David Byron
@dcbyron.bsky.social
Cloud engineer in gov/mil cybersecurity.
Thinking and writing about art history, interpretation, magic, poetry, satire…
Thinking and writing about art history, interpretation, magic, poetry, satire…
Reposted by David Byron
Reposted by David Byron
Marcel Duchamp, "In Advance of the Broken Arm," 1915 www.moma.org/collection/w...
January 26, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Marcel Duchamp, "In Advance of the Broken Arm," 1915 www.moma.org/collection/w...
Reposted by David Byron
I wish we had a tradition of PMQ in the United States. Drag the president down to the House and have an adversarial setting for weekly examinations.
January 25, 2026 at 2:31 PM
I wish we had a tradition of PMQ in the United States. Drag the president down to the House and have an adversarial setting for weekly examinations.
Reposted by David Byron
There’s nothing wrong with simple first-order responses like “That’s bad”, “That’s stupid” or “Stop” to the WH penguin thing. People might say “lol you are just being trolled [by the Executive of the world’s most powerful country]”. To which I must reply, “That’s bad”, “That’s stupid”, or “Stop”.
January 24, 2026 at 8:57 AM
There’s nothing wrong with simple first-order responses like “That’s bad”, “That’s stupid” or “Stop” to the WH penguin thing. People might say “lol you are just being trolled [by the Executive of the world’s most powerful country]”. To which I must reply, “That’s bad”, “That’s stupid”, or “Stop”.
Reposted by David Byron
Please don’t assume female ancient historians do “gender stuff” just because we are women. It is an incredibly important area of study but I do Roman law, collective action, and the Roman economy. Thank you for your attention to this stereotype.
January 24, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Please don’t assume female ancient historians do “gender stuff” just because we are women. It is an incredibly important area of study but I do Roman law, collective action, and the Roman economy. Thank you for your attention to this stereotype.
The ICEman Crimeth
from what I can see, the video shows a beating followed by an execution.
January 24, 2026 at 4:13 PM
The ICEman Crimeth
Reposted by David Byron
You may think this Board of Peace thing is a way to pay Trump bribes, and it is, but because that’s not maximally stupid I think the actual purpose is to give Trump a Board of Peace Prize.
January 24, 2026 at 1:46 AM
You may think this Board of Peace thing is a way to pay Trump bribes, and it is, but because that’s not maximally stupid I think the actual purpose is to give Trump a Board of Peace Prize.
Reposted by David Byron
Orin is probably the preeminent fourth amendment scholar in the United States. He is also extremely professional. This is the way he says "I wish a bitch would try"
This DHS memorandum says that the DHS General Counsel's office has adopted a new position that the Fourth Amendment allows entry into the home to make an arrest just based on an administrative warrant.
I would like to see that argument.
documentcloud.org/documents/26...
I would like to see that argument.
documentcloud.org/documents/26...
January 22, 2026 at 1:36 AM
Orin is probably the preeminent fourth amendment scholar in the United States. He is also extremely professional. This is the way he says "I wish a bitch would try"
Reposted by David Byron
Let’s talk about abolishing ICE.
Very few people who say “abolish ICE” mean “abandon all immigration enforcement.” Rather, they mean “the structure of immigration enforcement is irretrievably broken and needs to be reorganized, just like we did 23 years ago when we created ICE.”
/1
Very few people who say “abolish ICE” mean “abandon all immigration enforcement.” Rather, they mean “the structure of immigration enforcement is irretrievably broken and needs to be reorganized, just like we did 23 years ago when we created ICE.”
/1
January 14, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Let’s talk about abolishing ICE.
Very few people who say “abolish ICE” mean “abandon all immigration enforcement.” Rather, they mean “the structure of immigration enforcement is irretrievably broken and needs to be reorganized, just like we did 23 years ago when we created ICE.”
/1
Very few people who say “abolish ICE” mean “abandon all immigration enforcement.” Rather, they mean “the structure of immigration enforcement is irretrievably broken and needs to be reorganized, just like we did 23 years ago when we created ICE.”
/1
Reposted by David Byron
The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.
January 11, 2026 at 3:19 PM
The message from the White House this morning is that, once again, it falls on ordinary American citizens to remain calm and professional when dealing with the heavily armed agents of the government because they are very emotional and might fly off into a murderous rage at the slightest insult.
Reposted by David Byron
Käthe Kollwitz, "Woman Sharpening a Scythe," 1905, from Walker Art Center collection, Minneapolis
January 10, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Käthe Kollwitz, "Woman Sharpening a Scythe," 1905, from Walker Art Center collection, Minneapolis
Reposted by David Byron
Common Sense by Thomas Paine, published anonymously on this day 250 years ago.
January 10, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Common Sense by Thomas Paine, published anonymously on this day 250 years ago.
Reposted by David Byron
So @hcrichardson.bsky.social has a post reviewing WWII War Department pamphlets teaching troops about how to spot and resist fascism. They seem awfully relevant. Give it a read, but mind Heather doesn’t steal your wife.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-9-...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-9-...
