“In the detention center, his father says, Liam has been lethargic, sleeping a lot. He asks about his family and classmates. He asks for his bunny hat.
What would you tell him?” @scottmeslow.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/policy/87072...
What would you tell him?” @scottmeslow.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/policy/87072...
How do I talk to my kids about Minneapolis?
“All I want for my kid is joy, and so much of the world that surrounds her right now is confusion and fear and pain.”
www.theverge.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:46 PM
“In the detention center, his father says, Liam has been lethargic, sleeping a lot. He asks about his family and classmates. He asks for his bunny hat.
What would you tell him?” @scottmeslow.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/policy/87072...
What would you tell him?” @scottmeslow.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/policy/87072...
Reposted by Sean Boots
In Minneapolis, there are countless signs every day that the sanctity of our safe, loving places has been ruptured. The Trump administration has not just failed to protect children; it has seen, in their innocence and vulnerability, a fault line that ICE can exploit.
How do I talk to my kids about Minneapolis?
“All I want for my kid is joy, and so much of the world that surrounds her right now is confusion and fear and pain.”
www.theverge.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:27 PM
In Minneapolis, there are countless signs every day that the sanctity of our safe, loving places has been ruptured. The Trump administration has not just failed to protect children; it has seen, in their innocence and vulnerability, a fault line that ICE can exploit.
Reposted by Sean Boots
At the Open Source Policy Summit Baddy from @1xinternet.bsky.social mentioned Dries' blog post on funding open source. For folks looking for the resource dri.es/funding-open... @openforumeurope.org #OpenSourcePolicySummit
Funding Open Source for Digital Sovereignty
Open Source alone won't deliver digital sovereignty. Europe must fix procurement and fund those who actually build it.
dri.es
January 30, 2026 at 10:17 AM
At the Open Source Policy Summit Baddy from @1xinternet.bsky.social mentioned Dries' blog post on funding open source. For folks looking for the resource dri.es/funding-open... @openforumeurope.org #OpenSourcePolicySummit
Reposted by Sean Boots
I love how many times #Drupal has been called out at the EU Open Source Summit this year. We're half-way through this great @openforumeurope.org tradition, but in so many ways the Drupal community's governance model is an important one for #DigitalSovereignty & #OpenSource #EUpolicy
January 30, 2026 at 11:58 AM
I love how many times #Drupal has been called out at the EU Open Source Summit this year. We're half-way through this great @openforumeurope.org tradition, but in so many ways the Drupal community's governance model is an important one for #DigitalSovereignty & #OpenSource #EUpolicy
Reposted by Sean Boots
The Dutch, it appears, have sleepwalked into a situation where their digital ID platform - critical infrastructure for a variety of government and private processes - will likely soon be in the hands of US big tech georginasturge.substack.com/p/digital-id...
Digital ID, big tech and the Dutch dilemma
A planned US takeover of critical infrastructure raises troubling questions
georginasturge.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 10:15 AM
The Dutch, it appears, have sleepwalked into a situation where their digital ID platform - critical infrastructure for a variety of government and private processes - will likely soon be in the hands of US big tech georginasturge.substack.com/p/digital-id...
Reposted by Sean Boots
alternatively, you don't achieve radical change by changing a system, you achieve radical change by replacing a system with a new (hopefully better) system
January 30, 2026 at 12:53 AM
alternatively, you don't achieve radical change by changing a system, you achieve radical change by replacing a system with a new (hopefully better) system
Reposted by Sean Boots
I concede that you can go out sideways, but the point I'm trying to make is that going out-through suggests keeping down a current path until everything breaks and you get out the other side, whereas going out-sideways suggests, well, something that's not that.
January 30, 2026 at 12:41 AM
I concede that you can go out sideways, but the point I'm trying to make is that going out-through suggests keeping down a current path until everything breaks and you get out the other side, whereas going out-sideways suggests, well, something that's not that.
Reposted by Sean Boots
maybe a thing to accept at this point is that the world is so complex that there will likely be no meaningful change within a system within your lifetime
not that the only way out is through, that maybe the only way out is sideways
not that the only way out is through, that maybe the only way out is sideways
January 30, 2026 at 12:35 AM
maybe a thing to accept at this point is that the world is so complex that there will likely be no meaningful change within a system within your lifetime
not that the only way out is through, that maybe the only way out is sideways
not that the only way out is through, that maybe the only way out is sideways
Reposted by Sean Boots
me, emotionally writing an essay on the use of force by federal agents: ok but what if i packaged this in the most insane way possible www.theverge.com/policy/86857...
