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[David Daines @daviddorg]

Today I am scanning my brain before I spend a year without screens

Doctors expect brain function to change, but whether the structure itself changes, nobody seems to know

All the data will be public: baseline, 6-month, and 12-month scans included

[Mike Lad @RealMaxit]

I committed suicide in 2015. I drank a 5th of whiskey, a bottle of wine while downing 30 serequel pills and 20 clonopin pills.
While I was waiting to pass out and never wake up, a voice told me "Michael. call 911" I was almost incoherent in my thoughts. The voice was insistent now "Michael, call 911". I never talked to myself in the 3rd person. It was weird.
I looked at my hand. The phone was there. I was never a phone person. I don't know where it came from. I dialed 911.
I explained to the person I had done the pills and drink. She asked if I could make it to the door. I said I could. I walked to the door and went outside. There was a police car driving up at that same moment.
It was as if it was meant to happen. He asked for my ID. I gave it to him. Then I was gone. I remember a little about being transferred to an ambulance.
I woke in a hospital bed 2 days later. I was happy. I could not understand it. I was happy. I felt good. I was telling jokes and having a good talk with the hospital staff as they were getting me ready to be transferred to a mental hospital.
I finally understood how the Lord saved me. I have never been the same, since. I can't explain it. I was saved and saved. I am not worthy but I was spared hell. I got healthy. I went from 250lbs to 170. I read my bible. My non military PTSD was a thing I could deal with without pharma.
I now take no meds. So, here I am, alone, no need for social appeasement. Only to gather the lay of the land and make dumb posts, sometimes. May you all be blessed as I have been. Thank you, Lord.

[vittorio @IterIntellectus]

> be microplastics researcher 2015
> develop better detection method
> can see particles 10x smaller than before
> run samples
> counts 100x higher than previous estimates
> publish
> conclusion: "more research needed"
> funding expires

> be different researcher 2020
> even better detection
> same samples
> counts higher still
> publish
> grant rejected: "not novel"

> be researcher 2024
> can now detect nanoplastics
> counts astronomical
> particles in brain tissue, testes, placentas
> concentrations increasing decade over decade
> publish
> industry response: "correlation not causation"
> plastic production: up 4%

every improvement in measurement finds worse news. thats not uncertainty. thats the answer

[non aesthetic things @PicturesFoIder]

MTV officially shut down its 24-hour music channels on 31st Dec, 2025. They ended their final broadcast with 'Video killed the radio star' by The Buggles, the very first video broadcasted by MTV on August 1st, 1981.

[CCP IS ASSHOE @CCPISASSH0E]

I for one am SHOCKED 😱😐

[Ascend: The Great Books Podcast @TheGreatB00ks]

40 Adventure Books for Boys📚🏴‍☠️

1. Treasure Island
2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
3. The Wind in the Willows
4. Journey to the Center of the Earth
5. King Arthur (Pyle)
6. Around the World in 80 Days
7. The Hobbit
8. Robinson Crusoe
9. Call of the Wild
10. The Hardy Boys Series
11. The Martian Tales (ER Burroughs)
12. Ivanhoe
13. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
14. White Fang
15. The Red Badge of Courage
16. The Chronicles of Narnia
17. The Lord of the Rings
18. Hatchet (Paulsen)
19. Robin Hood (Pyle)
20. Horatio Hornblower
21. My Side of the Mountain
22. On the Far Side of the Mountain
23. King Arthur (Roger Lancelyn Green)
24. Captains Courageous
25. The Black Stallion (Farley)
26. King Solomon's Mines
27. Tarzan Series (ER Burroughs)
28. The Redwall Series
29. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
30. The Greek Myths (Hawthorne)
31. The Jungle Book
32. The Swiss Family Robinson
33. Aladdin and Arabian Tales
34. Fairy Tales (Blue Book)
35. The Log of a Cowboy
36. Conan the Barbarian (Howard)
37. Louis L'Amour Westerns
38. Dinotopia
39. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
40. Kidnapped (RL Stevenson)

[Sahil Bloom @SahilBloom]

A Christmas morning reflection…

95%

By the time your child turns 18, you've spent ~95% of the time you will ever spend with them in your lifetime.

