Beau Nighdell
@beaunighdell.bsky.social
Lazy gardener, domestic imaginist. Here for the good life and sanity. If I don't follow you back on here, my political alter ego probably does.
Reposted by Beau Nighdell
The generative AI industry is run by people who want to use it to discipline the masses, bringing us to heel and keeping us too desperate to tell them no or exert any power over them. That is why the tech was developed. That is why the datacenters are being built. That's why the ubiquitous cameras.
The “head of strategic futures” at OpenAI just went on an unhinged rant against social security
sometimes I feel like these tech companies are actively trying to alienate as many normal people as possible
sometimes I feel like these tech companies are actively trying to alienate as many normal people as possible
August 26, 2026 at 2:36 PM
The generative AI industry is run by people who want to use it to discipline the masses, bringing us to heel and keeping us too desperate to tell them no or exert any power over them. That is why the tech was developed. That is why the datacenters are being built. That's why the ubiquitous cameras.
Reposted by Beau Nighdell
In Greek mythology, Scylla waits beside a narrow strait, snatching sailors from passing ships. Odysseus sails past knowing some of his men will die. Sometimes mythology offers no clever escape. Sometimes the monster simply gets fed. #WyrdWednesday
August 19, 2026 at 3:33 PM
In Greek mythology, Scylla waits beside a narrow strait, snatching sailors from passing ships. Odysseus sails past knowing some of his men will die. Sometimes mythology offers no clever escape. Sometimes the monster simply gets fed. #WyrdWednesday
#heymeta This is a good thing, but consider expanding beyond vets. Women have a greater incidence of glaucoma and AMD sight loss, are poorer in retirement than men overall, and live longer. How about underwriting a program they can apply for? #metaglasses #assistivetech
about.fb.com/news/2026/06...
about.fb.com/news/2026/06...
The Future Is for Everyone: Free AI Glasses for Every Blind Veteran in America
We're donating Ray-Ban Meta glasses to every blind veteran in America, giving them transformative AI technology.
about.fb.com
August 16, 2026 at 4:41 PM
#heymeta This is a good thing, but consider expanding beyond vets. Women have a greater incidence of glaucoma and AMD sight loss, are poorer in retirement than men overall, and live longer. How about underwriting a program they can apply for? #metaglasses #assistivetech
about.fb.com/news/2026/06...
about.fb.com/news/2026/06...
Reposted by Beau Nighdell
Longing
Not that I want to be a god or a hero.
Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone.
~ Czesław Miłosz, ‘Notes’ (1978)
#Painting, Carin Wagner, ‘Lady of the Sycamore.’
Not that I want to be a god or a hero.
Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone.
~ Czesław Miłosz, ‘Notes’ (1978)
#Painting, Carin Wagner, ‘Lady of the Sycamore.’
August 9, 2026 at 1:35 PM
Longing
Not that I want to be a god or a hero.
Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone.
~ Czesław Miłosz, ‘Notes’ (1978)
#Painting, Carin Wagner, ‘Lady of the Sycamore.’
Not that I want to be a god or a hero.
Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone.
~ Czesław Miłosz, ‘Notes’ (1978)
#Painting, Carin Wagner, ‘Lady of the Sycamore.’
I dreamed I was at a gathering with several family members, couldn't follow their conversation, closed my eyes and tried to ignore them. Then I walked into another room where there were women in flowered summer dresses and I said, "but isn't it Christmas?" 1/3
July 30, 2026 at 10:35 PM
I dreamed I was at a gathering with several family members, couldn't follow their conversation, closed my eyes and tried to ignore them. Then I walked into another room where there were women in flowered summer dresses and I said, "but isn't it Christmas?" 1/3
I am OBSESSED with rollerskating videos. I read about the lack of "third places" and men not socializing with other men, then I watch videos like this one. Fun!
#thirdplace #joyscrolling #rollerskating
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDQy...
#thirdplace #joyscrolling #rollerskating
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDQy...
Independence Roll IV - Rich City Skating Rink Richton Park, IL (Directed By Julius Conway)
YouTube video by Sean Conway
www.youtube.com
July 25, 2026 at 11:47 PM
I am OBSESSED with rollerskating videos. I read about the lack of "third places" and men not socializing with other men, then I watch videos like this one. Fun!
#thirdplace #joyscrolling #rollerskating
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDQy...
#thirdplace #joyscrolling #rollerskating
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDQy...
Let's get to the critical issue: HOW is this woman possibly 81 years old?!?!
