Chris Thomas
@hotgarbage.ca
🇨🇦 🇺🇸 SoundGuys Editor-at-large, frmr Executive Editor. Previously USAToday, Reviewed, StorageReview. Dad, #rstats data jockey, crow summoner. #righttorepair, #homebrewing advocate. Colossal jerk about publishing standards and practices.
I mean, what to even say at this point?
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/t...
Microsoft and OpenAI Workers Worry About ‘Largest Theft of Labor’ in History
Newly unsealed court documents showed concern within Microsoft and OpenAI over the use of millions of news articles to develop A.I. systems.
www.nytimes.com
September 18, 2026 at 2:06 AM
I mean, what to even say at this point?
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/t...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/t...
Well then, looks like I'm drinking banned whisky tonight
September 9, 2026 at 3:24 AM
Well then, looks like I'm drinking banned whisky tonight
There's no tariffs on free information I publish so...
August 31, 2026 at 12:52 AM
There's no tariffs on free information I publish so...
Pretty much
youtu.be/LE3BDqrKKL8
youtu.be/LE3BDqrKKL8
Why is so Much of Linguistics Math?
YouTube video by languagejones
youtu.be
August 15, 2026 at 3:54 AM
Pretty much
youtu.be/LE3BDqrKKL8
youtu.be/LE3BDqrKKL8
I think the surest sign I wasn't going to buy the house was when I fell through the basement floor due to undisclosed water damage.
So anyways, the house hunt is going as well as I've heard it goes.
So anyways, the house hunt is going as well as I've heard it goes.
August 10, 2026 at 5:33 PM
I think the surest sign I wasn't going to buy the house was when I fell through the basement floor due to undisclosed water damage.
So anyways, the house hunt is going as well as I've heard it goes.
So anyways, the house hunt is going as well as I've heard it goes.
Reposted by Chris Thomas
BC has declared a provincial state of emergency due to regional wildfires. Please avoid non-essential travel to the Summerland area. If you must travel there, be alert to rapidly changing situations @EmergencyInfoBC & @DriveBC.
August 8, 2026 at 10:23 PM
BC has declared a provincial state of emergency due to regional wildfires. Please avoid non-essential travel to the Summerland area. If you must travel there, be alert to rapidly changing situations @EmergencyInfoBC & @DriveBC.
Okay, I'm all good on wildfire smoke, we can stop
August 5, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Okay, I'm all good on wildfire smoke, we can stop
Reposted by Chris Thomas
It’s the end of an era: we are sunsetting rpubs.com, quartopub.com, and shinyapps.io in favour of connect.posit.cloud. These services are important, but we need to focus our efforts on a single platform (and it’s overall less confusing to have one place to publish everything you do in R or Python).
July 23, 2026 at 6:09 PM
It’s the end of an era: we are sunsetting rpubs.com, quartopub.com, and shinyapps.io in favour of connect.posit.cloud. These services are important, but we need to focus our efforts on a single platform (and it’s overall less confusing to have one place to publish everything you do in R or Python).
Reposted by Chris Thomas
A very kind neighbor texted me today about a "sick" crow laying motionless in the yard with its wings outstretched.
Because today is the first really hot day of the summer, I knew right away the bird was fine and what was going on.
Here's @corvidresearch.bsky.social on what they're doing and why.
Because today is the first really hot day of the summer, I knew right away the bird was fine and what was going on.
Here's @corvidresearch.bsky.social on what they're doing and why.
Why crows sunbathe
With its bill agape, I watch as the crow fans out awkwardly across the cedar shingles. Pressing the camera to my face I snap a couple photos, pleased to finally capture on film a moment I so often …
corvidresearch.blog
July 22, 2026 at 2:22 AM
A very kind neighbor texted me today about a "sick" crow laying motionless in the yard with its wings outstretched.
Because today is the first really hot day of the summer, I knew right away the bird was fine and what was going on.
Here's @corvidresearch.bsky.social on what they're doing and why.
Because today is the first really hot day of the summer, I knew right away the bird was fine and what was going on.
Here's @corvidresearch.bsky.social on what they're doing and why.
Look at this awesome work!
