Clive Thompson

Writer, musician/songwriter, hobbyist coder. Contributing writer to New York Times Magazine and Wired. Author of "Coders". Blogging at clivethompson.medium.com, archive of writing at www.authory.com/clivethompson #science #technology #coding #software #writing #literature #poetry clive@clivethompson.net

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Last Notes

2025-04-02 21:05:38

i'm going to buy an old juke box and outfit it with an arduino-controlled sensor such that it only plays a song if you bump it with your elbow like the fonz

2025-03-28 02:05:22

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@nprofile…gj4g I have not laughed this hard in literally years
this is the best

2024-12-26 17:40:27

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@nprofile…yuny
True

2024-12-26 16:59:46

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@nprofile…tg6x
yeah I've read about new battery chemistries coming along, it's very cool

2024-12-26 16:53:41

You know about disposable vapes?
many brands are powered by the same lithium-ion cells that are used to make huge battery packs for electric cars or ebikes
but with vapes, they're just ... thrown out
Chris Doel got 130 dead vapes, took the batteries out, and used them to create a new rechargeable battery pack for his ebike
It worked *great*
His question: "Why they hell are they being thrown away after one use?"
Item #6 in my latest "Linkfest" newsletter: https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/linkfest-28-neolithic-octopuses-weeping-trees-and/
https://sb-9g02l2bbpw.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/720/162/736/576/400/original/8ee68ea14f0fd247.png

2024-12-21 16:40:33

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@nprofile…474q
I hadn’t thought about smoking, but that’s a really good point!

2024-12-06 16:48:36

Some Concordia University professors set up a Minecraft server, and powered it with solar panels and a battery ...
... then added GUI text that shows players data on the energy ecosystem: Battery level, solar panel output, and how much energy the server is requiring at any given instant
fascinating psychological effects ensue ...
... as the players begin to notice how different actions they take inside the game use different levels of energy
Item #8 in my Linkfest: https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/linkfest-27-aztec-death-whistles-supercircular/
https://sb-9g02l2bbpw.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/606/898/276/175/290/original/bef759d711b8bc1f.png

2024-11-20 01:05:03

In 1945, the US War Department realized that its soldiers stationed in Europe fighting the Nazis probably needed a good pamphlet explaining what fascism was, and how it occurs ...
... so they wrote one
and in it, they noted that America was not at all immune to this
So they explained how fascism would come to the US
Heather Cox Richardson writes about it in the latest edition of her newsletter: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-26-2024
https://sb-9g02l2bbpw.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/512/590/067/608/680/original/fb96383750d33baa.png

2024-11-19 12:35:08

A good analysis of the different ways that RFK could undermine vaccines and seriously risk public health (gift link): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/19/health/rfk-jr-vaccines-hhs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.bE4.HiIB.xkvxWcjWmAIG&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=c-cb
The one I’d never thought of is weakening legal protections for vaccine manufacturers. It’d require congressional approval, but lawsuits could really push vaccine makers to say hey we don’t need to be in this business
this highlights, of course, the problem for civil society that huge for-profit pharma companies play such a crucial role in public health

2024-11-13 20:54:06

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@npub1g43…dxev
Aha, so glad you liked it!
Isn't that van Gogh stuff wild?

2024-11-12 23:03:38

For dealing with climate-change-related coastal flooding, one idea has been gaining currency ...
... which is, don't resist the water, build high, or build dams. Instead, build canals that give the sea-swell a place to flow inland ...
... so it can flow in, then flow out
Somerset, UK has done this with great success
The canals have prevented flooding that used to strand villages ...
... and it has rebooted the areas "salt marshes"
Item #10 in my latest "Linkfest": https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/linkfest-26-cryptophasia-wigner-crystals-and-how/
https://sb-9g02l2bbpw.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/472/444/382/964/475/original/4a660ae7bcebce4e.png

2024-11-08 17:41:25

One howling irony of what's happening with politics in the US is that the Biden administration ushered in serious, real industrial policy ...
... for the first time in *decades* ...
... and, with the Inflation Reduction Act, began paying for serious investments in re-industrializing the US
But this stuff doesn't take effect quickly -- and what did take effect, voters ignored because inflation
so it'll all start to *really* be felt during Trump's term
Gift link: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/08/us/politics/trump-biden-economy-manufacturing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.YU4.D6nK.nKjCkXm8iZYA&smid=url-share

