Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3h

CA folks, I voted YES ON PROP 50.

Gerrymandering is objectively anti-democratic, but if Red and Purple states are going to do it (and they are), then the only way to ultimately put a stop to it is for Blue states to respond in-kind. Having the moral high ground won’t save Democracy.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 20h

Buffalo wings + bleu cheese dressing = normal

Pizza crusts + bleu cheese dressing = a little suspect

Me licking bleu cheese dressing directly out of those little plastic containers just ‘cuz I love it so much = Nasty Nate

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 1d

What foods do you love that you fully acknowledge make you a pervert for loving them?

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 1d

#Bortles

two men are standing next to each other and one is saying oh dip

Alt: two men are standing next to each other and one is saying oh dip

media.tenor.com

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 1d

I don’t care about the NFL, but I just saw Jacksonville score a pick-six and started thinking about how happy Jason from The Good Place would be. And that made me happy.

a man wearing a hat and a blue shirt is standing in front of a speaker .

Alt: a man wearing a Jacksonville hat and a blue shirt is standing in front of a speaker .

media.tenor.com

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 2d

A big ol’ orb weaver caught a monarch butterfly in its web, in our yard. #Nature is hardcore.

A large brown spider examines its prey - a big orange and black butterfly, caught in its web.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 2d

Please, Democrats, I’m begging you to run Wizard Frog in 2028!

competentposter @competentposter.bsky.social · 3d

wizard frog is insane

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 2d

Oregonians were already furious about the number of Californians in their state.

Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 2d

NYT: Trump Sends California National Guard to Portland, Ore.

The move came less than a day after a judge blocked the Trump admin attempt to deploy the Oregon National Guard there. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California denounced the move as a “breathtaking abuse of power” and said California would sue.

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3d

I like it when people make cool art.

Jonathan Slater @jonathanslater.bsky.social · 3d

Awesome talent :
Guillermo Galetti

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3d

My daughters had a friend sleep over last night and she brought a Kamishabai (Japanese story box). The kids spent hours drawing, writing, and performing stories.

It was a good reminder of why most of us make art & tell stories: we like making art & telling stories.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamishi...

Kamishibai - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3d

Listening to sad music is not something I do regularly. I tend to seek out more joyous and energetic sounds. But as I sat mesmerized by Watchhouse’s soulful takes on love & heartache and listened to the lady next to me cry, my own ability to empathize increased. So of course my brother loves them.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3d

I cried too. Twice, actually. First, during a particularly heartbreaking and poignant song Andrew Marlin wrote about losing his mother. And then again when I realized what my brother had actually gifted me: a greater understanding of who he is. He wasn’t there, but I felt connected to him.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3d

The woman who sat to my right began crying 30 seconds into their first song. She cried on and off for the remainder of the show - mostly on. That might sound like a bad time, but I rather enjoyed it. The world would be a much better place if we all contained her level of empathy and emotion.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3d

The Ford is this incredibly intimate outdoor amphitheater in the heart of Hollywood. Imagine the Hollywood Bowl if it were 1/18th the size. And it was the perfect venue to take in Watchhouse’s melancholy harmonies and beautiful arrangements. Perfect sound. Crowd and band are intimately connected.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 3d

#ShowThoughts Watchhouse @ The Ford 10/3/25

My brother bought me tickets so I could see his favorite band for the first time. I had listened to a few of their albums and enjoyed them, but didn’t quite get why he loved them so much. Until last night. Seeing them live was a powerful experience.
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Reposted by Nate Federman

Vincent L. Anthony @vincent-l-anthony.bsky.social · 4d

Great 🧵 about nailing the hook early. I used to write grants and a VP at Bank of America told me that if he doesn't know what you want within the first 2 sentences he tosses the grant app. Sell me on the first page or GTFO. It's a huge pile, stand out!!!
#booksky #scriptsky #screenwriting

Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

In Adaptation, a fictionalized Robert McKee says, “The last act makes a film. Wow them in the end, and you got a hit. You can have flaws, problems, but wow them in the end, and you've got a hit.”

Bull. Shit.

Nobody’s making it to Act 3 if your Act 1 sucks.
🧵1
#Scriptsky #Screenwriting #Filmsky

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

PS - I’ve been doing these #Scriptsky #Screenwriting #WritingCommunity threads every Saturday. If you enjoy them, please help me get some more followers. I’ve been doing them, because book publishers care way too much about my follower count, and I’m trying to get a book published. Thanks!

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

It’s not easy to do ALL of these things in the first 5 pages, but you need to do some of them. Make the reader lean in and ask, “Ooh, what happens next?”

If you can do that early, they’ll keep reading. And if you can have them asking that in Act 2, THEN you can wow them with your ending.
🧵7/7

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

-STAKES. You’d be surprised how often the answer to the question, “What happens if they don’t succeed?” is “Not much.”

-NOVELTY. You don’t have to invent a new race of aliens or give me the world of Severance, but give the characters/world/dialogue dimension and make it feel unique.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

-A reason to invest in the protagonist. They don’t have to save the cat but find a way to make me care what happens to them. Make them charming or funny or clever; just make them interesting and unique.

-A clear WANT. If your protagonist doesn’t care, neither will I. Give them a goal/aspiration.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

Things I’m looking for when I start reading a script:

-My spidey sense tingles if it’s not properly formatted or if it’s full of typos.

-At least one killer joke in the first few pages if it’s a comedy. Make me laugh out loud, and I’ll keep reading your script. If it’s full of clams, I won’t.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

You might get 5 pages, 10 pages, maybe even until the Act 1 Break, but if you haven’t given the reader a good reason to continue, they probably won’t.

All your Act 2 fun & games? Your killer midpoint twist? Your epic climax and clever resolution? They won’t matter if you don’t nail the set-up.
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

I had a boss who said he gave a script submission 5 pages to impress him. If he wasn’t into it by then, he moved onto the next script in his stack.

Brutal, right?

But if someone’s reading 50+ submissions, they don’t have time to read them all, all the way through. So you need to hook ‘em early!
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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

In Adaptation, a fictionalized Robert McKee says, “The last act makes a film. Wow them in the end, and you got a hit. You can have flaws, problems, but wow them in the end, and you've got a hit.”

Bull. Shit.

Nobody’s making it to Act 3 if your Act 1 sucks.
🧵1
#Scriptsky #Screenwriting #Filmsky

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 4d

The world’s greatest fourth-tier jamband is making their West Side debut!

Lick the toad and enjoy the ride.

Taper’s Choice @taperschoice.bsky.social · 5d

This is not a drill. All tickets on sale now ! Grab em at Taperschoice.com

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Nate Federman @natefederman.bsky.social · 7d

I misread this at first and thought, don’t lump me in with those assholes.

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