All three branches of government are now controlled by a rapist who campaigned on purging the country of nonwhite immigrants and driving trans people out of public life, supported by a Nazi billionaire, I think maybe you can ease off the Has Woke Gone Too Far beat for a while
for those of you not on twitter anymore, the anti-aging billionaire guy posted a timelapse of his failed attempt to inject "fat-derived extracellular matrix" into his face and I thought you might want to see that
Indeed. When they rounded up the Japanese Americans, myself and my family included, for internment during WWII out of fear over Japanese spies and saboteurs, two thirds of us were U.S. citizens. Don’t think it won’t happen again when they come for the “undocumented.”
THIS IS BEING BUILT UP STILL. CHECK OUT THE STARTER PACKS BELOW TO JUMP START YOUR SPORTS FOLLOWINGS.
Dribble. Pass. Shoot. Throw. Dunk. Touch Down. From WAY Downtown. Hail Mary. Serve. Slam. Bonk. 1st Down. Torn ACL. Pitch. Football AND Football. Flibbed It. Own Goal. Fandom. The Wave. Home Run. GOAT. Elite. The Hole. Post Game Interview. Dingers. 4th and 27. Scorigami. The CBS Jacket Patch. The Diving Catch Your One Friend Did In Little League. Opening Day. The Playoffs. Shredding. Bball With The Boys. The Catch. 3rd Concussion Of The Season. Losing Your Savings On Betting Apps. Communal Joy.
It’s juicing, as they say. Bluesky is gaining a million users a day at this point, including some very cool and very nice and very famous people. Celebs even: A, B, C, and D List (non-derogatory). See a list of celebrities and other famous people currently posting on Bluesky below.
Bluesky is now hitting a critical mass. As of writing this it just hit 14 million users, with 5x increases in follows, likes, etc. Some politicians are starting to become more active again, including AOC. Check below for a list of some of those politicians. More coming soon.
I also include some group and individual activists that are worth following a well.
Note: I tried to include people who were active in last 3 months or so, but a few less active accounts might be included. Hopefully they will come back soon.
Bluesky recently released “Starter Packs” which are just groupings of users, made by Bluesky Users. They are intended to help new users find their people. Below is a list of different Starter Packs by Category.
Ever since the Jackson Lord Of The Rings films came out at the turn of the century, Tolkien’s world has been in the zeigiest non-stop. And with with the Rings Of Power show on Amazon coming out in 2023, the internet is buzzing with Hobbit talk, and the like. Elvish even. Check out these subreddits on reddit related to Lord of the Rings, Rings of Power, and The Hobbit.
Bluesky has a small (and growing!), but thriving comic creator community, with many of them being very active. Below are 10 creator, writers and illustrators of comics that are active on Bluesky.
Just shipped: Bluesky posts embeds! Now you can see Bluesky posts in their natural habitat.
Simply right-click on the post you want to embed, or paste its URL in embed.bsky.app for the code snippet.
Alrighty then, let’s get into some of the good recent posts on Bluesky.
Phone Bad. Children lazy nerds.
This started from Discourse about a book by some guy who basically says “phones are the problem for why kids don’t leave the house enough these days”. Apparently it ignores….***CARS***.
Anyways, keeping your distance some discourse of dumb shit is good, but I loved this many years old graphic that Doug Gordon (of The War On Cars fame) shared.
Just shipped: Bluesky posts embeds! Now you can see Bluesky posts in their natural habitat.
Simply right-click on the post you want to embed, or paste its URL in embed.bsky.app for the code snippet.
DETECTIVE HARRY HOLE: Its me, norways famous detective, Harry Hole. in Norway it's a normal name.POLICE CHIEF: Hole, I'm glad you're here, and that your name is normal, in our culture. this is a hell of a murder
Might as well post that picture of my son when he was a baby. The one where he look like he was born playing darts. In 1957. Looking like he just got some bad news about a tractor trailer his nephew was minding for him. With a face like my dad's when I tell him about my podcast.
When magazines were fun (and had money): I was going through a drawer and just found one of the more lunatic things I ever greenlit. These are outtakes from a 1996 Oscars photo shoot we did at Entertainment Weekly–one if Babe won an Oscar, one if it didn't.
Bluesky continues to grow and be a good site to hang out on and post. Check out some of the best recent Bluesky posts in mid to late March 2024. *Be sure to follow all of these users!*
Bluesky has “the juice” as the people who post too much on Bluesky say. Check out some of the recent posts in February/March 2024 that were good. Be sure to follow all of these posters too.