2024-11-01 02:48:05

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@npub15yw…htxl Okay AWESOME

2024-10-24 03:57:40

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@npub1uwc…lc5y
No lie

2024-10-24 03:30:46

“Without the enormous aid from these and other billionaires, Trump’s race against Kamala Harris wouldn’t even be close—he’d be well behind.”
A good piece pointing out how billionaires are centrally responsible for propping up Donald Trump‘s campaign financially https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/10/trump-kamala-harris-election-elon-musk-gates-polls-2024.html

2024-10-22 19:26:52

Hey folks -- the Kickstarter for Flaming Hydra, the writers' co-op I'm a part of, is wrapping up in half an hour!
If you've got the scratch, support it and get year's subscription, as well as some fun fun swag
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thebrickhouse/flaming-hydra-the-swag-fundraiser-and-archive-project
The writing there is pretty damn firey

2024-09-20 00:13:00

In praise of the minivan, the vehicle that rose in the 90s and then died, died, died
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2024/09/minivan-suv-family-car/679919/
(Unpaywalled: https://archive.is/VWiTp)

2024-09-13 19:03:53

I just learned the phrase "Torino Impact Hazard Scale" and think I need to form a band just so we can use that as its name

2024-09-10 15:00:05

Can astronauts vote in space?
An interesting question for the two US astronauts who are now stuck on the International Space Station until next February ...
Item #8 in my latest "Linkfest" newsletter, free to read and subscribe here: https://buttondown.com/clivethompson/archive/linkfest-23-zero-dimensional-pong-null-island-and/
https://sb-9g02l2bbpw.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/113/850/754/685/841/original/62f640977b8ca397.png

2024-09-05 16:00:39

Austin Kleon is doing very fun "typewriter interviews" with authors: https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/typewriter-interview-with-elisa-gabbert

2024-09-05 15:49:54

I was just reading a piece that referenced the way AI sludgewriting uses the word "delve" far more often than us normal meat humans do ...
... and thought, huh, I wonder if *this particular domain* exists?

2024-09-02 04:50:39

Smash and grab
https://www.newsweek.com/kroger-executive-admits-company-gouged-prices-above-inflation-1945742
(Via @npub1j7y…23ds)

2024-08-26 17:12:08

aw come ON
https://sb-9g02l2bbpw.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/113/029/432/713/719/182/original/8709a9a261fc855a.jpeg

2024-08-19 23:19:04

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@npub1llk…ztah
Yeah dark walnut is gorgeous

2024-08-19 21:34:28

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@npub1g5w…3xsg
it’s these little personal touches that really make the difference, agreed

2024-08-18 19:31:00

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@npub1llk…ztah
Oooooo that’s nice!!

2024-08-18 17:48:08

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@npub1av4…94ku
This is a really good point - hadn’t noticed it before, but now it’s gonna be everywhere I look in the moving image! 😂

2024-08-14 01:40:10

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@npub1gzm…0y39
😂

2024-08-13 20:48:27

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@npub12se…mw80
yeah I am staying the hell away from #8 until I get more clarity on that

2024-08-13 20:46:26

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@npub1f9z…5dr7
i think those spells are level 23
probably not there yet

2024-08-13 20:45:54

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@npub10ez…w3xk
god, if only

2024-08-13 20:45:45

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@npub1n9g…r7s8
that one caught my eye as well

2024-08-13 20:45:22

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@npub1t47…sxdp
yeah, modern life eh

2024-08-13 14:14:10

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@npub1l3x…pp9z
lol good point

2024-08-13 14:13:46

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@npub142f…8mce
A very good question!

2024-08-13 14:13:31

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@npub1jzc…2zmv
if they had included that it would have been some deliciously meta

2024-08-13 14:13:11

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@npub15t5…nftz
llolololol

2024-08-13 14:12:50

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@npub1u2y…8vtn
this is actually the right way to look at it

2024-08-13 14:11:51

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@npub1k7z…culr
honestly probably still okay

2024-08-13 14:10:36

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@npub1l3x…pp9z
right??
frankly I'd be happy with "BECOME A MIDDLING-QUALITY VAMPIRE"

2024-08-13 14:07:54

I just got a spam comment on one of my Medium posts from a "Jamie Geller" who says she found an excellent "spell caster" online who offers the following spells
1 LOVE SPELL
2 WIN EX BACK
3 FRUIT OF THE WOMB
4 PROMOTION SPELL
5 PROTECTION SPELL
6 BUSINESS SPELL
7 DICK ENLARGEMENT
8 HIV AIDS
9 LOTTERY SPELL
10 COURT CASES SPELL
11 GOOD JOB SPELL
12 BECOME A FAMOUS FOOTBALLER
13 BECOME A FAMOUS ARTISTS
14 BECOME A POWERFUL VAMPIRE
#14 is pretty tempting, not gonna lie

