Nostr notes by Steve Randy Waldman

it is similar to banks, whose risk also is born publicly! i think ...

2026-08-12T20:19:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…fdjr
_________________________

it is similar to banks, whose risk also is born publicly! i think it’s very fruitful to think about what for functions of banks we want private sector incentives (eg credit allocation) and for what functions we don’t (management of payments and moderate-dollar “ordinary savings” in ways that effectively convert those sources into investments riskier than “ordinary savers” or payments-systems users mean to bear).

regulation of insurance conpany investment is the standard answer ...

2026-08-12T11:48:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…jl3e
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regulation of insurance conpany investment is the standard answer here. but besides the aint-gonna-happen part, the question is what role is served by private business, if regulators are largely going to define the portfolios behind life insurance policies and the state is ultimately going to bear the risk? what is their role? more innovative marketing? new product definition? (do we want that? we’d surr want to regulate it i think!)

i'd like some of my erstwhile neoliberal colleagues to ...

2026-08-12T10:50:38Z

i'd like some of my erstwhile neoliberal colleagues to explain why, if in 44 states shortfalls are ultimately paid for by tax payers, life insurance should remain a private for-profit industry rather than a service administered by the state? cf David Dayen (npub178m…w32e) https://prospect.org/2026/08/03/ai-bailout-could-be-baked-into-bubble-private-equity-life-insurers-loans/

i don’t know about the rest of his stuff, but however it’s ...

2026-08-11T10:04:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…qqvs
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i don’t know about the rest of his stuff, but however it’s produced i think this one is a good essay.

“You cannot save your way to the life your parents had, because ...

2026-08-10T21:27:30Z

“You cannot save your way to the life your parents had, because the life your parents had is now priced in a currency (asset wealth) that wages do not convert into.”

// this by #HenryFudge is wonderful. ht TriforceCap (npub1clv…szjr)

https://henryfudgeofficial.substack.com/p/degeneracy-is-a-symptom

we really need devices that write standardized descriptions of ...

2026-07-21T00:28:10Z

we really need devices that write standardized descriptions of the technical process between sensor and image and sign hashes of those combined with the image data. https://scicomm.xyz/@dantheclamman/116954518144682511

the current iteration of AI begins with a faltering cloud ...

2026-07-19T21:50:47Z

the current iteration of AI begins with a faltering cloud computing industry's need for a growth driver. so high compute burden and improvement via brute-force scaling begin as features rather than bugs.

but brute-force scaling was always going to become a China comparative advantage.

using equity as “liabilities” at market value is a pretty ...

2026-07-16T15:57:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…36nk
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using equity as “liabilities” at market value is a pretty good approach! although it brings in the issue of foreign holdings.

if wr could break out the equities portion of defined benefits ...

2026-07-16T15:55:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…akpn
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if wr could break out the equities portion of defined benefits pensions, then i’d think it should be included. i don’t think it’s likely to change the picture that much, but if it can be it should be included.

i prefer consumption, because consumption is the base, investment ...

2026-07-16T12:25:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…lx99
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i prefer consumption, because consumption is the base, investment spending is derivative, it happens to support consumption.

so, to a first approximation, households are the "roots" ...

2026-07-14T12:49:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…83m6
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so, to a first approximation, households are the "roots" of the economy. firms may hold shares of other firms, but those firms are ultimately held by households, so indirectly the households hold approximately all the firms. there is still that "approximately" there, because the state owns things, and in the accounting households are not taken as indirectly owning the state. and the foreign sector can hold equities as well, not just domestic households.

two things can simultaneously be true: (1) contemporary AI is ...

2026-07-14T11:41:28Z

two things can simultaneously be true: (1) contemporary AI is real and revolutionary technology; and (2) we are courting the greatest financial crisis in the history of humankind.

someday i'd like to meet The People. we might have a spirited ...

2026-07-09T00:16:44Z

someday i'd like to meet The People.

we might have a spirited conversation.

But the US legislature is not representative. We don't see ...

2026-07-08T13:41:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…8d3x
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But the US legislature is not representative. We don't see many Gingriches in multiparty democracies with proportional representation. The US Congress, at least under current electoral and political practices, does not really qualify as a representative body. It is an institution subject to capture that superficially takes the form of a representative body, that has become (in part due to Gingrich!) too captured and atrophied to accomplish anything at all.

charismatic human beings are both seductive and unreliable. ...

2026-07-07T23:37:07Z

charismatic human beings are both seductive and unreliable. that's why we invent and rely upon institutions. we should leave a much, much smaller role for charismatic human beings in our politics. heads of state should be ceremonial.