There are specific windows, much shorter than you care to admit, during which certain people and relationships will occupy your life.

You may have only one more summer with all of your siblings. Two more trips with that old group of friends. A few more years with your grandpa. A handful of encounters with that coworker you love. One more long walk with your parents.

If you fail to appreciate these windows, they will quickly disappear.

Time Wealth is about an awareness of these windows.

But more importantly, it’s about taking action against that awareness.

It's about recognizing that you are in more control of your time than you realize.

That you can take actions to create time with the people you love most.

That you can bend these curves.

That 95% is an average—and you’ve never wanted to be average in anything your entire life.

So, show up to that recital. Plan that trip with old friends. Grab that quick coffee. Go on that walk with your parents. Have that meal with your sibling.

In the end, it's not about the journey, it's not about the destination, it's about the company. The people along the way.

Cherish the people and the rest will fall into place as it should.

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

In 1936, J. R. R. Tolkien published a Christmas poem titled “Noel” in the annual magazine of Our Lady's Abingdon, in Oxfordshire. The poem was lost to history for nearly 80 years until scholars Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull rediscovered it in the archives. It reads:

Grim was the world and grey last night:
The moon and stars were fled,
The hall was dark without song or light,
The fires were fallen dead.
The wind in the trees was like to the sea,
And over the mountains' teeth
It whistled bitter-cold and free,
As a sword leapt from its sheath.

The lord of snows upreared his head;
His mantle long and pale
Upon the bitter blast was spread
And hung o'er hill and dale.
The world was blind, the boughs were bent,
All ways and paths were wild:
Then the veil of cloud apart was rent,
And here was born a Child.

The ancient dome of heaven sheer
Was pricked with distant light;
A star came shining white and clear
Alone above the night.
In the dale of dark in that hour of birth
One voice on a sudden sang:
Then all the bells in Heaven and Earth
Together at midnight rang.

Mary sang in this world below:
They heard her song arise
O'er mist and over mountain snow
To the walls of Paradise,
And the tongue of many bells was stirred
in Heaven's towers to ring
When the voice of mortal maid was heard,
That was mother of Heaven's King.

Glad is the world and fair this night
With stars about its head,
And the hall is filled with laughter and light,
And fires are burning red.
The bells of Paradise now ring
With bells of Christendom,
And Gloria, Gloria we will sing
That God on earth is come.

[Lj Priest (Formerly Trader Jill) @RealTraderJill]

The Bethlehem manger wasn't random; it was prophetic.

A lot of folks don't realize that when the Bible talks about Jesus being laid in a manger, the Greek word for it is "phatne," which just means a feeding trough. In Bethlehem back then, these were often carved from stone.

What's really striking about this is the shepherds around there. They raised lambs specifically for Temple sacrifices. Right after birth, they'd check each lamb for any flaws and put the perfect ones in a manger to keep them safe from getting hurt, since only spotless lambs could be used in offerings to God.

So here comes the Lamb of God himself, placed in the exact spot where those sacrificial lambs were protected.

And who do the angels tell about his birth? Not rulers or religious leaders, but these shepherds, guys who knew all about sacrifice, blood, purity, and flawless lambs.

When the angels said, "You'll find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12), it clicked for them right away.

This wasn't some ordinary child. He was the ultimate Lamb, the one who'd remove the world's sin. From day one, Jesus was set apart for sacrifice, not by people, but by God.

"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

*Jesus is the reason for the season.

Merry Christmas!