Big announcement: The final project of my thesis work, Skeleton: Visual Authoring of Non-visual Data Experiences, has now been accepted for publication at IEEE VIS! 🎉 🎉 🎉
Announcing: Skeleton 🩻, the culminating project of my PhD!
My final research project looked at the barriers that sighted practitioners face when authoring non-visual data experiences. We co-designed, built tooling, built a UI prototype, and ran a study.
www.frank.computer
July 22, 2026 at 12:03 AM
Look at this awesome work!
Our cold opens are getting a bit more avant garde
July 18, 2026 at 1:33 AM
Our cold opens are getting a bit more avant garde
Reposted by Chris Thomas
A statement from WIRED leadership.
July 17, 2026 at 12:16 AM
A statement from WIRED leadership.
Canada's first Eurovision performance should be Angine de Poitrine (even though there's no way it isn't The Weeknd).
youtu.be/0Ssi-9wS1so
youtu.be/0Ssi-9wS1so
Angine de Poitrine - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)
YouTube video by KEXP
youtu.be
July 1, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Canada's first Eurovision performance should be Angine de Poitrine (even though there's no way it isn't The Weeknd).
youtu.be/0Ssi-9wS1so
youtu.be/0Ssi-9wS1so
Reposted by Chris Thomas
After the historic win against Qatar and a solid effort against Switzerland, the Canada Men’s National Soccer Team is moving on in the #FIFAWorldCup2026! An exciting and historic step forward for the men’s program, with fans throughout BC and beyond proud to be behind the team. (1/2)
June 24, 2026 at 9:04 PM
After the historic win against Qatar and a solid effort against Switzerland, the Canada Men’s National Soccer Team is moving on in the #FIFAWorldCup2026! An exciting and historic step forward for the men’s program, with fans throughout BC and beyond proud to be behind the team. (1/2)
Oh hey there, some good news if you weren't aware:
Adults with mild to moderate hearing loss can buy non-prescription hearing aids in retail stores and online.
People often put off getting help for hearing loss because it can be difficult or expensive to get support. The change will create additional options for those who need it.
People often put off getting help for hearing loss because it can be difficult or expensive to get support. The change will create additional options for those who need it.
June 18, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Oh hey there, some good news if you weren't aware:
June 12, 2026 at 1:35 AM
And there it is
techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/g...
techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/g...
Google Search as you know it is over | TechCrunch
Google is transforming Search from a list of links into an AI-powered experience filled with conversational answers, autonomous agents, and interactive interfaces — a shift that could further reduce t...
techcrunch.com
May 20, 2026 at 8:01 AM
And there it is
techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/g...
techcrunch.com/2026/05/19/g...
I never thought I'd ever describe measuring headphones as "hellish" but the last two weeks have not been kind to me
May 16, 2026 at 1:28 AM
I never thought I'd ever describe measuring headphones as "hellish" but the last two weeks have not been kind to me
As much as my position on this is pretty clear, I'm happy so many of you agree
www.soundguys.com/nobody-wants...
www.soundguys.com/nobody-wants...
The results are in: Nobody wants cameras in their AirPods
Apple is reportedly putting cameras in AirPods. We asked our readers if they wanted them. Nearly 90% said no.
www.soundguys.com
May 14, 2026 at 7:14 PM
As much as my position on this is pretty clear, I'm happy so many of you agree
www.soundguys.com/nobody-wants...
www.soundguys.com/nobody-wants...
My oldest just heard that the Bruins were losing and went "oh no they're gonna get thrown in the harbor!!"
It definitely sucks, but I haven't laughed like that in a while
It definitely sucks, but I haven't laughed like that in a while
May 2, 2026 at 2:04 AM
My oldest just heard that the Bruins were losing and went "oh no they're gonna get thrown in the harbor!!"
It definitely sucks, but I haven't laughed like that in a while
It definitely sucks, but I haven't laughed like that in a while
Given the score, I'm not mad that the Bruins currently have an entire line in the penalty box
April 22, 2026 at 2:14 AM
Given the score, I'm not mad that the Bruins currently have an entire line in the penalty box
Reposted by Chris Thomas
Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want
Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want
Did the tech industry get high on its own supply?
buff.ly
April 20, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Silicon Valley has forgotten what normal people want
Finally got a crow present with monetary value
April 12, 2026 at 7:49 AM
Finally got a crow present with monetary value