Nick
@ncilcahyotloans.bsky.social
Reposted by Nick
Bill Watterson is my favorite cartoonist. I adored the relationship btw Calvin and Hobbes as a child. But as I've gotten older, these strips feel even more tender and insightful. My respect for him grew when I learned of his stance against merchandising. Such principles are almost unheard of today.
![Excerpt from Wikipedia reads: "Fight against merchandising his characters
For years, Watterson battled against pressure from publishers to merchandise his work, something that he felt would cheapen his comic through compromising the act of creation or reading.[21][22]
He refused to merchandise his creations on the grounds that displaying Calvin and Hobbes images on commercially sold mugs, stickers, and T-shirts would devalue the characters and their personalities. Watterson said that Universal kept putting pressure on him and that he had signed his contract without fully perusing it because, as a new artist, he was happy just to find a syndicate willing to give him a chance (two other syndicates had previously turned him down). He added that the contract was so one-sided that, if Universal really wanted to, they could license his characters against his will, and could even fire him and continue Calvin and Hobbes with a new artist. Watterson's position eventually won out, and he was able to renegotiate his contract so that he would receive all rights to his work. Later he said that the licensing fight exhausted him and contributed to the need for a nine-month sabbatical in 1991.[23]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreihmgl3sxrmb5t6edpjnixyanj2rvcf43zdv46mbifhl7hdtmz5u6y@jpeg)
January 14, 2026 at 6:18 AM
Bill Watterson is my favorite cartoonist. I adored the relationship btw Calvin and Hobbes as a child. But as I've gotten older, these strips feel even more tender and insightful. My respect for him grew when I learned of his stance against merchandising. Such principles are almost unheard of today.
Reposted by Nick
A nuance I feel is being somewhat lost in discussion around Larian's use or non-use of genAI is that the way Swen is talking here bears all the hallmarks of a CEO who does not realize that his employees have been Handling him in the way employees have always Handled dumbfuck top-down directives
January 9, 2026 at 11:57 PM
A nuance I feel is being somewhat lost in discussion around Larian's use or non-use of genAI is that the way Swen is talking here bears all the hallmarks of a CEO who does not realize that his employees have been Handling him in the way employees have always Handled dumbfuck top-down directives
Reposted by Nick
🚨 The White House is now actively covering up a murder.
January 8, 2026 at 4:25 PM
🚨 The White House is now actively covering up a murder.
Reposted by Nick
Good question for Kristi Noem.
January 8, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Good question for Kristi Noem.
Reposted by Nick
This was also what Charles Manson was saying before his arrest. Almost word for word.
January 8, 2026 at 3:45 PM
This was also what Charles Manson was saying before his arrest. Almost word for word.
Reposted by Nick
This is not the law.
January 8, 2026 at 6:59 PM
This is not the law.
Reposted by Nick
Let’s talk about something. The fact that the ICE agent who murdered Renee Good was dragged by a moving vehicle in a prior incident is not a defense, it actually makes the situation much worse for him.
January 8, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Let’s talk about something. The fact that the ICE agent who murdered Renee Good was dragged by a moving vehicle in a prior incident is not a defense, it actually makes the situation much worse for him.
Reposted by Nick
Call your reps this January and tell them:
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
January 5, 2026 at 1:02 AM
Call your reps this January and tell them:
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
— NO to KOSA
— NO to Section 230 reform
— NO to the SCREEN Act
— NO to the App Store Accountability Act
— NO to the Parents Over Platforms Act
—NO “age verification” laws
—NO to digital ID systems
Reposted by Nick
I wish I'd thought sooner to explain to tradpub editors that illustrating a graphic novel is not like writing a prose novel or illustrating a picture book, a 250-page GN is actually like illustrating eight picture books.
January 6, 2026 at 1:46 PM
I wish I'd thought sooner to explain to tradpub editors that illustrating a graphic novel is not like writing a prose novel or illustrating a picture book, a 250-page GN is actually like illustrating eight picture books.
Reposted by Nick
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
Reposted by Nick
whether or not you use AI personally, it is making computer Worse and there’s nothing you can do about it
December 24, 2025 at 12:07 AM
whether or not you use AI personally, it is making computer Worse and there’s nothing you can do about it
Reposted by Nick
Perfect response to S230 repeal bill by, per usual, @mmasnick.bsky.social
www.techdirt.com/2025/12/19/s...
www.techdirt.com/2025/12/19/s...
Senators Want To Hold The Open Internet Hostage, Demand Zuckerberg Write The Ransom Note
Not this shit again. A bipartisan group of the most anti-internet Senators around have released their latest version of a plan to “sunset Section 230.” We went over this last year when they floated…
www.techdirt.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Perfect response to S230 repeal bill by, per usual, @mmasnick.bsky.social
www.techdirt.com/2025/12/19/s...
www.techdirt.com/2025/12/19/s...
