@ambulocetus@qoto.org
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

ambulocetus

@ambulocetus@qoto.org

Nemo me impune lacessit

Voted Best Psychic Of 2026

Non-practicing intellectual

https://www.metafilter.com/user/99809

Certified freak, seven days a week.

謙虚だが弱くはない、自信に満ちているが誇りに思っていない、神秘的だが不魔法ではない

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futurebird, (edited ) to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

Gutsick Gibbon's newest video is a block buster tour of earth's history and mass extinctions. It's wonderful and just the thing to kick off the weekend reading.

She also sometimes debates creationists, which is fun too, but to me this is her best kind of content. Give it a watch and leave a comment too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxTO2w0fbB4

ambulocetus,
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

@futurebird That's one of my favorite channels. You might see me in the comments sometime.

futurebird, (edited ) to random
@futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

I'm tempted to read Cassidy Hutchinson’s book, but I have a policy of not buying or reading such "tell alls" when I think the person could have come out sooner and done more. And most of it will come out anyways. It's not like she is a writer with something to say. Making a book in her situation is just the obvious thing to do.

Has anyone read it?

ambulocetus,
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

@futurebird Totally agree. Writing a book has become part of the grift. They buy a bunch of copies of their own book, then give them away on a radio station or something, and like magic they are a now a "New York Times Bestselling Author." I'm sure any valuable information that the book may contain, will be discussed on a reliable news source.
My reading time is too limited and valuable to give any of it to that.

juliaserano, to trans
@juliaserano@mastodon.social avatar

so I was provoked into writing a response to the ridiculous "What Is a Woman?" question. it's a 5 min read, no-paywall link, please share & give it lots of "claps" (up to 50) so other folks on Medium see it! https://juliaserano.medium.com/what-is-a-woman-a-response-8f91aaf3a971?sk=e3493a6676c0e8373b311da8bd4a950a

ambulocetus,
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

@juliaserano I agree. Debating with those people does no good. Instead they try to make it appear that a certain topic is controversial where no actual controversy exists. It's the same tactic they use to deny Evolution and Climate Change. They have no actual proof for their claims, but they do have finely calibrated logical fallacies and rhetorical tactics that make winning a "debate" difficult, no matter how correct one is. A skilled debater could win a debate on the premise that "water is not wet" using their tactics, but water would still be wet.

dangoodin, to random

Watching people use water straight out of tap to wash their cars really bothers me. The world is so short on h2o, and it's only going to get worse.

Please consider using recycled water from dishes (washed with vegetable-based soap).

ambulocetus,
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

@dangoodin Look at this lawn. Turdf grass is a non-native species that needs constant life support to keep it green in our climate. How many cars could you wash with the water it takes to keep it alive?

ambulocetus,
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

@dangoodin It may look that way to you, but to me it feels like Victim Blaming. I didn't even have a car that was worthy of being washed until I turned 50, but I have to forgo the tiny sense of pride in my car or else the water shortage is my fault? Meanwhile corporate tax dodgers with acres of lawn are flying around the world in private jets, but I have to worry about my minuscule footprint.
Yea, it just seems like the same kind of thing as when as when workers ask for minimum wage to be raised, and the media tells them to stop eating avocado toast. Sorry, I know you probably didn't mean it that way, but living in poverty for decades has made me sensitive.

malwaretech, to random

I do wonder how many people are staying on Twitter due to follower count alone. Having had an account for over a decade, I'd have previously estimated about 20% of my followers were dead accounts. Based on now leaving and making new accounts on other platforms, my estimate is closer to 90%.

