Ben Kickert
@kickert.bsky.social
Asheville / WNC resident
Chronic hobby acquirer
Quintessential generalist
Data, Tech, International Development, Travel, Outdoors, Fishing, Chainsaws, Pens, Charlotte FC, Asheville City SC, Aston Villa, Disc Golf, Cycling, Cricket
Chronic hobby acquirer
Quintessential generalist
Data, Tech, International Development, Travel, Outdoors, Fishing, Chainsaws, Pens, Charlotte FC, Asheville City SC, Aston Villa, Disc Golf, Cycling, Cricket
Halloween is always such a great learning experience for my kids. They get to learn so much about economics:
Taxes: Gotta pay me a percentage of the candy haul
Currency Exchange: 1 airhead = 2 nerds boxes = 10 bubble gums
Taxes: Gotta pay me a percentage of the candy haul
Currency Exchange: 1 airhead = 2 nerds boxes = 10 bubble gums
October 31, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Halloween is always such a great learning experience for my kids. They get to learn so much about economics:
Taxes: Gotta pay me a percentage of the candy haul
Currency Exchange: 1 airhead = 2 nerds boxes = 10 bubble gums
Taxes: Gotta pay me a percentage of the candy haul
Currency Exchange: 1 airhead = 2 nerds boxes = 10 bubble gums
To all the other geriatric millennials and young Gen-Xers who are saying WTF is 6️⃣7️⃣, just remember:
All your base are belong to us
All your base are belong to us
October 15, 2025 at 12:56 PM
To all the other geriatric millennials and young Gen-Xers who are saying WTF is 6️⃣7️⃣, just remember:
All your base are belong to us
All your base are belong to us
Took me several attempts to even figure out what it was supposed to be.
May 15, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Took me several attempts to even figure out what it was supposed to be.
View from my front porch the last year: Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, hail, cicadas, wildfires, downed trees.
What's next? It's frogs isn't it.
What's next? It's frogs isn't it.
May 12, 2025 at 3:09 PM
View from my front porch the last year: Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, hail, cicadas, wildfires, downed trees.
What's next? It's frogs isn't it.
What's next? It's frogs isn't it.
Reposted by Ben Kickert
In the first 100 days of his presidency, Trump has not only formally rejected US support for the #SDGs and the #2030Agenda, he has actively worked against all 17 of the #GlobalGoals.
We break down all the attacks and offer guidance on what you can do to fight back:
medium.com/sdg-counting...
We break down all the attacks and offer guidance on what you can do to fight back:
medium.com/sdg-counting...
100 Days of Attacks on the SDGs
The Devastating Impact of Trump’s America First Policy
medium.com
April 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM
In the first 100 days of his presidency, Trump has not only formally rejected US support for the #SDGs and the #2030Agenda, he has actively worked against all 17 of the #GlobalGoals.
We break down all the attacks and offer guidance on what you can do to fight back:
medium.com/sdg-counting...
We break down all the attacks and offer guidance on what you can do to fight back:
medium.com/sdg-counting...
I'm an American citizen who has previously been inappropriately detained in a foreign country due to a "clerical error" in my immigration paperwork. The fact that people aren't up in arms by what is happening with Kilmar Abrego Garcia is stunning to me. Due process is an essential part of democracy.
April 14, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I'm an American citizen who has previously been inappropriately detained in a foreign country due to a "clerical error" in my immigration paperwork. The fact that people aren't up in arms by what is happening with Kilmar Abrego Garcia is stunning to me. Due process is an essential part of democracy.
I never thought the NHL goal record would fall. Congrats to Ovi on an incredible accomplishment. What is even more incredible is if you took away all his goals, Gretzky would still own the all-time points record. Unreal!
April 7, 2025 at 10:24 AM
I never thought the NHL goal record would fall. Congrats to Ovi on an incredible accomplishment. What is even more incredible is if you took away all his goals, Gretzky would still own the all-time points record. Unreal!
One year of market growth... gone.
April 4, 2025 at 7:11 PM
One year of market growth... gone.
I wasn't planning on waking up to see the #LunarEclipse, but exactly at maximum totality our dog started going crazy in her crate.
#DogsAreSmarterThanHumans
#DogsAreSmarterThanHumans
March 14, 2025 at 7:43 AM
I wasn't planning on waking up to see the #LunarEclipse, but exactly at maximum totality our dog started going crazy in her crate.
