Reed Mideke

Bit herder

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/farhill/
Twitter: I used the same name there

Public Key

npub1h36zntnlu5pyunqvykz0jjfymmv56tth4gykyu3nzw6anwm4za0qq8df9z

NIP-05 Address

Profile Code

nprofile1qqstcapf4el72qjwfsxztp8efyjdak2d94m65ztzwge38dwehd63whspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsvvzt3f

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1h36zntnlu5pyunqvykz0jjfymmv56tth4gykyu3nzw6anwm4za0qq8df9z

Show more details

Last Notes

2026-06-26 21:42:54 UTC

- reply

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/818/583/425/654/923/original/6a28078a823abaf3.png

2026-05-07 00:33:43 UTC

- reply

DOD claims they exercised against spiderweb style attacks in September 2025
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2026/04/pentagon-ukraine-counter-drone/413087/

2026-04-04 18:07:43 UTC

- reply

BRB, writing elevator pitch for an Agentic AI Firewall Appliance startup! Why bother spending all that time writing pesky filters and ACLs when you can just ask Claude whether it's a good packet or a bad packet?

2026-04-02 00:53:42 UTC

- reply

Toilet update from ground: "[something, maybe separation fan?] cannot spin up, must use CTU(?) for urine" maybe jammed, looking at possible additional steps

2026-04-02 00:42:11 UTC

- reply

Good apogee raise burn

2026-04-02 00:23:48 UTC

- reply

Update from the press conference "controller issues with the toilet, will take a few hours to troubleshoot"

2026-04-01 23:53:57 UTC

- reply

The real adventure and romance of spaceflight:
Crew: "on step 6.7, toilet shut down on it's own, blinking amber fault light"
Mission control: "Roger. We're gonna have to think about that"

2026-04-01 22:38:07 UTC

- reply

I didn't really expect that to go on the first try
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/331/843/236/383/184/original/9de32108c9fe6d0c.png

2026-04-01 22:21:33 UTC

🚀 🌔 ⁉️
Go at T-10 (no earlier than)
#NASA #Artemis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf_UjBMIzNo

2026-03-31 08:11:01 UTC

- reply

Bearcat came back
#N9G #WarBird #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #KWVI
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/322/763/574/783/356/original/eec5062540195a64.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/322/763/498/614/992/original/2eeaa0124cb6ec13.jpg

2026-03-28 00:27:53 UTC

- reply

clippy.vim
(scared to check if a script with that name already exists)

2026-03-25 03:42:19 UTC

- reply

"Some of that might be due to the fact that we have more detection capability now than we did in the past, and then our ability to defeat them has improved. Whereas a year ago, almost every one that was detected was not defeated, now about a quarter of the ones that we detect we’re able to defeat"
So if they're routinely "defeating" now, someone is presumably picking up the pieces and analyzing, right? Or does "defeat" mean we pressed the jam button and it went away?
https://www.twz.com/news-features/u-s-battled-drone-incursions-over-key-bases-at-home-after-launch-of-epic-fury

2026-03-25 03:38:21 UTC

- reply

NORTHCOM claims to have "defeated" a drone at an unspecified base "In the early hours of Operation EPIC FURY last month, a deployed [fly-away kit] successfully detected and defeated sUAS operating over a strategic U.S. installation"
Also "So far, NORTHCOM has only one fly-way kit, but more should be delivered 'in the Spring of 2026''"
One. You watched a big chunk of Russia's strategic bomber fleet burn down 9 months ago and you have *one*
https://www.twz.com/news-features/u-s-battled-drone-incursions-over-key-bases-at-home-after-launch-of-epic-fury

2026-03-21 04:07:35 UTC

- reply

And speaking of getting away with it, WTF was going on for those four hours a day? Does Barksdale have no drones of their own? No helicopters they can call on to follow one?
It's also remarkable that basically none of the many "swarms of drones" sightings over sensitive installations has ended with any drones being found or anyone being caught. OPSEC is hard, drones fail, pilots crash… yet these have somehow been perfect

