Ben Petkau
@benpetkau.bsky.social
cat ownee, excel nerd, fern dad. AuDHD, HoH, COVID-safe. climate, politics, urban planning, weird memes. all opinions are now 50% off to make room for new stock (he/him)
Reposted by Ben Petkau
Man Who Threw Molotov Cocktail At Sam Altman’s Home Claims He Was Following ChatGPT Recipe For Risotto https://theonion.com/man-who-threw-molotov-cocktail-at-sam-altmans-home-claims-he-was-following-chatgpt-recipe-for-risotto/
April 13, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Man Who Threw Molotov Cocktail At Sam Altman’s Home Claims He Was Following ChatGPT Recipe For Risotto https://theonion.com/man-who-threw-molotov-cocktail-at-sam-altmans-home-claims-he-was-following-chatgpt-recipe-for-risotto/
Reposted by Ben Petkau
This post is more disqualifying than the tattoo btw. He’s openly describing America’s first genocides as wars he would have liked to have fought in
The idea that Platner, who knew enough about military history to write this deeply weird Reddit post, did not know what his tattoo meant has been so insulting to everyone’s intelligence that it really borders on gaslighting
March 16, 2026 at 4:11 PM
This post is more disqualifying than the tattoo btw. He’s openly describing America’s first genocides as wars he would have liked to have fought in
Reposted by Ben Petkau
They’re telling me a great empire will be destroyed if I attack Persia. Even the oracles who don’t like me very much, very nasty, they all said to me, “Sir, it’s one of the great empires, and it’ll be destroyed. And all because you attacked Persia.” That’s what they’re telling me.
March 17, 2026 at 2:16 AM
They’re telling me a great empire will be destroyed if I attack Persia. Even the oracles who don’t like me very much, very nasty, they all said to me, “Sir, it’s one of the great empires, and it’ll be destroyed. And all because you attacked Persia.” That’s what they’re telling me.
I can never try a sensory deprivation tank. If I do, I WILL get sleepy, and I WILL roll over and drown. I know this to be true.
February 15, 2026 at 5:12 PM
I can never try a sensory deprivation tank. If I do, I WILL get sleepy, and I WILL roll over and drown. I know this to be true.
The one single factor that connects all mass shooters is they all had access to firearms.
February 12, 2026 at 2:09 AM
The one single factor that connects all mass shooters is they all had access to firearms.
Reposted by Ben Petkau
for no reason recalling this
January 30, 2026 at 2:08 AM
for no reason recalling this
You can't just buy a fleet of fighter jets these days, you have to buy a fleet-of-fighter-jets monthly subscription.
January 26, 2026 at 3:56 PM
You can't just buy a fleet of fighter jets these days, you have to buy a fleet-of-fighter-jets monthly subscription.
Reposted by Ben Petkau
Some people become clergy because they like the pomp, the authority, the quiet life of Sunday services and hospital visits and being called "Reverend."
But that's not the job. The job is to fashion your life after a man who was executed by the state for what he taught and who he loved.🧵
But that's not the job. The job is to fashion your life after a man who was executed by the state for what he taught and who he loved.🧵
January 25, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Some people become clergy because they like the pomp, the authority, the quiet life of Sunday services and hospital visits and being called "Reverend."
But that's not the job. The job is to fashion your life after a man who was executed by the state for what he taught and who he loved.🧵
But that's not the job. The job is to fashion your life after a man who was executed by the state for what he taught and who he loved.🧵
Reposted by Ben Petkau
I was a sensitive kid. I loved cats. I had OCD, undiagnosed.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
January 25, 2026 at 4:55 AM
I was a sensitive kid. I loved cats. I had OCD, undiagnosed.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
When I was 9, a fraternity brother tortured a cat to death in my hometown. The details even now are beyond imagination. archive.is/xdmUL
I was traumatized for years from reading the news story.
The torturer? Now the head of the NRA.
Reposted by Ben Petkau
If you put on a collar because you wanted a quiet life of Sunday services and being called "Reverend," that's not what you signed up for.
You signed up to follow a man who was executed by the state and told you it might cost you everything.
www.patreon.com/posts/148959...
You signed up to follow a man who was executed by the state and told you it might cost you everything.
www.patreon.com/posts/148959...
January 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM
If you put on a collar because you wanted a quiet life of Sunday services and being called "Reverend," that's not what you signed up for.
You signed up to follow a man who was executed by the state and told you it might cost you everything.
www.patreon.com/posts/148959...
You signed up to follow a man who was executed by the state and told you it might cost you everything.
www.patreon.com/posts/148959...
Reposted by Ben Petkau
Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.
White. Hot. Rage.
White. Hot. Rage.
January 24, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.
White. Hot. Rage.
White. Hot. Rage.
I am begging non-MAGA Americans to understand that having scheduled 'protest days' and then going back to work the next day is entirely performative. The whole rest of the world can see that you're not really resisting. And then you beg the *rest of the world* to Do Something!
Multiple labor unions are endorsing a “Day of Truth and Freedom” on Friday in Minnesota saying they want ICE out of the state. They are calling for Minnesotans not to work, go to school or shop to protest the ICE presence in the state.
The latest on ICE in Minnesota: Labor unions call for day of no work, school or shopping as protest
Here’s the latest news on Tuesday around the increased federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
www.mprnews.org
January 21, 2026 at 10:16 PM
I am begging non-MAGA Americans to understand that having scheduled 'protest days' and then going back to work the next day is entirely performative. The whole rest of the world can see that you're not really resisting. And then you beg the *rest of the world* to Do Something!
