scottferson

I got laid off today, with the rest of 18F.

18F was an elite federal software shop. We made gov't websites work better, more efficiently for the American people. We saved taxpayers from getting screwed over by contractors. And were fired for it.

We made this website to tell our story:
18f.org

“Your mower smokes meats?”
“No, my smoker cuts grass” may be the most American line spoken. #budlight

That is right— a TAX . Any Dem who says tariff instead of TAX isn’t ready for this fight

The first Senators to actually do anything about the Trump admin

This eve, the crescent Moon will do
What a crescent moon does best.
And that’s join Venus in twilight
Orbiting Earth east to west

Watch the Moon skirt by Venus.
A mere finger’s width nigh.
A celestial en passant
Oh my. Ohh my. Ohhh my!

The tech bro who wasn't on Trump's inauguration stage Four things NPR's Steve Inskeep learned from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman in their discussion of his latest book, "Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right With Our AI Future?"

The tech bro who didn't attend the inauguration: my talk with Reid Hoffman about AI, Zuckerberg, Elon and retribution.
www.npr.org/2025/01/31/n...

Istanbul

珊盟旺 THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/26/25 ICYMI: President Donald J. Trump's TRUTH on Columbia Sanctions E@realDonald Trump I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia. This order was given by Colombia's Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people. Petro's denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures:

Ngl, that sent a chill through our faculty lounge today

With ICE raids I guess we should all carry our passports. If someone stopped and asked for my papers how would I prove I was a citizen? My drivers license? Library card? If you’re not worried about this I wonder why?

Jules Feiffer strip from April 23, 1958. Part 1 of 4. A mouse and a cat are arguing. Mouse: "Go ahead! Eat me! Play into their hands." Cat: "Please. Must we continually bicker? Can't we just accept our given roles?" Mouse: "Of course. You'd say that. Refusal to change is a characteristic of your class." Cat: "Look. I'm not against intelligent change. But this question has been looked into before. Cats have always killed mice. It's a tradition." Mouse: "An outmoded ritual unfit for today's humanistic values. Don't you see who profits most from the unnatural enmity between our peoples?" Cat: "Your kind always has to look for villains. It bores me."

Part 2 of 4. Mouse: "How incredibly naive! Whose ends do you really serve? Who gains by diverting both of us into a useless struggle that can't ever end?" Cat: "*sigh* I suppose you'll tell me whether I want to hear or not." Mouse: "It's MAN! You silly innocent! MAN!" Cat: "Oh, come now. Man pets me. Man gives me food."

Part 3 of 4. Mouse: "Sheer paternalism, you booby! How else can he keep his waning power?" Cat: "You always make me uncomfortable with that kind of talk." Mouse: "We mice have been playing a waiting game! Man is torn by inner dissension. Let mouse and cat join hands against the common enemy! Unite! Unite!" Cat: "Quiet – somebody might hear — " Mouse: "I see my words are wasted. All right then–eat me. Go ahead." Cat: "I can't. You've made me all upset. I've got a stomach ache."

Part 4 of 4. Cat: "I'll be back later. Maybe I'll eat you then." Mouse: "Weakling – wishywashy – I would have eaten him." [The cat has left the panel.] Mouse: "What can you expect from liberals."

Jules Feiffer drew this 65 years ago.

MAGA in DC just being told that Trump just said the inauguration will now be inside: “So we’re not gonna see it in person? I don’t like it. We came all the way from OK. We might as well stayed home & watched it on TV. It sucks. We have farms. We don’t get to not feed the cows cause it’s cold.”

It was so cold on Reagan’s second inaugural it was moved inside.

Miami Dade public library

This brew pub in Miami is playing “Freeze Frame”

Firefighters from Mexico arriving in Los Angeles to help out their neighbors.

The younger Boston in me would have found a senator and member of the house to object to each state, starting with Alabama, just to be an asshole, drag it out for days.

Why is there a hot air balloon basket hovering over her head?

Each of us has a reach of connection. Whether modest or large our job is to communicate with the entirety of that reach. That is how we move forward. We leave no one behind.

Ok well you can just let us know when the doom and gloom happens. You don’t need to keep telling us it’s coming.

Poking around wikipedia I came across the 1966 film “Grand Prix.” Reading the plot I realized my parents took me and my sister to the drive-in to see it. The crash scene has stayed with me as a memory but I wasn’t sure from what film. I was 4.

Closure of northern Minnesota camp is ‘the greatest story.’ Here’s why. Willow River, Minn., camp One Heartland is for sale after serving kids there for nearly three decades.

After nearly three decades, a Minnesota summer camp for kids with HIV/AIDS is closing and up for sale... because retroviral drugs are so effective that there aren't enough campers.

Science works, y'all.

www.startribune.com/closure-of-n...

46 days until pitchers and catchers report.

I am in Ocean Beach, CA where this sign totally makes sense.

We abandoned waiting for our luggage from our cancelled flight Bos/San Diego at 2AM. Went back to collect it this morning at 10 and they were just bringing it into the baggage area. They had piles of luggage from cancelled flights.

Boston to San Diego, 3:30 departure. Currently 12:28AM. Still at gate waiting to be de-iced.

Political Notebook: What they read this year on and off Beacon Hill via @CWBeacon

https://buff.ly/4iNKuEc

This Vanity Fair photo spread is unreal.

If Donald Trump wants Elon Musk to run the country, well, he is the president.