2026-03-21 03:56:38 UTC

- reply

What hypothetical actor wants to be seen, uses a 10+ drones flying for hours at a time, over multiple days?
If you want to probe defense, a single, plausibly deniable consumer / hobby drone would seem far more to the point. If you want to be covert, you wouldn't run lights and would use minimum number to get the job done.
Even if you want to send a message, you'd still want to minimize the chance of being caught, unless you're just absolutely sure you'll get away with it
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

2026-03-21 03:37:21 UTC

- reply

But whatever actually happened it seems like confirmation the US is completely unprepared for an Operation Spiderweb style attack on strategic air bases

2026-03-21 03:34:20 UTC

- reply

"the drones came in waves and entered and exited the base in a way that may suggest attempts to “avoid the operator(s) being located.” Lights on the drones suggested the operators “may be testing security responses” at the base … The flights lasted around four hours each day and the drones used varied routes of ingress and deliberate maneuvering within restricted airspace" - Like so many of these reports, this makes very little sense (also, no pictures)
https://abcnews.com/International/multiple-waves-unauthorized-drones-spotted-strategic-us-air/story?id=131245527

2026-03-21 03:28:43 UTC

"Between March 9-15, 2026, BAFB Security Forces observed multiple waves of 12-15 drones operating over sensitive areas of the installation, including the flight line, with aircraft displaying non-commercial signal characteristics, long-range control links and resistance to jamming. After reaching multiple points across the installation, the drones dispersed across sensitive locations on the base" 🤨
https://abcnews.com/International/multiple-waves-unauthorized-drones-spotted-strategic-us-air/story?id=131245527

2025-08-18 06:11:50 UTC

- reply

#Bearcat go brrr 🔊
#N9G #WarBird #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting #KWVI
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/048/279/513/661/777/original/c5c9cecf33533db9.mp4

2025-06-19 05:45:29 UTC

- reply

Thought "wow, I'm out of touch with space stuff these days, didn't even know they were flying today" but LOL no, looks like an AMOS-6 style whoopsie before a static fire. And judging from the giant mushroom cloud and secondary explosions afterward, I suspect it's gonna be a while before they can use that pad again
Just before 11:02 on the clock in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKwWclAKYa0

2025-06-04 07:21:22 UTC

- reply

#Bearcat back over #KWVI yesterday
#N9G #WarBird #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/623/870/782/107/484/original/7aa2430956d54dc7.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/623/870/577/522/054/original/ace089233d3765c4.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/623/870/676/851/121/original/33489e8c26b92e2d.jpg

2025-05-13 23:34:16 UTC

- reply

"humanitarian teams treating malnourished children were being forced to divide rations designed for one between two patients to give both a chance of survival"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/12/food-security-experts-warn-gaza-critical-risk-famine-israeli-blockade

2025-05-07 23:21:02 UTC

- reply

UN Human Rights Council experts: "While States debate terminology - is it or is it not genocide? - Israel continues its relentless destruction of life in Gaza, through attacks by land, air and sea, displacing and massacring the surviving population with impunity"
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/05/end-unfolding-genocide-or-watch-it-end-life-gaza-un-experts-say-states-face

2025-05-01 01:13:05 UTC

- reply

Israeli foreign ministry: "Israel is monitoring the situation on the ground, and there is no shortage of aid", despite a complete blockade since March
UN: "situation in Gaza is likely the worst it has been"
https://wapo.st/4cSxWsl
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2025-04-25 02:25:20 UTC

- reply

1) Israeli tank shells documented UN location, killing Bulgarian aid worker Marin Marinov and injuring 5
2) Official story 1: "Contrary to reports, the IDF did not strike a UN compound in Deir el-Balah. The IDF calls on media outlets to act with caution regarding unverified reports"
3) WaPo reports overwhelming evidence they did*
4) Official story 2: "…struck due to assessed enemy presence and was not identified by the forces as a UN facility"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp348npzy8xo
* https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/04/13/united-nations-staffer-killed-gaza/