Best gas masks
“How did these people go out and get gas masks?” AG Bondi asked.
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:25 PM
me, emotionally writing an essay on the use of force by federal agents: ok but what if i packaged this in the most insane way possible www.theverge.com/policy/86857...
Reposted by Sean Boots
Reposted by Sean Boots
The Ukrainian lesson to Canada is becoming more relevant by the day: once your neighbour expresses interest in conquering you, debates about regional sovereignty are no longer purely domestic and about federalism; they’re about the survival of the whole state. More on the parallel below…
January 29, 2026 at 6:19 PM
The Ukrainian lesson to Canada is becoming more relevant by the day: once your neighbour expresses interest in conquering you, debates about regional sovereignty are no longer purely domestic and about federalism; they’re about the survival of the whole state. More on the parallel below…
“There is also a deep irony in framing oneself as counterculture or alternative when your work aligns neatly with those in power.” @miasato.bsky.social www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
What is Nick Shirley?
Slop doesn’t need to be AI-generated
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:56 PM
“There is also a deep irony in framing oneself as counterculture or alternative when your work aligns neatly with those in power.” @miasato.bsky.social www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
Reposted by Sean Boots
I hesitate to call Shirley mainstream media. But there is something darkly funny about having an audience in the White House while marketing yourself as alternative.
January 29, 2026 at 4:19 PM
I hesitate to call Shirley mainstream media. But there is something darkly funny about having an audience in the White House while marketing yourself as alternative.
Reposted by Sean Boots
He produces propaganda that justifies the MAGA agenda, but he also makes slop: content that treats The Algorithm as a distinct audience, that ruthlessly & immediately adjusts to analytics. One comparison is yellow journalism leading up to the Spanish-American war, now with A/B YouTube title testing.
January 29, 2026 at 4:17 PM
He produces propaganda that justifies the MAGA agenda, but he also makes slop: content that treats The Algorithm as a distinct audience, that ruthlessly & immediately adjusts to analytics. One comparison is yellow journalism leading up to the Spanish-American war, now with A/B YouTube title testing.
Reposted by Sean Boots
The violent occupation of Minneapolis started with a vlog. I've wanted to find a framework to describe Nick Shirley & others like him: "Influencer" is too quaint. "Journalist" is obviously wrong.
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
What is Nick Shirley?
Slop doesn’t need to be AI-generated
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:11 PM
The violent occupation of Minneapolis started with a vlog. I've wanted to find a framework to describe Nick Shirley & others like him: "Influencer" is too quaint. "Journalist" is obviously wrong.
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
I landed on "slopagandist."
Gift link (open in a web browser) www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
Reposted by Sean Boots
This piece is incredibly important for understanding the Trump administration and what happens next. There's a stochastic element to what they do, because social media algorithms are central, not incidental, to government policy www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
What is Nick Shirley?
Slop doesn’t need to be AI-generated
www.theverge.com
January 29, 2026 at 5:00 PM
This piece is incredibly important for understanding the Trump administration and what happens next. There's a stochastic element to what they do, because social media algorithms are central, not incidental, to government policy www.theverge.com/news/869824/...
Reposted by Sean Boots
Oh and here's a gift link www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
www.thestar.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Oh and here's a gift link www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Reposted by Sean Boots
Far from retreating, the Trump administration's dangerous crackdown on migrants is likely to get worse — more intense, more violent — not better. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Justin Ling: Trump’s real plan for America hasn’t been derailed by his apparent walk back in Minnesota
The plan is still to produce a more "homogenous" America through mass deportation.
