Kagan MacTane (he/him)
@wandererblue.bsky.social
Brooklyn/SF web dev. Sci-fi fan (esp. The Expanse), writing an urban fantasy novel. Bi; vaguely Irish/Celtic Neopagan. Goth.
Also into: cocktails, sushi, coyotes, ninjas, bacon, UX/accessibility.
"Mentally ill" according to Meta 😡
@kagan@wandering.shop
Also into: cocktails, sushi, coyotes, ninjas, bacon, UX/accessibility.
"Mentally ill" according to Meta 😡
@kagan@wandering.shop
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
Apparently some folks are playing real dumb about skull symbols so let’s play a little game I like to call “Nazi skull or not a Nazi skull”
First up, the Jolly Roger. This is a pirate skull, not a Nazi skull. It means you might get robbed, but prolly not genocided.
With me so far? 1/x
First up, the Jolly Roger. This is a pirate skull, not a Nazi skull. It means you might get robbed, but prolly not genocided.
With me so far? 1/x
October 22, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Apparently some folks are playing real dumb about skull symbols so let’s play a little game I like to call “Nazi skull or not a Nazi skull”
First up, the Jolly Roger. This is a pirate skull, not a Nazi skull. It means you might get robbed, but prolly not genocided.
With me so far? 1/x
First up, the Jolly Roger. This is a pirate skull, not a Nazi skull. It means you might get robbed, but prolly not genocided.
With me so far? 1/x
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
I feel like today is a good time to remind ourselves that dictators aren't, by and large, genius masterminds. They're thugs who lived lives without consequence and so become convinced that they can't lose, and a certain kind of authoritarian will bow down to them.
What they are not is *smart*.
What they are not is *smart*.
October 20, 2025 at 1:12 AM
I feel like today is a good time to remind ourselves that dictators aren't, by and large, genius masterminds. They're thugs who lived lives without consequence and so become convinced that they can't lose, and a certain kind of authoritarian will bow down to them.
What they are not is *smart*.
What they are not is *smart*.
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
Even if you don’t live in the US, Block These Accounts. They’re up to no good.
October 18, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Even if you don’t live in the US, Block These Accounts. They’re up to no good.
The Williamsburg Savings Bank finally got the clock on the north face of their tower (aka "the big clock right out my window") working again! Having it telling the proper time, instead of being stuck forever at 12:00, is a huge improvement in my daily quality of life.😄
#Brooklyn #NewYorkCity #NYC
#Brooklyn #NewYorkCity #NYC
October 15, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The Williamsburg Savings Bank finally got the clock on the north face of their tower (aka "the big clock right out my window") working again! Having it telling the proper time, instead of being stuck forever at 12:00, is a huge improvement in my daily quality of life.😄
#Brooklyn #NewYorkCity #NYC
#Brooklyn #NewYorkCity #NYC
Wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends on here! 🍁🙏🏻🇨🇦🦃🍂
October 13, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends on here! 🍁🙏🏻🇨🇦🦃🍂
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
Just a reminder, for anyone who's interested: #Substack is a business model built on enshittification, and it bans adult content but allows Nazi content.
I won't give them money, and you shouldn't give them your content. IMO.
I won't give them money, and you shouldn't give them your content. IMO.
October 12, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Just a reminder, for anyone who's interested: #Substack is a business model built on enshittification, and it bans adult content but allows Nazi content.
I won't give them money, and you shouldn't give them your content. IMO.
I won't give them money, and you shouldn't give them your content. IMO.
When Charlie Kirk died, his detractors celebrated his death, while his supporters tried to keep people from speaking about his life and work in any but the vaguest terms.
When Jane Goodall died, people mourned her death, and celebrated her life and works.
Don't be like Charlie. Be like Jane.
When Jane Goodall died, people mourned her death, and celebrated her life and works.
Don't be like Charlie. Be like Jane.
October 2, 2025 at 3:13 PM
When Charlie Kirk died, his detractors celebrated his death, while his supporters tried to keep people from speaking about his life and work in any but the vaguest terms.
When Jane Goodall died, people mourned her death, and celebrated her life and works.
Don't be like Charlie. Be like Jane.
When Jane Goodall died, people mourned her death, and celebrated her life and works.
Don't be like Charlie. Be like Jane.
You know what I'd like to see in a reaction video some time? "A psychologist reacts to _Inception_."
Like, there's a whole lot of stuff in there about working with or against the subject's own psyche, about daddy issues, identity, etc. I'd love to see what a psychologist had to say about it.
Like, there's a whole lot of stuff in there about working with or against the subject's own psyche, about daddy issues, identity, etc. I'd love to see what a psychologist had to say about it.