As a blogger I've always known only like 1% of people who retweet/like a post actually clicked the link and read the article, but I assumed that was just a social media thing. Having experimented with basically every other platform, I learned it's more likely that a significant number of Twitter engagements are fake, and those that aren't don't really care enough to read your work, they'll just give you a retweet/like for appearances.

ambulocetus,
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

@malwaretech I never spent enough time on Twitter to know my way around, But I can say for sure that Facebook and Youtube have a lot of sock-puppet accounts. Youtube in particular has so many that they have conversations between themselves, trying to make a particular topic or opinion seem more popular than it really is. They are easy to spot though, at least for me.

dangoodin, (edited ) to random

Dear Twitter users. Your support of a social media platform that welcomes and pays for far-right content is NOT the fault of capitalism. No one is forcing you to post cat pics on the fascist-friendly dead bird site. This is YOUR decision and history won't judge it kindly.

ambulocetus,
@ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

@dangoodin I've been on Mastodon for a few years now, and they said the same thing back then. All of the media outlets denigrate Mastodon (if they even mention it at all) because they can't
buy ads or data mine. It's bigger than it ever was and getting bigger, but they still act like it's a tiny back-water. I like it here, and I will never go to Twitter.

idoubtit, to random
@idoubtit@mstdn.social avatar

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    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @idoubtit
    I used to be a huge fan, but the parent organization (CFI) recently published an anti-trans episode of their podcast. It was severely disappointing and I unsubscribed. It was an interview with Jerry Coyne, another disappointment. As a biologist and supposed skeptic, I would have thought he would know better. But considering he hangs with Dawkins and Harris, I shouldn't have been surprised.

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @idoubtit I used to be a fan of Dawkins too, and it just seems like there are so many people who were secretly ass-holes. I don't know if they are sincere ass-holes or if they just jumping on the right-wing gravy train, but the end result is the same either way. It only gives ammo to the other side. Now they can point to them and say "see, you're no different than us." At least there are still a few good people. The SGU is good people, and the only remaining Skepchick (RW) is cool. And if you you don't know about the guys from Puzzle In A Thunderstorm, they are very funny.

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @idoubtit Oh sorry, I didn't know about any of that with RW, but her video rants are entertaining. At least she didn't take a sharp turn to the Right like some of the others we mentioned.

    idoubtit, to UFOs
    @idoubtit@mstdn.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

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    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @idoubtit For a lot of the true believers, of whatever fringe belief, changing their mind means changing their entire foundation of their personality and giving up on the para-social relationships they have developed. The feeling of comfort and belonging is more important than knowing the truth. https://youarenotsosmart.com/2020/04/20/yanss-178-why-conspiratorial-thinking-has-gone-mainstream-why-facts-dont-always-persuade-people-and-other-lessons-we-can-learn-from-those-of-us-who-are-pretty-sure-the-earth-is-flat/#more-6538

    futurebird, to random
    @futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

    Apparently the recently talked about poll that had Biden and Trump tied 46/46 has less than ideal funding sources and some people do not think it should have gotten so much attention from the Wall Street Journal and several cable news networks.

    I posted about it here, so I wanted to mention that it's been questioned too.

    https://news.yahoo.com/big-poll-showing-trump-biden-204914227.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @futurebird They make money from what they call "a horse-race" not from a land-slide.

    StillIRise1963, to random
    @StillIRise1963@mastodon.world avatar

    I fucking hate the American cable media.

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @StillIRise1963 me too. I used to hate visiting my mom because we would just sit there and watch TV. The ads, the "news", the crappy shows. It would drive me crazy. It all sucks. I will never understand how people can watch that crap. I haven't had cable in 20 years. I got rid of it after they tried to force me to watch the Twin Towers falling over and over and over again.

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @StillIRise1963 It was so blatant a way to drum up support for an unnecessary war. It was like aversion therapy to me. Luckily I've always been somebody with a lot of books.

    futurebird, to random
    @futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

    Never understood why powerful people think it’s such a magnanimous power play to tell an activist or a young person stuff like “if you ever had to manage real power like I do you’d understand that it’s never pleasant to find out how sausage is made”

    As if we could have failed to recognize our own bone and gristle in the casings. As if anyone even asked for god-damned sausages in the first place.

    We are aware how gross it is. This isn’t a revelation. That is why it must stop.

