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Chad Schultz
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"People who can't distinguish between etymology and entomology bug me in ways I cannot put into words." -- Unknown
- Senior Android Engineer
- Three beautiful, affectionate and annoying cats
- Liberal (raised conservative)
- Atheist (raised Baptist)
- Vaccines save lives
- I value science and empathy, and strive to be open to changing my mind based on the evidence.
- Constantly coming up with ideas, from trivial to world-changing.
- Distinguished Toastmaster
- Enjoys Dungeons & Dragons
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MESSAGE
30 hours ago•••
#UXFail of the day: BestBuy gave me a slew of options for how to sign in. I chose to receive a code in my email. Once I put in the code, it wanted to verify that I was REALLY who I said I was, since it didn't recognize the browser... ...so it sent another code to my email. 🤦
30 hours ago•••
#Bezos may be using dog whistles, but his meaning is clear: The #WashingtonPost is going to be a conservative publication. So glad I had already unsubscribed. Consider the NYTimes, Atlantic, AP, Guardian, etc. Try to avoid shopping on #Amazon. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/26/jeff-bezos-washington-post-opinion-022790
#USPolitics #USNews
44 hours ago•••
#CrazyIdea: an igloo-shaped book nook, with wire racks to hold the books. Picture beanbags and a lamp inside. I'd picture horizontal shelves, unlike this AI art.
2 days ago•••
$200 million of taxpayer dollars spent on a Trump ad that looks like a campaign ad - while people are randomly losing their jobs all across government in the name of "saving money." If this isn't how you want your taxes being spent, contact your legislators. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/dhs-kristi-noem-says-trump-ad-campaign-was-trumps-idea-rcna193454
#USPolitics
2 days ago•••
Socialists don't get to pretend to be outraged at govt spending. It's their entire platform.
44 hours ago•••
nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqyqm40y564gzel6nrcr585eh7jhmz0dv44w9205c62ue4vaz6jc6qyeaf7q it's not about whether or not to spend money - it's about what to spend money on. Liberals in the US are upset because #Trump wants to slash foreign aid, healthcare, education, scientific research and more - but he wants to spend on things that benefit him personally, and on tax cuts for wealthy people and corporations. It's reasonable to expect our government to spend money wisely and for the greater good.
4 days ago•••
What are the effects of #Trump and #ElonMusk killing #USAID?
“we didn’t do this work because we’re all a bunch of bleeding-heart liberals. We did it for influence.” "about 40 newborns contracted H.I.V per day when funding for treatments stop" "Hundreds of millions of dollars of food may soon rot" "the United States will save less than 1 percent of its budget. If those savings are put toward renewing or expanding Trump’s tax cut, which seems likely, those billions will flow directly from the mouths of the world’s poorest into the pockets of the world’s richest."
4 days ago•••
#BookReview for "Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History" by Kurt Andersen 3/5 Great idea, poorly executed. How did America fall so deeply under the sway of religions, conspiracy theories and Trump? Interesting and extremely important topic. Normally I'd strongly recommend any book waking people up to how damaging those are. I hoped the book would build a rock solid case step by step. Instead, it feels more like a conspiracy theorist's murder board, throwing random thoughts out and claiming they're somehow connected. Blame the downfall of democracy on D&D, SCA, adult coloring books, elders getting their hair dyed, and men no longer wearing suits to work? Really? The book would be improved by removing most of it (why is the author so obsessed with boob jobs?) and focusing on a narrower, stronger case. Fortunately, I didn't notice any outright misinformation, but the author could have done more quality control. He casually says 8 states prohibit atheists from holding public office. Partially true. It's outlawed in the constitutions of 7-8 states (Pennsylvania technically just says believers can't be disqualified from holding office), but the Supreme Court ruled those clauses to be unenforceable. Outrage and unfounded claims make this book sound like it could have been written by a conservative. This book could have, should have been so much better.
4 days ago•••
Happy #caturday! Turns out Max had hyperthyroidism. The only reason I knew anything was wrong was that he had lost weight. After reading up on the options, I chose I-131, the radioactive iodine treatment. It should be a one-and-done cure, as opposed to lifelong oral medicine that allows the tumor to keep growing. After a week at the vet's, radioactive kitty is back home. He seems ok - no serious side effects, except that when he's angry he turns green and gets super swole.