June 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Let's get to the critical issue: HOW is this woman possibly 81 years old?!?!
Reposted by Beau Nighdell
One blot on Laurence Sterne's biography: he had a hand in enclosing common land at Sutton. This beautifully re- purposed #18thC #protest song might stir us to make amends. #Enclosure #wildlife #folksong
Watch this about how #BristolAirport’s proposed further expansion will harm the ancient Felton Common, and how you can help protect it for people, wildlife and future generations youtu.be/cW0U-A76nEM?... @flightfreeuk.bsky.social
The Goose and the Common - Common Land Choir
YouTube video by Save Felton Common
youtu.be
June 6, 2026 at 8:10 AM
One blot on Laurence Sterne's biography: he had a hand in enclosing common land at Sutton. This beautifully re- purposed #18thC #protest song might stir us to make amends. #Enclosure #wildlife #folksong
Is this like AI proponents claiming that actual writing is too hard? When did culture and creativity become a chore? No one is forcing you to look at art, or write a novel -- if it's not for you, fine. No need to fake it.
#art #whine
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#art #whine
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The hill I will die on: Let me tell you the one big problem with art galleries. There’s too much art | Isabel Brooks
They often boast thousands of great works – but who needs that? I can only really engage with one or two before feeling exhausted, says freelance writer Isabel Brooks
www.theguardian.com
May 31, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Is this like AI proponents claiming that actual writing is too hard? When did culture and creativity become a chore? No one is forcing you to look at art, or write a novel -- if it's not for you, fine. No need to fake it.
#art #whine
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#art #whine
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Beau Nighdell
The Danish gov’t has installed floating platforms planted with wildflowers and native vegetation in the harbors and canals of Copenhagen, to create urban habitat sanctuaries for birds, bees, pollinators, insects, and even some aquatic life.
#FlowersOfBluesky
#InnovativeSolutions💡
#FlowersOfBluesky
#InnovativeSolutions💡
May 22, 2026 at 2:46 PM
The Danish gov’t has installed floating platforms planted with wildflowers and native vegetation in the harbors and canals of Copenhagen, to create urban habitat sanctuaries for birds, bees, pollinators, insects, and even some aquatic life.
#FlowersOfBluesky
#InnovativeSolutions💡
#FlowersOfBluesky
#InnovativeSolutions💡
Almost every day on Bluesky, I come across some seemingly simple post that prompts deep thinking and makes the day richer in wonder. Here is one such.
Labyrinth floor painting, Knossos, Crete. Almost 3500 years old, nearly a thousand years before the Greeks first recorded the tale of the Minotaur. #FindsFriday
May 22, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Almost every day on Bluesky, I come across some seemingly simple post that prompts deep thinking and makes the day richer in wonder. Here is one such.
Is anyone wise in the ways of anise hyssops? I had several large ones for several years, and this year none have come up (MidAtlantic). Is it too early, or have they just had their time? I don't want to plant something else in their place if they're just late. #garden #nativeplants 🌱
May 16, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Is anyone wise in the ways of anise hyssops? I had several large ones for several years, and this year none have come up (MidAtlantic). Is it too early, or have they just had their time? I don't want to plant something else in their place if they're just late. #garden #nativeplants 🌱
The brain is amazing & weird, part 9000: I dreamed I wrote an entire stanza of a song called "This is Equatorial Africa" and heard a lovely choral performance of it. Upon waking, the melody played incessantly in my head for hours, then disappeared completely -- can't recall it at all now.
May 13, 2026 at 7:35 PM
The brain is amazing & weird, part 9000: I dreamed I wrote an entire stanza of a song called "This is Equatorial Africa" and heard a lovely choral performance of it. Upon waking, the melody played incessantly in my head for hours, then disappeared completely -- can't recall it at all now.
Evie and her husband Stephen Colbert are magical together.
Stephen Colbert and wive Evie McGee Colbert on Wednesday night delivered the "final draft" of their recurring greeting card "First Drafts" segment.
Stephen Colbert, Wife Evie Close Book on Late Show ‘First Drafts’
Stephen Colbert and wive Evie McGee Colbert on Wednesday night delivered the "final draft" of their recurring greeting card "First Drafts" segment.
dlvr.it
May 7, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Evie and her husband Stephen Colbert are magical together.
It's the time of year that deludes me into thinking I'm a gardener, as all the glorious, easy stuff comes out: bleeding hearts, peonies, late daffodils.
