@pewnack@aus.social cover
@pewnack@aus.social avatar

pewnack

@[email protected]

Local of Naarm/Melbourne. Most likely autistic. Certainly suffering from ME/CFS (#mecfs) since 2010.
Software engineer & former research chemist (single crystal X-ray crystallography, coordination chemistry).
Fan of #Americana, #PsychedelicRock, #StarTrek, #DoctorWho, #StarWars etc.
Enjoys long walks off short piers. He/him.

Bluesky: @pewnack.bsky.social (but hardly ever use it)

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

After “creepy” Super Bowl ad sparks outrage, Ring abandons Flock deal
“This is definitely not about dogs,” senator says, urging a pause on Ring face scans.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/02/after-creepy-super-bowl-ad-sparks-outrage-ring-abandons-flock-deal/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

pewnack ,
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@arstechnica

What the hell did I just read?

I swear tech headlines are just complete nonsense.

After "creepy" sportsball ad sparks outrage, Pronk abandons Flirkin deal
"This is definitely not about nematodes", senator says, urging a pause on Pronk face scans.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random
pewnack ,
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@georgetakei

Steve-O who?

pewnack ,
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@TinyTimmyTokyo@awful.systems avatar TinyTimmyTokyo

'This post is for "members" only'

Oh, I'm sure it is.

BlueMonday1984

@pewnack@aus.social avatar pewnack , to random

So Mildura, VIC, Australia is forecast to reach 49°C (120°F) today. It's usually the hottest town in Victoria but today it's likely to tie with the hottest place on Earth. Please try to stay cool up there in .

@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

Advertising gambling apps on the telly is barbaric

pewnack ,
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@Holberg @TheBreadmonkey

Umm.. do these exist in the US?

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

The Federal Reserve chairman is incompetent, a real dope and stubborn as an ox, says President Trump in a Cabinet meeting, adding he'll announce a replacement for Jerome Powell early next year.

pewnack ,
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@w7voa

I'll bet a million dollaroos he couldn't name the Federal Reserve Chairman.

@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

Most history books fail to mention this.

Johnny Appleseed was a cannibal.
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pewnack ,
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@lowqualityfacts

Because he ate apples

@catsalad@infosec.exchange avatar catsalad , to random

Your days are numbered MS Teams! :neocat_hyper:

pewnack ,
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@catsalad

Is google buying it?

pewnack ,
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@airikr @catsalad

I was just joking. Google has a history of ending its products.

@Alice@beige.party avatar Alice , to random

Starting a band with my dad where I play samples on my keyboard while he sings about pasta and we'll be named Casio y Papí.

pewnack ,
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@Alice

Not to say it's already been done, but Macaulay Culkin's had a band "The Pizza Underground" that did pizza themed parodies of The Velvet Underground songs.

I don't know why they didn't make it big.

@lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

The man was born to skate.

Tony Hawk began skateboarding when he was 12 hours old.
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pewnack ,
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@lowqualityfacts

This checks out

@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random
pewnack ,
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@TheBreadmonkey

"47 year old playground supervisor"

WTF!?

He's 47!?

@evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

Cybersecurity professionals/ransomware negotiators turned out to be running a ransomware gang. https://breached.company/when-the-defenders-become-the-attackers-cybersecurity-experts-indicted-for-blackcat-ransomware-operations/

pewnack ,
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@evacide

This is like the stories of firefighters starting fires to turn up to put them out. Although they weren't doing it for profit.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

Inflation is now at its highest rate since January.

A tweet from the Governor Newsom Press Office reads: “Donald Trump promised Americans wouldn’t pay the price of his tariffs. Another promise broken and total betrayal by Trump.” Below it, a CNBC news screenshot headline says: “Tariff costs to companies this year to hit $1.2 trillion, with consumers taking most of the hit, S&P says.”
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pewnack ,
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@georgetakei

Meanwhile Newsom is supporting a platform owned by a neo-Nazi.

@Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random

my uncle gary has been burping since 1987 and we dont call scientists about it SNOWFLAKES

pewnack ,
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@Daojoan

This kind of thing is usually due to sulphur dioxide (or methane) escaping from the lake bed. I can't think why it's such a mystery.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

TNR - President Trump repeatedly blamed the UN for his teleprompter issues and a malfunctioning escalator in a spiteful speech to the General Assembly. But it seems that both issues were caused directly by his own team. https://newrepublic.com/post/200833/trump-team-messed-up-un-escalator-teleprompter

pewnack ,
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@w7voa

It wasn't a speech. It was a rambling incoherent rant.

