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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

@nicomaramckay.com

12K followers 610 following 18K posts

Historian in Tkaronto (Toronto). Likes bats, monsters, sincereposting, and alt text. Genderqueer. Trans. Autistic. 40s. 👬 🧛 nicomaramckay.com There will be typos. Ephemeral Record of trans and queer histories: patreon.com/ephemeralrecord

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · Oct 7

I added half a dozen new entries to the Bibliography of Medieval Trans Studies, with a shoutout to @tswingard.bsky.social who added a few things recently as well. (Thank you!!)

There are a ton of great resources on here, many of which are freely accessible.

Bibliography of Medieval Trans Studies

A Bibliography of Medieval Trans Studies This list builds on the works of several other great queer lists, namely: Lucy Allen's "A 'Queer Medieval' Reading List," Jeanne de Montbaston: Reading Mediev...

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Erin Biba @erinbiba.bsky.social · 6h

LMAOOOOO

A bunch of comedians tried to make up for their participation in the Riyadh comedy festival by donating their pay to Human Rights Watch and Human rights Watch was like “nah bitch we don’t want your dirty blood money” 😂😂 I’m dying

Human Rights Watch Doesn’t Want Any Riyadh Comedy Festival Money

Taking money from those who took money from Saudi Arabia would impact perception of the org’s independence.

www.vulture.com

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 10h

WAFFLES

Jay 🦋 @jay.bsky.team · 17h

Are you a lawyer? Do you enjoy working on small teams tackling big things? We’re hiring a senior counsel.

jobs.gem.com/bluesky/am9i...

Bluesky Jobs

jobs.gem.com

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

N.P. Thompson 🍁 @nptwrites.bsky.social · 12h

Holy crap, people. I'm going through this thing now and O.M.G. is it ever bad. It is COMPLETELY a "rah-rah-rah how do we do this bigger better faster more, and what laws and regulations should we rescind so companies can get rich faster doing it".

I'm really, really scared for us. 😔 #Canada

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 1d

Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.

If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:

Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership

Current status: Open from October 1 to October 31, 2025 Canada helped invent modern AI. To stay a leader—and protect our digital sovereignty—we're running a 30-day national sprint to shape a renewed...

ised-isde.canada.ca

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 12h

Because it was a sharp quip from a depressed person, or because it was Mastodon sincere?

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 12h

We have a winner. 👆

Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

chira 🎋 @artofchira.bsky.social · Jun 1

whenever i encounter people who say they can't understand shakespeare verses I always send them this clip from the 2019 Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 12h

It's so bad!

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 13h

Congrats! It sounds like a cool project!

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Brocky Horror Picture Show 🧟⚗️🪩 @queeralchemy.com · 1d

Listen to my interview on my community quilt project on CBC's Daybreak that aired this AM. Special thanks to Dionne Codrington who did an amazing job and was caring in her work and questions.

Yes, me complaining about the comité des sages made it to the interview!

www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

www.cbc.ca

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 15h

I don't know, I haven't seen or read that one yet, but you've got me intrigued.

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Mary Grace🕷️🕸️🎃👻 @emgeekay.bsky.social · 18h

"...the majority of the country’s museums (~1500) do not receive funding from the federal government even though there is public support for them to do so."

The same applies to archives in Canada.

ActiveHistory.ca @activehist.bsky.social · 3d

Cara Tremain discusses the future of Canadian museums and the need for continued support and policy change.

The Continuing Relevance of Museums in Canada

This summer, the Government of Canada helped to promote visits to museums through the Canada Strong pass. While initially focused on seven of the country’s nine national museums, other provinces an…

activehistory.ca

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 15h

That sucks, I'm sorry. Happy birthday! (soonish?)

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 15h

This is objectively funny.

I would have loved to see Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in this. Maybe they'll bring it to Toronto? 👀

Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd did Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead here last year, and it was incredible. Perfect casting.

