Brent Simmons
@thrashy.bsky.social
I design laboratories by day and do nerd stuff by night.
Architecture, science, motorsports, computer games, SF/F lit, TTRPGs. Somewhere between SocDem and DemSoc.
PFP shamelessly yoinked from Order Of The Stick, by @rich-burlew.giantitp.com.
Architecture, science, motorsports, computer games, SF/F lit, TTRPGs. Somewhere between SocDem and DemSoc.
PFP shamelessly yoinked from Order Of The Stick, by @rich-burlew.giantitp.com.
With a link to a Slashdot discussion of said Ars article! What a weird time capsule
(Meta-moderation on Bluesky when?)
(Meta-moderation on Bluesky when?)
February 3, 2026 at 10:39 PM
With a link to a Slashdot discussion of said Ars article! What a weird time capsule
(Meta-moderation on Bluesky when?)
(Meta-moderation on Bluesky when?)
Plus whatever the fuck “we see eye to eye” means out of the mouth of Epstein. I wouldn’t say this is fire yet, but there’s definitely smoke
February 3, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Plus whatever the fuck “we see eye to eye” means out of the mouth of Epstein. I wouldn’t say this is fire yet, but there’s definitely smoke
At least your foes will struggle to accurately determine your range and heading!
February 3, 2026 at 5:37 PM
At least your foes will struggle to accurately determine your range and heading!
A snail mail letter in every mailbox and a nuke in every Great Lake!
February 3, 2026 at 1:19 PM
A snail mail letter in every mailbox and a nuke in every Great Lake!
Based on this analysis of campaign donation data, looks like a 4:1 ratio... verdantlabs.com/politics_of_...
I'd bet that the split aligns neatly with seniority, though... thinking of an exec at the least ethical firm I've ever worked for, who was on the mailing list for the Cato Institute
I'd bet that the split aligns neatly with seniority, though... thinking of an exec at the least ethical firm I've ever worked for, who was on the mailing list for the Cato Institute
February 3, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Based on this analysis of campaign donation data, looks like a 4:1 ratio... verdantlabs.com/politics_of_...
I'd bet that the split aligns neatly with seniority, though... thinking of an exec at the least ethical firm I've ever worked for, who was on the mailing list for the Cato Institute
I'd bet that the split aligns neatly with seniority, though... thinking of an exec at the least ethical firm I've ever worked for, who was on the mailing list for the Cato Institute
Honestly the most surprising thing was the amount of internal use it got. I actually ended up designing in VR half the time, and more than once somebody questioned a design choice in plan and then get into VR and go “oh, I get it now“
January 31, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Honestly the most surprising thing was the amount of internal use it got. I actually ended up designing in VR half the time, and more than once somebody questioned a design choice in plan and then get into VR and go “oh, I get it now“
I've also produced 360 panoramas (the sort that you can open on your phone and spin the phone around to view) for site walks of projects under construction. We linked them to QR codes taped down at the right PoV, so the client could stand in the space and see the finished interior. Very well recv'd
January 31, 2026 at 5:53 AM
I've also produced 360 panoramas (the sort that you can open on your phone and spin the phone around to view) for site walks of projects under construction. We linked them to QR codes taped down at the right PoV, so the client could stand in the space and see the finished interior. Very well recv'd
I built out our VR program at a previous employer and we used it *extensively,* though it must be said it was a sports firm — once you get past the basic mechanics of sight lines and egress, it’s like 90% phenomenology
January 31, 2026 at 2:04 AM
I built out our VR program at a previous employer and we used it *extensively,* though it must be said it was a sports firm — once you get past the basic mechanics of sight lines and egress, it’s like 90% phenomenology
My LA-resident brother in the family group chat, basically apropos of nothing…
January 29, 2026 at 4:38 PM
My LA-resident brother in the family group chat, basically apropos of nothing…
Me: my pronouns are ỻ/⤗
Them:
Them:
January 27, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Me: my pronouns are ỻ/⤗
Them:
Them:
“Innovation experts” pawning off obvious slop as amazing new IP that just needs to be licensed by [insert Fortune 500 name here] to revolutionize the world. “Construction Experts” posting obviously-wrong AI infographics as explainers for the simplest of concepts…
January 27, 2026 at 2:03 PM
“Innovation experts” pawning off obvious slop as amazing new IP that just needs to be licensed by [insert Fortune 500 name here] to revolutionize the world. “Construction Experts” posting obviously-wrong AI infographics as explainers for the simplest of concepts…
Quote the ancients, qui aratur pro aratore?
January 25, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Quote the ancients, qui aratur pro aratore?
If there is to be a silver lining to any of this shit, maybe it will be the political will to call out “secure the border” rhetoric for the thinly-veiled gutter racism that it is.
January 25, 2026 at 2:34 PM
If there is to be a silver lining to any of this shit, maybe it will be the political will to call out “secure the border” rhetoric for the thinly-veiled gutter racism that it is.
As a counterpoint, consider that Presidential and Congressional approval ratings have been pretty abysmal for a couple decades at this point. The gov’t is (un)surprisingly unrepresentative of the will of the people.
January 23, 2026 at 2:45 PM
As a counterpoint, consider that Presidential and Congressional approval ratings have been pretty abysmal for a couple decades at this point. The gov’t is (un)surprisingly unrepresentative of the will of the people.
*Pacific Rim guitar riff intensifies as battle bot throws slow-motion punch at what is very obviously a man in a snowflake costume*
January 23, 2026 at 1:59 PM
*Pacific Rim guitar riff intensifies as battle bot throws slow-motion punch at what is very obviously a man in a snowflake costume*
And here I was hoping the answer was giant nuclear-powered battle robots…
The “don’t travel” thing is especially huge, given the pay of the country being hardest hit. Local governments in the south don’t have the tools to treat or clear roads. You *will* get stuck, and nobody will be able to help.
The “don’t travel” thing is especially huge, given the pay of the country being hardest hit. Local governments in the south don’t have the tools to treat or clear roads. You *will* get stuck, and nobody will be able to help.
January 23, 2026 at 1:48 PM
And here I was hoping the answer was giant nuclear-powered battle robots…
The “don’t travel” thing is especially huge, given the pay of the country being hardest hit. Local governments in the south don’t have the tools to treat or clear roads. You *will* get stuck, and nobody will be able to help.
The “don’t travel” thing is especially huge, given the pay of the country being hardest hit. Local governments in the south don’t have the tools to treat or clear roads. You *will* get stuck, and nobody will be able to help.
Me about to fire off a slide deck to MBS titled “The Darco Arcology From SimCity 2000 Will Make Saudi Arabia The Envy Of The World”
January 22, 2026 at 4:49 AM
I do a lot of space forecasting with university science departments, and every metric I used to predict demand has taken a sharp and sustained dip starting in January 2025 across every institution I’ve worked with. Places that were planning 100’s of ksf of new lab are now barely treading water.
January 20, 2026 at 11:42 PM
I do a lot of space forecasting with university science departments, and every metric I used to predict demand has taken a sharp and sustained dip starting in January 2025 across every institution I’ve worked with. Places that were planning 100’s of ksf of new lab are now barely treading water.
Counterpoint: nah.
January 20, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Counterpoint: nah.
I 100% get that going viral for the wrong reasons is not a pleasant experience, but like... y'all could just stop posting if you wanted to and you won't do it, so...
January 20, 2026 at 3:21 PM
I 100% get that going viral for the wrong reasons is not a pleasant experience, but like... y'all could just stop posting if you wanted to and you won't do it, so...