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Allaboutevie's avatar

Cleveland wonkette meet was lovely. Thanks everyone!

BosGrl's avatar

If you're buying back-to-school supplies for elementary/middle school kids, PLEASE do not send them with "squishies" and/or slime. They're banned in my school, but even if they're not banned in your school, they are majorly distracting, and last year, students popped 𝘵𝘸𝘰 squishies on purpose at another student, ruining his clothes, including a sweatshirt that belonged to his late uncle.

Also, if you're sending them with mechanical pencils, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 send them with lead refills.

https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter-us/2026/jul/31/tweens-back-to-school-supplies?CMP=share_btn_url

jltympanum's avatar

Speaking of mechanical pencils, whatever happened to the old Scripto pencils? They were cheap but well-designed. And then one fine day they just stopped making them. Now all we have are crappy, expensive, badly-designed mechanical pencils. American free-enterprise at its finest!

Meccalopolis's avatar

I have noticed this, the state of mechanical pencils is abhorrent.

BosGrl's avatar

There's no joy to the new ones.

455 Rocket Cat, Space Donkey's avatar

Is our president a Communist? Oil companies “making too much money?” In America? Wash that mouth out with soap

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/04/donald-trump-oil-companies-war-iran-us-exxonmobil-chevron

Jen Is Not It's avatar

Trump translator: they have not given him a big enough cut

VaselineHabits's avatar

Just let him wet his beak guys!

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

TurboTax is desperate. They are emailing me from a person called, "Kitty."

BosGrl's avatar

Must be one of those people who use a litterbox at the office.

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

As one demented toddler does ...

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝘆𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗮, 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗱 𝗨𝗦-𝗜𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁

Trump rejects Tehran theory, blames 'grossly incompetent' governor of Minnesota instead

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/08/03/georgia-michigan-say-water-systems-hacked-by-iran-tied-crew/5282262

BosGrl's avatar

Minnesota is responsible for all of these!

Bear is Under-Cubbed's avatar

"We turned on the tap... and out came hotdish. HOTDISH!!"

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Well, he's DEFINITELY not helping GA.

Jen Is Not It's avatar

huh

So all those other states don't have grossly incompetent governors for reasons? Or just the ones with Democratic leads?

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

Well, *all* blue state governors are evil and incompetent.

Jen Is Not It's avatar

Hope Kemp is paying attention

good_duck's avatar

Good morning!

#Worldle #1656 (04.08.2026) 1/6 (100%)

🔥 Current Win Streak: 69 days

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉

🧭⭐📍🗺️🚩🧠🗿📜🛡️🔤🗣️🪙📐

https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share

BosGrl's avatar

This took me four tries and when I got it I wanted to bang my head on my desk.

Saviour of Bread's avatar

I got it in one but take issue with neighbours.

good_duck's avatar

I get that feeling in lots of contexts nowadays.

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

When your company's tech is old and not cool anymore ...

“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴,” 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳’𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘳. “𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘴, 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴.”

𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿, [𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻' 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗮𝘀𝘀] 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗿 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 ‘𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁’

https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/after-killer-quarter-palantir-ceo-alex-karp-calls-ai-industry-marxist/

Bear is Under-Cubbed's avatar

It's certainly got the surveillance-state part down, doesn't it.

Bobathonic's avatar

He had an AI write that.

Jen Is Not It's avatar

Wait. I thought it was free hand to seize the money of your partners?

Shocktreatment's avatar

Words and meaning... Competing for talent, equipment and resources with others in the same business is now "seizing the means of production"? Or has the term morphed into meaning "I don't like!!!"

"Ahhhh waitress? The coffee's cold and these eggs are fuckin' Marxist! I'm not paying for anything!"

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

"And don't get me started on this COMMUNIST bacon!"

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Yeah, by "capturing the means of production" they mean stealing the work of others who have posted their art on the internet.

BosGrl's avatar

I get stabby about that.

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Same. That's why I don't touch AI. I really do believe it's theft.

good_duck's avatar

That makes me feel so much better about them...

