Nitish Pahwa
@nitishpahwa.com
staff writer for business/tech @slate.com and online media council rep @wgaeast.bsky.social. words also in NYT, LARB, and POW Magazine. he/him. blurry visionary, blue-pill mercenary
Pinned
Nitish Pahwa
@nitishpahwa.com
· 27d
His Cartoons Were Beloved. He Created a Gen X Icon. But His Controversies Tarnished It All.
While generations of fans may have loved “Dilbert,” its creator devolved into something unrecognizable as he embraced the MAGA age.
slate.com
wrote about Scott Adams, a once-brilliant and -incisive cartoonist whom I used to genuinely admire—and whose work and worldview, in retrospect, were always blinkered and constricted in ways that presaged his racist MAGA turn and second career: slate.com/business/202...
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
How Windows 95 got permission to put the Weezer video Buddy Holly on the CD
devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/...
devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/...
February 10, 2026 at 11:06 PM
How Windows 95 got permission to put the Weezer video Buddy Holly on the CD
devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/...
devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/...
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
Like 75% of the US Olympic curlers are from Minnesota. A lot of them curl out of two clubs in Saint Paul, one club is in Frogtown, a neighborhood that has been very heavily targeted by ICE. These curlers are good neighbors.
US Olympic Curling Team member speaks out against ICE:
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
February 10, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Like 75% of the US Olympic curlers are from Minnesota. A lot of them curl out of two clubs in Saint Paul, one club is in Frogtown, a neighborhood that has been very heavily targeted by ICE. These curlers are good neighbors.
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
US-supplied internationally prohibited thermal & thermobaric munitions burning at 3,500C have left no trace of nearly 3,000 Palestinians, @aljazeera.com reveals. “We found nothing of Saad. Not even a body to bury. That was the hardest part,” says one mother. www.aljazeera.com/features/202...
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
US-made thermal weapons burning at 3,500C caused 2,842 people to "evaporate" in Gaza, Al Jazeera investigation finds.
www.aljazeera.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:11 PM
US-supplied internationally prohibited thermal & thermobaric munitions burning at 3,500C have left no trace of nearly 3,000 Palestinians, @aljazeera.com reveals. “We found nothing of Saad. Not even a body to bury. That was the hardest part,” says one mother. www.aljazeera.com/features/202...
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
Churches in Springfield provide networks of support as Haitians face uncertainty over the future of TPS legal protections
Ohio churches resist Trump’s attacks on Haitian community: ‘We’re powerful when we come together’
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:31 PM
Churches in Springfield provide networks of support as Haitians face uncertainty over the future of TPS legal protections
Vulture about to get hit with the most WhatsApp referrals it's ever seen
(it'a a lovely profile, per usual Traister tackled this quite well)
(it'a a lovely profile, per usual Traister tackled this quite well)
www.vulture.com/article/what...
The Mayor’s Mother What Mira Nair taught Zohran Mamdani.
The Mayor’s Mother What Mira Nair taught Zohran Mamdani.
What Mira Nair Taught Zohran Mamdani
The mayor’s famous filmmaker mother reveals the origins of his ferocious ambition.
www.vulture.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:32 PM
Vulture about to get hit with the most WhatsApp referrals it's ever seen
(it'a a lovely profile, per usual Traister tackled this quite well)
(it'a a lovely profile, per usual Traister tackled this quite well)
Max B ridin the wave as only the Silver Surfer can 🏄♂️ 🌊 🫡
"Took Over The Algorithms ... The Algorithms Is The New Streets ... Neo In The Matrix -- Since I'm The One, I Took The Blue Pill"
February 10, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Max B ridin the wave as only the Silver Surfer can 🏄♂️ 🌊 🫡
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
I parsed through some of the emails in the Epstein files, and it’s very clear that Epstein was a eugenicist weirdo. Something he very much had in common with the billionaire class à la Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Donald Trump. New for @motherjones.com.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Epstein couldn't stop emailing people about eugenics
In the latest files, the trafficker gives it a Silicon Valley–pilled name: "genetic altruism."
www.motherjones.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:47 PM
I parsed through some of the emails in the Epstein files, and it’s very clear that Epstein was a eugenicist weirdo. Something he very much had in common with the billionaire class à la Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and Donald Trump. New for @motherjones.com.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
One of the things I really want to emphasize is that while FunFactor is centred around retro gaming magazines, it’s really a show about games history, media, community, and the way video games shape our lives and culture.
