Eric King
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virtualking.bsky.social
Eric King
@virtualking.bsky.social
320 followers 1.9K following 110 posts
Husband 👫, dad 👨, humanist, atheist, veteran, autodidact 📕, software developer, video gamer, desert dweller 🌵.

formerly of twitter @mr_eking
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virtualking.bsky.social
Of all the corporations Trump can "make history" by pardoning, a foreign cryptocurrency firm enabling financial corruption is the most on-brand.

ground.news/article/trum...
Trump makes history by pardoning a corporation
Companies involved in financial crimes don’t have to worry about accountability under this president, as least when it comes to crypto, for reasons that he has no incentive to ever make known.
ground.news
April 2, 2025 at 3:44 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
#WheelOfTime is a better show than #RingsOfPower
March 14, 2025 at 2:38 AM
virtualking.bsky.social
DEI isn't about keeping the smaller fish, it's about casting a wider net.

Don't fall for the lies.
February 12, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Reposted by Eric King
charity.wtf
I have a new blog post up: "Corporate 'DEI' Is An Imperfect Vehicle for Deeply Meaningful Ideals" charity.wtf/2025/02/10/c...

I know a lot of people are feeling incredibly scared and demoralized right now. I get it; I am too. (Who knows if my marriage will still be valid in two years?)
Corporate “DEI” is an imperfect vehicle for deeply meaningful ideals
I have not thought or said much about DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) over the years. Not because I don’t care about the espoused ideals — I suppose I do, rather a lot — but because corporate…
charity.wtf
February 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
This is a great article.

"AI will not replace programmers, but it will transform their jobs."

"What programming *is* will change."

"Junior developers who master the tools of AI will be able to outperform senior programmers who don’t."

www.oreilly.com/radar/the-en...
The End of Programming as We Know It
www.oreilly.com
February 5, 2025 at 7:57 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
Trump doesn't (cant?) understand that people can be altruistic; all he sees is through a veil of narcissism.

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Excerpt from the Atlantic article "Trump and Musk Are Destroying the Basics of a Healthy Democracy": No one likes bureaucracies, even if they must acknowledge that modern states cannot function without them. But Trump’s contempt for government employees is not driven by some sort of noble, reformist instinct: He distrusts public service because he does not understand it. The president has a solipsistic and binary view of the world in which everything revolves around him, and other people either support him or oppose him. He is unable to comprehend the principle of an apolitical service that must obey the Constitution and the law over the wishes of Donald J. Trump. In Trump’s world, service—including military service—is for suckers and losers. Only saps forgo personal benefit and miss out on a chunky payday in order to be part of something bigger than themselves. The president and his MAGA allies, accordingly, have portrayed diligent government employees as schemers who are part of some nefarious ideological project. In a titanic act of projection, Trump has convinced millions of Americans that their fellow citizens are scammers just out for themselves.
February 5, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Eric King
josephpolitano.bsky.social
USAID’s website has been deleted, all that is left is a note saying all personnel are now on administrative leave and personnel outside the US are to be brought home. Completely illegal, no act of congress or even executive order was signed to dismantle the agency
“On Friday, February 7, 2025, at 11:59 pm (EST) all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally, with the exception of designated personnel responsible for mission-critical functions, core leadership and specially designated programs. Essential personnel expected to continue working will be informed by Agency leadership by Thursday, February 6, at 3:00pm (EST). For USAID personnel currently posted outside the United States, the Agency, in coordination with missions and the Department of State, is currently preparing a plan, in accordance with all applicable requirements and laws, under which the Agency would arrange and pay for return travel to the United States within 30 days and provide for the termination of PSC and ISC contracts that are not determined to be essential. The Agency will consider case-by-case exceptions and return travel extensions based on personal or family hardship, mobility or safety concerns, or other reasons. For example, the Agency will consider exceptions based on the timing of dependents’ school term, personal or familial medical needs, pregnancy, and other reasons. Further guidance on how to request an exception will be forthcoming. Thank you for your service”
February 5, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Reposted by Eric King
fpwellman.bsky.social
The United States Military Academy has just eliminated all Cadet clubs and activities for POC. Most of these have existed for decades like the Society of Black Engineers. They were there when I was a Cadet in 1987. All of the religious ones remain. This isn’t DEI. It’s white Christian Nationalism.
A memo listing all of the clubs eliminated by USMA.
February 5, 2025 at 2:27 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
Scottsdale (AZ) city council going full-on MAGA 😞

Excerpt from the 2025-02-11 Council Meeting Agenda.
A portion of an upcoming City Council Meeting agenda. It reads: Merit-Based Employment and Discontinuation of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs Request: Adopt Ordinance No. 4662 to: 1. Ensure city employees are hired, evaluated, and promoted based on merit, protecting City of Scottsdale employees from unlawful and anti-meritocratic forms of discrimination, and ensuring that residents and taxpayers are served by the most qualified city employees. 2. Discontinue the use of city funds for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) systemic programming, to include the Office of DEI, DEI programming and trainings, and other initiatives that could arguably violate A.R.S. § 41-1494. Training and prevention of unlawful discrimination remains encouraged and shall continue. 3. Direct the City Manager, or designee, to reassign the Diversity Program Director and ADA/Title VI Compliance Coordinator to an appropriate department and position; reflect these changes in the city’s organizational chart; and make the necessary budget transfers and amendments necessary to carry out the intent of this Ordinance. Note: This item was added to the February 11, 2025 City Council Meeting agenda at the request of four or more members of the City Council. Return to In-Person Office Work Request: Adopt Resolution No. 13353 directing Charter Officers and the Presiding City Judge to consider all positions working remotely and develop a plan to return employees to work in a timely manner, at their discretion. Note: This item was added to the February 11, 2025 City Council Meeting agenda at the request of four or more members of the City Council.
February 3, 2025 at 8:08 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
The more you learn about English grammar, the more rules you become familiar with. Hopefully, then you dig deeper, and you learn many of those rules are not rules at all.

