Taking a break from socials. Too much of my time has been drained by endless content leaving me feeling empty.

I'm getting back to things that replenish me like photography & writing. For now, I'm funneling that energy into my substack. Hope you'll join me there.

open.substack.com/pub/novonotes

Being introduced to Waiting for Godot through the talents of @alexwinter.com and Keanu Reeves was a magical experience. 💜

Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.

After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

Reminder that muting specific words on social media for a day, a week, a month, or even forever can be laudatory self-care.

Bernie on stage holding a mic, one arm outstretched.

“It is not a radical idea to say that every man, woman and child in America can have a decent standard of living.”

Netflix just gave Gavin Newsom 2 million for the redistricting fight and made a deal with Sesame Street. New episodes will air there and the backlog of old episodes will Be free to watch.

Netflix picked a side. I will keep my subscription.

‘The Toxic Avenger’ Partners With Undue Medical Debt to Erase at Least $5 Million in Medical Debt It’s the final week of marketing and promotion for The Toxic Avenger, and the teams here at Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting have decided to do something a little different. Rather than spending the re...

We were going to do another big marketing stunt for THE TOXIC AVENGER UNRATED. Instead, Toxie, whose life was upended by crushing medical bills, has joined forces with Undue Medical Debt to erase at least $5 million in un-payable medical debt for those who need it most.

Learn more:

Bluesky now platform of choice for science community It’s not just you. Survey says: “Twitter sucks now and all the cool kids are moving to Bluesky”…

FUCK YEAH SCIENCE

arstechnica.com/science/2025...

The A.I.-Profits Drought and the Lessons of History Like the steam engine, electricity, and computers, generative artificial intelligence could take longer than expected to transform the economy.

An M.I.T. study found that 95% of companies that had invested in A.I. tools were seeing zero return. It jibes with the emerging idea that generative A.I., “in its current incarnation, simply isn’t all it’s been cracked up to be,” johncassidysays.bsky.social writes.

Via Variety: 'Guillermo del Toro refused to make #Frankenstein with too much visual effects and green screens: "I want real sets."'

variety.com/2025/film/fe...

Take a break from doomscrolling.

#birds #art #timelinecleanse #painting #kingfisher #icon #peace

Three things we learned about Sam Altman by scoping his kitchen All Drizzle, no sizzle

This is a piece to file alongside @andrewmale.bsky.social’s timeless “Eric Clapton’s bookshelves” essay.

Please enjoy: Sam Altman’s kitchen of shit.

Character revealed through detail. Pure environmental storytelling.

www.ft.com/content/b180...

This kid is all of us.

wholesale vegetable prices graph

The 1-month increase in wholesale vegetable prices is up over 50% in July.

Tariffs and ICE raids have delivered a one-two punch

Who do you think picks fresh vegetables?

One of the absolute worst things society will tell you about chronic pain and disability is like. If you "get lazy" and use an aid, you'll "become" reliant on it and worsen your condition

When in reality if you use aids to help with harder and more fatiguing things you can live life more fully

What’s a technology that you think is overhyped? I’m going to give a sideways answer to this, which is that the venture capital business model needs to be understood as requiring hype. You can go back to the Netscape IPO, and that was the proof point that made venture capital the financial lifeblood of the tech industry. Venture capital looks at valuations and growth, not necessarily at profit or revenue. So you don’t actually have to invest in technology that works, or that even makes a profit, you simply have to have a narrative that is compelling enough to float those valuations. So you see this repetitive and exhausting hype cycle as a feature in this industry. A couple of years ago, you would have been asking me about the metaverse, then last year, you would have asked me about Web3 and crypto, and for each of these inflection points there’s an Andreessen Horowitz manifesto. It’s not simply that one piece of technology is overhyped, it’s that hype is a necessary ingredient of the current business ecosystem of the tech industry. We should examine how often the financial incentive for hype is rewarded without any real social returns, without any meaningful progress in technology, without these tools and services and worlds ever actually manifesting. That’s key to understanding the growing chasm between the narrative of techno-optimists and the reality of our tech-encumbered world.

Stand by this: www.politico.com/newsletters/...

STEWART: “I feel like I’m watching something so self-evidently inhumane and horrific and to be told I have to shut up because I risk the Jewish state by speaking out? I would say the opposite — they’re putting the likelihood of a surviving Jewish state much more at risk.”

Colbert's cancellation is a dark warning CBS's decision marks a dangerous new stage for the culture at large.

"If this can happen to Colbert and a storied franchise, this can happen to anyone": www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Screenshot: No room for wokeness! @Wokenessisevil Notice how no one, not a single soul, has ever complained about the female gaze in entertainment. [photos show Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) and Alan Ritchson (Reacher) with ripped muscles]

This isn’t the female gaze. This is the male gaze. It’s men who are obsessed with the physicality of other men. Women, in the main, would much rather see a man who looks like he’d make himself a stack of buttered toast and let you steal a slice

There's a lot to be said about identity, solidarity. But a simple place to start: the people who are willing to fight for their neighbors when their neighbors have different problems have a very, very good chance of having neighbors to fight with when you all share problems

🔥 @warnock.senate.gov: “A budget is a moral document. The character of our nation is on the line… This is Robin Hood in reverse. Socialism for the rich.” 🇺🇸 #TrumpsTrillionsTransfer

When you realize how cyclical history is…it can really just make you a bit misanthropic.

I have to fight that urge sometimes because another part of understanding history is understanding the intentional creation of systems that drive to separate and isolate us from each other.

There are only three political positions in America today

1) I like the fascism

2) I'll acquiesce to the fascism (reasons for this one vary: cowardice, access, denial, misguidedly thinking that acquiescence is savvy, etc)

3) I oppose the fascism

The rest is details

Socialism is what they called public power.

Socialism is what they called social security. 
 
Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations.
 
Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people.

—Harry Truman, 1952

Am I the only one amazed that this aired on Fox News? If this is piercing their bubble then maybe there's hope 🤞🏼

Mark Cusack holds his book "Fluid" alongside two contributors, Barbara and Gabriel, at Common Press Books.

I had an amazing time at Mark's book launch for "Fluid: A Guide for People with Flexible Sexuality" (uk.jkp.com/products/fluid) at Common Press Books in London & am proud to be a contributor to this wonderful book.

If you want to follow his work you can find him on IG & most socials at @notdefining

A shitpost so powerful it causes a pontypool language virus situation

I love your self portrait work. It's vulnerable and powerful at the same time.

GHOSTBUSTERS! HA HA HA HA HAAA! #C64 🔊🎶👻