DoctorB
@doctorb.bsky.social
History PhD. Technology expert. Geek in nearly every way one can be.
Reposted by DoctorB
The US granted visas to Jews but only allowed 30,000 in from Germany a year. You had to wait for your number to come up.
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
January 21, 2026 at 12:52 PM
The US granted visas to Jews but only allowed 30,000 in from Germany a year. You had to wait for your number to come up.
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
Reposted by DoctorB
"The wall looks permanent until the day it comes down."
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls
On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.
data4democracy.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:32 AM
"The wall looks permanent until the day it comes down."
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
Reposted by DoctorB
Oh go on then. I have a decent bottle of Port handy.
December 20, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Oh go on then. I have a decent bottle of Port handy.
Reposted by DoctorB
The accepted wisdom is that Hugo Gernsback invented sf fandom in the Science Fiction League & in the pages of AMAZING STORIES, and that (per Wikipedia) “a wide variety of Western modern organized fannish subcultures originated with science fiction fandom.”
LIES! ALL LIES!
1/
LIES! ALL LIES!
1/
December 21, 2023 at 4:46 PM
The accepted wisdom is that Hugo Gernsback invented sf fandom in the Science Fiction League & in the pages of AMAZING STORIES, and that (per Wikipedia) “a wide variety of Western modern organized fannish subcultures originated with science fiction fandom.”
LIES! ALL LIES!
1/
LIES! ALL LIES!
1/
Reposted by DoctorB
Ok, I'll try it, seems like it could be fun:
One like, one take (anywhere from cold to hot) on the criminal legal system...
One like, one take (anywhere from cold to hot) on the criminal legal system...
July 29, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Ok, I'll try it, seems like it could be fun:
One like, one take (anywhere from cold to hot) on the criminal legal system...
One like, one take (anywhere from cold to hot) on the criminal legal system...
I see the Washington Post "Editorial Board" Is trying to beat the Biden's Health drum again. I wonder if this is them defensively trying to justify forcing him from the presidential race a year ago or if it is a Republican psyop to split the Dems. Maybe both?
July 11, 2025 at 11:44 AM
I see the Washington Post "Editorial Board" Is trying to beat the Biden's Health drum again. I wonder if this is them defensively trying to justify forcing him from the presidential race a year ago or if it is a Republican psyop to split the Dems. Maybe both?
I would normally say "Happy Birthday America" but it really isnt happy so I will just say this. Remember what makes you who you are, America, through 249 years. The Declaration of Independence, The Preamble to the Constitution, The Gettysburg Address, The Letter from Birmingham Jail. Find renewal.
July 4, 2025 at 11:19 AM
I would normally say "Happy Birthday America" but it really isnt happy so I will just say this. Remember what makes you who you are, America, through 249 years. The Declaration of Independence, The Preamble to the Constitution, The Gettysburg Address, The Letter from Birmingham Jail. Find renewal.
Reposted by DoctorB
"Masked security forces captured an opposition leader in the coastal province of New Jersey as regime officials continue their months-long crack-down against pro-democracy elements in the embattled United States. The arrest comes as the regime issued calls for summary detentions without trial."
HAPPENING NOW: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was just taken into custody while protesting outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center
May 9, 2025 at 10:10 PM
"Masked security forces captured an opposition leader in the coastal province of New Jersey as regime officials continue their months-long crack-down against pro-democracy elements in the embattled United States. The arrest comes as the regime issued calls for summary detentions without trial."
Reposted by DoctorB
1804. Oceans are now Battlefields.
In the South China Sea a British convoy worth almost £1bn today is spotted by the French.
It should be a massacre.
Instead, Commodore Nathanial Dance is about to defeat a French battle squadron using some paint and the most overplayed hand in #navalHistory. /1 🧵
In the South China Sea a British convoy worth almost £1bn today is spotted by the French.
It should be a massacre.
Instead, Commodore Nathanial Dance is about to defeat a French battle squadron using some paint and the most overplayed hand in #navalHistory. /1 🧵
May 2, 2025 at 10:32 AM
1804. Oceans are now Battlefields.
In the South China Sea a British convoy worth almost £1bn today is spotted by the French.
It should be a massacre.
Instead, Commodore Nathanial Dance is about to defeat a French battle squadron using some paint and the most overplayed hand in #navalHistory. /1 🧵
In the South China Sea a British convoy worth almost £1bn today is spotted by the French.
It should be a massacre.
Instead, Commodore Nathanial Dance is about to defeat a French battle squadron using some paint and the most overplayed hand in #navalHistory. /1 🧵
Reposted by DoctorB
More free time? Yes.
