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.
'oh you just go through yonkers to pleasantville', real directions in new york, and americans mock _british_ place names
February 12, 2026 at 3:05 PM
'oh you just go through yonkers to pleasantville', real directions in new york, and americans mock _british_ place names
the guy saying that AI destroying software engineering means it will shortly destroy all knowledge work is overextrapolating from his own career and not acknowledging the specific features of coding that made it amenable to this
he's also not really wrong about his own career though
he's also not really wrong about his own career though
February 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
the guy saying that AI destroying software engineering means it will shortly destroy all knowledge work is overextrapolating from his own career and not acknowledging the specific features of coding that made it amenable to this
he's also not really wrong about his own career though
he's also not really wrong about his own career though
Reposted by Alex Hern
What 1.4m emails reveal about Jeffrey Epstein's network.
@economist.com data-team (et Jmail) effort on America's most notorious sex offender
www.economist.com/interactive/...
@economist.com data-team (et Jmail) effort on America's most notorious sex offender
www.economist.com/interactive/...
February 12, 2026 at 1:48 PM
What 1.4m emails reveal about Jeffrey Epstein's network.
@economist.com data-team (et Jmail) effort on America's most notorious sex offender
www.economist.com/interactive/...
@economist.com data-team (et Jmail) effort on America's most notorious sex offender
www.economist.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Alex Hern
February 12, 2026 at 9:47 AM
Something that feels important about the Ratcliffe comments is they aren’t simply innumeracy. Everyone has problems with this sort of thing at times, because we have no intuitive feel for the difference between very large numbers. But this seems distinct
February 12, 2026 at 9:20 AM
Something that feels important about the Ratcliffe comments is they aren’t simply innumeracy. Everyone has problems with this sort of thing at times, because we have no intuitive feel for the difference between very large numbers. But this seems distinct
Trying
Overseas tycoons such as Elon Musk would be barred from giving substantial donations to UK political parties under new legislation to block companies making gifts if they do not have British owners or make sufficient revenue in the country
www.ft.com/content/f4ed...
www.ft.com/content/f4ed...
UK to ban political party donations from foreign-owned companies
Government says new legislation will curb overseas interference in elections
www.ft.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:39 AM
Trying
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’”
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
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
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
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
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
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
what's happening in 2033. what do they know
February 9, 2026 at 9:22 AM
what's happening in 2033. what do they know
Rejoinerism would honestly be an extremely good strategy for Labour to pursue at this point
February 8, 2026 at 6:17 PM
Rejoinerism would honestly be an extremely good strategy for Labour to pursue at this point
FYI Elder Millennials: the figure skating heat has a 90s theme. Poland does Everybody Dance Now, France goes for Vogue, Georgia plays Pretty Fly For a White Guy and Britain works a Spice Girls medley
February 7, 2026 at 6:43 PM
FYI Elder Millennials: the figure skating heat has a 90s theme. Poland does Everybody Dance Now, France goes for Vogue, Georgia plays Pretty Fly For a White Guy and Britain works a Spice Girls medley
Reposted by Alex Hern
The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'SAVE US!'...and Ed will look down and whisper 'okie dokie then’.
February 6, 2026 at 7:37 PM
The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'SAVE US!'...and Ed will look down and whisper 'okie dokie then’.
When you see that label in your replies you know you’re in for a good time
February 6, 2026 at 7:26 PM
When you see that label in your replies you know you’re in for a good time
GUY WHO FOLLOWS BRITISH POLITICS CLOSELY BUT ALSO HAS RETROGRADE AMNESIA: still just absolutely reeling from the news that peter mandleson had compromising connections to wealthy crooks. it must have been such a shock to keir starmer to discover that fact. there were no warning signs
February 6, 2026 at 2:47 PM
GUY WHO FOLLOWS BRITISH POLITICS CLOSELY BUT ALSO HAS RETROGRADE AMNESIA: still just absolutely reeling from the news that peter mandleson had compromising connections to wealthy crooks. it must have been such a shock to keir starmer to discover that fact. there were no warning signs
Reposted by Alex Hern
in this week's newsletter! my very, very hot take, which is that one of the reasons politics has got bad is that our politicians have got.......too good - do read it, see what you think, shout at me, etc youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/politics-i... [free edition!]
February 6, 2026 at 10:23 AM
in this week's newsletter! my very, very hot take, which is that one of the reasons politics has got bad is that our politicians have got.......too good - do read it, see what you think, shout at me, etc youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/politics-i... [free edition!]
Normal building: buy parts from a catalogue that are made in a factory
Fancy building: buy parts from a catalogue that are made by an artisan
Bespoke building: commission an artisan to make parts to order
The House of Commons restore and rebuild: commission a university to make artisans to order
Fancy building: buy parts from a catalogue that are made by an artisan
Bespoke building: commission an artisan to make parts to order
The House of Commons restore and rebuild: commission a university to make artisans to order
February 6, 2026 at 8:44 AM
Normal building: buy parts from a catalogue that are made in a factory
Fancy building: buy parts from a catalogue that are made by an artisan
Bespoke building: commission an artisan to make parts to order
The House of Commons restore and rebuild: commission a university to make artisans to order
Fancy building: buy parts from a catalogue that are made by an artisan
Bespoke building: commission an artisan to make parts to order
The House of Commons restore and rebuild: commission a university to make artisans to order
Finished this on the plane on Monday. Great little one shot
February 5, 2026 at 2:18 PM
Finished this on the plane on Monday. Great little one shot
Frog FURIOUS that Scorpion promised not to sting.
February 5, 2026 at 11:53 AM
Frog FURIOUS that Scorpion promised not to sting.