2025-04-24 08:06:25 UTC

- reply

"The report by Haaretz now calls into question central aspects of the IDF's latest official version of events" - How many times should be you be able to completely re-write the official version before people decide you're just not a credible source?
https://news.sky.com/story/israeli-troops-shot-at-gaza-aid-workers-from-point-blank-range-leaked-documents-reportedly-show-13354441

2025-04-20 19:11:03 UTC

- reply

Oh look, we've reached slap on the wrist stage*. Anyone think we would have gotten this far if a phone on a dead body with incontrovertible evidence the original story was a lie hadn't shown up in the media?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c24q6201d8yo
* https://mastodon.social/@reedmideke/114286710044679788

2025-04-18 06:57:59 UTC

- reply

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz "No one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/16/no-humanitarian-aid-gaza-israeli-minister-israel-katz-hamas

2025-04-07 18:13:18 UTC

- reply

'In its statement, the IDF did not respond to any of the specific allegations, but said it "completely rejects accusations of systematic abuse of detainees".'
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn7vje365rno

2025-04-06 18:42:10 UTC

- reply

Also, how do you say this shit with a straight face "The soldiers buried the bodies of the 15 dead workers in sand to protect them from wild animals, the official said, claiming the vehicles were moved and buried the following day to clear the road"
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0xp969n69o

2025-04-06 18:41:18 UTC

- reply

Confronted with overwhelming evidence contradicting the original version, the story shifts… but only the parts directly implicated by the new evidence. Blame for the earlier version assigned to the troops on the ground, without any suggestion misconduct might be involved
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0xp969n69o

2025-04-05 18:34:40 UTC

- reply

and here, like many cases, it's very hard to believe they don't already have the evidence that comes out in #2 and #3 from the start. Certainly the people on the ground did, and if the higher command or people doing PR spin didn't, they at the very least didn't have positive evidence for the initial story. Yet somehow, they still keep getting the benefit of the doubt at step #1
See also the murder of Shireen Abu Akleh https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/11/middleeast/idf-apology-shireen-abu-akleh-intl/index.html

2025-04-05 18:13:21 UTC

- reply

Same playbook ad infinitum:
1) Israeli forces accused of killing civilians
"Nah, they were totally terrorists"
2) Evidence emerges they weren't
"OK, maybe they weren't all terrorists, but they totally LOOKED like it and we scrupulously followed the rules of engagement, unavoidable tragedy"
3) Hard evidence clearly contradicts that
"In light of the new evidence, we're opening an investigation"
4) *crickets* or at most a notpology or some grunt gets a slap on the wrist https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2z103nqxo

2025-04-05 01:36:16 UTC

- reply

They also got satellite images a few hours after the attack which show "five ambulances and the fire truck had been moved off the road and clustered together" and "Two days later, a new satellite image of the area showed the vehicles were apparently buried. Next to disturbed earth are three Israeli military bulldozers and an excavator"
Yet with all that, the NYT lede only grants that the video "appears" to contradict they Israeli version
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/world/middleeast/gaza-israel-aid-workers-deaths-video.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9U4.MXG6.OR-TnqJuD-cG&smid=url-share
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2025-04-05 01:31:28 UTC

- reply

"An Israeli military spokesman … [said] … Israeli forces did not “randomly attack” an ambulance, but that several vehicles “were identified advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals" yet a video "discovered on the cellphone of one of the paramedics who was found along with 14 other aid workers in a mass grave … shows that the ambulances and fire truck were clearly marked and had their emergency signal lights on"
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/world/middleeast/gaza-israel-aid-workers-deaths-video.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9U4.MXG6.OR-TnqJuD-cG&smid=url-share
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2025-03-31 22:52:16 UTC