September 29, 2025 at 3:16 PM
You know what I'd like to see in a reaction video some time? "A psychologist reacts to _Inception_."
Like, there's a whole lot of stuff in there about working with or against the subject's own psyche, about daddy issues, identity, etc. I'd love to see what a psychologist had to say about it.
Like, there's a whole lot of stuff in there about working with or against the subject's own psyche, about daddy issues, identity, etc. I'd love to see what a psychologist had to say about it.
AI Bros: "It's getting better all the time, soon it won't make mistakes, really!"
OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT: We just proved mathematically that "hallucinations" are inevitable.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
#AI #AICrap #AiResearch #GenerativeAI #OpenAI #ChatGPT
OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT: We just proved mathematically that "hallucinations" are inevitable.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
#AI #AICrap #AiResearch #GenerativeAI #OpenAI #ChatGPT
September 21, 2025 at 4:38 PM
AI Bros: "It's getting better all the time, soon it won't make mistakes, really!"
OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT: We just proved mathematically that "hallucinations" are inevitable.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
#AI #AICrap #AiResearch #GenerativeAI #OpenAI #ChatGPT
OpenAI, makers of ChatGPT: We just proved mathematically that "hallucinations" are inevitable.
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
#AI #AICrap #AiResearch #GenerativeAI #OpenAI #ChatGPT
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
NB: the term "carpetbagger" refers to people coming from the North to aid in democratizing the South after the US civil war. It's a bit like "Luddite" in that people doing justice work are now used as a pejorative.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetb...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetb...
Carpetbagger - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
August 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
NB: the term "carpetbagger" refers to people coming from the North to aid in democratizing the South after the US civil war. It's a bit like "Luddite" in that people doing justice work are now used as a pejorative.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetb...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpetb...
Democrat warns US progressives against moving toward the center: ‘It lost me the election’
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
#USPol #politics #USPolitics #progressive
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
#USPol #politics #USPolitics #progressive
Democrat warns US progressives against moving toward the center: ‘It lost me the election’
India Walton, who defeated incumbent mayor only to lose general election, says ‘moderating is what got us here’
www.theguardian.com
August 19, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Democrat warns US progressives against moving toward the center: ‘It lost me the election’
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
#USPol #politics #USPolitics #progressive
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
#USPol #politics #USPolitics #progressive
Quick ❓ for folks following the #NYC mayoral race: When Mamdani calls Cuomo "my friend" and then "habibi", is he just being a wise-ass, or is he responding to something in Cuomo's video? (I didn't bother to watch Cuomo's vid.)
I'm here for it either way! Just curious.
#NewYorkCity #NYCMayoralRace
I'm here for it either way! Just curious.
#NewYorkCity #NYCMayoralRace
August 15, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Quick ❓ for folks following the #NYC mayoral race: When Mamdani calls Cuomo "my friend" and then "habibi", is he just being a wise-ass, or is he responding to something in Cuomo's video? (I didn't bother to watch Cuomo's vid.)
I'm here for it either way! Just curious.
#NewYorkCity #NYCMayoralRace
I'm here for it either way! Just curious.
#NewYorkCity #NYCMayoralRace
Increase a band:
Thomas Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound
Thomas Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound
Shania Three
Increase a band:
System of a Up
System of a Up
August 15, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Increase a band:
Thomas Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound
Thomas Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound
A quick explainer for people who don't know the ins and outs of computer hardware and cooling: storing emails doesn't take any water.
Storing emails takes a little space on a hard drive, but honestly, not very much. Not compared to lots of other things like images, videos, and programs. 1/5
Storing emails takes a little space on a hard drive, but honestly, not very much. Not compared to lots of other things like images, videos, and programs. 1/5
August 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
A quick explainer for people who don't know the ins and outs of computer hardware and cooling: storing emails doesn't take any water.
Storing emails takes a little space on a hard drive, but honestly, not very much. Not compared to lots of other things like images, videos, and programs. 1/5
Storing emails takes a little space on a hard drive, but honestly, not very much. Not compared to lots of other things like images, videos, and programs. 1/5
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
August 12, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
I don't think there's a "male loneliness" epidemic. That's absurd. There definitely is a fascist manopshere grifter problem, though, and we're currently not winning that fight.
August 3, 2025 at 4:40 AM
I don't think there's a "male loneliness" epidemic. That's absurd. There definitely is a fascist manopshere grifter problem, though, and we're currently not winning that fight.
Quick reminder that if you link to something on Substack — even something really cool and progressive and feminist — there's a whole bunch of people who won't read it. Because we don't give The (Other) Nazi Site our time, clicks, or eyeballs. At all.
