KBlaney
@kblaney.bsky.social
We're going about "money in politics" all wrong. Instead of talking about corrupt politicians, we should be talking about how many spam phone calls and political ads there are.
December 20, 2025 at 9:17 PM
We're going about "money in politics" all wrong. Instead of talking about corrupt politicians, we should be talking about how many spam phone calls and political ads there are.
We are exceedingly lucky that Walt Disney was never exposed to the brain eating worm that is social media.
Disney's view on the subject, especially late in his life, are quite idiosyncratic: a mix of progressive-even-for-today ideas, quasi-fascist authoritarian nostalgia and impractical world of tomorrow sci fi stuff that was never gonna work youtu.be/tKYEXjMlKKQ?... bsky.app/profile/elec...
December 18, 2025 at 4:08 PM
We are exceedingly lucky that Walt Disney was never exposed to the brain eating worm that is social media.
When I worked at a B&N Cafe I had a guy who would come in on weekdays during his lunch and get either 6 or 8 shots (depending on how good a day he was having) in about 12-14ozs of steamed half & half because that's all that fit in the cup.
I just hope he's doing okay.
I just hope he's doing okay.
Found a coffee place in Paris that does 4 shots of espresso in a large latte. I am going to Ascend
December 16, 2025 at 4:53 PM
When I worked at a B&N Cafe I had a guy who would come in on weekdays during his lunch and get either 6 or 8 shots (depending on how good a day he was having) in about 12-14ozs of steamed half & half because that's all that fit in the cup.
I just hope he's doing okay.
I just hope he's doing okay.
Listen, I am an expert in falling and believe me when I tell you this was a great fall.
www.youtube.com/shorts/ntSeo...
Saving the board is just gravy (or aura farming as the kids say).
www.youtube.com/shorts/ntSeo...
Saving the board is just gravy (or aura farming as the kids say).
Saved the camera and everything 😭 #breakdance #skateboard
YouTube video by Hyunjoon Kim
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Listen, I am an expert in falling and believe me when I tell you this was a great fall.
www.youtube.com/shorts/ntSeo...
Saving the board is just gravy (or aura farming as the kids say).
www.youtube.com/shorts/ntSeo...
Saving the board is just gravy (or aura farming as the kids say).
We can have a "diversity of views" on impeachment. Some might want to impeach him for the corrupt gifts from world leaders. Some might want to impeach him for the war crimes related to strikes against civilian boats. Some for cryptocurrency bribes and some just to right past wrongs.
This is the vice chair of the Democrat caucus straight up saying that even if Dems win the midterms, they might not impeach Trump.
December 12, 2025 at 1:23 PM
We can have a "diversity of views" on impeachment. Some might want to impeach him for the corrupt gifts from world leaders. Some might want to impeach him for the war crimes related to strikes against civilian boats. Some for cryptocurrency bribes and some just to right past wrongs.
Yup. People don't hate AI (even genAI), they hate capitalism.
People absolutely do hate Web3 though. That blockchain shit can suck a bag of dicks.
People absolutely do hate Web3 though. That blockchain shit can suck a bag of dicks.
An easy way to explain luddites:
Textile manufacturers brought in machines that could do in an hour what would have taken 12 hours by hand.
And then, tried to keep paying the now 12x more productive workers the same wages as before.
That's it, that was the problem luddites had. Not complex.
Textile manufacturers brought in machines that could do in an hour what would have taken 12 hours by hand.
And then, tried to keep paying the now 12x more productive workers the same wages as before.
That's it, that was the problem luddites had. Not complex.
December 2, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Yup. People don't hate AI (even genAI), they hate capitalism.
People absolutely do hate Web3 though. That blockchain shit can suck a bag of dicks.
People absolutely do hate Web3 though. That blockchain shit can suck a bag of dicks.
Heh! Voice actors apparently have the polar opposite experience from math professors and it still sucks.
I am a voice actor. Upon telling someone this, some people will immediately take that opportunity to pivot to asking how they can also do it, usually with some flavour of "always having wanted to get into it" or "can you introduce me to the casting director on XYZ".
Please do not do this.
Please do not do this.
What’s the worst question someone can ask after you tell them your profession? For linguists, it’s definitely “how many languages do you speak?”, but I’m curious what else is happening to the rest of y’all out there?!
December 2, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Heh! Voice actors apparently have the polar opposite experience from math professors and it still sucks.
Today I am giving thanks that I am not a NY Mag editor or writer.
ruin your thanksgiving by reading new york magazine's take on mathematics
![The Ten Most
Ridiculous-Sounding
Math Classes Currently
Offered at Liberal-Arts
Colleges
By Jessica Pressler, Janelle Zara, and Emily Watkins Rachel Stein andAviva Shen OCT. 19, 2010
Every year, liberal-arts majors anxiously scour their college's course listings looking for classes that will fulfill their math requirement but aren't so, you know, math-y. Here's what they're signed up for this year.
