Alex Hern
@hern.bsky.social
AI writer at the Economist. I write about it, that is. I’m still human. One of literally dozens of people online who is not American.
Unzoomed #663 2/6 🟡🟢⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
unzoomed.com even reloading the page, looking at the first zoom level, and _knowing what city it was_ I still couldn't spot anything that would have given it away
unzoomed.com even reloading the page, looking at the first zoom level, and _knowing what city it was_ I still couldn't spot anything that would have given it away
November 11, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Unzoomed #663 2/6 🟡🟢⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️
unzoomed.com even reloading the page, looking at the first zoom level, and _knowing what city it was_ I still couldn't spot anything that would have given it away
unzoomed.com even reloading the page, looking at the first zoom level, and _knowing what city it was_ I still couldn't spot anything that would have given it away
I enjoy the implication that indecent exposure is something you get a pass for if you're terminally ill
![Telegraph headline: Terminally ill man tackled to the ground by six police officers after mooning speed camera as part of his 'bucket list' before dying (subhead: Retired lecturer Darrell Meekcom had been irritated for years at being caught for "silly speeds" while only marginally over the limit). Plus photo of “Darrell Meekcom, a wheelchair user, [who] criticised the police response as "completely disproportionate"”. He is an older man with little hair and an understandably downbeat expression, holding a walking stick which has a head shaped like a bird’s](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:vckf3haopb3yncclmf7o2m3f/bafkreidaovzz3ewtmvdh5oxu4j5vo7lokofefxh2reeerchbrhxqogeaua@jpeg)
November 11, 2025 at 10:27 AM
I enjoy the implication that indecent exposure is something you get a pass for if you're terminally ill
Sometimes the takes I generate are too powerful for a WhatsApp group
November 11, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Sometimes the takes I generate are too powerful for a WhatsApp group
Reposted by Alex Hern
I like how the caption on this photo reads as if he's making a claim that could not be independently verified.
November 6, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I like how the caption on this photo reads as if he's making a claim that could not be independently verified.
Posted to Twitter eight minutes before it was copied and pasted onto bluesky
Elon Musk is deliberately using his platform to poison our politics and divide our country.
It's time for the government to wake up to the threat he poses to our democracy.
It's time for the government to wake up to the threat he poses to our democracy.
November 6, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Posted to Twitter eight minutes before it was copied and pasted onto bluesky
Road pricing is so easy. We already take mileage at every MOT. Don't overthink it/
November 6, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Road pricing is so easy. We already take mileage at every MOT. Don't overthink it/
bsky.app/profile/c-so... the thing that's really noticeable about this is he knows to shut the fuck up
Mamdani was unaware Dick Cheney had died when I asked just now:
November 4, 2025 at 3:34 PM
bsky.app/profile/c-so... the thing that's really noticeable about this is he knows to shut the fuck up
i won't be on the cube?
“We can’t police that whole thing,” Common Crawl said. “It’s not our job. We’re just a bunch of dusty bookshelves.”
Meanwhile, CC has accepted hundreds of thousands in donations from AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. And it expressed open antagonism toward the media:
Meanwhile, CC has accepted hundreds of thousands in donations from AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. And it expressed open antagonism toward the media:
November 4, 2025 at 1:23 PM
i won't be on the cube?
Every day I learn some new fun little cockup from the last government. Today it’s the fact that my flat is required to have separate terrorism insurance on top of its buildings insurance, with premia that imply a full fifth of the risk of damage comes from terrorism. My house lies in a floodplain.
November 3, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Every day I learn some new fun little cockup from the last government. Today it’s the fact that my flat is required to have separate terrorism insurance on top of its buildings insurance, with premia that imply a full fifth of the risk of damage comes from terrorism. My house lies in a floodplain.
This week my daughter has managed to require A&E, 111, and emergency GP for three completely unrelated incidents
November 1, 2025 at 4:47 PM
This week my daughter has managed to require A&E, 111, and emergency GP for three completely unrelated incidents
If you saw this chart in isolation it would be incredibly hard not to conclude that being connected to nature sucks www.theguardian.com/environment/...
November 1, 2025 at 9:37 AM
If you saw this chart in isolation it would be incredibly hard not to conclude that being connected to nature sucks www.theguardian.com/environment/...
You guys have got to stop saying things are made with AI just because you think they’re bad
November 1, 2025 at 9:06 AM
You guys have got to stop saying things are made with AI just because you think they’re bad
Fun fact via @ironeconomist.bsky.social: the national minimum wage is £12.21. If you are over 21, it is illegal to have a low-paid job in the UK.
October 31, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Fun fact via @ironeconomist.bsky.social: the national minimum wage is £12.21. If you are over 21, it is illegal to have a low-paid job in the UK.
As the Queen’s First Troll™ , today feels like a long awaited victory
October 30, 2025 at 8:36 PM
As the Queen’s First Troll™ , today feels like a long awaited victory
The counterparty’s conveyancer
What terrifying thing are you dressing as this Halloween I'm dressing up as acid reflux
October 30, 2025 at 1:53 PM
The counterparty’s conveyancer
the thing about the mamdani auntie is that the Post transparently thought they had a killer scoop – "you told this story about your aunt but we've found your only aunt and she wasn't in New York" – and basically just didn't know what to do when he said "no that's not my only aunt"
October 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM
the thing about the mamdani auntie is that the Post transparently thought they had a killer scoop – "you told this story about your aunt but we've found your only aunt and she wasn't in New York" – and basically just didn't know what to do when he said "no that's not my only aunt"
Sincerely think one of the most useful tips for parents dealing with the NHS is “you can just self-discharge”
October 27, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Sincerely think one of the most useful tips for parents dealing with the NHS is “you can just self-discharge”
trying to domain block a particularly pointless PR agency only to find that they've been emailing me from five different domains for the last six months… feels like they maybe have experienced this before
October 27, 2025 at 1:51 PM
trying to domain block a particularly pointless PR agency only to find that they've been emailing me from five different domains for the last six months… feels like they maybe have experienced this before
Why am I so stressed every evening? Oh well probably nothing let’s spend another hour trying to clear Coral Tower before bed
October 24, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Why am I so stressed every evening? Oh well probably nothing let’s spend another hour trying to clear Coral Tower before bed
£1,800 pcm no pets no dss
October 24, 2025 at 12:28 PM
£1,800 pcm no pets no dss
One point I've not seen flagged in the discussion around Apple not including chargers in the box for the EU is that it's very useful for the company to ship different SKUs to the US and EU given Trump's tariffs, if you need to quietly raise prices for Americans
October 24, 2025 at 9:16 AM
One point I've not seen flagged in the discussion around Apple not including chargers in the box for the EU is that it's very useful for the company to ship different SKUs to the US and EU given Trump's tariffs, if you need to quietly raise prices for Americans
“If you didn’t have [uniquely American legal concept] you wouldn’t have [thing that every developed nation has]” is one of my favourite flavours of yank supremacy
October 23, 2025 at 6:55 PM
“If you didn’t have [uniquely American legal concept] you wouldn’t have [thing that every developed nation has]” is one of my favourite flavours of yank supremacy
it's very nice to be invited to something but if you send me the invitation on the 23rd of october with an "RSVP by" date of the 20th of october it's slightly too obvious that i'm on the b-list
October 23, 2025 at 2:37 PM
it's very nice to be invited to something but if you send me the invitation on the 23rd of october with an "RSVP by" date of the 20th of october it's slightly too obvious that i'm on the b-list