Peter Olson
@overtype.com
I kind of invented digital comics. Dethtron5000 on most other platforms. Software director for AI and Data at the New York Public Library. Alum of Amazon, NBC News, IDEO, Marvel and Wesleyan University.
Pinned
Peter Olson
@overtype.com
· Nov 9
We do need to be better at memes. Not like macro images but just getting ideas in people's heads. We all need to keep repeating and repeating simple ideas. From now on, only call the new administration "the corrupt Trump regime." Make it sticky. Cc @gregpak.bsky.social @owillis.bsky.social
I'm serious. Do this. Hammer this. There will be plenty of real ammunition. Corrupt corrupt corrupt. Everybody hates corruption. It has brought down more than one government. Repeat it until you are sick of it and repeat some more.
Reposted by Peter Olson
I’m watching so you don’t have to www.ms.now/news/news-an...
Amid measles outbreaks, RFK Jr. headlines anti-vaccine conference
The Children’s Health Defense conference is a homecoming of sorts for Kennedy, who seeks to rally a splintering anti-vaccine movement ahead of the midterms.
www.ms.now
September 17, 2026 at 2:05 PM
I’m watching so you don’t have to www.ms.now/news/news-an...
If your idea of altruism starts with "First, I get rich," then you need to reexamine it.
Great piece by @xriskology.bsky.social on how the effective altruism cult has helped destroy actual philanthropy - with dangerous and deadly results for many people in need:
Effective Altruism Is a Dangerous Cult — Here's Why
Understanding the "Scientology of Silicon Valley." (7,700 words)
www.realtimetechpocalypse.com
September 17, 2026 at 4:40 PM
If your idea of altruism starts with "First, I get rich," then you need to reexamine it.
Effective Altruism is neither.
So-called “effective altruism” actually just cuts the global poor out of the conversation entirely. Great piece:
dear-humanity.org/effective-al...
dear-humanity.org/effective-al...
EA is worse than traditional philanthropy in the way it excludes we the poor.
Effective altruism is worse than traditional philanthropy in the way it excludes the extreme poor in the global south. By Anthony Kalulu @KaluluAnthony | December 3, 2022: —- I have spent the v...
dear-humanity.org
September 17, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Effective Altruism is neither.
Reposted by Peter Olson
So-called “effective altruism” actually just cuts the global poor out of the conversation entirely. Great piece:
dear-humanity.org/effective-al...
dear-humanity.org/effective-al...
EA is worse than traditional philanthropy in the way it excludes we the poor.
Effective altruism is worse than traditional philanthropy in the way it excludes the extreme poor in the global south. By Anthony Kalulu @KaluluAnthony | December 3, 2022: —- I have spent the v...
dear-humanity.org
September 17, 2026 at 1:39 PM
So-called “effective altruism” actually just cuts the global poor out of the conversation entirely. Great piece:
dear-humanity.org/effective-al...
dear-humanity.org/effective-al...
Reposted by Peter Olson
I would like media to care more about the reality that tech tycoons want to kill people than what they’re imagining about AI wanting to kill people. We have multi-millionaires (with support from billionaires!) calling for ethnic cleansing, a thing that has happened in living memory. Not theoretical!
September 17, 2026 at 12:53 PM
I would like media to care more about the reality that tech tycoons want to kill people than what they’re imagining about AI wanting to kill people. We have multi-millionaires (with support from billionaires!) calling for ethnic cleansing, a thing that has happened in living memory. Not theoretical!
Reposted by Peter Olson
Republicans are still trying to find that goldilocks spot, not too racist but just racist enough.
The latest at The Cross Section: paulwaldman.substack.com/p/republican...
The latest at The Cross Section: paulwaldman.substack.com/p/republican...
Republicans Try to Be Just the Right Amount of Racist
They want their candidates to be subtle about their bigotry - but not too subtle.
paulwaldman.substack.com
September 17, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Republicans are still trying to find that goldilocks spot, not too racist but just racist enough.
The latest at The Cross Section: paulwaldman.substack.com/p/republican...
The latest at The Cross Section: paulwaldman.substack.com/p/republican...
Reposted by Peter Olson
Trump is dead serious. See this chart from March:
www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
September 17, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Trump is dead serious. See this chart from March:
www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Reposted by Peter Olson
Rand Paul just quoted Carl Sagan at Children’s Health Defense’s anti-vaccine conference and AJGIRKCHSINDJJVKFKDJAHCJKDDJHDJSJCJDJFJFJJFJGJGKKGKGKDKDIEUCIWIVNJDIRUFJF
September 17, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Rand Paul just quoted Carl Sagan at Children’s Health Defense’s anti-vaccine conference and AJGIRKCHSINDJJVKFKDJAHCJKDDJHDJSJCJDJFJFJJFJGJGKKGKGKDKDIEUCIWIVNJDIRUFJF
Reposted by Peter Olson
have I mentioned lately that oligarch-owned media consolidation is bad
Universal Is Getting Cold Feet on Releasing the Elon Musk Documentary (Exclusive)
The Comcast-owned studio is not yet committing to rolling out Alex Gibney's movie that it paid millions to acquire for non-North American release before the political winds shifted.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
September 17, 2026 at 12:25 PM
have I mentioned lately that oligarch-owned media consolidation is bad
Reposted by Peter Olson
New: Trump called crypto "thin air." Last year, he reported $1.4 billion in income from it.
