Neil Absurd
@neilabsurd.bsky.social
arbitrary, capricious, supercilious, biomedical engineering student
ink-stained bookworm, thrift store sleuth, basketball nut, rhythm wanderer, twilight dog walker
Tucson, Az
ink-stained bookworm, thrift store sleuth, basketball nut, rhythm wanderer, twilight dog walker
Tucson, Az
Reposted by Neil Absurd
I wallowed in booze for four decades. Here’s what five sober years have taught me
I wallowed in booze for four decades. Here’s what five sober years have taught me
To give up drinking once seemed unthinkable – and when I finally made the leap, it didn’t go quite as expected
www.theguardian.com
August 3, 2025 at 2:54 PM
I wallowed in booze for four decades. Here’s what five sober years have taught me
Reposted by Neil Absurd
#ArtistFave15
#MusicChallenge
15. Black Flag - Wasted
The song is B-side on their first record (Nervous Breakdown EP, 1979) but I prefer this version, included on their ‘Everything Went Black’ compilation.
#MusicChallenge
15. Black Flag - Wasted
The song is B-side on their first record (Nervous Breakdown EP, 1979) but I prefer this version, included on their ‘Everything Went Black’ compilation.
Wasted
YouTube video by Black Flag - Topic
youtu.be
August 1, 2025 at 6:02 AM
#ArtistFave15
#MusicChallenge
15. Black Flag - Wasted
The song is B-side on their first record (Nervous Breakdown EP, 1979) but I prefer this version, included on their ‘Everything Went Black’ compilation.
#MusicChallenge
15. Black Flag - Wasted
The song is B-side on their first record (Nervous Breakdown EP, 1979) but I prefer this version, included on their ‘Everything Went Black’ compilation.
Reposted by Neil Absurd
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Puts 490,000 High-Res Images Online & Makes Them Free to Use
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Puts 490,000 High-Res Images Online & Makes Them Free to Use
Update: The Metropolitan Museum of Art has put online 492,000 high-resolution images of artistic works. Even better, the museum has placed the vast majority of these images into the public domain, mea...
www.openculture.com
July 17, 2025 at 10:39 PM
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Puts 490,000 High-Res Images Online & Makes Them Free to Use
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Congrats to the employees at the Loft Cinema in Tucson, Arizona on winning their union with @iatse.bsky.social! www.kgun9.com/news/communi...
Now showing: Loft Cinema staff vote to unionize, negotiate with board
One of Arizona’s last remaining independent movie theaters is undergoing a major change, and it goes beyond a fresh coat of paint or a revamped snack bar.
www.kgun9.com
July 16, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Congrats to the employees at the Loft Cinema in Tucson, Arizona on winning their union with @iatse.bsky.social! www.kgun9.com/news/communi...
Reposted by Neil Absurd
shout out Tucson for turning out 1,000 people to protest Tesla, let's keep this momentum going! ##TeslaTakedown
Demonstrators gathered at more than 50 Tesla showrooms across the United States on Saturday in protest of CEO Elon Musk’s role in slashing government agencies as part of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency established by President Donald Trump.
‘Tesla Takedown’ protesters gather outside showrooms to rally against Elon Musk’s role with DOGE | CNN Business
Protesters gathered at more than 50 Tesla showrooms Saturday morning in protest of Elon Musk’s controversial role in slashing government.
www.cnn.com
March 2, 2025 at 12:25 AM
shout out Tucson for turning out 1,000 people to protest Tesla, let's keep this momentum going! ##TeslaTakedown
Reposted by Neil Absurd
the first good post i think i've ever seen from a democratic committee account
February 7, 2025 at 5:05 AM
the first good post i think i've ever seen from a democratic committee account
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Leadership Dems: We are looking forward to working together with our honored colleagues across the aisle
Leftists: Oh u mean you're collaborating?
Leadership Dems: No, that's not fair we're also capitulating
Leftists: Oh u mean you're collaborating?
Leadership Dems: No, that's not fair we're also capitulating
February 1, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Leadership Dems: We are looking forward to working together with our honored colleagues across the aisle
Leftists: Oh u mean you're collaborating?
Leadership Dems: No, that's not fair we're also capitulating
Leftists: Oh u mean you're collaborating?