More peace of mind? Oh my, no.
Estimates for violent mortality among pre-agricultural hunter-gathers, as Azar Gat notes in War in Human Civilization, were *extremely* high, in the range of 15-25% (higher for males, lower for females). 1/
More peace of mind? Oh my, no.
Estimates for violent mortality among pre-agricultural hunter-gathers, as Azar Gat notes in War in Human Civilization, were *extremely* high, in the range of 15-25% (higher for males, lower for females). 1/
As an anthropologist, if the only thing I ever did all day was remind people that before the privatization and commodification of land humans had way more free time and peace of mind, it would still not do a dent in how deep this myth has burrowed into people's colonized minds like a parasite
Liberalism is pretty good actually, it's why we have the time and peace of mind enough to even be having these discussions. Every tangible step towards civil rights is founded on the stability brought about under liberalism
May 1, 2025 at 1:21 AM
More free time? Yes.
More peace of mind? Oh my, no.
Estimates for violent mortality among pre-agricultural hunter-gathers, as Azar Gat notes in War in Human Civilization, were *extremely* high, in the range of 15-25% (higher for males, lower for females). 1/
More peace of mind? Oh my, no.
Estimates for violent mortality among pre-agricultural hunter-gathers, as Azar Gat notes in War in Human Civilization, were *extremely* high, in the range of 15-25% (higher for males, lower for females). 1/
This passage from one of Abraham Lincoln's early speeches is passing through my mind often in these terrible times. From the Speech at the Lyceum on January 27, 1838:
April 12, 2025 at 11:34 AM
This passage from one of Abraham Lincoln's early speeches is passing through my mind often in these terrible times. From the Speech at the Lyceum on January 27, 1838:
The only thing better than Duke basketball having a heart-breaking loss is being there to see it in person. WOW!
April 6, 2025 at 3:09 PM
The only thing better than Duke basketball having a heart-breaking loss is being there to see it in person. WOW!
Reposted by DoctorB
what booker is doing very well is making clear the difference between moral persuasion and legislative power. Democrats have the ability to harness the former, if not the latter, and while it's taken longer than I would have preferred, I'm happy to see it happening.
April 1, 2025 at 9:20 PM
what booker is doing very well is making clear the difference between moral persuasion and legislative power. Democrats have the ability to harness the former, if not the latter, and while it's taken longer than I would have preferred, I'm happy to see it happening.
Reposted by DoctorB
I keep hearing pundits saying that various Trump crimes & follies "aren't landing with the American people." I can't believe we're still talking like this.
The US information system is broken, just as it was broken throughout the election. People *aren't hearing about what he's doing*.
The US information system is broken, just as it was broken throughout the election. People *aren't hearing about what he's doing*.
March 31, 2025 at 4:16 PM
I keep hearing pundits saying that various Trump crimes & follies "aren't landing with the American people." I can't believe we're still talking like this.
The US information system is broken, just as it was broken throughout the election. People *aren't hearing about what he's doing*.
The US information system is broken, just as it was broken throughout the election. People *aren't hearing about what he's doing*.
Reposted by DoctorB
I noted the plaintiff in the case against the military transgender ban that just resulted in a nationwide injunction against it, out of WA state, is Commander Emily Shilling, a Navy fighter and test pilot who transitioned while in the service.
glaad.org/transgender-...
glaad.org/transgender-...
Transgender Military Service Member: “I am proof that we are qualified to serve” | GLAAD
Commander Emily Shilling, a U.S. Naval aviator who is also an out transgender woman, is already serving in the military, already making our country safer and stronger, already well qualified. "I have ...
glaad.org
March 28, 2025 at 1:53 AM
I noted the plaintiff in the case against the military transgender ban that just resulted in a nationwide injunction against it, out of WA state, is Commander Emily Shilling, a Navy fighter and test pilot who transitioned while in the service.
glaad.org/transgender-...
glaad.org/transgender-...
Reposted by DoctorB
The people who need to be fired, for Signal Leaks:
Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard. As a start.
fallows.substack.com/p/simple-q-a...
By me.
Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard. As a start.
fallows.substack.com/p/simple-q-a...
By me.
Simple Q-and-A About the Signal Leak.
We have all wondered when nonstop lies from Donald Trump and his team would begin to “matter.” The time may have come.
fallows.substack.com
March 27, 2025 at 4:31 AM
The people who need to be fired, for Signal Leaks:
Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard. As a start.
fallows.substack.com/p/simple-q-a...
By me.
Hegseth, Waltz, Gabbard. As a start.
fallows.substack.com/p/simple-q-a...
By me.
This is a hell of an article that cuts through the BS that the traditional political press reports now. Its well worth the read.
