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silensy.bsky.social
Sil
@silensy.bsky.social
54 followers 62 following 100 posts
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pcperini.com
Discord wants to know how you feel about AI.

Go tell them: discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.
discord.sjc1.qualtrics.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:53 AM
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markjacob.bsky.social
Here’s the U.S. government being officially religious in a country with no official religion.
Homeland Security tweet: Merry Christmas, America. We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior.
December 25, 2025 at 12:56 PM
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bethanvalerious.bsky.social
!!!COMMISSIONS OPEN!!! 🌺

If you like my style and would be interested in an artwork, shoot me an e-mail at [email protected] or find me on Ko-Fi ko-fi.com/bethanvaleri...

Sharing this post would help a lot 🙏
November 24, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Sil
keristars.bsky.social
hey #DressHistory - or i guess #TextileHistory too - this interview is really great, talking about material history and reconstructing a particular type of cloth, and why this kind of work is so valuable for historians.

(i need to read his book now!)
November 22, 2025 at 4:55 AM
silensy.bsky.social
Incredible work by the Jays all series. They made us work for it.
November 2, 2025 at 4:30 AM
silensy.bsky.social
Do it for Kershaw, guys.
November 2, 2025 at 4:12 AM
silensy.bsky.social
Time is a flat circle. One of the circles of hell. God, I love (hate) baseball
November 2, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Reposted by Sil
astrokatie.com
When a chatbot gets something wrong, it’s not because it made an error. It’s because on that roll of the dice, it happened to string together a group of words that, when read by a human, represents something false. But it was working entirely as designed. It was supposed to make a sentence & it did.
June 19, 2025 at 11:28 AM
silensy.bsky.social
But what if you walk five times over an 18 inning game?
cnn.com CNN @cnn.com · Oct 28
Adults who walk for longer periods, which researchers defined as longer than 10 minutes, had substantially lower risks of cardiovascular disease and premature death when compared to those participants who walk for shorter periods, according to a new study.

Read more: https://cnn.it/4qAprJc
October 28, 2025 at 7:11 AM
silensy.bsky.social
FREDDIE FREEDOM
October 28, 2025 at 6:53 AM
silensy.bsky.social
October 28, 2025 at 6:35 AM
silensy.bsky.social
Let Decoy pitch. #dodgers #worldseries #16thinning
October 28, 2025 at 5:58 AM
silensy.bsky.social
Shut up, buho. I have to learn to throw a slider and catch a flight to California.
A notification from Duolingo which reads "Last Chance! Practice by midnight to keep your 1,337 Day Street going"
October 28, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Reposted by Sil
gwillow.me
Much like other countries that fell rapidly to fascism, history will look back and wonder why we just got up and went to work as usual. But I tell you what, this has given me a new level of sympathy for ordinary unarmed civilians across history who simply had no idea how to respond
justinbaragona.bsky.social Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · Jun 12
Kristi Noem: "We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialists and the burdensome leadership that this governor and that this mayor have placed on this country and what they have tried to insert into the city."

Sen. Alex Padilla is then forcibly removed!
June 12, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Sil
chuckwendig.bsky.social
Jordan pointed out to me that sometimes they might go to authors not just to publish but also for blurbs and other support, so please be wary here from all angles -- this publisher is not paying its authors, is abandoning its obligations, and must be held to pay what is owed.
jordanshiveley.bsky.social Jordan Shiveley (Dread Singles) @jordanshiveley.bsky.social · May 31
Unbound/Boundless owes me $15k+ on a book that in its first royalty reporting cycle had sold around 3k copies of its 5k copy print run