Leadership Dems: No, that's not fair we're also capitulating
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Oh this thing is *great*
January 13, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Oh this thing is *great*
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Language is merely the attempt to fluidly transmit meaning from one person to another––using any means available.
Words don’t exist as a physical presence in the world except as meaningless sounds that our mouth makes––which ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THAT LANGUAGE have attributed meaning to.
Words don’t exist as a physical presence in the world except as meaningless sounds that our mouth makes––which ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THAT LANGUAGE have attributed meaning to.
Why Can't We Understand The Meaning Behind Language?
Why do we use language to obscure and deflect from meaningful communication?
thebeatphilosopher.substack.com
December 23, 2024 at 6:16 PM
Language is merely the attempt to fluidly transmit meaning from one person to another––using any means available.
Words don’t exist as a physical presence in the world except as meaningless sounds that our mouth makes––which ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THAT LANGUAGE have attributed meaning to.
Words don’t exist as a physical presence in the world except as meaningless sounds that our mouth makes––which ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THAT LANGUAGE have attributed meaning to.
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Congrats to @jieyusz.bsky.social and @mameister4.bsky.social on their Neuron paper unpacking an unresolved paradox in neuroscience. It's terrific to see it capture the public imagination, including Scientific American.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
The Human Brain Operates at a Stunningly Slow Pace
The brain is sometimes called the most complex machine in the known universe. But the thoughts that it outputs putter along at a trifling 10 bits per second, the pace of a conversation
www.scientificamerican.com
December 17, 2024 at 7:28 PM
Congrats to @jieyusz.bsky.social and @mameister4.bsky.social on their Neuron paper unpacking an unresolved paradox in neuroscience. It's terrific to see it capture the public imagination, including Scientific American.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Day #6
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
December 17, 2024 at 1:52 AM
Day #6
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Logicians! People who know ASL or BSL or other sign languages!
What do we know about logical vocabulary in BSL (beyond www.signbsl.com/sign/logic :) )?
More broadly, how does technical vocab get developed/designed(?) in sign languages?
What do we know about logical vocabulary in BSL (beyond www.signbsl.com/sign/logic :) )?
More broadly, how does technical vocab get developed/designed(?) in sign languages?
Watch how to sign 'logic' in British Sign Language.
Watch how to sign 'logic' in British Sign Language.
www.signbsl.com
December 13, 2024 at 11:25 AM
Logicians! People who know ASL or BSL or other sign languages!
What do we know about logical vocabulary in BSL (beyond www.signbsl.com/sign/logic :) )?
More broadly, how does technical vocab get developed/designed(?) in sign languages?
What do we know about logical vocabulary in BSL (beyond www.signbsl.com/sign/logic :) )?
More broadly, how does technical vocab get developed/designed(?) in sign languages?
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Scientists have identified two types of brain cells in the abdomen that appear to control different aspects of digestion.
These neurons in the abdomen help form the gut-brain connection
Scientists have identified two types of brain cells in the abdomen that appear to control different aspects of digestion.
www.npr.org
December 12, 2024 at 5:52 PM
Scientists have identified two types of brain cells in the abdomen that appear to control different aspects of digestion.
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Throughout periods of history––humans have believed in false things, together, because they leaned on each other to secure them from the darkness.
We lean on the false certainties of the collective because we feel secure that group verification, alone, is evidence of verifiable truth.
We lean on the false certainties of the collective because we feel secure that group verification, alone, is evidence of verifiable truth.
Claim: Human Beings Exist In Either True Ambiguity / Or False Certainty
Which state of mind do you exist within?
thebeatphilosopher.substack.com
December 10, 2024 at 11:01 PM
Throughout periods of history––humans have believed in false things, together, because they leaned on each other to secure them from the darkness.
We lean on the false certainties of the collective because we feel secure that group verification, alone, is evidence of verifiable truth.
We lean on the false certainties of the collective because we feel secure that group verification, alone, is evidence of verifiable truth.