[new draft post] Why are Americans so unhappy? ...

2026-07-06T13:32:06Z

[new draft post] Why are Americans so unhappy? https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2026/07/06/why-are-americans-so-unhappy/index.html

"If your website has a 'See more' link, I assume that ...

2026-07-05T16:54:08Z

"If your website has a 'See more' link, I assume that indicates that the rest of the article or site is unimportant or uninteresting, so I basically never click on it. Why would I?" Philip Brewer (npub1dwe…fxlw) https://www.philipbrewer.net/2026/07/05/see-more-or-not-see-more/

Nostr event nevent1qqsphhkh5d7hf3mgyh4wz4lw35hpu0njyrjmuar3c8xwel2gvs4sqxczyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2huwjwm5g

2026-07-04T09:51:13Z

preliterate and postliterate are both varieties of illiterate.

i find it hard to invest in enterprises or games i think are ...

2026-07-01T18:43:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…fpq2
_________________________

i find it hard to invest in enterprises or games i think are terrible. but that hasn’t been a very lucrative conceit.

why is there no ETF that simply coinvests in whatever the ...

2026-07-01T18:05:10Z

why is there no ETF that simply coinvests in whatever the President and his family have a stake in?

from their perspective they are the protagonists and we are the ...

2026-06-28T08:35:47Z

from their perspective they are the protagonists and we are the chorus.

yes.

2026-06-25T14:47:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…h6cu
_________________________

yes.

look. i know people claim air conditioning cools them. i do want ...

2026-06-25T14:43:48Z

look. i know people claim air conditioning cools them. i do want to respect people’s “lived experience”.

but the science is very clear. on average, air conditioners heat rather than cool the areas immediately surrounding them.

i suggest we look to the dynamics of contemporary social media to better understand the disconnect.

“when people opt to devote their energy to tracking the latest ...

2026-06-08T10:35:36Z

“when people opt to devote their energy to tracking the latest TikTok star or scrolling content instead of nurturing interpersonal relationships, they are effectively amusing themselves to death.” danah boyd (npub1u2k…nxuj) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20563051261437487

"This is the era of the hollowed-out government… We did not ...

2026-05-26T12:02:30Z

"This is the era of the hollowed-out government… We did not just outsource the janitorial services or the cafeteria. Instead, we outsourced the thinking… The result is not a 'leaner' government. It is a government that has forgotten how to learn." #IsraelKolawole https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-empty-architect/

the thesis “contemporary social media contributes ...

2026-05-22T00:54:47Z

the thesis “contemporary social media contributes dysfunctionally to a collective sense of pessimistic nihilism” is, i think, correct.

it is not inconsistent, however, with the thesis “a great deal is terrible about Americans’ material conditions, and worse in a variety of ways than previously”

it seems kind of dumb to me that there has emerged a discourse that treats these hypotheses, which i’d characterize as mutually reinforcing, as if they were mutually inconsistent, there can be only one.

(my AI-dar is not so good. i tend to assume authors are human, ...

2026-05-21T12:37:21Z

In reply to nevent1q…5ymm
_________________________

(my AI-dar is not so good. i tend to assume authors are human, perhaps too naively.)

i find it funny when people holding big retirement nest eggs in ...

2026-05-21T11:18:58Z

i find it funny when people holding big retirement nest eggs in index funds wag about how they want to reduce the deficit.

“In most companies, alignment is just the corporate name for ...

2026-05-21T10:21:42Z

“In most companies, alignment is just the corporate name for silencing dissent. It doesn't mean everyone agrees. It means nobody says out loud that they don't. Those are different things.” https://phpc.social/@flowcontrol/116611921964285062

I have! Come visit!

2026-05-16T21:19:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…wvgf
_________________________

I have! Come visit!

AM radio, 2026. ...

2026-05-16T19:04:36Z

AM radio, 2026.

[new draft post] The fiduciary class ...

2026-05-13T12:04:48Z

[new draft post] The fiduciary class https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2026/05/13/the-fiduciary-class/index.html

[new draft post] The $200,000 standard deduction ...

2026-05-03T21:28:20Z

[new draft post] The $200,000 standard deduction https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2026/05/03/the-$200000-standard-deduction/index.html

very few administrations have resolved as many serious crises ...

2026-01-21T23:26:56Z

very few administrations have resolved as many serious crises they created in such a short period of time.

perhaps it's too early to say, but i am heartened by the ...

2026-01-21T22:08:14Z

perhaps it's too early to say, but i am heartened by the prospect of peace between the United States and NATO.

north or south, we can form an exiles club.

