Nassim Taleb with some thoughts on how AI is affecting the labour market. #artificialintelligence #AI #inequality

The Washington Post's masthead now reads “Democracy Gets Shivved in the Showers”.

This is certainly how I have planned *my* years social media strategy. By...... *checks notes*.... Fragmenting my amplified authenticity creative pattern identity and shaping chaos culture through frugal optimism and nostalgia remix fastvertising.

The 18 social media trends to shape your 2026 strategy

https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-trends/

Wachtkamer, Haarlem Centraal. Direct Watercolor. 20"x16", 140lb. Arches Cold Press.

#directwatercolor #watercolor #watercolour #aquarelle #aquarel #aquarela #art

Shades of blue in Japan 🇯🇵

Link Post: Some good news about writing. https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2026/02/04/liver-me-timbers

Despicable

#ScribesAndMakers 4: Our next featured creator is a comic artist. Tell us about a comic strip or web comic you enjoy.

Keeping in theme with the sorts of stories I talk about here, one of my favorite webcomics is Curvy (link is to the first episode). Of Curvy, TV Trops says:

Anaïs Phalèse is an Ordinary High-School Student, who plays softball and worries about passing her Physics class. One day she meets Fauna Lokjom, Despoina (Princess) of Candy World. Anaïs helps Fauna flee from the bad guys who are chasing her. They flee from reality to reality. They are chased by the minions of Prince Boglox of Stupid World, and by Fervid Wexler, a Federal Agent who believes that Anaïs and Fauna are terrorists.

At least in the beginning, it's Adults Only mainly for art and themes. It's a lot of fun. The original run ended in 2019 but apparently there have been updates since then.

This makes me sad (been there). From Joe Menn at WaPo: "Most of the Washington Post’s tech reporters were laid off today, including me. I have loved my time at the paper, which is where I wanted to work from age 15. I take some consolation in not being among the survivors who will have to work harder with less for fewer readers. On to better things."

So I know a lot is going on right now, but I do want to share this:

I’m excited to share the launch of the new Microsoft Inclusive Design website 💙

This project is my love letter to the community and practice that’s shaped my work for nearly a decade.

inclusive.microsoft.design

1/
https://inclusive.microsoft.design/

“Bezos’s sickening efforts to curry favor with President Trump have left an especially ugly stain of their own. This is a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.” https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/how-jeff-bezos-brought-down-the-washington-post #washingtonpost #layoffs #journalism

In Japan, Valentine's Day usually involves women giving men chocolate - and, in many instances, making it from scratch. Here's why an increasing number of women – and even some chocolate companies – are calling hooey on this tradition.

https://unseen-japan.com/valentines-day-in-japan/

people might joke but this is where the IT industry is headed and nobody is safe. it doesn't matter if you are good or bad, you are just another commodity. just look at how many engineering jobs were cut in the past 18 months. Oracle is now reporting it will cut 30k jobs. there is no regulation in place and by the time our politicians wake up there will be nothing left. once it was a thriving industry and now it is on the brink of collapse. the change is real whether you like it or not

ENSIGN FLANDRY (1978)
Acrylic on illustration board - 26” x 16”

Dominic Flandry debuted in print way back in 1966, a decade before I worked on ACE reprints of the series. Early in my career, I was often paired with established authors like Poul Anderson. 1/4

#scienceficiton #illustration #poulAnderson #dominicflandry #acebooks

“The tradition in #Wiarton began in 1956 as a bit of a joke. The Town of South #BrucePeninsula says it was started by a ‘spirited individual’ named Mac McKenzie, who had ‘a desire to shake off the winter blues and bring some warmth to the community’.” www.cbc.ca/news/canada/... #WiartonWillie

Wiarton Willie predicts early ...

@BlackAzizAnansi My theory is that there are good people on the Fediverse, but they’re all on other servers, and someday they’ll appear when someone on my server retoots them.

People have become far too used to Ukrainians dying.

#Ukraine #russia #russiaUkrainewar #Ukrainewar #genocide #invasion #imperialism #news #war

At some point in your Lord Of The Rings journey, you realize you aren't an Elf (beautiful, noble, elegant), you're a Dwarf (short, loud, fun) or a Hobbit (short, hungry, trying to avoid people), but never a human, ughhh, never a human.

@toddalio I would put sour cream or plain yogurt on perogies, and I would put plain yogurt on granola, but not sour cream… there must be a difference. 🤔

OUCH! "It’s one of those rare, unicorn films that doesn’t have a single redeeming quality. I’m not even sure it qualifies as a documentary, exactly, so much as an elaborate piece of designer taxidermy, horribly overpriced and ice-cold to the touch"
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jan/30/melania-review-trump-film-is-a-gilded-trash-remake-of-the-zone-of-interest