Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
@unvarnished.com
Entrepreneur, Speaker. 🤓 Owner HopStudios.com web-design-dev. ExpressionEngine++ CraftCMS #eecms #craftcms 🌐 OpenMedia.org board president #YVR #YYC 🥏 Spirit of the Game wonk (VUL/ UC/ WFDF/ USAU) #Ultimate #SOTG @nep@mstdn.ca #2SLGBTQ they/them
Pinned
Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
@unvarnished.com
· Dec 4
Blueskys, Substacks and Mastodons, Oh My! - Hop Studios
I was recently asked if I recommended moving to Mastodon or Bluesky, given that Bluesky is experiencing a big influx from X right now. I thought I’d answer here to share with a wider audience.
hopstudios.com
A client recently asked if I recommended moving to Mastodon or Bluesky, given that Bluesky is experiencing a big influx from X (a.k.a the big Xit) right now. I thought I’d answer here to share with a wider audience.
hopstudios.com/blog/bluesky...
hopstudios.com/blog/bluesky...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
This is an incredible marathon of posting on Bluesky from a City of Vancouver Councillor. He’s documenting an unofficial filibuster at City Hall as over 600 people have signed up to speak at the budget hearing. Over 200 have said their piece so far. Follow along.
#democracy #bluesky
#democracy #bluesky
218: owns a home, born in saint Paul’s. Grumbles when he gets tax bill but then realizes it’s what makes our beautiful city. Most concerned with cuts to sustainability department. Son asked once, will we drown when sea level rises. So I’ve dedicated life to climate solutions. Reconsider thus.
November 13, 2025 at 4:57 AM
This is an incredible marathon of posting on Bluesky from a City of Vancouver Councillor. He’s documenting an unofficial filibuster at City Hall as over 600 people have signed up to speak at the budget hearing. Over 200 have said their piece so far. Follow along.
#democracy #bluesky
#democracy #bluesky
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Check out Gate Crashing – EFF’s interview series where we talk to people who have used the internet to take nontraditional paths to break into the traditional worlds of journalism and creativity. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now! www.eff.org/pages/gate-...
About the Series
There is a lot of bad on the internet and it seems to only be getting worse. But one of the things the internet did well, and is worth preserving, is nontraditional paths for creativity, journalism,
www.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Check out Gate Crashing – EFF’s interview series where we talk to people who have used the internet to take nontraditional paths to break into the traditional worlds of journalism and creativity. Episodes 1 and 2 are out now! www.eff.org/pages/gate-...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
There's a more secure alternative to texting via your phone's native messaging app. Signal is a free app that employs end-to-end encryption and we have a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to use it. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...
How to: Use Signal
Download location: Google Play Store, Apple App Store
System requirements: Android 5 or later, iOS 13 or later
Version used in this guide: Android: 7.38.6 iPhone: 7.5.1
License: GPLv3
Level: Beginner
Time required: 15-20 minutes
Other reading:
https://signal.org/
https://support.signal.org/
https://signal.org/blog/
Table of Contents
Download and Install Signal
Register and Verify...
ssd.eff.org
November 9, 2025 at 9:01 PM
There's a more secure alternative to texting via your phone's native messaging app. Signal is a free app that employs end-to-end encryption and we have a step-by-step guide to help you learn how to use it. ssd.eff.org/module/how-...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Tonight was a very bad night.
November 10, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Tonight was a very bad night.
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Give us feedback on what you want to see in Vancouver in March!
Please share this far and wide: this is not just a tech conference, it's building the communities and shared spaces that we want together.
#wecanjustdothings
contains quote post or other embedded content] [ […]
Please share this far and wide: this is not just a tech conference, it's building the communities and shared spaces that we want together.
#wecanjustdothings
contains quote post or other embedded content] [ […]
Original post on cosocial.ca
cosocial.ca
November 5, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Give us feedback on what you want to see in Vancouver in March!
Please share this far and wide: this is not just a tech conference, it's building the communities and shared spaces that we want together.
#wecanjustdothings
contains quote post or other embedded content] [ […]
Please share this far and wide: this is not just a tech conference, it's building the communities and shared spaces that we want together.
#wecanjustdothings
contains quote post or other embedded content] [ […]
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Wrote about how Game 7 not only had two of the five most impactful plays in history, it also had..
- the most impactful out ever
- 3 of the top dozen plays ever
- the most plays that swung championship WPA by at least 15% of any game ever (9)
www.mlb.com/news/most-wi...
- the most impactful out ever
- 3 of the top dozen plays ever
- the most plays that swung championship WPA by at least 15% of any game ever (9)
www.mlb.com/news/most-wi...
