Ben Young Landis

Looking back at the recent Murder of the Century scandal, particularly that some actors were unaware the Lin family massacre is still technically unsolved, one finds it horrifying what extent there is a lack of knowledge of the White Terror in society

China may place more energy on efforts to split Taiwan and the US as a consequence

Wrote about the impact from ongoing developments in Iran on Taiwan. Although it's a dangerous precedent the US is setting in targeting heads of state, I do wonder if it has a deterrent effect on China in illustrating US power

I'm convinced AI is our generation's radium - a discovery with genuinely useful applications in specific, controlled circumstances that we stupidly put in everything from kid's toys to toothpaste until we realised the harm far too late where future generations will ask if we were out of our minds.

How the AP decided to describe joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and Iran’s retaliation, as a war The Associated Press is using the word “war” to refer to the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliation.

"Even though none of the countries have officially declared war, the attacks by the United States and Israel, combined with Iran’s retaliation, meet those criteria." (AP): apnews.com/article/isra...

How your email finds me

Photo of a crayon sketch of a Roa modesta butterfly fish

Taiwan is home to some incredible butterfly biodiversity, and I happened to see a gorgeous swallowtail today. Hence the inspiration for this #SundayFishSketch of Roa modesta 樸蝴蝶魚 (Chaetodon modestus) butterflyfish tonight. #TaiwanFishes #台灣魚類 🐡🦑🧪

Photo of a sketchbook page with six sketches: a sillago, a tube shoulder, a larval mahi mahi, a greenling, a jack, and a butterfly fish

#SundayFishSketch BONUS: Another page full in this latest sketchbook! 🐡🦑🧪

newbloommag.net/events-calen...

Our networking night for creatives returns. It will be held every first Wednesday of the month. Disenfranchised tech workers welcome.

This is the second of a series of gatherings that will explore decolonial ideas about healing, therapy and community support.

Does Taiwan Truly Remember the 228 Massacre, 79 Years Later? | New Bloom Magazine Yesterday marked the 79th anniversary of the 228 Massacre. often seen as the start of Taiwan’s White Terror. Yet close to eighty years later, one notes that Taiwan has in many ways failed to heed the…

"Does Taiwan Truly Remember the 228 Massacre, 79 Years Later?" by @brianhioe.bsky.social

YouTube video by 牽猴子電影粉絲俱樂部 《大濛》 A Foggy Tale 預告｜榮獲金馬 5 項大獎｜現正熱映中｜方郁婷、柯煒林、9m88、曾敬驊

Finally watched 《大蒙》A Foggy Tale today. An incredible cinematic production — and a story experienced by so many in silence, one that Taiwan society and politics continues to struggle to come to terms with...

youtu.be/GDwIYnjYMAE

#February28 #二二八事件 #WhiteTerror #白色恐怖

Screen shot of Taiwan Plus Facebook post with thumbnails of historic photos of victims of Taiwan's White Terror executions and jailings.

A gallery of nine profiles via TaiwanPlus Facebook remembering 228 and the White Terror era under the Kuomintang: www.facebook.com/share/p/1GW3... 🧋❤️‍🩹

Graphic by Taiwan Plus with text Beyond 1947: Nine Stories from Taiwan's White Terror, over background of historic photos

"The 228 Incident took place in 1947, but the violence did not end there. For decades after, into the 1970s and 1980s, people continued to be imprisoned, silenced, and killed under authoritarian rule... They were students, journalists, writers, diplomats, broadcasters, and much more." #KMT #Taiwan🧋❤️‍🩹

Everything is so incredibly stupid.

Part of the reason I left the US was the constant stress and hypervigilance of living and working there was also taking a toll on my physical and mental health. I was spending so much time and money on medical care to deal with different issues.

Connecting with Your Audience: The Workshop | Creative Externalities A science communication class designed with learning in mind — teaching students and professionals the art of translating science for public audiences.

“Connecting with Your Audience: Design Insights from the World of SciComm” will excerpt from my #CWYASciComm workshops for science professionals, which has been taught since 2017 (cr8xt.com/portfolio/cw...). Excited to finally share this content here with our Taiwan community. See you March 4! 🧪

Digital poster with text This week's talk: Connecting with Your Audience: Design Insights from the World of Sci Comm. Talk by Ben Young Landis Wednesday March 4 2026 7 P M As part of Creatives Networking Night. Lower corner shows New Bloom logo.

Taipei Friends: Very excited to dust off my #CWYASciComm workshop slides for March 4 #CNNTaipei freelancers meetup! If you're a designer, writer, or scientist who has to convey technical ideas to broad audiences, do join us! My first-ever #SciComm talk in Taiwan: www.facebook.com/events/14413... 🧪

We need more SF in which you really don’t have to buy into a whole Extended Universe

But also it would have been very funny if the Prey Selection computer had offered up, like, an Ewok

For a while we had slap bracelets and hypercolor shirts.

Like, you know Song dynasty lacquered antique wooden furniture?

Every single one of em represents multiple people dying slowly of mercury poisoning.

It was considered a death sentence to become a cinnabar miner because of how certain mercury poisoning was, *every* beautiful vermilion artifact cost lives to produce from those mining it to those processing it

Fun fact: the red orange pigment Vermilion is mercury sulfide, originally a useful byproduct of mercury mining until people figured out how to make it directly.

People knew about its toxicity since early Roman times, just like lead, they still used it because they liked the color so much.

According to the New Yorker, Donald Trump and his family profited off the presidency by an estimated $4 billion in 2025 — mostly through shady crypto deals.

That amounts to $456,621 per hour.

But how are you doing?

Happy New Year! Alysa Liu brings joy; the dazzling Taipei Book Fair; Lorraine Daston visits Taiwan; and other things that give us hope in the Year of the Horse

"What new questions, observations, or conversations might emerge from those unexpected combinations?" Thoughts from Lorraine Daston at #TIBE in Taiwan via @michellekuo.bsky.social: ampleroad.substack.com/p/happy-new-... #HigherEd #HistoryOfScience #SciComm 🧪

Happy New Year! Alysa Liu brings joy; the dazzling Taipei Book Fair; Lorraine Daston visits Taiwan; and other things that give us hope in the Year of the Horse

"What if a university were organized... around shared modes of empirical research—grouping together, say, everyone who works in archives, or everyone who does fieldwork, or everyone who runs experiments?" Thoughts from Lorraine Daston via @michellekuo.bsky.social: open.substack.com/pub/ampleroa... 🧪

I can multitask!!! 😆😆😆

(Finland Canada was the more exciting game anyway...)

love that my dear friend, who is the biggest hockey fan I know, was posting fish during the gold medal final

Horizontal photo of a crayon sketch of an Indian threadfish jack

Happy Year of the Horse! Here's Alectis indica, affectionately called 馬面瓜仔 among #TaiwanFishes #台灣魚類. This dashing horse-faced carangid for #SundayFishSketch #LunarNewYear edition! 🐡🦑🧪🧧