[🍂 @Lovandfear]

After you get married, you’re going to meet ‘better’ people than your spouse. You’re going to meet more good-looking people; kinder and more romantic people; more intelligent and funny people. You will meet people who have in abundance what your partner lacks. The mushy and romanticized idea that your partner will be everything to you, and will satisfy all your needs and wants is idolatry. Contentment in marriage is a virtue not often spoken about.

You must wake up every day appreciating everything your partner is to you, everything they have, their beauty and the things that made you marry them because if you focus on everything they don’t do well, you’ll always meet better people. Protect your heart! See their best part, and always remember that your commitment to marry is more of a duty than it is of mushy feelings. You have to stay committed even on the days you feel your spouse is no longer the best fit for you…

-Buchi

[Mike P @mikepat711]

This meme is a modern work of art tbh. Put it in the museum.

[Josh Howerton @howertonjosh]

As a younger man, I used to (secretly) think this.

"Get kids out of the way as fast as possible > empty nest > travel." Then...

1) At my Dad's 60th birthday party a large group of empty nest adults were asked to say what year of their lives they wish they could re-live to enjoy again.

Every single of one of them named a year when their children were young and and at home. In retrospect, those were the MOST joyous years of their lives.

2) All data says married men with children are the happiest men in America. Relationships > things.

3) Turns out God's Word is true: Children are blessings, not curses.

[Lincoln @flabbytofit99]

There's something that fires me up about taking care of my wife.

Last night proved it.

I walked in from work to absolute chaos:

One kid just threw up. Another was whining and crying. Two more were fighting over a toy.

And my wife was standing in the middle of it all, completely fried.

She looked at me with exhausted eyes that said: "I can't do this anymore."

You know what happened to my energy?

It didn't drop. It multiplied.

"Go upstairs. Take a break. I've got this."

She didn't argue. She just left.

I cleaned up the puke. Broke up the fight. Calmed the crying one. Got everyone settled.

And I felt ALIVE doing it.

Here's what most guys don't understand about marriage:

Your wife doesn't need you only when things are smooth.

She needs you MOST when she's at her breaking point.

When the kids are losing it.
When dinner burned.
When she's had zero breaks all day.
When she's one more tantrum away from losing it herself.

THAT'S when you step up.

Not with resentment. Not keeping score.

But with energy. Purpose. Leadership.

"I've got you. Go rest."

That's what it means to be a husband.

Not 50/50. Not splitting duties down the middle.

It's 100/100. Both of you giving everything, especially when the other has nothing left.

When she's running on empty, I fill the tank.

When I'm running on empty, she fills mine.

That's the partnership.

Most guys see chaos at home and think: "Great, more problems after a long day."

I see my wife exhausted and think: "Time to lead."

That shift in perspective changes everything.

Your wife married a man who would protect her, provide for her, and PARTNER with her.

Don't just be a roommate managing a household.

Be the man who shows up when it's hard.

That's what she needs. That's what your kids need to see.

Show up.

[Freyy @Freyy_is]

everyone knows Jesus fed the 5,000… but most people miss this:
the miracle didn’t show up as a pile of bread. it multiplied while the disciples were handing it out.

God doesn’t always give provision in advance. he reveals it in motion.
the red sea parted as they moved. jordan opened when they stepped in.

some miracles don’t appear until you start walking with what’s already in your hands.

[vittorio @IterIntellectus]

> remove hero's journey (fascist)
> remove masculinity (toxic)
> remove redemption arcs (excusing harm)
> remove sacrifice (trauma)
> remove beauty standards (problematic)
> remove attractive women (sexist)
> run everything through HR and sensitivity readers
> "why doesn't any art resonate anymore"

you killed it on purpose and now you're confused by the corpse

[Nana Sei Anyemedu @RedHatPentester]

The SILENT WITNESS ON YOUR COMPUTER WAITING FOR YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE.

Most people believe that deleting a folder, clearing recent files, or wiping their history is enough to hide their tracks on a computer. What they don’t realize is that Windows quietly keeps a hidden record of the folders they open, even after those folders are deleted or the drive is removed. These records are called Shellbags, and they are one of the most powerful and incriminating artifacts available to forensic investigators.

