Chris Lay
@chrislay.bsky.social
Villen, lefty, runner, engineer, in that order.
Formerly @christopherlay on the former birdsite.
Formerly chrislay on Zuckbook.
Also @chrislay at extinct pachyderm dot online.
Some ville, Mass
Formerly @christopherlay on the former birdsite.
Formerly chrislay on Zuckbook.
Also @chrislay at extinct pachyderm dot online.
Some ville, Mass
Pinned
Chris Lay
@chrislay.bsky.social
· Jul 24
An idea: UBI+JG. The SOEs staffed by the JG produce the basket of goods and services necessary to dignified material existence and participation in society, priced so that the whole basket costs the UBI. The UBI is fully taxed away by progressive income tax by the time you get to 1.5x median income.
Reposted by Chris Lay
Kavanaugh tries to put the "Kavanaugh Stops" genie back in the bottle
Kavanaugh goes out of his way to pen a footnote not having to deal with the case at hand.
He appears to be trying to narrow the forces he unleashed with his prior opinion allowing for race- and ethnicity-based #KavanaughStops
He appears to be trying to narrow the forces he unleashed with his prior opinion allowing for race- and ethnicity-based #KavanaughStops
December 23, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Kavanaugh tries to put the "Kavanaugh Stops" genie back in the bottle
Reposted by Chris Lay
The internet is revolutionary to free speech because it empowers individuals and citizens to route around censorship in all its forms—even a captured “free” press.
This is why private platform governance; law on internet access or online content, and anonymity online will always matter.
This is why private platform governance; law on internet access or online content, and anonymity online will always matter.
December 23, 2025 at 9:45 PM
The internet is revolutionary to free speech because it empowers individuals and citizens to route around censorship in all its forms—even a captured “free” press.
This is why private platform governance; law on internet access or online content, and anonymity online will always matter.
This is why private platform governance; law on internet access or online content, and anonymity online will always matter.
Reposted by Chris Lay
Basically, more people are struggle bussing more than you know and most of us are in the "let me try this off-label thing and hope for the best" camp.
I wish biomedical research were able to move a lot quicker in a safe way for all our sakes.
I wish biomedical research were able to move a lot quicker in a safe way for all our sakes.
December 23, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Basically, more people are struggle bussing more than you know and most of us are in the "let me try this off-label thing and hope for the best" camp.
I wish biomedical research were able to move a lot quicker in a safe way for all our sakes.
I wish biomedical research were able to move a lot quicker in a safe way for all our sakes.
Reposted by Chris Lay
There's a phenomenon I've noticed where I think some people think other people's chronic illnesses have cures just because there's treatments approved...when in fact people with the other chronic illnesses rarely go into remission, let alone be cured.
December 23, 2025 at 9:01 PM
There's a phenomenon I've noticed where I think some people think other people's chronic illnesses have cures just because there's treatments approved...when in fact people with the other chronic illnesses rarely go into remission, let alone be cured.
Reposted by Chris Lay
This is totally underreported. Trump is not just going after "illegals." He's going after people who were here legally, by changing their status.
These are people who entered the US the right way, and never broke a law. Now they are subject to Trump's whim, his ICE goons, and inhuman detention.
These are people who entered the US the right way, and never broke a law. Now they are subject to Trump's whim, his ICE goons, and inhuman detention.
Trump has revoked legal status for at least 1.6 million immigrants over the past year by cancelling programs like TPS and student visas.
Remember: these are people who entered the country legally.
Trump never cared about “legal immigration" — just inflicting cruelty.
Remember: these are people who entered the country legally.
Trump never cared about “legal immigration" — just inflicting cruelty.
December 23, 2025 at 7:24 PM
This is totally underreported. Trump is not just going after "illegals." He's going after people who were here legally, by changing their status.
These are people who entered the US the right way, and never broke a law. Now they are subject to Trump's whim, his ICE goons, and inhuman detention.
These are people who entered the US the right way, and never broke a law. Now they are subject to Trump's whim, his ICE goons, and inhuman detention.
Reposted by Chris Lay
Reposted by Chris Lay
The thing about elon going to epstein island in 2014 is that Epstein very publicly became a registered convicted sex offender in 2008, 6 years earlier.
Note: Epstein set up Elon's brother Kimbal with a girlfriend in 2011, 3 years after Epstein became a registered convicted sex offender.
Note: Epstein set up Elon's brother Kimbal with a girlfriend in 2011, 3 years after Epstein became a registered convicted sex offender.
September 27, 2025 at 1:58 AM
The thing about elon going to epstein island in 2014 is that Epstein very publicly became a registered convicted sex offender in 2008, 6 years earlier.
Note: Epstein set up Elon's brother Kimbal with a girlfriend in 2011, 3 years after Epstein became a registered convicted sex offender.
Note: Epstein set up Elon's brother Kimbal with a girlfriend in 2011, 3 years after Epstein became a registered convicted sex offender.
