Black-and-white portrait of Thomas Ricketts wearing a military uniform and cap, facing the camera. Medals are pinned to his chest, including a cross-shaped decoration, and chevrons are visible on his sleeve. The background is plain, with soft lighting highlighting his face and uniform.

Thomas Ricketts was a Newfoundland teenager who lied about his age to fight in the First World War.
For two years he served in the trenches, and before the age of 18 he had earned the Victoria Cross for his bravery in battle.
This is his story.

🧵 1/10

Late in the evening OTD 1912 RMS Titanic hits one of the icebergs shown on this June 1912 chart of the North Atlantic. The Bodleian holds the Marconi archive and before the ship sank telegrams were sent both from the ship and to others in the area like this one, calling for help. @bodleian.ox.ac.uk

“We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter,” said Altman, laying out an intensely dystopian future as just another business development. “One of the most important things in the future is that we make intelligence, to borrow an old phrase from the energy industry that didn’t quite work, ‘Too cheap to meter.’” When I first heard what Altman had said, I was shocked and bewildered. How does someone even conceive of metering (and monetizing) intelligence if they’re not a tech billionaire with an intense antipathy toward humanity? It was clearly not something that would ever be achieved in practice. But it did hint at a much deeper issue with these AI tools, what they’re doing to our cognitive capacities, and the broader ideology underpinning the industry’s effort to force AI into every facet of our lives.

Altman made this declaration at an infrastructure summit hosted by BlackRock. It’s the latest in a long line of outrageous statements he’s made to try to justify the rollout of generative AI and the massive cost to power it.

disconnect.blog/make-em-dumb...

They did the tweet!

A large crowd gathered in front of the Colonial Building during the Colonial Building Riot, with hundreds of people packed tightly together facing the entrance. The building features a classical façade with tall columns and a triangular pediment above the doorway. Individuals are visible standing on the steps and near the entrance, while the crowd fills the foreground. The image is in black and white and appears slightly hazy, capturing the scale and density of the gathering.

On this day in 1932, 3,500 St. John's residents stormed the Colonial Building to protest government corruption. Prime Minister Richard Squires fled the building and soon resigned. Damages were estimated to be $10,000.
The riot was recreated in a recent episode of Son of a Critch.

Very sweet and warm to hold ♥️

Up close with Timbit

She was so cute and chill about being held~

Snuggling a lil' baby goat named Timbit at work this morning 🐐

next air canada ceo

IOC Reinstates Chromosome Testing, Banning Trans Women From Competition | Defector The International Olympic Committee announced today that any athletes who do not pass a specific chromosome test will be banned from competition. This means that trans women will no longer be able to ...

Did a quick writeup of the new Olympic policy, which essentially bans trans women from Olympic competition.

It also bans any women who test positive for the SRY gene, which has happened in the past. That's why the practice was abandoned more than two decades ago. Now, it's back.

Gift link:

Physicians want N.L. to hit pause on a mandatory, province-wide electronic health information system | CBC News Doctors in Newfoundland and Labrador says quick implementation of a province-wide electronic health information system threatens to harm patients and push some physicians to retire or leave the provin...

Funny and sad to see this story in my province when I was literally in Norway a couple weeks ago and they were telling me what a shit show the Epic health records system had been over there.

Can we please stop buying bad tech instead of just making collective investments to build what we need?

Two years ago today, this little guy came into our lives
Happy Gotcha Day Toby ♥️

One of my favourite facts is that the spiky tail of a stegosaurus didn't used to have a specific name, until Gary Larson published this Far Side cartoon, at which point "thagomizer" was adopted by paleontologists.

I will not put away my winter coat until July haa haa

You know what, I was just thinking it's been like a week since I've had to shovel out my home - so we were due this I guess

This doctor’s invention helped save thousands of lives during the First World War In Newfoundland and Labrador, people might have heard about how a doctor invented an early gas mask, but don’t know the unlikely story of how it happened. The CBC’s Elizabeth Whitten and video produce...

#OTD 147 years ago Dr. Cluny Macpherson of St. John's was born. He went on to become a prominent local doctor, social advocate and inventor of an early WWI gas mask known as the hypo helmet. And I have a whole manuscript written about his adventures! #amwriting www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

Vintage illustrated movie poster for the film The Viking. At the top, red text reads The picture that cost the lives of Varick Frissell and 25 others in the Sealer Viking Disaster. Below, a yellow and orange sky with a large sailing ship labeled Viking on icy water. Large dark blue title text reads The Viking. A portrait of a red-haired woman labeled Mary Joe appears above the ship. At the bottom, two men in heavy work clothes and caps stand together. Additional text notes The First All-Talker made in the Arctic, Directed by George Melford, and Produced by Varick Frissell during the Great Newfoundland Seal Hunt.

