Damian
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doylanpls.bsky.social
Damian
@doylanpls.bsky.social
130 followers 210 following 220 posts
Recreational trail runner, Tiges barracker. Temporarily in Washington DC, heart and home on Ngunnawal country. 🦘
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doylanpls.bsky.social
Lots in this Politico piece. These comments in particular called to mind the social media discussion in Harari’s excellent book, ‘Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI’. www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
“IG [Instagram] is a drug,” Shayli Jimenez, a Meta senior researcher, is quoted as saying in one internal communication, referenced during a sealed deposition conducted earlier this year. “LOL, I mean, all social media. We’re basically pushers,” another Meta employee then allegedly responded in the same conversation. (Jimenez said in her deposition, according to the filing, that those comments were made “sarcastically.”)
November 25, 2025 at 1:56 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
“No, it’s not rugby”: a pole poster for a local Aussie footy club, spotted on my morning run in Tronno.
A poster on a lamppost promoting the Central Blues Australian Football Club in Toronto invites people to “try the best sport you’ve never heard of,” describing footy as a mix of soccer’s kicking, hockey’s bodychecks, and volleyball’s serves. It shows three smiling players and a larger image of a player in action holding a football. A highway overpass and city greenery are visible in the background.
October 28, 2025 at 12:55 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
AI marketing has now reached low Earth orbit.
Electronic billboard in an airport shows a wireframe globe and a line drawing of the International Space Station. Text reads “First to launch generative AI into space”. Booz Allen logo in the corner.
October 13, 2025 at 10:38 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
As much as I dislike Aussie sports borrowing heavily from the US of A, I have to admit I’d like more large puddy tats like these at Punt Road Oval. #gotiges
A large statue of a tiger wearing a Detroit Tigers baseball jersey stands in front of the Comerica Park entrance sign in downtown Detroit. Two giant tiger sculptures perch on the edge of a stadium facade, above pillars decorated with tiger heads, with part of a street scene visible below. Large stone tiger statues sit on the corner of a brick building under a cloudy sky, appearing to guard the entrance to a stadium in Detroit.
October 12, 2025 at 3:21 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Spotted on U Street.
Street sticker on U Street showing Donald Trump as the “naked emperor”. He wears a crown, cape, and sceptre but no clothes.
October 9, 2025 at 3:09 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Took a walk to say g’day to two of my neighbours. Dante (1921) was unveiled by the Italian-American community on the 600th anniversary of his death. Joan (1922) was a gift from French women to American women on her 500th birthday. These statues were part of a wave of cultural diplomacy in the 1920s.
Bronze statue of Dante Alighieri in Washington, D.C.’s Meridian Hill Park. The poet stands in robes with a laurel crown, holding a book. The figure stands on a stone pedestal inscribed “DANTE”. In the background are trees and houses. Bronze equestrian statue of Joan of Arc in Washington, D.C.’s Meridian Hill Park. The French heroine is depicted in armour, seated on a rearing horse, looking resolute. The stone base bears the inscription “Jeanne d’Arc, Libératrice 1412–1431.” Green trees fill the background.
September 28, 2025 at 12:24 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Poetry in my NYC hotel room.
A dark wooden hotel room table with a Walt Whitman quote stenciled in white typewriter font: “We were together. I forgot the rest.” A pair of running shoes sits on the carpeted floor nearby, with a couple of books stacked at the top edge of the table.
September 26, 2025 at 10:42 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Can confirm: it is a Superior Lake.
Sunrise over Lake Superior, framed by tall pines and undergrowth on a forested shoreline. Soft morning light on a quiet Lake Superior beach, with gentle waves and a tree-lined shoreline. Distant forested islands seen across a vast expanse of still blue lake, framed by rocky shore and tree branch. Wide open lake under blue skies with gentle surf meeting smooth, sandy shore.
September 1, 2025 at 11:06 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Spotted on a morning walk somewhere near Georgia Ave NW, Washington DC.
A wheatpaste mural styled after Banksy’s Flower Thrower shows a masked protester hurling a sandwich across three toward a portrait of Trump administration figure Stephen Miller, whose head is struck by the cartoonish projectile.
August 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
“Street posters are legal in DC”
Poster on a DC street pole reads “Street posters are legal in DC” with QR codes for wheatpaste instructions and poster law. Yellow poster on a DC lamp post reads “DC is our home. Trump can’t have it,” with a small “Free DC” logo at the top. Poster on a grey wall reads “Why is DC hot as hell?” blaming ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute for climate impacts, with logos, text, and a QR code. Poster on a DC street pole reads “WANTED Chevron” with text accusing the company of causing extreme heat and greenwashing, plus a QR code.
August 21, 2025 at 12:49 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
A few months later, a few blocks away: “Your risk of interaction with federal law enforcement is higher hear. Stay smart and stay safe.”
