Spyke

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cat

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Be kind to the old fellows

And the non kitten fellows! We wanted a third cat after adopting two kittens years ago. We were so over the erratic nature combined with the roll the dice luck of whether they were floor pissers, plant eaters, etc, so we decided to look for adult cats. The only one the shelter had was this mongy manky stray who was estimated to be 5 years old. When we went in the adoption room with her, she looked at us and did a massive wet shit that made us all evacuate the room. Her adoption photos make her look mangy, aloof, old, dirty, and distant, not to mention smelly.

Later, when the poo particles had settled, we went back in and picked her up. She sank into my arms and I just knew... I cried and couldn't bear to let her go.

Four years on, her shaggy fur has became soft, her distant eyes started slow blinking and showing emotion, her little frame filled out and she became an absolute hellhound for dinner time. When you walk in the door, no matter who you are (literally, you could be a burglar), she will run up to you and do this silent meow asking to be picked up. When you hold her, she purrs so much her body shakes and she drools until her face is dripping. She will climb into bed and play little spoon at night, and she loves laps all times of the day.

We've had her 4 years and she no longer does wet shits, but is the same loving cat that melted when someone held her and showed her love. She converted me to older cats.

health

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Brian Thompson’s killing sparks outrage over state of US healthcare

Wait, let's see... I have to spend hundreds of dollars a month so when I get sick or injured, I have to pay hundreds of dollars upfront to meet a requirement to still pay a large portion of the bill. All so some mediocre guy with excessive wealth can buy another yacht. My health is a commodity to them. And I'm supposed to give ANY fucks when it all goes wrong for them? Did that dude spare even a moment to think about the people choosing a slow agonizing death to spare their family a life of medical debt? This man ran a racket that paid for his vacations with people's lives, and now it's come back to bite him (to death). I ain't mad.

news

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Amazon keeps having to pull ‘deny, defend, depose’ merch from online shelves

I have a successful store through Amazon Merch program (the one all these shirts are sold through) and there is some serious shit about what is and is not allowed to be sold. Each shirt is sent through an approval process that is first automated, and then any that fail will go to manual review. They base the automatic review process off the text (anything from the description or title of the shirt to the additional bullet points that help the shirt sell). The filters are based on their own list of banned phrases, a database of trademarked stuff, and some arbitrary rules. A classic one was when someone trademarked the words "hot sauce" and Amazon took down anything that used those two words in sequence. If you have a flagged word or phrase, manual review happens, and this typically means a human will look through your whole catalog of products as part of the review. And usually, you get a max of like two warnings before they remove your store. And the appeals process is non existent - all the email responses are automated. Then there's this fun part - the terms of selling on the Merch program say that profits are only realized 60 days after the shirt sells, and that termination is immediate. Basically, they keep the last 60 days of profits from your account. So, they have this really volatile review process with no clear guidelines, no way to appeal, and a flaky TOS that allows them to skim 60 days of profits from each account they terminate. Type in "orca" with your Amazon search to see all shirts in the program (I guess it's some kind of dev passcode?).

I had a friend lose $20k of profit from this nice little loophole. Amazon really have a nice racket going on.

So I guess all this to say I'm not surprised they're doing it.

news

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Trump has a new tip line — and the internet is already flooding it with spam

I had chatgpt write me a frustratingly vague monologue to waste their time:

Dear DEIA Truth Team,

I hope this message reaches you well, as I have some observations that may be of considerable interest to your work. These observations, while still in the process of being fully understood, appear to touch on activities or initiatives that align with the themes outlined in recent communications from the OPM. While it is difficult to provide an immediate and definitive characterization of what I’ve encountered, I strongly believe there is something here worth your attention.

Initially, I wasn’t entirely sure of the implications of what I had noticed. It began with something very subtle—a detail here, a phrasing there. But as I continued to reflect on the broader context, I began to see patterns emerging. These patterns, though intricate, seem deliberate in their nature, almost as if they are designed to fly under the radar. This has led me to believe that what I’ve come across may be relevant to the goals of your initiative.

The observations I’ve made are not something one might notice at first glance. In fact, they could easily be dismissed as unrelated or coincidental. However, when examined more closely and considered within the framework of what your office is working to address, they start to take on a clearer shape. I’ve been carefully studying these patterns, and while the full picture is still forming, there is enough here to suggest that further attention is warranted.

