#sotu — Public Fediverse posts

#MarkCarney, the PM of #Canada, plans to visit Brussels to listen to #VDL's #SOTU speech and will be offered the opportunity to speak to the Parliament.

https://www.politico.eu/article/canada-mark-carney-to-attend-eus-state-of-the-union-ursula-von-der-leyen/

@andyburnham.bsky.social should also attend.

Iceland is also voting if they should strengthen their relationship with the #EU.

https://www.reuters.com/world/narrow-majority-icelanders-back-eu-membership-talks-poll-shows-ahead-referendum-2026-08-26/

It's getting lonely outside the tent.

Weekly output: teens + AI chatbots, Android updates, Trump on data-center energy use, Archer + Starlink, balcony solar, customer feedback, CDA 230 + AI, Bluetooth updates

BARCELONA–It’s a treat to be able to start off a post with this dateline. This is the 13th trip that’s afforded me that opportunity and the 12th involving MWC. But this trip isn’t like the ones before it in one way; on my way across the Atlantic, my country started a war of choice because the president felt like it. The world is better without Iran’s worthless, murdering theocrat Ali Khameni, but I have little confidence in the Trump administration’s ability to do the right things for that long-suffering country.

In addition to the links you see below, Patreon readers got a bonus post from me in which I shared lessons learned from more than 10 years of booking Airbnbs.

2/24/2026: Most Teens Use AI for Homework Help. 10% Let It Do Everything, PCMag

Getting an advance copy of this new study from the Pew Research Center gave me a chance to note a new student-understudy chatbot called Einstein and quiz the CEO behind that app.

2/25/2026: Android Update Puts Gemini AI In the Driver’s Seat for Ride-Hail, Food Orders, PCMag

I have somehow become PCMag’s Android-updates guy. This report included a little testimony about Google’s call-scam-detection feature misfiring for me, an important bit of context to include in a post telling readers about Google bringing that tool to Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 series of phones.

2/25/2026: As Energy Costs Soar, Trump Pushes AI Giants to ‘Produce Their Own Electricity’, PCMag

I didn’t watch the entire State of the Union address because self-care is an important thing, but after reading about President Trump’s call for data-center operators to pay for their electricity and power infrastructure, I knew I’d have to write about that initiative.

2/27/2028: Archer Aviation Taps Starlink for Air Taxi Connectivity, PCMag

I still don’t quite get the point of adding Starlink connectivity to aircraft that won’t fly longer than 15 minutes or higher than 4,000 feet above major cities, but this was an easy post to crank out Friday morning before heading to Dulles that afternoon to start my journey to Spain.

2/28/2026: After Years of Shining in Europe, Balcony Solar Comes Out of the Dark in the US, PCMag

This story had been in the works for literally months–I took the photo you see at the top of the piece on the afternoon that I arrived in Berlin for IFA in September–but the policy picture has also changed dramatically, and for the better, over the intervening months.

2/28/2026: What’s the Best Way to Get Customer Feedback in 2026? Hint: It’s Not Email, PCMag

Two weeks after the customer-experience firm Medallia had me at its annual conference in Vegas (with my hotel covered upfront and my airfare to be reimbursed), PCMag ran my recap of what I learned there.

3/1/2026: Online Platforms Are Not Liable for What Users Post. Should That Include Gen AI?, PCMag

I spent Thursday at the Cato Institute for this enlightening conference marking the 30th anniversary of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the 1996 act that bars you from suing an online platform for something that one of its users posted.

3/1/2026: Bluetooth Is Getting an Upgrade. Here’s What It Means for Your Devices, PCMag

I took almost all of the notes for this at CES in January, but I needed more time to confirm some details and then write the post, after which its lack of a news peg left it easy to set aside for a bit.

Rep #AdelitaGrijalva on #SOTU: Lying, Gaslighting And Maligning

#DemocracyNow

https://www.democracynow.org/2026/2/25/adelita_grijalva_sotu

Pentagon to Seize AI? The "Halo Trade" & Imminent Geopolitical Risk Explored

#SystemicRisk #Geopolitics #StockMarketCrash #ArtificialIntelligence #Pentagon #HaloTrade #Economy #SOTU

https://youtu.be/F7l9S0wyt_s

Cartoon by #Luckovich

Actually, #GQP sat in some empty Dem seats (“strategery”) so some applause would come from that side, in #TrumpVirus’ mind [oxymoron]

But to the point, while the Dem response did mention the topic, no mention in Sirs #SOTU, for some reason, of #Epstein, or the #TrumpEpsteinFiles and their #coverup. Wherefore art thou, #justice, #law, #democracy ? #EpsteinFiles

Definitely a "compare & contrast" invitation here, on attitude, Dem vs Rethug, mindful vs #cult #media bubble.