youtu.be/BccyQaNKXz8?...
Grammar rules you can stop sticking to
YouTube video by RobWords
youtu.be
February 1, 2025 at 11:09 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
Language of hate

theconversation.com/aliens-and-a...
‘Aliens’ and ‘animals’ – language of hate used by Trump and others can be part of a violent design
Hateful language used to demonize particular groups of people had been used long before the era of Donald Trump, including by the Nazis.
theconversation.com
January 29, 2025 at 4:46 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
Pardoning the insurrectionists is an assault on our democracy.

youtu.be/X0OWDMv57cQ?...
Pardoning 1500 Insurrectionists Is An Insult To America
YouTube video by LegalEagle
youtu.be
January 24, 2025 at 2:52 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
theintercept.com/2025/01/22/t...
Trump’s Anti-Trans Executive Order Is Unscientific Nonsense
The Trump administration is taking a brute-force approach to push trans people out of public life.
theintercept.com
January 23, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Reposted by Eric King
nhannahjones.bsky.social
Trump has signed an executive order eliminating all funding for diversity and inclusion in the federal government, sending home DEI staff who will then be laid off. The historical echo for this is when Woodrow Wilson resegregated the federal government in 1913. We have reached the second nadir.
January 22, 2025 at 9:04 PM
virtualking.bsky.social
Sounds good to me. Maybe it won't be so busy when I go, then. :)

www.newsweek.com/costco-faces...
Costco faces MAGA boycott
Following Costco's refusal to dismantle DEI initiatives, the company is facing threats of a boycott from top Trump supporters.
www.newsweek.com
January 1, 2025 at 12:16 AM
Reposted by Eric King
heartwoodandsteel.bsky.social
Just read the response from Costco to shareholders requesting it back down from DEI. It was glorious. It begins "Our Board has considered this proposal and believes … an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary." and gets better. A happy investor #diversityandinclusion
Screenshot of the statement from Costco Screenshot of the statement from Costco Screenshot of the statement from Costco
December 25, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Eric King
nicolaz.bsky.social
You will be shocked, shocked to hear that "The Theory That Men Evolved to Hunt and Women Evolved to Gather Is Wrong"! 🙄 Duh! OF COURSE IT'S WRONG. But now there's a cool article listing the biological and evidentiary reasons, along with nifty diagrams.

www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
Beginning of article from Scientific American sowing a lovely orange-toned painting of a naked woman running with a spear Beginning of an article reading "Even if you're not an anthropologist, you've probably encountered one of this field's most influential notions, known as Man the Hunter. The theory proposes that hunting was a major driver of human evolution and that men carried this activity out to the exclusion of women. It holds that human ancestors had a division of labor, rooted in biological differences between males and females, in which males evolved to hunt and provide, and females tended to children and domestic duties. It assumes that males are physically superior to females and that pregnancy and child-rearing reduce or eliminate a female's ability to hunt. Man the Hunter has dominated the study of human evolution for nearly half a century and pervaded popular culture. It is represented in museum dioramas and textbook figures, Saturday morning cartoons and feature films. The thing is, it's wrong."
October 21, 2023 at 1:22 AM
virtualking.bsky.social
#DuneProphecy S1 was pretty good, but only 6 episodes? Seems like shows are getting shorter and shorter. 12, 10, 8, now 6 episodes. Next up, 4 episode seasons?
December 24, 2024 at 4:05 AM
virtualking.bsky.social
Organic food is not really better for you, and organic farming is worse than "factory" farming.

theness.com/neurologicab...
Factory Farming is Better Than Organic Farming
Some narratives are simply ubiquitous in our culture (every culture has its universal narratives). Sometimes these narratives emerge out of shared values, like liberty and freedom. Sometimes they emer...
theness.com
December 21, 2024 at 5:05 PM
Reposted by Eric King
rexchapman.bsky.social
👇
December 6, 2024 at 4:31 AM
virtualking.bsky.social
The modern American for-profit health insurance industry is one of the most evil institutions invented by humans.
December 6, 2024 at 4:23 AM
virtualking.bsky.social
I've been playing Path of Exile regularly for 11 years. Looking forward to the Path of Exile 2 early access this Friday.

#PathOfExile #PathOfExile2

pathofexile2.com/early-access
Path of Exile
pathofexile2.com
December 3, 2024 at 12:08 AM
Reposted by Eric King
amyhoy.bsky.social
1. it’s not random

2. you live in a fantasy world, not the real world. in the real world, you can’t tell the outcome of research until you do it. that’s why it’s research.
December 2, 2024 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Eric King
deenamousa.com
Inspired by this viral meme about DOGE: Research the US government has supported that can be made to sound silly, but that has contributed to human progress.

Valuable work can often be framed as absurd out of context. That doesn’t make funding research any less important.🧵
November 18, 2024 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Eric King
phillewis.bsky.social
Illinois has put an end to the injustice of cash bail. And it’s working better than anyone expected.
Illinois Has Put an End to the Injustice of Cash Bail
Amid a national backlash against criminal justice reform, Illinois has achieved something extraordinary. It’s working better than anyone expected.
www.thenation.com
December 2, 2024 at 6:32 PM