Reposted by Ben Petkau
The US granted visas to Jews but only allowed 30,000 in from Germany a year. You had to wait for your number to come up.
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
January 21, 2026 at 12:52 PM
The US granted visas to Jews but only allowed 30,000 in from Germany a year. You had to wait for your number to come up.
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵
Reposted by Ben Petkau
Heard about this and found the video.
The pastor of this church is also an ICE director.
The pastor of this church is also an ICE director.
January 18, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Heard about this and found the video.
The pastor of this church is also an ICE director.
The pastor of this church is also an ICE director.
Reposted by Ben Petkau
just wow. I recommend reading the exchange with the `customer reps' at the end. As Iris says, this is terrible for the integrity of research. We can all decide not to publish with these publishers, but the wrong info will still be spread. Gah!
AI slop and the destruction of knowledge irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...
AI slop and the destruction of knowledge
This week I was looking for info on what cognitive scientists mean when they speak of ‘domain-general’ cognition. I was curious, because the nuances are relevant for something I am researching at t…
irisvanrooijcogsci.com
August 13, 2025 at 8:44 PM
just wow. I recommend reading the exchange with the `customer reps' at the end. As Iris says, this is terrible for the integrity of research. We can all decide not to publish with these publishers, but the wrong info will still be spread. Gah!
Behold the effects of disinfo/polarization bubbles.
Left: Conservatives 1 year ago.
Right: Cons today.
A majority of Cons said we should be more forceful with Trump. Now, almost a majority say we should roll over, even if he uses military force on us.
#cdnpoli H/T: @voiceoffranky.bsky.social
Left: Conservatives 1 year ago.
Right: Cons today.
A majority of Cons said we should be more forceful with Trump. Now, almost a majority say we should roll over, even if he uses military force on us.
#cdnpoli H/T: @voiceoffranky.bsky.social
January 18, 2026 at 7:58 AM
Behold the effects of disinfo/polarization bubbles.
Left: Conservatives 1 year ago.
Right: Cons today.
A majority of Cons said we should be more forceful with Trump. Now, almost a majority say we should roll over, even if he uses military force on us.
#cdnpoli H/T: @voiceoffranky.bsky.social
Left: Conservatives 1 year ago.
Right: Cons today.
A majority of Cons said we should be more forceful with Trump. Now, almost a majority say we should roll over, even if he uses military force on us.
#cdnpoli H/T: @voiceoffranky.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben Petkau
Reposted by Ben Petkau
Reposted by Ben Petkau
“Thanks to our latest findings, we now know that early citizens of the United States had a more nuanced system of government than previously thought,” said Professor Lee Somers, director of the site excavation
Archaeologists: D.C. Capitol May Have Once Been Used For Legislating
WASHINGTON—Calling the discovery the “clearest proof yet” of how the U.S. government was originally designed to function, archaeologists published new evidence Thursday that suggests the Capitol build...
theonion.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:30 AM
“Thanks to our latest findings, we now know that early citizens of the United States had a more nuanced system of government than previously thought,” said Professor Lee Somers, director of the site excavation
Reposted by Ben Petkau
My shirt reading "innocent pre-Christian European cultural heritage enthusiast" is causing a lot of questions already answered by my shirt
November 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
My shirt reading "innocent pre-Christian European cultural heritage enthusiast" is causing a lot of questions already answered by my shirt
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xFp...
Dear Elizabeth May,
We *have done* a lot of research on avian flu. If you aren't acknowledging the huge body of evidence that informs internationally standard best practices, you don't actually respect science. This is wifi-level embarrassing.
Best,
a former Green
Dear Elizabeth May,
We *have done* a lot of research on avian flu. If you aren't acknowledging the huge body of evidence that informs internationally standard best practices, you don't actually respect science. This is wifi-level embarrassing.
Best,
a former Green
Cull of ostriches at B.C. farm is complete, CFIA confirms
YouTube video by CBC News
www.youtube.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:20 PM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xFp...
Dear Elizabeth May,
We *have done* a lot of research on avian flu. If you aren't acknowledging the huge body of evidence that informs internationally standard best practices, you don't actually respect science. This is wifi-level embarrassing.
Best,
a former Green
Dear Elizabeth May,
We *have done* a lot of research on avian flu. If you aren't acknowledging the huge body of evidence that informs internationally standard best practices, you don't actually respect science. This is wifi-level embarrassing.
Best,
a former Green
Masks ❌
Respirators ❌
Lung Condoms ✅
Respirators ❌
Lung Condoms ✅
October 30, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Masks ❌
Respirators ❌
Lung Condoms ✅
Respirators ❌
Lung Condoms ✅
Idk who needs to hear this, but absence of evidence *is* evidence of absence, when evidence would be expected. If you say, "there's a ball in this box", then look in the box and can't find a ball, there's probably no ball in the box.
October 5, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Idk who needs to hear this, but absence of evidence *is* evidence of absence, when evidence would be expected. If you say, "there's a ball in this box", then look in the box and can't find a ball, there's probably no ball in the box.
The most frustrating thing about discussion of #Wikipedia is how uninformed it always is about how Wikipedia works. All the lengthy and open debates about these sources are catalogued at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:RSP and anyone can read them. There's no secrets. Who tf is Mr. X even supposed to be?
October 2, 2025 at 4:12 AM
The most frustrating thing about discussion of #Wikipedia is how uninformed it always is about how Wikipedia works. All the lengthy and open debates about these sources are catalogued at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:RSP and anyone can read them. There's no secrets. Who tf is Mr. X even supposed to be?