Your eyes didn't deceive you -- Game 7 really did have the most wild swings all time
Game 7 of the 2025 World Series was one of the wildest, and to some extent that’s expressed as easily as “a deciding World Series game went to extra innings,” which had happened just twice before in b...
www.mlb.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Wrote about how Game 7 not only had two of the five most impactful plays in history, it also had..
- the most impactful out ever
- 3 of the top dozen plays ever
- the most plays that swung championship WPA by at least 15% of any game ever (9)
www.mlb.com/news/most-wi...
- the most impactful out ever
- 3 of the top dozen plays ever
- the most plays that swung championship WPA by at least 15% of any game ever (9)
www.mlb.com/news/most-wi...
I can’t believe we’re only 9 innings away from the end of the game
November 2, 2025 at 3:41 AM
I can’t believe we’re only 9 innings away from the end of the game
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
An Air Canada flight right now
November 2, 2025 at 1:38 AM
An Air Canada flight right now
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
If you're in need of positive and rather wholesome news, there's a high school teacher named Bryan who took a ton of freely licensed celebrity headshots at the New York Film Festival last month for Wikipedia, and I truly can't believe how drastic the upgrade is for some articles (thread)
November 1, 2025 at 1:21 PM
If you're in need of positive and rather wholesome news, there's a high school teacher named Bryan who took a ton of freely licensed celebrity headshots at the New York Film Festival last month for Wikipedia, and I truly can't believe how drastic the upgrade is for some articles (thread)
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
A law that requires "age assurance" sounds reasonable and moderate. But if that law defines age assurance as requiring government ID verification, it's not moderate at all—it's mass surveillance. Here’s a guide to what all those terms mean: www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Age Verification, Estimation, Assurance, Oh My! A Guide to the
If you've been following the wave of age-gating laws sweeping across the country and the globe, you've probably noticed that lawmakers, tech companies, and advocates all seem to be using different
www.eff.org
October 31, 2025 at 8:04 PM
A law that requires "age assurance" sounds reasonable and moderate. But if that law defines age assurance as requiring government ID verification, it's not moderate at all—it's mass surveillance. Here’s a guide to what all those terms mean: www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Language shapes how we think about the systems that govern our lives. Here's your guide to the terminology that's shaping “Age Verification” laws, and why you should care about these distinctions. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Age Verification, Estimation, Assurance, Oh My! A Guide to the
If you've been following the wave of age-gating laws sweeping across the country and the globe, you've probably noticed that lawmakers, tech companies, and advocates all seem to be using different
www.eff.org
October 30, 2025 at 11:28 PM
Language shapes how we think about the systems that govern our lives. Here's your guide to the terminology that's shaping “Age Verification” laws, and why you should care about these distinctions. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
“We should have banned government use of face recognition when we had the chance because it is dangerous, invasive, and an inherent threat to civil liberties,” EFF’s @MGuariglia.bsky.social told @404Media.co. www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp...
ICE and CBP Agents Are Scanning Peoples’ Faces on the Street To Verify Citizenship
Videos on social media show officers from ICE and CBP using facial recognition technology on people in the field. One expert described the practice as “pure dystopian creep.”
www.404media.co
October 29, 2025 at 8:03 PM
“We should have banned government use of face recognition when we had the chance because it is dangerous, invasive, and an inherent threat to civil liberties,” EFF’s @MGuariglia.bsky.social told @404Media.co. www.404media.co/ice-and-cbp...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Look around your neighborhood 🔦
That streetlight? Could have a camera.
That squadcar? Could be hijacking your cell signal.
EFF is working to kick surveillance out of our communities. We just need your help: takebackctrl.org/stop-survei...
That streetlight? Could have a camera.
That squadcar? Could be hijacking your cell signal.
EFF is working to kick surveillance out of our communities. We just need your help: takebackctrl.org/stop-survei...
October 27, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Look around your neighborhood 🔦
That streetlight? Could have a camera.
That squadcar? Could be hijacking your cell signal.
EFF is working to kick surveillance out of our communities. We just need your help: takebackctrl.org/stop-survei...
That streetlight? Could have a camera.
That squadcar? Could be hijacking your cell signal.