On March 15, 1931, the SS Viking exploded off the coast of Newfoundland.
The ship was being used to film shots for the movie The Viking.
The blast killed 28 people and most of the film crew, making it one of the deadliest day in Hollywood history.
This is the story.

🧵 1/10

Five cut-out-and-keep bookplates Each reads ‘ex-libris’ then has a space for the owners name. The design reflects the genre: Sci-fi: Nanotechnology tracks the book, monitors its condition and summons a retrieval drone if necessary. Horror: An ancient curse creates feelings of unease, rising to apalling, abject horror unless the book is returned. Romance : Acts as an invite to the county's grandest ball, but revoked if not returned in a polite and timely manner. Crime: Tailed by a dishevelled Gumshoe who Seems cynical, but loves books more than dames and bourbon. Fantasy: A fellowship of heroes lead the borrower on an epic quest to return the tome to its Rightful shelf.

My books cartoon for this week’s @theguardian.com

'A terrible experience': Patients spent days on overflow stretchers in Corner Brook hospital | CBC News After spending six days on a hospital stretcher, Jaymee Miller said she hopes she never has to be admitted to the Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook ever again.

Woman who spent six days on overflow stretcher in a small windowless room of Newfoundland hospital says experience was ‘degrading’ www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... via @cbcnews.ca

Thousands take to streets to protest cuts to N.S. arts grants | CBC News About 2,000 people gathered outside Province House in Halifax to let the Houston government know cuts to arts, tourism, culture and heritage sectors would cause irreparable harm to their industries.

Thousands take to streets to protest cuts to Nova Scotia arts funding
Premier Tim Houston defends cuts in budget, says 'something has to give'
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#defendnsbooks

Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid speaks out against N.S. arts cuts: ‘The arts are why I live in Nova Scotia’ Artists and arts-industry workers have issued warnings after the province axed $130-million in provincial grants

'The proposed cuts would be devastating, and would drive even more talent out of the province....Please don’t do this”
Heated Rivalry author Rachel Reid speaks out against arts cuts: ‘The arts are why I live in Nova Scotia’ @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/book...
#defendnsbooks

Tim Houston, why are you attacking one of the province's most valuable natural resources - Nova Scotia's artists, writers, culture and heritage? Reverse the cuts, NOW!
#defendnsbooks @writersfedofns.bsky.social @nimbuspub.bsky.social @pottersfieldpress.bsky.social @afterwordsliterary.bsky.social

This is very true

'Old guy with a ruler' keeping Newfoundland informed through record-breaking snowfall ST. JOHN'S - A 62-year-old retiree with an arsenal of rulers has been keeping people informed about snowfall in eastern Newfoundland during a record-breaking winter.

Lloyd Leaman and his arsenal of rulers are keeping people informed during a record-breaking winter.

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/environment/...

N.S. book publishers slammed by provincial government's cuts to creative sector | CBC News A Nova Scotian book publisher says the provincial government's cuts to the arts and culture sector are "soul-crushing" when sales have already been decimated by uncertainty in the U.S. market.

Nova Scotia book publishers slammed by government's 'soul-crushing' cuts to arts sector
Budget eliminates $700,000 publishers assistance program
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
#DefendNSBooks @writersfedofns.bsky.social @afterwordsliterary.bsky.social @nimbuspub.bsky.social @pottersfieldpress.bsky.social

From blowing up icebergs, to simply towing them. Tactics changed to keep ships safe | CBC News Every year, thousands of people flock to Newfoundland’s shores to gaze at icebergs as they glide past. A McGill scientist made a similar journey a century ago, but instead of watching the bergs, he wa...

Every year, thousands of people flock to Newfoundland’s shores to gaze at icebergs as they glide past. A McGill scientist made a similar journey a century ago, but instead of watching the bergs, he was hunting them www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Birder calls foul over a lethal gull control program at Robin Hood Bay | CBC News The City of St. John's has killed more than 11,600 gulls at the Robin Hood Bay landfill due to Transport Canada concerns over safety of aircraft landing at the airport.

Fascinating. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

A year after a major comic book distributor went bankrupt, N.L. shops are still reeling | CBC News Comic book shops and a publisher in St. John's are still grappling with the repercussions more than a year after a major distributor declared bankruptcy.

Spoke with @elwhitten.bsky.social for a story on how the Diamond Comics Distributors bankruptcy has affected comic shops and publishers in Newfoundland and Labrador.