans to stop recommending most vaccines, defer to doctors
The plan, which is not finalized, suggests children get fewer shots and shifts to a model telling parents to consult doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:13 AM
I know it won’t matter because democrats are useless and even if they take back power they’ll just have some limpdick reconciliation message, but this is literally going to kill people and RFK Jr should spend the remainder of his life in a cell in a just world, just as Musk should.
Reposted by Tim Smith
I cannot state any more baldly or clearly than I already have about what an immense menace RFK Jr. is. The number of preventable illnesses and deaths - of *babies* - will be horrific. This anti-vax crap is grotesque anti-science, and always has been.
Congratulations to everyone who wrote an op-ed about how he just wants americans to eat better
BREAKING: RFKJr directs that the US instantly stop recommending all vaccinations for children. www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
December 20, 2025 at 1:55 AM
I cannot state any more baldly or clearly than I already have about what an immense menace RFK Jr. is. The number of preventable illnesses and deaths - of *babies* - will be horrific. This anti-vax crap is grotesque anti-science, and always has been.
Reposted by Tim Smith
The US TikTok sale has been signed. The company will be controlled by a joint venture including Oracle, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, Abu Dhabi-based MGX. Adding a UAE company really makes it clear that this was never about national security concerns.
www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...
www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...
Scoop: TikTok signs deal for sale of U.S. unit after yearslong saga
The deal would end a yearslong saga to force TikTok's Chinese parent ByteDance to sell the company's U.S. operation.
www.axios.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:35 PM
The US TikTok sale has been signed. The company will be controlled by a joint venture including Oracle, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, Abu Dhabi-based MGX. Adding a UAE company really makes it clear that this was never about national security concerns.
www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...
www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...
Reposted by Tim Smith
Funny animal videos no longer being trustworthy just fucking sucks all around. I love the wonder of animal behavior and what it says about the experience of being alive. It's because it happened in reality that it's so fun. It's not fun if it was just made up. There's no wonder there.
December 19, 2025 at 2:26 AM
Funny animal videos no longer being trustworthy just fucking sucks all around. I love the wonder of animal behavior and what it says about the experience of being alive. It's because it happened in reality that it's so fun. It's not fun if it was just made up. There's no wonder there.
Reposted by Tim Smith
I remember writing years ago about a then-new initiative by Amazon to disrupt local government procurement of things like office and school supplies. Turns out Amazon's become very popular with school districts, and it's using dynamic pricing to rip those schools off.
prospect.org/2025/12/17/a...
prospect.org/2025/12/17/a...
Amazon Has Been Conning School Districts out of Millions - The American Prospect
Amazon Business is billed as a convenient one-stop shop for schools. Reality is more expensive.
prospect.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:16 PM
I remember writing years ago about a then-new initiative by Amazon to disrupt local government procurement of things like office and school supplies. Turns out Amazon's become very popular with school districts, and it's using dynamic pricing to rip those schools off.
prospect.org/2025/12/17/a...
prospect.org/2025/12/17/a...
Reposted by Tim Smith
I just want to live long enough to hear democrats stop praising Reagan
December 17, 2025 at 4:59 AM
I just want to live long enough to hear democrats stop praising Reagan
Reposted by Tim Smith
Quick question, did anything happen in 2008 that prompted the tightening of financial rules
Bessent: "These 2008, 2009, 2010 financial rules were too tight. They hamstrung the American financial system. It was time for a change ... we have to take the financial system out of this straitjacket ... the regulated system is too constrained."
December 16, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Quick question, did anything happen in 2008 that prompted the tightening of financial rules
Reposted by Tim Smith
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
December 15, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Just so I'm clear on this, computer memory has tripled in price because a bunch of it that hasn't been produced yet has been ordered to populate GPUs that aren't installed in data centers that aren't built yet in order to service a demand that doesn't exist to make profits that don't happen.
December 15, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Just so I'm clear on this, computer memory has tripled in price because a bunch of it that hasn't been produced yet has been ordered to populate GPUs that aren't installed in data centers that aren't built yet in order to service a demand that doesn't exist to make profits that don't happen.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Reposted by Tim Smith
A discussion I’ve been having with coworkers centres around how the actual ad concept is also bad, and one of the problems with AI is the perceived speed and ease of use removes some important friction. 1/
McDonald's has taken down a Christmas ad made with AI following online backlash
The company said the moment served as "an important learning" as it explored "the effective use of AI"
The company said the moment served as "an important learning" as it explored "the effective use of AI"
McDonald's pulls AI-generated Christmas advert following backlash
McDonald's said the moment served as "an important learning" as it explored "the effective use of AI".
www.bbc.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:36 PM
A discussion I’ve been having with coworkers centres around how the actual ad concept is also bad, and one of the problems with AI is the perceived speed and ease of use removes some important friction. 1/
Reposted by Tim Smith
One of the most litigious companies in the world just gave full use of its characters to an app that will allow people to put them in homemade snuff films all in hopes of never having to pay a human being for a movie or TV show again
BREAKING: Disney is making a $1 billion investment in OpenAI, and will allow its iconic characters to be on the company's Sora AI video generator.
December 11, 2025 at 4:35 PM
One of the most litigious companies in the world just gave full use of its characters to an app that will allow people to put them in homemade snuff films all in hopes of never having to pay a human being for a movie or TV show again
Reposted by Tim Smith
I know Time's argument is that Person of the Year isn't about being "the best" it's about being the most influential, hence people like Hitler have won, but man, that cover is doing a *lot* of editorializing in defense of these grifter assholes, and including Musk is straight up offensive.