- reply

Well that McKinnon piece above notes there's a Four Seasons, but… "new Syria is being hastily glued together in the lobby of the capital’s “Four Seasons” hotel – a limestone tower in the New City of Damascus that still bears the name and look of the Toronto-based brand, despite having been evicted from the chain six years ago as its local owner fell afoul of sanctions"

2025-03-31 20:42:27 UTC

- reply

"To get [an alcohol license], a 1952 law stipulates you have to be located more than 100 meters (yards) from a school or religious site — which rules out most locations in central Damascus. Authorities haven't issued new licenses for his area since 1960 anyway … Under the Assad regime … Owners would pay a fine for that — about $2, every few months, Zainie recalls — and authorities left them alone"
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/31/nx-s1-5343375/syria-damascus-bars

2025-03-29 23:45:33 UTC

- reply

In other Syria news, the former head of the White Helmets Raed Al-Saleh has resigned and joined the government as minister of "Environment, Emergencies, and Disaster Management" https://whitehelmets.org/node/2236

2025-03-29 23:40:28 UTC

- reply

Great reporting by @npub17cy…3e39 from Syria https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-there-is-hope-in-post-assad-syria-but-also-strife-and-skepticism-of/

2025-03-28 21:09:28 UTC

- reply

"A team from the [OPCW] visited Syria from March 12-21 to prepare for the task of locating and destroying remnants of Assad's illegal stockpile… Among them were locations that had not been declared to the watchdog by the Assad government, they said. The team was given access to documents and detailed information about Assad's chemical weapons programme"
Per OPCW "The Syrian caretaker authorities extended all possible support and cooperation at short notice"
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/chemical-weapons-inspectors-granted-access-assad-era-sites-syria-say-sources-2025-03-28/

2025-03-26 07:30:11 UTC

- reply

Smol #Birb update: Still borbing
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/227/547/345/654/458/original/666fdc83f0f47569.jpg

2025-03-14 02:07:48 UTC

- reply

UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry: "There is no escape from the conclusion that Israel has employed sexual and gender-based violence against Palestinians to terrorise them and perpetuate a system of oppression that undermines their right to self-determination" https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/03/more-human-can-bear-israels-systematic-use-sexual-reproductive-and-other

2025-03-06 03:44:41 UTC

- reply

"The Israeli military repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using ambulances to transport fighters and weapons, and of using medical centres affiliated with the Islamic Health Association (IHA) as a “cover for terrorist activities”. In the four attacks investigated, however, Amnesty International did not find evidence that the facilities or vehicles were being used for military purposes at the time of the attacks" https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/03/lebanon-israeli-attacks-on-health-facilities-ambulances-and-paramedics-must-be-investigated-as-war-crimes/

2025-02-21 08:07:05 UTC

Cool, cool
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/040/841/022/893/633/original/60e0bb279e8c4f4b.png

2025-02-13 08:17:45 UTC

- reply

They were back the next day
#Bearcat #N9G #WarBird #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/995/580/574/446/103/original/e70f2d1c6f8fc8f7.mp4

2025-02-13 08:10:02 UTC

- reply

Shakycam clip from that day
#Bearcat #N9G #WarBird #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/995/549/144/521/381/original/ade0c2c8b90ffe92.mp4

2025-02-09 10:05:20 UTC

Grumman #Bearcat #N9G (90454) on approach to #KWVI today
#WarBird #AvGeek #PlaneSpotting
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/973/357/302/790/873/original/00cdcbf0735b1d19.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/973/357/370/226/975/original/92be97ef939937e1.jpg

2025-01-29 20:15:14 UTC

- reply

"the Syrian source told Reuters that the Russians had not been willing to concede such mistakes and the only agreement that was reached was to continue discussions"
Maybe it's only an opening bid, but looks like if the Russians want to keep those bases it's gonna cost them

