Elf M. Sternberg
@elfsternberg.bsky.social
Husband to a gorgeous wife, father to two great kids, greying leatherfairy, infamous furry, and world-class software engineer. If you can read this, you're running code I wrote.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
Read this sentence slowly:
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
As Bernie Sanders Comes to California, Wealth Tax Opponents Intensify Efforts
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Read this sentence slowly:
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
"Beware of dog." Gotta be careful of Denver. You might get licked.
February 18, 2026 at 2:19 AM
"Beware of dog." Gotta be careful of Denver. You might get licked.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
My exact point right here.
February 18, 2026 at 1:09 AM
My exact point right here.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
February 17, 2026 at 7:31 PM
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
So, you know the Mission: Impossible theme, with it's four note, "Baaam, Baaam, BompBomp" opening? You could write that, oh, I dunno, like this:
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
February 17, 2026 at 11:30 PM
So, you know the Mission: Impossible theme, with it's four note, "Baaam, Baaam, BompBomp" opening? You could write that, oh, I dunno, like this:
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
Electric vehicle batteries are slowly coming down in cost. But there's a quicker way automakers are trying to make their EVs more affordable.
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Why EV-Makers Are Suddenly Obsessed With Wires
Batteries can only get so small so fast. But there’s more than one way to get weight out of an electric car.
heatmap.news
February 17, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Electric vehicle batteries are slowly coming down in cost. But there's a quicker way automakers are trying to make their EVs more affordable.
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
It is 1996. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
February 17, 2026 at 8:22 PM
It is 1996. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
AI writing facilitates "semantic ablation:" the slow removal of the spiky, quirky, humane way of writing, of having a writer's voice and your own weird fleet of metaphors, favorite words and phrases, memorized movie quotes and lyrics, and replacing all that with the most boring, most average words.
February 17, 2026 at 8:30 PM
AI writing facilitates "semantic ablation:" the slow removal of the spiky, quirky, humane way of writing, of having a writer's voice and your own weird fleet of metaphors, favorite words and phrases, memorized movie quotes and lyrics, and replacing all that with the most boring, most average words.
You have to wonder if the guys who wrote Postgres back in 1986 ever expected a day when PostgreSQL and its protocols would form the backbone of the entire information economy: devnewsletter.com/p/state-of-d...
State of Databases 2026
Databricks bought Neon for $1B, AI agents created 80% of its databases, PostgreSQL hit 55.6%, and Valkey beat Redis 3x.
devnewsletter.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:25 PM
You have to wonder if the guys who wrote Postgres back in 1986 ever expected a day when PostgreSQL and its protocols would form the backbone of the entire information economy: devnewsletter.com/p/state-of-d...
NVidia introduced "tiles," computational units that allow for different parts of your GPU to do different tasks simultaneously. Rust programmers can now take advantage of that and write asynchronous, cross-die code on the GPU: www.vectorware.com/blog/async-a...
Async/await on the GPU
GPU code can now use Rust's async/await. We share the reasons why and what this unlocks for GPU programming.
www.vectorware.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:22 PM
NVidia introduced "tiles," computational units that allow for different parts of your GPU to do different tasks simultaneously. Rust programmers can now take advantage of that and write asynchronous, cross-die code on the GPU: www.vectorware.com/blog/async-a...
The Russian economy has entered the "eating its own seed corn" phase, a downward spiral in which the reserves intended to buffer against disaster have themselves become the last reserves of a state that cannot collect enough to survive. There is no backup.
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
Russia’s economy has entered the death zone
Alexandra Prokopenko wonders how much longer it can go on metabolising its own muscle tissue
www.economist.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:19 PM
The Russian economy has entered the "eating its own seed corn" phase, a downward spiral in which the reserves intended to buffer against disaster have themselves become the last reserves of a state that cannot collect enough to survive. There is no backup.
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
Only because he's going to end "Presidential History" if this goes on.
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...
MAGA Cultists Gush That Trump Is The "Most Consequential President In History'
Asked to name their favorite president, MAGA cultists Lance Wallnau, Mark Meckler, and Rick Green all gush over Trump: "I believe Donald J. Trump will go down in history as being the most impacting tr...
www.peoplefor.org
February 17, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Only because he's going to end "Presidential History" if this goes on.
