Billy
@billyidles.bsky.social
Vancouver. Local Politics. Less Local Politics. Tech stuff.
Reposted by Billy
You will never guess what book this is from.
December 3, 2025 at 9:20 PM
You will never guess what book this is from.
Reposted by Billy
The good news is now that he’s been overthrown in a palace coup, John Rustad is finally free to eat bugs again
December 3, 2025 at 9:10 PM
The good news is now that he’s been overthrown in a palace coup, John Rustad is finally free to eat bugs again
Okay here’s a take that will upset everyone
-the royal proclamation of 1763 applies to the Falklands, requiring the crown to make treaties with indigenous people.
- as such, indigenous groups that visited the islands habitually likely have some claim even if they didn’t live there permanently
-the royal proclamation of 1763 applies to the Falklands, requiring the crown to make treaties with indigenous people.
- as such, indigenous groups that visited the islands habitually likely have some claim even if they didn’t live there permanently
I’m sort of amazed that Falkland Islands discourse has had the staying power it has. I have seen some truly novel takes on this website this week.
Gotta hand it to bluesky, folks did find a different war to relitigate than WWII for once.
December 3, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Okay here’s a take that will upset everyone
-the royal proclamation of 1763 applies to the Falklands, requiring the crown to make treaties with indigenous people.
- as such, indigenous groups that visited the islands habitually likely have some claim even if they didn’t live there permanently
-the royal proclamation of 1763 applies to the Falklands, requiring the crown to make treaties with indigenous people.
- as such, indigenous groups that visited the islands habitually likely have some claim even if they didn’t live there permanently
Honestly one of the things I am most nationalistic about is that the right way to beat a separatist movement is to let them vote and beat them at the ballot box. Canada has beaten the separatists twice democratically we can do it again. Countries that are scared of a vote are soft.
i just find land irredentism so funny, man. would i like it if Quebec or Alberta left confederation? no
would i throw a nationalist fit over trying to reclaim them? also no
would i throw a nationalist fit over trying to reclaim them? also no
December 3, 2025 at 5:34 AM
Honestly one of the things I am most nationalistic about is that the right way to beat a separatist movement is to let them vote and beat them at the ballot box. Canada has beaten the separatists twice democratically we can do it again. Countries that are scared of a vote are soft.
I’m sort of amazed that Falkland Islands discourse has had the staying power it has. I have seen some truly novel takes on this website this week.
Gotta hand it to bluesky, folks did find a different war to relitigate than WWII for once.
December 3, 2025 at 5:30 AM
I’m sort of amazed that Falkland Islands discourse has had the staying power it has. I have seen some truly novel takes on this website this week.
Reposted by Billy
Reposted by Billy
In politics you are only as good as your word.
Did PM Carney mislead Elizabeth May to get her budget support?
In a minority government you can't afford to be losing cabinet ministers and alienating potential allies.
nationalnewswatch.com/2025/12/01/m...
Did PM Carney mislead Elizabeth May to get her budget support?
In a minority government you can't afford to be losing cabinet ministers and alienating potential allies.
nationalnewswatch.com/2025/12/01/m...
May says voting for budget was 'mistake' and it won't happen again
National Newswatch: Canada's most comprehensive site for political news and views.
nationalnewswatch.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:46 PM
In politics you are only as good as your word.
Did PM Carney mislead Elizabeth May to get her budget support?
In a minority government you can't afford to be losing cabinet ministers and alienating potential allies.
nationalnewswatch.com/2025/12/01/m...
Did PM Carney mislead Elizabeth May to get her budget support?
In a minority government you can't afford to be losing cabinet ministers and alienating potential allies.
nationalnewswatch.com/2025/12/01/m...
Reposted by Billy
Here's a question, are the Vancouver Whitecaps now "Canada's Team" since they'll be representing Canada in the MLS final against Miami?
Or does it only work for Toronto's teams?
Or does it only work for Toronto's teams?
December 1, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Here's a question, are the Vancouver Whitecaps now "Canada's Team" since they'll be representing Canada in the MLS final against Miami?
Or does it only work for Toronto's teams?
Or does it only work for Toronto's teams?
Reposted by Billy
EVERY time this comes up
December 1, 2025 at 3:51 PM
EVERY time this comes up
Reposted by Billy
Oh interesting, whose fault is that?
December 1, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Oh interesting, whose fault is that?
I’d love to see someone do the math on water consumption of evaporative cooling in data centers vs water consumption that would be needed to generate the power to do it all with air cooling (which is less power efficient).
December 1, 2025 at 3:56 AM
I’d love to see someone do the math on water consumption of evaporative cooling in data centers vs water consumption that would be needed to generate the power to do it all with air cooling (which is less power efficient).
It seems bad that a significant amount of people are polarized against the idea of putting a lot of computers in a building.
December 1, 2025 at 3:48 AM
It seems bad that a significant amount of people are polarized against the idea of putting a lot of computers in a building.
Reposted by Billy
I was trying to track down the source of Gramsci's "time of monsters" quote and found that it's a "mistranslation" (ie he just made it up) by Slavoj Zizek. Gramsci's line clearly translates as "morbid symptoms" instead. Mad that you can just rewrite a famous quote and get it widely accepted.
