David Haralson
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laughlax.bsky.social
David Haralson
@laughlax.bsky.social
Transmission analysis at a grid-scale battery company. Trans rights are human rights! Born at 358ppm. He/him. Dad. Organist. Democrat. Boomer Sooner! Salt Lake Valley, UT. I represent only myself here.

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Pinned
Hi everyone, I'm here now! Hopefully looking forward to what the future brings in this brave new world.

If you know of good people to follow here in any of these categories, please point me their way!:
* Energy industry
* Clean energy transition
* Mormonism
* Pipe organs
Reposted by David Haralson
This is bad. Some thoughts from a TAMU faculty member.

gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Texas A&M Tightens Rules on Talking About Race and Gender in Classes
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Reposted by David Haralson
we were showing my kid some of the ancient texts last night (viral videos from when I was a teenager) and it’s funny how quaint Numa Numa Guy is now. he was like…that’s it? that’s the video? yeah man and in my day it sustained us for YEARS
November 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
Don't mind me, all of a sudden I can't stop imagining Suzanne Harrison in the U.S. House. She fought hard as a State House rep, and scared the Republicans so bad they gerrymandered her out of her seat.

Now that would be some serious poetic justice, if she ran for UT-01 and won. #utpol
November 13, 2025 at 12:25 AM
I'm doing it

But I'm actually going west, gotta account for cloud cover (and darker skies are much closer that way too)

Hopefully I'm not too late
Okay, I've missed out on enough auroras. I think next time we get a geomagnetic storm I'm going to just get in the car and drive north* until I can see it (or ~an hour and a half, whichever happens first)

*light pollution is probably the bigger obstacle than latitude, but better latitude can't hurt
November 13, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Reposted by David Haralson
Epstein in 2015 to a *NYT reporter *
Jeffrey Epstein in 2015: "Have them ask my houseman about donald almost walking through the door leaving his nose print on the glass as young women were swimming in the pool and he was so focused he walked straight into the door."
November 13, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Don't mind me, all of a sudden I can't stop imagining Suzanne Harrison in the U.S. House. She fought hard as a State House rep, and scared the Republicans so bad they gerrymandered her out of her seat.

Now that would be some serious poetic justice, if she ran for UT-01 and won. #utpol
November 13, 2025 at 12:25 AM
Reposted by David Haralson
Extremely normal discourse about the Texas Railroad Commission, an elected office that regulates oil and gas in the state and is up for election in 2026.
November 12, 2025 at 11:43 PM
FINAL BOSS DEFEATED
(...Silksong Edition)

92% completion, 53 hours
We'll see how long my resolve lasts to work toward 100%
Now playing,
Lost Woods: Silksong Edition
Getting Over It: Silksong Edition

A great place to lose all your rosaries

*okay fine, yes there are a couple benches along the way
November 12, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
I wish it were better understood that this is an act of mass murder akin to firing into a large crowd. Impossible to say specifically who will die as a result of this action, but certainty that it will be many.
The Trump admin seems set to force two Colorado coal plants to stay open past their planned closure this year, even as the costs of keeping an aging, unnecessary Michigan coal plant running through the summer top $80M. Are more must-run orders coming?
www.canarymedia.com/articles/fos...
#energysky
Trump’s DOE may soon force more coal plants to stay open
Colorado coal plants are likely to face DOE orders to keep running past planned closure dates, even as the costs of keeping an old Michigan plant open…
www.canarymedia.com
November 12, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
Religious liberty is treated weirdly in this country. If one person claims a non-state approved religion bc it allows them to do something they want, it's bad, but when ppl do the same thing but claim it is part of a state approved religion (without relevant citation), it's good.
Hegseth: "We don't need to be a military of beardos anymore. Do you know how many troops claim to be Nordic Pagan? No, suddenly it's become this real fake religious affiliation inside the Pentagon where troops came to be Nordic Pagan so they can grow a beard and nobody challenges them on it."
November 12, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Okay, I've missed out on enough auroras. I think next time we get a geomagnetic storm I'm going to just get in the car and drive north* until I can see it (or ~an hour and a half, whichever happens first)

*light pollution is probably the bigger obstacle than latitude, but better latitude can't hurt
November 12, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Oh hey (sorry folks, I'm taken)
November 12, 2025 at 6:54 AM
So... Anyone know a good aurora viewing spot within a 15 minute drive from Herriman, UT? And how late would I need to stay up* to catch a view of tonight's storm?

