Brandon Downey @bdowney.bsky.social

Computational demonologist (infosec?), photog, math enthusiast, periodic augmented reality warlord. Peculiar but refined tastes in triangles, cinema, and cocktails. Azad certified.

Signal: bdowney.23

Opinions are my own and not those of my employer

Reposted by Brandon Downey
robbinsa.me's profile picture
Andrew Robbins @robbinsa.me
1h
I do think the tendency to yeet sex pests out of the democratic tent is an unalloyed good.
4
1
381
This is the optimistic scenario, where the person or people doing these are just marks and can't help themselves.
0
0
0
One of the challenges to composable moderation is that people are terrible at risk management and apparently seem to be terrible at not becoming an enabler for a pig butchering scheme under the guise of helping refugees.
1
0
0
Reposted by Brandon Downey
funkelly.bsky.social's profile picture
Fun @funkelly.bsky.social
2h
the Artemis crew took photography classes so they could take the best photos possible up there šŸ˜­
15
27
852
Reposted by Brandon Downey
propublica.org's profile picture
ProPublica @propublica.org
2h
The success of the U.S. vaccination system depends on two fundamental pillars: parents trusting in vaccines and children having access to them.

Under RFK Jr., both are in peril.
57
18
1193
Blood not just on his hands, but every single person who voted for this.
0
0
2
I hadn't been following Porter since her campaign had a mini meltdown over block and tackle stuff and I have to vote tactically to defang the jungle primary, but it's Porter vs Steyer race. What's she been up to policy wise?

Turns out slopulism. Anyway, @jamellebouie.net covers why this is bad.
0
0
0
Reposted by Brandon Downey
kenwhite.bsky.social's profile picture
Third Rate Podcasts Hat @kenwhite.bsky.social
20h
The letter fragment I've seen from Swalwell's attorney threatening defamation bears several things that, in my experience in this area, makes me immediately suspicious of Swalwell and his attorney and reflect meritless thuggery.
/1
72
40
1445
Reposted by Brandon Downey
onestpress.onestnetwork.com's profile picture
Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com
23h
Anti-Orban concert in Hungary with the audience chanting ā€œRussians, go homeā€
254
219
10827
Reposted by Brandon Downey
robertscotthorton.bsky.social's profile picture
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social
23h
ā€œIā€™ve never experienced anything like this in my entire life,ā€ Rep Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) said, fighting back tears. The Tucson Democrat described the way people were laying down inside as ā€œlike sardines.ā€ ā€œIt is frightening in there,ā€ Grijalva said. ā€œIt is disgusting.ā€
32
53
1035
Reposted by Brandon Downey
sockpuppet.org's profile picture
Thomas Ptacek @sockpuppet.org
1d
This is a fucking incredibly great bug. Ask Claude to demonstrate it for you; it'll one-shot it. For ECC signatures (at least), WolfSSL thinks a 1-byte SHA2 hash is just as good as a 32-byte hash.
1
0
52
They made it. :)
0
0
4
Yeah Swalwell is done
43
17
984
Is this when Artemis is splashing down or when the Reapers exit dark space through the Rho Relay into Batarian Space?

#masseffect
1
0
1
Reposted by Brandon Downey
gbrumfiel.bsky.social's profile picture
Geoff Brumfiel @gbrumfiel.bsky.social
1d
NEW: Governments on all sides of the Iran conflict have sought to censor information coming out of the war. Here's an in depth look at those efforts (and whether they're working).

www.npr.org/2026/04/10/nx-s1-5775780/us-iran-war-israel-satellite-imagery-planet-vantor-censorship
1
6
79
People on here are going to be mad.

KQED published a piece on why housing in the Bay Area is expensive.

And it doesn't mention PRIVATE EQUITY or BLACKROCK.

