Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 38m

Very few visitors get "Alapaha" right on their first attempt.

(uh-LAP-uh-HAH)

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 7h

What’s the word where you’re from that, when pronounced exactly as it looks, identifies a tourist immediately?

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 6h

Unfair Hip Drops (2025)

Supper Mario Broth @mariobrothblog.bsky.social · 9h

In Super Mario 3D World, eight colorful star particles appear every time a Ground Pound is performed. An extremely rare event of all eight of them matching in color may occur with a less than 1 in 2,000,000 chance. No known recordings of this event exist.

Reposted by Robert Hutchinson

Supper Mario Broth @mariobrothblog.bsky.social · 9h

In Super Mario 3D World, eight colorful star particles appear every time a Ground Pound is performed. An extremely rare event of all eight of them matching in color may occur with a less than 1 in 2,000,000 chance. No known recordings of this event exist.

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 6h

Yep, that's it.

x! / (x^x) is the general formula.

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 7h

"Hospitals are still required to keep filthy illegals from dying, thanks Democrats" feels like Republicans trying to weed out the fair-weather racists from their ranks.

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 7h

Always a good sign when your scale doesn't go high enough.

Reposted by Robert Hutchinson

Slate @slate.com · 17h

16-Across: Tolkien tree hidden in "Tolkien tree" (three letters) slate.trib.al/ohM0TJ4

Slate Crossword: Yarn Manufacturer? (11 Letters)

Ready for some wordplay? Sharpen your skills with Slate’s puzzle for Oct. 8, 2025.

slate.trib.al

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 16h

If he heard feedback, or his voice echoing, or saw something happening where he was, he would react—reach for his earpiece, say "hello?", look around.

It really feels like he picked the wrong fake (non)reaction. But I'll gladly hear any alternate theory. Don't love sounding like a conspiracy guy.

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 16h

Stephen Miller says enough evil shit openly that you hardly need to read tea leaves.

But.

I can only read him going silent and blank-faced as "pretend the audio isn't working", except his reaction only works when you're waiting for the interview to start, not in the middle of giving an answer.

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

That is useful information, thank you.

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

Has anyone ever done a study on "when one partner in a long-lived relationship dies the other follows soon after"? Because if it's true I want some evidence, and if it isn't I want people to stop saying it because it feels creepy.

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

"There's my reply" (pleased)

(glances at original post) "my comic"

"Well I was thinking more of your game OH GOD ABORT DELETE FLUSH PHONE"

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

I just posted a reply to an artist that my brain thought was a different artist and I deleted it after 20 seconds but if you saw it rest assured I want to die

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

Current earworm: Arin Hanson singing "ooooooh, looks like somebody *missed that fuckin' shot*".

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

"... wow. What do you call that act?"

"The Venture Capitalists!"

aaron @hillenjoyer.bsky.social · 1d

bluesky is not the product, bluesky users are not the product, it’s the code that is the product. the ability to set up your own independent bluesky. which does not exist. so there is no product

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

(this is still paying mental dividends 36 hours later)

(sorry, it's just that looking into this has actually rewired my brain in terms of realizing the bias I had towards "is knowledgeable about many things and explains them cogently" folks)

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

Sometimes a person is very good at explaining things, and very knowledgeable about many things, but also occasionally they explain things with clarity and confidence that they do not, in fact, have sufficient knowledge of.

And then there's the things they deliberately don't explain oops ran out of

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

I wouldn't necessarily tar the son with the sins of the father. But that is interesting information I didn't know.

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 1d

I think the main reason I became a Twitter user back in the day was "this is easier (takes less mental load) than being a member of a half-dozen separate forums and websites".

Maybe we weren't meant to have all our online pals in one place. Just gotta undo a decade of getting used to it...

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 2d

You know, a cynical person might wonder if a lot of those suspensions last month weren't due to mass reporting at all.

They might wonder if mods were sorting by popularity in search and zapping folks they didn't care for.

Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 2d

Wait, Conan had Bill Burr as a surprise guest on a live show *yesterday*? After all that? And apparently Burr did nothing but rant about it while everyone else just smiled and nodded?

Dumping this whole enterprise in the trash.

www.reddit.com/r/conan/comm...

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 2d

Saw that the latest guest on Conan O'Brien's podcast is Charlie Sheen and physically recoiled from my phone.

From my brief search just now, he does seem to have taken some steps toward being less awful, but still. Just read the man's Wikipedia page.

Why, Conan, why.

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 2d

Just don't violate the ToS. Or what the ToS will be tomorrow. Or hurt the feelings of any of our betters.

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Reposted by Robert Hutchinson

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 2d

Please enjoy 10 seconds of a fat groundhog enjoying an apple at my sister's house 😊

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Robert Hutchinson @ertchin.bsky.social · 2d

Love to have the CEO of a website searching my timeline for an excuse to ban me because I wasn't sufficiently deferential in their mentions.

Great work, @jay.bsky.team . Hope you get your payout secured in time, before this place withers away.

Aveta👾🇭🇹 @aliafonzy.blacksky.app · 2d

Unfortunate update: Link reached out to BlueSky and got email back now on reason.

His appeal is denied. He will remain permanently banned on BlueSky’s side.

Here are the screenshots he just sent me as of 8:22 AM EST(my time)

A screenshot of an email from the Bluesky Moderation Team with the subject line “Bluesky Account Behavior” sent at 22:15. The email states that a Bluesky account controlled by the recipient, with the handle @spacelawshitpost.me, posted a reply with an image where the alt text reads: Charlie Kirk sitting in a white T-shirt that says “Freedom.” A negative consequence follows. The email indicates this post violates Community Guidelines regarding violent or threatening speech, specifically listing threats of violence or physical harm against individuals, groups, institutions, or the general public, and incitement of self-harm or suicide.

A screenshot of an email continuation from the Bluesky Moderation Team displaying a bulleted list of Community Guidelines violations. The first bullet point describes threats of violence or physical harm as including threats or encouragement of violence against individuals, groups, institutions, or the general public. The second bullet point defines incitement of self-harm or suicide as content that encourages self-harm or suicide. The third bullet point explains wishes of harm as expressions of a desire for harm directed at a specific person or group. Below the bullets, a paragraph states that users may not use Bluesky to break the law or cause harm to others and that all users must be treated with respect. The next paragraph informs the recipient that as a result of these violations, your account has been taken down. A closing paragraph thanks the user for doing their part to keep Bluesky a welcoming and empowering place for all users and instructs them to email moderation@blueskyweb.xyz if they have questions or wish to appeal the decision. The email ends with the signature Bluesky Moderation Team.

A screenshot of an email from the Bluesky Moderation Team sent at 08:11 with the subject line Re: Bluesky Account Behavior addressed To: Hide My Email. The email reads:

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to appeal the takedown of your account on Bluesky. We have carefully reviewed your case, including the information you provided and the activity that led to the suspension of your account.

After investigating, we have determined that your account activity was in violation of our community guidelines, specifically promoting hateful content or being disruptive to other users. We take these guidelines seriously to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all our users.

As a result, we regret to inform you that your appeal has been denied, and your account will remain suspended. This decision is final and cannot be reversed. We understand that this may be disappointing news, but we must prioritize the well-being of our community and maintain a consistent enforcement of our policies. We encourage you to review our community guidelines to better understand the expectations we have for user behavior on our platform. Please do not create new accounts, since those will be taken down for ban evasion.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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