Buyers of his crypto? They're an estimated $4.7 billion underwater.
I made an 8-bit game out of it—
📈 Play as Trump: you cannot lose money.
📉 Play as an investor: you cannot win.
Buyers of his crypto? They're an estimated $4.7 billion underwater.
I made an 8-bit game out of it—
📈 Play as Trump: you cannot lose money.
📉 Play as an investor: you cannot win.
‘THIN AIR,’ REAL MONEY — The Trump Crypto Game
An 8-bit game about real money. Play as Trump: you only make money. Play as an investor: you only lose. Every figure is drawn from Public Citizen's report and the sources it cites.
thinairrealmoney.com
September 17, 2026 at 12:23 PM
New: Trump called crypto "thin air." Last year, he reported $1.4 billion in income from it.
Buyers of his crypto? They're an estimated $4.7 billion underwater.
I made an 8-bit game out of it—
📈 Play as Trump: you cannot lose money.
📉 Play as an investor: you cannot win.
Buyers of his crypto? They're an estimated $4.7 billion underwater.
I made an 8-bit game out of it—
📈 Play as Trump: you cannot lose money.
📉 Play as an investor: you cannot win.
Reposted by Peter Olson
You know, these rationalist dweebs and their Harry Potter fanfiction Bible and constant references to LOTR and Star Wars…you would think they might actually have taken some of the lessons fantasy has to offer.
But no, they imposed their own meaning and then went L Ron Hubbard with it.
But no, they imposed their own meaning and then went L Ron Hubbard with it.
September 17, 2026 at 12:36 PM
You know, these rationalist dweebs and their Harry Potter fanfiction Bible and constant references to LOTR and Star Wars…you would think they might actually have taken some of the lessons fantasy has to offer.
But no, they imposed their own meaning and then went L Ron Hubbard with it.
But no, they imposed their own meaning and then went L Ron Hubbard with it.
This year I'm going as Richard Dobbs Spaight!
Happy Constitution Day! I hope you’ve picked out your costume as your favorite Framer, and have baked your traditional three Branch Cakes, separate but equal. For your Reading of Texts, may I recommend this prescient essay by Uri Friedman?
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...
www.theatlantic.com
September 17, 2026 at 12:33 PM
This year I'm going as Richard Dobbs Spaight!
Reposted by Peter Olson
Absolutely unhinged response from the Israeli government, trying to revoke the citizenship of people who make critical films about the armed forces. Symptomatic of a national descent into far-right authoritarianism www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
Netanyahu seeks to strip citizenship from Israelis as threats to NAZA film directors intensify
Israeli prime minister to pursue new laws as directors of Guardian-produced film face threats from far-right officials and activists
www.theguardian.com
September 17, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Absolutely unhinged response from the Israeli government, trying to revoke the citizenship of people who make critical films about the armed forces. Symptomatic of a national descent into far-right authoritarianism www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
Reposted by Peter Olson
Trump: "We spent more than $2 billion in FEMA funding. You're waiting for some additional funding. I'm gonna get that to you. Now if Michael loses, I'm not sending it."
Crowd: *groans*
Crowd: *groans*
September 17, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Trump: "We spent more than $2 billion in FEMA funding. You're waiting for some additional funding. I'm gonna get that to you. Now if Michael loses, I'm not sending it."
Crowd: *groans*
Crowd: *groans*
Reposted by Peter Olson
We really can't let ourselves get accustomed to this. He's telling the people of NC that he's going to let them die if they don't vote how he wants.
Trump: "We spent more than $2 billion in FEMA funding. You're waiting for some additional funding. I'm gonna get that to you. Now if Michael loses, I'm not sending it."
Crowd: *groans*
Crowd: *groans*
September 17, 2026 at 12:17 AM
We really can't let ourselves get accustomed to this. He's telling the people of NC that he's going to let them die if they don't vote how he wants.
Reposted by Peter Olson
Rep. Keith Self claims that every Muslim elected official who pledges to uphold the Constitution is lying: "It is simple lying under the concept of taqiyya."
September 16, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Rep. Keith Self claims that every Muslim elected official who pledges to uphold the Constitution is lying: "It is simple lying under the concept of taqiyya."