Nostalgia for old gaming mags is not a requirement to enjoy the show!
Nostalgia for old gaming mags is not a requirement to enjoy the show!
It's FunFactor Fuuuuuuuuuesday!
In today's episode of @funfactorpod.com, @tyschalter.com paints a word picture, I get confused about Final Fantasy VIII's launch date, THE SPOILER gets spoiled, and we take a look at Game Informer #53's review of GoldenEye 64—a game we both respect more than like.
In today's episode of @funfactorpod.com, @tyschalter.com paints a word picture, I get confused about Final Fantasy VIII's launch date, THE SPOILER gets spoiled, and we take a look at Game Informer #53's review of GoldenEye 64—a game we both respect more than like.
Great FPS or Millennial friendslop? It's GoldenEye 64 in Game Informer #53!
YouTube video by FunFactor Podcast
youtu.be
February 10, 2026 at 9:37 PM
One of the things I really want to emphasize is that while FunFactor is centred around retro gaming magazines, it’s really a show about games history, media, community, and the way video games shape our lives and culture.
Nostalgia for old gaming mags is not a requirement to enjoy the show!
Nostalgia for old gaming mags is not a requirement to enjoy the show!
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
We've lost the plot
February 10, 2026 at 8:19 PM
We've lost the plot
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
this excellent Adam Shatz essay articulated this dynamic quite well I thought www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
February 10, 2026 at 8:53 PM
this excellent Adam Shatz essay articulated this dynamic quite well I thought www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
SCOOP: Tensions at Palantir have grown in recent weeks over the company's work with ICE.
On Friday, CEO Alex Karp tried to calm concerns in an hourlong video that offered few specifics—instead offering NDAs to workers who want to understand how it's empowering ICE.
www.wired.com/story/palant...
On Friday, CEO Alex Karp tried to calm concerns in an hourlong video that offered few specifics—instead offering NDAs to workers who want to understand how it's empowering ICE.
www.wired.com/story/palant...
Palantir CEO Alex Karp Recorded a Video About ICE for His Employees
In a video shared with Palantir employees, Alex Karp did not explain how ICE is utilizing the company's products. Instead, workers were told they can sign NDAs if they want detailed information.
www.wired.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:04 PM
SCOOP: Tensions at Palantir have grown in recent weeks over the company's work with ICE.
On Friday, CEO Alex Karp tried to calm concerns in an hourlong video that offered few specifics—instead offering NDAs to workers who want to understand how it's empowering ICE.
www.wired.com/story/palant...
On Friday, CEO Alex Karp tried to calm concerns in an hourlong video that offered few specifics—instead offering NDAs to workers who want to understand how it's empowering ICE.
www.wired.com/story/palant...
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
Posting must come first
February 10, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Posting must come first
wow the TPUSA Kid Rock spectacle even lost GROK
(no idea what's going on with that Rick Ross item though)
(no idea what's going on with that Rick Ross item though)
February 10, 2026 at 8:29 PM
wow the TPUSA Kid Rock spectacle even lost GROK
(no idea what's going on with that Rick Ross item though)
(no idea what's going on with that Rick Ross item though)
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
A little update to this. A source emailed me to say they'd used an industry tool to look up Coral Hart's sales and they totaled only 37 copies for the books under that pen name.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
I wrote about why I'm skeptical of that AI author earning six figures pumping out 200 books a year story, but also about how authors might need to surf above the waves of slop countercraft.substack.com/p/surfs-up-i...
Surf's Up in Slop City
How should authors navigate a world with disappearing books coverage and a rising flood of AI slop books?
countercraft.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 8:18 PM
A little update to this. A source emailed me to say they'd used an industry tool to look up Coral Hart's sales and they totaled only 37 copies for the books under that pen name.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
So, yeah I do not believe the six figures on 50k sales the NYT reported.
yes, and this is (unfortunately and infuriatingly) why so many of the federal bills introduced to address "child safety"/deepfakes rarely contain any policies that *would* protect kids online, and instead describe "offending content" in the haziest, vaguest manner: slate.com/technology/2...
