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This is another one of those 'is Zach okay' comics and the answer is Zach is cashing in on ennui HARD.

Today's News:

APOD: 2025 March 9 – Cyclones at Jupiters North Pole Why are there so many cyclones around the north pole of Jupiter? The topic is still being researched. NASA's robotic Juno mission orbiting Jupiter took data in 2018 that was used to construct this stunning view of the curious cyclones at Jupiter's north pole. Measuring the thermal emission from Jovian cloud tops, the infrared observations are not restricted to the hemisphere illuminated by sunlight. They reveal eight cyclonic features that surround a cyclone about 4,000 kilometers in diameter, just offset from the giant planet's geographic north pole. Similar data show a cyclone at the Jovian south pole with five circumpolar cyclones. The south pole cyclones are slightly larger than their northern cousins. Oddly, data from the once Saturn-orbiting Cassini mission has shown that Saturn's north and south poles each have only a single cyclonic storm system.

“People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

APOD: 2025 February 9 – Milky Way over the Australian Pinnacles What strange world is this? Earth. In the foreground of the featured image are the Pinnacles, unusual rock spires in Nambung National Park in Western Australia. Made of ancient sea shells (limestone), how these human-sized picturesque spires formed remains unknown. In the background, just past the end of the central Pinnacle, is a bright crescent Moon. The eerie glow around the Moon is mostly zodiacal light, sunlight reflected by dust grains orbiting between the planets in the Solar System. Arching across the top is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. Many famous stars and nebulas are also visible in the background night sky. The featured 29-panel panorama was taken and composed in 2015 September after detailed planning that involved the Moon, the rock spires, and their corresponding shadows. Even so, the strong zodiacal light was a pleasant surprise.

brilliant free Minesweeper-inspired roguelike by Daniel Benmergui #

Late last year, I wrote about how the tech industry is about to get a lot worse. And two days after Trump took office here in the US, we’re already starting to see it.

(Sorry in advance for my international readers, but the US being what it is, this probably affects you, too.)

Just three days into his Presidency…

• The accessibility statement has been removed from the Whitehouse.gov website.
• Facebook will no longer treat trans hate as abuse (keeping inline with the Whitehouse denying trans people exist).
• Elon Musk gave a literal Nazi salute at the inauguration (two of them, actually).
• Healthcare—something most of us only get through our employers here in the US—is under attack from various angles.
• Immigration raids and threats of mass deportation leave your immigrant coworkers (including those legally allowed to be here) feeling anxious and insecure, which makes them easier to exploit by employers.
• Privacy-and-social-rights-posturing tech companies like Apple are cozying up to the new dictator.
• DEI is under attack at the federal level.

It’s looking bleak. But you’re not powerless!

On Monday, I talked about creating hope, focus on your local community, and the power of mutual aid. As a tech worker, you wield tremendous power!

Here are some things you can do both right now and situationally…

• GTFO Twitter! If you’re there, you’re supporting a literal Nazi. Bluesky is nice. Mastodon is pretty ok, too. I use both.
• GTFO Facebook! It’s not safe for your trans friends, and you’re actively supporting a giant piece of shit.
• A lot of local community stuff is only on Facebook, so getting off that platform can be harder for some people. If that’s the case, use your tech savvy to help those communities migrate elsewhere, if you can.
• Collect as little data about your users as possible. Turn off that tap entirely, or advocate for data reduction at your company.
• Do not pre-comply. If you think you might be asked to do something immoral, wait until you are. If you can, employ malicious compliance.
• Start a union. No, seriously.
• If you have any sort of social privilege, use it! Protect your friends and coworkers. Correct people who use the wrong pronouns. Call out racism. Point out systemic issues. Be loud. Be annoying. The squeaky wheel and all that.
• Know your rights if ICE shows up at your home or workplace. Do not willingly hand your coworkers over to Nazi facists.
• Help your less tech-savvy friends, family, and neighbors with digital security. Set them up with VPNs. Teach them how to use Signal or another encrypted app. Educate them on how tech companies suck up their data and turn it over to the feds.
• Change your social media habits. You don’t have to doom scroll and repost every terrible thing Trump does. In fact, it’s arguably detrimental to over-fixate and give those assholes a platform.
• Practice mutual aid. If people need things, and you have those things and can afford to part with them, do. We all need to help each other out!
• Find joy, even in the dark. It’s ok to be happy even when the world around you is burning. Humans need hope and joy.

And as always, if you need anything from me or just want someone to vent to, I’m here.

I see you. You’re a valid person. You exist. You’re worthy of love and dignity and respect.

And if you made it this far and you’re thinking about emailing to tell me you don’t follow me for politics, fuck your fascist ass, eat a bag of rocks.

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