Rufus Hickok
@rufus-hickok.bsky.social
Occasional writer for Mashable, Bust, Ordinary Times, and others; author of "The Paris Bureau" 2020 DIO Press Inc, pathological reader, returned expat from Canada, New Yorker at the moment.
Sometimes, I get fascinated watching these AI ads for mail order products because I can't quite pinpoint what gives them away as fake people. It's not humans in front of a greenscreen- those are ersatz humans. How does the eye pick this up?
BAERSkin Hoodie Commercial (Human Popsicle)
YouTube video by BÆRSkin Tactical Supply Co.
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Sometimes, I get fascinated watching these AI ads for mail order products because I can't quite pinpoint what gives them away as fake people. It's not humans in front of a greenscreen- those are ersatz humans. How does the eye pick this up?
The other day I was walking behind a guy who was going really slow with his head down, and I walked around what I assumed was another "jerk on his phone" to see he was, instead, eating a plate of rice and chicken while crossing East 14th St.
November 22, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The other day I was walking behind a guy who was going really slow with his head down, and I walked around what I assumed was another "jerk on his phone" to see he was, instead, eating a plate of rice and chicken while crossing East 14th St.
Next up on CNN: We've always been told "don't shit where you eat" by the so-called experts. But what if that's not true? A new movement of "Localized Excretory Omnivores" are upturning conventional wisdom with surprising results!
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world
A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors
As Esau Lopez was asphyxiated for the first 17 minutes of his life on Earth, the atmosphere in the room remained serene, even ecstatic. Acoustic music crooned from a speaker in a modest two-bedroom apartment in a suburb of Pennsylvania. “You are a queen,” murmured one of three friends in the room.
Only Esau’s mother, Gabrielle Lopez, felt something was wrong. She was pushing hard, but her son would not be born. “Can you help [him] out?” she asked, as Esau crowned. “Baby is coming,” the friend replied. Four minutes later, Lopez asked again, “Can you grab [him]?” Another friend murmured, “Baby is safe.” Six minutes passed. Again, Lopez asked, “Can you grab [him]?” Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Next up on CNN: We've always been told "don't shit where you eat" by the so-called experts. But what if that's not true? A new movement of "Localized Excretory Omnivores" are upturning conventional wisdom with surprising results!
I'm sorry, but I did NOT move to the East Village to live in a building where the 20-somethings all blast New Country music in their apartments. 😖
November 22, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I'm sorry, but I did NOT move to the East Village to live in a building where the 20-somethings all blast New Country music in their apartments. 😖
Bluesky: "Taste this- I think it's rotten!"
November 22, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Bluesky: "Taste this- I think it's rotten!"
Do you have ANY idea how many unread books I have in this apartment to get through?
I’m going to say the same thing I think every time I watch an Evil Dead movie: no way I’m reading that thing.
November 22, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Do you have ANY idea how many unread books I have in this apartment to get through?
I’m going to say the same thing I think every time I watch an Evil Dead movie: no way I’m reading that thing.
November 22, 2025 at 2:16 PM
I’m going to say the same thing I think every time I watch an Evil Dead movie: no way I’m reading that thing.
I've had this digression in my novel that was amusing, but never quite worked, and I finally just snipped it all out, and it's such a relief!
November 22, 2025 at 4:57 AM
I've had this digression in my novel that was amusing, but never quite worked, and I finally just snipped it all out, and it's such a relief!
This is pretty remarkable.
Japanese Artist Hand-Cuts Intricate Octopus From Single Sheet of Paper
Japanese artist Masayo Fukuda hand-cuts an incredible life-sized paper octopus from just one sheet of paper.
mymodernmet.com
November 22, 2025 at 4:52 AM
This is pretty remarkable.
Well played, Space Jews.
November 22, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Well played, Space Jews.
Reposted by Rufus Hickok
Cat stuff core
November 22, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Cat stuff core
Stephen Miller, live footage.
a man in a suit and tie is covering his face with his hands
Alt: The same George C. Scott crying in the theatre Hardcore gif I used a few days ago.
media.tenor.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Stephen Miller, live footage.
From Manchester, 1980. They used to practice in the same space as Joy Division. What a good song!
Faith-- Manicured Noise
YouTube video by NikoMiguel
www.youtube.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:35 AM
From Manchester, 1980. They used to practice in the same space as Joy Division. What a good song!