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are hosting a State of the Union Oregon town hall tonight

https://peoplestownhall.org/

Meidas Touch is hosting a People's State of the Union in a couple hours

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oArKZutSbF0

Defiance.org also has alternate #SoTU programming

https://www.defiance.org/sotu

Any TV networks showing one of those?

#SoTUboycott #SenRonWyden #SenJeffMerkley #MeidasTouch #defianceorg #USpol

Why are the US #Democrats so absolutely #useless?

"Oh, we might skip the State of the Union address to show our displeasure with the administration."

Are you #morons? That would be a gift to Dear Leader and his #lickspittle #Congress. The #SOTU would be Mango Mussolini speaking to a friendly crowd, all happy, applauding, not a contrary expression to be seen. He'll be happy, smiling, at his most congenial as he basks in the warm glow. You do not do this.

What you do is attend. Every #Democratic #house member and #senator. Every staffer and guest that they're entitled to bring. Everyone. You put them all in their assigned places.

And then, when Trump gets up to speak, every single one of them simply turns away from the dictator. Turn their back to him, and *stay* that way for the whole speech. The #optics are great; the cameras show half the crowd with their backs to him, in obvious #protest. The #tyrant has to look at it all through his speech. He's angry. He's spiteful. He puts on a display for the ages, goes off-script, airing every #grievance his Swiss-cheese mind can dredge up. His body language is hostile. #Media coverage shows the event for what it actually is: a #vengeful, #lawless #authoritarian trying to verbally browbeat the legislative branch into submission.

#DNC, I'm available for consulting if you'd like.

#USPol #DearLeader #dictator #StateOfTheUnion #MangoMussolini #Trump

The "State of the Union" address, or as it has come to be known in recent times, the "Airing of Grievances Prior to Taking Grampa's Phone Away, Changing his Diaper, and Putting Him to Bed".

More seriously, unless they medicate him properly and do something to keep him on-script, Tuesday's performance is likely to be #legendary, and not in a good way.

#festivus #SOTU #USAnian #USPol #STFU #grievance #whine #dementia #demented #MangoMussolini #Trump

Vulnerable people will die in the illegal assault on the supports that were already paid for while comfortable Democratic electeds look for the middle and the Overton Window skids to the right. Senators and Representatives won’t even risk being removed from the Chamber but their constituents risk bankruptcy, wildfire, sickness,hunger. and death. The only elected Democrat that understood the assignment last night was Rep. Al Green.
#CallYourSenators #CallYourRepresentative #SOTU #Action

Last week's #SOTU #response by #Katie #Britt contained a major #falsehood

And big name news outlets got beat to it by #Johnathan #Katz, a guy with a newsletter and a TikTok account

♦️Why didn’t the Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post, or any other news organization have this story?
♦️Would any of them have eventually fact-checked that portion of her speech?
♦️Would they have all just let it slide?

It is a lot like what happened in 2022 as the story of then-Rep.-Elect #George #Santos began to unravel.
The Times reported on it, but missed it until after the election was over 💥and proceeded to get really irritated at the implication that the New York Times should do in-depth pre-election reporting on New York congressional races💥

#readTPA. And follow @parkermolloy

PS Here is Katz's exposé on #TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@katzonearth/video/7344090454985624862

The thing about #SOTU is that it's basically a constitutionally mandated annual exercise in #rhetoric. This means that it's valuable to have someone with the authority and influence of the #POTUS saying things like "the middle class built america" and platforming stories about the horrors of #postRoe #Abortioncare. Lots of anticapitalist folks will rightly scoff and critique the address but I still think it's important to own the policies and ideas brought up in it - it's not bad to want to give 400 a month to offset mortgages - but will it actually happen? That's where the critique should lay

I thought #PresidentBiden did a great job with The #SOTU address. The only thing missing was him pleading with #SCOTUS to hurry up and provide some clarity on the role of #SealTeamSix going forward.

Via Brianna Tucker: “Mothers, fathers and siblings of Black people killed by police will attend President Biden’s #SOTU address as guests of the Congressional Black Caucus, which has ramped up a push for police reform since Tyre Nichols’s killing.” (gift article, no paywall) https://wapo.st/3Y5OyEV #Biden #StateOfTheUnionAddress #PoliceViolence #PoliceBrutality #PoliceReform #BlackLivesMatter #TyreNichols #EricGarner #TamirRice #MikeBrown