@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , (edited ) to random

Multiple US military officers casually show up as observers on a Belarusian/Russian military exercise, together with the Russian Deputy Defence Minister.

You read that right: While Belarus and Russia are training the invasion of Poland, the US military shows up in the audience.

If you live in the US, I hope you realize the gravity of such a signal to us Europeans. Especially after Trump has threatened to invade Denmark, and halted all US aid to Ukraine.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-military-officers-observe-russia-belarus-war-games-trump-gets-closer-minsk-2025-09-15/

pewnack ,
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@randahl

Surely they're breaking some sanctions?

And surely the US has the intelligence technology to observe the exercises in much better detail than sending senior US military personnel?

This is clearly sending a message. But to whom? Putin's likely gonna be doing a Palpatine "Good, Good", while the rest of Europe are having their opinion that the US is an unreliable partner reinforced.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

Hollywood Reporter - Channel 4 is welcoming Donald Trump to the UK with a special program: an unbroken catalogue of what it categorizes as 100+ falsehoods, distortions and inaccuracies since taking office in January. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/channel-4-donald-trump-uk-visit-truth-untruth-lies-program-1236371565

pewnack ,
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@w7voa

FFS! Surely we're well past the point where we can definitely call them LIES.

@ProPublica@newsie.social avatar ProPublica , to random

Citing concerns about DEI, the U.S. Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states.

“How low can you go?” one advocate asked. “How can you do this to children?”
https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-dei-students-education-deaf-blind-grant-funding?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

pewnack ,
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@ProPublica

How low can you go?

Well, much deeper into the eugenics hole would be my estimation as the USA seems to be going all out for a rerun of 1930s Nazi Germany.

They're well past functioning democracy.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_euthanasia_in_Nazi_Germany

@NanoRaptor@bitbang.social avatar NanoRaptor , to random

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    pewnack ,
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    @NanoRaptor

    Awesome

    @NanoRaptor@bitbang.social avatar NanoRaptor , to random

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    pewnack ,
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    @NanoRaptor

    The first Apple Macintosh was released closer to the end of WWII than to today.

    @nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , (edited ) to random

    Poll: Do you code in silence or with music on?

    pewnack ,
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    @Lana@beige.party avatar Lana , to random

    14 DAYS AGO: Trump enters the longest period in his entire life without a day of golf

    10 DAYS AGO: Trump reflects on his mortality, says he wants to enter heaven

    6 DAYS AGO: Bruising seen on his hand. Transfusions speculated.

    2 DAYS AGO: Vance releases a public statement saying he is ready to become President in case of a "tragedy"

    YESTERDAY: Trump disappears from public

    TODAY: No public events scheduled this weekend

    NOW: Truth Social has been taken down.

    Now look I'm not trying to give you false hope. But I'm just saying I have a very particular songlist queued up and ready to go and it has "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" on it.

    pewnack ,
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    @junesim63 @Lana

    See ya later alligator

    @ProPublica@newsie.social avatar ProPublica , to random

    The Leader of Trump’s Assault on Higher Has a Troubled and Financial History

    Leo Terrell’s past is at odds with Trump’s description of an “incredibly successful” attorney.

    Documents obtained by ProPublica and The Chronicle of Higher Education reveal a trail of legal disputes and unpaid debts.

    https://www.propublica.org/article/leo-terrell-universities-lawsuits-antisemitism?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=propublica-mastodon-post&utm_content=8-27

    pewnack ,
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    @ProPublica

    FFS. By now we've got to realise that a "Has a Troubled Legal and Financial History" is a prerequisite for the Trump regime team.

    If they also have"Documented history of drug and alcohol abuse, and multiple allegations of inappropriate and bullying behaviour towards former female colleagues", they get to head a major agency or the armed forces.

    @dangillmor@mastodon.social avatar dangillmor , to random

    For years, I annually bought a new top-of-the-line Pixel phone, with few regrets. But I stopped after the Pixel 8, because Google started force-feeding its "AI" slop to customers as THE key feature.

    The latest models look intriguing, but are even more crappified with "AI". So, no sale, again.

    pewnack ,
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    @dangillmor

    I use GrapheneOS. But yeah the contactless phone payments cannot work. Otherwise the installation was straightforward (there's a web/easier version) and it's a "hardened" version of the AOSP (Android Open Source Project). You can still use Google Play but it doesn't have the same permissions (by design) as on Google stock.

    https://grapheneos.org/

    @georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

    Jesse “Carries” Watters. For the Kremlin, that is.

    pewnack ,
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    @georgetakei

    Would love to boost but no

    Alt text: a screenshot of a social media post with text and a further screenshot of a Fox tv show.