2024-08-13 13:51:01

What can design do (and what can't it do) to help people realize they can pick an indie browser?
@npub1hyk…3p33 offers a nice summary of the existing research into this: https://pluralistic.net/2024/08/12/defaults-matter/

2024-08-06 01:39:56

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@npub1wn4…p0mx
Lolol
I’m in

2024-08-01 02:12:21

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@npub1q8m…vm9d
Oh my God those are so cool!! Thank you for pointing them out

2024-07-31 17:15:08

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@npub1z63…4qua
yeah I think the longest I’ve had to wait is maybe half an hour? And this is Brooklyn, where the DMV office is in enormous and is simply thronging with people

2024-07-31 17:12:36

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@npub1km2…ae6d
Yes, exactly!

2024-07-31 04:34:44

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@npub1gfd…7gg6 Good grief

2024-07-31 02:33:30

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@npub1lgk…zy8e
🤘 🤖

2024-07-31 02:32:26

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@npub130x…cunr
good luck!

2024-07-30 17:31:38

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@npub1cjj…kqap
omg that is a GREAT find!!
I wanna read that too

2024-07-30 17:31:03

Here's an excellent essay by Jenisha Watts mediating on the cognitive dissonance of learning the horrific details of how hair-trigger police killed Sonya Massey ...
... even as Kamala Harris campaigns for president
https://archive.is/lbdpM
As Watts notes, there isn't mass furor over this killing possibly because the officer was fired quickly
but god in heaven there are clearly still too many brittle, authoritarian, hysterical officers on the job

2024-07-30 16:33:33

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@npub1ya9…3flz
I’ve never heard of it before, thank you for pointing it out! It really does look cool, gonna give it a whirl

2024-07-30 15:17:51

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@npub1c49…wavy
whoa!
What's his name? I want to read about him ... cool find!

2024-07-30 15:16:34

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@npub1rwg…fndj @npub1agu…j0sk
yeah true enough

2024-07-30 15:15:55

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@npub1cul…ux8m
a pokewalker is pretty meal tho

2024-07-30 04:04:11

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@npub1ywh…2tvx
Good question, I do not know!

2024-07-30 04:04:02

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@npub1kr5…nwzy
Cool!

2024-07-30 04:02:29

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@npub1x9g…jxqh
my work here is done

2024-07-30 03:52:21

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@npub1g8t…hx4w
right?

2024-07-30 01:14:39

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@npub1agu…j0sk
yeah agreed
It was, as MS goes, a relatively good operating system for home use
(MS has had a funny sine-curve of quality: 95 was good; 98 to 2000 were wretched; XP was good; Vista was horrific, etc)
But running an industrial process on Windows 95 is, yeah, nuts

2024-07-30 01:03:46

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@npub1n5d…95s2
right??

2024-07-30 00:53:07

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@npub1gqn…kjud
hells yeah
solid machines

2024-07-30 00:52:39

Clever and cool-looking: A retro-styled Casio watch for $56 that does step-tracking
*no other* form of health stuff -- no heart rate, etc
just steps
But, for people who just want the occasional reminder to move their butts, it works great: https://www.theverge.com/24206037/casio-ws-b1000-review-smartwatch-wearable
And lasts for 2 years on a coin battery
and bluetooth so you can set the time/alarms via your phone instead of fiddling with the buttons
kind of rad I gotta say

2024-07-29 19:39:39

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@npub189n…satx
whoa

2024-07-29 18:51:16

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@npub13zy…3zww
Those brownies are sweet!
Back when cameras still looked like boxes
Solid

2024-07-29 18:41:48

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@npub1v33…j8ka
Totally understood!
this point about REPL environments only becoming common now, 40 years later – this is really amazing to see
it has such a big impact on letting people mess around with code

2024-07-29 18:20:09

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@npub1v33…j8ka
very true!
I talk a bit about that halfway down the essay -- I agree, it was a very, very big part of what made BASIC so catalytic
I also talk about all those gnarly flaws in the language 😅

2024-07-29 18:00:08

Excellent appraisal of the life of political scientist James Scott ...
... author of "Seeing Like A State" ...
... and how deeply useful are those ideas to understanding the problems of today's massive, top-down commercial technological systems
https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/high-modernism-made-our-world

2024-07-29 17:48:28

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@npub1swy…snpj
lololol yeah
Having direct exposure to BASIC really *carbon dates* us, doesn't it?