Yellow notice taped to the base of a streetlight pole reads “Heads up!” and warns that the nearby park is federal property and that federal officers have been enforcing laws there, including arrests for minor infractions such as open containers or marijuana possession. Cars, apartment buildings, and trees in the background.
August 11, 2025 at 12:35 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Spotted on U Street in Washington DC.
Black-and-white street poster reading “ICE OUT OF STOLEN LANDS,” showing a kneeling Mesoamerican-style warrior in a feathered headdress, holding above his head a skull wearing an “ICE” cap. The figure kneels before the White House with a large crowd of protesters in the foreground.
August 11, 2025 at 12:29 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
When I saw your post I gave it a try. I then asked for an explanation.
August 8, 2025 at 1:08 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
As so-called “tech” sectors crowd in on policymakers, DC’s public transport infrastructure now doubles as billboard space for AI, defence, and crypto lobbying.
Metrobus ad for defence tech company Anduril reads “Command the Sea. Command the World,” with image of a military drone. Bus stop poster by Coinbase says “America Voted Pro-Crypto. It’s Time for Congress to Act,” in bold typewriter font. Backlit ad in a DC Metro station for Intel’s USAI program, reading “Built for the mission. Backed by trust,” promoting secure public sector AI solutions.
July 25, 2025 at 1:12 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Spotted this copy of de Tocqueville the other morning. It was gone by the afternoon.
A red Little Free Library surrounded by green plants, with a visible copy of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville among other books behind its glass door.
July 16, 2025 at 12:16 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
A truly remarkable essay in @nymag.com that deserves to be widely read. I gave my copy to a gentlemen at the cafe who expressed interest - he said he’d read it and pass it on, too. nymag.com/press/articl...
The 16-29 June 2025 issue of New York Magazine sits on a wooden café table beside a white espresso cup and a glass of water. The minimalist cover features only text, highlighting the article “Crimes of the Century” by Suzy Hansen on Israel’s actions in Gaza, describing an era of “unchecked brutality”.
June 22, 2025 at 3:06 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Spotted on my Saturday morning walk: the French ambassador’s petite residence, with a small Statue of Liberty in the front yard, draped in the Ukrainian flag
A grand stone mansion in Washington, D.C.’s Kalorama neighborhood, flying the French flag. In front, a small Statue of Liberty draped in a the Ukrainian flag behind a black iron fence. Bright flowers in the foreground.
June 22, 2025 at 2:55 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Haven’t worked this one out yet: classic geopolitics on the side of a bus in DC.
An advert on a bus reads Command the sea, command the world.
June 21, 2025 at 1:58 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Spotted at a bus stop in Philly on the weekend.
A black-and-white poster reading “RESIST SURVEILLANCE” at the top and “BUILD SANCTUARY” at the bottom. The illustration shows three people standing in front of houses, facing a group of silhouetted law enforcement figures labeled “POLICE,” “FBI,” and “ICE.” The poster is stuck to a glass surface.
June 17, 2025 at 11:00 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Sharp observations in the closing paragraphs of Mark Mazower’s FT Weekend article on the Europe-US relationship in historical perspective.
Excerpt from a Financial Times Weekend article by Mark Mazower discussing the shift in US foreign policy under Trump, describing it as “Capitalism in One Country.” The text reflects on European mistrust of US consistency, the erosion of transatlantic ties, and the long-term costs to American soft power.
May 31, 2025 at 7:19 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
I’ve spotted these signs in various places around Washington DC while out walking: a hotline if someone’s detained; a visual guide to identifying ICE officers; a call for employers to prepare.
A poster on the base of a traffic light in Washington, DC, listing hotline numbers for organizations that assist people affected by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. It includes groups like CASA and Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid, with a QR code linking to further resources. A flyer taped to a lamppost titled “Identifying ICE – Part 1.” It describes how to distinguish ICE agents from local police, noting that agents may hide their badges or wear jackets labeled only “POLICE.” Includes photos of people wearing ICE or police vests, and an image of an ICE badge. A blue poster on a public wall encouraging restaurant employers in Washington, DC to prepare for possible ICE visits. It offers a link and QR code to printable resources, and urges business owners to protect employees and know their legal rights.
May 18, 2025 at 9:25 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
But who’s counting?
April 26, 2025 at 3:02 PM
doylanpls.bsky.social
A memorable stroll around the east rim at Fitzroy Falls this morning. ☺️
February 23, 2025 at 5:19 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
Rolling Stone on “Going full Nixon” www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
February 16, 2025 at 7:45 AM
doylanpls.bsky.social
It’s worth reading AAP’s fact checks every now and then. Each of these examples relates to a false claim that originated with a Facebook post. www.aap.com.au/factcheck/
January 28, 2025 at 9:18 AM