10. Topology: The Nature of Shape and Space: "In geometry we ask: How big is it? How long is it? But in topology we ask: Is it [Sarah Lawrence
9. The Mathematies of Chance: "Most topics are introduced ina case-study fashion, usually by reading an article in a current periodical such as the New York Times. [Bard]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreieq6gmwmropzlvjkaaxk6d2smd4tv4dy7qar66uoyv6mhs6naa3fu@jpeg)
![8. Mathematics in Many Cultures: "Mathematical ideas are found in many cultures, among both literate and non-literate peoples. This course examines both mathematics and the role it plays in the cultures. Examples chosen from the mathematical ideas of present-day peoples of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, as well as historic Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Islam and China." [Pomona]
7. The Magic of Numbers: "This course will explore the beauty and mystery of mathematics through a study of the patterns and properties of the natural numbers 1, 2, [and] 3." [Harvard
6. Models of Life: In particular, we will ask such questions as: How do you model the growth of a population of animals? How can you model the growth of a tree? How do sunflowers and seashells grow?" [Kenyon]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreic3c4ox53ouwr3ij3wsmvetmuknu2u2jai7hlvuigco3ahppeoabi@jpeg)
![5. Mathematical Origamist's Toolkit: "Topics include modular origami and how this models the creation of polyhedra and coloring of graphs, comparison of origami-axiomatic constructions to straight-edge and compass constructions, the combinatorics of possible crease patterns, the mathematics of origami design (circle packing, optimization), matrix models for paperfolding, spherical geometry, Descartes' Theorem, and Gaussian curvature." [Hampshire]
4. Mathematics and Narrative: "Many literary works (Arcadia, Proof, and Uncle Petros and the Goldbach Conjecture) use mathematics as an integral part of their narrative. Movie and television narratives such as Good Will Hunting and Numb3rs are also mathematically based. Nonfiction works about mathematics and mathematical biographies like Chaos, Fermat's Enigma, and A Beautiful Mind provide further examples of the connection between mathematics and narrative." [Vassar]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreigyk5tqjszw3fodt7ivmszq7mozpta55o7c552oyzpbqyphl26x7m@jpeg)
![3. Borges and Mathematics: "Jorge Luis Borges was one of the most important writers of the 20th century. Many of his short stories and essays were concerned with philosophical, metaphysical, and mathematical questions. The thesis motivating this course is that if we know the mathematies that Borges referred to, then we will read him differently, and we will read him better." [Bennington 2. Mathematics and Science as Art in Contemporary Theatre: "Playwrights such as Tom Stoppard, Rinne Groff, Michael Frayn, and others have effectively explored mathematical and scientific themes for artistic purposes. Through readings and exercises, and by conducting labs and staging scenes, this class will gain some first-hand insight into the complementary ways in which science and art aim to seek out their respective truths." [Middlebury]
1. Meaning, Math, And Motion: "Quoting a charming articulation by Kinsman (a mathematician-turned-oceanographer, in the preface to Wind Waves): "To the beginner, science is a conversation that has been in progress for a very long time. Our collective work is to catch up on the conversation. [Evergreen]
This is why Asia is winning, by the way.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5itm7jsyrdqdxizkb4cufqxl/bafkreihglx3kxej43i22j4vggyoutp2oyomivtmmvgp6uvslqemm4hhpci@jpeg)
November 27, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Today I am giving thanks that I am not a NY Mag editor or writer.
Well... the family averages out pretty good at least...
the japanese luck calendar is out, how lucky is your 2026 based on your birthday? 👀
November 26, 2025 at 5:58 AM
Well... the family averages out pretty good at least...
Not only is this correct (a better chatbot would give fuller answers more quickly leading to less "engagement"), it is also worth noting that users who pay per interaction are incentivized to find ways to minimize interactions with the chatbots via boilerplate prompts that are known to work.
The ideal usecase for these chatbots is that you ask them a question, get an answer that allow you to do the thing you were doing outside the bot, and then do not interact with it again until several hours later
The technical term for this is "abysmal engagement rates"
The technical term for this is "abysmal engagement rates"
The company essentially turned a dial that made ChatGPT more appealing and made people use it more, but sent some of them into delusional spirals.
OpenAI has since made the chatbot safer, but that comes with a tradeoff: less usage.
OpenAI has since made the chatbot safer, but that comes with a tradeoff: less usage.
November 24, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Not only is this correct (a better chatbot would give fuller answers more quickly leading to less "engagement"), it is also worth noting that users who pay per interaction are incentivized to find ways to minimize interactions with the chatbots via boilerplate prompts that are known to work.