Reposted by Peter Olson
This cliche propaganda is a perfect example of how modern conservatism reimagines everything they don't like as a personal attack. The objective of bike lanes is to make drivers miserable? No, but that's how to fire up the base. Everything (immigrants, trans folks, vaccines, bike lanes) is an attack
Another example of what we describe in our book as Bikelash Mad Libs™, down to the rather predictable line, "Los Angeles is not Amsterdam, and the San Fernando Valley is not Copenhagen."
LA, Stop the War on Cars. They Aren’t Going Away
CityWatch is published 24/7 with special e-news blasts on Monday and Thursday evening.
www.citywatchla.com
September 16, 2026 at 2:07 PM
This cliche propaganda is a perfect example of how modern conservatism reimagines everything they don't like as a personal attack. The objective of bike lanes is to make drivers miserable? No, but that's how to fire up the base. Everything (immigrants, trans folks, vaccines, bike lanes) is an attack
Reposted by Peter Olson
The Beat needs an EXPERIENCED writer/editor to help us with our NYCC coverage. This requires staying at home and helping post stories and report news. There is pay but it is small, but it is only 5 days work.
To be clear, this is a WEB WRITING JOB not video - dm or email w/clips heidi @ comicsbeat
To be clear, this is a WEB WRITING JOB not video - dm or email w/clips heidi @ comicsbeat
September 16, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The Beat needs an EXPERIENCED writer/editor to help us with our NYCC coverage. This requires staying at home and helping post stories and report news. There is pay but it is small, but it is only 5 days work.
To be clear, this is a WEB WRITING JOB not video - dm or email w/clips heidi @ comicsbeat
To be clear, this is a WEB WRITING JOB not video - dm or email w/clips heidi @ comicsbeat
Reposted by Peter Olson
A nation instituting anti-environmental policy or legislation and/or refusing to act on climate change should be seen as committing a globally hostile act against all nations.
Breaking News: The E.P.A. is said to be planning to announce that the U.S. will no longer limit climate pollution from power plants.
E.P.A. Will Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants
Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States.
nyti.ms
September 14, 2026 at 3:04 AM
A nation instituting anti-environmental policy or legislation and/or refusing to act on climate change should be seen as committing a globally hostile act against all nations.
Reposted by Peter Olson
"Your brains stop developing at age 25" was a press misrepresentation of a study. They wanted to see if brains continued to develop after adolescence, so the study was capped at age 25.
A later study with a wider subject pool showed that brains are ALWAYS developing our whole lives.
A later study with a wider subject pool showed that brains are ALWAYS developing our whole lives.
this is why it's my pet peeve fake science fact. It's absolute bs! nothing happens to brains at age 25, they do not "fully mature". you will notice that many societies have an age of majority or coming-of-age or whatever and none of them have ever chosen mid-20s.
Many people seem to be confused on this point.
The GOP is passing/intro'ing bills banning GAC up to & including the age of 25 on the theory that brains don't fully mature til then.
In public they call them bans on "minor" care.
It's a deliberate GOP strategy to make themselves seem less radical.
The GOP is passing/intro'ing bills banning GAC up to & including the age of 25 on the theory that brains don't fully mature til then.
In public they call them bans on "minor" care.
It's a deliberate GOP strategy to make themselves seem less radical.
September 16, 2026 at 10:18 AM
"Your brains stop developing at age 25" was a press misrepresentation of a study. They wanted to see if brains continued to develop after adolescence, so the study was capped at age 25.
A later study with a wider subject pool showed that brains are ALWAYS developing our whole lives.
A later study with a wider subject pool showed that brains are ALWAYS developing our whole lives.
Reposted by Peter Olson
Correct. Fox exists to reinforce the notion among conservatives that they are right and not alone and that everyone else is nuts. Thats a big part of why it’s so self destructive for democrats to appear there.
It took me a long time to fully grasp this: Fox News doesn't tell its viewers what to think. It's more like it tells them what they want to hear as a kind of mental opioid. I don't think of them as propagandists so much as drug dealers.
September 16, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Correct. Fox exists to reinforce the notion among conservatives that they are right and not alone and that everyone else is nuts. Thats a big part of why it’s so self destructive for democrats to appear there.
All attendees must have shaved sphincters.
Exclusive: The Pentagon is asking commanders to nominate troops to attend Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “State of the Force” address this September, and says the servicemembers must meet waist-to-height requirements and exhibit “impeccable” grooming standards. https://on.wsj.com/3VwFKeF
September 16, 2026 at 1:24 AM
All attendees must have shaved sphincters.
I was way ahead of her on that.
AOC says she'll change the station now when Ed Sheeran comes on. Sheeran buckled to pressure and dropped Macklemore after he expressed support for Palestine at the first two concerts of the tour. All of Sheeran's opening acts and his back up band have quit in support of Macklemore.
September 16, 2026 at 1:09 AM
I was way ahead of her on that.
Reposted by Peter Olson
this is mindbogglingly fucked up.
September 16, 2026 at 1:00 AM
this is mindbogglingly fucked up.