Constant Fractal
@nfb42.bsky.social
Fan of reading, writing, gaming and all that!
Reposted by Constant Fractal
December 19, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Reposted by Constant Fractal
With Communion bowls in hand, a group of California bishops walked through the barbed wire gates of the ICE Processing Center and offered Jesus to the men locked inside.
California bishops celebrate 'very powerful' Mass for detainees in ICE facility
With Communion bowls in hand, a group of California bishops walked through the barbed wire gates of the ICE Processing Center and offered Jesus to the men locked inside. This moment of the Mass, celeb...
bit.ly
December 19, 2025 at 1:21 AM
With Communion bowls in hand, a group of California bishops walked through the barbed wire gates of the ICE Processing Center and offered Jesus to the men locked inside.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
New publication with @turnbulldugarte.com in @psrm.bsky.social! 🧵
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
December 19, 2025 at 12:47 PM
New publication with @turnbulldugarte.com in @psrm.bsky.social! 🧵
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
We study whether citizens’ liberal values are selective: do people support policies based on who promotes them?
Short answer: Yes, and it's driven by ethnic out-group disidentification. (1/11) 👇
doi.org/10.1017/psrm...
Reposted by Constant Fractal
given rising global populism — and tendency to demonize people with little power in society — worth reflecting that the hero in Australia's mass shooting was a Syrian refugee, and the key witness in the Brown University shooting was a homeless man
December 19, 2025 at 4:05 PM
given rising global populism — and tendency to demonize people with little power in society — worth reflecting that the hero in Australia's mass shooting was a Syrian refugee, and the key witness in the Brown University shooting was a homeless man
Reposted by Constant Fractal
🚨 History buffs of the Holy Roman Empire: We built an app to visualize rulers' itineraries between 919 and 1519 based on the Regesta Imperii. Thank you @albertwendsjo.bsky.social for all the help!
Explore here: carlmc.shinyapps.io/hre-itinerar...
Please let us know of any issues and feedback!
Explore here: carlmc.shinyapps.io/hre-itinerar...
Please let us know of any issues and feedback!
December 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM
🚨 History buffs of the Holy Roman Empire: We built an app to visualize rulers' itineraries between 919 and 1519 based on the Regesta Imperii. Thank you @albertwendsjo.bsky.social for all the help!
Explore here: carlmc.shinyapps.io/hre-itinerar...
Please let us know of any issues and feedback!
Explore here: carlmc.shinyapps.io/hre-itinerar...
Please let us know of any issues and feedback!
Come for the history, stay for the discussion of which comics superhero is most like St. Nick. 😆
new episode alert! in this one @profgabriele.com talks with @anotheraspirin.bsky.social about St. Nicholas!
basically he became the folk hero (eventually Santa Claus) because he was a rich guy who was nice to people and helped them with his $....
CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING???
pca.st/9sueq4cp
basically he became the folk hero (eventually Santa Claus) because he was a rich guy who was nice to people and helped them with his $....
CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING???
pca.st/9sueq4cp
St. Nicholas (Santa?) with Rutger Kramer
pca.st
December 17, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Come for the history, stay for the discussion of which comics superhero is most like St. Nick. 😆
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Opinie: Een dependance van het Rijksmuseum in Eindhoven? Zinloze eenheidsworst en cultuurmonopolie
Opinie: Een dependance van het Rijksmuseum in Eindhoven? Zinloze eenheidsworst en cultuurmonopolie
www.volkskrant.nl
December 16, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Opinie: Een dependance van het Rijksmuseum in Eindhoven? Zinloze eenheidsworst en cultuurmonopolie
Reposted by Constant Fractal
So the world of unabashedly villainous US foreign policy is a worse world for everyone else. Except for autocrats and corrupt regimes, of course, for them it’s a dream come true.
December 16, 2025 at 11:28 AM
So the world of unabashedly villainous US foreign policy is a worse world for everyone else. Except for autocrats and corrupt regimes, of course, for them it’s a dream come true.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
it drives me crazy that the preferred solution for these guys to ostensibly avoid war is to return to the world order and social structures that gave us 100% of prior World Wars
December 16, 2025 at 1:04 AM
it drives me crazy that the preferred solution for these guys to ostensibly avoid war is to return to the world order and social structures that gave us 100% of prior World Wars
Reposted by Constant Fractal
I’ve blocked about 10 people in the last hour just for being obnoxious in threads that have nothing to do with me. I think this is one of the reasons I enjoy blue sky so much: I have muted or blocked so many jerks and potential jerks.
December 15, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I’ve blocked about 10 people in the last hour just for being obnoxious in threads that have nothing to do with me. I think this is one of the reasons I enjoy blue sky so much: I have muted or blocked so many jerks and potential jerks.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Wake up sweetie, new defense of creedal nationalism just dropped (seriously, what a fucking hero)
Ahmed al Ahmed, the man who tackled one of the Bondi killers, became an Australian citizen 3 years ago.
His deed was "his way of conveying his gratitude for staying in Australia, for being granted citizenship."
He took 5 bullets, and fears he'll lose his left arm.
www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...
His deed was "his way of conveying his gratitude for staying in Australia, for being granted citizenship."
He took 5 bullets, and fears he'll lose his left arm.
www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...
December 15, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Wake up sweetie, new defense of creedal nationalism just dropped (seriously, what a fucking hero)
Reposted by Constant Fractal
As I like to sum it up (simplistically, but with a point)
--In Engineering all that matters is whether the bolt works, whether it passes the required stress tests, NOT who made it.
-- In Humanities, who said something is the foundational question without which there can be no true knowledge 10/
--In Engineering all that matters is whether the bolt works, whether it passes the required stress tests, NOT who made it.