When a sitting representative refers to the Super Bowl halftime show as “pornography,” people should use that to reflect on how they and other representatives are simultaneously working to ban, censor, and restrict “pornography” and what that actually means
February 10, 2026 at 7:48 PM
yes, and this is (unfortunately and infuriatingly) why so many of the federal bills introduced to address "child safety"/deepfakes rarely contain any policies that *would* protect kids online, and instead describe "offending content" in the haziest, vaguest manner: slate.com/technology/2...
MrBeast just did a Super Bowl ad for this guy's company.
anyway remember the time Benioff invited Trump to sic the National Guard on San Francisco
anyway remember the time Benioff invited Trump to sic the National Guard on San Francisco
This is an example of “Silicon Valley CEOs and their inability to divorce ICE and the complete lack of understanding of why that makes them monsters,” a Salesforce employee told 404 Media.
In October, Salesforce told ICE that it would be willing to allow the agency to use its AI to hire.
In October, Salesforce told ICE that it would be willing to allow the agency to use its AI to hire.
Marc Benioff 'Jokes' ICE Is Watching Salesforce Employees Who Traveled to the U.S.
"Employees are going absolutely apeshit in internal Slack about how completely awful it was."
www.404media.co
February 10, 2026 at 7:45 PM
MrBeast just did a Super Bowl ad for this guy's company.
anyway remember the time Benioff invited Trump to sic the National Guard on San Francisco
anyway remember the time Benioff invited Trump to sic the National Guard on San Francisco
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
A federal government MAHA website, advertised during the superbowl, is directing users to Grok to "get real answers about real food"? (Via @almsnatalie.bsky.social)
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...
Trump’s nutrition website directs users to Elon Musk’s Grok
The inclusion of Elon Musk’s chatbot in the government website follows backlash over the chatbot creating millions of sexualized images of women and children.
www.nextgov.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:43 PM
A federal government MAHA website, advertised during the superbowl, is directing users to Grok to "get real answers about real food"? (Via @almsnatalie.bsky.social)
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...
www.nextgov.com/digital-gove...
KD remains the single funniest player in the league and it ain't close
Kevin Durant becomes the new face of legs.
For years fans were mocking KD's ashy legs.
Well, now he used it to get a new bag
For years fans were mocking KD's ashy legs.
Well, now he used it to get a new bag
February 10, 2026 at 6:31 PM
KD remains the single funniest player in the league and it ain't close
"In the three years that I worked at the Post, I fielded mail from all manner of people. … What they often evinced was better than interest, better even than bibliophilia; it was the rare and precious capacity to be interested in what they didn’t already know interested them."
The End of Books Coverage at the Washington Post
Becca Rothfeld, a former critic at the Washington Post, on the death of the paper’s books section.
www.newyorker.com
February 10, 2026 at 6:15 PM
"In the three years that I worked at the Post, I fielded mail from all manner of people. … What they often evinced was better than interest, better even than bibliophilia; it was the rare and precious capacity to be interested in what they didn’t already know interested them."
How I Met Your Mother might have the record for most horrific relationships throughout
With Valentine’s Day coming up… what’s your LEAST favorite romance in a sitcom?
February 10, 2026 at 5:48 PM
How I Met Your Mother might have the record for most horrific relationships throughout
pretty big strategic misfire by Delgado here, all around
NEW: New York Lt. Gov Antonio Delgado is suspending his gubernatorial campaign challenging Gov. Kathy Hochul
February 10, 2026 at 4:27 PM
pretty big strategic misfire by Delgado here, all around
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
Still in front of the paywall
February 10, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Still in front of the paywall
Reposted by Nitish Pahwa
It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t hate people who have need
The rule would have required people to prove they’ve been on the streets or in and out of shelters for at least six months before they can qualify for a safe haven bed.
www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/10/m...
www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/10/m...
Mamdani to Rescind New Rule That Would Have Restricted Shelter Access
The rule would have required people to prove they’ve been on the streets or in and out of shelters for at least six months before they can qualify for a safe haven bed.
www.thecity.nyc
February 10, 2026 at 4:09 PM
It’s amazing what you can do when you don’t hate people who have need