of which I have not seen a single penny. They also haven’t even reimbursed me for postage costs I incurred mailing out the arcs in the US at their request
alexdecampi.bsky.social Alex de Campi @alexdecampi.bsky.social · May 30
So, this Unbound/Boundless fiasco. I was going to be polite about it, but after this morning’s email: no
May 31, 2025 at 8:45 PM
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crampell.bsky.social
Quite literally whitewashing the purpose of the Underground Railroad www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
April 6, 2025 at 5:18 PM
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courtneymilan.com
I've finished my extremely basic normie tariff discussion. Here's what it looks like.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRUMP’S TARIFFS The quick version. On April 2, Trump announced sweeping tariffs on every country except Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Belarus. Tariffs are a tax that are paid by the importer when goods enter our country. Prices on everyday items will increase radically and responsive tariffs will harm US businesses. Ask your federal representatives (numbers at reps.fyi) to revoke Trump’s ability to apply tariffs. Who pays tariffs? The country of origin does not pay tariffs. Whoever is importing the goods in the US pays the tariff, and passes the cost along to regular consumers—in other words, we, the people will pay the tariff. How did Trump calculate his tariffs? Trump’s tariff sheet claims that countries charge the US exorbitant tariffs. This is a lie. The number he lists has nothing to do with tariffs, but is instead a trade deficit ratio, calculated as the dollar amount we import from that country divided by the amount we export to that country. What is the difference between a trade deficit and a tariff? Trade deficits are not tariffs. We buy more from some countries than they buy from us because many Americans have disposable income and purchasing power. It is not possible, or beneficial, for countries to have perfectly balanced imports and exports. What impact will this have on your life? You will pay more for everything you buy, and American businesses will lose overseas customers. The last time America passed sweeping tariffs was in 1930; this is part of what made the Great Depression last so long. Trump’s tariffs are higher than the failed 1930 tariffs. Who is responsible? • Donald Trump and his cabinet for imposing the tariffs. • Every Senator and Representative who fails to block Trump’s tariffs. What can you do? • Contact your Senators and Representative (info at http://reps.fyi), and ask them to revoke the so-called national emergency that Trump is using to impose these tariffs. • Distribute this fact sheet so that people know who is responsible and how to join in. • Join a protest against Trump’s damaging policies. Sources for these claims & this sheet itself can be freely downloaded at TrumpsTariffsExplained.com
April 3, 2025 at 10:59 PM
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greenleejw.bsky.social
Damn, that's stupid.

You know how we used to call it the Dark Ages, 'cause there wasn't a lot of written material left over, 'cause so much of it got lost in library fires and whatnot?

This is the same thing. This is Ashburnham House, or the Library of Alexandria, or a thousand monastery fires.
April 7, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Reposted by Sil
partialobserver.bsky.social
Nothing - absolutely nothing - prevented news organizations from running this headline before the election, when it was equally true as now and could have made a difference.
April 2, 2025 at 11:52 PM
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amyhoy.bsky.social
guess where they got their weird trade deficit math from?

i went to the pit for y'all and brought back the screenshots with alt text
chatgpt log: What would be an easy way to calculate the tariffs that should be imposed on other countries so that the US is on even-playing fields when it comes to trade deficit? Set minimum at 10%. Reasoned about trade tariffs and deficits for 10 seconds v A straightforward (if naïve) method is to set the tariff rate for each trading partner equal to the percentage share of the trade deficit relative to that country's total imports-always no less than 10%. In formula form: Tariff Rate (%) = max(10, (Trade Deficit ÷ Total Imports) * 100) For example, if the US runs a $20 billion deficit on $100 billion worth of imports from a country, the calculated rate is (20/100)×100 = 20%. If the deficit were only 5%, you'd still impose a 10% floor. This method ignores the intricate dynamics of international trade-such as elasticities, retaliatory measures, and supply chain nuances-but it provides a blunt, proportional rule to "level the playing field." One might implement it in Python like so: [code] Gemini answer: Okay, let's break down the idea of using tariffs to achieve an "even playing field" defined as eliminating the US trade deficit. While the goal of balancing trade is understandable, devising an "easy way" to calculate tariffs to achieve this is extremely complex, and most economists would argue it's not feasible or desirable for several reasons. However, let's outline a highly simplified conceptual approach based only on the numbers, ignoring the vast real-world complexities and consequences: Simplified (and Problematic) Calculation Idea: 1. Identify the Bilateral Deficit: Determine the trade deficit the US has with a specific country (Country X). Deficit_X = Value of Imports from X - Value of • Exports to X 2. Target Reduction: The goal is to reduce imports from Country X (or increase their cost to US buyers) by the amount of the deficit, so that the value effectively balances out. 3. Calculate Required Tariff (Ignoring Economics): • If you assume, very unrealistically, that a tariff directly reduces the value of imports by a corresponding percentage (which it doesn't - it increases the price), you could try: Required Reduction % = Deficit_X / Value of • Imports from X Claude: What would be an easy way to calculate the tariffs that should be imposed on other countries so that the US is on even-playing fields when it comes to trade deficit? Set minimum at 10%. To calculate tariffs that could theoretically level the playing field for trade deficits, I'd suggest a straightforward approach based on the trade imbalance percentage: 1. Calculate the bilateral trade deficit with each trading partner: Trade Deficit - US Imports from Country - US Exports to Country 2. Express this as a percentage of total bilateral trade: Deficit Percentage - (Trade Deficit / Total Bilateral Trade) × 100 3. Apply a tariff rate that corresponds to this percentage, with your minimum 10% floor: Tariff Rate = max(Deficit Percentage, 10%) This creates a proportional response where countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher tariffs. For example: • If Country A has a 25% trade surplus with the US (meaning the US has a 25% deficit), apply a 25% tariff • If Country B has a 5% trade surplus with the US, apply the minimum 10% tariff This method is relatively simple to calculate and directly ties tariff levels to trade imbalances. However, I should note that economists generally caution that trade deficits alone don't necessarily indicate unfair trade practices, and tariffs can have complex economic consequences including increased consumer prices and potential retaliation. Would you like me to elaborate on any part of this approach or discuss potential refinements to make it more sophisticated? Grok: the deficit. The deficit as a percentage of total trade is $295B/$582B = 50.69%. Using the formula Tariff% = 10% + (Deficit% × Scaling Factor), we choose a scaling factor of 50 for illustration: • Tariff = 10% + (50.69% × 50) = 10% + 25.345% = 35.345%, rounded to 35.3%. This means a 35.3% tariff on Chinese goods could be proposed to offset the imbalance, aiming to reduce imports and encourage domestic production or exports. Extending to Other Countries To provide a broader view, here's a table of top US trading partners with 2024 deficits, using data from The Motley Fool and similar calculations (assuming scaling factor of 50 for consistency): [data table headings] Country Deficit (USD Billion) Total Trade (USD Billion) Deficit % Calculate d Tariff % China -295 582 50.69% 35.3% Mexico -172 840 20.48% 20.2% Vietnam -123 (Data incomplet e, estimate) ~30% 25.0% Ireland -87 (Data incomplet e, estimate) ~25% 22.5% Germany -85 (Data incomplete estimate) ~20% 20.0%
April 3, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Sil
justinbaragona.bsky.social
And here we go -- Fox News is now saying we should get rid of "due process" because it's too cumbersome.

