Stephen May
@idhrendur.com
Software engineer, Tolkien nerd, reader of books. The paradox converter guy. Probably fae.
http://stephendanielmay.com
idhrendur most places online
http://stephendanielmay.com
idhrendur most places online
Pinned
Stephen May
@idhrendur.com
· Jul 23
Joining the fun.
1 like = 1 opinion of mine
1 like = 1 opinion of mine
I'm a day-and-a-half late to the party, so you all are probably tired of opinions by now, but
1 like = 1 opinion of mine
1 like = 1 opinion of mine
Sure, fine, me too. It'll get me writing non-angry things on here I think.
1 like = 1 opinion of mine
1 like = 1 opinion of mine
Reposted by Stephen May
The thing about saying that genAI will enable the marginalized to create art is that not only is it not true, literally just fucking look at art and music and writing,
but it is saying that a handful of rich pedophiles should be allowed to control whether marginalized people can produce art.
but it is saying that a handful of rich pedophiles should be allowed to control whether marginalized people can produce art.
February 6, 2026 at 3:17 AM
The thing about saying that genAI will enable the marginalized to create art is that not only is it not true, literally just fucking look at art and music and writing,
but it is saying that a handful of rich pedophiles should be allowed to control whether marginalized people can produce art.
but it is saying that a handful of rich pedophiles should be allowed to control whether marginalized people can produce art.
Girl math is weaving, knitting, crocheting, and all other textile working skills.
Girl math is writing a foundational paper on an element of object oriented programming, so foundational that people refer to the later principal bearing your name as 'just subtyping' and not realizing you *defined* what subtyping is.
Girl math is being married to one of the people working on one of the most significant early computers, being the person who helps visitors input their math into the machine (that is, being one of the earliest programmers), and being the first person to code up a Monte Carlo simulation.
February 6, 2026 at 8:49 PM
Girl math is weaving, knitting, crocheting, and all other textile working skills.
Girl math is writing a foundational paper on an element of object oriented programming, so foundational that people refer to the later principal bearing your name as 'just subtyping' and not realizing you *defined* what subtyping is.
Girl math is being married to one of the people working on one of the most significant early computers, being the person who helps visitors input their math into the machine (that is, being one of the earliest programmers), and being the first person to code up a Monte Carlo simulation.
Girl math is writing what is generally considered the first non-trivial computer program, being the first to write about the possibility of programming errors that would cause incorrect results,
February 6, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Girl math is writing a foundational paper on an element of object oriented programming, so foundational that people refer to the later principal bearing your name as 'just subtyping' and not realizing you *defined* what subtyping is.
I continue to insist that the kids are alright. It's not universal, but they do seem to be good on the whole.
And I suspect the banning of leaded gasoline is a bigger part of why than we really want to admit to ourselves.
Like, who wants to confront that they're brain damaged?
And I suspect the banning of leaded gasoline is a bigger part of why than we really want to admit to ourselves.
Like, who wants to confront that they're brain damaged?
February 6, 2026 at 8:24 PM
I continue to insist that the kids are alright. It's not universal, but they do seem to be good on the whole.
And I suspect the banning of leaded gasoline is a bigger part of why than we really want to admit to ourselves.
Like, who wants to confront that they're brain damaged?
And I suspect the banning of leaded gasoline is a bigger part of why than we really want to admit to ourselves.
Like, who wants to confront that they're brain damaged?
Reposted by Stephen May
"I need AI to make art, human art is only for the rich and privileged-"
February 6, 2026 at 7:29 PM
"I need AI to make art, human art is only for the rich and privileged-"
Reposted by Stephen May
I am so interested to see how the same press that lost its collective mind over a tan suit, eating ice cream, falling off a bike, the way a woman laughed, and other meaningless bullshit protects him, and normalizes this despicable, racist, disqualifying behavior that would end any other presidency.
