Amandah van Merlin

she/her
woman with a gimlet eye on the future

[Carrie Tait @CarrieTait]

The number of eligible electors is up 10% compared to the 2019 election. The number of ballots cast on Day 1 of advance polling is up 15%.

This def helps your preferred party.

[Hank Green @hankgreen]

A freelancer friend of mine reports that a big website she works for will soon be posting ChatGPT generated stories.

The bylines will be made-up human names to obscure the fact that they’re AI-generated, which is the part that seems the most disconcerting to me.

[Rachel Notley @RachelNotley]

We have been here before. When the wildfires of 2016 devastated Fort Mac, we showed the world what it means to be Albertan. We showed the world that even under extreme pressure, in extreme danger, Albertans look out for one another. That was true then. And it’s true today. 🧵9/11

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

But when James makes transphobic comments, I think he fails to recognize how he, himself, wears things that are not traditionally masculine and were, at one point, challenging traditional notions of masculinity. Some self-awareness may be in order. /end

[Ellie Hall @ellievhall]

In case it isn’t obvious, I’m looking for a new job after 10 years!

Please hire me! I’m very good at reporting the news, particularly investigation and finding people. I’ve produced definitive coverage on online extremism. Also, I write viral stories about the royal family.

[BILL OAKLEY @thatbilloakley]

stating the obvious here but it's weird that a billionaire bought this platform, screwed it up, damaged it, drove away a lot of users, wrecked it further, made it 40% more boring, then left

[Jᴀsᴏɴ Kᴇɴɴᴇʏ @jasonkenney]

Oh boy I see the “I’m an expert Googler so know more about the COVID conspiracy than you but can’t tag the right Jason Kenney on Twitter” crowd still exists.

[Kat Tenbarge is on Bluesky @kattenbarge]

Please talk to your children and your younger siblings and cousins about what they’re watching on Twitch and YouTube. These influencers aren’t all fun and games. Andrew Tate was allegedly trafficking and imprisoning women and forcing them into digital sex work while INFLUENCING

[Justin Ling (Has Left) @Justin_Ling]

Early this morning, Elon Musk used his private jet like a taxi to hop around Los Angeles, emitting about as much CO2 as an average American produces in a year.

https://t.co/TLmM3vFlrj

[Zack Bornstein @ZackBornstein]

i just wanna congratulate all of you on making it through 2020 again this year

[NYTPitchbot @DougJBalloon]

Opinion | The woke mob made me destroy my car company

by Elon Musk

[john @johnsemley3000]

the richest man in the world should not be so online. it’s unbecoming. JP Morgan once took a boat to Egypt because he wanted to sleep in a tomb to imagine what it’s like to be a dead Pharaoh. that’s what rich people should be doing. not tweeting about NYT movie lists. yuck.

[Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan]

And, pray tell, what happened on... January 6?

[Janis Irwin @JanisIrwin]

Good morning from me, Oregano, and Clarence the Christmas Cactus who’s just happily blooming away 🌺

[Omid Scobie @scobie]

As the statement points out, the crown was originally made for King Charles II in 1661 (replacing the 11th Century original he melted down). What it doesn't mention is that this monarch's legacy was creating the Royal African Company to transport slaves to the English Colonies.

[Justine Musk @justinemusk]

So let me get this straight. We are now supposed to step into the "marketplace of ideas" to debate + discuss if Hitler behaved poorly, or if women should be "raped + locked in cages"? Because these are conversations the culture needs to be having?