New newsletter releases tomorrow! As a preview, I'm trying something new and going in depth about what I put together before and have ready to go when pitching a campaign to players, with examples of old and current notes. You'll also get a monthly freebie and reading rec!
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I have been attending the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. This is the largest planetary science conference in the world. Attendance is down 50% this year due to several reasons. The conference feels a bit tired. Scientists are shellshocked. NASA is still just holding on.
Get this occult action thriller ttRPG for 1-7 people. Perfect if you enjoy playing powerful undead revenants embroiled in breakneck action, interpersonal drama, and occult investigation. Soundtrack by @mollynoise.bsky.social and human-made art by @stregawolf.art. Jump in now for early bird deals!
A Houston Metro map outlining a proposed route for a pilot electric shuttle bus in Houston's Third Ward neighborhood. The bus ultimately never ran due to vendor issues, Metro said.
I came across this story while trying to map out where driverless vehicles have started operating in Houston and spotting the shutdown Metro pilot on TxDOT's tracker alongside @waymo.bsky.social. If it got going, the Metro shuttle would've ran here:
Here's a public records scoop I came across for HBJ/@bizjournals.com. A few years back, Houston Metro said it was piloting a self-driving electric bus in Houston's Third Ward. Turns out the bus never ran — and a new internal report from 2025 I dug up explains why. www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
NEW: Rep. Salman Bhojani said lawmakers were denied entry to Prairieland Detention Center, where Leqaa Kordia has been running “a high fever for several days” due to what he called inhumane conditions.
In May, her cousin said she had already lost 50 lbs.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/30/t...
To be clear, they have not actually lost Greg Abbott. He approves. But he's got political calculations to make for his future presidency run. Never trust this man.
A giant metal robot stands in the background surrounded by a crew working on it
Oh hey, I have a game coming out this week! In IronFrame, players are mech pilots taking on a variety of jobs, from megacorporations to freedom fighters, and the game is designed with short campaigns and one shots in mind!
It's also rules light and meant to get you going in minutes! Releasing 11/29
#FantasyAge is a great game y'all. More people need to check it out
And on top of that, there are legal considerations for a piece of land that's been relatively untouched for over a century. So make sure to read our story and check it all out: www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
A rendering of the proposed "arrival garden" at Hermann Park, depicting trees and a shaded walkway. Rendering courtesy of Hermann Park Conservancy.
But the land is part of Hermann Park, now over 110 years old, which has previously seen chunks taken to develop the Texas Medical Center. Cara Lambright, who leads the Hermann Park Conservancy, shared plans for a healing garden on the land that will likely be scrapped for the Ben Taub expansion.
A pie chart titled "Ben Taub Emergency Department Status 2020-2025." The description says: "In the last five years of operation, Ben Taub's emergency department has been at "saturation" status for over 40,000 hours — meaning the department reached or was over its maximum patient capacity during those hours."
Harris Health approved the use of eminent domain to condemn the land in late September. Dr. Esmaeil Porsa, CEO of Harris Health, said that land is essential - for the past five years, Ben Taub Hospital has spent most of its operating hours at maximum or saturation status - meaning no beds.
A map created in Datawrapper by Jishnu Nair and Wyatt Loy for the HBJ. The location of Harris Health's Ben Taub Hospital is shaded in blue. The land targeted for condemnation and an expansion of Ben Taub is shaded in orange. The two shaded sites are separated by Lamar Fleming Street.
Exclusive from me for HBJ: This summer, we heard about plans to expand one of Houston's only public hospitals - at the cost of park land. But what would that actually mean? I interviewed local leaders and dove into public records to find out: www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
And the start of a new creative venture is officially live! Feel free to sign up for my new newsletter, the Ajax Archives, for free monthly content including behind the scenes of game design, industry musings, and small things to plug into your games like NPCs and settings
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I waited an our in the FIFA queue and after the final countdown…. It kicked me out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tomorrow: #BigTechsInvisibleHand, an investigation by 17 media outlets in 13 countries, reveals nearly 3,000 lobbying actions by companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, and TikTok to curb regulations and protect their interests. @techpolicypress.bsky.social @lighthousereports.com
Greg Abbott has added abortion restrictions to the agenda for the TX legislature's special session, starting July 21.
The state's anti-abortion movement faced a huge loss this session w/ its bill to block telehealth abortion. They've been calling for another chance.
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Judge Chris Cooper: "HHS’s refusal to spend the appropriated grant funds is revealed as a quintessential policy choice by the Executive Branch: We no longer think it necessary to spend federal funds on helping local governments prevent and mitigate future pandemics because the latest one has ended."
(A screenshot of a Houston Business Journal article dated June 18, 2025 by Jishnu Nair.) Story Highlights A federal judge has blocked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from taking back millions in previously awarded grant funding. Four local governments, including Harris County, are owed about $32.7 million collectively in grant funding. The grants funded public health initiatives enacted in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
#ICYMI: A federal judge temporarily blocked Health and Human Services from clawing back millions in grant funding that had been awarded to Harris County.
www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
Reddit sues Anthropic, alleging it accessed Reddit 100K+ times after saying it had stopped; Reddit has reached formal licensing deals with OpenAI and Google (Meghan Bobrowsky/Wall Street Journal)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
I got a fever
And the only prescription
Is stories about big fish
We've reached out to the Texas HHSC for further comment.
A screenshot of a June 3 Houston Business Journal article by Jishnu Nair including the story highlights. Those highlights are: Rosenberg-based Texana Center is laying off 185 employees due to insufficient funding. Affected services include Medicaid waiver programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Texana Center also plans to sell 13 group homes in affected counties.
Citing a drop in state funding, Rosenberg, TX-based Texana Center is laying off 185 workers. The center is the Local Mental Health Authority for 6 Texas counties, including Fort Bend and Waller in the Houston area.
www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary, said it's entered talks with Metro in Houston for potentially using some of its Park and Ride sites as vertiport hubs outside local airports. More details + pics here: www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
The proposed site would be located on 236 acres within the Generation Park development created by McCord Development for life sciences manufacturing. I wrote about that development's plans to land a major pharma company last year: www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
Scoop from me: Eli Lilly and Co. filed for tax abatements from Sheldon ISD for a pharmaceutical manufacturing site in northeast Harris County: www.bizjournals.com/houston/news...
i'm telling you, the "hurricane season is starting" news coverage we need right now is helping people & communities prepare to survive in a scenario where there's no federal help coming
I know it's hard for everyone right now, but the staff of the Houston Landing is being laid off after mismanagement by their board and upper management. Many are good friends, all are top notch journalists, and they could use some help while they look for new jobs.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-ho...
Our newsroom @thexylom.com has more than five times the number of followers and engagement here than we ever had on Twitter with roughly the same effort.
Not only is it possible, but I argue it's even easier to grow an audience on Bluesky because of starter packs.