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

"Our evil tech is *still* better than that Marxist 'AI' evil tech!! Buy ours!!"

wobbly's avatar

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝘇𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰

Some partygoers were in sequins. Others in polo shirts. Steve August and TJ Howe were in full costume as park rangers, wandering through the crowd of hundreds of men gathered on the deck of the Boatslip in Provincetown, Mass., asking if anyone had encountered problem bears. They were prepared, they said, to stop bears from eating your dinner.

This year though, the real problem was different. This year, the bears were harder to find.

Howe and August brought their costumed shtick to the final night of Provincetown’s Bear Week, an annual bacchanal at this gay vacation destination on the farthest reaches of Cape Cod.

The midsummer festivities are a celebration of bears — a favored term of self-identification for many gay men who are bigger and hairier. It’s a time when the ordinary archetypes of gay male perfection, with their waxed chests and trim waistlines, take a back seat to those with beards and bellies.

But even at Bear Week, a body-positive carnival of self-love and hard-core flirting that celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer, it’s impossible to escape weight-loss drugs — what they change for the 11 percent of Americans now taking them, according to Gallup, and for everyone else too...

Gift link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/style/provincetown-bear-week-ozempic.html?unlocked_article_code=1.21A.XDks.dxQmgDW4ath-&smid=url-share

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

This is important health and political informal for out LGBT brothers and sisters in 2026. 😑

wobbly's avatar

“People have been telling us that some of the bears are not spending as much, because they’re trying to lose weight,” August said. “We have a friend who has a cupcake shop and they are ordering the small cupcakes and not the big cupcakes.”

Bear is Under-Cubbed's avatar

This bear's solution is to do lots of gym time, but also enjoy copious Nom. I've never been genetically destined for a six-pack anyway, so I figure I can find a happy middle ground of managing weight (and adding muscle) while still enjoying life.

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

I'm sure Lee Zeldin is right there licking the taint and getting this done for Dear Leader ...

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀

Trump’s DOJ says citizens should no longer be able to enforce environmental laws.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/trump-wants-the-power-to-stop-the-public-from-suing-polluters/

(See Elno's purchase of Louisiana wetlands below. Not that there's *any* connection ...)

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Posted this last night mostly because the guy's name is "Richardjason", but the whole thing is bananas. A guy in my town is suing SpaceX and claimed he reached "digital sentience", whatever THAT is:

A Norman attorney filed a break of contract lawsuit against Space Exploration Technologies Corp, commonly known as SpaceX, last month.

Richardjason S. Harris of Patriot Law in Norman is suing SpaceX over an alleged $400 million contract involving artificial intelligence development work with the company.

In a petition filed June 29 in the Cleveland County District Court, Harris alleges SpaceX hired him in January to develop and train advanced AI models. He claims he created more than 60 models, including several he described as “human-adjacent” and at least one that achieved “digital sentience.”

In the court documents, Harris said SpaceX used his work to help raise money but did not pay him, claiming the company changed the deal March 11 and agreed to give him SpaceX equity worth $2.5 billion.

Harris said the deal changed again June 7 and instead of giving him the $2.5 billion in equity, SpaceX agreed to pay him $400 million and give him a long-term AI development contract and nondisclosure agreement.

In return, Harris said he agreed not to sue during what he called SpaceX’s “critical IPO window” and continued working on the AI models. The June 7 deal came five days before SpaceX shares began publicly trading June 12. The offering closed June 15 after raising about $85.7 billion, according to SpaceX’s investor relations website.

Harris claims SpaceX told him June 25, 10 days after the offering closed, that it would not go through with the $400 million deal. He filed the lawsuit four days later. If the court does not enforce that deal, he requests at least $2.5 billion based on the earlier promise of company equity, according to court documents.

The lawsuit includes claims of breach of contract, anticipatory repudiation, promissory estoppel and unjust enrichment.

The case was originally filed in Cleveland County District Court but was moved to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma on July 27 after SpaceX filed a notice of removal.

SpaceX has not submitted a response to the lawsuit aside from the notice of removal. It requested and was granted an extension of time to respond. The company must submit a response by Aug. 20.

Bobathonic's avatar

Is mashing two first names together an Oklahoma thing?

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Good idea, it gets really crazy from there.

Shocktreatment's avatar

Richardjason S. Harris...𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘫𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯...