Reposted by Chris Lay
Yup. Please MISS ME with any so-called Prosperity Gospel.
Deleting my post about mega churches being a haven for professional money changers. My overall point is that turning churches into an institution that emphasizes decadence and wealth is literally the opposite of Jesus' teachings.
December 23, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Yup. Please MISS ME with any so-called Prosperity Gospel.
Reposted by Chris Lay
For a period of a couple of years during the 2010s I was employed regularly by cattle to shoot the covers for the albums they had recorded. It was always wonderfully inspiring to witness the love, hard work and passion they had put into their music and I think that comes through in the photos.
December 23, 2025 at 6:07 PM
For a period of a couple of years during the 2010s I was employed regularly by cattle to shoot the covers for the albums they had recorded. It was always wonderfully inspiring to witness the love, hard work and passion they had put into their music and I think that comes through in the photos.
This is a critical point. LLMs work with language semiotically, as a set of symbols pointing to other symbols with no external referents. They're useful only for text tasks where correctness doesn't matter or is easy to check.
Most tasks are not *just* text. Math & science aren't styles of writing.
Most tasks are not *just* text. Math & science aren't styles of writing.
Chatbots do not know anything.
They stole every cookbook ever published, statistically analyzed the words in it, and generate output that is statistically similar to those words.
They don't know anything, especially not what those words actually refer to in physical reality.
They stole every cookbook ever published, statistically analyzed the words in it, and generate output that is statistically similar to those words.
They don't know anything, especially not what those words actually refer to in physical reality.
December 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM
This is a critical point. LLMs work with language semiotically, as a set of symbols pointing to other symbols with no external referents. They're useful only for text tasks where correctness doesn't matter or is easy to check.
Most tasks are not *just* text. Math & science aren't styles of writing.
Most tasks are not *just* text. Math & science aren't styles of writing.
Reposted by Chris Lay
Understanding old recipes require that you know a physical universe exists outside of words.
You need to actually know what the words mean, and that they correspond to things that exist, in the world.
Otherwise your dish will come out all fucked up.
You need to actually know what the words mean, and that they correspond to things that exist, in the world.
Otherwise your dish will come out all fucked up.
December 23, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Understanding old recipes require that you know a physical universe exists outside of words.
You need to actually know what the words mean, and that they correspond to things that exist, in the world.
Otherwise your dish will come out all fucked up.
You need to actually know what the words mean, and that they correspond to things that exist, in the world.
Otherwise your dish will come out all fucked up.
Reposted by Chris Lay
In order to use those old recipes, you need to know that physical reality exists and how it works. A chatbot doesn't, it doesn't know anything.
Like Antichef found out in a previous video, mincemeat *used* to contain meat. Meat used to refer to food in general: apples were meat too. So was beef.
Like Antichef found out in a previous video, mincemeat *used* to contain meat. Meat used to refer to food in general: apples were meat too. So was beef.
December 23, 2025 at 12:20 PM
In order to use those old recipes, you need to know that physical reality exists and how it works. A chatbot doesn't, it doesn't know anything.
Like Antichef found out in a previous video, mincemeat *used* to contain meat. Meat used to refer to food in general: apples were meat too. So was beef.
Like Antichef found out in a previous video, mincemeat *used* to contain meat. Meat used to refer to food in general: apples were meat too. So was beef.
Reposted by Chris Lay
This is the most coked up you can be without actually opening a restaurant during the presser
yeah I mean it’s genuinely sad that the “reasonable old school” Republican (who Dems eagerly and unanimously voted to confirm) is out here doing pressers blatantly geeked out coke and it’s not subtle
December 23, 2025 at 4:43 PM
This is the most coked up you can be without actually opening a restaurant during the presser
Reposted by Chris Lay
Probably not good to be near them or have them on your person when whomever was wearing them comes looking for them
Mystery as hundreds of Victorian shoes wash up on Ogmore beach
Mystery as hundreds of Victorian shoes wash up on Ogmore beach
More than 400 leather hobnailed boots, thought to date back to the 19th Century, have been found.
www.bbc.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Probably not good to be near them or have them on your person when whomever was wearing them comes looking for them
Reposted by Chris Lay
”The fascists are evil, sure, but they are not going to overturn established hierarchies...When white liberalism is threatened, it turns out, Yglesias is more concerned about protecting the whiteness than the liberalism.”
@nberlat.bsky.social on Yglesias’ anti-CRT arguments.
@nberlat.bsky.social on Yglesias’ anti-CRT arguments.
I wrote about Yglesias' attack on critical race theory, and why framing Black intellectuals as aggressive sneaky infiltrators threatening to murder innocent liberalism is pretty racist. www.everythingishorrible.net/p/yglesias-a...
