Alex Hern
@hern.bsky.social
AI correspondent at the Economist. I write about it, that is. I’m still human. One of literally dozens of people online who is not American.
I'm not a lawyer but it really seems to me like the Supreme Court just decided that the obvious meaning and intention of statute law doesn't count. Wouldn't be the first time!
February 11, 2026 at 4:13 PM
I'm not a lawyer but it really seems to me like the Supreme Court just decided that the obvious meaning and intention of statute law doesn't count. Wouldn't be the first time!
Somewhat baffling Supreme Court ruling today, which seems to hold that statute banning computer programs from being patented doesn't apply if the computer programs require hardware to run. Which is… all computer programs? supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc...
supremecourt.uk
February 11, 2026 at 4:12 PM
Somewhat baffling Supreme Court ruling today, which seems to hold that statute banning computer programs from being patented doesn't apply if the computer programs require hardware to run. Which is… all computer programs? supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc...
Anthropic: “behold! I have created the philosophical zombie from the seminal question of consciousness ‘how can you tell a philosophical zombie isn’t conscious’”
February 11, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Anthropic: “behold! I have created the philosophical zombie from the seminal question of consciousness ‘how can you tell a philosophical zombie isn’t conscious’”
"what if AI never fixes the hallucination issue and gets put into production use anyway despite the fact that it occasionally misfires" oh yeah that would be bad
"What if AI fixes the hallucination issue and is seen as more reliable than humans in areas where precision and accuracy are valued" 😬😬😬
"What if AI fixes the hallucination issue and is seen as more reliable than humans in areas where precision and accuracy are valued" 😬😬😬
February 11, 2026 at 1:40 PM
"what if AI never fixes the hallucination issue and gets put into production use anyway despite the fact that it occasionally misfires" oh yeah that would be bad
"What if AI fixes the hallucination issue and is seen as more reliable than humans in areas where precision and accuracy are valued" 😬😬😬
"What if AI fixes the hallucination issue and is seen as more reliable than humans in areas where precision and accuracy are valued" 😬😬😬
think i've hit a turning point recently and the worlds where AI gets better and fixes its problems are now more concerning to me than the worlds where it doesn't
February 11, 2026 at 1:38 PM
think i've hit a turning point recently and the worlds where AI gets better and fixes its problems are now more concerning to me than the worlds where it doesn't
i quite like the way you're all reinventing the icon of early 00s messageboards, the two-axis political compass
February 11, 2026 at 1:07 PM
i quite like the way you're all reinventing the icon of early 00s messageboards, the two-axis political compass
TÖDLEIN, THE SILENT ARCHER
Move 6” | Wounds 4 | Save 5+ | Bravery 10
MELEE: Bony Grasp (3”, 2 Atks, 4+/4+, -1 Rend, 1 Dmg)
RANGED: Deathly Arrow (18”, 1 Atk, 3+/3+, -2 Rend, D3 Dmg)
ABILITY: Inevitable Shot - Unmodified 6s to hit auto-wound
Move 6” | Wounds 4 | Save 5+ | Bravery 10
MELEE: Bony Grasp (3”, 2 Atks, 4+/4+, -1 Rend, 1 Dmg)
RANGED: Deathly Arrow (18”, 1 Atk, 3+/3+, -2 Rend, D3 Dmg)
ABILITY: Inevitable Shot - Unmodified 6s to hit auto-wound
‘Tödlein’, Death as an archer.
Made from pear wood.
Dated to before 1519; artist: Hans Leinberger
www.khm.at/kunstwerke/t...
Made from pear wood.
Dated to before 1519; artist: Hans Leinberger
www.khm.at/kunstwerke/t...