August 2, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Quick reminder that if you link to something on Substack — even something really cool and progressive and feminist — there's a whole bunch of people who won't read it. Because we don't give The (Other) Nazi Site our time, clicks, or eyeballs. At all.
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
Molly White, of Citation Needed and Web3 is Going Great, switched to Ghost last year. (Link to detailed article: www.citationneeded.news/substack-to-...) she also posted price comparisons with other similar services. (hachyderm.io/@molly0xfff/...) there’s a post here too, but I can’t find it
July 29, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Molly White, of Citation Needed and Web3 is Going Great, switched to Ghost last year. (Link to detailed article: www.citationneeded.news/substack-to-...) she also posted price comparisons with other similar services. (hachyderm.io/@molly0xfff/...) there’s a post here too, but I can’t find it
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
I might be a bit too late to this party to start a trend, but I would love a comment thread full of Substack alternatives. Currently, ghost.org is the only one on my radar and I'd love to know more.
Ghost: The best open source blog & newsletter platform
Beautiful, modern publishing with email newsletters and paid subscriptions built-in. Used by Platformer, 404Media, Lever News, Tangle, The Browser, and thousands more.
ghost.org
July 29, 2025 at 2:51 PM
I might be a bit too late to this party to start a trend, but I would love a comment thread full of Substack alternatives. Currently, ghost.org is the only one on my radar and I'd love to know more.
Wait, can you not do polls on Bsky? I was going to see if people thought my use of "delving" in my last skeet meant I was Nigerian, or an AI. 🙄
July 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Wait, can you not do polls on Bsky? I was going to see if people thought my use of "delving" in my last skeet meant I was Nigerian, or an AI. 🙄
Delving a little deeper into that "3.5% of population to cause change" idea. One key takeaway: it's a description of what's happened in other situations, not necessarily a magic recipe for success. But it's a sometimes-useful guideline. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
What is the 3.5% protest rule and what does it mean for the US?
As the anti-Trump resistance has grown, so has talk of 3.5%, a figure which stems from research on previous movements
www.theguardian.com
July 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Delving a little deeper into that "3.5% of population to cause change" idea. One key takeaway: it's a description of what's happened in other situations, not necessarily a magic recipe for success. But it's a sometimes-useful guideline. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Kagan MacTane (he/him)
Lang Belta class is coming back to Dragon Con! Can’t wait to see one of my very favorite con communities again.
(Probably ought not to actually *teach* wearing Drummer’s exoskeleton, though…)
Official info on this, plus the debut of another workshop, soon!
#TheExpanse
(Probably ought not to actually *teach* wearing Drummer’s exoskeleton, though…)
Official info on this, plus the debut of another workshop, soon!
#TheExpanse
July 17, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Lang Belta class is coming back to Dragon Con! Can’t wait to see one of my very favorite con communities again.
(Probably ought not to actually *teach* wearing Drummer’s exoskeleton, though…)
Official info on this, plus the debut of another workshop, soon!
#TheExpanse
(Probably ought not to actually *teach* wearing Drummer’s exoskeleton, though…)
Official info on this, plus the debut of another workshop, soon!
#TheExpanse
US TSA will (finally!) end its asinine policy of having people take off their shoes for security screening: abcnews.go.com/US/tsa-end-s...
This can't come a moment too soon.
This can't come a moment too soon.
TSA to end shoes-off policy for airport security screening
TSA will allow passengers to keep their shoes on when they go through the general security line at many major airports across the country.
abcnews.go.com
July 8, 2025 at 2:14 PM
US TSA will (finally!) end its asinine policy of having people take off their shoes for security screening: abcnews.go.com/US/tsa-end-s...
This can't come a moment too soon.
This can't come a moment too soon.
In the "Between the lines" section in www.axios.com/2025/07/07/d..., the 6th Dem talks about trying to persuade frustrated, angry Dem voters to focus on winning back Congress next year.
Our obvious retort: youse didn't do jack with it the last time youse had it.😒Why should we think that'll change?
Our obvious retort: youse didn't do jack with it the last time youse had it.😒Why should we think that'll change?
"There needs to be blood": Democrats' voters tell them to "get shot" in Trump resistance push
One House Democrat was told by constituents that "civility isn't working" and to prepare for violence.
www.axios.com
July 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
In the "Between the lines" section in www.axios.com/2025/07/07/d..., the 6th Dem talks about trying to persuade frustrated, angry Dem voters to focus on winning back Congress next year.
Our obvious retort: youse didn't do jack with it the last time youse had it.😒Why should we think that'll change?
Our obvious retort: youse didn't do jack with it the last time youse had it.😒Why should we think that'll change?