Reading

Created
Thu, 19/02/2026 - 05:00

Picture it: Los Angeles in 1985. I’d moved there two years earlier to make it as a model, but all I had to show for it was a couple of car shows, one page of a local JCPenney circular, and a weekly “session” at Chateau Marmont with a freaky rich dude who I can’t say more about because of the NDA.

So when I met this guy with the most perfect curly mullet who promised me a little pink house in one of the flyover states, it sounded pretty good. Forty years later, I’m still not even sure what state we’re living in, but I do know that I hate this goddamn place with the fire of a thousand California suns.

Created
Thu, 19/02/2026 - 01:00

You’ve Always Been This Way is a column written by Taylor Harris, a late-diagnosed neurodivergent woman and 1980s preschool dropout, who identifies every moment from her past that filled her with shame, and mutters, “Yep, that tracks. I see it all now.”

- - -

“I’ve been thinking about it all wrong,” said the town’s perimenopausal autistic woman every day, upon waking and going to bed. And sometimes whilst she sat alone upon the chamber pot, flipping through daguerreotypes from her bestie.

“What is it, my dear?” her husband asked. He’d once read a pamphlet on the four humors and feared she’d gone mad, oversaturated with black bile. “You’ve been all in a dither for a fortnight now. Shall I send for the doctor? Although… he is most adept at watching patients burn with fever before declaring the deceased, dead.”

“IT is everything, Peter. Don’t you understand?”

“Clearly not, for if I had understood, why would I—”

Created
Thu, 19/02/2026 - 00:12
FREETHOUGHT TODAY January-February 2026 “Spiritual but Not Religious”? Are You Sure? By Alfie Kohn Have you ever come across someone who qualifies her opinions about gender-related issues by assuring her listener that she’s “not a feminist or anything”? That comment wouldn’t be surprising coming from denizens of the Bible Belt or the MAGAverse who are all in for women’s subservience ... Read More
Created
Thu, 19/02/2026 - 00:00
  • Glad I went with ominous drumbeats as the beckoning call, all four players looking upon the game with wonder and dread. Woodwinds/sitars would have been a mistake.
  • Game instructions clear enough to be understood by players, vaguely threatening enough to unnerve them. Struck a great balance there.
  • Two youngest players mystified by the enchanted game tokens. An excellent sign, as I’ll be pitching Jumanji as a game for wayward youths looking to escape the tedium of their daily lives / learn a few things the hard way.
  • Turn up sadism levels in monkeys. Antics are WAY too on the playful side. Don’t be afraid to go overboard here either. I’d rather have them throwing knives and stealing police cars than—Jesus—tickling each other.
  • Giant flesh-eating plants went smoothly. Creeped into the room through the ceiling and power outlets, went straight for the weakest player, players fought back with fireplace tools / wept uncontrollably.
Created
Wed, 18/02/2026 - 05:15

Join us THURSDAY, February 19 at 1pm ET / 10am PT, for our regularly scheduled call to chat about all things Drupal and nonprofits. (Convert to your local time zone.)

We don't have anything specific on the agenda this month, so we'll have plenty of time to discuss anything that's on our minds at the intersection of Drupal and nonprofits. Got something specific you want to talk about? Feel free to share ahead of time in our collaborative Google document at https://nten.org/drupal/notes!

All nonprofit Drupal devs and users, regardless of experience level, are always welcome on this call.

This free call is sponsored by NTEN.org and open to everyone.

Created
Wed, 18/02/2026 - 05:00

My dear constituents,

Like you, I am deeply troubled by the Atrocity Machine’s recent activity. It is a stain on our nation, and we must take action. With this in mind, I am proud to announce that we are dedicating billions of dollars to the Atrocity Machine.

Don’t think this is a giveaway. In exchange for an ever-increasing budget and the state’s parajudicial control, the Atrocity Machine has agreed to key reforms. These include mandatory training for anyone who operates the Atrocity Machine, promises to live-stream the Machine’s apocalyptic terror for all to see, and a fresh coat of paint. If history teaches us anything, it is that modest reform is the most effective way to tame a rogue, fire-spitting Leviathan.

Reform takes negotiation, and sometimes that means playing hardball. In this case, that means giving the Machine a budget greater than the GDP of Chile. It is critical that the Machine has a guaranteed pile of money, then we can hash out minor points like disarmament or habeas corpus.

Created
Tue, 17/02/2026 - 23:30

It has been quite a while since we last checked in with our favorite time-traveling teenagers, and Hitflix is pulling out all the stops for Time Warriors ’ blockbuster final season. Given how long it has been since the prior season aired, if you’re having trouble remembering everything that has led up to this point, you’re not alone. Here’s what you need to keep in mind as we strap in for the last batch of episodes.

Where did the last season leave our heroes?
The core group—Rachel, Justin, Noah, and Kelsey—is stuck in the 1600s after discovering that their nemesis, Lord Zoltron, was hiding in that century. The warriors did indeed find him, but he managed to break their time machine and flee before they could bring him back.

How did they gain the ability to time-travel in the first place?
Ironically enough, from Lord Zoltron. He thought they would be easily manipulated into doing his bidding, but the group turned against him when they realized his true plan was just to consolidate power for himself.

Created
Tue, 17/02/2026 - 21:41
This week, Waterstones are offering 25% off all preorders of my new book, ‘How to Lay an Egg with a Horse Inside’, which publishes in April: https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-to-lay-an-egg-with-a-horse-inside/brian-bilston/9781035085729 Alternatively, signed copies are available to order through your local indie bookshop. Waterstones are also promoting 25% off for preorders of the paperback edition of my poetry collection…