mjec
@mjec.net
computery person at etsy. australian lawyer, once upon a time. north-eastern us after south-eastern tasmania. they/them
signal mjec.116
signal mjec.116
I've not really been around here in six months. My mental health has been Extremely Poor, and a social media break was part of trying to get better (along with inpatient and outpatient treatment). Last week a dear friend died of suicide. I'm back on social media again. It's a relapse.
September 14, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I've not really been around here in six months. My mental health has been Extremely Poor, and a social media break was part of trying to get better (along with inpatient and outpatient treatment). Last week a dear friend died of suicide. I'm back on social media again. It's a relapse.
Reposted by mjec
I think most of who have worked in writing or entertainment know that piracy is a fact of life, and has been for a long time now.
But there’s a difference between a broke student downloading a PDF of your book, and a multibillion dollar company stealing your work for its own bullshit purposes.
But there’s a difference between a broke student downloading a PDF of your book, and a multibillion dollar company stealing your work for its own bullshit purposes.
Search the LibGen database here, and peer inside a pirated library of millions of books and research papers used by Meta and others:
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.
www.theatlantic.com
March 21, 2025 at 11:45 PM
I think most of who have worked in writing or entertainment know that piracy is a fact of life, and has been for a long time now.
But there’s a difference between a broke student downloading a PDF of your book, and a multibillion dollar company stealing your work for its own bullshit purposes.
But there’s a difference between a broke student downloading a PDF of your book, and a multibillion dollar company stealing your work for its own bullshit purposes.
I think this is like not being able to get over stick shift cars — and i totally get both
I miss being able to feel the hard drive in my iPod.
March 6, 2025 at 4:36 AM
I think this is like not being able to get over stick shift cars — and i totally get both
Reposted by mjec
This says way more about Rahm Emanual than trans people
Ex-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel spouts transphobic talking points to Bill Maher.
"Look, in seventh grade, if I had known that I could have said the word ‘They’ and got in the girls bathroom, I would have done it."
"Look, in seventh grade, if I had known that I could have said the word ‘They’ and got in the girls bathroom, I would have done it."
Ex-Chicago mayor rips current city leaders for focus on bathroom and locker room instead of crime, education
During HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," former Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel blasted city leadership for failing the city on safety and educational standards.
www.foxnews.com
March 2, 2025 at 2:01 PM
This says way more about Rahm Emanual than trans people
Reposted by mjec
Reposted by mjec
It just hit me that across every dimension Trump is destroying a full century of human progress. Free trade, the norm against aggression, vaccines and public health, desegregation, victory against fascism and ethno-nationalism. All onto the bonfire. One of the greatest criminals in history.
February 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
It just hit me that across every dimension Trump is destroying a full century of human progress. Free trade, the norm against aggression, vaccines and public health, desegregation, victory against fascism and ethno-nationalism. All onto the bonfire. One of the greatest criminals in history.
Reposted by mjec
How’s this WSJ take aging
WSJ this morning. lol at the last bit.
"Leaders on both sides need to stop describing the stakes of the election in apocalyptic terms. Democracy won't end if one or the other candidate is elected. Fascism is not aborning if Mr. Trump wins, unless you have little faith in American institutions."
"Leaders on both sides need to stop describing the stakes of the election in apocalyptic terms. Democracy won't end if one or the other candidate is elected. Fascism is not aborning if Mr. Trump wins, unless you have little faith in American institutions."
February 26, 2025 at 9:06 PM
How’s this WSJ take aging
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The latest episode of @socialistdogmom.bsky.social's "Weird Little Guys" podcast, "They Got What They Wanted", is far from stand-alone, but I think it can be listened to that way - and it's timely and important and sad. www.iheart.com/podcast/1119...
Weird Little Guys | iHeart
Weird Little Guys is a weekly show about the worst people you’ve never heard of, taking you beyond the headlines to get to know the race warriors and aspiring terrorists trying to unravel the fabric o...
www.iheart.com
February 24, 2025 at 6:56 PM
The latest episode of @socialistdogmom.bsky.social's "Weird Little Guys" podcast, "They Got What They Wanted", is far from stand-alone, but I think it can be listened to that way - and it's timely and important and sad. www.iheart.com/podcast/1119...
As a legal/formal matter, of course this is true. But I think the criticism here -- and of Musk's takeover of twitter -- is about the destruction of what was once a valuable forum. The elimination of spaces for impactful and open discussion is, IMO, an issue for free speech (with no legal valence).
At the end of the day, what Bezos is doing is HIS free speech: his freedom to choose what speech he will support, promote, and publish. That he's making a bad choice is irrelevant to that; it's no more "against free speech" for him to say "I won't publish pro-abortion op-eds" that it is for me to
February 26, 2025 at 4:14 PM
As a legal/formal matter, of course this is true. But I think the criticism here -- and of Musk's takeover of twitter -- is about the destruction of what was once a valuable forum. The elimination of spaces for impactful and open discussion is, IMO, an issue for free speech (with no legal valence).
Reposted by mjec
we don’t talk enough about this aspect of our current moment: the sadness and grief of losing institutions that were once so important to us, because they proved unworthy of our support. and it is real grief, because we lose what those institution might have been, if only they had been better.
thank god i used my personal liberties to cancel my subscription last year. (which was painful as someone who worked with wapo for YEARS. i cried the first time i walked into that building bc i was so happy to be there.)
