Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
@wellbird.bsky.social
Author of dystopian worlds, past and future. (The present speaks for itself.) I'm a recovering anthropologist and a progressive who doesn't believe in progress. (she/her)
Pinned
These days, this feels painfully obvious. (Background photo is one I took on the streets on Havana.)
What could possibly go wrong??!! wapo.st/44QrP5j
ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires
An internal ICE document shared among immigration officials details plans to use influencers and geo-targeted ads to rapidly hire thousands of deportation officers.
wapo.st
December 31, 2025 at 2:13 PM
What could possibly go wrong??!! wapo.st/44QrP5j
Standing up for artistic integrity.
Issa Rae has canceled her sold out performance at the Kennedy Center. Pulitzer Prize winner Rhiannon Giddens, Peter Wolf, Low Cut Connie, and the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., have also canceled. Lin-Manuel Miranda has canceled the entire Kennedy Center run of Hamilton.
December 28, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Standing up for artistic integrity.
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
" ... but seriously, it sucks and you know it sucks and down deep in that space between your heart and your stomach it makes you feel icky as shit, like you ate some bad shrimp. AI is bad shrimp. Stop trying to convince us to eat more of the bad shrimp." I AGREE.
Apparently I'm doing this -- my open letter to that open latter about AI in writing and publishing. I emerged from Hibernation Week to write it, so god only knows how much sense it makes. But at least a human wrote it, so that's nice.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
Bonus: picture of my "cat," sweet baby Boomba.
My Open Letter To That Open Letter About AI In Writing And Publishing
The tl;dr before you get into this post is this: the SFWA came out, said that some AI usage was okay enough in books for the authors of those books to not to be disqualified from winning a Nebula a…
terribleminds.com
December 28, 2025 at 10:19 PM
" ... but seriously, it sucks and you know it sucks and down deep in that space between your heart and your stomach it makes you feel icky as shit, like you ate some bad shrimp. AI is bad shrimp. Stop trying to convince us to eat more of the bad shrimp." I AGREE.
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
Is it possible that we are looking for an abrupt change inspired by a crossed red line, when, in fact, the stresses ARE building up, the cracks in the monolith ARE appearing, and the seeds of revolt ARE sprouting? Maybe the saturation point has been reached and a rapid crystallization is imminent.
December 28, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Is it possible that we are looking for an abrupt change inspired by a crossed red line, when, in fact, the stresses ARE building up, the cracks in the monolith ARE appearing, and the seeds of revolt ARE sprouting? Maybe the saturation point has been reached and a rapid crystallization is imminent.
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
“The law explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else, and from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.” apnews.com/article/kenn...
Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jazz concert canceled after Trump name added to building
A planned Christmas Eve jazz concert at the Kennedy Center has been canceled. Musician Chuck Redd, the show's host, says he called off the performance after the White House announced President Donald ...
apnews.com
December 25, 2025 at 12:50 PM
“The law explicitly prohibits the board of trustees from making the center into a memorial to anyone else, and from putting another person’s name on the building’s exterior.” apnews.com/article/kenn...
And why are these people so afraid of tattoos??
December 24, 2025 at 3:24 PM
And why are these people so afraid of tattoos??
Tell me why this isn’t piracy. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US Coast Guard pursuing another oil tanker off coast of Venezuela
Official indicates vessel is subject to sanctions after Trump’s ‘blockade’ on sanctioned tankers in and out of Venezuela
www.theguardian.com
December 21, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Tell me why this isn’t piracy. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
My hope for the Epstein file release is not for the transparency of the Trump DOJ, but rather from the likelihood of them fucking up their coverup.
December 20, 2025 at 1:52 AM
My hope for the Epstein file release is not for the transparency of the Trump DOJ, but rather from the likelihood of them fucking up their coverup.
Just in case there are any doubters out there. 😳
You might be thinking, "CPSC, does a dry Christmas tree really burn that much faster than a well-watered tree?"
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
Friend, let's find out together by watching this PSA.
December 19, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Just in case there are any doubters out there. 😳
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
White men are 30% of the US and if they look around the room and see it’s less than 90% white men they think it’s affirmative action.
85% of CEOs are white men.
All but one US President has been a white man.
65% of all elected offices are held by white men.
Roughly 30% of the population is white men.
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS TOPIC EVEN???
All but one US President has been a white man.
65% of all elected offices are held by white men.
Roughly 30% of the population is white men.
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS TOPIC EVEN???
December 19, 2025 at 2:55 PM
White men are 30% of the US and if they look around the room and see it’s less than 90% white men they think it’s affirmative action.
This feels so ominous. time.com/7339685/pers...
The Architects of AI Are TIME's 2025 Person of the Year
The Architects of AI drove the economy, shaped geopolitics, and changed the way we interact with the world
time.com
December 14, 2025 at 12:03 PM
This feels so ominous. time.com/7339685/pers...