1. It was not an accident.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
2. It was not a staffer.
3. While the president may have dementia his racism is not due to dementia.
4. He isn’t sorry. He means every racist thought he shares.
5. His base agrees with him.
6. He will do it again.
7. No one in power will hold him accountable.
February 6, 2026 at 7:38 PM
I am so interested to see how the same press that lost its collective mind over a tan suit, eating ice cream, falling off a bike, the way a woman laughed, and other meaningless bullshit protects him, and normalizes this despicable, racist, disqualifying behavior that would end any other presidency.
Reposted by Stephen May
AI did not arise out of a real human need. It arose out of billionaires’ agenda that this is what the world needs next so they can be even richer. Everything it does, humans do better, it’s better for them to do. What’s left is that it’s causing people mental crisis, polluting, plagiarizing.
February 6, 2026 at 6:50 PM
AI did not arise out of a real human need. It arose out of billionaires’ agenda that this is what the world needs next so they can be even richer. Everything it does, humans do better, it’s better for them to do. What’s left is that it’s causing people mental crisis, polluting, plagiarizing.
“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
Take away from Me the noise of your songs
But let justice roll down like waters. And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Take away from Me the noise of your songs
But let justice roll down like waters. And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Paula White-Cain at the National Prayer Breakfast: "President Trump has brought religion back to this nation and beyond. It is my great honor to introduce the GOAT -- the greatest of all time. The greatest champion of faith that we have ever had in the executive branch."
February 6, 2026 at 4:39 PM
“I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies.
Take away from Me the noise of your songs
But let justice roll down like waters. And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Take away from Me the noise of your songs
But let justice roll down like waters. And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."
Reposted by Stephen May
The correct answer is “That’s actually refined Nazi propaganda of the sort both parties rejected for 70 years until Trump and his fans reawakened that monster.”
"That's just not true, as you well know" -- Sen. Chris Coons is a bit taken aback after CNBC's Joe Kernen pushes the great replacement theory during an interview
February 6, 2026 at 1:41 PM
The correct answer is “That’s actually refined Nazi propaganda of the sort both parties rejected for 70 years until Trump and his fans reawakened that monster.”
Reposted by Stephen May
Instead, all I had to do was write an essay about it.
For $0.00 you can read what Bret Devereaux (of ACOUP fame) called an "absolute banger of a Tolkien essay" and what my mom (of giving birth to me fame) called "very timely and relevant": "What Lies and Threats: Nationalist Myth-Making in The Lord of the Rings" on @speculativeinsight.bsky.social!
What Lies and Threats — Speculative Insight
Abby Roberts examines the use of national myth-making in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
www.speculativeinsight.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Instead, all I had to do was write an essay about it.
Reposted by Stephen May
If he hadn’t written a novel that distilled the post-war reflection that occurred in history, linguistics, and related disciplines in narrative form, I would’ve had to write it.
February 6, 2026 at 1:47 PM
If he hadn’t written a novel that distilled the post-war reflection that occurred in history, linguistics, and related disciplines in narrative form, I would’ve had to write it.
Reposted by Stephen May
I know all this complaining about the canon is a bit rich from someone whose main platform is “Tolkien is that good actually” but like sorry he is.
February 6, 2026 at 1:46 PM
I know all this complaining about the canon is a bit rich from someone whose main platform is “Tolkien is that good actually” but like sorry he is.
Reposted by Stephen May
We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.
February 6, 2026 at 11:30 AM
We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings. Resistance and change often begin in art, and very often in our art, the art of words.
Reposted by Stephen May
i’m not visually disabled but my wife is and if you need help figuring out what to write for alt text, just imagine you’re telling her what’s in the picture so she can understand the post. “handshake meme, one side says ‘salt’ other says ‘evelyn normielib,’ they meet at ‘fuck ice’.” or whatever
Alt text was on maybe 75% of Bsky images when I first joined. Accessibility is still the right thing to do.
