Brandon Downey

@bdowney.bsky.social

2522 Followers 666 Following

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

Me holding a wrench.
Me wearing an America: I'll tell you what Hank Hill shirt for the 4th of July.
Junk King: 1-888-888-JUNK. Junk King: Truly King of Kings.
Why I dislike liberals: rule bound, censorious, gleefully repressive, unforgiving, elitist, Puritans. I'd vote for Platner before I'd align myself with that.
Michael Jones eats an orange like the Godfather.
Graham Platner fundraising text. In which I write: "This is the deal: we need Democrats to win in Maine, but you are a man who hurt a woman who was with you. I don't give money to men who hurt women; we have to be better than this. While you're at it hearing how you loved to go on an adventure where we murdered civilians and you got a Nazi tattoo not a great look either."
Selfie with me wearing an 'America' shirt with Hank Hill saying "I'll tell you what".
Baudrillard as the King in Yellow, wearing a medallion which says 'Simulacra et Simulation'. Atop him is a plaque proclaiming 'Jean Baudrillard; Roi du Simulacre; Emperor Du L'Hyperrealite': King of the Simulacra; Emperor of Hyperreality. Around him cluster the influencers of our age, presiding at the Court of Lost Carcosa. At his left hand is Mr. Beast, marked with his name. Below him is Donald Trump, regal in his halo and wearing a golden 'T'. To the King's right are Clavicular-as-Cenobite, with cheekbones only a hammer can deliver. Beside him is Laura Loomer, infectious queen of memes with 'Truth is Trending' on the hem of her gown. All about them are screens displaying our unreality full of mirros and recursions. At the King's feet is a screen with the Caption 'the Desert of the Real'.
Randall Flagg knows fear for a moment as Trashcan Man chants 'MY LIFE FOR YOU', and brings the big one to the ritualized dismemberment of the faithful on stage in Las Vegas. Careful observers will have noted members of the crowd carry the Confederate Flag, and the speaking dais is framed by the neon horseshoes from Binion's (Sponsored by Kalshi?). Critic's note: Please don't watch the reboot of the Stand, it was super bad.
Google Chrome Search Box -- now just Ask Gemini.
SF Cheer tossing people in the air.
Me in my "Won't you be my Neighbor" shirt on the way to my city council to ask them to jump in a case against the looming ICE detention facility in Gilroy.
Next Door Lending (not a joke).
Shale, a gray cat, clicked yes to every line item on the Docusign.
Me wearig a shirt that says "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
Selfie in front of the Ferry Building.
Case Nightmare Claude warning poster
William B. Fuckley @opinonhaver Oct 23, 2024 if 30% of the population believed that a creature called 'Glonzo' caused high electricity prices by chewing on power lines any competent politician would be negligent in not trying to find a way to leverage this belief. this doesn't mean those people wouldn't be fucking morons. William B. Fuckley @opinonhaver Oct 23, 2024 like, you can acknowledge that a non-trivial and potentially politically decisive bloc of people believe something without pretending that it has any inherent merit. stupid people can be a key bloc. they're still stupid. William B. Fuckley @opinonhaver one thing trump is genuinely good at is that while most pols will try (with varying degrees of success) to hide their contempt for these voters while mumbling about need to harden utility infrastructure he'll look the camera dead center and say he'll have the marines kill Glonzo
Me wearing a 'Won't You be My Neighbor" t-shirt with my wife. Flock out of Palo Alto!
Interior, packed house for city council.
A book shelf. How to Know a Person by David Brooks was prominently staged. Behind it is a copy of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
T-shirt with the Claud mythos model weights, glitching.
A master bedroom a real estate agent might refer to as "opportunity knocks".
Me ringing a shame bell with a sign that says 'Musk is a Rat'
SMS response to Graham Platner fundraising text: This is the deal: We need Democrats to win in Maine, but you are a man who hurt a woman who was with you. I don't give money to men who hurt women; we have to be better than this. While you're at it hearing how you loved to go on an adventure where we murdered civilians and you got a Nazi tatoo not a great look either.
Me wearing a 'no flock' sticker and a shirt that says Liberal Currents: Pro-Trans Pro-Transit.
Definitely stories like this tend to livify me.
An Elder Thing (it has feet).
Me with a ballot at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.
Brut, but gently.
"If those kids could read they'd be very upset."
Me in a dijon shirt with the Jersey devil logo of the ENL for the Orion anomaly.
Gavin Newsom's face on the body of Leto II in worm form (spoilers). "God Emperor of Cali" by Frank Herbert (my apologies to the Herbert estate (but not his son who is mid)).
Gul Dukat releases a Pah Wraith.
Project Cybersyn Render.
Won't you be my neighbor? on the front of a shirt.
You are Isaac Chotiner, interviewing Golden Gate Claude.
A google search for [You are Isaac Chotiner, interviewing Sam Altman]
Baudrillard as the King in Yellow, AI generation. If it helps, Clavicular looks like a cenobite.
Gemini explains the joke behind the Ancient Roman Meme.
An operator with an Enlightened logo on his hoodie operators for multiple monitors with green LEDs before a larger display of a celestial sphere with the constellation Orion "lit".
Two lazy cats lie on the bed; one is soft and gray, the other is chonky & black.
You have been awarded: One Yike From the National Committee of Yikes
Anthropic apologizes for Claude blackmailing and cites that the original source of the behavior is text that portrays AI as evil & interested in self preservation.
Zircon in hand
Bloody Mary with a small forest of foliage.
A gray cat is petted on her tummy on a bed in gauzy light.
Tech founder who spends $2M a year to live forever says he's always hungry: 'The saddest part of my day is the last bite'.
Baudrillard reigns as the King in Yellow. In his court at Carcosa are the high priests of his era -- Mr Beast, Donald Trump, Laura Loomer, and the Cenobite Clavicular. All about them are reflections and simulacra, with the 'Yellow Sign' -- the icons of social media services. He in unmasked, but knows that is weary knowing that his age has come around at last.
Monkey's paw. In the background, just out of focus: A plasma globe.
You have been awarded: One yike
Robot devil (of course).
Me responding to a call 8 minutes drive from my house. Wearing a "Cones of Dunshire" shirt. Friend: "I would feel pretty good if Ben Wyatt showed up with ICE at my doorstep."
A man holds a sign with Palantir's logo, "Your code their cages". Beside him a woman with a sign says "stop the weapons of Math destruction."