Reposted by Nick
Posted by Sen Graham on Twitter, calling for a week in February “dedicated to advancing legislation that protects children from online threats and tackling the Section 230 crisis once and for all.” 10% of the senate sponsors the S230 repeal bill
December 19, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Posted by Sen Graham on Twitter, calling for a week in February “dedicated to advancing legislation that protects children from online threats and tackling the Section 230 crisis once and for all.” 10% of the senate sponsors the S230 repeal bill
Reposted by Nick
We as fans and professionals need to be sounding the alarm over AI as loudly and as frequently as possible, PARTICULARLY when it's so shamefully clear that it's been used
December 19, 2025 at 2:47 PM
We as fans and professionals need to be sounding the alarm over AI as loudly and as frequently as possible, PARTICULARLY when it's so shamefully clear that it's been used
Reposted by Nick
An ILLEGAL action by the Board:
December 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM
An ILLEGAL action by the Board:
Reposted by Nick
Well, this is disgraceful. The Kennedy Center board (composed almost entirely of President Trump’s allies) voted on Thursday to change the name of the performing arts center to the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Board of Kennedy Center votes to change its name to Trump-Kennedy Center, White House says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Kennedy Center's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change its name.
www.cbsnews.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Well, this is disgraceful. The Kennedy Center board (composed almost entirely of President Trump’s allies) voted on Thursday to change the name of the performing arts center to the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Reposted by Nick
There is a sequence in Gore Verbinski's upcoming movie Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, where people are scrolling a social media feed that is entirely made up of "ai slop" videos, and during the Q&A after the screening I saw, he said every one of those videos was made by a CGI artist, no AI involved
December 18, 2025 at 7:28 PM
There is a sequence in Gore Verbinski's upcoming movie Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, where people are scrolling a social media feed that is entirely made up of "ai slop" videos, and during the Q&A after the screening I saw, he said every one of those videos was made by a CGI artist, no AI involved
Reposted by Nick
"It’s time to face reality, AI is here to stay" - Kingdom Come: Deliverance head Daniel Vávra says Larian got a "crazy shitstorm" for doing what "absolutely everyone else is doing", and that while he's "no fan of AI generated art" it's going nowhere.
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/its-tim...
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/its-tim...
‘It’s time to face reality, AI is here to stay’: Kingdom Come Deliverance studio head responds to Larian backlash | VGC
Daniel Vávra says AI is a frightening prospect but has its uses, and that “absolutely everyone else” is using it…
www.videogameschronicle.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:08 AM
"It’s time to face reality, AI is here to stay" - Kingdom Come: Deliverance head Daniel Vávra says Larian got a "crazy shitstorm" for doing what "absolutely everyone else is doing", and that while he's "no fan of AI generated art" it's going nowhere.
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/its-tim...
www.videogameschronicle.com/news/its-tim...
Reposted by Nick
the disdain for workers losing their livelihoods just drips off of this whole fucking thing like mud off a pig. The smug confidence of a man who has convinced himself that HE is definitely uniquely irreplaceable, only LESSER work is under threat.
December 18, 2025 at 12:02 PM
the disdain for workers losing their livelihoods just drips off of this whole fucking thing like mud off a pig. The smug confidence of a man who has convinced himself that HE is definitely uniquely irreplaceable, only LESSER work is under threat.
Reposted by Nick
all the articles you read about this will say it "would charge doctors" but there is nothing in the bill limiting the felony crime to medical providers. you could write "would charge parents" and be just as correct. news outlets downplay it because news outlets are transphobic.
December 18, 2025 at 2:45 AM
all the articles you read about this will say it "would charge doctors" but there is nothing in the bill limiting the felony crime to medical providers. you could write "would charge parents" and be just as correct. news outlets downplay it because news outlets are transphobic.
Reposted by Nick
Using genAI for concept art is so fucking stupid because like... that's where you get the cool shit. Thats the blue sky phase where artists make pieces of art that will be seen by a teenager later and change their life forever. Why would you want to start from mediocre. Why would you do that.
December 16, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Using genAI for concept art is so fucking stupid because like... that's where you get the cool shit. Thats the blue sky phase where artists make pieces of art that will be seen by a teenager later and change their life forever. Why would you want to start from mediocre. Why would you do that.
Reposted by Nick
The end of Section 230 would mean the end of all but the largest websites that allow user-generated content at all - and even the largest would be radically changed and locked down
It would probably mean the end of your fav streamers' careers
Call your senators and your representatives about this
It would probably mean the end of your fav streamers' careers
Call your senators and your representatives about this
Sen. WHITEHOUSE: We finally are moving to file a bipartisan Section 230 repeal bill. Waiting any longer serves no useful purpose.
December 12, 2025 at 8:43 PM
The end of Section 230 would mean the end of all but the largest websites that allow user-generated content at all - and even the largest would be radically changed and locked down
It would probably mean the end of your fav streamers' careers
Call your senators and your representatives about this
It would probably mean the end of your fav streamers' careers
Call your senators and your representatives about this
Reposted by Nick
pals you gotta quit spotify
December 8, 2025 at 4:44 PM
pals you gotta quit spotify
Reposted by Nick
the butt of the joke.
December 7, 2025 at 3:31 PM
the butt of the joke.