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Tom Coates

@tomcoates.bsky.social

11K followers 690 following 11K posts

English technologist, founder and product designer living in San Francisco. Prev: BBC, Yahoo, Time Out, Nokia, Jawbone, Wired & Eero. Founded things too. Currently trying to find something to get excited rather than angry about. Http://plasticbag.org

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Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

Have a nice day, Logan. I think I’m done with this conversation.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

They don’t generally let you use the likeness of living people. It’s apparently only okay to exploit the dead.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

I’ll be honest, I’m not sure this is a very reasonable criticism and I think I’m going to just ignore it and move on.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

Also presumably you also think they were awful for using it to illustrate it too?

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

And if I want to make a different point?

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

How would you suggest I illustrate how creepy and wrong it is without using it and showing people what it can do?

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

Current mini-project, using Sora to explain why Sora is deeply problematic.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

Weirdly I have too much respect for Bowie and his family to do that.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

Current mini-project, using Sora to explain why Sora is deeply problematic.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 7h

Current mini-project, using Sora to explain why Sora is deeply problematic.

Reposted by Tom Coates

Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 1d

The largest demonstration during Trump’s first term was around 750 events.

“We’re now expecting about 2,500 events around the country on No Kings. So we’re talking about literally four times as many.” - @leahgreenberg.bsky.social

Please join us on Saturday: www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i... #NoKings

Reposted by Tom Coates

David Osland @davidosland.bsky.social · 17h

On the centenary of Thatcher's birth, there have been predictable calls for a memorial to her memory. But Britain's 2300 food banks serve that purpose already.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 8h

All the good gays raptured out. I haven’t been fabulous enough so I have to wait for the next one.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 8h

I just saw an AI video of Mike Johnson saying all kinds of truly horrific things, and not I’m like… is it really so bad? Maybe I can live with all the ethical problems / collapse of civilization.

a cartoon of batman wearing a blue cape and mask with his hand on his chin .

ALT: a cartoon of batman wearing a blue cape and mask with his hand on his chin .

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Tom Coates

Molly Jong-Fast @mollyjongfast.bsky.social · 9h

Solidarity is the only way

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 9h

I mean, I live in San Francisco, I’m a gay man in his fifties, I think trans people, women, people of color, the LGBTQA+ community and disabled people deserve protections from discrimination and equal opportunities. Maybe I’m a communist? I dunno. Their stuff doesn’t seem that out there.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 9h

I keep seeing people refer to people like @aoc.bsky.social and @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social as radical Democrats, and ... I dunno, I don’t really see it. They just seem like competent young politicians with a fairly mainstream progressive message. Which is why they got elected.

Reposted by Tom Coates

Republicans Against Trumpism @rpsagainsttrump.bsky.social · 11h

Chris Christie: “Thie is no longer, the Department of Justice, is no longer the premier prosecuting office in America. What it is now is a capo regime who goes out and executes hits when directed by the Don to do so. That’s what it is.”

Reposted by Tom Coates

Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 13h

Multiple airports are now announcing they will refuse to play Kristi Noem’s government-funded video blaming “Democrats” for the government shutdown.

“We believe the Hatch Act clearly prohibits use of public assets for political purposes and messaging,” one airport said.

Reposted by Tom Coates

☠️deadward niedermurder☠️ @niedermeyer.online · 15h

Elon Musk is a white nationalist. Anyone who needs more data points to reach this conclusion is beyond help or persuasion.

If you buy, rent, service, or supercharge a Tesla you are supporting the most powerful white nationalist on earth. Period.

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 16h

Musk is funding the legal battle of UK Far Right activist Tommy Robinson - real name Stephen Yaxley Lennon - as he faces charges brought by counterterrorism police.

Tommy Robinson claims Elon Musk is funding his legal battle — The Times and The Sunday Times

Tommy Robinson has claimed Elon Musk was paying his legal costs as he went on trial for refusing to comply with a request made by counterterrorism police as he tried to leave Britain last year. Robins...

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 14h

Nonetheless, this thing has happened and (whatever my concerns) it seems a lot better than things were like a couple of weeks ago. And given that, I guess I should be feeling positive about it and giving Trump some credit. But I have this suspicion that the whole story/situation hasn’t come out yet.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 14h

The other (a bit more depressing but I’m more convinced by) is Trump likes the Qataris and Saudis for various business reasons, and because they bought him a plane - hence the Qatari air facility in the US. And those moves made Netanyahu nervous about the strength of his commitment.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 14h

And I guess you could come to one of two opinions on that - one that Trump, as a sane political figure who wanted a stable Middle East was concerned about the breaking of international law and Israel’s increasingly dubious activities, and decided to step in. History would suggest this isn’t true.

Tom Coates @tomcoates.bsky.social · 15h

If I had to make a guess (and I’m afraid it would be a fairly cynical one) about what has gone in here it would be the level of widespread condemnation for the Israeli government’s actions at the moment was only sustainable while Trump was on board, and the Qatar attacks destabilized that.