2024-07-29 17:38:13

My ode to BASIC ...
... "the most consequential programming language in the history of computing"
Here it is in Wired: https://www.wired.com/story/back-to-basic-the-most-consequential-programming-language/
And here's an archived copy: https://archive.is/zcnco

2024-07-28 18:16:30

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@npub1utr…r8wt
Yeah, I'm old enough to have played that one in the Xtremely grungy arcades of downtown Toronto
it was pretty good actually!

2024-07-28 18:14:55

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@npub1mfk…f48p
I could!!
But I'm too damn old to risk the fall
and the trees -- around here anyway -- are not infinite
though if I actually tried to climb one I bet it'd *feel* infinite 😅

2024-07-28 18:14:07

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@npub1ry6…ztc2
MORE PRECISELY yes

2024-07-28 18:13:51

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@npub1f6g…9nhx
Good questions!!

2024-07-28 18:13:40

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@npub1dk2…f3l3
🤘

2024-07-28 18:13:21

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@npub1kq6…m6zl
oooo cool, that one is new to me!

2024-07-28 18:12:20

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@npub1gcl…cs78
aha, right on, I hadn't heard of that one!

2024-07-28 18:11:57

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@npub15j9…8ppr
oooo very cool!
A few folks have mentioned other beanstalk-climbing games, that fairy tale has *legs* man

2024-07-28 18:11:00

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@npub1uwc…lc5y
oh wow, I haven't heard of that one ... is it available for an Oculus circa 2022?
If so I'll give it a whirl

2024-07-28 18:10:22

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@npub1t8r…cdw5
yessss

2024-07-28 18:09:51

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@npub1kjf…wkn4
lolololol

2024-07-28 18:09:32

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@npub19fk…quap
I'll check it out -- that sounds great!

2024-07-28 18:09:11

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@npub1yuc…t8s8
Oh, cool, I hadn't hear about that!

2024-07-28 02:56:25

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@npub1ku7…strj
I have rillllllly provision design chops but I might give it a whirl when I'm done the book I'm currently working on

2024-07-28 02:49:38

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@npub129h…y2hs
it kind of does, doesn't it

2024-07-28 02:48:39

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I'm probably gonna have to make this aren't i

2024-07-28 02:48:16

Is there a video game where you just climb a tree
that goes on infinitely
no goals
no powerups
it's not trivially *easy* to climb; you have to think a bit about each move, but it's also not a twitch game, it's chill
the tree gets subtly weirder the higher you go
like just
weirder

2024-07-28 02:45:43

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@npub1gqa…ghwc
They do have a sort of cronenbergian allure!

2024-07-28 02:45:28

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@npub1243…qmek
it's pretty nuts, eh?

2024-07-27 03:58:27

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@npub1ysl…s8cr
YES
jesus yes

2024-07-26 20:18:59

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@npub1cja…rqkq
Yeah get out and “us” both play with the creepiness of exurban areas

2024-07-26 19:57:04

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@npub1wwu…pn2m
💯

2024-07-26 03:46:25

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@npub12ss…c7zf
so good!

2024-07-25 22:56:13

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@npub1fxh…zgnt
🤘 🤖

2024-07-25 22:39:41

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(Of course, none of this would come as a surprise to John Carpenter 😂 ...
... or the directors of the original X-files series)

2024-07-25 22:38:38

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It's a great essay, but what hilariously nails it are the three photos she posts halfway down the essay
Read the captions
the caption of the fifth photo really seals the deal lololol

2024-07-25 22:37:20

The suburbs considered as ...
... the Backrooms: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2022/1/13/american-suburbs-are-a-horror-movie-and-were-the-protagonists
A terrific essay in which the author -- who lives in the Austin suburbs -- considers why she feels creeped-out and uncertain when walking through her suburb at night to a grocery store a few miles away ...
... and realizes it's because it feels precisely like one of the "liminal spaces" people share online

2024-07-25 20:02:25

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@npub1jwz…d2ah I am so down for this

2024-07-25 19:59:49

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@npub1euz…2t93 Awesome guide!!

2024-07-25 14:25:49

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@npub1yme…r5de
🤘🏻🤖