February 26, 2025 at 3:12 PM
we don’t talk enough about this aspect of our current moment: the sadness and grief of losing institutions that were once so important to us, because they proved unworthy of our support. and it is real grief, because we lose what those institution might have been, if only they had been better.
The Australian Financial Review put it best nearly eleven years ago: world is fukt (image source mumbrella.com.au/afr-apologis...)
February 26, 2025 at 2:26 AM
The Australian Financial Review put it best nearly eleven years ago: world is fukt (image source mumbrella.com.au/afr-apologis...)
Reposted by mjec
perhaps the statement from an independent press association in response to an authoritarian government restricting the press should be an announcement that the members of that association will no longer be covering and reprinting the regime's misinformation events as they have been doing since day 1
National Press Club president Mike Balsamo issued the following statement after the White House seized power over press pool access from the WHCA: "The White House’s announcement today is a direct challenge to the independence of a free press in the United States."
February 25, 2025 at 9:37 PM
perhaps the statement from an independent press association in response to an authoritarian government restricting the press should be an announcement that the members of that association will no longer be covering and reprinting the regime's misinformation events as they have been doing since day 1
Reposted by mjec
Reporter: If you could speak directly to Elon Musk, what would you say?
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: Fuck off.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: Fuck off.
February 25, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reporter: If you could speak directly to Elon Musk, what would you say?
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: Fuck off.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett: Fuck off.
I doubt people think this carefully about it. They think DEI is forcing teaching to be a certain way, but they do not even consider the mechanism
I know it's a right-wing, anti-DEI talking point, but do regular people think this? That DEI offices were auditing faculty syllabi and ordering them what to teach? Maybe I'm naive, but that level of detailed attention and oversight sounds far-fetched to me from any higher ed admin unit.
February 25, 2025 at 6:32 PM
I doubt people think this carefully about it. They think DEI is forcing teaching to be a certain way, but they do not even consider the mechanism
Reposted by mjec
"There's so much fraud, waste, and abuse."
"Can you give us an example?"
"Oh ho ... trust us, there's so much fraud, waste and abuse, you wouldn't believe it."
"Try me! Just one."
"Sorry, there's too much fraud, waste, and abuse. I can't pick out just one instance of fraud, waste, and abuse."
"Can you give us an example?"
"Oh ho ... trust us, there's so much fraud, waste and abuse, you wouldn't believe it."
"Try me! Just one."
"Sorry, there's too much fraud, waste, and abuse. I can't pick out just one instance of fraud, waste, and abuse."
REPORTER: Can you say unequivocally that down the line, there won't be cuts to Medicaid programs?
MIKE JOHNSON: Medicaid is hugely problematic because it has a lot of fraud, waste, and abuse.
MIKE JOHNSON: Medicaid is hugely problematic because it has a lot of fraud, waste, and abuse.
February 25, 2025 at 5:20 PM
"There's so much fraud, waste, and abuse."
"Can you give us an example?"
"Oh ho ... trust us, there's so much fraud, waste and abuse, you wouldn't believe it."
"Try me! Just one."
"Sorry, there's too much fraud, waste, and abuse. I can't pick out just one instance of fraud, waste, and abuse."
"Can you give us an example?"
"Oh ho ... trust us, there's so much fraud, waste and abuse, you wouldn't believe it."
"Try me! Just one."
"Sorry, there's too much fraud, waste, and abuse. I can't pick out just one instance of fraud, waste, and abuse."
Reposted by mjec
JUDGE COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY: Is there an administrator of DOGE at the present time?
GOVERNMENT COUNSEL: I don’t know the answer to that
GOVERNMENT COUNSEL: I don’t know the answer to that
Preliminary injunction hearing at 2 p.m. today on DOGE access to Treasury records
Will Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly accept the challenge????
Will we finally learn the identity of the DOGE administrator?????
Stay tuned
Will Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly accept the challenge????
Will we finally learn the identity of the DOGE administrator?????
Stay tuned
February 24, 2025 at 8:32 PM
JUDGE COLLEEN KOLLAR-KOTELLY: Is there an administrator of DOGE at the present time?
GOVERNMENT COUNSEL: I don’t know the answer to that
GOVERNMENT COUNSEL: I don’t know the answer to that
Reposted by mjec
cis people go into hysterics if they get a pronoun wrong because they think the trans person is going to call them the devil and explode on them and whatever else meanwhile the trans person is basically always like "alright yeah i use this one instead thanks". mfers think we're doing Gotcha Gender
February 24, 2025 at 2:13 AM
cis people go into hysterics if they get a pronoun wrong because they think the trans person is going to call them the devil and explode on them and whatever else meanwhile the trans person is basically always like "alright yeah i use this one instead thanks". mfers think we're doing Gotcha Gender
The Question Trump Keeps Asking That Zelensky Refuses To Answer
NYT Today: It’s Past Time For Zelensky To Respond To Trump’s Reasonable Question: Why Are You Hitting Yourself, Why Are You Hitting Yourself, Why Are You Hitting Yourself?
February 24, 2025 at 5:27 PM
The Question Trump Keeps Asking That Zelensky Refuses To Answer
Reposted by mjec
It's almost like they're two different classes of people with divergent interests. I wonder if anyone has written anything about that.
Maybe hating on dick bosses is the great unifier, the thing that brings all Americans together.
Elon getting ratioed on his own platform 👌
February 24, 2025 at 12:40 PM
It's almost like they're two different classes of people with divergent interests. I wonder if anyone has written anything about that.