Benjamin Smedberg

VP of software development @xometry. Formerly @Mozilla. Follower of Christ. Devoted husband. Father of seven. Organist & choir director.

[David Klion @DavidKlion]

"It's not ethnic cleansing! Israel is generously asking civilians to leave their homes before Israel razes those homes to the ground so the civilians can never return and Israel can (according to its interior minister, less than 2 weeks ago) annex and settle their land"

[Karen @Karen3267084417]

@dieworkwear It's time our anarchy club committed to some rules!

[Benjamin Smedberg @nsIAnswers]

Public transportation *is* a smart investment, but not because of the jobs... because it helps communities become denser and more walkable, expands horizons and makes jobs available for youth, poorer people, disabled and elderly people who cannot drive.

[PublicTransportation @APTA_Transit]

Public transportation is one of America’s smartest investments. It drives good-paying jobs and keeps the economy moving. The 2026 Surface Transportation Authorization Act can secure long-term investment to keep that engine running. Fully invest in public transportation.

[Benjamin Smedberg @nsIAnswers]

And it’s really annoying to give a 4-star review and have the system come back with a “what did we do wrong” prompt

[Benjamin Smedberg @nsIAnswers]

The Japanese system matches mine! I’ll give 3 stars for acceptable 4 for quite good and 5 for uniquely awesome.

[TheOmniZaddy 🌹🌐🔰🏗 @TheOmniZaddy]

A fascinating moment of divergence between the Japanese and the Germans (and most of the rest of the world)

[sarah @sahouraxo]

Israel has wiped out 39 villages in South Lebanon and destroyed 40,000 homes.

39 centuries-old historic villages entirely erased from the map. In just 60 days.

This is ethnic cleansing.

This is terrorism.

And not a peep from the complicit “international community”, of course.

[Owen Brake @OwenBrakes]

The RF world is insane.

Researchers recovered AES-128 keys from a Bluetooth chip by listening to its own antenna from 10 meters away.

Crypto-engine switching noise couples into the RF chain, rides the 2.4 GHz carrier, and leaks out as radio.

[Benjamin Smedberg @nsIAnswers]

And… now we have fewer choices because of her decisions? This is a bizarre post.

[Elizabeth Warren @ewarren]

The Big Four airlines (American, Delta, Southwest, United) control 75% of the U.S. market.

Fewer choices = higher prices for you.

[Steak-umm @steak_umm]

the connection between america’s rail system and frozen beef is stronger than you’d think.

a lot of the modern cold supply chain exists because people *really* wanted steak in their city

[Benjamin Smedberg @nsIAnswers]

Although that’s really just option B.

[Sarah Jones @onesarahjones]

f. bed each other in the presence of witnesses, so everyone knows the marriage has been consummated before God and for the sake of the realm

[Sarah Jones @onesarahjones]

f. bed each other in the presence of witnesses, so everyone knows the marriage has been consummated before God and for the sake of the realm

[Jason Blakely @jasonwblakely]

Many will assume Pope Leo's position is somehow newfangled. But this is wrong. Prior to modernity sexual moralism wasn't the main focus of Catholic ethics. As is widely known, Dante ranked pride & malice much higher among vices & Augustine thought *lust for power* a graver danger

[Mike Young @micyoung75]

Tom Nichols spent nearly 20 years teaching just war theory at Harvard. He is precise about what Vance got wrong.

The just war tradition does not tell Christians when God is on their side. It regards war as evil and every life taken - ally or enemy - as a tragedy. Its conditions - just cause, right intention, proportionality, last resort - are not a permission slip. They are questions a leader must answer before risking his mortal soul by sending people to die.

After Vance's remarks, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops doctrine chairman put it in writing: Pope Leo is not offering opinions. He is exercising his ministry as Vicar of Christ. That is Bishop Massa's clarification, addressed directly to this situation.

Vance told the pope that theology should be "anchored in truth." Nichols identifies that phrase correctly: it means nothing. Whose truth? The bishop of Rome, whom Catholics believe speaks with charism on matters of faith and morals, was told by a recent convert that he should go do his theology homework.

The Catholic tradition Vance cited has a name for this disposition. Pope Gregory the Great called pride the queen of all vices. The Latin word is superbia. Proverbs 16:18 has been in the text considerably longer than the Iran war.

[Silere non possum @silerenonpossum]

Those who present themselves as “Catholic” at pro-life marches and argue that Catholics should be involved in politics now, paradoxically, claim that the Vatican ought to confine itself to moral matters. It is the familiar script of a certain “ultra-Catholic” laity: the Pope is free to speak on political issues only when he reinforces their preoccupations; when he instead recalls principles that do not align with their causes, he is expected to remain silent.

[Benjamin Smedberg @nsIAnswers]

Yay! Now do elevators.

[Micah Erfan @micah_erfan]

🚨 HUGE: Thanks to Democrats, manufactured housing is now legal statewide in Virginia!!!

This will expand housing options and bring down costs.

[Divyansh Kaushik @dkaushik96]

WOW, today’s Section 232 Steel and Aluminum proclamation imposes 15% tariffs on full custom value of industrial robots (HTS 8428.70.00) starting April 6. This rises to 25% on Jan 1, 2028.

Before this, the tariff was assessed only on the steel content.

There’s more. 🧵

[James Martin, SJ @JamesMartinSJ]

Asking God, in a public prayer, to help a political leader make wise decisions, care for the poor, seek peace, foster harmony, and try to include all those who feel excluded? Yes. Comparing a political leader, in a public prayer, to the sinless Son of God during Holy Week? No.

[Benjamin Smedberg @nsIAnswers]

@Chris_arnade I believe silk was at least as important if not more than spices, and definitely a source of lots of intrigue to try and reproduce elsewhere!

[Tim Montgomerie 🇬🇧 @montie]

I'm no longer ready to give Israel the benefit of the doubt on religious liberty questions - I'm sad to say. There's been far too many examples in recent years of Israeli police or security agencies seemingly turning a blind eye when Christians face abuse or worse in their churches, communities and even in and around their own homes. Additionally Some Holy Land Christians complain of active harrassment from the local police. All very regrettable and it needs our attention.

https://t.co/UXx7z8ARBo

[Noah Smith 🐇🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 @Noahpinion]

MAID isn't about letting people die with dignity, it's about saving the government money