🌱 Bleeding hearts—so exquisite yet so low maintenance 🤩
April 19, 2026 at 12:33 AM
It's the time of year that deludes me into thinking I'm a gardener, as all the glorious, easy stuff comes out: bleeding hearts, peonies, late daffodils.
This is the one! Such an excellent evocation of the suspense of going around the moon.
If you haven’t heard this song by Public Service Broadcasting about the Apollo 8’s first human orbit of the moon, then hoooooo boy are you in for a fucking treat. Enjoy.
youtu.be/P8LlUrT7MFo?...
youtu.be/P8LlUrT7MFo?...
PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING - THE OTHER SIDE (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)
YouTube video by PSBHQ
youtu.be
April 7, 2026 at 3:36 AM
This is the one! Such an excellent evocation of the suspense of going around the moon.
This is an amazing thread! Hard to imagine. (I had to check that today isn't April 1.)
On this day in 1944, The Sketch reported that Noël Coward’s Post Mortem, set during WWI, had had its world premiere during WWII. The lead character’s mother was played by… er, Brian McIrvine. Why? Well, the show took place in Oflag VII.b, a POW camp in Eichstätt 🧵
March 22, 2026 at 3:15 PM
This is an amazing thread! Hard to imagine. (I had to check that today isn't April 1.)
Gorgeous day, birds singing, flowers blooming -- I'm enjoying it all, and simultaneously just going to town on invasive insects with my squirt bottle of detergent water. It feels a bit immoral, but it's reached the point of "us or them."
March 21, 2026 at 6:54 PM
Gorgeous day, birds singing, flowers blooming -- I'm enjoying it all, and simultaneously just going to town on invasive insects with my squirt bottle of detergent water. It feels a bit immoral, but it's reached the point of "us or them."
Okay, time to draaaag myself into work writing about fun and frivolous events next year that depend on public safety and consumer confidence...
March 2, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Okay, time to draaaag myself into work writing about fun and frivolous events next year that depend on public safety and consumer confidence...
I feel seen.
A mug just for cocoa,
A cup for herb tea,
A pink mug for breakfast,
Sounds just like me,
A cup used for soup,
One for afternoon sips,
One for every occasion,
I have fussy lips,
I know what you’re thinking,
I must be a loon,
Don’t stir it with that!
There’s a particular spoon.
#thingstowriteabout
A cup for herb tea,
A pink mug for breakfast,
Sounds just like me,
A cup used for soup,
One for afternoon sips,
One for every occasion,
I have fussy lips,
I know what you’re thinking,
I must be a loon,
Don’t stir it with that!
There’s a particular spoon.
#thingstowriteabout
February 16, 2026 at 11:14 PM
I feel seen.
How I know I'm old: The snow/ice is melting and I'm very disappointed in myself for not having engaged in any of the big three: sledding, sculpting something, or snowball fights.
February 13, 2026 at 11:55 PM
How I know I'm old: The snow/ice is melting and I'm very disappointed in myself for not having engaged in any of the big three: sledding, sculpting something, or snowball fights.
How the heck is it so cold, snow on the ground (midAtlantic US), house buttoned up every way imaginable, and I still find on average 4 stinkbugs a day inside? They're driving me crazy.
February 8, 2026 at 12:17 AM
How the heck is it so cold, snow on the ground (midAtlantic US), house buttoned up every way imaginable, and I still find on average 4 stinkbugs a day inside? They're driving me crazy.
Reposted by Beau Nighdell
The poem of 2026
January 12, 2026 at 12:24 PM
The poem of 2026
This is beautiful and seasonal! Hard to believe we're at this point of the year already...
a video poem for plough monday
The first part of the poem dates from the 14th century, and was taken from a verse carved into the gallery of St. Agnes' Church at Cawston in Norfolk.
#SpedeThePlow
#PloughMonday
#Cawston
The first part of the poem dates from the 14th century, and was taken from a verse carved into the gallery of St. Agnes' Church at Cawston in Norfolk.
#SpedeThePlow
#PloughMonday
#Cawston
god spede the plow
YouTube video by robert sanderson
youtu.be
January 9, 2026 at 8:39 PM
This is beautiful and seasonal! Hard to believe we're at this point of the year already...
Reposted by Beau Nighdell
I think it was a big mistake to let Computer out of the one room where it used to be kept. Now there is Computer everywhere and everything is bad. I think they knew this. Intuitively, they knew.
January 8, 2026 at 9:03 PM
I think it was a big mistake to let Computer out of the one room where it used to be kept. Now there is Computer everywhere and everything is bad. I think they knew this. Intuitively, they knew.