Ben Testani
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ivebenthinking.co
Ben Testani
@ivebenthinking.co
Putting words on screen: ivebenthinking.substack.com | 1L @law.ucla.edu | Bad at chess | Proud member @nwu.org
Why is the NY Times giving Seneca Scott of all people space to talk about Oakland?? His framing as a mayoral candidate is incredibly generous.
November 27, 2025 at 1:57 AM
"No purchase necessary to win" is an eye-catching phrase with a storied history. But, as we approach the first month in 86 years in which federal food benefits will not be distributed, contests like McDonald's Monopoly have taken on a more sinister tone.
October 31, 2025 at 6:51 PM
I've been thinking about @rakesofmallow.bsky.social calling Christian Gray "ever the main character" all season and it's so true ☘️🏈
October 19, 2025 at 2:17 AM
Yes. It is, by a pretty solid margin, the most liberal of the Big Four sports fandoms.
June 23, 2025 at 12:58 AM
I mean, c'mon. This is pathetic. Yeah, Blumenthal. Voters barely knew Kamala Harris was the candidate by October 2024, but I'm sure people will remember the Republicans' maneuvering with the Senate Parliamentarian.
May 22, 2025 at 4:48 PM
The email from @bart.gov announcing the debut of @alerts.bart.gov feels especially pointed in light of today's Social Security Administration news
April 11, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Snagged last-minute tickets to the two #MarchMadness games in San Francisco today. Two Sweet 16 games cost me less than one Warriors game!
March 28, 2025 at 1:14 AM
My mood after having picked St. John's to make the Final Four #cbb
March 22, 2025 at 9:28 PM
This response from Alameda County Superintendent of Schools Alysse Castro is how all Democrats should be talking about Republicans' illegal actions.
March 6, 2025 at 7:24 PM
I mean, what is wrong with the Democratic leadership? They are so cowardly. You are MEMBER OF CONGRESS. The story will be WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE! If you used "props" to MAKE A POINT about the people harmed by Trump, that's what the story will be!!! Their comms teams should be fired into the sun.
March 5, 2025 at 6:32 AM
🚨 URGENT call to action 🚨

Please join @norcalresist.bsky.social in demanding ICE release Damaris, Edgar, and their daughter from detention. Despite having an active U visa application, the family faces imminent deportation. We need community outreach to urge ICE to stop deportation proceedings.
February 26, 2025 at 7:35 PM
And sometimes, the conflict of interest edits are more commercial in nature, even if the editor's intentions were likely good.
February 19, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Since at least 2013, employees of the Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Relations Department have attempted to edit their own school's Wikipedia.

In the best case scenario, these edits are of questionable motivation but ultimately beneficial to the site, as seen in 2021.
February 19, 2025 at 5:52 PM
It's elephant seal breeding season at Point Reyes National Seashore 🐘🦭
February 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
A major goal for me this year is to spend less time experiencing the world with my earbuds in. I wrote about how and why I'm seeking more silence in an essay for Notre Dame Magazine: magazine.nd.edu/stories/the-...
January 9, 2025 at 6:01 PM
I also love when languages have words without an English counterpart, so I wrote about saudade — using movies like La La Land and Before Sunset as a framing device — in my latest blog post.
January 6, 2025 at 9:01 PM
C'mon, TSA. Can't even print your Arabic correctly #ORD
December 30, 2024 at 3:10 PM
Four siblings, four fandoms, four degrees outside.
December 23, 2024 at 4:46 AM
It's always made me laugh that on Android, "Italian" brings up 🤌🏻, 🍕, and 🍝
December 16, 2024 at 7:12 PM
Rode my first Capitol Corridor train from Oakland to Sacramento today and it was a really nice experience. Amtrak is so underappreciated.
December 8, 2024 at 5:45 PM
Major props to the California state government's MyShake app, which alerted me to the earthquake ~3 minutes before the standard emergency phone alerts went off.
December 5, 2024 at 7:21 PM
In my latest Substack, I examine our collective ability to bolster the accuracy of our recollections through the lens of a single playlist I've kept going for eight years now simply titled 🌠
open.substack.com/pub/ivebenth...
November 25, 2024 at 5:33 PM
I am fascinated by the ways in which digital platforms have empowered us to improve the accuracy and precision of our memories.
open.substack.com/pub/ivebenth...
November 25, 2024 at 5:33 PM
Elon Musk is determined to ruin everything I hold dear #cbb
November 23, 2024 at 2:24 AM
Extremely excited to discover that the ESPN app now allows custom multifeeds across sports so I can watch the Holy War and Auburn Houston #cbb #cfb
November 10, 2024 at 4:22 AM