@mkbinder.bsky.social
A non-state CBRN use researcher.
With all kinds of other eclectic interests and opinions. Which I generally manage to keep to myself.
With all kinds of other eclectic interests and opinions. Which I generally manage to keep to myself.
IIRC, in the later seasons he moved from jealous arse to legitimately creepy psycho.
January 8, 2026 at 3:42 AM
IIRC, in the later seasons he moved from jealous arse to legitimately creepy psycho.
If Newsmax is going this low in terms of authoritarian bootlicking I hate to think what OANN is pumping out.
January 8, 2026 at 12:56 AM
If Newsmax is going this low in terms of authoritarian bootlicking I hate to think what OANN is pumping out.
OMFG!! Synthetic leather is VINYL.
January 7, 2026 at 4:36 AM
OMFG!! Synthetic leather is VINYL.
also most of them appear to only really be interested in sportscars, leading to painfully ridiculous complaints about cars that aren't.
January 7, 2026 at 4:34 AM
also most of them appear to only really be interested in sportscars, leading to painfully ridiculous complaints about cars that aren't.
It's amusing the way US YouTube auto-reviewers resolutely pretend that there is no available information about cars that are coming to the US market, but have already been on sale in other markets for months.
January 7, 2026 at 4:33 AM
It's amusing the way US YouTube auto-reviewers resolutely pretend that there is no available information about cars that are coming to the US market, but have already been on sale in other markets for months.
There's something adorable about all of the you-tubers who have clearly watched the same training videos.
-look directly into camera
-take tiny steps toward camera
-do the triangle thing with your hands
- extend arms from elbow every few steps.
move but don't move too much.
-look directly into camera
-take tiny steps toward camera
-do the triangle thing with your hands
- extend arms from elbow every few steps.
move but don't move too much.
January 7, 2026 at 4:21 AM
There's something adorable about all of the you-tubers who have clearly watched the same training videos.
-look directly into camera
-take tiny steps toward camera
-do the triangle thing with your hands
- extend arms from elbow every few steps.
move but don't move too much.
-look directly into camera
-take tiny steps toward camera
-do the triangle thing with your hands
- extend arms from elbow every few steps.
move but don't move too much.
but it's not just the BG that were eugenicists though was it? There are also the Tielaxu, the Guild, and Mentat's seems to be a mix of training and some sort of breeding.
Not to mention the alluded to, though not expanded upon, competing "schools" that relied upon enhancing human capabilities.
Not to mention the alluded to, though not expanded upon, competing "schools" that relied upon enhancing human capabilities.
January 6, 2026 at 8:01 PM
but it's not just the BG that were eugenicists though was it? There are also the Tielaxu, the Guild, and Mentat's seems to be a mix of training and some sort of breeding.
Not to mention the alluded to, though not expanded upon, competing "schools" that relied upon enhancing human capabilities.
Not to mention the alluded to, though not expanded upon, competing "schools" that relied upon enhancing human capabilities.
Good point. Also, that labor force gets essentially zero training.
And maintenance programs are extremely inconsistent from place to place.
And maintenance programs are extremely inconsistent from place to place.
January 6, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Good point. Also, that labor force gets essentially zero training.
And maintenance programs are extremely inconsistent from place to place.
And maintenance programs are extremely inconsistent from place to place.
Bodies are mass-produced prototypes.
Alas, the design team got fired and now all we get are cosmetic refreshes rather than the sorely needed redesign.
And clearly the team working on knees was really phoning it in. 😖
Alas, the design team got fired and now all we get are cosmetic refreshes rather than the sorely needed redesign.
And clearly the team working on knees was really phoning it in. 😖
January 6, 2026 at 6:50 PM
Bodies are mass-produced prototypes.
Alas, the design team got fired and now all we get are cosmetic refreshes rather than the sorely needed redesign.
And clearly the team working on knees was really phoning it in. 😖
Alas, the design team got fired and now all we get are cosmetic refreshes rather than the sorely needed redesign.
And clearly the team working on knees was really phoning it in. 😖
In passing, despite Brian Herbert's "works", I speculatively wonder, how central was the Butlerian Jihad to embedding a neo-Feudal/eugenicist society/ regime in that fictional universe?
January 6, 2026 at 6:44 PM
In passing, despite Brian Herbert's "works", I speculatively wonder, how central was the Butlerian Jihad to embedding a neo-Feudal/eugenicist society/ regime in that fictional universe?
Potentially provocative nonpolitical opinion.
I like driving with a CVT, a LOT.
I like driving with a CVT, a LOT.
January 6, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Potentially provocative nonpolitical opinion.
I like driving with a CVT, a LOT.
I like driving with a CVT, a LOT.
Once again, I do not understand the way that US legislators abase themselves in service of Trump's whims & notions of the day or week.
He is not a Nero or Domitian who'll simply have them tortured & killed out of hand for opposing his will.
