Skyler
@skylarious.bsky.social
I care about democracy and the dispossessed. Also I like shitposts.
Reposted by Skyler
Is there any object that has changed less in the last 4000 years than a gaming die? There's an astonishingly human and above all social story around that profound survival.
This terracotta die comes from the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro, one of the first urban centres in human history 🎲⠀
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Gaming with dice has been a popular pastime in India for millennia, with this object dating back to 2500–1900 BCE.
🎲 Terracotta Die, 2500–1900 BCE. 2 x 2 x 2 cm. EAMd.25
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Gaming with dice has been a popular pastime in India for millennia, with this object dating back to 2500–1900 BCE.
🎲 Terracotta Die, 2500–1900 BCE. 2 x 2 x 2 cm. EAMd.25
November 27, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Is there any object that has changed less in the last 4000 years than a gaming die? There's an astonishingly human and above all social story around that profound survival.
Reposted by Skyler
imagine walking down the beach and seeing jesus carrying some guy
November 22, 2025 at 1:04 AM
imagine walking down the beach and seeing jesus carrying some guy
Reposted by Skyler
If you're trying to convince your friends to spend time on Bluesky rather than X, maybe show them this. X is not "the public town square" or about "free speech." It's "just what Elon Musk wants you to see." If you see stuff he doesn't like he'll step in to make sure you don't see it for long.
If you scroll on X, you are only being shown what Elon wants you to see. If you create content on X, no one will see it unless Elon wants them to.
November 21, 2025 at 1:31 AM
If you're trying to convince your friends to spend time on Bluesky rather than X, maybe show them this. X is not "the public town square" or about "free speech." It's "just what Elon Musk wants you to see." If you see stuff he doesn't like he'll step in to make sure you don't see it for long.
Reposted by Skyler
Headlines That Look Like Shitposts
November 20, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Headlines That Look Like Shitposts
Reposted by Skyler
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
November 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
If you use GMail, AI (Gemini) was turned on yesterday by default and now scans all of your content for machine learning. To turn off, go to Settings>General and scroll down. Uncheck the box for "Smart features."
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
There's other "Smart" add-ons as well, but that's the one that reads your content.
Reposted by Skyler
this is the worst DLC i've ever seen
November 19, 2025 at 8:35 PM
this is the worst DLC i've ever seen
Reposted by Skyler
Reposted by Skyler
I think this is true but it’s also even worse than this: by doing this I think what elites have inadvertently selected for is malicious low cunning and the willingness to use it as a weapon.
The paradox of the elite is that their most sought-after quality is “smart.” But they’re mostly not smart enough to tell if someone is smart.
One consequence of this is that elite spaces are dominated by people who have learned to sound smart to non-smart people, often by saying stupid things.
One consequence of this is that elite spaces are dominated by people who have learned to sound smart to non-smart people, often by saying stupid things.
and the thing that comes across from the correspondence is this guy is just a fucking gross moron! I don't mean the spelling and punctuation - there's zero content there, his grasp of everything is at best shallow and normally outright nonsense.
November 16, 2025 at 7:58 PM
I think this is true but it’s also even worse than this: by doing this I think what elites have inadvertently selected for is malicious low cunning and the willingness to use it as a weapon.
Reposted by Skyler
Reposted by Skyler
Early in the Jiajing Emperor's reign, there was a cat in the Forbidden City with fine, curly fur that was all slate-grey save for two eyebrows of the purest white, for which the cat was named Frostbrows. (1)
also this, from 宛署雜記; will translate this afternoon if I get a minute:
嘉靖初年，禁中有貓美毛而虯，微青色，惟雙眉瑩然潔白，因號曰霜眉。性不喜噬物，而善解人意，目逐之即逃匿，呼其名則疾至，為舞蹈之狀。旦夕隨駕所之，若侍從然。上或時假寐，霜眉輒相依不暫離，即飢渴或便液必俟醒乃去。上以是憐而異之，封為虯龍。
忽一日，向上前若疲而泣者，有頃走他所，盤曲以死。上命內侍葬之萬歲山陰，勒其碑曰虯龍墓云。夫貓微物耳，一或戀主，而生榮死恤，且足傳不朽，此之謂忠無不酬，德及禽獸，有如人臣盡忠報國，奚翅虯龍，或者激勸微義，先帝固亦有取爾已。
嘉靖初年，禁中有貓美毛而虯，微青色，惟雙眉瑩然潔白，因號曰霜眉。性不喜噬物，而善解人意，目逐之即逃匿，呼其名則疾至，為舞蹈之狀。旦夕隨駕所之，若侍從然。上或時假寐，霜眉輒相依不暫離，即飢渴或便液必俟醒乃去。上以是憐而異之，封為虯龍。
忽一日，向上前若疲而泣者，有頃走他所，盤曲以死。上命內侍葬之萬歲山陰，勒其碑曰虯龍墓云。夫貓微物耳，一或戀主，而生榮死恤，且足傳不朽，此之謂忠無不酬，德及禽獸，有如人臣盡忠報國，奚翅虯龍，或者激勸微義，先帝固亦有取爾已。
貓兒房，近侍三、四人，專飼御前有名分之貓。凡聖心所鍾愛者，亦加升管事職銜。牡者曰「某小廝」騸者曰「某老爺」，牝者曰「某丫頭」
The Cat Office employed three or four attendants to feed cats of recognized status. Favorites of the Emperor received promotions: males were styled “pages;” females, “maids;” neutered cats were addressed in the manner of senior eunuchs.