2025-01-29 19:59:20 UTC

- reply

"A Syrian source familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, had requested that Moscow hand over former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad" and "[rebuild trust with] concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and recovery"
The Syrians also "stressed that restoring relations must address past mistakes, respect the will of the Syrian people and serve their interests"
https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-syria-hold-further-talks-russian-military-bases-syria-tass-reports-2025-01-29/

2025-01-13 07:44:14 UTC

- reply

Now T-30 minutes. Delays (or scrubs) not unexpected on a first attempt, though I'm not sure I've seen anyone periodically add time to the clock like this before. Holds or reset to T-n seem more common

2025-01-13 06:52:42 UTC

🚀 #NewGlen #NG1, t-15ish minutes https://www.blueorigin.com/missions/ng-1

2024-12-20 01:38:56 UTC

- reply

HRW: "Israeli authorities have deliberately inflicted conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the population in Gaza by intentionally depriving Palestinian civilians there of adequate access to water, most likely resulting in thousands of deaths" https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/12/19/israels-crime-extermination-acts-genocide-gaza

2024-12-16 21:21:25 UTC

- reply

Oh I'm passionate about them all right, but there's a nuance
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/664/590/720/612/911/original/ace3211392fcf19a.jpg

2024-12-16 02:14:33 UTC

- reply

So UK has not lifted the terrorist designation on HTS, but "paused its decisions on Syrian asylum claims to the UK as the government has not determined whether Syria, under the new rebel-led authorities, is a safe country which people could be sent to" 🤨
I dunno man, if you say the de-facto rulers of a country are terrorists who it's illegal to support or do business with, that might undermine the whole "it's totes safe to go back" thing?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce90x283rv7o

2024-12-15 22:48:43 UTC

- reply

"The Financial Times has uncovered records showing that Assad’s regime, while desperately short of foreign currency, flew banknotes weighing nearly two tonnes in $100 bills and €500 notes into Moscow’s Vnukovo airport to be deposited at sanctioned Russian banks between 2018 and 2019" (probably paywalled if you don't get a magic referral from the hellsite)
https://www.ft.com/content/84ef8bdd-d070-431d-90f6-332937911096

2024-12-10 07:36:21 UTC

- reply

"Bashar al-Assad and his family have reportedly been granted asylum in Moscow. It should be noted that Russia only rarely grants asylum—by late 2021, only two Syrians had ever received the status" https://notes.citeam.org/dispatch-dec-6-9-2024

2024-12-10 06:34:18 UTC

- reply

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/08/tears-of-joy-and-sadness-as-disappeared-syrians-emerge-from-assads-prisons

2024-12-10 06:33:19 UTC

- reply

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/09/inside-sednaya-torture-prison-syria-assad

2024-12-10 05:48:25 UTC

- reply

Oz Katerji's take on the impact on Hezbollah is much more grounded
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/09/hezbollah-syria-iran-lebanon-assad/

2024-12-10 04:38:31 UTC

- reply

Uh. I think the analogy to 1989 is somewhat applicable to what happened internally (a repressive regime that seemed inevitable right up until a bunch of people decided the system was toast and they weren't interested in killing/dying to defend it), but this? "…just as 1989 marked the end of communism in Europe, Assad’s flight to Moscow signals the demise of the ideology of anti-Western, anti-Israel resistance in the Middle East" - Nah, that ain't it.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/09/assad-syria-fall-axis-resistance-iran-middle-east-israel/?utm_content=gifting&tpcc=gifting_article&gifting_article=YXNzYWQtc3lyaWEtZmFsbC1heGlzLXJlc2lzdGFuY2UtaXJhbi1taWRkbGUtZWFzdC1pc3JhZWw=&pid=PNIIg2Uhiq5yk80

