Rob Ballou

Once again here to report that I love getting ballot track emails. So cool and voting this way is easy and secure!

I don’t mind that apps have profiles for different people; I mind that I have no option to set a default so it doesn’t ask each time.

Watching a bad movie where two characters are name dropping that they use signal for their affair, but have notifications to show full text without unlocking the phone.

coloradosun.comMillions in untraceable conservative money is flooding into Colorado to oppose tax-related ballot measuresMost of the money is targeted at Amendment 87, which would impose a graduated income tax rate on businesses and individuals

Even the editors couldn’t save this one

Rob Ballou reposted

Jesse Aaron Paul

@jesseapaul.bsky.social

The American Prosperity Coalition, a conservative dark money group registered to a shipping store in Texas, just dropped another $950,000 into the committee opposing Amendment 87 and Proposition NN. Total donations from the group so far? $1.7M. #copolitics

Jesse Aaron Paul@jesseapaul.bsky.social

Millions in untraceable conservative money is flooding into Colorado to oppose tax-related ballot measures coloradosun.com/2026/10/14/d... #copolitics #coleg

Spooky season

Energy provider: you usage is trending higher this year than last! Me: it’s hotter this year… still than last year. 4° in fact (average). AND the gas used is less (because… it’s warmer). The bill is higher because our prices never go down or are stable. In fact, you are asking for higher rates.

(The 4° is for the billing period, not the year)

Yesterday’s leg session really kicking in with the DOMS about now lol

All the stories about water restrictions here are deeply frustrating for me because we act like customers: have an actionable way to tell if they are cutting and by how much AND we have essentially never had restrictions before.

As far as I know, IF you get emails or maybe if you open paper statements you would get feedback once a month and the restrictions were in place only a few months. People aren’t going to understand how much they used and how much to cut

Did they change the app so you can’t slide back out of a thread? I keep trying to and end up buried 20 replies deep because it treats each attempt as a click lol

I’m sad that one of my neighbors moved. Because their dog would hang out in the window watching everything.

coloradosun.comVictor Marx campaign receives one of the largest fines in state historyThe GOP gubernatorial candidate’s campaign accepted 203 contributions above Colorado’s legal limit, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.

Last weekend I was traveling through a few parts of the state that had large signs for this guy and I just can’t understand at all how he is allowed to even run

The Colorado Sun ☀️@coloradosun.com

Victor Marx campaign receives one of the largest fines in state history coloradosun.com/2026/10/02/v...

Rob Ballou reposted

The Colorado Sun ☀️

@coloradosun.com

Victor Marx campaign receives one of the largest fines in state history coloradosun.com/2026/10/02/v...

Yesterday I was driving through town, past a dog park. There was a large dog with a stick taunting a small beagle, who, as is the case with beagles, was baying at the audacity and it made my day.

I don’t know that I really buy the narrative that GOP is in a meltdown but if they are that’s the slowest realization in the world

Still laughing at whoever came up with the "because of tariffs (that US businesses and customers pay) we will bribe you to vote for us" strat

Today seeing someone praise some talk/something from [terrible tech leader] at work. Keeping quiet but ouch.

@mattheweadie.bsky.social

Not that I’m not nervous about the midterms, or even the election after, I’m really nervous about six years from now when everyone who is tired of gas prices swings back to “always GOP”

Rob Ballou reposted

Matthew Eadie

21 Sept

BREAKING: Evanston police confirm a U.S. citizen was briefly detained by federal agents Sunday morning near Howard and Dodge before being released The man was taken to the hospital for injuries to his head, neck and teeth after agents drove off

evanstonnow.comFederal agents detained U.S. citizen Sunday morning - Evanston NowPolice chief says officers responded to a man with injuries to head, neck and teeth on Howard and made contact with agents involved.

Rob Ballou reposted

Marisa Kabas

@marisakabas.bsky.social

20 Sept

The man ICE shot in Austin today is named Wilber Rafael Garces Perez. Per his lawyer, she and Perez’s family were run off of hospital property where he’s being treated and won’t even confirm he’s there because he’s “in ICE custody.” Actual criminals.

npr.orgFederal immigration agent shoots and injures man in Austin, TexasThe person shot is in serious but stable condition, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said in a press conference.

I’m beginning to think David Boreanaz contractually must have scenes in a cemetery in all his shows

@noturtlesoup17.bsky.social

No, no, not Buffy. Much later. No, obviously not Angel. Later. Nope, not Bones.