You can hit the gear on the left of yr screen, click accessibility, and get Bsky to remind u to use alt text. It's pretty easy ❤️
You can hit the gear on the left of yr screen, click accessibility, and get Bsky to remind u to use alt text. It's pretty easy ❤️
February 6, 2026 at 4:03 PM
i’m not visually disabled but my wife is and if you need help figuring out what to write for alt text, just imagine you’re telling her what’s in the picture so she can understand the post. “handshake meme, one side says ‘salt’ other says ‘evelyn normielib,’ they meet at ‘fuck ice’.” or whatever
Reposted by Stephen May
Once you’ve experienced a round of corporate layoffs you’ll never stop wanting to beat Jack Welch to death with your bare hands
February 5, 2026 at 7:08 PM
Once you’ve experienced a round of corporate layoffs you’ll never stop wanting to beat Jack Welch to death with your bare hands
Reposted by Stephen May
Reposted by Stephen May
couldn’t politics just be announcing good policies designed to help people next to adorable children at tiny podiums? wouldn’t that be better?
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
February 6, 2026 at 3:46 PM
couldn’t politics just be announcing good policies designed to help people next to adorable children at tiny podiums? wouldn’t that be better?
Reposted by Stephen May
the president of the united states should not be allowed to personally loot the treasury to the sum of ten billion dollars and that this is not resulting in immediate, unanimous impeachment is a dramatic indictment of what has become of our political system
President Trump has filed a lawsuit against the IRS, in which he demands that the IRS, which he as president controls, pay him $10 billion.
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 30, 2026 at 4:33 AM
the president of the united states should not be allowed to personally loot the treasury to the sum of ten billion dollars and that this is not resulting in immediate, unanimous impeachment is a dramatic indictment of what has become of our political system
Reposted by Stephen May
Reposted by Stephen May
"Sure, ICE is bad, but we need to deport illegal immigrants"
No you don't.
If immigration enforcement leads to concentration camps and roving death squads, maybe it's time to just get rid of the concept of illegal immigration entirely. You've tried it, it's a bad idea in practice, so bin it.
No you don't.
If immigration enforcement leads to concentration camps and roving death squads, maybe it's time to just get rid of the concept of illegal immigration entirely. You've tried it, it's a bad idea in practice, so bin it.
February 6, 2026 at 12:10 PM
"Sure, ICE is bad, but we need to deport illegal immigrants"
No you don't.
If immigration enforcement leads to concentration camps and roving death squads, maybe it's time to just get rid of the concept of illegal immigration entirely. You've tried it, it's a bad idea in practice, so bin it.
No you don't.
If immigration enforcement leads to concentration camps and roving death squads, maybe it's time to just get rid of the concept of illegal immigration entirely. You've tried it, it's a bad idea in practice, so bin it.
Reposted by Stephen May
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology
She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.
www.nature.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Stephen May
A lot of "golden age" science fiction has interesting ideas and workman-like-at-best prose, and Asimov was no exception to this. He and many other GA SF writers benefitted from "first-mover" status, and also, editors who preferred neat SF concepts (and men) over exceptional prose (and women).
Luke warm take? His stuff was influential but kinda-mid.
February 5, 2026 at 11:01 PM
A lot of "golden age" science fiction has interesting ideas and workman-like-at-best prose, and Asimov was no exception to this. He and many other GA SF writers benefitted from "first-mover" status, and also, editors who preferred neat SF concepts (and men) over exceptional prose (and women).
Reposted by Stephen May
Reposted by Stephen May
Guess who is once again displaying their ability to hyperfocus on being a hater?
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...
February 5, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Guess who is once again displaying their ability to hyperfocus on being a hater?
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...
It's me, I spent all evening writing my own compilation of all the reasons I think AI sucks so I can post it under genAI-made FB posts.
Work-in-progress, suggestions welcome!
www.skwinnicki.com/single-post/...