He is not a Nero or Domitian who'll simply have them tortured & killed out of hand for opposing his will.
January 6, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Once again, I do not understand the way that US legislators abase themselves in service of Trump's whims & notions of the day or week.
He is not a Nero or Domitian who'll simply have them tortured & killed out of hand for opposing his will.
He is not a Nero or Domitian who'll simply have them tortured & killed out of hand for opposing his will.
Hyundai announces plan to replace workers with robots, but says this won't result in price reductions because "labor at Hyundai accounts for about 5% to 10% of vehicle manufacturing costs."
Hey!! If labor is such an unimportant factor in costs why is it so hard to pay workers marginally more?
Hey!! If labor is such an unimportant factor in costs why is it so hard to pay workers marginally more?
January 6, 2026 at 2:23 AM
Hyundai announces plan to replace workers with robots, but says this won't result in price reductions because "labor at Hyundai accounts for about 5% to 10% of vehicle manufacturing costs."
Hey!! If labor is such an unimportant factor in costs why is it so hard to pay workers marginally more?
Hey!! If labor is such an unimportant factor in costs why is it so hard to pay workers marginally more?
And for the record, this isn't only a right problem.
The US left is full of people with a thoroughly imperialistic mindset, it's just that their reasons for seeking to govern & control the internal affairs of small countries are AOK & different, to them.
Leftist empires are entirely possible.
The US left is full of people with a thoroughly imperialistic mindset, it's just that their reasons for seeking to govern & control the internal affairs of small countries are AOK & different, to them.
Leftist empires are entirely possible.
January 5, 2026 at 11:40 PM
And for the record, this isn't only a right problem.
The US left is full of people with a thoroughly imperialistic mindset, it's just that their reasons for seeking to govern & control the internal affairs of small countries are AOK & different, to them.
Leftist empires are entirely possible.
The US left is full of people with a thoroughly imperialistic mindset, it's just that their reasons for seeking to govern & control the internal affairs of small countries are AOK & different, to them.
Leftist empires are entirely possible.
it's really a shame that folks in the USA don't get even a cursory education on 19th to 20th C imperialism. And other varieties.
Having said which, that won't protect you from malignant types who think empires were awesome for the conquered, but you might get a little more societal resistance.
Having said which, that won't protect you from malignant types who think empires were awesome for the conquered, but you might get a little more societal resistance.
Eyes wide open, folks. They're revealing the supervillain plot.
January 5, 2026 at 11:35 PM
it's really a shame that folks in the USA don't get even a cursory education on 19th to 20th C imperialism. And other varieties.
Having said which, that won't protect you from malignant types who think empires were awesome for the conquered, but you might get a little more societal resistance.
Having said which, that won't protect you from malignant types who think empires were awesome for the conquered, but you might get a little more societal resistance.
It's interesting that we appear to be moving to a "spheres of influence" international system.
And the focus is on the US & RU with the notion that Ukraine is part of the RU sphere.
But spheres overlap & clash in such a world, & the EU is going to seek to maintain a sphere of its own.
And the focus is on the US & RU with the notion that Ukraine is part of the RU sphere.
But spheres overlap & clash in such a world, & the EU is going to seek to maintain a sphere of its own.
January 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM
It's interesting that we appear to be moving to a "spheres of influence" international system.
And the focus is on the US & RU with the notion that Ukraine is part of the RU sphere.
But spheres overlap & clash in such a world, & the EU is going to seek to maintain a sphere of its own.
And the focus is on the US & RU with the notion that Ukraine is part of the RU sphere.
But spheres overlap & clash in such a world, & the EU is going to seek to maintain a sphere of its own.
Lamington booty, courtesy of the Australian Bakery Cafe in Marietta, GA.
Now, if I could persuade them to make pink ones.
Now, if I could persuade them to make pink ones.
January 3, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Lamington booty, courtesy of the Australian Bakery Cafe in Marietta, GA.
Now, if I could persuade them to make pink ones.
Now, if I could persuade them to make pink ones.
That's dark Dan, real dark.
And gets darker the more you think about.
And gets darker the more you think about.
January 3, 2026 at 5:50 PM
That's dark Dan, real dark.
And gets darker the more you think about.
And gets darker the more you think about.
Every time I come across the specifications of WW2, especially early WW2, vehicles I am astonished by the derisory levels of engine power they were getting around on.
24 HP for a one ton 4WD car.
91 HP for six wheel drive truck carrying 2,300kg.
265 HP for a 25 ton tank.
325 HP for a 40 ton tank.
24 HP for a one ton 4WD car.
91 HP for six wheel drive truck carrying 2,300kg.
265 HP for a 25 ton tank.
325 HP for a 40 ton tank.
January 3, 2026 at 5:57 AM
Every time I come across the specifications of WW2, especially early WW2, vehicles I am astonished by the derisory levels of engine power they were getting around on.