2024-12-09 23:10:39 UTC

- reply

Far from the most important thing in this scenario, but I wonder about the logistics of getting a formerly treasonous flag on short notice. Someone had it stashed away just for a moment like this? Bought when the writing was on the wall? Amazon same day delivery? Custom order? Home made? Contacts in local anti-regime diaspora (who one would suppose kept a low profile in Moscow)? https://meduza.io/en/news/2024/12/09/syrian-opposition-flag-raised-over-syrian-embassy-in-moscow-russian-state-media

2024-12-09 01:27:34 UTC

- reply

This is "mass graves visible from orbit" territory and the deniers can fuck off into the sun https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/16/world/middleeast/mass-graves-syria-war-crimes.html

2024-12-09 01:21:23 UTC

- reply

Association of Detainees and The Missing in Sednaya Prison "estimated that more than 30,000 detainees had either been executed or died as a result of torture, lack of medical care or starvation between 2011 and 2018" - one for the "anti-imperialists" crying over Assad https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2dx3ekpr59o

2024-12-08 19:19:52 UTC

- reply

HUR claims the whole thing was a psyop, but if you accept that flightradar's conclusion the signal reflects what an actual aircraft was doing, it doesn't really add up. Sub 100 kt ground speed doesn't seem like something an healthy IL-76 is likely to do. If they were gonna turn off the transponder, they could just do that, probably *before* flying over rebel cities

2024-12-08 18:51:06 UTC

- reply

So, whatever it was, it wasn't Assad's plane. Tyler Rogoway notes (https://x.com/Aviation_Intel/status/1865818555377418422) a FIRMS hit did eventually show up in that area, but IMO it seems late (acquired ~10:40 UTC, 13:40 Damascus time) when the plane disappeared around 02:40 UTC, and suspiciously close to a feature that looks like a garbage dump or quarry, although there aren't regular repeating hits there.

2024-12-08 09:10:18 UTC

- reply

Last altitude was ~1600'
If it crashed on that path, it seems like it would have hit somewhere between Al Rabwa and the outskirts of Homs near the M1 highway. That doesn't seem like it would go unnoticed. Also interesting the ground speed bumps up at the end…
120 kt is apparently landing speed https://contentzone.eurocontrol.int/aircraftperformance/details.aspx?ICAO=IL76&
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/412/768/884/021/original/79dcd512afbfe853.png

2024-12-08 08:43:32 UTC

- reply

Flightrader24 weighs in on the missing IL-76: https://x.com/flightradar24/status/1865648296410157479
Playback link: https://flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/yk-ata#3844aec1
(edit: added individual images)
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/307/970/296/187/original/95578b080445c132.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/360/510/559/390/original/92c91a016c0c043b.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/616/390/321/847/255/original/a88ca973f4973626.png

2024-12-08 08:16:11 UTC

- reply

Russians accused Ukraine of having a hand in this (in reality, a minor one if there's any truth to it at all) but ironically from a strictly military POV, Assad getting beat so badly the Russians pack up and go home without a fight would not be what they were aiming for. Not that anyone in Ukraine will be shedding tears about the actual outcome, of course

2024-12-08 06:34:42 UTC

- reply

"Regime forces in Deir Ezzor, the largest city in eastern Syria, have surrendered to rebels, HTS announced on its Telegram channel.
The announcement comes just one minute after the rebel group said its forces had begun entering Deir Ezzor" 💀 https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cwy8xzxe0w7t?post=asset%3Aba5147fa-5c8f-4eef-84c2-6dd9cb910dd2#post

2024-12-08 06:30:31 UTC

- reply

Yeah, things could very easily go quite bad from here, but perhaps rather than crying over the guy who liked dropping sarin on civilians, one's energy could be better spent finding ways to encourage the various parties to avoid the worst outcomes

2024-12-08 06:14:16 UTC

- reply

The usual "anti-imperialists" are big mad about the defeat of a brutal dictator who was propped up by foreign powers while engaging in industrial scale mass murder
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/615/725/461/535/831/original/e4cb4b9326bc4d2d.png