The Cat Office employed three or four attendants to feed cats of recognized status. Favorites of the Emperor received promotions: males were styled “pages;” females, “maids;” neutered cats were addressed in the manner of senior eunuchs.
November 14, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Early in the Jiajing Emperor's reign, there was a cat in the Forbidden City with fine, curly fur that was all slate-grey save for two eyebrows of the purest white, for which the cat was named Frostbrows. (1)
Reposted by Skyler
Trust the plan. We're taking the gamers off the board.
November 7, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Trust the plan. We're taking the gamers off the board.
Reposted by Skyler
Everyone goes with 20th Century European parliamentarian fascism instead of like two hundred years of presidentialist strongmen in South & Central America
November 7, 2025 at 5:33 AM
Everyone goes with 20th Century European parliamentarian fascism instead of like two hundred years of presidentialist strongmen in South & Central America
Reposted by Skyler
The key factor that everyone seems to always forget is that Trump was the host of what was once the highest rated show on network TV - a purportedly non-fiction show that portrayed him as a hyper-savvy and hyper-successful businessman.
Trump has gotten huge numbers of infrequent voters to the polls, twice. He's deeply unpopular but has mobilized a large, unprecedented coalition of Americans motivated by some combination of ignorance, avarice, and cruelty. It is hard to describe what he has as something other than charisma
His charisma is fundamentally incompatible with me (and likely many of the people on Bluesky) but it’s kind of insane to say it doesn’t exist
November 7, 2025 at 3:16 AM
The key factor that everyone seems to always forget is that Trump was the host of what was once the highest rated show on network TV - a purportedly non-fiction show that portrayed him as a hyper-savvy and hyper-successful businessman.
Reposted by Skyler
emotive butlerian jihad now: the machine may not wear a human face.
There are no words for how evil this is
November 7, 2025 at 2:47 AM
emotive butlerian jihad now: the machine may not wear a human face.
Reposted by Skyler
The first domesticated cat, receiving gifts of food and affection
November 5, 2025 at 6:18 PM
The first domesticated cat, receiving gifts of food and affection
Reposted by Skyler
A lot of political advice seems to ignore that there are two equally important groups: the core in-coalition factions that struggle over control, and the marginal coalition members who make the margin of victory.
These are their stories.
These are their stories.
October 30, 2025 at 12:35 PM
A lot of political advice seems to ignore that there are two equally important groups: the core in-coalition factions that struggle over control, and the marginal coalition members who make the margin of victory.
These are their stories.
These are their stories.
Reposted by Skyler
We're all going to write pieces about what you can learn from tonight but it's actually pretty simple: The frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
November 5, 2025 at 4:34 AM
We're all going to write pieces about what you can learn from tonight but it's actually pretty simple: The frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
Reposted by Skyler
Farewell sweet Prince
Eric Adams is amazing because when he won every media person was leaping over each to go “this is the normal sane leadership that the political left doesn’t understand normal sane Americans crave” and then every day since that Eric Adams has been like “Leprechauns are real and I’m going to cook one”
November 5, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Farewell sweet Prince
Reposted by Skyler
this is an obvious overcorrection that misleads the polling data and will lead to disaster in the Heartland. the results of tonight show that the Democrats should moderate: adopting two or at most three of the five pillars of Islam
if democrats are serious about winning they need to learn from tonight and convert to islam
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
this is an obvious overcorrection that misleads the polling data and will lead to disaster in the Heartland. the results of tonight show that the Democrats should moderate: adopting two or at most three of the five pillars of Islam
Reposted by Skyler
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.
These big wins will embolden Dems to take on Trump's lawbreaking and show there's a price for GOP enabling of him. Folks hate to hear this, but normal patterns are asserting themselves: Liberalism isn't dead, Rs are likely to lose in 2026, and Trump is really unpopular, not a magical exception.
November 5, 2025 at 2:48 AM
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.
Reposted by Skyler
Reposted by Skyler
Wow it turns out the entire country is not permanently reactionary because Trump won an election by 1.5%
November 5, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Wow it turns out the entire country is not permanently reactionary because Trump won an election by 1.5%
Reposted by Skyler
Reposted by Skyler
The USDA sent an email to grocery stores telling them they are prohibited from offering special discounts to customers affected by the SNAP funding lapse.
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email
November 2, 2025 at 7:01 PM
The USDA sent an email to grocery stores telling them they are prohibited from offering special discounts to customers affected by the SNAP funding lapse.
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email
I'm aware of at least 2 stores that had offered struggling customers a discount, then withdrew it after receiving this email