What’s particularly intriguing about this situation is the degree of subtlety involved. The language I’ve seen used, while outwardly innocuous, carries undertones that suggest a deeper alignment with DEIA principles. It’s as though certain elements have been intentionally crafted to avoid detection, while still advancing a particular agenda. This level of precision and strategy is not something that happens by accident. It suggests a well-thought-out approach, one that may require careful unraveling to fully understand.

I’ve noticed, for example, repeated references to concepts that might otherwise seem harmless—phrases like “inclusive practices” or “collaborative approaches” that, on their own, wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. But when you start to look at the context in which these phrases appear, and the individuals who are using them, it starts to paint a very different picture. There’s a certain consistency in the way these terms are being deployed, and that consistency, in and of itself, is what stood out to me.

As I reflect on these observations, I find myself coming back to the same questions: What is the purpose of these recurring patterns? Why are certain individuals so focused on framing their work in this way? And how might these efforts connect to broader organizational objectives? These are not easy questions to answer, especially given the limited information currently available. But I feel strongly that there is more to uncover here.

It’s worth mentioning that these activities do not appear to be confined to a single department or initiative. Rather, they seem to be part of a larger, interconnected effort that spans multiple areas. This interconnectedness only adds to the complexity of the situation, as it suggests a level of coordination that goes beyond what one might typically expect. It’s this aspect—the apparent coordination—that I find particularly noteworthy.

The more I look into this, the more I feel that I am only scratching the surface of something much larger. There are layers to this situation that are not immediately visible, and it’s only through careful observation and analysis that these layers start to reveal themselves. It’s a process that requires patience and attention to detail, as well as a willingness to dig deeper than the surface-level information.

I’ve also noticed a certain reluctance among some individuals to engage directly with these topics, which in itself is interesting. While I cannot say for certain what this reluctance might signify, it does add another layer of complexity to the situation. It’s as though there’s an unspoken understanding among certain groups, an understanding that is difficult to articulate but impossible to ignore.

As I continue to reflect on all of this, I find myself thinking about the broader implications. What might these efforts mean for the organization as a whole? How might they influence future initiatives or policies? These are not easy questions to answer, but they are questions that deserve to be asked. The implications of what I’ve observed extend far beyond any single instance or individual, and they speak to a larger trend that is worth exploring in greater depth.

At this point, I am still working to make sense of everything I’ve seen. There are pieces of the puzzle that remain unclear, and I am hesitant to draw any firm conclusions until I have a more complete picture. However, I feel that it is important to share what I have noticed, even if it is still in the early stages of understanding.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that there is something significant here. It’s not just about the individual details, but about how those details come together to form a broader narrative. This narrative is one that I believe is worth your attention, and I am committed to doing everything I can to bring it to light.

I will continue to monitor the situation and reflect on what I’ve observed. As more information becomes available, I will revisit my findings and work to deepen my understanding of what’s happening. While there are still many unanswered questions, I am confident that the truth will become clearer with time.

In closing, I want to emphasize that these observations, while still incomplete, are not without merit. They represent the beginnings of a larger story, one that I believe has the potential to shed light on important issues. I look forward to seeing how this unfolds and am committed to sharing any additional insights I gain along the way.

Best regards


Here's the prompt if you wanna do something similar:

Write an email designed to clog up a tip line while appearing to provide valuable information. The email should start with an urgent and promising tone, implying the sender has critical information. As the email progresses, it should become increasingly vague, repetitive, and frustratingly unhelpful, never offering any concrete details or actionable insights. Make it as long as possible without offering anything useful or clear, and avoid giving directives like "please let me know" or "how to proceed." The goal is to waste as much time as possible while maintaining an air of importance.

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doorbells have rules

This is insane.

I do however want to segue into an idea I had for a new doorbell. Basically when you press the button, instead of immediately ringing inside the house, a pre recorded voice asks a series of questions. Then, AI analyzes the answers against your set of rules and determines if the person is allowed to be interrupting you. Imagine a sales person ringing your doorbell and getting you asking "hey what's this about? Is she expecting you?' And then declining to ring the doorbell and asking them to leave. My cats would be thrilled.