Lux "Nightmare" Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 1d

TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it

One Star Review of Waiting for Godot on Broadway
I recently attended Waiting for Godot on Broadway and spent over $1,400 for two Row C seats (103 and 104). I'm a longtime admirer of Broadway productions and even hold a season pass for Shea's Performing Arts Theatre, so I came in with genuine enthusiasm and high expectations. Unfortunately, this show was unlike anything ! have ever experienced —and not in a good way.
What I encountered was not the artistry, music, or emotional storytelling I usually associate with Broadway, but instead what felt like an endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness. I tried-truly tried-to find meaning, symbolism, or even a thread of emotional resonance. I stayed through the first half hoping the second would offer clarity. But by intermission, it was clear: this was a waste of both time and money.
Keanu Reeves is an actor I respect greatly, but I cannot fathom why he would agree to participate in such a disjointed, inaccessible production. His talent was lost in a performance that defied reason rather than provoked insight.
To anyone considering attending: unless you are drawn to highly abstract, nearly incomprehensible theater, I strongly caution you against this show. For the average, educated, thoughtful theatergoer, it is far more frustrating than fulfilling. In my opinion, this was the single most disappointing Broadway experience I've ever had - an unfortunate waste of money and, more importantly, of time.

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 3d

If you want to reach out to investors to let them know how you feel Jay is handling things, here's a handy thread:

himham @himham.bsky.social · 6d

Since you've voluntarily invited a boycott, you get one.

A thread 🧵 about investors in Bluesky, who would love to hear your feedback by phone, snail mail, or email.

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 15h

Dril tweet:

and another thing: im not mad. please dont put in the newspaper that i got mad.

Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Nora Reed (they/them ze/hir) @nora.zone · 17h

lmao

Jay 🦋 @jay.bsky.team · 17h

Are you a lawyer? Do you enjoy working on small teams tackling big things? We’re hiring a senior counsel.

jobs.gem.com/bluesky/am9i...

Bluesky Jobs

jobs.gem.com

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 19h

The worst part about the AI bubble popping is how many average people will be affected by the economic fallout. People will lose their job, kids will go hungry, and families will lose their homes. Yet these billionaire bastards won't feel a thing other than a decline in their net worth.

Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 19h

One of the crazy things about the AI bubble bursting is that consumer sentiment toward AI has always leaned skeptical to outright negative but it’s an industry propped up by pure billionaire greed, sycophancy, and childish fantasy

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Bromptonymous 🇨🇦 @bromptonymous.ca · 17h

Please write in some negative feedback here in this weird government AI boosterism survey. 👇

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 1d

Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.

If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:

Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership

ised-isde.canada.ca

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Riley Black 🦕 🏳️‍⚧️ @restingdinoface.bsky.social · 18h

Among the reasons I absolutely loathe genAI is the fact it devalues and undermines skills like learning how to research, fact check, and communicate. It’s like answering a question with a print out of search engine results, taking it as truth because the computer said so.

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 1d

Canadians: The federal government is seeking public input on how AI should be developed and used in business, research, and the military.

If this scares the shit out of you, please let them know:

Help define the next chapter of Canada's AI leadership

ised-isde.canada.ca

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Lili Saintcrow @lilithsaintcrow.com · 18h

"Today, Black and trans users continue to see their posts suppressed or removed, or their accounts banned for challenging Bluesky’s increasingly irresponsible leadership."

Bluesky’s CEO meltdown: How leadership continues to fail its most marginalized users

tl;dr: Bluesky began with genuine promise: a new social media platform where users could feel safer, but inconsistent moderation quickly…

plutopsyche.medium.com

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Suzanne Karr Schmidt @drkarrschmidt.bsky.social · 18h

Brilliant Colleague's
New Book Alert!

Buy Chris Fletcher's latest,
hot off the presses or read the OPEN ACCESS version online!
www.arc-humanities.org/978180270096...

Arc Humanities book cover for "Public Engagement in the European Middle Ages: Medieval Solutions for a Modern Crisis."

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 18h

two men are standing in front of a large map that says great white north

Alt: Bob and Doug Mackenzie sitting in front of a large map that says Great White North and 643467644 cases of beer saying, "Beauty, eh?"

media.tenor.com

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Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel) @nicomaramckay.com · 18h

Stealing their look.

Black and white photo of Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) Mackenzie. Bob is wearing a toque and Doug is wearing a toque with earmuffs. Their hats are loosely reminiscent of the Mr Clean ads in the quoted skeet.

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Reposted by Nico Mara-McKay 🦇 (they/iel)

Ashley C. Ford @smashfizzle.bsky.social · 1d

I know it’s not technically polite, but I love having a conversation with other people who are comfortable with short interjecting interruptions. To me it makes the conversation feel more like something we’re weaving together rather than alternating individual presentations. It feels more alive.

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