* or, how early would I need to get up
November 12, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Aurora* viewing in Aurora** tonight? 👀

* geomagnetic phenomenon
** city in Illinois
Aurora folks, lock TF in

Let's hope the clouds stay away
November 11, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
"The people of Utah are getting what we voted for seven years ago: a fair map."

ICYMI: A judge has thrown out a new U.S. congressional map passed by the Utah Legislature in favor of an alternative map.

Here's a look at it + new reaction from Utah GOP, DNC and more:

www.ksl.com/article/5140...
Utah judge selects new congressional map, tossing map drawn by lawmakers
A judge has thrown out a new U.S. congressional map passed by the Republican-led legislature in favor of an alternative map.
www.ksl.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
Those complaining about the high rate of electricity in California, are sort of out of touch with reality. High rates *DONT* mean high bills.

Normal people - i.e. not #energysky - don't care about the RATE they pay, but the BILL at the end of the month.

Californians pay less than 40 states.
November 11, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
“...DHS is ignoring its own certification process and treating Real IDs as suspect. ...DHS is placing more weight on its profile of how an undocumented worker looks than it places on the fact that someone has an ID issued exclusively to people who have proved their legal status.”
I'm in WaPo today explaining why the administration's profiling of people for immigration stops based on their ethnicity and occupation is unconstitutional:

wapo.st/43W3haf
November 11, 2025 at 12:43 AM
This is why I've recently picked up the One Piece TCG. Still figuring out how much financial commitment it actually asks of me, but casual friendships do be starting up
as the husband of a mahjong addict, dudes need to identify an activity that can be done relatively easily in groups with minimal financial commitment so they can get out of the house for 2-3 hours on a school night, have two beers, and shoot the shit with their buddies.

It won't be mahjong tho.
This is excellent, and great fun to read. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
November 10, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Just silly amounts of flop sweat coming from the Utah GOP as they try to overturn the will of the people and rig the system for themselves #utleg #utpol
After weeks of political drama, the Utah Republican Party has confirmed it will not move forward with gathering signatures for a referendum on “Map C,” the congressional redistricting plan currently under court review.

🔗 ABC 4: buff.ly/WWMaBhY
Utah Republican Party is not gathering signatures for referendum on Map C
With just over a week until the deadline for the Utah Republican Party to turn in 140,748 signatures to repeal the Utah legislature’s redistricted map, known as map C, the party is not gather…
www.abc4.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
Y'all need Jesus, happy Sunday
November 9, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.

Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."

Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
One thing that strikes me is just how fake all of our problems related to government are

The filibuster isn't in the Constitution, and every single Framer would be apoplectic that it exists.

The government shutdown was invented in 1980

The 9-justices limit was invented to stop the New Deal
November 8, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Reposted by David Haralson
the crunch of leaves in autumn.
November 8, 2025 at 7:07 PM
🔌💡
⚡️Ukraine's state-owned energy company says all of its power plants are down after Russia's 'largest-ever attack.'

The recent Russian attack destroyed all restored capacity, leaving the plants generating no power, the state-owned energy company Centrenergo said on Nov. 8.
Ukraine's state-owned energy company says all of its power plants are down after Russia's 'largest-ever attack'
The recent Russian attack destroyed all restored capacity, leaving the plants generating no power, the state-owned energy company Centrenergo said on Nov. 8.
kyivindependent.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by David Haralson
UPDATE: Reached out to the Rev. Hannah Kardon, a United Methodist minister who was there that day and has been active in religious demonstrations at Broadview.

“They are making it clear that they are scared of prayer … it speaks the truth that what they are doing in that building is evil.”
November 8, 2025 at 2:08 PM