Terrific piece on what is happening in the US www.techdirt.com/2025/03/04/w...
Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)
While political reporters are still doing their view-from-nowhere “Democrats say this, Republicans say that” dance, tech and legal journalists have been watching an unfortunately recogn…
www.techdirt.com
March 5, 2025 at 11:50 AM
This is a hell of an article that cuts through the BS that the traditional political press reports now. Its well worth the read.
Reposted by DoctorB
Oh, man, not Gene Hackman.
2025 can just fuck right off.
Okay. Let me tell you a little bit about Gene Hackman...
2025 can just fuck right off.
Okay. Let me tell you a little bit about Gene Hackman...
February 27, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Oh, man, not Gene Hackman.
2025 can just fuck right off.
Okay. Let me tell you a little bit about Gene Hackman...
2025 can just fuck right off.
Okay. Let me tell you a little bit about Gene Hackman...
Did you see all the lights come on? This is my new power system for Capitol City! If you come look in this transparent window you can see the imprisoned Efreet supplying the power. No I think it is quite comfortable. What if it gets out? Well... uh... Thats what we have battle mages for, right?
It's been centuries since spells were used for anything but battle and violence. But the war has ended. How do you repurpose your magic to help navigate this strange new world called peace?
#TinyTalesTuesday #WritingPrompt
#TinyTalesTuesday #WritingPrompt
February 26, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Did you see all the lights come on? This is my new power system for Capitol City! If you come look in this transparent window you can see the imprisoned Efreet supplying the power. No I think it is quite comfortable. What if it gets out? Well... uh... Thats what we have battle mages for, right?
Reposted by DoctorB
Another dataset I like is from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, which has maps of the US that show we fixed the acid rain problem by implementing stricter emission controls on power plants.
nadp.slh.wisc.edu/maps-data/nt...
nadp.slh.wisc.edu/maps-data/nt...
February 22, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Another dataset I like is from the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, which has maps of the US that show we fixed the acid rain problem by implementing stricter emission controls on power plants.
nadp.slh.wisc.edu/maps-data/nt...
nadp.slh.wisc.edu/maps-data/nt...
Kuo is excellent in general and this is a good layout of the responses to our current criminal government.
February 5, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Kuo is excellent in general and this is a good layout of the responses to our current criminal government.
Reposted by DoctorB
This morning I woke up to news that the richest man in the world— the unelected oligarch tearing down our government—retweeted a grifter’s lies about me. Here are the facts, since I know weirdos from Twitter stalk me here (maybe find another hobby?): 🧵
February 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
This morning I woke up to news that the richest man in the world— the unelected oligarch tearing down our government—retweeted a grifter’s lies about me. Here are the facts, since I know weirdos from Twitter stalk me here (maybe find another hobby?): 🧵
Reposted by DoctorB
House Republicans are celebrating pardons issued to a bloodthirsty mob that violently assaulted police officers on January 6, 2021.
What happened to backing the Blue?
Far right extremists have become the party of lawlessness and disorder.
Don’t ever lecture America again.
About anything.
What happened to backing the Blue?
Far right extremists have become the party of lawlessness and disorder.
Don’t ever lecture America again.
About anything.
January 21, 2025 at 6:08 PM
House Republicans are celebrating pardons issued to a bloodthirsty mob that violently assaulted police officers on January 6, 2021.
What happened to backing the Blue?
Far right extremists have become the party of lawlessness and disorder.
Don’t ever lecture America again.
About anything.
What happened to backing the Blue?
Far right extremists have become the party of lawlessness and disorder.
Don’t ever lecture America again.
About anything.
On this Weird and Embarrassing day in the US we also get to remember one of the greatest Americans. Martin Luther King Jr's mission of racial equality remains unfinished today more than 60 years after his "I Have a Dream" speech. Of course Republicans only know one King line but there is much more.
January 20, 2025 at 4:30 PM
On this Weird and Embarrassing day in the US we also get to remember one of the greatest Americans. Martin Luther King Jr's mission of racial equality remains unfinished today more than 60 years after his "I Have a Dream" speech. Of course Republicans only know one King line but there is much more.
Reposted by DoctorB
one thing i’m stuck on is this idea that “masculine” energy means license to act like a chud in public, as opposed to more traditional notions of public masculinity, such as those that put a premium on the performance of integrity, honesty, honor and generosity.
January 16, 2025 at 8:21 PM
one thing i’m stuck on is this idea that “masculine” energy means license to act like a chud in public, as opposed to more traditional notions of public masculinity, such as those that put a premium on the performance of integrity, honesty, honor and generosity.