2024-12-08 05:46:07 UTC

- reply

Nothing on FIRMS in that area, but it's cloudy.
Could have flown to the Russian base in Latakia without a transponder and continued on with a different aircraft

2024-12-08 05:38:52 UTC

- reply

Re the disappearing plane: If it crashed, or landed hard at the end of that track, someone probably should have noticed and posted on the internet by now (OTOH, there's A Lot Going On Right Now)
If they turned off the transponder and headed for some 3rd country, you'd expect them to turn it back on once in friendly / neutral airspace
https://mastodon.social/@reedmideke/113615124542356546

2024-12-08 03:40:19 UTC

- reply

Nathan Ruser plotted it https://x.com/Nrg8000/status/1865593648509050909
To be clear, this is not at all definitive, we don't know if Assad was on that plane, if the track is accurate or ends in a crash, but it certainly could…
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/615/078/399/873/973/original/64f15c94bcea2560.png

2024-12-08 02:14:15 UTC

What comes after Assad is fraught at best, but let me just say… hahahahaha fuck that guy

2024-12-06 02:49:50 UTC

- reply

Also, as far as I can tell reference to "attacks on critical infrastructure" in the Moses interview refers to Anonymous Sudan, which was mostly DDoS stuff that has nothing to do with AI

2024-12-06 02:44:50 UTC

- reply

…the examples he gives are meh and not really tied to the 750 million claim. There's the claim that generative AI lets non-developers do things they couldn't do before, which cites a story about the FBI warning it makes phishing easier. Followed by Moses citing phishing directly.
Which sure, phishing is a real thing, but the connection to the "OMG 750 million attacks a day" is tenuous, and "more better phishing" isn't really some big shift in the threat landscape
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/603/539/641/340/787/original/fd522d620a64f046.png

2024-12-06 02:33:12 UTC

- reply

I'm with @npub1lcc…lcye on this. To really evaluate Moses' statement, we'd need some explanation of what he means by "hits" and what role he claims AI plays, but on its face it sounds like someone throwing big numbers around out of context.
Looking at the interview (archive link https://archive.ph/ZziuM) it seems like he claims there was a 7.5x increase in some unspecified type of attack, suggesting that AI played some unspecified role, but…

2024-12-05 19:41:47 UTC

- reply

Isaacman is probably as good a nominee as we could expect from a Trump administration, and possibly a genuinely good one. But you should be extremely embarrassed by Eric completely ignoring the large ethical red flags

2024-12-05 19:38:04 UTC

- reply

and "Cognizant of the time crew members spend away from their families training, he invites them and SpaceX employees who have supported his flights to an air strip in Wyoming. Over the course of two days, family members get to ride in jets, go on a zero-gravity flight, and participate in other fun activities to get a taste of what flying on the edge is like"
Oh wow rich guy invited people who support him to do things he likes at a cost that's insignificant to him! 😍

2024-12-05 19:31:39 UTC

- reply

The cited evidence he's not just after joy rides: "In interviews, each of the Polaris Dawn crew members remarked about how Isaacman calmly called out these milestones in advance, with a few words about what to expect"
Oh wow, he managed to do something that's common practice for Soyuz commanders and also pilots giving rides in high performance aircraft generally!

2024-12-05 19:25:46 UTC

- reply

Seriously malpractice to not even mention the facts that
1) He was almost certainly nominated by Elon Musk in practice
2) He has personally paid Elon Musk hundreds of millions for space joy rides
3) As long as the Trump/Musk bromance lasts, he'll serve at Musk's pleasure
"Through these interactions—based upon my interviews with many people—Isaacman has demonstrated that he is not a billionaire seeking a joyride"
Citation fucking needed

