k Meesh

All MAX schedules and some bus schedules are changing by up to 8 minutes starting this Sunday, Aug. 24. To see the new schedules, go to trimet.org/servicechange

I know a lot of you have already heard or read about BDS Movement's call against Microsoft, and felt weird and bad about it all, but decided to move forward as normal because of some degree of ambiguity.

"What service is Microsoft providing?"

Here it is, clear as day. A direct line to death.

I think about those artists who spent months, years working on shows that they were excited to share with their communities - their children - having their hearts broken because streaming channels scoured it off their platforms. FOR THIS? For fucking THIS???

I am LIVID that streaming channels have absolutely ERASED shows that were produced by real artists and writers only for them to do THIS.

"We [...] have to consider [...] whose [voices] are being silenced. Does free speech apply [...] to survivors of rape?"

This is a good opportunity to reiterate that numerous games made by survivors of sexual violence have been deplatformed SPECIFICALLY because of Collective Shout's actions.

- if payment processors' current policies had always existed, huge swaths of culture, from the prestigious to the pulpy, simply wouldn't exist. Today's disturbing indie work might be tomorrow's essential text. And even if it isn't, the freedom to create and access challenging content is valuable.

To be clear, works shouldn't need to meet some arbitrary standard of 'literary merit' or follow specific aesthetic conventions to exist. Genre fiction, pulp novels, underground comics, indie games, and yes, even erotica ought to have the right to explore upsetting themes. But note that -

A reminder: this is what's fuelling Elon Musk's racist text generation software over on the white supremacist website that major institutions can't stop using

Summer Game Fest logo

My feelings covering Summer Game Fest, in LA, as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant.
pentopixels.com/article/summ...

Donate to Help a Trans Attorney Avoid Eviction, organized by Kat Grant The situation: So this sucks doesn't it? I'm crowdfunding to prevent getting evicted. I… Kat Grant needs your support for Help a Trans Attorney Avoid Eviction

As most of y'all know, despite looking for well over a year for my post-fellowship gig, I've been out of work for 9 months, and now I'm facing potential eviction. I hate this but I did make a gofundme on the off chance anyone wanted to help out gofund.me/959d8cdd

23andMe sold the genetic data of 15 million people for $256 million to a pharmaceutical company called Regeneron.

🔗 www.404media.co/23andme-sale...

And if your main concern is how to squeeze the most money out of art by cannibalizing everything and everyone, you’re a bitch ass loser lacking in curiosity and verve and you can catch my motherfucking hands. (2/2)

Oh yeah, and here’s my banger tweet of the day: Art & Art Critique is an indispensable part of a healthy and thriving society. Both are facets of a society’s ability to reflect outward & inward. They grant us the space for exploration, conversation, empathy, and introspection. (1/2)

Today, the Vox Media Union learned the devastating news that Polygon, home to some of gaming and geek culture’s most beloved and respected journalism, is being sold off to controversial website Valnet. As part of the sale, nearly all of Polygon’s award-winning staff were laid off. Our colleagues at New York Magazine saw additional layoffs today as well. To say that we are outraged and heartbroken is an understatement. This marks the fifth round of layoffs at Vox Media-owned brands in a six-month period. It has occurred during contract bargaining in which the company has thus far rejected all of the union’s economic proposals, and refuses to offer meaningful counters. This move not only disrespects our colleagues, it blatantly undermines a good-faith bargaining process. Arguably even more demoralizing is Vox Media’s decision to sell a lauded games website to a company known for alleged exploitative conditions and for devaluing rigorous journalism in favor of churning out content. Vox Media’s lack of respect for Polygon’s reputation in games media, the hard work and passion of its staff, and the robust community of gamers and fans who support it could not be clearer. Losing Polygon to such a company is not just a loss for Vox Media, but for our industry and internet culture as a whole. From a sustainability perspective, it makes little financial or long-term sense, and speaks to a lack of care and consideration for this company and its staff. The Writers Guild of America East and Vox Media Union will continue to offer help and support to our colleagues at Polygon and New York who are leaving us, just as we have supported our colleagues impacted by previous layoffs around the company. Please stay tuned for more information on how you can support those impacted by these layoffs. We will continue the fight for economic protections and job security in bargaining, where we set new standards for workers in the entire digital media industry. We stand with you all.

We are devastated and outraged about today's layoffs, the sale of Polygon, and the loss of staff across Polygon and NY Mag. We stand with our colleagues at @polygon.com com and @nymagunion.bsky.social in solidarity.

fr tho, Polygon’s work has been such a meaningful part of my life for the past 10 yrs. The articles, reviews, and guides. And of course, the incomparable content that the video team put out. I’m devastated for everyone who was laid off. I’m devastated for the industry at large. RIP

I would love to know how Vox fucked up having the second biggest gaming site so bad. If you can’t make money on three and a half million monthly clicks, maybe you shouldn’t be making business decisions!

On days like this I obviously appreciate the calls to support independent media, especially bc it's so important to me that our sites aren't just pulling the rope up after us. But the gulf between what we can do and a real ecosystem that gives everyone jobs is... so frighteningly wide

i am far too stupid to be weighing in on this but one thing i would stress is that gaming media’s collapse wasn’t an inevitable fact of life. it’s the result of very stupid people making decisions they could have just as easily not made

There weren't enough jobs for people before. There aren't enough jobs for people now. We are just going to lose dozens of dozens of people who thoughtfully cover, critique, and investigate the video game industry forever. It is a profound loss that will not be recovered.

Pat has worked so hard and given so much to Polygon, and was instrumental in making it what it was for so long. He is so immensely talented and any team would be so lucky to have him as a part of it.

So gutted to hear the polygon news. I'm so deeply exhausted and saddened to see talented creatives laid off week after week. Thank you to the polygon video team in particular — you made one of my favorite parts of the internet

feels weird to say but i (along with the majority of my coworkers) were just laid off-

sooo now im looking for any opportunities in social media/content/gaming! my short form videos got 100M+ views in my three years at Polygon.

and maybe i'll start making my own gaming content now? idk yet

pizza_suplex - Twitch Adult man playing video games on line. Streams on Sunday, 8am PT. Also some other times.

After today, I am not employed! Not sure what the hell I'm going to do next but follow me on twitch and instagram (pizza_suplex_vevo) and stuff.

twitch.tv/pizza_suplex

The untold history of Barbie Fashion Designer, the first mass-market ‘game for girls’ How Digital Domain and Mattel Media built Barbie’s wardrobe

I'm getting more sad about getting laid off. My work means so much to me. I'm a really good reporter. I've been getting scoops every single week lately, while also doing in-depth, award-winning reporting. I have good ideas!

New email: nicolecarpenterwrites@gmail.com

www.polygon.com/23776996/bar...

Absolutely devastating.

My advice to the remaining Vox Media properties: take as much from the office as you can without attracting attention and if they lay you off you get to keep it.

A picture of a fire hydrant that has a security device consisting of metal bands enclosed around the hydrant and barring access to the spigots. The security device looks as if the hydrant was wearing a face harness. There is a caption that reads “happy valentines to all who celebrate.”

What’s not to get?