It is far too easy for fascists to speak and be heard in the last 5 years. In big part thanks to the likes of Elon Musk. Why are you still logging into Twitter again?
I’ve been thinking about this idea a lot since Dr. Damien P. Williams posted a version of it a couple of weeks ago. With parents reaching their 70s, and myself having two weeks of lower back pain, it’s hard not too.
You will get old. You will die. (Probably with your body slowly, and then very quickly, breaking down.)
Bluesky now has over 5 million users. I’ve been over there a year plus, since Elon Musk took over Twitter.
We’ve done a few posts over here specifically about Bluesky, check those out below and then sign up for Bluesky. And please stop logging into the site owned by Elon Musk.
Twenty Twenty-Three (2023). What a year. We made it, gang.
I’m bad at “Best” lists. Too dumb. But I do get “obsessed” with things and will spend a night watching a Youtuber’s backlog, or binging a TV show until 3am, or actually read a twice a week newsletter, or finish a 1,000 piece puzzle in 4 hours.
Here are those obsessions. Join me in enjoying these.
About: Currently one of my main resources for better understanding the politics and media of today. They do live shows that last 2-3 hours Monday through Friday, and then also share shorter clips from the show on Youtube. Watch them roast Tim Pool, walk through a recent Google Antitrust case, and laugh at the ever laughable: Ron DeSantis.
About: Kendra’s videos are a very recent find, and I’ve nearly watched all of her videos already. Soothing voice, good jokes, and I love to learn about the built environments we live in (towns and homes). Check out her video on the 151 Architectural Digest videos she watched.
About: I love the weather. Ryan’s videos got me into the world of Amateur Meteorologists on Youtube. (See my list here!: 6 Amateur Meteorologists To Follow On Youtube). Weekly weather updates, live streams during severe weather, and more!
About: Want to laugh while you are crying and in a state of existential dread while thinking about earth’s climate? Climate Town is the place for you. Parking. Dress Like Sexy Idiots. Food Waste.
About: City Nerd visits cities and reviews how you move through them. And also does lists of cities based on how livable, walkable, affordable, etc. they are. Check them out!
About: I love seeing little tiny homes, “hippies” building sustainable homes, and the like. More people should live these ways.
Podcasts
[Tech] Tech Won’t Save Us
About: Want a look into the Tech industry from people with actual souls? Start listening to Tech Won’t Save Us today! https://www.techwontsave.us
[Horror Movies] With Gourley and Rust
About: I can listen to Matt Gourley and Paul Rust talk about anything for 60 to 180 minutes, but I’m glad they decided on Thriller/Horror movies that are typically “cozy”. It has helped me get into these movies more, which has been fun to listen along when I have easy access to one of the films via streaming. https://shows.acast.com/with-gourley-and-rust
[Climate] Climate Denier’s Handbook
About: What lies do Climate Deniers use to push their bullshit, and how can we counteract those points? Climate Denier’s Handbook is here to help. Listen on Youtube or find links to your podcast player of choice: https://www.youtube.com/@DeniersPlaybook
About: Oliver’s photo based art is some of the most interesting and accessible art I’ve come across the last few years. He does sales every month or two (or three?) through his own website, doing 1 of 1 prints, starting as low as $200. I was lucky enough to get one a couple of years ago, and check out his new work each time he emails the new link/password. Follow him on Bluesky to get on the list. https://bsky.app/profile/bakoon.bsky.social
[Painting] Kelly Einbinder (@keinbinder)
About: Kelly is an Instagram friend whose art I am in awe of every time she shares anything new. It has it all: animals, chaos, violence, dreams, and color. Follow them on Instagram and consider supporting their work. https://www.instagram.com/keinbinder
[Painting] Andrew Pope (@andrewppope)
About: Another long-time Twitter/Instagram friend who looks to have been spending quite a bit of time in the studio this year. I can’t wear my T-shirt based on one of his paintings out of the house without getting a compliment on it. Give him a follow on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/andrewppope
[Knitting] Kendall Ross (@id.knit.that)
About: As I get more and more into textile based art, I’m finding new gems constantly. Kendall Ross’s knitted sweaters with poems (for lack of better term) on them, are colorful and fun. Also parrot some of my own insecurities about my own art. Follow on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/id.knit.that
As a newish (15 months) resident of Chicago, I decided I should start becoming part of the city and part of that is more than just taking shots of Malort. Block Club Chicago has been vital for staying up to date with things such as elections, migrants being bussed in from Texas, and openings and closings of resturants/cafes in my neighborhood. https://blockclubchicago.org/
[Social Media] Bluesky
Bluesky has been a good replacement for Twitter, although I had a good 4 months between quitting Twitter for good, and getting in to Bluesky, and using neither was a much better existence. Why then am I on Bluesky? Leave me alone. https://bsky.app/profile/mikeeschmee.com
[Sports] ESPN Chicago Cubs Page
I decided to get into the Cubs a third of the way through last season, and when I couldn’t catch an illegal stream, or get myself over to the stadium for a cheap ticket, I’d watch the play by play stream on the ESPN website. https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/_/name/chc/chicago-cubs
Movies and Films
[Disaster Porn] The Day After Tomorrow
Anyone else that works from home put on movies they have seen fifty (50) times on while they work? This is one for me. Maybe my most rewatched Disaster Porn movie.