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @futurebird My grandfather used to say "I forgot more than you'll ever know." I never liked it when he said that, because even at the age of 10, I knew it likely wasn't true, and it didn't feel respectful.

    georgetakei, to random

    Look in the mirror, Donnie!
    https://secondnexus.com/trump-biden-stark-raving-lunatic?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=infeed&utm_campaign=linkprogram

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @georgetakei
    I always thought that Projection was subconscious, but it seems like not only are they aware of their Projection, but they have weaponized it.

    Radical_EgoCom, to random

    The USA One Party System With Two Faces

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @Radical_EgoCom bOtH pArTiEs aRe ThE sAmE

    IamHappyToast, to random
    @IamHappyToast@mastodon.social avatar

    Here we are now, all the lads

    image/jpeg
    image/jpeg
    image/jpeg

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @IamHappyToast That's perfect! LOL

    futurebird, to random
    @futurebird@sauropods.win avatar

    Pouting Season

    "It's not fair."
    "It will be fine."
    "But I don't want to go to school!"
    "School isn't for two weeks."
    "Yeah. The summers basically OVER."
    "Two weeks..."
    "I don't want to go!"
    "But you're the teacher!"

    (So much work to do all of a sudden. Summer is over. This sucks. )

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @futurebird The kids went back last week around here.

    brainwane, to random
    @brainwane@social.coop avatar

    https://www.dianeduane.com/outofambit/2017/04/25/the-hiccup-cure/

    A hiccup cure - anyone else able to attest to its efficacy?

    (I am not currently seeking a hiccup cure, but, as with any healthcare first aid technique, better to know it ahead of time.)

    thanks, @dianeduane

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @brainwane @dianeduane
    I'm not a doctor, so I could be wrong, but I think that if it works, the reason given isn't why it works.
    Anything that goes in your mouth has to go through the stomach before it gets in your blood, and that will change the pH before it ever gets to your blood.
    A spoonfull of peanut butter has always been my hiccup cure, and it's pretty reliable.

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @brainwane @dianeduane I thought about that after I said it, but I'm not sure salt and sugar do that.
    They might, but I doubt it's enough to do anything.

    TheConversationUS, to random
    @TheConversationUS@newsie.social avatar

    Bigger vehicles can be safer in crashes, but far more dangerous for pedestrians.

    And the average size of cars and trucks in the U.S. continues to grow. Some current models – like that of the Toyota Rav4 – are a third larger than they were only 15 years ago.

    That’s led to a 77% increase in pedestrian fatalities since 2010.


    https://theconversation.com/ever-larger-cars-and-trucks-are-causing-a-safety-crisis-on-us-streets-heres-how-communities-can-fight-back-206382

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @TheConversationUS Here is a 15 year old video that is unfortunately even more relevant now.
    https://youtu.be/1PJEK8Y3-ok

    idoubtit, to random
    @idoubtit@mstdn.social avatar

    deleted_by_author

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    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @idoubtit
    Grrrrrr, they did that to me too. I took the day off specifically to be there because they gave me a 4 hour window of arrival. I waited 5 hours and then I called them and asked where they were, and they said they cancelled without telling me. That was the last straw and I cancelled service right then. I have a small local company now, and I've never been happier.

    idoubtit, to random
    @idoubtit@mstdn.social avatar

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    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @idoubtit I agree. Nobody likes a pendant.

    Radical_EgoCom, to random

    In 1885 French anarchist Elisée Reclus explained some of the reasons why anarchists don't vote.
    https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/elisee-reclus-why-anarchists-don-t-vote

    ambulocetus,
    @ambulocetus@qoto.org avatar

    @Radical_EgoCom @matty
    But it's not an either/or situation. You can do more than one thing. Why not do all of the things?
    Maybe you don't care if Trump gets re-elected, but we have POC and LGBT friends who care very much.
    When trans people are being sent to death camps, will you say "at least I sent a message by not voting"
    Use every tool in the toolbox.

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