2026-01-20T18:42:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…y4ec
_________________________

north or south, we can form an exiles club.

i like to sign up for expensive classes so i can have the ...

2026-01-20T12:31:21Z

i like to sign up for expensive classes so i can have the pleasure of skipping school again.

[new draft post] Where am I? ...

2026-01-19T02:52:28Z

[new draft post] Where am I? https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2026/01/18/where-am-i/index.html

you can abolish ICE and still enforce immigration law. it’s ...

2026-01-15T04:16:24Z

you can abolish ICE and still enforce immigration law. it’s called e-verify + fines to employers of the unverifiable.

(i would like our immigration laws to be more hospitable than they are. but effective enforcement of our current laws does not require detention or violence.)

Nostr event nevent1qqsv4swjkd52c68qtwh67js7gtxv5rwejmyqxddq29ezjmszed5nc8szyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2hu4ya0a6

2026-01-10T07:06:05Z

morons learn lessons.

So you burn down the forest and then are shocked to see the trees ...

2026-01-10T00:36:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…fkqv
_________________________

So you burn down the forest and then are shocked to see the trees don’t thrive.

the fundamental mistake the contemporary right makes is to ...

2026-01-10T00:22:33Z

the fundamental mistake the contemporary right makes is to confuse the product of successful institutions with personal characteristics of the people that perform them. since they think good outcomes are about good people, they happily dismantle the institutions under which people become good.

the credo of the contemporary US, articulated pretty directly by ...

2026-01-08T06:47:39Z

the credo of the contemporary US, articulated pretty directly by its political leader, is that to be smart is to cheat, if and as much as you can get away with it.

most of the country’s preeminent tech industry has this as the basis of its business model.

Nostr event nevent1qqs2kusmzuextqhl4ps3zvfdxdheauqxe3c63aghk2v4h5gyxuw06nqzyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2huppxfq9

2026-01-07T07:16:38Z

i myself am not so fond of Crown Prince Stephen.

Verifying you are human. This may take a few seconds… With you, ...

2026-01-06T16:00:51Z

Verifying you are human. This may take a few seconds… With you, it may take a bit longer.

Nostr event nevent1qqsxxgta4cqlvzftk0se04g3qh0cz8l6y9f3vrrdv5jx93ezgac9rqczyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2husj39v7

2026-01-06T15:42:00Z

doxxing is dickish, even of dicks.

if AI is so good and the US is the world leader, wouldn’t you ...

2026-01-06T04:59:40Z

if AI is so good and the US is the world leader, wouldn’t you expect us to act with more intelligence?

Nostr event nevent1qqswdyh7z8a59wer8djqg0n7yc6qy2lmx06p0zw4wfmq5xqnzg0fq5szyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2huzce33j

2026-01-05T16:15:29Z

who do you have to kidnap to run Greenland?

“We have, in Western society, managed to simultaneously botch ...

2026-01-05T08:03:24Z

“We have, in Western society, managed to simultaneously botch the dreams of democracy, capitalism, social coherence, and techno-utopianism, all at once. It's embarrassing actually. I am embarrassed. You should be embarrassed.” [@apenwarr.ca](https://bsky.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/apenwarr.ca ) https://apenwarr.ca/log/20211201

as i grow old, i live in fear of someone confronting me: “Have ...

2026-01-04T20:23:04Z

as i grow old, i live in fear of someone confronting me: “Have you no recency, sir, at long last, have you no recency?”

on the one hand it’s good to live a long full life but on the ...

2026-01-04T17:33:07Z

on the one hand it’s good to live a long full life but on the other hand the longer you are around the more the more is taken from you.

a thing about history is you can tell the same story a hundred ...

2026-01-04T06:13:49Z

a thing about history is you can tell the same story a hundred different ways and all of them are true.

Nostr event nevent1qqswc5js5y7qty3juuwxr6u7kujmspuhuqkdvt65upc9denlpemd3gczyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2hukp9tfj

2026-01-04T04:57:43Z

i condemn this knife in your back i have my palm wrapped around.

I wish you the very best as well!

2026-01-03T00:21:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…97yr
_________________________

I wish you the very best as well!

Nostr event nevent1qqsvspejp4kcjr4u806ax49tckqnfemzdakucgmqrkxp4pcte5nryeqzyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2huw67lgd

2026-01-02T19:30:28Z

You have notifications.

I want to see a lot of public sector LLMs. In fact, I think most ...

2026-01-02T16:17:55Z

I want to see a lot of public sector LLMs. In fact, I think most of what contemporary tech platforms do should be migrated to the public sector.

it’s weird how the current view from the right is most of us ...