[Political/Newsroom/Lawyer Thrillers] All The President’s Men/Three Days of The Condor/The Firm
Making copies. Making phone calls. Figuring out why people also in the CIA want to kill you. Movies! I couldn’t get enough of these three films this year. Probably watched each at least 3x each. With leads like Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, and Tom Cruise, it was hard not to, hubba hubba.
Bonus: The Ring, Arrival
Television (My Stories)
[Star Wars] Andor
The best Star Wars TV Show, based on a character from the best Star Wars Movie. Andor follows Cassian Andor as he is thrust into the early Rebellion. It includes a group of rag-tag weirdos, all very well cast. They infiltrate and sabotage against the forming/growing Empire. If only there was a modern day need/allegory for what happens in the show. The prison episode is especially good. Watch on Disney+.
[Irreverent] How To With John Wilson
Inexplicably the show that confronts what it means to be a human (especially in the Unite States/New York City) better than maybe any show ever. Please watch it on HBO Max/MAX.
[British] TaskMaster
The Brits: is there anything they can’t say that you have to rewind and turn up the volume to understand what the fuck they are saying? Taskmaster is a very fun comedian/game show, with 15+ series at this point, a lot of them free on Youtube (access to them in Plex with no commercials and the swears, is more ideal however). https://www.youtube.com/taskmaster
[Dad Show] Bosch
The ultimate Copaganda. Cop who kills a lot of people: good. The “real bad cops” are caught by the good cop who is still killing a lot of people. Etc. You get it. You gotta love the “L.A. is a character in the show” aspect though. My one complaint: Bosch doesn’t fuck enough. On Amazon Prime.
Bonus: Joe Pera, Mad Men,
Puzzles/Games
[Crossword] Daily Mini, The New York Times
What’s better than a crossword when you are dumb? A small crossword that is easy. A fun way to spend a minute on the toilet each morning as I try to beat my 17 second record. https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords/game/mini
I have done this puzzle about 6 times this year. I can do in roughly 4 hours (while watching TV shows and drinking). It’s a rare puzzle where I do not do the edge first because at this point I know where almost any piece I see (other than some of those white/tan ones) more or less exactly they go.
This has become the game of choice for my family when it’s game time. With it’s few and simple rules, it makes it easy for my ADHD/bad memory/aging family.
We here at blob blob love train, bus, tram, streetcar, bike, a nice lil’ walk while hopefully not getting run over by a 4 ton personal vehicle. Find accounts on Bluesky that share the same love: safe, humancentric transportation and environments. Have we missed anyone? Please messag me here: https://bsky.app/profile/bblloobb.com
This project started early on in my art “career” and it has been incredibly rewarding. A great outlet for me mentally and emotionally. Sending these to friends, family, and people I have a crush on has been a real joy. Also, who doesn’t like to get interesting mail? Art Mail, even!
I have sent out close to 100 postcards. With few dozen more done, and ready to send. These numbers will almost certainly increase from now (October 2023) until you read this. See a random image gallery of postcards I’ve finished below. I also sell these.
Get a postcard mailed to you, or anyone, for $10. DM on Instagram or email mikeeschmee@gmail.com. I take Venmo or PayPal.
This list is fairly narrow and only includes painters, drawers, photographers, cartoonists, etc. No actors or filmmakers or authors or comedians or the like, at this time.
“We really needed the rain.” “Storms abrewin’.” “It’s the humidity.” “But it’s a dry heat.” “I thought hurricane season was over.” “Looks like she’s gonna turn cold tomorrow.”