#DogsAreSmarterThanHumans
#DogsAreSmarterThanHumans
So many cool features and philosophies of this #BlueSky app that I wasn't even aware of!
It is well worth listening to this #SXSW talk with @jay.bsky.team and @mmasnick.bsky.social on the vision and possibilities of this platform (protocol).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Ow...
It is well worth listening to this #SXSW talk with @jay.bsky.team and @mmasnick.bsky.social on the vision and possibilities of this platform (protocol).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Ow...
Bluesky's CEO on the Future of Social Media | SXSW LIVE
YouTube video by SXSW
www.youtube.com
March 11, 2025 at 12:22 PM
So many cool features and philosophies of this #BlueSky app that I wasn't even aware of!
It is well worth listening to this #SXSW talk with @jay.bsky.team and @mmasnick.bsky.social on the vision and possibilities of this platform (protocol).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Ow...
It is well worth listening to this #SXSW talk with @jay.bsky.team and @mmasnick.bsky.social on the vision and possibilities of this platform (protocol).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Ow...
I am a democrat living in a predominantly republican precinct in a liberal county in very red region of a purple state. After Helene, it didn't matter what letter was next to your name on your ballot. We care about our neighbors more than our politics when the rubber meets the road.
March 5, 2025 at 3:12 AM
I am a democrat living in a predominantly republican precinct in a liberal county in very red region of a purple state. After Helene, it didn't matter what letter was next to your name on your ballot. We care about our neighbors more than our politics when the rubber meets the road.
If you buy in to this binary thinking then unfriend me now. There is no way we can have a meaningful conversation if everything is reduced to us vs. them.
March 5, 2025 at 2:42 AM
If you buy in to this binary thinking then unfriend me now. There is no way we can have a meaningful conversation if everything is reduced to us vs. them.
I have been dragging all morning and couldn't figure out way. Afterall, I had gotten a pretty good night's sleep. Went back to the house to pick something up and saw my full coffee cup sitting on the counter.
a man in a purple shirt is saying yeah that 's the problem
ALT: a man in a purple shirt is saying yeah that 's the problem
media.tenor.com
February 11, 2025 at 5:21 PM
I have been dragging all morning and couldn't figure out way. Afterall, I had gotten a pretty good night's sleep. Went back to the house to pick something up and saw my full coffee cup sitting on the counter.
Trump promised lower prices, yet his policies have the opposite effect.
Tariffs make all foreign goods more expensive.
Bullying for lower interest rates will be inflationary.
Immigration crackdowns increase the cost of labor.
It's like people have never listened to @kairyssdal.bsky.social before.
Tariffs make all foreign goods more expensive.
Bullying for lower interest rates will be inflationary.
Immigration crackdowns increase the cost of labor.
It's like people have never listened to @kairyssdal.bsky.social before.
January 23, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Trump promised lower prices, yet his policies have the opposite effect.
Tariffs make all foreign goods more expensive.
Bullying for lower interest rates will be inflationary.
Immigration crackdowns increase the cost of labor.
It's like people have never listened to @kairyssdal.bsky.social before.
Tariffs make all foreign goods more expensive.
Bullying for lower interest rates will be inflationary.
Immigration crackdowns increase the cost of labor.
It's like people have never listened to @kairyssdal.bsky.social before.
It is freakin' cold in Asheville this morning!
How cold? Well I took a shower and then walked over to the main house. In the time it took to walk those 150' the residual moisture in my beard froze!
How cold? Well I took a shower and then walked over to the main house. In the time it took to walk those 150' the residual moisture in my beard froze!
January 21, 2025 at 1:02 PM
It is freakin' cold in Asheville this morning!
How cold? Well I took a shower and then walked over to the main house. In the time it took to walk those 150' the residual moisture in my beard froze!
How cold? Well I took a shower and then walked over to the main house. In the time it took to walk those 150' the residual moisture in my beard froze!
I have sustained multiple chainsaw related injuries since "The Storm." Ironically, they have all come during maintenance. Most recent example: stabbing a file into my palm trying to put a handle on it.
Embarrassing.
Embarrassing.
January 1, 2025 at 9:02 PM
I have sustained multiple chainsaw related injuries since "The Storm." Ironically, they have all come during maintenance. Most recent example: stabbing a file into my palm trying to put a handle on it.
Embarrassing.
Embarrassing.
Our biggest hurdle with #HeleneRecovery continues to be
#MrCooper.
