brendo
@bren-o.bsky.social
Reposted by brendo
my @newyorker.com column this week goes in depth on how using AI makes us less original, unique, and creative as writers, thinkers, and communicators. Various new studies are proving that AI is a rampant force of homogenization: www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...
A.I. Is Homogenizing Our Thoughts
Recent studies suggest that tools such as ChatGPT make our brains less active and our writing less original.
www.newyorker.com
June 25, 2025 at 3:42 PM
my @newyorker.com column this week goes in depth on how using AI makes us less original, unique, and creative as writers, thinkers, and communicators. Various new studies are proving that AI is a rampant force of homogenization: www.newyorker.com/culture/infi...
Reposted by brendo
Impossible to watch this video without weeping. What these people have gone through I simply cannot imagine.
‘I just want bread’
This elderly Palestinian man, Sameer, broke down in tears from extreme hunger caused by Israel’s blockade in Gaza. At least 1 in 5 Palestinians faces starvation in Gaza as Israel continues attacks.
This elderly Palestinian man, Sameer, broke down in tears from extreme hunger caused by Israel’s blockade in Gaza. At least 1 in 5 Palestinians faces starvation in Gaza as Israel continues attacks.
May 22, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Impossible to watch this video without weeping. What these people have gone through I simply cannot imagine.
Reposted by brendo
Tesla's latest earnings were abysmal. Strip out EV credits, net interest and 'other', and underlying operations flipped to a loss.
But Musk led the call with a MAGA-gram.
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
But Musk led the call with a MAGA-gram.
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
April 23, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Tesla's latest earnings were abysmal. Strip out EV credits, net interest and 'other', and underlying operations flipped to a loss.
But Musk led the call with a MAGA-gram.
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
But Musk led the call with a MAGA-gram.
@opinion.bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by brendo
unfollowing everyone on linkedin except this guy
April 23, 2025 at 6:35 AM
unfollowing everyone on linkedin except this guy
Reposted by brendo
welcome back david lynch
SORRY. Sorry.
Have we seen this *incredible* news video coming out of Queensland? Wait for the witness/witnesses statement
Have we seen this *incredible* news video coming out of Queensland? Wait for the witness/witnesses statement
April 21, 2025 at 7:21 PM
welcome back david lynch
Reposted by brendo
the culture of lawlessness in silicon valley literally cant be reformed, they are hostile to the basic idea of a nation with laws because they are such special little boys
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale RTd this thread, which says Trump shld act fast & “Fire people who can't be fired. Force them to litigate. Mass deport people who can't be deported. Force them to litigate. Cancel 100s of billions in funding that are not lawful to cancel & force them to litigate.” 1/
April 21, 2025 at 11:05 AM
the culture of lawlessness in silicon valley literally cant be reformed, they are hostile to the basic idea of a nation with laws because they are such special little boys
Reposted by brendo
Richard J. Evans: “The fascist project was to remake human beings into a new kind of ruthless, hard, pitiless entity [and] to expunge humanitarianism from the political system and from people’s consciences.”
Elon Musk sys that he and President Trump are in the process of shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development, escalating their war on the federal bureaucracy and defying the constitutional power of Congress to determine how money is spent.
Elon Musk says he and Trump are shutting down USAID
Musk announced the planned closure of the foreign assistance agency early Monday morning on social media.
www.nbcnews.com
February 3, 2025 at 10:07 AM
Richard J. Evans: “The fascist project was to remake human beings into a new kind of ruthless, hard, pitiless entity [and] to expunge humanitarianism from the political system and from people’s consciences.”
Reposted by brendo
a large part of white collar work is having no idea what someone is talking about when they ask you to do something but labouring to figure it out from context clues
April 17, 2025 at 2:27 PM
a large part of white collar work is having no idea what someone is talking about when they ask you to do something but labouring to figure it out from context clues
Reposted by brendo
Only need to look at the pre-1980 part of this chart to see why Bessent is so keen on making banks' Treasury holdings great again.
Yield on 10y Treasuries back above 4.5%. We're not sure who's selling but we know who the holders are. I wrote a short post with some hopefully helpful dataviz based on TIC and financial accounts. Key points:
1. Foreign holdings as % of total: declining since 2008.
benjaminbraun.org/posts/treasu...
1. Foreign holdings as % of total: declining since 2008.
benjaminbraun.org/posts/treasu...
April 15, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Only need to look at the pre-1980 part of this chart to see why Bessent is so keen on making banks' Treasury holdings great again.
Reposted by brendo
one of my tiktok followers made this
April 8, 2025 at 5:20 PM
one of my tiktok followers made this
Fark. Another offside clinical finish for Nelli
April 1, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Fark. Another offside clinical finish for Nelli
Reposted by brendo
this is disgusting.
Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem making content in front of the imprisoned men of El Salvador's notorious Terrorism Confinement Center mega-prison www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
March 27, 2025 at 1:52 AM
this is disgusting.
Reposted by brendo
Not to be a wide-eyed naïf about such things but... am I right in thinking that they levelled an entire building to get to one guy and *that* is not controversial to anyone in the American media or political class, only that this information was recklessly shared in an unsecured chat?
March 26, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Not to be a wide-eyed naïf about such things but... am I right in thinking that they levelled an entire building to get to one guy and *that* is not controversial to anyone in the American media or political class, only that this information was recklessly shared in an unsecured chat?
Reposted by brendo
Masked plainclothes goons snatching someone who's committed no crime off the street? I'd say we're in the bad place, folks
Not sure if this has been shared here yet, but this is video of Rumeysa Ozturk's arrest posted by WCVB. It's terrifying.
March 26, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Masked plainclothes goons snatching someone who's committed no crime off the street? I'd say we're in the bad place, folks
Reposted by brendo
Reposted by brendo
mr beast talking about the human lives he has trapped in simultaneous simulations with "cant wait to upload these" is why black mirror can never be as good as it used to be
March 20, 2025 at 1:18 AM
mr beast talking about the human lives he has trapped in simultaneous simulations with "cant wait to upload these" is why black mirror can never be as good as it used to be
Reposted by brendo
YouTube’s play button doing the lord’s work
March 20, 2025 at 1:35 AM
YouTube’s play button doing the lord’s work
Reposted by brendo
on my way to the flight to El Salvador after being convicted of "extreme domestic terrorism" for calling Elon Musk a "stupid head" online (2026, colorized)
March 19, 2025 at 4:58 PM
on my way to the flight to El Salvador after being convicted of "extreme domestic terrorism" for calling Elon Musk a "stupid head" online (2026, colorized)
Reposted by brendo
This was very similar to how I saw us lose to Mourinho’s peak Chelsea team several times. Nick a goal and then hold them off cos you’re physically stronger and your defence is better than their attack.
March 16, 2025 at 3:34 PM
This was very similar to how I saw us lose to Mourinho’s peak Chelsea team several times. Nick a goal and then hold them off cos you’re physically stronger and your defence is better than their attack.
Reposted by brendo
"When partisanship is taken into account along with class, the ["Trump's Kryptonite"] study finds that “Democratic working-class respondents strongly favor candidates promoting progressive social policies,” while Republican working-class respondents sharply oppose them."
jacobin.com/2025/03/clas...
jacobin.com/2025/03/clas...
Is This Really the “Age of Class Dealignment”?
Class dealignment perspectives tend to overstate the extent to which center-left parties can boost their fortunes today through a strict focus on pocketbook issues.
jacobin.com
March 15, 2025 at 5:53 PM
"When partisanship is taken into account along with class, the ["Trump's Kryptonite"] study finds that “Democratic working-class respondents strongly favor candidates promoting progressive social policies,” while Republican working-class respondents sharply oppose them."
jacobin.com/2025/03/clas...
jacobin.com/2025/03/clas...
Reposted by brendo
The courage of Mahmoud Khalil's family releasing this terrifying footage
vs.
the total capitulation of Senate Democrats.
vs.
the total capitulation of Senate Democrats.
NEW: Family of Mahmoud Khalil just released footage of his arrest
“Stop resisting”
“He’s not resisting”
Agents seen continuing to ignore Mahmoud’s wife as she asks basic questions
“Stop resisting”
“He’s not resisting”
Agents seen continuing to ignore Mahmoud’s wife as she asks basic questions
March 14, 2025 at 10:01 PM
The courage of Mahmoud Khalil's family releasing this terrifying footage
vs.
the total capitulation of Senate Democrats.
vs.
the total capitulation of Senate Democrats.
Reposted by brendo
This should terrify every person in this country. The use of machine learning systems to approximate an individuals views on war and then, if they are here lawfully on a visa, tag them for deportation is about as sci-fi dystopian as it gets.
www.axios.com/2025/03/06/s...
www.axios.com/2025/03/06/s...
Scoop: State Dept. to use AI to revoke visas of foreign students who appear "pro-Hamas"
The effort includes AI-assisted reviews of tens of thousands of student visa holders' social media accounts and marks a dramatic escalation in the U.S. government's policing of foreign nationals' cond...
www.axios.com
March 13, 2025 at 12:09 PM
This should terrify every person in this country. The use of machine learning systems to approximate an individuals views on war and then, if they are here lawfully on a visa, tag them for deportation is about as sci-fi dystopian as it gets.
www.axios.com/2025/03/06/s...
www.axios.com/2025/03/06/s...