Shellbags appear inside two registry hives NTUSER.DAT and USRCLASS.DAT and they store detailed information about a user’s folder-browsing activity. This includes local folders, USB drives, external hard drives, network shares, and even directories that no longer exist. Each time a user opens a folder in Windows Explorer, the system automatically creates or updates a Shellbag entry. These entries contain timestamps, folder paths, the hierarchy of subfolders, the order in which a folder was accessed, and even the specific view settings used by the user. Because of this, Shellbags reconstruct a user’s exact navigation trail long after the person believes the evidence is gone. What makes Shellbags truly dangerous is the fact that they survive actions that users typically rely on to cover their tracks.

Deleting a folder does not delete the Shellbag. Formatting a drive does not delete it. Even privacy tools and cleaners like CCleaner or BleachBit cannot reliably erase Shellbag data, because the information is deeply embedded within registry hives that standard cleaning utilities do not touch. The only way to remove Shellbags is through advanced forensic wiping, and attempting such wiping is, in itself, a sign of suspicious behavior.

Forensic examiners rely heavily on Shellbags because they expose the truth even when a suspect tries to lie.

If a person denies ever accessing a directory, the Shellbags can show when that folder was opened, how many times it was accessed, and whether it was located on an internal drive, an external USB, or a deleted partition. This makes Shellbags extremely valuable in investigations involving insider threats, data theft, fraud, child exploitation, unauthorized data access, and corporate disputes. In many cases, Shellbags become the deciding factor that disproves a suspect’s story. In the screenshot, the highlighted red section shows three important keys inside the registry.

When all of this information is combined, Shellbags become a silent witness that never forgets. They reconstruct a hidden story of user activity that the person cannot deny, overwrite, or talk their way out of. This is why Shellbags remain one of the most feared artifacts for anyone attempting to conceal their actions on a Windows computer. You can delete the folder… but Shellbags still show it existed

Even if you format a drive or delete the directory, Windows has already logged:

1. The folder name
2. Its full path
3. When it was opened
4. How many times it was opened
5. The view settings (icon mode, window size)
6. The order in which folders were browsed

This means forensic investigators can prove someone accessed:

“Secret” directories
Hidden folder structures
USB drives or removable media
Folder paths used for storage of illicit or suspicious
Folder paths used for storage of illicit or suspicious data even if the folders are long gone.

[Taylor Otwell @taylorotwell]

A few things I've noticed as all devs write code with AI.

When you write foundational / architectural code of a new project by hand, you "feel" the code pushing back if your abstraction isn't right. You feel when something is harder than it should be. The code is telling you it's not in the right shape. Good engineers are sensitive to this.

When you're using an LLM, you keep pushing right through this in a way that feels like you're making progress, and it may even be directionally correct in a sense, but the underlying foundation of it all is actually bad in a way that either kills progress of the LLM later as it buckles under the complexity it has created or destroys your ability to maintain the code long term.

Related to this, I see a general restlessness with just sitting and thinking about a problem for a while.

As I've been working on a new library here at Laravel, there have been days where it feels like I mainly just stare at my screen thinking about something. When Claude Code is at your fingertips, it's tempting to just start yapping into the terminal and watching code come out the other end. Again, directionally correct in some ways, but often doesn't land on the elegant solution that is waiting to be discovered.

[juan @juanbuis]

to commemorate alan dye moving from apple to meta, here's one of his best quotes

[Wes Huff @WesleyLHuff]

And if you're wondering why we celebrate on Dec. 24th?No, it's not in the Bible (no one is seriously claiming it is) but that doesn't mean there isn't historical precedence to do so. I bet you're viewing this on your phone and you wont find smart phones in the Bible either. But both smart phones and celebrating the in-breaking of God into His creation during the incarnation, can be used for God's glory.