February 11, 2026 at 9:15 AM
TÖDLEIN, THE SILENT ARCHER
Move 6” | Wounds 4 | Save 5+ | Bravery 10
MELEE: Bony Grasp (3”, 2 Atks, 4+/4+, -1 Rend, 1 Dmg)
RANGED: Deathly Arrow (18”, 1 Atk, 3+/3+, -2 Rend, D3 Dmg)
ABILITY: Inevitable Shot - Unmodified 6s to hit auto-wound
Move 6” | Wounds 4 | Save 5+ | Bravery 10
MELEE: Bony Grasp (3”, 2 Atks, 4+/4+, -1 Rend, 1 Dmg)
RANGED: Deathly Arrow (18”, 1 Atk, 3+/3+, -2 Rend, D3 Dmg)
ABILITY: Inevitable Shot - Unmodified 6s to hit auto-wound
It is absolutely part of the American constitution that the party system is decentralised, open, and not built around mass membership, and the fact that none of that is mentioned in The Constitution is irrelevant
February 10, 2026 at 8:47 PM
It is absolutely part of the American constitution that the party system is decentralised, open, and not built around mass membership, and the fact that none of that is mentioned in The Constitution is irrelevant
This is a great example of what I mean when I say America having The Constitution makes them blind to their own constitution
Do people not realize it is illegal for parties to do this in the United States because we decided around the turn of the last century that we didn't want unaccountable party bosses to decide who we could vote for
People pay because they want their ideology to win
February 10, 2026 at 8:46 PM
This is a great example of what I mean when I say America having The Constitution makes them blind to their own constitution
This is the most freelance journalist experience you’ve ever uttered
February 10, 2026 at 5:07 PM
This is the most freelance journalist experience you’ve ever uttered
would you say, duncan, that he is toast
February 10, 2026 at 10:27 AM
would you say, duncan, that he is toast
i always like headlines like this that can answer with a big ol map
February 10, 2026 at 10:25 AM
i always like headlines like this that can answer with a big ol map
Reposted by Alex Hern
In case you want a prestigious certificate on your wall theagat.co
The AGAT - The Adventure Game Aptitude Test
Can you beat an 80s adventure game without a walkthrough? Prove it by taking the world's first standardized gaming exam.
theagat.co
February 9, 2026 at 8:28 PM
In case you want a prestigious certificate on your wall theagat.co
The way you’ve phrased this makes it sound like you’re proposing annexations
February 9, 2026 at 7:15 PM
The way you’ve phrased this makes it sound like you’re proposing annexations
I’m afraid this is just people who’ve learned critical vocabulary through social media posting and inferred meaning incorrectly
February 9, 2026 at 5:06 PM
I’m afraid this is just people who’ve learned critical vocabulary through social media posting and inferred meaning incorrectly
Gonna have to admit that maybe those of us saying “you’re all addicted to Brexit psychodrama, normal parties don’t just replace their leaders within two years of an election” called it wrong
February 9, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Gonna have to admit that maybe those of us saying “you’re all addicted to Brexit psychodrama, normal parties don’t just replace their leaders within two years of an election” called it wrong
anyway starting to see the emergent logic. you don’t want to take over from him now, but you don’t want to ride the frozen corpse into oblivion either, so eventually you have to quit cabinet. but if enough people quit cabinet then he goes, even if you wish he’d stick around to take all the heat.
February 9, 2026 at 3:17 PM
anyway starting to see the emergent logic. you don’t want to take over from him now, but you don’t want to ride the frozen corpse into oblivion either, so eventually you have to quit cabinet. but if enough people quit cabinet then he goes, even if you wish he’d stick around to take all the heat.
was going to post a picture of hearthstone streamer disguised toast but figure the venn diagram of people who would recognise disguised toast in a context free post and people who care about a bluesky thread in which i find increasingly arcane ways to say keir starmer is toast is just me
February 9, 2026 at 2:51 PM
was going to post a picture of hearthstone streamer disguised toast but figure the venn diagram of people who would recognise disguised toast in a context free post and people who care about a bluesky thread in which i find increasingly arcane ways to say keir starmer is toast is just me
just incredible to have a court case over four weeks' unpaid minimum wages where i'm willing to bet both plaintiff and respondent can buy my sorry arse
February 9, 2026 at 1:44 PM
just incredible to have a court case over four weeks' unpaid minimum wages where i'm willing to bet both plaintiff and respondent can buy my sorry arse
www.ft.com/content/a38d... Absolutely imperative that the UK government builds an immigration programme welcoming to these people
US embassy in London denies visas to executives over minor offences
Immigration lawyers say top-level corporate figures and tech leaders among those barred from visiting America
www.ft.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:12 PM
www.ft.com/content/a38d... Absolutely imperative that the UK government builds an immigration programme welcoming to these people
Amongst the many funny things about this - limiting you to 30 downloads a month? - this entire streaming service will die the second Netflix completes its acquisition
HBO Max is to launch in the UK on Thursday 26th March.
The Pitt S1 will be on there with S2 episodes out weekly.
It will be the home of TNT Sports (£30.99 a month). Four different other packages available from £4.99 a month.
The Pitt S1 will be on there with S2 episodes out weekly.
It will be the home of TNT Sports (£30.99 a month). Four different other packages available from £4.99 a month.
February 9, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Amongst the many funny things about this - limiting you to 30 downloads a month? - this entire streaming service will die the second Netflix completes its acquisition
He’s doesn’t fear political oblivion because he’s already died once and lived to tell the tale
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
He’s doesn’t fear political oblivion because he’s already died once and lived to tell the tale