EFF is working to kick surveillance out of our communities. We just need your help: takebackctrl.org/stop-survei...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
sometimes i remember "calque" is a loanword and "loanword" is a calque and i get so pissed off
October 25, 2025 at 11:31 AM
sometimes i remember "calque" is a loanword and "loanword" is a calque and i get so pissed off
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Club Championships 2025: The Big Do-Over (Men's Div. Semis Previews) -> buff.ly/FCLtUfe
[Pres. by Spin Ultimate | Photo: @UltiPhotos.bsky.social]
[Pres. by Spin Ultimate | Photo: @UltiPhotos.bsky.social]
Club Championships 2025: The Big Do-Over (Men's Div. Semis Previews) - Ultiworld
Familiar teams and familiar matchups dot the men's semifinal slate, but will the outcomes be the same as 2024?
ultiworld.com
October 25, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Club Championships 2025: The Big Do-Over (Men's Div. Semis Previews) -> buff.ly/FCLtUfe
[Pres. by Spin Ultimate | Photo: @UltiPhotos.bsky.social]
[Pres. by Spin Ultimate | Photo: @UltiPhotos.bsky.social]
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Indigenous Services Canada fails to deliver on most promises, says auditor general www.aptnnews.ca?p=278710
Indigenous Services ignored 18 out of 34 recommendations
The audit’s findings are especially alarming in two areas: access to safe drinking water and emergency management services.
www.aptnnews.ca
October 21, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Indigenous Services Canada fails to deliver on most promises, says auditor general www.aptnnews.ca?p=278710
“Off the record” is one of the most basic elements of media literacy for a federal prosecutor to know.
“Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here.” www.lawfaremedia.org/article/anna...
I'm sorry, but Halligan is a serious dimwit and possibly drunk texting reporters on Signal. And she's now running the USAT office that handles most national security cases. God help us.
I'm sorry, but Halligan is a serious dimwit and possibly drunk texting reporters on Signal. And she's now running the USAT office that handles most national security cases. God help us.
“Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here.”
My Signal exchange with the interim U.S. attorney about the Letitia James grand jury.
www.lawfaremedia.org
October 21, 2025 at 7:43 PM
“Off the record” is one of the most basic elements of media literacy for a federal prosecutor to know.
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
ChatGPT Atlas: OpenAI launches web browser centered around its chatbot
ChatGPT Atlas: OpenAI launches web browser centered around its chatbot
Company’s AI-powered browser built around marquee bot is designed to provide more personalized web experience
OpenAI on Tuesday launched an AI-powered web browser built around its marquee chatbot.
“Meet our new browser—ChatGPT Atlas,” a tweet from the company read. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:15 PM
ChatGPT Atlas: OpenAI launches web browser centered around its chatbot
This is truly a big problem - the missing news pages are just the visible part of this iceberg .
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news outlets’ homepages have plummeted in recent months — Nieman Lab reporters @andrewdeck.bsky.social and @hanaatameez.bsky.social found they declined by 87% starting in May of this year. They decided to find out why. buff.ly/rhtRGcr
The Wayback Machine’s snapshots of news homepages plummet after a “breakdown” in archiving projects
Between May and October 2025, homepage snapshots fell by 87% across 100 news publications.
www.niemanlab.org
October 21, 2025 at 7:16 PM
This is truly a big problem - the missing news pages are just the visible part of this iceberg .
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Trump announces plan to steal $230 million from US taxpayers www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/10/trum...
Trump announces plan to steal $230 million from US taxpayers - Lawyers, Guns & Money
Or, as John Roberts would call it, an “official act” that means that the president lives in a law-free zone: President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department pay him about $230 million in comp...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
October 21, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Trump announces plan to steal $230 million from US taxpayers www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/10/trum...
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
the Muppets have been real quiet since the Louvre heist
October 19, 2025 at 10:19 PM
the Muppets have been real quiet since the Louvre heist
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
WE DID IT!! 🎉 All 14 wards in Calgary have now had election debates. We organized four of them because no one had. There are 20 candidates total in those wards and 16 showed up for our last-ditch debates—candidates from across the political spectrum. What a ride! #yyccc
A big win for local democracy in Calgary | The Sprawl
All 14 wards have now had election debates.
www.sprawlcalgary.com
October 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
WE DID IT!! 🎉 All 14 wards in Calgary have now had election debates. We organized four of them because no one had. There are 20 candidates total in those wards and 16 showed up for our last-ditch debates—candidates from across the political spectrum. What a ride! #yyccc
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
October 18, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Hi, I'm the ProPublica reporter who's been tracking an unusual stat: U.S. citizens grabbed by immigration agents.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
I did it because the government isn’t.
This is what I found.
Reposted by Travis ‘Nep’ Smith
EFF Members make our work possible—now it's our time to show our thanks! Join us on October 18 for an evening of community, conversation and drinks: eff.org/speakeasy-nyc
EFF Members' Speakeasy: NYC
Join EFF staff and local online rights supporters for a Speakeasy meet up on Saturday, October 18 in NYC!Raise a glass and discover EFF's latest work defending digital freedoms online. This event is
www.eff.org
October 16, 2025 at 5:04 PM
EFF Members make our work possible—now it's our time to show our thanks! Join us on October 18 for an evening of community, conversation and drinks: eff.org/speakeasy-nyc