Kathy Semel

Cinnamon toast with eyes, mouth, and feet has an awkward expression

Just checking in to say

Everything that’s happened over the past six months has been a response to an imaginary crisis. There is no immigrant invasion. No trade crisis. No scientific or governance crisis. Just people completely high off their own supply trying to fundamentally reorder society. None of this had to happen.

A hand-sized chunk of plaster hangs off the corner of a wall next to a a window and a fan.

I swear I make a new project in this house every time I move a chair. At least it’s the corner I’m ignoring until upstairs is done!

a person is holding a white pigeon in their hand . ALT: a person is holding a white pigeon in their hand .

After a long absence from NYC, my urge to obtain a pigeon is harder to deal with than ever. They are EVERYWHERE, and I saw a fancy one that looked like latte art.

you know who else came from chicago and was on "a mission from god"

"WE'VE ARRANGED A society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. And this combustible mixture of ignorance and power, sooner or later, is going to blow up in our faces. Who is running the science and technology in a democracy if the people don't know anything about it?" "Science is more than a body of knowledge, it's a way of thinking. A way of skeptically interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility. If we are not able to ask skeptical questions, to interrogate those who tell us that something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we're up for grabs for the next charlatan, political or religious, who comes ambling along."

I think a lot about what Carl Sagan said in one of his final interviews.

It's Friday - engage hips, disengage dignity.

“You can’t say people are our most important product and then treat them like shit.” - Jim Sinegal, co-founder of Costco

A Caroll diagram consisting of four rectangles arranged in a square. The Y axis is labelled MOVE and split into FAST and SLOW. The X axis is labelled THINGS and split into BREAK and FIX Top left image: (Move Fast and Break Things) Tech Bro Bottom left image: (Move slow and break things) Runaway Steamroller Top right image: (Move fast and fix things) Emergency Plumber Bottom left image: (Move slow and fix things) Grandpa with a toolbox

My cartoon for this week's @newscientist.com

That famous Gramsci quote: "The old world is dying and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters, monsters with absolute dumptruck asses, vast jiggling Asylum Demon gyats. Monstrously thicc asses not seen in the world for long aeons."

I finally dropped off that bag and two others in a flurry of productivity this weekend.

If you want to help disabled people fight New York's proposed mask ban... wear a mask.

If more people would mask up in solidarity, these important accessibility tools would be harder to ban.

Help us normalize masking and protect your health in the process!

Fun facts are so unfair because I’ve done so much cool stuff and every time I’m asked about it I forget one of those achievements and remember an embarrassing new detail.

Never forget that in 1861 Charles Darwin wrote in a letter to a friend…

“But I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything"

…because this is my favorite reminder that we can do great things even if we don't always have great days

Captioned "Rat is not afraid of killing it in one second" This is an ad for a "Hamster Clip." A tiny light-tan hamster is inside the cage portion of a yellow two-sided scoop device.

Give her what she really wants this Valentine’s Day - Reproductive rights, an ancient tome of curses, the souls of her enemies, and pockets in every dress.

At the Deathbed, by Edvard Munch, 1895

Obviously I tried that task is done anyway whatever the bag of bags will stay in my trunk forever.

I tried to find the store number on their site and it wasn’t easy so I tried the chat bot and it couldn’t tell me if I could return all these extra shopping bags, but it was pleased to tell me they follow all the local regulations.

I called the number I had saved for a store but it was a wrong number because one time the guy that works there called me from his personal phone when some systems thing happened months ago.

I’ve got a show on while I tidy and there’s an “outdoor”sound effect that’s probably meant to be bugs but makes me check I didn’t knock something into the air filter fan again.

you need some schemes bro. bro it’s time to start plotting. you need some machinations. some mackies bro

a woman in a judge 's robe is saying earth is a mess y 'all . Alt: Maya Rudolph in a judge’s robe saying “Earth is a mess y’all.” Clip from The Good Place

While I had jury duty in Newark, ICE was doing immigration raids on the other side of town.

i would be honored to smoke weed inside of scabby the rat

✨My educated and expert take on the TikTok ban ✨

This is some clown shit

Screenshot of TikTok message on the app. The text reads “Welcome back! Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”

Hey what the fuck

Screenshot of TikTok app search pages post-ban. Query says “holes on my fyp” Results Something went wrong Try again later

The last video I saw on TikTok was a woman asking how sure we were about the ban because she was considering posting her butthole. This search was suggested.

Right up until the end, you could really feel the pulse of the people.

Jimmy Carter was a good and great man

Kirby hits star