-- In Humanities, who said something is the foundational question without which there can be no true knowledge 10/
December 14, 2025 at 12:32 PM
As I like to sum it up (simplistically, but with a point)
--In Engineering all that matters is whether the bolt works, whether it passes the required stress tests, NOT who made it.
-- In Humanities, who said something is the foundational question without which there can be no true knowledge 10/
--In Engineering all that matters is whether the bolt works, whether it passes the required stress tests, NOT who made it.
-- In Humanities, who said something is the foundational question without which there can be no true knowledge 10/
Reposted by Constant Fractal
This is an example of much needed nuance in discussions of the “Danish model” (= pundits arguing the centre-left should go hard right on immigration), in this case from a Dutch perspective. To recap the main points in English: (1/7)
Is er écht een verband tussen de verkiezingszeges van de Deense sociaaldemocraten en hun immigratiebeleid?
Is er écht een verband tussen de verkiezingszeges van de Deense sociaaldemocraten en hun immigratiebeleid?
www.volkskrant.nl
December 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM
This is an example of much needed nuance in discussions of the “Danish model” (= pundits arguing the centre-left should go hard right on immigration), in this case from a Dutch perspective. To recap the main points in English: (1/7)
Reposted by Constant Fractal
De 5 beste plekken om naartoe te emigreren nadat je 'jij ook' zei toen ober je smakelijk eten wenste
De 5 beste plekken om naartoe te emigreren nadat je 'jij ook' zei toen ober je smakelijk eten wenste
Iedereen heeft het weleens meegemaakt:
speld.nl
December 13, 2025 at 11:02 AM
De 5 beste plekken om naartoe te emigreren nadat je 'jij ook' zei toen ober je smakelijk eten wenste
Reposted by Constant Fractal
"They have betrayed the values that made that society great, values which they apparently only ever held superficially"
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
“Now he has betrayed the very system that made his success possible; the system in which he and a handful of others like him have profited disproportionately relative to their contribution.” www.liberalcurrents.com/marc-andrees...
Marc Andreessen Is a Traitor
It is the tech oligarchs, not young radicals, who have turned against the system that made them.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 12, 2025 at 10:15 PM
"They have betrayed the values that made that society great, values which they apparently only ever held superficially"
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
no, no, james, you've got this all wrong, we should turn *more* of the military over to people whose primary qualification for leadership has been their ability to bullshit investors long enough to sell the company before it goes bankrupt, i thought you were a clausewitz guy, you should know this
Dude have you considered that a Silicon Valley company of 80 people has more flexibility than an organization of 2 million people? Wow. Lots to think about.
December 13, 2025 at 12:27 AM
no, no, james, you've got this all wrong, we should turn *more* of the military over to people whose primary qualification for leadership has been their ability to bullshit investors long enough to sell the company before it goes bankrupt, i thought you were a clausewitz guy, you should know this
Reposted by Constant Fractal
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
December 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
Reposted by Constant Fractal
I am a better writer than Nuzzi, and it's not close, and this isn't me being arrogant. And yet, she's editor of Vanity Fair and I'm just about barely scraping by in cowtown
The thing that really annoys me about how we all keep talking about Olivia Nuzzi is that she’s just fucking dumb.
She’s not a good writer. She has no insightful analysis. She’s not keyed into a specific niche. I gained absolutely nothing from reading anything she’s written. LLM slop is more useful
She’s not a good writer. She has no insightful analysis. She’s not keyed into a specific niche. I gained absolutely nothing from reading anything she’s written. LLM slop is more useful
Not that it should really matter but it's striking how much better Lizza is as a writer than Nuzzi - I'm even kinda coming around on the introductory bamboo metaphor.
December 12, 2025 at 6:55 AM
I am a better writer than Nuzzi, and it's not close, and this isn't me being arrogant. And yet, she's editor of Vanity Fair and I'm just about barely scraping by in cowtown
Reposted by Constant Fractal
I really do have to just say The Last Unicorn, as much as I may love True Grit or The Big Lebowski.
December 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
I really do have to just say The Last Unicorn, as much as I may love True Grit or The Big Lebowski.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Okay, as promised, here are my 25 boardgames that would make good presents for historians or the historically-inclined.
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
December 11, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Okay, as promised, here are my 25 boardgames that would make good presents for historians or the historically-inclined.
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Nico Mantje was 28 jaar priester, maar werd verliefd, en verbrak het celibaat. ‘Ik wist gewoon: met haar kan ik altijd blijven praten’
Nico Mantje was 28 jaar priester, maar werd verliefd, en verbrak het celibaat. ‘Ik wist gewoon: met haar kan ik altijd blijven praten’
Priester Nico Mantje voert sinds dit jaar geen priesterstaken meer uit. De reden: hij was verliefd geworden. ‘Ik kon mijn gevoelens niet meer wegstoppen.’
www.trouw.nl
December 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Nico Mantje was 28 jaar priester, maar werd verliefd, en verbrak het celibaat. ‘Ik wist gewoon: met haar kan ik altijd blijven praten’
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Pope Leo critical of Trump attitude toward Europe
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
Pope Leo critical of Trump attitude towards Europe
Speaking outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV said recent remarks by President Trump seemed to be “trying to break apart what I think needs to be a very important alliance today and ...
www.nbcnews.com
December 9, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Pope Leo critical of Trump attitude toward Europe
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
Reposted by Constant Fractal
The advantage of a democracy is not that the people never make a bad choice.
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
December 9, 2025 at 11:42 PM
The advantage of a democracy is not that the people never make a bad choice.
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
Reposted by Constant Fractal
It is my opinion that people should focus more on
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“
December 6, 2025 at 8:18 PM
It is my opinion that people should focus more on
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“