Rob Ballou reposted

amanda moore 🐢

motherjones.comThe Trump administration is imprisoning Somali immigrants in Gitmo“Nobody tell us that we’re going to Guantanamo Bay.”

“The worst place ever I’ve been in my life," Sakariye Abdi Mohamed, a Somali asylum seeker, told me over the phone from Guantanamo Bay last week. Sakariye is one of 7 or 8 Somalis who are being held at Gitmo. They say guards tell them the order to keep Somalis at the facility comes from DC.

New pledge is gonna take a bit to learn, tbh

Dave Jorgenson@davejorgenson.bsky.social

President Trump wants control of the midterms. Also, he made a new pledge!

Rob Ballou reposted

Kyle Clark

@kylec.bsky.social

14 Sept

NEW: CO GOP Gov candidate Victor Marx faces a potential record $51k fine for repeated campaign finance violations. The state is making closing arguments at a three day hearing now. The state says the problem started at the top with Marx's ignorance and nonchalance about the law.

I got a letter from the IRS, so I have been trying to call which has been, expectedly, terrible. The main line absolutely will not connect you to a person unless you are doing one set of things. The other number I have walks you through choices and then hangs up because they are too busy.

I can't say it would have been better two years ago, but I have to imagine it wouldn't be this BAD.

Has Elon claimed he was first in trying to buy votes yet?

We need to completely go after every one of the frozen water gang.

Rob Ballou reposted

Valheim

@valheimgame.bsky.social

9 Sept

We’re proud to announce that #Valheim 1.0 is out now! Gather your friends, sharpen your axes and check out the patch notes below. We’ll see you in the tenth realm! valheim.com/news/valheim...

9 Sept

One of our local news stations has had 9 stories about 9/11 today. Not one of them about the news about the press conference that was … today.

5 Sept

The fact that these companies are like “oh yes, executive orders apply immediately to us” is still bonkers to me.

coloradosun.comcoloradosun.com

5 Sept

Counter protestor tried to stop kids from exercising their rights, was chased off. Not sure that qualifies as ”turning violent”

The Colorado Sun ☀️@coloradosun.com

Colorado-wide student protest against ICE turns violent in Denver

3 Sept

Costco stopped selling the protein drinks I liked, so I gambled on another brand. And ... it's not a 100% no, but it is not very good lol.

3 Sept

I keep thinking about how bad this slack message is from Karimov.

andy™@andylevy.net

ah yes once again the racists are the real victims

Rob Ballou reposted

andy™

@andylevy.net

theverge.com1Password wades into a right-wing mess after funding a Linux projectThe controversy surrounds David Heinemeier Hansson, who has posted strident anti-vax and anti-immigrant views.

ah yes once again the racists are the real victims

The Verge@theverge.com

1Password faced immediate backlash from customers this week over a $300,000 pledge in support of a Linux distro created by David Heinemeier Hansson, who has regularly published overtly racist blog posts that include comments calling for deportation of ethnic minorities in Europe.

3 Sept

Question based on my ads: how many sunglasses companies are there?????

Coming to the realization, that at least in some circles, I am the only one not exactly happy that we are giving over roads to corporations.

Data centers: everyone hates em ALPRs: pretty much everyone hates them Cars without drivers and tons of cameras owned by a corporation: at least its better than human drivers

Just another day where (unsurprisingly) folks in r/denver victim blaming an ebike-share-rider for a bunch of things that result in them being seriously hurt by a car. Now, I will say, it does read like the rider did the wrong thing, but the victim blaming was still quite real

Meanwhile, I had a nice bike ride up-to and after one intersection where I had to cross a road in the cross walk (with the walk signal) and had 3 cars all make a right hook, including one that could have hit me. All other car interactions today were great.

nbcnews.comICE arrests 50 thousand people in August, continuing record paceICE is in the midst of a nationwide arrest surge that is not as visible as aggressive enforcement efforts from earlier in 2026.

Anyway, I hope the rider was able to get to the hospital and the driver recovers from that trauma.

Rob Ballou reposted

Joe Murphy

@joemurph.com

1 Sept

Exclusive numbers on August ICE arrests from @nbcnews.com: "ICE is in the midst of a nationwide arrest surge that is not as visible as aggressive enforcement efforts from earlier in 2026..." [no paywall] www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

31 Aug

There's the xblock labeler for screenshots, but is there a labeler for posts that link to the other site?