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...
Just a reminder that "porn addiction" doesn't exist. "Porn addiction" is a mask for being horny and being taught to be ashamed of being horny. That's all it is.
quorumreport.com/quorum_repor...
quorumreport.com/quorum_repor...
Quorum Report: Abbott backed candidate for Texas Ag Commissioner opens up on the campaign trail about his alcoholism, porn addiction, and an extramarital affair
In response to revelations about Nate Sheets Commissioner Millers campaign laid it on thick saying they would not be speaking further on the recent revelat
quorumreport.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Just a reminder that "porn addiction" doesn't exist. "Porn addiction" is a mask for being horny and being taught to be ashamed of being horny. That's all it is.
quorumreport.com/quorum_repor...
quorumreport.com/quorum_repor...
"[April 21, 2024] Trailer debuts for first all-AI movie, Next Stop Paris, a romance for TLC television from producer of Sharknado movies."
Wait, what? lareviewofbooks.org/article/as-h...
Wait, what? lareviewofbooks.org/article/as-h...
The End of Cinema? | Los Angeles Review of Books
Amid cinema’s decline, two new books by A. S. Hamrah resist defeatism.
lareviewofbooks.org
February 17, 2026 at 8:15 PM
"[April 21, 2024] Trailer debuts for first all-AI movie, Next Stop Paris, a romance for TLC television from producer of Sharknado movies."
Wait, what? lareviewofbooks.org/article/as-h...
Wait, what? lareviewofbooks.org/article/as-h...
I have chronic shoulder pain after a rotator tear suffered during a fall while hiking. The criteria for what constitutes a "bad shoulder" is so broad almost everyone over 40 has one, but most people don't have pain: arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
99% of adults over 40 have shoulder "abnormalities" on an MRI, study finds
Some adults over 40 have shoulder pain, but nearly all have "abnormal" joints.
arstechnica.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:10 PM
I have chronic shoulder pain after a rotator tear suffered during a fall while hiking. The criteria for what constitutes a "bad shoulder" is so broad almost everyone over 40 has one, but most people don't have pain: arstechnica.com/health/2026/...
Anthropic is deeply troubled that many Pentagon systems are using Claude AI, and has attempted to limit or constrain the use of its AI in military decisions. The Republican Administrations says that anyone who partners with them must be willing to do what they command.
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
Exclusive: Pentagon warns Anthropic will "pay a price" as feud escalates
The Pentagon may label Anthropic a "supply chain risk," forcing all its vendors to sever ties.
www.axios.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Anthropic is deeply troubled that many Pentagon systems are using Claude AI, and has attempted to limit or constrain the use of its AI in military decisions. The Republican Administrations says that anyone who partners with them must be willing to do what they command.
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
www.axios.com/2026/02/16/a...
The FBI has formally notified the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that it will not cooperate with the state in the investigation of the shooting of Alex Pretti, and that any evidence it has collected will not be handed over.
crooksandliars.com/2026/02/fbi-...
crooksandliars.com/2026/02/fbi-...
FBI Officially Says It Won't Give Local Investigators Evidence In DHS Shooting Cases
The FBI has officially notified Minnesota officials that it will not provide evidence from the shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti to local law enforcement.
crooksandliars.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:05 PM
The FBI has formally notified the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension that it will not cooperate with the state in the investigation of the shooting of Alex Pretti, and that any evidence it has collected will not be handed over.
crooksandliars.com/2026/02/fbi-...
crooksandliars.com/2026/02/fbi-...
Good. New Mexico was barred from investigation a 1996 complaint of multiple sexual assaults by the feds, who were conducting their own investigation. The feds never actually moved forward, so New Mexico is going forward with its own investigation.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
New Mexico approves comprehensive probe of Epstein’s Zorro Ranch
The so-called truth commission seeks to identify ranch guests and state officials who may have known what was going on at the 7,600-acre property.
www.nbcnews.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Good. New Mexico was barred from investigation a 1996 complaint of multiple sexual assaults by the feds, who were conducting their own investigation. The feds never actually moved forward, so New Mexico is going forward with its own investigation.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
I was never a Grindr kind of queer, but this is sad: Grindr introduces GAI (pronounced "Gay-I") at $500 a month (WTF?) to help you hook up. This looks like enshittification run wild. Someone should start an alternative service.
www.vox.com/culture/4791...
www.vox.com/culture/4791...
