Stop thinking of Twitter, TikTok, IG, (et al) as social media sites.

They are **Content Refineries.**

Like processed food manufacturers they take user content & extract the most addicting/engaging content. Brains eat it up but in an unhealthy “devour the whole bag of chips” way.

They make hyper-processed social media junk food.

Mastodon is more like a potluck. We're all bringing dishes. It's a mess. Kids are running all over. But we are, at least, real people sharing real things.

The German word "Schmuddel" means "dirt".

And: It turns any noun into something dirty.

Schmuddelwetter: messy weather
Schmuddelfilm: dirty movie
Schmuddelheft: naughty magazine
Schmuddelkram: filthy stuff
Schmuddelecke: corner with filthy stuff

So, is this a Schmuddeltoot?
You decide.

Enjoy our language!

The German word "Bescherung" describes the handing out of Christmas gifts. But it's also used for a mishap or mess.

So, the sentence "Da haben wir die Bescherung" can mean
- "That's when we hand out the gifts"
or
- "There you are, what a mess!"

And the sentence "Das ist ja eine schöne Bescherung!" can mean
- "That is a beautiful Christmas celebration!"
or
- "What an incredible mess!"

For Xmas, I wish you all the former, not the latter, enjoy your Bescherung - and our language!

Rep. Jamie Raskin: "Ours is not a system of justice where foot soldiers go to jail, and masterminds and ringleaders get a free pass."

He announces that the committee's first criminal referrals of Trump: obstructing an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Local news has withered in many parts of the country. An investigation by NPR and @FloodlightNews reveals that in Alabama and Florida, newly created media outlets with ties to power companies are filling the void and shaping public opinion.

https://twitter.com/npr/status/1604848189877657604?s=12&t=_4Y1DpfzAoXLp46IkjWBXw

One of my favorite Twitter accounts was always Matthew Christopher's Abandoned America. Matthew closed up shop on Twitter and moved to Mastodon as @AbandonedAmerica. You should follow and support his work not only because we need more mid-size original content accounts here, but because his photos are FANTASTIC.

https://mastodon.social/@AbandonedAmerica/109452123378940711