    Text: "Stuart Stevens @ @ stuartp...-12h © When | say the entire Republican ecosystem has become compromised by Russia, this twit @ JesseBWatters is perfect example. He’s a functional asset of the Russian state. @ Acyn @ @ Acyn-1d Watters: Think about Germany, it used to be the Prussian empire, then the German empire—it expanded and contracted and they divided it in two. And now now it's reunited. They can't do this to Ukraine? That's ridiculous."

    @lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

    Poor Tungsten.

    The periodic table did not include Tungsten until 1983, because scientists found the element to be too useless to acknowledge.
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    @lowqualityfacts

    Tungsten, dumbarse.

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    Nashville Banner - Days into a fraud trial in Tennessee, a witness called by the government is unsure whether or not the defendant is a lizard person. https://nashvillebanner.com/2025/08/01/mqrk-janbakhsh-trial-lizard-conspiracy/

    pewnack ,
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    @w7voa

    Oh America

    @NanoRaptor@bitbang.social avatar NanoRaptor , to random

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    @NanoRaptor

    I would watch this

    @aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar aral , to random

    Tankies are the integer overflow errors of the left. They’re what happens when you go so far left that you wrap around to the right.

    TL;DR: Don’t be a tankie.

    pewnack ,
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    pewnack ,
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    @aral

    The horseshoe theory if you think it has any merit is directly applicable to those people.

    @nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

    Back in my day, we bought things once and actually owned them. Imagine that! You'd get a CD, a movie, a game, or a piece of software, it was a tangible item with a set price that was all yours. No strings attached.

    Now? Everything's a fucking subscription. It's like renting your life, but somehow it ends up being way more expensive in the long run. Go figure.

    This is why open source matters a lot. It still gives you freedom and whenever possible please support your favourite FLOSS app 👍

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    @nixCraft

    It's as if the tech titans have realised none of us will ever actually own our own homes and will be renting for life, then have said yes, yes, more of that soul crushing despair and existential dread but put it in software. Brilliant!

    @ScienceDesk@flipboard.social avatar ScienceDesk , to random

    A climate scientist in Texas writes about the devastating Texas floods: “Climate change isn’t creating new risks: rather, it’s amplifying existing ones.” Read more from @time:

    https://flip.it/NQr-3D

    pewnack ,
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    @ScienceDesk @time

    I have a question regarding that article header image. Was there an American flag always in the middle of the fucking road like that, and the cars would everyday have to drive around it? Or has some idiot put it there as some stupid protest against nature itself? Like, WE'RE 'MURICANS, WE DON'T SUBMIT TO YOUR FLOODING!?

    @evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

    I have spent this week as a juror criminal domestic violence trial and my head is full of horrors. Tell me what's good.

    pewnack ,
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    @evacide

    This is Buddie (my friend's dog) on his birthday.

    @lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

    I love Jack Black.

    Jack Black says that his trademark loudness stems from him needing to shout his jokes at his hearing-impaired grandfather, who encouraged Jack to become a comedian.
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    @lowqualityfacts

    I could actually believe that

    @arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

    Moderna says its mRNA seasonal flu shot is 27% better than current vaccine
    Moderna hailed the results, but the shot's future under RFK Jr. is murky.
    https://arstechnica.com/health/2025/07/moderna-says-its-mrna-seasonal-flu-shot-is-27-better-than-current-vaccine/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

    pewnack ,
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    @arstechnica

    We'll be happy to consider it for approval in Australia, although our approval process does/did watch the FDA closely.

    @evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

    Website/device age verification is a privacy and security nightmare and everyone who tells you that this is a solved problem is lying to you.

    https://gizmodo.com/supreme-court-says-age-verification-laws-for-porn-sites-are-constitutional-2000621265

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    @evacide

    The Australian government is lying to you and us re ban on social media for under 16s.

    @JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange avatar JessTheUnstill , to random

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    pewnack ,
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    @JessTheUnstill

    I've kinda been forced to start using LLMs to assist with coding chunks. I'm new to software engineering and have been told in no uncertain terms that I have been progressing too slowly on delivering for the project and client. And if I didn't pick up the pace I'd find myself out of a job. So here I am asking copilot how to little chunks of code that I might otherwise spend longer on, now that I don't have longer.