People love talking about the weather. And how people typically get info about the forecast or storms or tempurates — the local news (guess of mine) — doesn’t do a good job of explaining it, so most people don’t really understand how weather “works” nor how it’s predicted.
The number of Boomer’s I’ve heard complain about weather predictions being “off”. LET’S SEE YOU DO BETTER AUNT CAROL.
Follow these six amateur meteorologists on Youtube.
About: Ryan Hall is a weather analyst who puts up videos every couple of weeks, typically about the big systems and longer term trends. He will often be live on Youtube when there are tornado out breaks in the Midwest, or a Hurricane aiming towards Florida. He also does some good work donating to people who have been hit by tornadoes. Check ’em out!
About: Andy Hill has become one of my favorite live streamers for big weather events. He’s well (and soft) spoken. He explains things clearly. And is able to answer the viewer’s expertly. Give his Youtube channel a follow, and look for his live streams during the next hurricane landing.
About: Near daily videos explaining the forecast going out the next two weeks. Clinical and makes good use of the weather agencies videos and images of the forecast. A quality 10 minute video to get caught up on what’s coming across the United States.
About: Winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, heat and cold waves: David does it all. Multiple videos a day, with frequent live streams. Smash that Subscribe button.
About: I don’t know why but “Weather. No cap.” makes me laugh my dang ass off every time I see it. Mr. Dibble is new to the Youtube Weather game, help him build the channel up and smash that subscribe button fr fr.
It’s always greener in someone else’s living situation, as the saying goes. In the case of some of these Youtube channels about alternative ways to live, quite literally. Below are six channels you should subscribe to on Youtube to expand your thinking on how you could live.
About: Living in Europe (Amsterdam), NJB focuses on the benefits of a society where cars are not the main way in which society moves itself. As an expat from Canada (London, Ontario), there are often comparisons to the sprawl of North America. Subscribe to this Youtube channel if you like walking, biking, and taking a multitude of public transportation.
About: Part of a larger project, Project Kamp is a piece of land in Portugal some rapscallions purchased and have been living on for the last couple of years. It’s an experiment more than anything, and a framework for the idea of living sustainably, and minimally. They build structures and homes, walk through how they feed up to two dozen people, and do some light farming. It’s a fun idea, and I enjoy watching, but I am suspect of this sort of idea’s scalability for society. Would love to see something like this in a much more densely populated context. But until then, this group is fun to watch and can hopefully provide the beginning of a framework for an alternative way of living.
About: This Youtube channel is a sort of catch-all for alternative ways to live, from living on a boat, to in a shipping container, to #vanlyfe, to “homesteading”. Videos typically last 10-30 minutes and focus on a specific person or family and their living situation. Dream of leaving your miserable suburban life, or get some ideas on how to use the space in your 300 square foot, $2,500 a month Brooklyn apartment.
About: We like it small and we like it fitting for the pages of Architectural Digest. Really good design in small spaces. Furniture design. Lofts. Narrow homes. And more!
About: This isn’t about the where you live, but the how you live. You sittin’ on your ass right now? Were you sittin’ on your ass earlier today? Want to get Off That Ass? Check out Active Towns and how people in America and across the world live in their cities actively.
About: The Kraemer Life bought property/a house (plus many decrepit buildings), and are turning it into a livable piece of land that is sustainable and can provide for themselves and others. Follow along as they raise chickens/pigs/etc, do some gardening/farming, and fix up an old farm-house. They seem like incredibly nice people, and it’s enjoyable to watch them build out this new life for themselves.
Since Bluesky is in early days, sometimes your feed may get a little stale. Mix it up by adding some additional feeds. Below are 6 feeds to add to your Bluesky account.
If you’re a subscriber to the blob newsletters, you know we at blob blob care a lot about the built environment we live in, and how we interact with that environment. Urban design, transportation, architecture and more.
Below is a list from a variety of networks where you can follow fun and informative accounts related to transportation and urban design.
A work in progress, last updated March 2023
Any suggestions? email blobblobnews gmail.
Transportation and Urban Design Accounts To Follow on Instagram
Why use Instagram to look at pictures of beautiful people, when you can use it to look at beautiful buildings and spaces? Not to mention get mad about how poorly America’s cities are designed.
Check out these 8 architecture and urban design accounts on Instagram!
What: Architecture memes sound boring, right? Especially when you aren’t an architect, nor studying to be one??? WRONG. The lived spaces we inhabit are interesting, and get this, pOLiTicAl. Read more about this account and others in the world of architecture in Dwell by Alana Hope Levinson.
