Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

That sounds delightful! I had about three ounces of leftover sirloin in the 'fridge, so I sous vide'd it to medium-rare and diced it into a salad of mixed greens, diced soft mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, julienne carrots, red onion, diced bell pepper-- basically, cleaned out the veggie drawer.

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Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg

Lord Businessman II @lordbusinessman.bsky.social · 18h

Every major city in Texas has a higher murder rate than Chicago

Schrödinger's Sneetch Belly @rtodkelly.bsky.social · 19h

Incredibly slimy and dishonest, but also... yes?

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

Just wait until he's asking for a shot of Rumpleminze in it "for the warming effect."

(That reminds me, I'm out of Rumpleminze.)

Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

I will use the m-dash where and when I like, and unfuck the stochastic parrots for trying to steal it from us writers.

Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

Weber doesn't need an excuse. And his villains don't need reasons. Twenty years— no, fifty years!— of watching "conservatism" unmask into a shallow, vicious, lying sewer pond of misogyny, hatred, and violence, into exactly the sort of cardboard villains we're told not to write, vindicates him.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

On the other paw, I want a team of ninjas to break into David Weber's laptop and delete the words "sardonic" and "problematical" [sic] from his dictionary.

NOW.

Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

Weber doesn't need an excuse. And his villains don't need reasons. Twenty years— no, fifty years!— of watching "conservatism" unmask into a shallow, vicious, lying sewer pond of misogyny, hatred, and violence, into exactly the sort of cardboard villains we're told not to write, vindicates him.

Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

The nice thing about Weber is that he's aware of the criticism, and self-aware enough not to care one whit.

"There ought to be a rule that REAL villains aren't allowed to look like stereotypical villains," Coris thought as a shiver ran through him.

Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

Weber doesn't need an excuse. And his villains don't need reasons. Twenty years— no, fifty years!— of watching "conservatism" unmask into a shallow, vicious, lying sewer pond of misogyny, hatred, and violence, into exactly the sort of cardboard villains we're told not to write, vindicates him.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

The thing is, Graydon's got a valid excuse for why is villains are so villainous. And each of those takes comes with a lot of additional information unrelated to the battle, things about the worldbuilding that are just breathtakingly skillful, at least from a writer's perspective.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 11h

Been thinking about David Weber and Graydon Saunders because both have similar habits: both have vile, cardboard, mustache-twirling villains, and both give you multiple views of the same moment. In Graydon's last book we get six chapters, each with a different take on the Battle Below the Edge.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 12h

I'm sure she feels as if she's in as much danger as the 75th Ranger Regiment did facing Mohammad Farah Aidid's militia. Do they give posthumilation medals?

Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 16h

Kristi Noem confronts enemy combatants in the Portland war zone today.

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Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 15h

Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.

(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 12h

It's not really a community. There's no promise of mutual support, no shared identity. But we at least see each other every day, and if we're gone for a week even those on the other side of the political fence will go, "You okay? Where've you been?"

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 12h

See, that's when you know you're in good company. I joke about the Aristo and the Maga at the cafe, but I also know J. had his hip replaced, and V. is getting a new apartment, and K is worried because her youngest son is soon off to college.

Fuck ICE for trying to kill something like that.

FactPost @factpostnews.bsky.social · 19h

Chicago resident: The gentlemen were on the inside of the bakery, just getting a cup of coffee. I saw them being taken by the ICE agents. Mario has been a customer for years. Wonderful people, not criminals at all. And he's ill, he needs his medication.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 12h

Today I learned that I've been mispronouncing it "Maihatsu" since, oh, 2003.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 12h

Shorter CNN: "Disabled people should just die already so we can stop feeling guilty about driving Maibatus Monstrosities."

Quote: "So what if it gets three miles to the gallon? I'm a mom, not a conservationist! The new Maibatsu Monstrosity! Mine is bigger!"

CNN @cnn.com · 1d

The people who are most vulnerable to the hard-to-breathe air that comes with climate change may inadvertently be adding to the problem, new research finds. https://cnn.it/4pWQMoh

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 12h

Huzzah! Teeth are like hormones: If the natural ones aren't cutting it, store-bought is fine!

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 13h

Also: "introverted and lonely."

Papa Woof und Krampus und Bleaken @papawoof.bsky.social · 2d

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 13h

Sigh. What about the other one, "Diagnosed but clearly you got this far and you've had a great career so it can't be THAT bad?"

Quest 64 Official @quest64official.bsky.social · 14h

A picture of Brian and Hell Hound that says "undiagnosed but everyone's pretty sure"

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 13h

Shades of Bioshock 2's Epstein The Swami!

• "It won't go well. It won't go well at all."
• "So, you have a plot picked out yet?"
• "Look at the bright side: maybe it'll be quick and painless."
• "Believe me when I tell you I wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

PinkNews @pinknews.bsky.social · 13h

That tracks

Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg

KellyElizabeth @kellyelizabeth13.bsky.social · 14h

A vaccine did this.

Get your vaccinations!

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 13h

Why do you do things like that to us?

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Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg

Nate's Myth @natesmith.dev · 1d

Beaker and his online crush got together, call it a meep cute

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Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg

💞Sabrina💞 @sabrinarina.bsky.social · 20h

Oregon National Guard Adjutant General, General Gronewold says if they are federalized, that he will advise the Title 10 commander to utilize National Guard Troops to PROTECT protesters at ICE facilities. This is the right answer.

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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 13h

Meanwhile, over on the Andreesen-Horowitz-backed CivitAI, users are exchanging recipes about how to make violent, misogynistic video content, including CSAM. I'm sure the excuse is "We don't let them use our engines to make it; those creeps do it at home." But they got the models from CivitAI.

Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 13h

This sucks: I can't use even open source options like Maestro or OpenNotebook, Retrieval-Augmented tools that take queries and fetch the documents to validate their replies, and query my own work. The functional local-first LLMs just say, "I cannot generate replies based on adult content."

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