Yglesias and Fear of a Black Intellectual
Liberal centrist inadvertently demonstrates the truth of critical race theory
www.everythingishorrible.net
December 23, 2025 at 4:40 PM
”The fascists are evil, sure, but they are not going to overturn established hierarchies...When white liberalism is threatened, it turns out, Yglesias is more concerned about protecting the whiteness than the liberalism.”
@nberlat.bsky.social on Yglesias’ anti-CRT arguments.
@nberlat.bsky.social on Yglesias’ anti-CRT arguments.
Re LRS, the feds are now releasing economic metrics that are obviously cooked, and that are widely understood in real time as cooked. Meanwhile the markets trundle on...
December 23, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Re LRS, the feds are now releasing economic metrics that are obviously cooked, and that are widely understood in real time as cooked. Meanwhile the markets trundle on...
Reposted by Chris Lay
Nobody believes this sh!t...laundered numbers 2 months later, while layoffs abound...
wapo.st/44Jy4rn
[email protected]
wapo.st/44Jy4rn
[email protected]
Economic growth surges in late summer, the highest in two years
“This was the strongest six months of growth since late in 2023, but it certainly didn’t feel that way for most people,” one analyst said.
wapo.st
December 23, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Nobody believes this sh!t...laundered numbers 2 months later, while layoffs abound...
wapo.st/44Jy4rn
[email protected]
wapo.st/44Jy4rn
[email protected]
Reposted by Chris Lay
simply incredible
The Biden DOJ had a perfectly legal avenue to release this to the public—a response to a FOIA request. They may have even been legally obligated to produce it in response to the FOIA request. And they decided not to, to protect Donald Trump’s reputation? What?
Found the Associated Press article where the existence of this letter was first disclosed two years ago, in response to a FOIA request
It's definitely real
apnews.com/article/jeff...
It's definitely real
apnews.com/article/jeff...
December 23, 2025 at 4:35 PM
simply incredible
Reposted by Chris Lay
the Czech Legion needs to be adapted into more settings, because "we're a third party in this civil war and we're going to fight our way to the other side of the world to get home" is awesome (and a great gaming premise)
There's a reason why the Christmas truce is, always, the most interesting story about WWI.
Imagine what you've talked about. Would you talk shit after a goal? Maybe a lot! Maybe not at all.
Imagine what you've talked about. Would you talk shit after a goal? Maybe a lot! Maybe not at all.
December 23, 2025 at 4:34 PM
the Czech Legion needs to be adapted into more settings, because "we're a third party in this civil war and we're going to fight our way to the other side of the world to get home" is awesome (and a great gaming premise)
Reposted by Chris Lay
Yes, there are a few areas where public spending is too generous and a bit more neoliberalism would be a good thing. Roads and parking are a big one. Cops are another.
December 23, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Yes, there are a few areas where public spending is too generous and a bit more neoliberalism would be a good thing. Roads and parking are a big one. Cops are another.
Reposted by Chris Lay
Less than a week after they were installed, many of the flex posts on the BU bridge have been destroyed by vehicles. Appreciate the thought but cyclists clearly need more protection at these intersections.
December 23, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Less than a week after they were installed, many of the flex posts on the BU bridge have been destroyed by vehicles. Appreciate the thought but cyclists clearly need more protection at these intersections.
Reposted by Chris Lay
Also the first English translation of "Just A Gigolo"…
"Georgia On My Mind," "I Got Rhythm," & "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" Among Standards Entering Public Domain In 2026
New Year’s Day also marks Public Domain Day, when the copyrights for thousands of published works expire, allowing anyone to freely record, perform, or interpolate them. This time around that means mu...
stereogum.com
December 23, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Also the first English translation of "Just A Gigolo"…
Reposted by Chris Lay
On New Year’s Day the copyrights for thousands of works expire, allowing anyone to freely record, perform, or interpolate them. That includes compositions (music and lyrics, not recordings) from 1930 including standards like “Georgia On My Mind,” “Dream A Little Dream Of Me,” and “I Got Rhythm.”
December 23, 2025 at 3:37 PM
On New Year’s Day the copyrights for thousands of works expire, allowing anyone to freely record, perform, or interpolate them. That includes compositions (music and lyrics, not recordings) from 1930 including standards like “Georgia On My Mind,” “Dream A Little Dream Of Me,” and “I Got Rhythm.”
Reposted by Chris Lay
Shinju, 2016 by Kazuyuki Futagawa 二川和之 www.instagram.com/kazuyuki_fut...
December 23, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Shinju, 2016 by Kazuyuki Futagawa 二川和之 www.instagram.com/kazuyuki_fut...
Reposted by Chris Lay
Always a good reminder that, for all the US government's rhetoric around combating drug trafficking, it's often involved itself. prospect.org/2025/12/23/n...
The Narco-Terrorist Elite - The American Prospect
Why is Marco Rubio so hell-bent on making Iran-Contra again?
prospect.org
December 23, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Always a good reminder that, for all the US government's rhetoric around combating drug trafficking, it's often involved itself. prospect.org/2025/12/23/n...