December 11, 2025 at 3:39 PM
I know Time's argument is that Person of the Year isn't about being "the best" it's about being the most influential, hence people like Hitler have won, but man, that cover is doing a *lot* of editorializing in defense of these grifter assholes, and including Musk is straight up offensive.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Seven straight Warner Bros. pictures earned over $40 million on their opening weekends. Warner Bros. led the Golden Globes noms. It's having one of the best years critically and financially in its history.
Why is it auctioning itself off?
The answer explains a lot about the modern economy.
Why is it auctioning itself off?
The answer explains a lot about the modern economy.
Why Is Warner Bros. for Sale at All? - The American Prospect
Its product has never been more critically or financially successful. Why is it auctioning itself off?
prospect.org
December 10, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Seven straight Warner Bros. pictures earned over $40 million on their opening weekends. Warner Bros. led the Golden Globes noms. It's having one of the best years critically and financially in its history.
Why is it auctioning itself off?
The answer explains a lot about the modern economy.
Why is it auctioning itself off?
The answer explains a lot about the modern economy.
Reposted by Tim Smith
This is such a stunning example of how far we’ve fallen. In his first term, he said this in a private meeting, it was front-page news everywhere, he denied saying it, Republicans criticized him.
Now he repeats it in front of cheering rally crowd, nobody blinks, it’s not even reported in the news.
Now he repeats it in front of cheering rally crowd, nobody blinks, it’s not even reported in the news.
December 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
This is such a stunning example of how far we’ve fallen. In his first term, he said this in a private meeting, it was front-page news everywhere, he denied saying it, Republicans criticized him.
Now he repeats it in front of cheering rally crowd, nobody blinks, it’s not even reported in the news.
Now he repeats it in front of cheering rally crowd, nobody blinks, it’s not even reported in the news.
Reposted by Tim Smith
ICYMI: this is very obviously a crisis every bit as emergent - and indivisible from - climate breakdown.
The Seven Richest Billionaires Are All Media Barons
Alan MacLeod tracks how billionaire media barons like Musk, Ellison, Bezos and Zuckerberg are capturing global news outlets and reshaping politics.
www.mintpressnews.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:01 AM
ICYMI: this is very obviously a crisis every bit as emergent - and indivisible from - climate breakdown.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Cannot imagine what would be so attractive about technology made in an era before everything was so aggressively abusive and predatory and pre-broken to people who have never known anything else
Why do Gen Z have a growing appetite for retro tech?
Why do Gen Z have a growing appetite for retro tech?
Gen Z are going retro, with studies showing a resurgence in people buying tech in the modern age that can be dated back decades.
www.bbc.com
December 8, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Cannot imagine what would be so attractive about technology made in an era before everything was so aggressively abusive and predatory and pre-broken to people who have never known anything else
Reposted by Tim Smith
It is really, really hard to get your head around the raw hubris of the majority. They really will be destabilizing the operating structure of the entire U.S. government. Why? Because they believe they have a better idea about how the past century should've been done.
December 8, 2025 at 3:50 PM
It is really, really hard to get your head around the raw hubris of the majority. They really will be destabilizing the operating structure of the entire U.S. government. Why? Because they believe they have a better idea about how the past century should've been done.
Reposted by Tim Smith
Jared Kushner's involvement was "not mentioned in Paramount's press release on Monday morning about its $108 billion bid, nor were participating sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar."
fancy that
fancy that
Jared Kushner is part of Paramount's hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery
Paramount is telling WBD shareholders that it has a smoother path to regulatory approval than does Netflix.
www.axios.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Jared Kushner's involvement was "not mentioned in Paramount's press release on Monday morning about its $108 billion bid, nor were participating sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar."
fancy that
fancy that
Reposted by Tim Smith
Searching for a new litterbox and dying laughing at this cat who looks like a toilet astronaut.
December 7, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Searching for a new litterbox and dying laughing at this cat who looks like a toilet astronaut.
Reposted by Tim Smith
the same is true of things like the NLRB. based on no change at all, you want that to be suddenly unconstitutional? how? why? based on what?
how do you run a country when it's foundational institutions can be found to have *never been valid* based on some new theory hundreds of years later?
how do you run a country when it's foundational institutions can be found to have *never been valid* based on some new theory hundreds of years later?
December 7, 2025 at 7:40 PM
the same is true of things like the NLRB. based on no change at all, you want that to be suddenly unconstitutional? how? why? based on what?
how do you run a country when it's foundational institutions can be found to have *never been valid* based on some new theory hundreds of years later?
how do you run a country when it's foundational institutions can be found to have *never been valid* based on some new theory hundreds of years later?
Reposted by Tim Smith
this gets to the fundamental lawlessness. the difference between law as a game and law as a tool of government.
birthright citizenship is the law. nothing has changed. the documents are the same. if that can change based on *nothing*, you don't have a real constitution in the first place.
birthright citizenship is the law. nothing has changed. the documents are the same. if that can change based on *nothing*, you don't have a real constitution in the first place.
also, let’s say wurman is right. well, we have had nearly 160 years of unlimited birthright citizenship that has been affirmed again and again by generations of Americans. whatever the original intent, that is what the birthright clause *means*.
December 7, 2025 at 7:40 PM
this gets to the fundamental lawlessness. the difference between law as a game and law as a tool of government.
birthright citizenship is the law. nothing has changed. the documents are the same. if that can change based on *nothing*, you don't have a real constitution in the first place.
birthright citizenship is the law. nothing has changed. the documents are the same. if that can change based on *nothing*, you don't have a real constitution in the first place.