January 9, 2026
Beginning in 1943, the War Department published a series of pamphlets for U.S.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:40 AM
So @hcrichardson.bsky.social has a post reviewing WWII War Department pamphlets teaching troops about how to spot and resist fascism. They seem awfully relevant. Give it a read, but mind Heather doesn’t steal your wife.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-9-...
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/january-9-...
Reposted by David Byron
BREAKING: Explosions felt across New York City as full socialism begins
January 1, 2026 at 5:10 AM
BREAKING: Explosions felt across New York City as full socialism begins
Reposted by David Byron
Gregory of Tours describing a historical event
▶️🔘───────── 00:07
Gregory of Tours about that one guy miraculously healed from hiccups, St Martin be praised
▶️🔘───────── 7:35:12
▶️🔘───────── 00:07
Gregory of Tours about that one guy miraculously healed from hiccups, St Martin be praised
▶️🔘───────── 7:35:12
November 14, 2024 at 11:07 AM
Gregory of Tours describing a historical event
▶️🔘───────── 00:07
Gregory of Tours about that one guy miraculously healed from hiccups, St Martin be praised
▶️🔘───────── 7:35:12
▶️🔘───────── 00:07
Gregory of Tours about that one guy miraculously healed from hiccups, St Martin be praised
▶️🔘───────── 7:35:12
Reposted by David Byron
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
December 22, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
Reposted by David Byron
I have never, once in my career, heard of a news org responding to a decline-to-comment with, “Well, we’ll hold it until you do.”
The reason is obvious — it gives the subject of your story a pocket veto.
The reason is obvious — it gives the subject of your story a pocket veto.
December 22, 2025 at 2:48 AM
I have never, once in my career, heard of a news org responding to a decline-to-comment with, “Well, we’ll hold it until you do.”
The reason is obvious — it gives the subject of your story a pocket veto.
The reason is obvious — it gives the subject of your story a pocket veto.
“…As such, I have decided to become a professional pirate. It has always been a dream of mine to live the life of a swashbuckling corsair, beholden to none and master of all I survey. Once my crew of unabashed rogues is assembled, we shall take to the capacious expanse of the high seas to pursue….”
Apparently this is not the onion: www.lee.senate.gov/2025/12/patr...
December 20, 2025 at 4:26 AM
“…As such, I have decided to become a professional pirate. It has always been a dream of mine to live the life of a swashbuckling corsair, beholden to none and master of all I survey. Once my crew of unabashed rogues is assembled, we shall take to the capacious expanse of the high seas to pursue….”
Reposted by David Byron
‘Egyptian sculpture – look again – is not stiff. Bodies made by the best Egyptian sculptors strike a unique balance between composure and intimation of movement.’
T.J. Clark views a kouros at the Met.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
T.J. Clark views a kouros at the Met.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
T.J. Clark · A Kouros at the Met
The kouros in the Met was almost certainly a soldier: he has stepped out of his armour into his skin. The idea of...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
‘Egyptian sculpture – look again – is not stiff. Bodies made by the best Egyptian sculptors strike a unique balance between composure and intimation of movement.’
T.J. Clark views a kouros at the Met.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
T.J. Clark views a kouros at the Met.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by David Byron
It has been a remarkable year of discoveries. From ancient Pompeii, to the medieval Avars, to the American Southwest. Plus some advances in 3D organization of ancient genomes and an ancient disease with unexpected roots. And lots about Denisovans!
www.johnhawks.net/p/top-10-dis...
www.johnhawks.net/p/top-10-dis...
Top 10 discoveries about ancient people from DNA in 2025
In a year full of Denisovan discoveries, I look at some of the top highlights of research.
www.johnhawks.net
December 19, 2025 at 3:21 PM
It has been a remarkable year of discoveries. From ancient Pompeii, to the medieval Avars, to the American Southwest. Plus some advances in 3D organization of ancient genomes and an ancient disease with unexpected roots. And lots about Denisovans!
www.johnhawks.net/p/top-10-dis...
www.johnhawks.net/p/top-10-dis...
Reposted by David Byron
It's time! Behold the Christmas hedgehog! From Verdun, Bibl. mun., ms. 0107, f. 008. Our thanks as always to @etreharne.bsky.social who found her.
December 18, 2025 at 3:29 PM
It's time! Behold the Christmas hedgehog! From Verdun, Bibl. mun., ms. 0107, f. 008. Our thanks as always to @etreharne.bsky.social who found her.
Reposted by David Byron
When Rob Reiner was on his all-time epic run at the start of his career, he had an opportunity to read a script that was looking for a production partner, and he lost his mind for it. He decided Castle Rock had to have it, no matter what.
December 15, 2025 at 7:37 AM
When Rob Reiner was on his all-time epic run at the start of his career, he had an opportunity to read a script that was looking for a production partner, and he lost his mind for it. He decided Castle Rock had to have it, no matter what.
Reposted by David Byron
Working on finalizing my next #HarryHoudini book covering the years 1900-1909. If anyone has any Houdini material from these years that you think might be helpful, I'd love to see it! This book is topping 600 pages, but it can be longer! Thanks.
December 15, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Working on finalizing my next #HarryHoudini book covering the years 1900-1909. If anyone has any Houdini material from these years that you think might be helpful, I'd love to see it! This book is topping 600 pages, but it can be longer! Thanks.