It isn't the point, but I'm really surprised to see FFX-2 not pass the 50/50 mark. All of the main characters are women yet they still don't manage to get more lines than the male characters.
The proportion of female to male dialogue in Final Fantasy. #advx25
November 24, 2025 at 2:09 AM
It isn't the point, but I'm really surprised to see FFX-2 not pass the 50/50 mark. All of the main characters are women yet they still don't manage to get more lines than the male characters.
I'm not saying Long Island has become a fascist hellscape, but I also don't need it when they act like this.
November 22, 2025 at 2:18 PM
I'm not saying Long Island has become a fascist hellscape, but I also don't need it when they act like this.
Got this in at the last minute for the @paizo.com painting competition on MyMiniFactory.
November 18, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Got this in at the last minute for the @paizo.com painting competition on MyMiniFactory.
Going into conspiracy mode:
Having a platform that bans GenAI content is a good way to get training data for AI and not have to exclude things that will pollute your dataset.
Having a platform that bans GenAI content is a good way to get training data for AI and not have to exclude things that will pollute your dataset.
November 13, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Going into conspiracy mode:
Having a platform that bans GenAI content is a good way to get training data for AI and not have to exclude things that will pollute your dataset.
Having a platform that bans GenAI content is a good way to get training data for AI and not have to exclude things that will pollute your dataset.
I have gotten drunk rambles from students with better sentence structure and grammar than some of these Epstein emails.
November 13, 2025 at 2:40 PM
I have gotten drunk rambles from students with better sentence structure and grammar than some of these Epstein emails.
Not to mention that this current release is *not* the full file set that the House is voting on. Journalism, as a profession, just might not be in the right place to properly deal with this.
Cannot be stressed enough how unbelievably terribly all the news outlets, "progressive" or not, have been blowing the Epstein story.
Both parties have massive criminal exposure, top donors to both are at the very least are extremely close to child rape, and two presidents (at least) are involved.
Both parties have massive criminal exposure, top donors to both are at the very least are extremely close to child rape, and two presidents (at least) are involved.
November 13, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Not to mention that this current release is *not* the full file set that the House is voting on. Journalism, as a profession, just might not be in the right place to properly deal with this.
Intersectional bigotry...
Always worth bringing back up that a big part of why evopsych became such a thing was that Jeffrey Epstein was bankrolling it through academic donations
Right, these are the two options: Either they tolerated Epstein's eugenics to get to the sex crimes or they tolerated his sex crimes to get to the eugenics
November 13, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Intersectional bigotry...
I love how these run all the way from "one off quips in the spur of the moment" to "organized and coordinated efforts". Ireland truly is a nation of poets.
nobody does more brutal fashion reviews than the irish
November 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I love how these run all the way from "one off quips in the spur of the moment" to "organized and coordinated efforts". Ireland truly is a nation of poets.
Oh no! Republicans could hurt the Democrats so bad by just not running anyone in the 2026 mid term elections.
oh my god they actually did it lmao
November 6, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Oh no! Republicans could hurt the Democrats so bad by just not running anyone in the 2026 mid term elections.
Reposted by KBlaney
57% of all ad spending by Republicans in the Virginia governors race was on anti trans ads. Just an incredibly mismanaged campaign. Anti-trans politics are a losing issue.
November 5, 2025 at 2:27 AM
57% of all ad spending by Republicans in the Virginia governors race was on anti trans ads. Just an incredibly mismanaged campaign. Anti-trans politics are a losing issue.
Hell yes! No really does mean no.
November 5, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Hell yes! No really does mean no.
Good job NYC, we pulled it off.
November 5, 2025 at 3:14 AM
Good job NYC, we pulled it off.
Reposted by KBlaney
"Vote Blue No Matter Who" means you have to vote for Zohran.
November 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM
"Vote Blue No Matter Who" means you have to vote for Zohran.
It is 100% of a dog whistle, is what it is.
Sincere question: What on earth is a 100% tariff on an individual moving? 100% of what?
They’ve all gone mad.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott: “After the polls close tomorrow night, I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott: “After the polls close tomorrow night, I will impose a 100% tariff on anyone moving to Texas from NYC.”
November 3, 2025 at 10:49 PM
It is 100% of a dog whistle, is what it is.
Good example of LLMs only mimicking behavior seen in the training data. Humans usually say "a representative will contact you" in situations like this (because they know what data they have) and so the LLM does also.
Swear to Christ, I didn't willingly use the AI chatbot. There's no other way to get answers about a package delivery. Hell, I wouldn't have used this service if the seller had another option. But this fuckin' AI tried to tell me a representative would reach me, without ever getting my contact info.
November 1, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Good example of LLMs only mimicking behavior seen in the training data. Humans usually say "a representative will contact you" in situations like this (because they know what data they have) and so the LLM does also.