MrBarrington
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mrbarrington.bsky.social
MrBarrington
@mrbarrington.bsky.social
Stockholm-based, London-born book/language nerd 🤓
Reposted by MrBarrington
“One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss.”

“Which means that Copenhagen, a city of 1.2 million people, saves $357 million a year on health costs because something like 80% of its population commutes by bike.” #CityMakingMath

Some costs aren’t costs.
One mile on a bike is a $.42 economic gain to society, one mile driving is a $.20 loss
Copenhagen, the bicycle-friendliest place on the planet, publishes a biannual Bicycle Account, and buried in its pages is a rather astonishing fact.
grist.org
November 21, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Reposted by MrBarrington
🚨
I am hearing from multiple sources that the EU Commission is announcing its first DSA fine tomorrow against X on ad transparency, blue check & dark pattern, and researcher access to data.

The fine is in the "100s of millions of Euros."

Elon about to get big mad.
December 4, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
it was not... already listed as a high-risk country?
We are acting to safeguard the EU financial system.

Russia is now listed as a high-risk country for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing.

EU entities must apply enhanced vigilance in all transactions involving Russia.

Integrity cannot be compromised.

link.europa.eu/G7Kvcg
December 4, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
Head Writer: ...okay what next?
Writers' Room: What if we made them declare "white" the color of the year?
Head Writer: No, that's too stupid
Writers' Room: Is it? Is it though?
Pantone’s 2026 color of the year is technically not a color at all — meet Cloud Dancer, the first-ever white shade to receive the designation from the world’s color authority.
Pantone makes a surprising choice for its 2026 color of the year
We did not see that coming.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 4, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
HEAT: 2 HOT 2 HANDLE
Leonardo DiCaprio confirms he will star in 'Heat 2'

(via DEADLINE)
December 3, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
Great culture can save lives. Literally.

Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Proof if proof be need be that now Carpenter > Swift, update your charts accordingly
White House ratio'd by the smallest possible pop star.
December 2, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
“Berg's point is that AI doesn't merely automate tasks — it automates the very processes through which people develop their skills.”
We can't really say this enough...

> Anastasia Berg [at UCL Irvine] said that new research — and what she's hearing directly from colleagues across various industries — shows that employees who heavily rely on AI are losing core skills at a startling rate.

www.businessinsider.com/ai-tools-are...
AI tools are 'deskilling' workers, philosophy professor says
A philosophy professor warns that AI reliance is weakening workers' judgment, creativity, and problem-solving.
www.businessinsider.com
November 30, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
Oh, that's where I know him from
November 30, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Reposted by MrBarrington
Someone found a YT link, so here you go:
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead 1990
YouTube video by Rolo Tomasi
youtu.be
November 29, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
A hermit who takes a newspaper is not a hermit in whom one can have complete confidence.
November 29, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
Huge respect to the papers for finding both an 88 year old worried about the tax bill on her 6 bedroom Kensington house and a 20 year old fretting about only being able to save £12k a year tax free.
Top work all around. These are not easy case studies to find.
November 29, 2025 at 9:24 AM
Reposted by MrBarrington
New article inspired by the recent hoopla surrounding Karen Hao's book (re: water use). I argue that "no one should look to the EA community as exemplifying good habits of epistemic and moral conduct." Here's why: www.realtimetechpocalypse.com/p/how-effect...
How Effective Altruists Use Threats and Harassment to Silence Their Critics
How does the Effective Altruist community respond to critics? With threats and harassment. Even people who still call themselves "Effective Altruists" are afraid to openly criticize the community.
www.realtimetechpocalypse.com
November 28, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
‘Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn answered "no" when a BBC journalist asked him whether he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigners.’

Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
November 28, 2025 at 6:28 AM
Reposted by MrBarrington
obligatory
November 20, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
"Runctitiononal features"? "Medical fymblal"? "1 Tol Line storee"? This gets worse the longer you look at it. But it's got to be good, because it was published in Nature Scientific Reports last week: www.nature.com/articles/s41... h/t @asa.tsbalans.se
November 27, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by MrBarrington
No, ChatGPT is not conscious. Are the journalists who keep writing these fucking articles?
November 25, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
This is something that really bothers me in so much talk about benefits including from some policy wonks.

Not everyone who is given something from the state is Oliver Twist, nor should they be.

The state should provide help to all sorts of people in different circs, not just gruel for the needy
Sorry, no, Motability was not about 'helping the most vulnerable' - it was about providing people who need modified vehicles modified vehicles!
November 26, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
If Thiel had actual courage, he'd just name himself the pope and start building a replica of Avignon. But, no, all we get is this anti-christ shite lecture series.
In newly leaked audio, Peter Thiel admits he urged JD Vance to ignore Pope Leo XIV on moral questions — including the ethical development of AI.

He goes even further, branding Leo “the woke American pope” and suggesting he’s a tool of the Antichrist.
NEW: JD Vance’s Top Donor Suggests Pope Leo XIV is Antichrist
In a leaked lecture, Peter Thiel says he’s urged Vance to ignore the pope on moral questions — and simply pray for him.
www.thelettersfromleo.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
please, my bitcoin treasury company, it is sick

on.ft.com/4ogUkzC
Crypto hoarders dump tokens as shares tumble
[FREE TO READ] ‘Digital asset treasury’ craze sours amid $1tn rout in cryptocurrency market
on.ft.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by MrBarrington
"Next time you render your free AI-image in a couple of seconds, will you think of all the work, knowledge and skill that we HUMANS created over hundreds of years that made it possible?"

A medical illustrator had her work stolen by a famous surgeon dudebro ->

www.linkedin.com/posts/amanda...
November 26, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Reposted by MrBarrington
Just having a little cry reading the latest xkcd how about you xkcd.com/3172
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
Sign this petition: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy. #StandWithUkraine #3E

The government responds to petitions with over 10,000 signatures, and at 100,000 signatures the petition is eligible for a parliamentary debate.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
Petition: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy
We are concerned about reported efforts from Russia to influence democracy in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere. We believe we must establish the depth and breadth of possible Russian influence campaig...
petition.parliament.uk
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Reposted by MrBarrington
this is mesmerizing
November 25, 2025 at 6:31 AM