November 30, 2025 at 5:09 PM
I was trying to track down the source of Gramsci's "time of monsters" quote and found that it's a "mistranslation" (ie he just made it up) by Slavoj Zizek. Gramsci's line clearly translates as "morbid symptoms" instead. Mad that you can just rewrite a famous quote and get it widely accepted.
Reposted by Billy
Finally tried uv. It’s not just fast: it’s laughably fast.
Like, “this is what should run every kind of package management on a whole computer” kind of fast.
Like, “this is what should run every kind of package management on a whole computer” kind of fast.
November 30, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Finally tried uv. It’s not just fast: it’s laughably fast.
Like, “this is what should run every kind of package management on a whole computer” kind of fast.
Like, “this is what should run every kind of package management on a whole computer” kind of fast.
Reposted by Billy
if you think the problem with our current moment is a lack of humanities I encourage you to go look up what Peter Thiel's degree is in. it is not computer science
You people have got to stop saying this kind of thing. I’m sorry that 15 years ago a CS professor said something obnoxious in a faculty meeting but the idea that humanities degrees are “not tied to capitalism” while STEM degrees are is some of the purest bullshit I’ve ever seen in my life.
November 30, 2025 at 9:16 PM
if you think the problem with our current moment is a lack of humanities I encourage you to go look up what Peter Thiel's degree is in. it is not computer science
At this point I really don’t see any reason why the Gartner hype cycle model doesn’t apply to LLMs, and I think the question is mostly are we at the peak yet or over it.
November 30, 2025 at 6:50 PM
At this point I really don’t see any reason why the Gartner hype cycle model doesn’t apply to LLMs, and I think the question is mostly are we at the peak yet or over it.
Reposted by Billy
Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Western Conference Champions.
Incredible.
Western Conference Champions.
Incredible.
November 30, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Western Conference Champions.
Incredible.
Western Conference Champions.
Incredible.
Reposted by Billy
Danielle Smith: "I hope people today feel a lot more confident that Canada works than they did a couple of days ago."
UCP convention crowd: LOUD BOOS
UCP convention crowd: LOUD BOOS
Danielle Smith tried to sell her federal-Alberta energy deal to the UCP convention crowd: tepid applause.
She told them that this proved Canada can work well for Alberta’s interests: loud boos.
This ain’t a base that wants Smith to work with a Liberal PM on a better industrial carbon tax.
She told them that this proved Canada can work well for Alberta’s interests: loud boos.
This ain’t a base that wants Smith to work with a Liberal PM on a better industrial carbon tax.
November 28, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Danielle Smith: "I hope people today feel a lot more confident that Canada works than they did a couple of days ago."
UCP convention crowd: LOUD BOOS
UCP convention crowd: LOUD BOOS
The best way I can explain Alberta separatism to easterners is that it is a bit that became serious. Alberta conservatives believe that Quebec has a better deal in confederation because they threaten to separate, and Alberta politicians have been deeply resentful of Quebec.
November 29, 2025 at 12:16 AM
The best way I can explain Alberta separatism to easterners is that it is a bit that became serious. Alberta conservatives believe that Quebec has a better deal in confederation because they threaten to separate, and Alberta politicians have been deeply resentful of Quebec.
I grew up in Alberta and I love the place but we’ve squandered so many opportunities to diversify the economy. When oil finally goes into full long term decline, it’s going to be really bad. It’s going to be like when the cod fishery collapsed in Newfoundland.
November 28, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I grew up in Alberta and I love the place but we’ve squandered so many opportunities to diversify the economy. When oil finally goes into full long term decline, it’s going to be really bad. It’s going to be like when the cod fishery collapsed in Newfoundland.
I really think the “Carney is a genius because the pipeline will never get built” takes are cope. Alberta will rage and rage if that happens and they will pull out of any agreement they sign onto that they’re doing for that pipeline.
November 28, 2025 at 5:23 PM
I really think the “Carney is a genius because the pipeline will never get built” takes are cope. Alberta will rage and rage if that happens and they will pull out of any agreement they sign onto that they’re doing for that pipeline.
“Redesigning the cow” is a funny phrase when a lot of the actual science going on is “let’s try feeding them different stuff”
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
November 28, 2025 at 5:18 PM
“Redesigning the cow” is a funny phrase when a lot of the actual science going on is “let’s try feeding them different stuff”
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Water use here in Canada is pretty overwhelmingly for thermoelectric power generation, something that is in decline due to the growth of wind and solar.
www.canada.ca/en/environme...
www.canada.ca/en/environme...
November 28, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Water use here in Canada is pretty overwhelmingly for thermoelectric power generation, something that is in decline due to the growth of wind and solar.
www.canada.ca/en/environme...
www.canada.ca/en/environme...
Reposted by Billy
Not the peak oil we expected but I'll take it
Clean power growth is now covering all new global demand. Solar and wind generated 635 TWh in the first nine months of this year, exceeding the 603 TWh rise in global electricity demand, and holding fossil generation flat for the year. buff.ly/zRmwAmg
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Q3 Global Power Report: No fossil fuel growth expected in 2025 | Ember
Solar and wind power grew fast enough to keep up with rising electricity demand in the first three quarters of 2025, as fossil fuel growth should be stagnated. Ember forecasts no growth for fossil…
buff.ly
November 28, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Not the peak oil we expected but I'll take it