Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · 6h

Like this one, that someone pointed out

bsky.app/profile/gilg...

GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · Jun 30

The site was once run by California State Archives. By late 2023, it became a generic lifestyle blog with AI-written content & no authorship.

Site was first registered in Year 2000 (25 years ago) and remained a simple site up until 20 November 2023.

9 Days later (29th Nov. 2023), it wasn't.

(2/7)

WHOIS Summary of the Website learncalifornia.org:

Domain Age: Registered 25 years ago (Year 2000). unusually old for a site with such generic, AI-style content.
Registrar: NameCheap, via Withheld for Privacy ehf (based in Iceland).
Owner Info: Fully redacted — no name, organization, or contact details visible.
Contact Email: A masked relay address ending in “@withheldforprivacy.com”.
Interpretation: The domain’s age lends it credibility, but the total anonymity of the owner is a red flag — especially for a site claiming educational authority.

last known version of the original, civic-education-focused LearnCalifornia.org before the domain was flipped.

What it confirms:
Authentic Institutional Identity: Site was clearly affiliated with the California State Archives.

It offered curriculum-aligned lesson plans, a “This Day in California History” feature, and direct contact info for the Archives.

Tone, layout & content were consistent with a public education initiative, not a commercial or SEO-driven site.

Timeline Confirmation
This version was live as of Nov 20, 2023.

By Nov 29, 2023, the site was completely overhauled with AI-generated lifestyle content & no institutional ties.

9-day window in which the domain was likely sold, expired, or transferred: a textbook case of a "zombie domain repurposing".

GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · 7h

While historically profitabl financial statements for studio's parent company Axis Productions show that it made a consolidated loss of $1.1 million (£839,000) on $32.6 million (£25.7 million) of revenue in the year to November 30, 2023. Crucially, it had cash reserves of just $380,000 (£300,000).

The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 10h

Sad analysis of the bankruptcy of Axis Studios, the Scottish company best known for its video game cinematics and trailers (Halo, League of Legends), but also animated shows such as the recent Eyes of Wakanda and Love Death + Robots.

"The vast majority of its 151 employees were made redundant."

Inside The Bankruptcy Of Marvel's ‘Eyes Of Wakanda’ Animation Studio

Bankruptcy documents have revealed how a cashflow crisis caused the collapse of the external company which created the animation for Marvel Studios’ Eyes of Wakanda streaming show.

www.forbes.com

Reposted by GodKing Gilgamesh

Katie James @iamkatiejames.bsky.social · 9h

“Changing leaves” ✏️ ❤️💙 #Caitvi #StillFantastic #Inktober

Colored pencil drawing of a maple leaf divided into red and blue halves, filled with intricate gear and jewel-like patterns inspired by Arcane’s Vi and Caitlyn. The leaf rests on beige paper with red and blue pencils beside it, symbolizing change and duality for the ‘changing leaves’ theme.

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Laura @lauropea.bsky.social · 10h

when you go into the office but just spend the morning scrolling

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Laura @lauropea.bsky.social · 18h

Chinese imperial edict in Manchu, 1871

silk scroll in purple white and yellow with manchu characters

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 1d

glad to be born at a time when i got to see what life was like before the internet and will be dead before AI completely destroys humanity

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The Amazing Worlds of Doctor Who @worldsofdrwho.bsky.social · 1d

"Doctor, beware... your manner appeals only to the homicidal side of my nature!"

"Doctor Who: The Pirate Planet" part 2 (1978). #DoctorWho

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Patricia Sauthoff 司徒雛菊 @sauthoff.bsky.social · 14h

I contributed a chapter to this amazing volume that just received a glowing review from @buddhistdoor.bsky.social

Book Review: The Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies - Buddhistdoor Global

The most ambitious academic engagement in a generation with the tantric expressions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and more

www.buddhistdoor.net

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GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · 1d

A cost-benefit analysis by Alma Economics found that for every €1 invested, society receives €1.39 in return, including more than €100 million in social & economic benefits

It also found that recipients’ arts-related income increased more than €500 pr mnth on avg

www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

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Mike Sowden @mikeachim.bsky.social · 2d

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

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Asha Rangappa @asharangappa.bsky.social · 1d

We’re in a moment now where it would be worth people taking three hours to watch Gandhi, particularly the scene of the salt march. There is value to making the brutality of your opponent so plain as day that no one can argue with it. The clarity of that brought down an empire

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Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 3d

One of my fav historical accounts ever is two cousins who were brought to the court of King Bimbisara for punishment(so we're talking like 300 BC) because they would stand at the town square loudly arguing with each other about affairs of the kingdom and disturbing the peace

RadiantHostility (he/him) @radianthostility.bsky.social · 3d

Humans havent meaningfully changed in 500,000 years. back in the day every middle aged dude was sitting on a hilltop with a drum of some kind broadcasting his inane thoughts to anyone within range and it was just as annoying as podcasts. actually stone age podcasting would be a funny framing to

Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 3d

"It is the worst of times. Children no longer obey their parents and everyone is writing a book."
-Cicero

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RadiantHostility (he/him) @radianthostility.bsky.social · 3d

Humans havent meaningfully changed in 500,000 years. back in the day every middle aged dude was sitting on a hilltop with a drum of some kind broadcasting his inane thoughts to anyone within range and it was just as annoying as podcasts. actually stone age podcasting would be a funny framing to

Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 3d

"It is the worst of times. Children no longer obey their parents and everyone is writing a book."
-Cicero

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Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 3d

"It is the worst of times. Children no longer obey their parents and everyone is writing a book."
-Cicero

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Harry Turtledove @hntdove.bsky.social · 3d

The first half of this goes back to Sumerian times, if not to Ugh and Wug. The older Sumerians complained that the kids were disrespecting the gods and sending everything to hell in an ox cart.

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GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · 2d

Of this image, McCurry recalls, “I was in a taxi in 1984, driving through the desert in Rajasthan in north-west India. My first inclination was to protect my equipment, but then I realised You can always buy a new camera, but good pictures are few and far between.”

www.solldn.com/journal/stev...

GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · 2d

By Maria Popova:
The images were discovered by French poet Franck André Jamme in 1970 while rummaging through the catalogs of a Parisian art gallery. He became so transfixed by these esoteric artworks that in the 1980s, he traveled to India to find their origins.

www.theatlantic.com/entertainmen...

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 2d

the best answer i got for this:

awaitsync on Threads writes: "Metrognome"

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GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · 2d

As the US space agency explains on its website, "NASA Operating Status: NASA is currently CLOSED due to a lapse in Government funding".

While NASA is unable to post information on any data captured by its robots, Perseverance continues to send its raw images, which are available to the public.

James Felton @jimmfelton.bsky.social · 2d

We *may* have the first ever images of an interstellar object, taken from the surface of another world!
www.iflscience.com/interstellar...

Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS May Have Been Caught In Perseverance Rover Photo

People think they've found Martian images of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS on NASA's website. They might be right.

www.iflscience.com

Reposted by GodKing Gilgamesh

Dr Anke Marsh @ankemarsh.bsky.social · 2d

Today’s bird of the day is sea birds

Here’s a group of wandering tattlers or ‘Ūlili (Tringa incana), taken near Diamond Head in Hawai’i last October. They winter in Hawai’i and summer in Alaska. Not bad choices really

#BirdOfTheDay #Birds #SeaBirds #MigrantBirds #Hawaii

A photograph of three birds on a sandy beach. The birds are mainly grey with lighter underbellies. They have long legs and beaks. One is using its long beak to poke into the sand.

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 2d

Alaska vowed to resolve the murders of Indigenous people.

But when one nonprofit asked state law enforcement officials for a fundamental piece of data — a list of Indigenous murders they’d investigated — the state said no.

By @kylehopkinsak.bsky.social, w/ @adn.com

Alaska Vowed to Resolve Murders of Indigenous People. Now It Refuses to Provide Their Names.

When the nonprofit Data for Indigenous Justice filed public records requests with the Alaska Department of Public Safety concerning cases it had investigated, the state rejected them.

www.propublica.org

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 3d

The judge ultimately ruled that the teen was mature enough to raise two children, but not mature enough to decide if she was ready to be a mother.

(Published 2022 in partnership with The New York Times Magazine)

She Wanted an Abortion. A Judge Said She Wasn’t Mature Enough to Make That Decision.

As abortion access dwindles, America’s “parental-involvement” laws place further restrictions on teenagers — who may need to ask judges for permission to end their pregnancies.

www.propublica.org

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GodKing Gilgamesh @gilgamesh-eiyu0.bsky.social · 2d

"novelist, Kurt Vonnegut: We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.

An evolving leader will often revise their origin story to fit their own changing motives & behaviour.

The lazier we become & rely on gut feeling, the less we look at record & actions.”

Reposted by GodKing Gilgamesh

Daily Maverick @dailymaverick.co.za · 3d

BEIJING, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Hundreds of trekkers stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of Mount Everest in Tibet had been guided to safety by rescuers, Chinese state media reported on Sunday, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas.

Hundreds of trekkers escape from blizzard-struck Everest in Tibet

www.dailymaverick.co.za

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Movies Silently @moviessilently.bsky.social · 3d

A 1911 guide to brush lettering for in-store advertisement. Designers, design nerds, history geeks, collectors of historical ephemera and anyone else... this is a treasure trove of research!

archive.org/details/how-...

How To Make Show Cards : Charles Arthur Miller : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

HOW TO MAKE SHOW CARDS A practical treatise on the fundamental principles of artistic lettering with pen and brush for the use of retail merchants and their...

archive.org

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