What: Segregation by Design explains and shows how the building of freeways through our cities destroyed the often communities of color that resided in those neighborhoods.
What: Love me a nice brick. No city’s use of brick is more storied and historic than Chicago. See some beautiful brickwork and learn a bit of Chicago Brick history.
You’re new to Mastodon and you don’t know who to follow. Your timeline is giving you 1 new post an hour and you want to go back to Twitter. DON’T DO IT. Follow these accounts below.
I tried to use only users who were currently active at the time of writing this in mid-December 2022. (Updated with new names on Jan 29 2023.)
All links are to the mastodon.social instance. So if you are using a different one yourself, or if you are having trouble clicking the links and viewing their account to follow. Copy/Paste the last portion of their line that is after the “-” and starts with an “@”.
What: Baseball Card Vandals take often vintage baseball cards and through the clever use of subtraction and addition creates a humorous one-panel comic.
What: Graffiti can sometimes be fun. Graffiti can sometimes be bad. Graffiti can sometimes be silly. And Graffiti can sometimes be powerful. Radical Graffiti can sometimes be many of the above.
What: Architecture memes sound boring, right? Especially when you aren’t an architect, nor studying to be one??? WRONG. The lived spaces we inhabit are interesting, and get this, pOLiTicAl. Read more about this account and others in the world of architecture in Dwell by Alana Hope Levinson.
What: If you’re a subscriber to the blob newsletters (you. should. be.) you are not surprised by an urban design/transportation account making the list. Finally, see all the ways in which our infrastructure makes our cities and communities worse (And racist!).
What: Famous and not so famous moments in sports, as famous and not so famous works of art. You only need to be into one of them, art or sports, to enjoy this. Into both? Cool.
About: Who doesn’t like a three hour podcast about a single movie that isn’t talked about until an hour in? Razzing aside, two smart and funny dudes talking film. You’ll learn, you’ll laugh, and you’ll watch the first Jack Frost and be mad about it.
About: Leveling the barrier to entry to making things leads to some of the dumbest people, with the worst ideas, giving it ago, as you may have suspected. Laugh (sigh, shake ur damn head, etc.) along with Jesse and Mike as they chronicle people’s often shattered dreams.
About: If you on average spend more than 3 hours a day on Twitter dot com you may be entitled to financial compensation. You also may like this podcast, about being Blocked on Twitter (and other social sites).
The internet is full of trash: swears, perverts, and republicans. But there is a subset of Twitch streamers who are wholesome and nice and you should watch/support them!
If we are missing any, please suggest to us on Twitter! @blobblobnews.
About: Bacon_mom is a Mom (?I’m assuming she’s not deceiving us), from Kentucky, who mostly streams Minecraft where she makes beautiful landscapes and patterns. It’s a very calming watch.
About: Dave Bull lives in Japan and does classic Japanese print making using woodblocks. With the camera outside his studio, and his low, soothing voice, Dave is definitely worth a follow on Twitch.
About: Dan Olson does awesome cultural critiques on his Youtube page (we’ve included him in our Funny and Informative Youtube List). He also sometimes streams on Twitch, which often focuses more on on actual gaming.
About: Adam Conover is a TV Man (Adam Ruins Everything), a Podcast Man (Factually), and Comedian. His Twitch stream includes gaming, standup comedy, and “learning shit”.
About: Former Hollywood Man, turned Ohio Man, Joe streams almost daily. Get updates about his new-ish home, his comedy writing, and rash. Better produced than almost any other stream on Twitch.
About: Jason Steffen, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) streams and talks/teaches about Science. He talks mostly about astronomy and physics.
About: Ya like looking out at the backyard and seeing the critters? Don’t have a backyard? Twitch has got you. Cams are located in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, USA.
Have a Twitter Account? Live in/near or visit LA, California often? Have dreams of becoming a Big Star in Tinseltown? Here are somewhere between 5 and 50 Twitter accounts you should be following.
Have a suggestion to add to the list, DM on Twitter @blobblobnews.
Spanning decades and mediums this account tweets out art exclusively by women. With steady posts, that are well credited, it is one of the best Art Accounts on Twitter.
As this site *pivots* to video — wait, we mean secret left-leaning SEO content farm (*more on that below) — we’re working on putting together lists for any medium to large cities of Twitter and Instagram accounts to follow. Each list will contain the city’s DSA account, other left-leaning activist orgs, transit advocacy accounts, funny accounts, art accounts, local journalists who mostly cover local politics from a leftist perspective, etc.