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Nomeansno
The Day Everything Became Nothing
The Day Everything Became Nothing (EP, 1988)
Alternative Tentacles
youtu.be/gbS4Caymdo4?si…
The Day Everything Became Nothing
The Day Everything Became Nothing (EP, 1988)
Alternative Tentacles
youtu.be/gbS4Caymdo4?si…
NoMeansNo - The Day Everything Became Nothing
YouTube video by Gilpow
https://youtu.be/gbS4Caymdo4?si…
December 7, 2024 at 4:26 AM
Nomeansno
The Day Everything Became Nothing
The Day Everything Became Nothing (EP, 1988)
Alternative Tentacles
youtu.be/gbS4Caymdo4?si…
The Day Everything Became Nothing
The Day Everything Became Nothing (EP, 1988)
Alternative Tentacles
youtu.be/gbS4Caymdo4?si…
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Sweden's remarkably clean power grid. In November, this was its electricity generation mix:
Hydro 38%
Wind 31%
Nuclear 28%
Bioenergy 4%
Zero coal or gas.
- Ember data
Hydro 38%
Wind 31%
Nuclear 28%
Bioenergy 4%
Zero coal or gas.
- Ember data
December 5, 2024 at 10:46 AM
Sweden's remarkably clean power grid. In November, this was its electricity generation mix:
Hydro 38%
Wind 31%
Nuclear 28%
Bioenergy 4%
Zero coal or gas.
- Ember data
Hydro 38%
Wind 31%
Nuclear 28%
Bioenergy 4%
Zero coal or gas.
- Ember data
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Problem with referring to AI errors as "hallucinations" is that it makes them seem like something abnormal when in fact it's the exact same process it uses to produce every response
December 4, 2024 at 2:19 PM
Problem with referring to AI errors as "hallucinations" is that it makes them seem like something abnormal when in fact it's the exact same process it uses to produce every response
Reposted by Neil Absurd
A superb essay about Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain (and the Davos hotels which the sanatoriums on which it was based have become) by Samantha Rose Hill
theamericanscholar.org/under-a-spel...
theamericanscholar.org/under-a-spel...
Under a Spell Everlasting - The American Scholar
Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain, published a century ago, tells of a world unable to free itself from the cataclysm of war
theamericanscholar.org
December 3, 2024 at 8:22 PM
A superb essay about Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain (and the Davos hotels which the sanatoriums on which it was based have become) by Samantha Rose Hill
theamericanscholar.org/under-a-spel...
theamericanscholar.org/under-a-spel...
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Reposted by Neil Absurd
This week's Philosophy Questions:
1. Can societies filled with individualists ever work?
2. Is the herd mentality a natural phenomenon that holds our societies together?
3. Are groups merely placid & mediocre, or also highly dangerous?
4. Can we ever grow as a group, or only as an individual?
1. Can societies filled with individualists ever work?
2. Is the herd mentality a natural phenomenon that holds our societies together?
3. Are groups merely placid & mediocre, or also highly dangerous?
4. Can we ever grow as a group, or only as an individual?
Can societies filled with individualists ever work?
And are we doomed to be ruled by the tyranny of the mediocre among us?
open.substack.com
December 1, 2024 at 4:30 PM
This week's Philosophy Questions:
1. Can societies filled with individualists ever work?
2. Is the herd mentality a natural phenomenon that holds our societies together?
3. Are groups merely placid & mediocre, or also highly dangerous?
4. Can we ever grow as a group, or only as an individual?
1. Can societies filled with individualists ever work?
2. Is the herd mentality a natural phenomenon that holds our societies together?
3. Are groups merely placid & mediocre, or also highly dangerous?
4. Can we ever grow as a group, or only as an individual?
Reposted by Neil Absurd
Review of Martin Mittelmeier’s “Naples 1925: Adorno, Benjamin, and the Summer That Made Critical Theory” (Yale), translated by Shelley Frisch.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
The Surprisingly Sunny Origins of the Frankfurt School
When a group of German Marxists arrived in Naples in the nineteen-twenties, they found a way of life that made them rethink modernity.
www.newyorker.com
November 28, 2024 at 3:55 PM
Review of Martin Mittelmeier’s “Naples 1925: Adorno, Benjamin, and the Summer That Made Critical Theory” (Yale), translated by Shelley Frisch.
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Neil Absurd
In honor of Jimi Hendrix, who would have turned 82 today, I wrote something for PBS about his incredible sense of style. He helped define not only the sound but also the look of a countercultural movement.
www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
November 28, 2024 at 12:09 AM
In honor of Jimi Hendrix, who would have turned 82 today, I wrote something for PBS about his incredible sense of style. He helped define not only the sound but also the look of a countercultural movement.
www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
www.pbs.org/wnet/america...
Reposted by Neil Absurd
