Definitely above average. Expensive with Exp Down thou

Schwalbe nails why sociology faces such political hostility: we teach people to see power structures, inequality, and social construction of "common sense." That's exactly what authoritarians fear most - citizens who can critically analyze society. #sociology #AcademicSky

insidehighered.com/opi...

ijrm.net/index.php/ij...

Clustering Player Performance in Pokémon TCG Tournaments: A K-means Approach to Identifying Performance Groups Based on Wins, Losses, and Tournament Statistics ABSTRACTThis study applies K-means clustering to analyze player performance in competitive Pokémon TCG tournaments, categorizing players into four distinct performance groups based on metrics such as wins, losses, and ties. Using a dataset comprising over 186,000 players, the study identifies key clusters representing varying levels of success in the game. The data was preprocessed by handling missing values and standardizing features to ensure uniform contribution across metrics. MiniBatchKMeans was employed to optimize clustering for large datasets, resulting in a model that groups players into low, moderate, and high-performance categories. The clustering results provide valuable insights into the distribution of player performance and help identify trends in competitive dynamics. A Silhouette Score of 0.4582 indicates that the clustering is moderately effective, with some overlap between clusters, suggesting that further refinement may be needed. Visualizations, including scatter plots, box plots, and heatmaps, were used to interpret the cluster characteristics, showing that top-performing players cluster into smaller groups, while a large majority of players exhibit moderate performance. The findings offer important implications for both players and tournament organizers: players can refine strategies based on their cluster profiles, while organizers can use clustering insights to design more balanced and engaging tournament formats. Future research could explore alternative clustering methods and incorporate additional performance features to further optimize player segmentation and enhance tournament design.

🚨 #PokemonTCG paper alert 🚨, and it cites my co-authored paper from last year! My first academic citation!!

Among other things, the authors find that a staggering 60% of players drop out of tournaments. They go on to offer some innovative ways to improve player engagement and tournament structure.

The Greatest Trump: A Tarot LOGLINE: A tarot reading of the American executive branch, dealt face-down.

The Greatest Trump: A Tarot

LOGLINE: A satircal tarot reading of the American executive branch, dealt face-down.

#shortfiction #wip #authorsky #amwritingcommunity #booksky

Left Bank Books website

a book review

BLESSING TO EVERYONE IN THE WORLD!
SHRIEK! HOWL! GASP! GARGLE! DEATH!
MY FAVORITE ST. LOUIS BOOK STORE CARRIES MY BOOOOOOOKKKKK!!! EAGLESCREECH!!! I-GOTTA-A-REVIEW-A-MY-FAVORITE-BOOKSTORE-CARRIES-MY-BOOK-OMG-OMG-OMG

#writingcommunity #authorsky #booksky

Hush now, my baby.

Be still, love.

Don’t cry.

Watch my live reading of body horror, new weird, and maenad mayhem.

Full creative session here: substack.com/@whogetstobe...

#horrorsky #scifisky #writersky #authorsky

Overlooked No More: Eleanor Abbott, the Creator of Candy Land

Overlooked No More: Eleanor Abbott, the Creator of Candy Land www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/o...

Wow!

Just finished my third read of Charles Williams' masterpiece of a novel, which is the subject of a paper I am taking to a conference on religion and ethics in a few weeks

"So the hand of the Fool had at last fulfilled the everlasting promise and yielded its secrets to the expected hour"

#TarotSky

Why bioethics cannot help doctors in actual medical practice | Aeon Essays Neat ethical principles have nothing to say to doctors like me, faced with the brutal, bloody compromises of hospital life

The anaesthesiologist and writer Ronald W Dworkin’s work provides rare, honest and confronting insights into the operating room. His latest Aeon Essay aims squarely at bioethics: a discipline mired in theory that has little to say to doctors like him making real-world decisions

Have loved Collide since Chasing the Ghost! 🖤

It is a great week to make room for Gloom! #Pokemon30

Arlie Hochschild - The Managed Heart YouTube video by Social Theory on Film

A short film on Arlie Hochschild’s 'The Managed Heart'. It should be useful for students and hopefully interesting as an invitation to non-sociologists to think about emotions in a sociological way.

#emosoc #sociology #publicsociology

youtu.be/OPesMh54PXM

Danny L Harle: "Maybe I require a level of disconnect, strangely, to feel emotions" | Interview How a decade of shaping pop's outer limits led to a moment of pure, personal signature for Danny L Harle.

On new record Cerulean, pioneering producer Danny L Harle turns his gaze inward for the first time. Best Fitt hears how a decade of shaping pop's outer limits led to this moment of pure, personal signature for this week's cover story.

I think my list has room for improvement, but absolutely! 🤡

A bunch of status conditions carried me in my first Emblem Event in #PokemonTCGPocket 🔥🤢

The Ultimate Away Game has begun in Italy! 👀

Where will you be watching from?
📺 thepwhl.com/en/olympics/schedule

Hochman: SLU basketball's X-factor? The band’s sousaphone in ‘When You Say Bud’ The No. 21 St. Louis University Billikens are known for their shooting and their sousaphone — in the pep band, sophomore Grace Walter plays some key notes during games.

The No. 21 St. Louis University Billikens are known for their shooting and their sousaphone — in the pep band, sophomore Grace Walter plays some key notes during games.

Mega Slowbro ex!
PPP - Shellnado Spin 180
If this Pokémon is damaged by an attack during your opponent's next turn, put 12 damage counters on the attacking Pokémon.

Bluesky in 2026: Predictions - Bluesky As we head into 2026, we wanted to share a few predictions about what we think people will do online this year, with a taste of how we're building Bluesky to meet them there.

After a whirlwind 2025, we took a pause to reflect on what 2026 might bring, and how Bluesky can help build the sort of future we all want to see online. Check out a few of our predictions, and let us know if you agree: bsky.social/about/blog/0...

The Forgotten Pokémon Type: Delta Species YouTube video by Someone's PC

The richness of the four part Delta block (Delta Species - Holon Phantoms - Crystal Guardians - Dragon Frontiers) made for some of the best years to play competitively 💎

@someonespcbox.bsky.social anthropological look at the #PokemonTCG exclusive Holon region brings even more meaning to the cards 💎

🎊 🎆 Prepare for the Festivities! 🎆 🎊

A magical evening filled with enchantment and whimsy awaits. Join us next week for the #FantasticalParade!

Venusaur!!! dominance in #PokemonTCGPocket

💚💚💚

Good Sleep Day - Pokémon Sleep 😴

▶️: youtu.be/o-NiS8s-nXo

Have fun!! 🎉

Pokémon's 30th anniversary logo, featuring Pikachu

We are looking for tributes from Johto Times readers and Pokémon fans to mark the 30th anniversary of Pokémon, for an upcoming feature.

Full details can be found on our forum:

forum.johtotimes.com/d/168-paying...

OH MY

PSYCHIC CALL

An absolute honour 🙏👇

AI Ethics & Governance Weekly Roundup | AI Risks in Schools Outweigh Benefits, Mythology of Consciousness, Solving the AI Porn Problem, AI in Therapy, Memorization Crisis, Converging Models for Encoding Reality, Caught Up in Military Efforts, AI Opacity in the EU, + More mailchi.mp/7797a38c9f75...