4 days ago•••
Another of those moments where I think #Trump's actions are so ludicrous they must be fake. Nope, it's real - the White House posted an "ASMR" video about the rattling of chains and handcuffs involved in undocumented migrants being deported. But one shouldn't expect any empathy or respect from the "kids in cages" guy. https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-white-house-mocks-immigrants-deported-asmr-x-elon-musk-rcna192820
#USPolitics
6 days ago•••
#Republicans want to slash #Medicaid to fund #Trump tax cuts for the wealthy. This os only one of many horrible things they've been up to, but hopefully this will break through - Americans do NOT want Medicaid to be harmed. https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/02/20/nx-s1-5303475/republicans-medicaid-cuts-trump-hospitals
#USPolitics
6 days ago•••
Shopping browser extensions like Honey and Capital One Shopping are privacy risks. More than that, news came out recently that they steal from largely smaller content creators by hijacking affiliate links. Now there's a class action suit https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal/why-influencers-say-honey-is-stealing-their-money/3e48a201-37e5-4561-b8e9-f9a8e5d3c034 https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/privacy-alert-paypal-honey-browser-extension-under-investigation-for-allegedly-hijacking-affiliate-referral-links-to-claim-credit-for-influencers-sales-302346482.html
8 days ago•••
#Trump claims #Ukraine started the war with #Russia. Previously, he said Ukraine shouldn't have defended their country when invaded. (Maybe we should ask American gun nuts what they think of that.) But really? Blaming the victim of assault? Deplorable! https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-ukraine-should-never-have-started-it-remarks-war-russia-rcna192710
8 days ago•••
Ironic. #Trump, who has been aggressively destroying checks and balances in the US, calls the President of Ukraine a "dictator." That's a new low. Also funny that he says Zelensky is just a comedian, when Trump's fame is due purely to The Apprentice. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/world/europe/ukraine-zelensky-trump-russia-war.html?unlocked_article_code=1.yE4.pyDL.2uxo98GiofFr&smid=url-share
8 days ago•••
#Trump is well known for deeply disturbing statements. "Hitler did some good things." "If I win, you'll never need to vote again." Well, he's done it again by posting "He who saves his Country does not violate any Law," implying that he can violate any law. Hyperbole? Remember that the Supreme Court - one-third of which was put in place by Trump - decided that presidents can do crimes and not be held accountable. And that recently, JD Vance implied that if the Supreme Court issued any ruling against Trump, he could just ignore it. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-napoleon-quote-rod-steiger-b2699314.html
#USPolitics
9 days ago•••
#GregAbbott came to San Antonio to push for school vouchers. https://sanantonioreport.org/gov-greg-abbott-urges-san-antonio-private-school-parents-to-support-state-voucher-bill/?mc_cid=76aa581a43 Reminder: school vouchers are bad. They have a number of detrimental effects: https://time.com/6272666/school-voucher-programs-hurt-students/ What troubles me the most is how they are used to push religious schools over public schools.
#USPolitics #Education
9 days ago•••
9 days ago•••
He doesn't use safety as a euphemism for authoritarianism.
9 days ago•••
#BookReview for "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America" by Erik Larson Meh This is really like two books in one. There's a great deal of information about the World's Fair, and then there's the grisly, true-crime bits about H. H. Holmes and his hotel, his "Murder Castle." I wonder if the author wanted to write about the World's Fair (Columbian Exposition), was afraid it was too dull, and decided to spice it up with some murder. The two tracks have little to do with each other except, for the most part, occurring in the same city at mostly the same time. The ninute Fair details can be a bit boring. The author loves to create fictionalized, heavily embellished scenes. I think it's fine to say that you're doing that. Write something like "He took them to the World's Fair. Perhaps he went here and then there." Instead, it's hard to tell what parts come from documented evidence and what purely from the author's imagination. He really seemed inventive when it came to Holmes' motivations and thoughts. I was thrown for a loop when, at the end of the book, the author casually list a long line of tragedies that occurred to people involved in Holmes' trial after he was executed. It was very fast, with no explanation or citation given, which makes it seem like the author wants us to assume there was a supernatural cause. A quick Google found no trace of these supposed events, which makes me suspicious of the author's fact-checking.
10 days ago•••
#Trump is engaged in friendly phone calls with #Putin, deliberately keeping #Ukraine and Europe out. He suggests welcoming Russie back to the international community with open arms. Absolutely appalling. Biden had to work hard to mend relationships with allies after the damage Trump did in his first term. He did great work in rallying Europe behind Ukraine, even when it cost them - for example, Germany losing access to Russian oil that they needed to heat their homes in winter. Now Trump seems to be doing everything possible to destroy our relationships with allies. Now they've having frantic meetings, figuring out how they can work together and never have to rely on the US again - all while Trump is sucking up to Russia, and Ukraine is a sacrificial lamb. https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/17/europe/europe-ukraine-summit-paris-trump-intl-hnk/index.html
13 days ago•••
A romantic gesture, yes. But I've thought that it seems wasteful to spend a lot of money to give the severed reproductive organs of flowers as a gift so they can wilt after a few days. The true cost is worse: buying those bouqets destroys fragile Colombian cloud forest. https://www.npr.org/2025/02/13/1231104434/the-truth-behind-your-valentines-day-flowers
16 days ago•••
The CFPB has saved consumers nearly $20 billion. Musk isn't chopping it to save the government money. He wants to help his own businesses in a massive conflict of interest. Republicans care about billionaires and corporations. Not you. https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/11/business/elon-musk-cfpb/index.html
#USPolitics
17 days ago•••
Glad a court is standing up against #Trump's violations of constitutional authority. Worried about what will happen when these cases get up to the Supreme Court though. Mindblowing that JD Vance says the courts have no authority to limit the president. Apparently the Vice President of the United States of America has never read the Constitution, heard the term "judicial review," or "checks and balances." The implications are terrifying though - that #Trump and Vance apparently think the courts have no right to rein them in. All this while Trump is running roughshod over Congress. He doesn't have the power to override laws passed by Congress, to halt money ordered spent by Congress, or to disband departments created by Congress. So in effect, Trump and Vance are saying that there are no checks and balances - the president can do anything he jolly well pleases, without regard to the Constitution, the judicial branch or the legislative branch. This should make us all extremely concerned. I also love how the White House claims any act of judicial review against the executive branch is "an attempt to undermine the will of the American people." The American people wanted cheaper eggs, not to stop "money that had already been allocated by Congress to the states to pay for Medicaid, school lunches, low-income housing subsidies and other essential services." https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/us/trump-unfreezing-federal-grants-judge-ruling.html?unlocked_article_code=1.v04.ydUS.dkNDR4I8QFpu&smid=url-share
#USPolitics #USNews
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