Brian Kilmeade: "But I also think it's not practical to think that we can do due process on 8 million people."

www.mediamatters.org/brian-kilmea...
Fox's Brian Kilmeade: “It's not practical to think that we can do due process on 8 million people” Co-host Lawrence Jones: Constitutional rights “are afforded to illegals in this country. We should re...
www.mediamatters.org
March 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
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annlemay.bsky.social
From what I understand, the board of directors on the Canadian side, understandably upset about this, are planning upgrade the secondary access on the Canadian side to a main door and add a parking, etc., to maintain free access.

To continue to promote community, and a love of the arts.
March 21, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by Sil
annlemay.bsky.social
The entrance to the library is on the US side of the border. For 100 years, Canadians visiting the library were allowed to freely walk the few meters across the border to walk inside, as a symbol of friendship.
March 21, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Reposted by Sil
meredithmooring.bsky.social
IF YOU FOUND YOUR NOVEL IN THE LIBGEN DATABASE, YOU MAY BE A CLASS MEMBER FOR THE KADREY ET AL V. META PLATFORMS CLASS ACTION

Law firms you can contact if you're a potential class member:

Joseph Saveri Law Firm, LLP (415) 500-6800
Mathew Butterick (323) 968-2632 [email protected]
A screenshot from a legal complaint with contact information for the plaintiffs' attorneys that states, "Joseph R. Saveri (State Bar No. 130064) Cadio Zirpoli (State Bar No. 179108) Christopher K.L. Young (State Bar No. 318371) Kathleen J. McMahon (State Bar No. 340007) JOSEPH SAVERI LAW FIRM, LLP 601 California Street, Suite 1000 San Francisco, California 94108 Telephone: (415) 500-6800 Facsimile: (415) 395-9940 Email: jsaveri@saverilawfirm.com czirpoli@saverilawfirm.com cyoung@saverilawfirm.com kmcmahon@saverilawfirm.com Matthew Butterick (State Bar No. 250953) 1920 Hillhurst Avenue, #406 Los Angeles, CA 90027 Telephone: (323) 968-2632 Facsimile: (415) 395-9940 Email: mb@buttericklaw.com Counsel for Individual and Representative Plaintiffs and the Proposed Class" A screenshot from a legal complaint that states, "UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO DIVISION Richard Kadrey, an individual; Sarah Silverman, an individual; Christopher Golden, an individual; Individual and Representative Plaintiffs, v. Meta Platforms, Inc., a Delaware corporation; Case No. Complaint Class Action Demand for Jury Trial Defendant."
March 20, 2025 at 7:29 PM
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jeffjarvis.bsky.social
"I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped"
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky
www.theguardian.com
March 19, 2025 at 10:58 AM