"You know, they say that Mamdani is a 'socialist,' but he's what people are calling a democratic socialist. Isn't that something? While me, I'm more about America, and putting our nation first. You could say I'm more like a national socialist really."
November 22, 2025 at 12:24 AM
"You know, they say that Mamdani is a 'socialist,' but he's what people are calling a democratic socialist. Isn't that something? While me, I'm more about America, and putting our nation first. You could say I'm more like a national socialist really."
Reposted by Rufus Hickok
"Well, yes, Mamdani and I have our differences. He's a socialist, they say he's a socialist, and I guess he says so too. A democratic socialist, but a socialist. Meanwhile, I'm busy seizing the means of production, forcing a cultural revolution, cracking down on the intelligentsia ...."
November 21, 2025 at 10:12 PM
"Well, yes, Mamdani and I have our differences. He's a socialist, they say he's a socialist, and I guess he says so too. A democratic socialist, but a socialist. Meanwhile, I'm busy seizing the means of production, forcing a cultural revolution, cracking down on the intelligentsia ...."
"And one of the other things that the new Mayor explained to me is that a number of the things we were upset about in New York City were actually the work of a man named Keyser Söze, so we're going to have ICE looking into tracking him down..."
November 21, 2025 at 11:29 PM
"And one of the other things that the new Mayor explained to me is that a number of the things we were upset about in New York City were actually the work of a man named Keyser Söze, so we're going to have ICE looking into tracking him down..."
"And the Mayor, you know, he brought up something I think a lot of people are asking, and MAGA certainly would like to know, and that's why don't the workers own the means of production? This is something where Biden was terrible, I think, and we're going to be looking into it."
November 21, 2025 at 11:06 PM
"And the Mayor, you know, he brought up something I think a lot of people are asking, and MAGA certainly would like to know, and that's why don't the workers own the means of production? This is something where Biden was terrible, I think, and we're going to be looking into it."
Bill Ackman's gotta be so pissed right now.
November 21, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Bill Ackman's gotta be so pissed right now.
It would really be an amazing prank if we could make NYC an incredibly decent, affordable, and fruitful city in which to live, and then FOX News would keep asking its viewers: "Is this what you want for YOUR city?!!"
November 21, 2025 at 10:30 PM
It would really be an amazing prank if we could make NYC an incredibly decent, affordable, and fruitful city in which to live, and then FOX News would keep asking its viewers: "Is this what you want for YOUR city?!!"
Thinking a bit about Simone Weil and how that would be, to see all human beings as suffering the way we do because we're untethered from the divine and trying to get back. How would that lead you to behave towards others? Or even just think about them?
November 21, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Thinking a bit about Simone Weil and how that would be, to see all human beings as suffering the way we do because we're untethered from the divine and trying to get back. How would that lead you to behave towards others? Or even just think about them?
I feel like there's a term for this... 🤔
The DHS blamed immigrants for a number of problems known to be caused by outside economic factors.
Department Of Homeland Security Blames Immigrants For Grocery Prices And Healthcare Costs
The DHS blamed immigrants for a number of problems known to be caused by outside economic factors.
www.forbes.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I feel like there's a term for this... 🤔
Just praying that, if he really is on the verge of death, he doesn't keel over this afternoon.
1. lol
2. today's White House meeting with Mamdani is currently scheduled as "closed press," which means it might not be much of a showdown
2. today's White House meeting with Mamdani is currently scheduled as "closed press," which means it might not be much of a showdown
November 21, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Just praying that, if he really is on the verge of death, he doesn't keel over this afternoon.
It might be interesting to see if the tech megalomaniacs of today wind up like the Saint-Simonians, combing the near east for the female messiah, while also engineering the Suez Canal.
November 21, 2025 at 8:37 PM
It might be interesting to see if the tech megalomaniacs of today wind up like the Saint-Simonians, combing the near east for the female messiah, while also engineering the Suez Canal.
Given the general educational level of most Americans, I'm not sure this is the best time for the House to try to Zohran Mamdani to the thing they are aligning themselves with the White House to squelch in America.
November 21, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Given the general educational level of most Americans, I'm not sure this is the best time for the House to try to Zohran Mamdani to the thing they are aligning themselves with the White House to squelch in America.
Buying anything online has become so much harder than just walking to a store. Yet, I always feel like maybe I’m just becoming older and less competent.
November 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Buying anything online has become so much harder than just walking to a store. Yet, I always feel like maybe I’m just becoming older and less competent.