2026-01-02T15:33:33Z

it’s weird how the current view from the right is most of us are lazy leeches and moochers but we’re not making enough of us.

the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley. but failing ...

2026-01-01T17:04:53Z

the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley. but failing to plan at all is worse.

the best feeling is when you hit an "unsubscribe" link ...

2025-12-31T04:05:36Z

the best feeling is when you hit an "unsubscribe" link and it 404s.

The best societies in the world use government more, not less. ...

2025-12-30T19:32:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…rp9y
_________________________

The best societies in the world use government more, not less. The Nordics, Japan. In general, growing scale and scope of are necessary (but very far from sufficient, lots of pathological cases for sure!) components of increases in civilization and general welfare.

in developing countries, for example, universal electrification ...

2025-12-30T19:29:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…m777
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in developing countries, for example, universal electrification has sometimes been a hard sell politically because the rich can afford generators, why should they accept taxation on behalf of the other 90%?

you don’t want a class of people who live by separate infrastructure. you want a public that broadly shares interests, which means preventing the richest from substituting unusual infrastructures that only they can afford in place more scalable, widely accessible goods.

government is the technology that makes civilized life possible. ...

2025-12-30T19:26:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…748x
_________________________

government is the technology that makes civilized life possible. you see the bad reception on some channels without noticing the miracle of the TV.

often discomfort is good discomfort.

2025-12-30T17:24:18Z

In reply to nevent1q…6xu5
_________________________

often discomfort is good discomfort.

it is simultaneously true that we need to tax a whole lot more ...

2025-12-30T17:09:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…q2nj
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it is simultaneously true that we need to tax a whole lot more and conventional fiscal math is a red herring. /fin

with respect to neither of these purposes is the formal ...

2025-12-30T17:09:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…2w0h
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with respect to neither of these purposes is the formal accounting debt or deficit very useful or informative. 3/

we need to tax the very wealthy because wealth that confers ...

2025-12-30T17:08:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…rwq2
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we need to tax the very wealthy because wealth that confers political influence or leads to lifestyles detached from our political community, people who have no use or interest in our commonweal, is dangerous and should not exist. 2/

we need to tax the middle class much more to finance universal ...

2025-12-30T17:08:24Z

we need to tax the middle class much more to finance universal social benefits (though much of that will just replace expenditures like private insurance premiums), without provoking inflation. 1/

unconditional love conditioned as a practical matter on ...

2025-12-30T16:26:46Z

unconditional love conditioned as a practical matter on continuing and continual interaction is potentially the most powerful force in politics.

dear all of you. i don’t like it when any of you die. please ...

2025-12-30T15:41:25Z

dear all of you.

i don’t like it when any of you die.

please take that under advisement.

thank you.

have you noticed Big Year gets Bigger every Year?!?

2025-12-29T22:08:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…ccwj
_________________________

have you noticed Big Year gets Bigger every Year?!?

billionaires are the sad victims of an inadequate tax code, which ...

2025-12-29T22:04:32Z

billionaires are the sad victims of an inadequate tax code, which has allowed them to become surrounded by an isolating bubble of sycophants, severed from participation in community and ordinary fellowship. we owe potential victims of this condition prevention, and those already suffering remedy.

whatever you want!

2025-12-29T18:19:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…q6k9
_________________________

whatever you want!

ass — artificial super sycophancy

2025-12-29T17:35:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…5rv2
_________________________

ass — artificial super sycophancy

Nostr event nevent1qqsx34srp7lu7w90d55s3u0dzrup0cz3hd7nkky2d8vckw9aep4328szyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2humh7n0q

2025-12-29T17:31:05Z

sycophancy as a service.

Thanks!

2025-12-28T22:29:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…8eds
_________________________

Thanks!

[new draft post] Constant real wages can hide a lot of pain ...

2025-12-28T22:06:34Z

[new draft post] Constant real wages can hide a lot of pain https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2025/12/28/constant-real-wages-can-hide-a-lot-of-pain/index.html

if you want to get shit done, rather than a “strong man”, ...

2025-12-28T16:52:54Z

if you want to get shit done, rather than a “strong man”, instead of autocracy, have you considered a democratically elected unicameral legislature which directly appoints and can remove the executive?

the fraction of communication we experience — across all media, ...

2025-12-28T16:26:37Z

the fraction of communication we experience — across all media, excluding what is explicitly fiction — that is in one form or another a lie is extraordinary.

yes! ( ...