www.thestar.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:13 PM
Far from retreating, the Trump administration's dangerous crackdown on migrants is likely to get worse — more intense, more violent — not better. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Reposted by Sean Boots
The moral of the story is racism is expensive. If you’re gonna create policies based on racism, as restricting immigration usually is, be prepared to make up that loss of passive income somehow in an uncertain economy. Try not seeing things as a zero-sum game
January 29, 2026 at 3:33 AM
The moral of the story is racism is expensive. If you’re gonna create policies based on racism, as restricting immigration usually is, be prepared to make up that loss of passive income somehow in an uncertain economy. Try not seeing things as a zero-sum game
Reposted by Sean Boots
“There are too many immigrants” is a euphemism for “there are too many Black and brown ppl coming to Canada”. Good luck to those landlords out there who rely on international students to rent out their basement for four or five ppl. Lucrative indeed
January 29, 2026 at 3:33 AM
“There are too many immigrants” is a euphemism for “there are too many Black and brown ppl coming to Canada”. Good luck to those landlords out there who rely on international students to rent out their basement for four or five ppl. Lucrative indeed
Reposted by Sean Boots
Since the international student flow has gone down to zero schools can’t fund their departments as well and therefore quality goes down for EVERY student.
The moral of the story is that I believe this was fueled by racism
The moral of the story is that I believe this was fueled by racism
January 29, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Since the international student flow has gone down to zero schools can’t fund their departments as well and therefore quality goes down for EVERY student.
The moral of the story is that I believe this was fueled by racism
The moral of the story is that I believe this was fueled by racism
Reposted by Sean Boots
Neither Canadian families nor individuals would rent a room in someone’s house as long-term housing.
Low and behold part of the renter’s market is cratering for landlords because of the lack of foreign students and therefore are finding it harder to pay their mortgage
Low and behold part of the renter’s market is cratering for landlords because of the lack of foreign students and therefore are finding it harder to pay their mortgage
January 29, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Neither Canadian families nor individuals would rent a room in someone’s house as long-term housing.
Low and behold part of the renter’s market is cratering for landlords because of the lack of foreign students and therefore are finding it harder to pay their mortgage
Low and behold part of the renter’s market is cratering for landlords because of the lack of foreign students and therefore are finding it harder to pay their mortgage
Reposted by Sean Boots
I think most Canadians have been rapidly evolving their mental frameworks about what has become of the US. It's pretty obvious. Policy-makers and decision-making systems are having trouble keeping up.
my latest for the Star:
“…the world is actually quite lucky that Trump is as forthcoming with his plans as he is. We don’t have to guess what Trump administration will do; they are straight up telling us. Now if only we’d listen.”
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
“…the world is actually quite lucky that Trump is as forthcoming with his plans as he is. We don’t have to guess what Trump administration will do; they are straight up telling us. Now if only we’d listen.”
www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...
Supriya Dwivedi: Donald Trump is famously unreliable. But this is how we know what he really plans to do
Despite their mercurial leader, the Trump administration hasn't been shy about its aims.
www.thestar.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:32 PM
I think most Canadians have been rapidly evolving their mental frameworks about what has become of the US. It's pretty obvious. Policy-makers and decision-making systems are having trouble keeping up.
Reposted by Sean Boots
Hey, fun fact. If you don't vaccinate people against measles, you get giant outbreaks of measles!
(*The More You Know animated logo*)
(*The More You Know animated logo*)
I wrote about how in a December email to me, RFK Jr.'s HHS insisted the current South Carolina measles outbreak wouldn't get that bad—and how it has since snowballed into the biggest US outbreak since measles was eliminated. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
HHS wasn't worried about South Carolina's measles outbreak. It's now enormous.
“CDC is not currently concerned that this will develop into a large, long-running outbreak," the agency said in December.
www.motherjones.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Hey, fun fact. If you don't vaccinate people against measles, you get giant outbreaks of measles!
(*The More You Know animated logo*)
(*The More You Know animated logo*)
Reposted by Sean Boots
This was—and continues to be—a genocide. And Canada was—and continues to be—complicit. A moral stain on our country that I don't think we will ever live down.
I cannot tell you how much doubt was consistently directed at the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers and how much pressure was put on news organizations to couch those numbers as unreliable.
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Biden himself said they were fabricated!
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
IDF accepts Gaza Health Ministry death toll of over 71,000 Palestinians killed in the war
Although Many International Experts Have Accepted the Health Ministry's Data as Reliable, and Even Conservative Relative to the True Death Toll, Israel Had Refused to Accept the Health Ministry's Coun...
www.haaretz.com
January 29, 2026 at 4:41 PM
This was—and continues to be—a genocide. And Canada was—and continues to be—complicit. A moral stain on our country that I don't think we will ever live down.