    @stux@mstdn.social avatar stux , to random

    I only flew once in my life to Dublin and back and that's all within Europe so minimal checks

    If I where to travel to a country where they would take my phone and demand my password I think I'm refusing

    "Give your password if you don't have anything to hide" is just plain bullshit

    Everyone has stuff to hide, even if it's a password or private note

    We should not accept this authoritarian bullshit

    pewnack ,
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    @stux

    There's a line from the movie Anon (spoilers)...

    "It's not that I have something to hide. I have nothing I want you to see."

    @hzulla@infosec.exchange avatar hzulla , to random

    Oh ffs, guess I'm done with Spotify.

    While on the family plan subscription and with no prior interest seeding, is currently recommending a German-language far-right white nationalist podcast to my kid, who just came to me to complain about it.

    So seriously, what's a good, non-enshittified alternative to Spotify these days? Recommendations needed, what do you use instead of Spotify and why?

    (Thanks for retoots.)

    pewnack ,
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    @JessTheUnstill @hzulla

    Pandora is not available in every country, including Australia.

    @nixCraft@mastodon.social avatar nixCraft , to random

    Long before LaTeX, most mathematical theses relied on hand-inserted symbols.
    But in 1968, Dennis Ritchie - creator of C and Unix legends- typeset his entire thesis, subscripts and all, with astonishing accuracy.
    How exactly he pulled it off remains a mystery.
    Learn more in this week's paper https://fermatslibrary.com/s/how-did-dennis-ritchie-produce-his-phd-thesis-a-typographical-mystery

    Two academic papers are displayed side-by-side. The left paper is titled "Stephen Hawking's PhD Thesis (1966)" and shows handwritten mathematical equations and text. The right paper is titled "Dennis Ritchie's PhD Thesis (1968)" and shows typed mathematical proofs and text.
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    @nixCraft

    It's not really a mystery. He probably shifted the typewriter typing spot up and down manually across the page to do each formula superscript/subscript. He could have even fed the sheet into a different typewriter for different symbols and carefully aligned them. Tedious and painstaking but it could be done.

    @lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

    I wonder why.

    Sir David Attenborough said that his least favorite animal is by far the emu.
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    @lowqualityfacts

    They're arseholes.

    @jensorensen@mastodon.social avatar jensorensen , to random

    This week's comic: Highly selective health nuts

    Highly Selective Health Nuts MANY ON THE RIGHT ARE INTO "HEALTHY LIFESTYLES" - WITH SOME CONTRADICTIONS. Woman chopping vegetables: I ONLY EAT ORGANIC. AND I HATE ENVIRONMENTALISTS. Dude: I DON'T TRUST MAINSTREAM MEDICINE OR BIG PHARMA BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL ABOUT PROFITS. Surrounded by products: NAD ZAPPER 9000 ALPHA BOAR PLUS UNLIKE THESE PRODUCTS, WHICH EXIST SOLELY FOR THE GOOD OF HUMANITY. Weightlifting dude: I LIFT TO MAKE MY BODY STRONG SO I CAN DEFEND MYSELF. I ALSO OPPOSE MASKS, SEAT BELTS, HELMETS, GUN CONTROL, SPEED LIMITS, HEALTHCARE REFORM, AND SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAMS FOR KIDS. Woman with smokestacks in background: IT'S ALL ABOUT INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY! I DON'T WORRY ABOUT POLLUTION SINCE I’M DOING A KOLA NUT CLEANSE.
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    pewnack ,
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    @jensorensen

    Ummm... I know this is satire but I think it's satirical of the author.

    Eating "organic" isn't healthier than traditional food.

    @Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random

    An Australian, a Canadian and a Romanian walk into a bar…

    pewnack ,
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    @Daojoan

    The bar runs out of beer after the Australian orders?

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.” - President Trump in a social media post

    pewnack ,
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    @w7voa

    I bet a gazillion dollars Trump didn't write that.

    @Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random

    Unlike you GMO eating sheeple, I only eat organic produce farmed by tradwives stockpiling incendiary ammunition for the next civil war

    pewnack ,
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    @Daojoan

    Just like our grandparents intended

    @lowqualityfacts@mstdn.social avatar lowqualityfacts , to random

    RIP Jimi.

    Although Jimi Hendrix was famous for his guitar skills, his favorite instrument to play was the bagpipe.
    ALT
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    @lowqualityfacts

    Fascinating

    @w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

    The president of the United States, who earlier this week quipped that he’d “like to be pope,” posted this Friday evening on one of his social media accounts.

    AI photo of Trump dressed as the pope.
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    @w7voa

    Let him be Pope. 1. He would do less damage. 2. The cross he would wear would set him alight.