2024-12-05 05:58:22 UTC

- reply

"Presidential official familiar with Yoon’s thinking tells me Yoon anticipated National Assembly would reverse his decision given the Democratic control but wanted to send a message nonetheless to lawmakers; announced martial law late at night to minimize damage to economy and people's daily lives" - I feel like this explanation might be a bit more credible if he hadn't apparently ordered the army to block the National Assembly and take control of the media
https://bsky.app/profile/myhlee.bsky.social/post/3lcibg4x3is2q

2024-12-05 03:24:32 UTC

- reply

Amnesty "concludes that Israel created conditions in Gaza that would lead to Palestinians’ slow death. It further concludes … that Israel not only foresaw but intended to inflict conditions of life on Palestinians in Gaza calculated to bring about their destruction … “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”, as prohibited under Articles II(c) of the Genocide Convention" https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/mde15/8668/2024/en/

2024-12-03 22:00:17 UTC

- reply

"Probably we’re headed towards an impeachment process" https://www.reuters.com/world/south-korea-live-president-yoon-declares-martial-law-2024-12-03/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/591/133/863/733/730/original/20fd2906781ecddf.png

2024-12-03 20:47:19 UTC

- reply

Pre coup attempt "Accusing Yoon of authoritarian tendencies, the left-wing [opposition] parties focused their proposed cuts on the office of the president, national prosecutors and the police" - Yeah, declaring martial law is perhaps not the most effective way to rebut that accusation
https://www.ft.com/content/6fefcb5a-98a5-4e60-a989-fcc0d84625f9

2024-12-03 17:59:36 UTC

I did not have Yoon attempting an autogolpe on my bingo card https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cn38321180et

2024-11-21 01:37:21 UTC

- reply

'Palestinians are "facing diminishing conditions for survival" in parts of northern Gaza under siege by Israeli forces because virtually no aid has been delivered in 40 days, the United Nations has warned' https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3ypxd3p4eo

2024-11-17 07:50:21 UTC

- reply

Smol #Birb update: Borbing
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/497/182/602/372/272/original/539278b1e20eebe8.jpg

2024-11-14 23:50:07 UTC

- reply

HRW: "The report further finds that the Israeli government’s acts of forced displacement are widespread and systematic. Statements by senior officials with command responsibility show that forced displacement is intentional and forms part of Israeli state policy and therefore amount to a crime against humanity. Israel’s actions appear to also meet the definition of ethnic cleansing" https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/11/14/hopeless-starving-and-besieged/israels-forced-displacement-palestinians-gaza

2024-11-05 23:38:09 UTC

- reply

"Survivors and hospital administrators recounted at least four occasions when Israeli drones or snipers killed or badly wounded Palestinians trying to enter. Two women about to give birth were shot and bled to death in the street, staff said" https://apnews.com/world-news/still-wrecked-from-past-israeli-raids-hospitals-in-northern-gaza-come-under-attack-again-00000192eebfd414a79fffbf88cc0000

2024-11-03 23:47:14 UTC

- reply

WaPo corroborates above NYT reporting of Israeli forces systematically using Palestinians as human shields. A clear-cut war crime, with a level of evidence that would draw immediate condemnation from the US if almost any other country did the same
https://wapo.st/3AsPBbs
#GiftArticle #GiftLink

2024-10-26 06:31:46 UTC

- reply

Smol #Birb update
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/372/301/444/106/963/original/04292818cb01156c.jpg

2024-09-05 07:52:30 UTC

- reply

Smol #Birb update
#Hummingbird #BirdPhotography
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/312/274/703/original/cb293e45f8da94d8.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/343/263/380/original/4c4576635d6dfbcf.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/393/830/794/original/655a7f8dcfc054ab.jpg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/083/831/436/196/213/original/3faa5d2701357813.jpg

2024-01-19 02:05:36 UTC

"extraordinary internal state department policies have been put in place that show extreme deference to the Israeli government. No such special arrangements exist for any other US ally" https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/18/us-supply-weapons-israel-alleged-abuses-human-rights