24 HP for a one ton 4WD car.
91 HP for six wheel drive truck carrying 2,300kg.
265 HP for a 25 ton tank.
325 HP for a 40 ton tank.
24 HP for a one ton 4WD car.
91 HP for six wheel drive truck carrying 2,300kg.
265 HP for a 25 ton tank.
325 HP for a 40 ton tank.
The Gattis, Moffatt, and Vertue Dracula is remarkable most of all for what an astonishing misfire it is.
Strong out of the gate, but then sliding into decrepitude.
Not to mention how VERY Gattis & Moffatt it is. Their unrelenting weakness is how very clever they think their writing is.
Strong out of the gate, but then sliding into decrepitude.
Not to mention how VERY Gattis & Moffatt it is. Their unrelenting weakness is how very clever they think their writing is.
January 2, 2026 at 3:02 AM
The Gattis, Moffatt, and Vertue Dracula is remarkable most of all for what an astonishing misfire it is.
Strong out of the gate, but then sliding into decrepitude.
Not to mention how VERY Gattis & Moffatt it is. Their unrelenting weakness is how very clever they think their writing is.
Strong out of the gate, but then sliding into decrepitude.
Not to mention how VERY Gattis & Moffatt it is. Their unrelenting weakness is how very clever they think their writing is.
How many of our modern troubles are the product of older men & women who can't distinguish between "things were better in the past" & "I was young & had no cares".
Nothing can bring your youth back bro.
And oppressing others won't do it either.
Nothing can bring your youth back bro.
And oppressing others won't do it either.
January 1, 2026 at 5:03 PM
How many of our modern troubles are the product of older men & women who can't distinguish between "things were better in the past" & "I was young & had no cares".
Nothing can bring your youth back bro.
And oppressing others won't do it either.
Nothing can bring your youth back bro.
And oppressing others won't do it either.
Workday may be great for HR, administrative or back office personnel who use it all the time as their core job.
But for an employee who only has to very rarely dip into it the whole system is actively user-hostile.
But for an employee who only has to very rarely dip into it the whole system is actively user-hostile.
December 31, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Workday may be great for HR, administrative or back office personnel who use it all the time as their core job.
But for an employee who only has to very rarely dip into it the whole system is actively user-hostile.
But for an employee who only has to very rarely dip into it the whole system is actively user-hostile.
Not just abolish ICE though.
The agency's employees, particularly upper and middle management, but also the low-level enforcers, will need to be unemployable by the state, or state contractors, or local LEO agencies. They'll just do it again.
Oh, and US Border Patrol, root & branch.
The agency's employees, particularly upper and middle management, but also the low-level enforcers, will need to be unemployable by the state, or state contractors, or local LEO agencies. They'll just do it again.
Oh, and US Border Patrol, root & branch.
December 31, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Not just abolish ICE though.
The agency's employees, particularly upper and middle management, but also the low-level enforcers, will need to be unemployable by the state, or state contractors, or local LEO agencies. They'll just do it again.
Oh, and US Border Patrol, root & branch.
The agency's employees, particularly upper and middle management, but also the low-level enforcers, will need to be unemployable by the state, or state contractors, or local LEO agencies. They'll just do it again.
Oh, and US Border Patrol, root & branch.
A fun feature of talking to 90%+ of American foreign affairs types is realizing the degree to which they simply don't see smaller countries as independent actors with agency.
Its not a rejection, its a complete blindspot.
And its not a meaningful conservative/progressive split thing either.
Its not a rejection, its a complete blindspot.
And its not a meaningful conservative/progressive split thing either.
December 30, 2025 at 9:54 PM
A fun feature of talking to 90%+ of American foreign affairs types is realizing the degree to which they simply don't see smaller countries as independent actors with agency.
Its not a rejection, its a complete blindspot.
And its not a meaningful conservative/progressive split thing either.
Its not a rejection, its a complete blindspot.
And its not a meaningful conservative/progressive split thing either.
Ultimately there is a public mindset problem.
And it infests the American public from HOA to nation.
- Want services, don't want to pay for services.
- Don't see need to spend money today to save money tomorrow.
- Why should I pay for something someone else uses.
That and the "they" problem.
And it infests the American public from HOA to nation.
- Want services, don't want to pay for services.
- Don't see need to spend money today to save money tomorrow.
- Why should I pay for something someone else uses.
That and the "they" problem.
December 30, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Ultimately there is a public mindset problem.
And it infests the American public from HOA to nation.
- Want services, don't want to pay for services.
- Don't see need to spend money today to save money tomorrow.
- Why should I pay for something someone else uses.
That and the "they" problem.
And it infests the American public from HOA to nation.
- Want services, don't want to pay for services.
- Don't see need to spend money today to save money tomorrow.
- Why should I pay for something someone else uses.
That and the "they" problem.