Is Grindr Dead?
Grindr changed gay hookups. Now, ads, bots, AI, and cultural ubiquity have turned it into a ghost town.
www.vox.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:58 PM
I was never a Grindr kind of queer, but this is sad: Grindr introduces GAI (pronounced "Gay-I") at $500 a month (WTF?) to help you hook up. This looks like enshittification run wild. Someone should start an alternative service.
www.vox.com/culture/4791...
www.vox.com/culture/4791...
The mouseover text references "FOE." FOE is "51ERGS," 10⁵¹ ergs or 10⁴⁴ Joules, the typical energy released by an "average" supernova. 10⁻⁴⁰ FOE is the equivalent of being hit by a 2.5Mton car doing 90KPH.
xkcd.com/3208/
xkcd.com/3208/
SNEWS
xkcd.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:54 PM
The mouseover text references "FOE." FOE is "51ERGS," 10⁵¹ ergs or 10⁴⁴ Joules, the typical energy released by an "average" supernova. 10⁻⁴⁰ FOE is the equivalent of being hit by a 2.5Mton car doing 90KPH.
xkcd.com/3208/
xkcd.com/3208/
PZ Meyers highlights the lyrics in what Lee Brice sang at the TPUSA "counter-halftime-show." You've got to admire the honesty: "I want to live in a country where trans people don't exist and I'm allowed to be pro-gun without having to defend myself."
Tremble!
freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2...
Tremble!
freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2...
How bad can country-western music be?
I just heard another musical performance from the Toilet Paper USA alternative half-time show, this time by Lee Brice. It’s a perfect caricature of a country-western song. I just want to catc…
freethoughtblogs.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:42 PM
PZ Meyers highlights the lyrics in what Lee Brice sang at the TPUSA "counter-halftime-show." You've got to admire the honesty: "I want to live in a country where trans people don't exist and I'm allowed to be pro-gun without having to defend myself."
Tremble!
freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2...
Tremble!
freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2...
You will now crumble into dust. JWZ reminds us that "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" is 25 years old today: archive.org/details/flas...
All your base are belong to us : The Laziest Men on Mars, Bad_CRC : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
All your base are belong to us is a popular Internet meme based on a phrase found in the opening cutscene of the European release of the 1992 Mega...
archive.org
February 17, 2026 at 7:36 PM
You will now crumble into dust. JWZ reminds us that "All Your Base Are Belong To Us" is 25 years old today: archive.org/details/flas...
The Republican Department of Homeland Security sends hundreds of "administrative warrants" to Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Discord, demanding the names and identities of people who have criticized the Republican Administration.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:33 PM
The Republican Department of Homeland Security sends hundreds of "administrative warrants" to Google, Facebook, Reddit, and Discord, demanding the names and identities of people who have criticized the Republican Administration.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...
MAGA billionaire who said two years ago that Trump would "stop companies sending jobs to China" is shutting down his factory in Ohio and sending 150 union jobs to China.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Trump donor who criticized offshoring to close Ohio plant and move work to China
Workers decried John Paulson’s plan after billionaire painted himself as advocate for domestic manufacturing
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:31 PM
MAGA billionaire who said two years ago that Trump would "stop companies sending jobs to China" is shutting down his factory in Ohio and sending 150 union jobs to China.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Some things are just charming. For example, this 1997 classroom exercise in writing a Mandelbrot generator in Fortran 77, then re-writing in in Fortran 90, then outputting the final result to PNM greyscale:
phys.uri.edu/~nigh/HTMLHP...
phys.uri.edu/~nigh/HTMLHP...
The Mandelbrot Set - courtesy of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre.
The Mandelbrot Set - courtesy of Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre.
phys.uri.edu
February 17, 2026 at 6:14 PM
Some things are just charming. For example, this 1997 classroom exercise in writing a Mandelbrot generator in Fortran 77, then re-writing in in Fortran 90, then outputting the final result to PNM greyscale:
phys.uri.edu/~nigh/HTMLHP...
phys.uri.edu/~nigh/HTMLHP...