Instead it blames... communities! /1

www.kqed.org/news/12078615/how-skyrocketing-housing-costs-and-policy-choices-reshaped-the-bay-area
3
0
44
Reposted by Brandon Downey
zackwhittaker.com's profile picture
Zack Whittaker @zackwhittaker.com
1d
Since North Korea has been in the news thanks to two massive hacks just days apart, I'm re-sharing my long-read primer on the ongoing and major threat from North Korean hackers, what they do, how they do it, and why they're incredibly successful ā€” so much so that they could even be your co-worker.
2
1
36
Reposted by Brandon Downey
vierth.bsky.social's profile picture
Paul Vierthaler @vierth.bsky.social
2d
The sickest burn I was ever subject to was when I was trying to buy an overcoat at some shop in The Hague. I put one on, thinking it looked pretty nice. My wife looked me up and down and said ā€œyou look like a magician.ā€ Seeing my offended look without missing a beat she said ā€œsorry, illusionist.ā€
11
7
710
Reposted by Brandon Downey
404media.co's profile picture
404 Media @404media.co
2d
NEW: The FBI was able to forensically extract copies of incoming Signal messages from a defendantā€™s iPhone, even after the app was deleted, because copies of the content were saved in the deviceā€™s push notification database, multiple people present for FBI testimony in a trial told 404 Media.
14
60
588
This is a niche concern, but how on earth could Amici's stop making their garlic breadsticks??? I'm shook.
0
0
2
Reposted by Brandon Downey
altwatcher.bsky.social's profile picture
AltWatcher @altwatcher.bsky.social
2d
AltNPS has been focused on the threat to the US Forest Service this week, and even launched a website in an effort to pressure brands to speak out. And that's great! There's just one problem.

They plagiarized the whole thing.
2
6
157
Reposted by Brandon Downey
eff.org's profile picture
Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org
2d
After almost twenty years on the platform, EFF is logging off of X.

This isnā€™t a decision we made lightly, but it might be overdue. šŸ§µ (1/5)
www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/04/eff-leaving-x
521
367
14699
Reposted by Brandon Downey
colin-fraser.net's profile picture
Colin @colin-fraser.net
2d
This is what I assume Mythos Preview looks like
2
0
21
Reposted by Brandon Downey
johnmoe.bsky.social's profile picture
John Moe @johnmoe.bsky.social
2d
Happy Confederate Surrender Day from Minnesota where we still have your goddamn flag and weā€™re not giving it up.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28th_Virginia_battle_flag
149
167
8108
Note that the Game was designed for addicts in recovery as a kind of cancerous group therapy, but it unto itself is was so addctive that even 'Squares' from the local community would show up and get hooked.

Eventually Synanon didn't even want addicts because they could capture squares. :| :|
1
0
6
That said, 'Minimum Daily Motherfucker' is great, no notes.
0
0
0
I've heard about Synanon a lot (covered on some of my favorite podcasts like Behind the Bastards, Reveal, I think even Endless Thread), but I'd never seen the Game.

Thinking about how participants described it as addictive, and wow it is .. very social media.
3
0
7
Reposted by Brandon Downey
aselrod.bsky.social's profile picture
Alan Elrod @aselrod.bsky.social
2d
Not excusing any of my own bad behavior, but a lot of social media is just The Synanon Game (content warning for foul language and offensive material):
11
7
155
The authoritarian internationale is real.

Let's hope for the best for Hungary in the voting on the 12th. If Orban loses, Vance will be seen as a Jonah to the movement and it will be a body blow to the (I don't know a better term) axis of authoritarian and backsliding democracies around the world.
0
0
4
Reposted by Brandon Downey
liberalcurrents.com's profile picture
Liberal Currents @liberalcurrents.com
2d
ā€œIn war, unlike in business, Trump canā€™t declare bankruptcy and walk away. But if he follows through on accepting Iranā€™s ceasefire terms, thatā€™s about as close as it can get. And like Trumpā€™s bankruptcies, most of the financial losses here donā€™t fall on him personally.ā€
1
0
41
Load more