The author of the ‘backpacks are all bad and everything is worse on purpose’ site works at Palantir.
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Working for Palantir must really have an impact on one's mental state & wellbeing.
Peter Thiel’s Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy
Peter Thiel recently generated headlines with his rambling diatribes about the Antichrist. Thiel’s lurid, apocalyptic view of world politics may be ludicrous or even deranged, but his wealth and power mean that we can’t afford to ignore it.
(jacobin.com)
Inside tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s off-the-record lectures about the antichrist
The political svengali and investor has been giving lectures on ‘an evil king or tyrant … who appears in the end times’
the Guardian (www.theguardian.com)
Deconstructing the Worldview of Peter Thiel - Stephen Diehl
Personal blog of Stephen Diehl - Software engineer writing about technology, programming, and the future
Stephen Diehl (www.stephendiehl.com)
If you're watching what Palantir is doing as an insider, I'd want a really good 'Go Bag' too.
It's not a coincidence that Palantir funds terror management media narratives & merchandise for the apocalypse at the same time.
Palantir Wants to Be a Lifestyle Brand
Defense tech giant Palantir is selling T-shirts and tote bags as part of a bid to encourage fans to publicly endorse it.
WIRED (www.wired.com)
Dressing the Surveillance Era: The American Promise of Palantir’s Sold Out Merch
"what's in your palantir tote bag?"
(www.readloosey.com)
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Thiel isn't the first huckster selling chicken little-style "The Sky is Falling" fearmongering to enrich himself.
Deconstructing the Worldview of Peter Thiel - Stephen Diehl
Personal blog of Stephen Diehl - Software engineer writing about technology, programming, and the future
Stephen Diehl (www.stephendiehl.com)
The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession
Thirty years ago, a peace-loving Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the apocalyptic theories of Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt. They’ve been a road map for the billionaire ever since.
WIRED (www.wired.com)
Fake Christians adore petty & spiteful "you'll be burning in hell" nihilistic narratives about apocalypse.
The rise of end times fascism | Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them
the Guardian (www.theguardian.com)
It's always been a barn burner to sell stuff for profitable terror management theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_management_theory
Terror Management Theory
Nearly everyone fears death. How that fear influences human thinking and behavior is the focus of terror management theory (TMT) research. According to TMT, death anxiety drives people to adopt worldviews that protect their self-esteem, worthiness, and sustainability and allow them to believe that they play an important role in a meaningful world.
Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com)
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The author of the ‘backpacks are all bad and everything is worse on purpose’ site works at Palantir.
@skinnylatte ew.
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Thiel isn't the first huckster selling chicken little-style "The Sky is Falling" fearmongering to enrich himself.
Deconstructing the Worldview of Peter Thiel - Stephen Diehl
Personal blog of Stephen Diehl - Software engineer writing about technology, programming, and the future
Stephen Diehl (www.stephendiehl.com)
The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession
Thirty years ago, a peace-loving Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the apocalyptic theories of Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt. They’ve been a road map for the billionaire ever since.
WIRED (www.wired.com)
Fake Christians adore petty & spiteful "you'll be burning in hell" nihilistic narratives about apocalypse.
The rise of end times fascism | Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them
the Guardian (www.theguardian.com)
It's always been a barn burner to sell stuff for profitable terror management theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terror_management_theory
Terror Management Theory
Nearly everyone fears death. How that fear influences human thinking and behavior is the focus of terror management theory (TMT) research. According to TMT, death anxiety drives people to adopt worldviews that protect their self-esteem, worthiness, and sustainability and allow them to believe that they play an important role in a meaningful world.
Psychology Today (www.psychologytoday.com)
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Cosplaying one of the "winners" in democratic backsliding is very popular with Trump's young male voters.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-trumps-washington/donald-trumps-dictator-cosplay
Trump enemy ridicules 'Cosplay Kristi' Noem over inappropriate costumes
The Illinois governor has been embroiled in a dispute with the Trump administration in recent months over its aggressive immigration enforcement in Chicago against the wishes of state and city leadership.
Irish Star (www.irishstar.com)
Trump Goon Offers Excuse for ICE Barbie’s Over-the-Top Cosplays
A DHS spokesperson defended Kristi Noem’s penchant for playing dress-up.
The Daily Beast (www.thedailybeast.com)
Wear the war machine with Lockheed Martin merch
The weapons industry is turning to branded hoodies and cargo pants to launder its increasingly unpopular image
Responsible Statecraft (responsiblestatecraft.org)
Lockheed Martin — yes, the arms manufacturer — is having a streetwear moment in South Korea
"Your favorite war mongering defense company has put down the missiles, and picked up the pieces," one TikTok user joked.
Business Insider (www.businessinsider.com)
Hijack the amygdala and you easily get people into "fight, flight, freeze, fawning" mode.
In the meantime, Peter Thiel continues his efforts at fascism.
https://www.wired.com/story/documents-reveal-palantir-irs-contract-fraud-clean-energy-credits/ -
The author of the ‘backpacks are all bad and everything is worse on purpose’ site works at Palantir.
do you actually go outdoors & hike / use backpacks ? because i DGAF who the author works for if they are able to speak truth about the BS we're seeing in the outdoor gear world -- i've experienced this personally
once respected brands are being bought & deliberately turned into **** with AI bots to make sure it's really really really hard for to make returns when you get a "walmart" product when you thought you were getting quality
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@skinnylatte Booooo. The points were valid; Matt Stoller is the dude to follow on this stuff. Based on his spelling errors he doesn’t use AI.
@rednikki @skinnylatte rss parrot of Matt Stoller is here: @www.thebignewsletter.com
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@rednikki @skinnylatte rss parrot of Matt Stoller is here: @www.thebignewsletter.com
@gray17 @skinnylatte Thank you!
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The author of the ‘backpacks are all bad and everything is worse on purpose’ site works at Palantir.
@skinnylatte I felt further depressed after reading two articles like that in one day