Bet he insists on the whole thing, no "RickyJay" for this guy because he is serious. "Digital sentience", geebuzz

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Someone posted last night his name should be "DickJaz"

Bear is Under-Cubbed's avatar

(Bear immediately does cymbal sound effects) TSS ta-ta-TSS ta-ta-TSS ta-ta-TSS...

BosGrl's avatar

Digital sentience? Well, good morning!

JustPixelz's avatar

Packing for my move from CT to CA proceeding apace. Boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff. Charitable donations flowing out the door. Little piles of things I don't know what to do with are everywhere.

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

So jealous. I want to move to CA so much!

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

You're leaving us poor New England progressives to defend ourselves? How will we maintain our blue state socialisms without you?

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

Public Notice: 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲

Do they want to help their party win, or do they want to whine about the left?

https://www.publicnotice.co/p/moderate-democrats-2026?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=501423&post_id=209633622&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=3i9ct&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

The Wanderer's avatar

I read a short article on the "Democratic Socialists," and immediately balked at the idea of abolishing the Senate.

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

That's one of their wacky things. They've got a few. I don't see HOW they expand the SC, but I don't argue with them.

Jen Is Not It's avatar

seriously. It's been all that has saved us a buttload of times.

The Wanderer's avatar

It's also what keeps less-populous states from constant bitching about not having their voices heard.

Jen Is Not It's avatar

Yeah well, they could consider making their states places people want to live in instead of havens for the rich and cronies.

/mutters in rednecktopia\

VaselineHabits's avatar

Centrist KNOW their "status quo" messaging isnt working anymore and INSTEAD OF going more "left" - they want to fuck over progressives and support their "colleagues", the fucking Nazi Republicans.

If they dont *get it*, then they certainly dont deserve their seats anymore. 😤

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

"We have to protect our phony-baloney jobs, gentlemen!"

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Heley Stevens is SO WEIRD that I want to embrace her as a sister but she said ICE needs "reformed". HELL NO. ICE needs abolished.

Shocktreatment's avatar

James Carville threatening to leave the Democratic Party? OH NOES!!!

W̶h̶o̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶c̶a̶r̶e̶,̶ ̶o̶r̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶i̶c̶e̶?̶ How will we ever continue?

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

Saint Felicia, Patron Saint of Farewells: "Bye!"

BosGrl's avatar

I mean, he looks like a skeleton, anyway.

Question: How do you do that strikeout?

Land Shark 🇺🇦 🏳️‍⚧️'s avatar

𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗫 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝟭𝟯𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮

A Louisiana launch site would offer several significant advantages.

https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/08/spacex-is-set-to-acquire-130000-acres-of-marshland-in-southern-louisiana/

Jen Is Not It's avatar

Softer landings for the rapid unscheduled dismantling at least

Shocktreatment's avatar

"Listen, lad. When I first came here, this was all swamp. Everyone said I was daft to build a c̸a̸s̸t̸l̸e̸ data center on a swamp, but I built in all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. That sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that's what you're going to get, Lad, the strongest c̸a̸s̸t̸l̸e̸ data center in all of E̶n̶g̶l̶a̶n̶d̶ Louisiana!"

Stulexington's avatar

How many do you think will end up sinking into the mud?

The Wanderer's avatar

Three.

"But the FOURTH one . . . STAYED UP!"

Tza's avatar

Pneumonia has graduated to slightly less Ow but is still very Ow in general. On the upside, nasal congestion seems 95% gone so that's nice, and no fever. Mostly just going stir crazy because moving too much =s Winded and Ow.

Almost out of Great British Baking Show backlog and random massive renovations I can do in Pokemon Pokopia before the DLC launches. Thankfully staying with folks and Dad is trying to entertain doggo for me when he gets bouncy. But I just wanna get back to my routine, work and all, I miss it.

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Glad you are getting better! My dad is in the hospital after heart problems at the end of covid.

The Wanderer's avatar

It's good to hear that you're getting better.

Diane's Less Hostile Username's avatar

Morning all. ☕️

#Worldle #1656 (04.08.2026) 5/6 (100%)

🔥 Current Win Streak: 4 days

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↙️

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨⬅️

🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬅️

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟨↙️

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉

https://worldle.teuteuf.fr/share