They've had our $100K+ endorsed insurance claim check for 3 weeks and have only released 8% despite 50%+ of work being completed (out of pocket).
It's been impossible to get an inspection for more to be released.
Unacceptable.
#MrCooper.
They've had our $100K+ endorsed insurance claim check for 3 weeks and have only released 8% despite 50%+ of work being completed (out of pocket).
It's been impossible to get an inspection for more to be released.
Unacceptable.
December 30, 2024 at 7:16 PM
Our biggest hurdle with #HeleneRecovery continues to be
#MrCooper.
They've had our $100K+ endorsed insurance claim check for 3 weeks and have only released 8% despite 50%+ of work being completed (out of pocket).
It's been impossible to get an inspection for more to be released.
Unacceptable.
#MrCooper.
They've had our $100K+ endorsed insurance claim check for 3 weeks and have only released 8% despite 50%+ of work being completed (out of pocket).
It's been impossible to get an inspection for more to be released.
Unacceptable.
We experienced well over six-figures worth of damage from #Helene.
We had a great claims adjustor.
We also have amazing neighbors and contractors to get work done.
So who's the weak link?
Mr. Cooper, our new mortgage company, with their archaic process for accessing repair funds.
Unacceptable.
We had a great claims adjustor.
We also have amazing neighbors and contractors to get work done.
So who's the weak link?
Mr. Cooper, our new mortgage company, with their archaic process for accessing repair funds.
Unacceptable.
December 18, 2024 at 2:35 PM
We experienced well over six-figures worth of damage from #Helene.
We had a great claims adjustor.
We also have amazing neighbors and contractors to get work done.
So who's the weak link?
Mr. Cooper, our new mortgage company, with their archaic process for accessing repair funds.
Unacceptable.
We had a great claims adjustor.
We also have amazing neighbors and contractors to get work done.
So who's the weak link?
Mr. Cooper, our new mortgage company, with their archaic process for accessing repair funds.
Unacceptable.
Reposted by Ben Kickert
Okay, wait.
If you have to spend 28-hundred words fact-checking an interview - with *anybody - why publish it?
If you have to spend 28-hundred words fact-checking an interview - with *anybody - why publish it?
TIME has published a 2,800-word fact-check of its interview with Trump. That's a lot of statements that needed checking... time.com/7201574/pers...
Fact-Checking Trump’s 2024 Person of the Year Interview
Here is a review for facts and context of several of Trump’s statements from the Person of the Year interview
time.com
December 12, 2024 at 3:47 PM
Okay, wait.
If you have to spend 28-hundred words fact-checking an interview - with *anybody - why publish it?
If you have to spend 28-hundred words fact-checking an interview - with *anybody - why publish it?
Can we start using the term "oligarchs" let, or do we have to wait until after the inauguration?
December 12, 2024 at 3:27 PM
Can we start using the term "oligarchs" let, or do we have to wait until after the inauguration?
We're making steady progress recovering from Helene. But, looking back the last 2 months, everything we fix comes at a cost. Part of me yearns to go back to Mid-October where priorities were clear, our basic needs we met, and there was stability. But, you have to break shit to fix shit.
December 10, 2024 at 4:42 PM
We're making steady progress recovering from Helene. But, looking back the last 2 months, everything we fix comes at a cost. Part of me yearns to go back to Mid-October where priorities were clear, our basic needs we met, and there was stability. But, you have to break shit to fix shit.
Logan Huntzberger is the most developed and complicated character on Gilmore Girls.
December 2, 2024 at 9:33 PM
Logan Huntzberger is the most developed and complicated character on Gilmore Girls.
Helene Day 65: The trunk of the tree that once blocked my driveway and crushed my car has been processed into 3" slabs that may one day grace our home. The limbs have either been cut into firewood or chipped. Our driveway is clear for the first time in over two months.
One day at a time...
One day at a time...
November 30, 2024 at 9:15 PM
Helene Day 65: The trunk of the tree that once blocked my driveway and crushed my car has been processed into 3" slabs that may one day grace our home. The limbs have either been cut into firewood or chipped. Our driveway is clear for the first time in over two months.
One day at a time...
One day at a time...
TIL: You can use isopropyl alcohol to remove pine pitch stains from clothing.
November 25, 2024 at 2:51 PM
TIL: You can use isopropyl alcohol to remove pine pitch stains from clothing.