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@flowerpot @vfrmedia @skinnylatte I prefer Timbuk2, had a laptop backpack survive *ME* eight years. Failing that I'll get a North Face (like a Recon) and those cope with my lifestyle pretty well (6-8) ... so it comes out to $15-$20/year to carry my Boxen, snacks, a spare layer (live on coast), charger/cables, and the required liquid vessel ... not bad overall.
@elfin @flowerpot @vfrmedia @skinnylatte My Timbuk2 messenger bag is still going strong (secondhand) after almost 30 years. They made some quality kit.
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do you actually go outdoors & hike / use backpacks ? because i DGAF who the author works for if they are able to speak truth about the BS we're seeing in the outdoor gear world -- i've experienced this personally
once respected brands are being bought & deliberately turned into **** with AI bots to make sure it's really really really hard for to make returns when you get a "walmart" product when you thought you were getting quality
@peachfront @skinnylatte pssst
palantir is one of the ai companies responsible for making everything worse like that. also they kill children -
The author of the ‘backpacks are all bad and everything is worse on purpose’ site works at Palantir.
@skinnylatte@hachyderm.io ... and it's smells suspiciously like AI writing. Unfortunately, LLMs are good enough that you really can't tell until you've read most of it. -
@vfrmedia @skinnylatte re: Spectacles
I just renewed my old Costco membership & went there for the first time in almost a decade. They have an optometrist + frames. I had been paying $400+ for mediocre frames (NOT counting eye exam). Local optometrists have same price points.
At Costco? I found a pair of current style frames that looked GOOD on me for only $89.
re: backpacks
I didn't read the article but sturdy backpacks & messenger bags are obtainable. https://www.timbuk2.com/collections/all-backpacks@flowerpot @vfrmedia @skinnylatte +1 for timbuk2; I still have the very first messenger bag I ever bought from them almost 30 years ago and it shows almost zero signs of wear. The cell phone holder will contain no phone made in the last 15 years though

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@floatybirb @skinnylatte it was a blog post that got tons of boosts here this morning, until we figured out it was a page that doesn’t deserve our attention.
@Moss @floatybirb @skinnylatte sounds like flamebait -- backpacks are universally loved!
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The author of the ‘backpacks are all bad and everything is worse on purpose’ site works at Palantir.
@skinnylatte @jwz Gross but, like, the piece is still accurate, right?
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The author of the ‘backpacks are all bad and everything is worse on purpose’ site works at Palantir.
@skinnylatte why am I not surprised?
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@peachfront @skinnylatte pssst
palantir is one of the ai companies responsible for making everything worse like that. also they kill childreni get that, so we're gonna let them whitewash what happened to the outrdoor supply industry by pretending the true thing they said that doesn't matter to them is rtrue?
SIGH
i wish people wouldn't assume our opponent is stupid
sometimes they say what is true & it's OK to acknowledge that rather than just knee jerk react and give them a really easy way to play you
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@elfin @flowerpot @vfrmedia @skinnylatte My Timbuk2 messenger bag is still going strong (secondhand) after almost 30 years. They made some quality kit.
@klausfiend @elfin @vfrmedia @skinnylatte This is good to hear. I bought my son a Timbuk2 messenger bag when he started college, hoping it would last him years into a professional career. It still looks newish and that was 3+ years ago.
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@flowerpot @vfrmedia @skinnylatte +1 for timbuk2; I still have the very first messenger bag I ever bought from them almost 30 years ago and it shows almost zero signs of wear. The cell phone holder will contain no phone made in the last 15 years though

@darkuncle @vfrmedia @skinnylatte "The cell phone holder will contain no phone made in the last 15 years though"

I love hearing about well-used items lasting decades. Few things do.
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@skinnylatte @jwz Gross but, like, the piece is still accurate, right?
@chetman @skinnylatte I don't know, but when "the worst person you know makes a good point" I tend to disregard it until I hear what someone who is not ethically compromised has to say instead.
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i get that, so we're gonna let them whitewash what happened to the outrdoor supply industry by pretending the true thing they said that doesn't matter to them is rtrue?
SIGH
i wish people wouldn't assume our opponent is stupid
sometimes they say what is true & it's OK to acknowledge that rather than just knee jerk react and give them a really easy way to play you
@peachfront @imbl @skinnylatte
Outdoor gear?
Outdoor gear.
Of all the pitched firefights, you're choosing to die on a small hill that's not unlike any of the other million small hills like it?
Instead of fighting the source, you want to fight the symptom?
Is this a prank
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@klausfiend @elfin @vfrmedia @skinnylatte This is good to hear. I bought my son a Timbuk2 messenger bag when he started college, hoping it would last him years into a professional career. It still looks newish and that was 3+ years ago.
@flowerpot @elfin @vfrmedia @skinnylatte I got a free one from a job as a welcome gift ten years ago that I said I'd start using when my current one gave up but that was ten years ago ...
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