I miss wall-mounted bathroom heaters. Why shouldn't we have extra heat in the only room in the house where we stand around wet and naked?? 🥶
December 9, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I miss wall-mounted bathroom heaters. Why shouldn't we have extra heat in the only room in the house where we stand around wet and naked?? 🥶
Despite being a huge Crockett fangirl, I'm backing Talarico for Senate here in Texas. 💙
TEXAS CAN GERRYMANDER ALL THEY WANT, BUT THE RIGHT KIND OF POLITICIAN WILL STILL WIN.
James Talarico, Texas State Representative, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian running for the U.S. Senate to take power back for working people. 🗽
James Talarico, Texas State Representative, former middle school teacher, and Presbyterian seminarian running for the U.S. Senate to take power back for working people. 🗽
December 9, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Despite being a huge Crockett fangirl, I'm backing Talarico for Senate here in Texas. 💙
🥺
The university bought Claude AI for students to use.
Here it is at work, denying that the East Wing of the White House has been demolished.
Great stuff, academia.
Here it is at work, denying that the East Wing of the White House has been demolished.
Great stuff, academia.
December 9, 2025 at 12:56 PM
🥺
Why is Jasmine Crockett sending me (in Texas) donation emails via "Fair Fight Colorado"? It concerns me that her national recognition will result in a bigger bankroll and a nomination for an election she can't win. I'm a huge fan of Crockett, but Talarico is our better choice in this Senate race.
December 9, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Why is Jasmine Crockett sending me (in Texas) donation emails via "Fair Fight Colorado"? It concerns me that her national recognition will result in a bigger bankroll and a nomination for an election she can't win. I'm a huge fan of Crockett, but Talarico is our better choice in this Senate race.
FIFA Peace Prize??? More like a pacification prize to keep Trump from totally fucking up the World Cup. 🤮
December 5, 2025 at 7:27 PM
FIFA Peace Prize??? More like a pacification prize to keep Trump from totally fucking up the World Cup. 🤮
Bingo.
Trump pardoned Henry Cuellar, the Texas Democrat who was indicted by the Biden DOJ on charges of bribery and money laundering.
We have policy disagreements with the last anti-abortion Democrat in Congress. But that’s not what this is about.
Cuellar is now compromised by Trump and can’t be trusted.
We have policy disagreements with the last anti-abortion Democrat in Congress. But that’s not what this is about.
Cuellar is now compromised by Trump and can’t be trusted.
December 4, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Bingo.
The figures may be a bit off but the point is on target. These fishermen do not represent a threat.
The boats the regime is claiming are going from Venezuela to the US would need to refuel over 20 times to get to Miami.
They are lying to us.
They are lying to us.
December 3, 2025 at 10:37 PM
The figures may be a bit off but the point is on target. These fishermen do not represent a threat.
Dr. Heather’s is the voice of sober moral clarity we need right now. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
November 30, 2025
On Friday evening, the Wall Street Journal published an article about the Trump administration’s negotiations with Russia over Ukraine that illuminated the administration’s approach to the world at ho...
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Dr. Heather’s is the voice of sober moral clarity we need right now. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
If the Venezuelan sailors were enemy combatants, then the 2nd strike is a war crime.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
November 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM
If the Venezuelan sailors were enemy combatants, then the 2nd strike is a war crime.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
Imagine if they just subsidized newspapers and magazines the way they’re subsidizing this slop
"All of this falls apart if humans don't adopt the tech. This is why you've seen Meta cram its lame chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram. This is why Notepad and Paint now have useless Copilot buttons on Windows. This is why Google Gemini wants to "help you" read and reply to your emails."
Analysis: OpenAI is a loss-making machine, how can it survive?
Don't call it a bubble! Loss-making monster OpenAI is on the hook for $1.4 trillion (with a T) in compute commitments. How can this go on?
www.windowscentral.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Imagine if they just subsidized newspapers and magazines the way they’re subsidizing this slop
Except we're not officially at war, so I guess that's just...Crimes.
November 29, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Except we're not officially at war, so I guess that's just...Crimes.
Reposted by Birdwell is Not Shutting Up
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
November 25, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Today, after months of requests, I toured the Broadview ICE Processing Facility. I want to share what I saw.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
The facility has no food vendor, no medical care, and detainees have to use toilets in the middle of shared cells. These are in no way suitable conditions to be holding anyone — period.
Be a good frog and don't buy anything today. 🐸
“No,” said Frog.
November 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Be a good frog and don't buy anything today. 🐸
Could there be a reason why WaPo chose to hype Black Friday rather than covering the nationwide boycott against billionaire brands? Maybe it's that WaPo is owned by the same guy who owns Amazon? BUY ONLY FROM SMALL BUSINESSES or direct from artists, crafters, and creatives. #aintbuyingit #boycott
November 28, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Could there be a reason why WaPo chose to hype Black Friday rather than covering the nationwide boycott against billionaire brands? Maybe it's that WaPo is owned by the same guy who owns Amazon? BUY ONLY FROM SMALL BUSINESSES or direct from artists, crafters, and creatives. #aintbuyingit #boycott