2025-12-27T16:14:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…8a9x
_________________________

yes! ( https://drafts.interfluidity.com/2023/12/28/how-to-regulate-ai/index.html )

since AI is going to solve all the medical miracles now, we can ...

2025-12-26T18:35:16Z

since AI is going to solve all the medical miracles now, we can dispense with the exorbitant patent rents, right?

Nostr event nevent1qqszj6yz6urxyslnegcwm5vhuqe2ahh847vc76y5afgsqqx2swsq2rszyzj87raav7mm3rmk6pk4gjcd7kauvqxf8qn5kz4k5k0kux0gex2huhlpgev

2025-12-26T17:49:59Z

so much of civilization is keeping one’s vexations to oneself.

Thank you! You too!

2025-12-26T15:24:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…evfw
_________________________

Thank you! You too!

nowadays if you’re naughty he just farts into it because ...

2025-12-26T01:49:54Z

nowadays if you’re naughty he just farts into it because natural gas is cleaner.

they always find a way to escape, i tell ya…

2025-12-22T22:33:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…2f6m
_________________________

they always find a way to escape, i tell ya…

you can never find scissors. not when you need them. never. so ...

2025-12-22T20:49:48Z

you can never find scissors. not when you need them. never. so you end up buying another pair. until you move. then they all appear, come out of the woodwork, hundreds of them, snapping at you.

“There is no point in criticizing something if some law of ...

2025-12-21T01:34:42Z

“There is no point in criticizing something if some law of nature means that it must be so. But there is, despite claims otherwise, no law of nature which says we have to be bastards to each other or to the species we share this world with.” Ian Welsh (npub149r…7zya) https://www.ianwelsh.net/we-dont-have-to-live-in-hell/

love it when a university i attended 20 years ago writes to let ...

2025-12-20T06:22:05Z

love it when a university i attended 20 years ago writes to let me know they've been hacked and they've leaked my social.

i suppose whatever the good guys in star wars were trying to do.

2025-12-19T00:36:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…yc20
_________________________

i suppose whatever the good guys in star wars were trying to do.

that’d be the root of all good too.

2025-12-19T00:36:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…dng4
_________________________

that’d be the root of all good too.

we’ve been gaslighted into believing that gaslighting is a ...

2025-12-18T19:48:39Z

we’ve been gaslighted into believing that gaslighting is a thing.

i like to think i could have made a failure of myself no matter ...

2025-12-17T23:27:20Z

i like to think i could have made a failure of myself no matter what my race or gender — or nationality or religion or sexual preference — had been.

A great piece that explains succinctly why Congressionally ...

2025-12-17T21:31:47Z

A great piece that explains succinctly why Congressionally defined independent agencies, far from undermining executive accountability, are prerequisite to it. by [@jbouie](https://threads.net/@jbouie/ ) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/opinion/trump-presidential-power-miller-vought.html

In policy terms, often people talk in terms of numbers of units, ...

2025-12-17T21:15:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…wp5s
_________________________

In policy terms, often people talk in terms of numbers of units, as though building barracks would address our housing issues. It would be better for the homeless than not building barracks! But when we think about how we want to address what is a real crisis in housing for people who simply want to live well, we should think about what kind of neighborhoods should accommodate them, and how to build those, not merely how to augment the number of units.

as an individual one might prefer to live in the wilderness. a ...

2025-12-17T20:59:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…jspg
_________________________

as an individual one might prefer to live in the wilderness. a liberal society can accommodate diverse preferences. but as a society, that is not going to be a common preference or practical as a widespread norm. most people will want and need a grocery store, along with more social kinds of amenities, pretty near by.

The relevant unit of housing is not the unit. It's the ...

2025-12-17T20:31:25Z

The relevant unit of housing is not the unit. It's the district or neighborhood. Housing in contemporary society is not to about glorified tents, just to keep the rain off. Homes are the literal structure of society. Their most important characteristics are in relationship to other elements.

au contraire.

2025-12-16T20:20:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…duew
_________________________

au contraire.

how is AI slop affecting / likely to affect geolocation of ...

2025-12-16T14:42:45Z

how is AI slop affecting / likely to affect geolocation of photos?

we are getting bad at managing migration just before when we will ...

2025-12-16T13:44:01Z

we are getting bad at managing migration just before when we will need so much of it. https://fediscience.org/@rahmstorf/115729127242139985

what a coincidence! i answer to that as well!

2025-12-16T04:59:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…0gjq
_________________________

what a coincidence! i answer to that as well!

i’m 55 years old, but when i talk to myself i still refer to ...

2025-12-16T02:25:43Z

i’m 55 years old, but when i talk to myself i still refer to myself as “kid”.