Jeff Bernstone
@jbernstone.bsky.social
Boston based freelance writer and content strategist. Culturally ambiguous by design. Mercenary, but not in that French Foreign Legion way. Once referred to as an asshole by Patti Smith. She was justified. My cat will beat up your dog.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
NEW ESSAY — On the Moorish Revival castles of two eccentric Italian aristocrats: Cesare Mattei's Rochetta Mattei, optimised for electrohomeopathic healing, and Ferdinando Panciatichi's Castello di Sammezzano, an immersive, orientalist fever dream: publicdomainreview.org/essay/a-thou...
December 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
NEW ESSAY — On the Moorish Revival castles of two eccentric Italian aristocrats: Cesare Mattei's Rochetta Mattei, optimised for electrohomeopathic healing, and Ferdinando Panciatichi's Castello di Sammezzano, an immersive, orientalist fever dream: publicdomainreview.org/essay/a-thou...
"The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth—it is the truth which conceals that there is none.
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan
Hunter Biden's laptop. The lab leak theory. QAnon.
What started with a row over fact-checking and moderation of particular stories on social media has turned into a worldwide battle on the nature and limits of free speech online.
Read more from @jamesrball.com: www.theverge.com/features/839...
What started with a row over fact-checking and moderation of particular stories on social media has turned into a worldwide battle on the nature and limits of free speech online.
Read more from @jamesrball.com: www.theverge.com/features/839...
December 9, 2025 at 7:51 PM
"The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth—it is the truth which conceals that there is none.
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Pierre Guyotat’s rendition of the genocidal savagery of one colonial war arrives in English as we confront another. His account of atrocity is unblinking and his books remind us to see clearly when everything else tells us to look away.
Violence and the Sacred | Ryan Ruby
Violence may not be the totality of life, but it is closer to the core than humanists would have us believe.
thebaffler.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Pierre Guyotat’s rendition of the genocidal savagery of one colonial war arrives in English as we confront another. His account of atrocity is unblinking and his books remind us to see clearly when everything else tells us to look away.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
“Culturally deaf activists and thinkers tend to describe being deaf as distinct from disability; to them, deaf people are a linguistic minority like Arabic or Vietnamese speakers in the United States; the disadvantage is structural rather than intrinsic.”
Manual Labor | Andrew Leland
How deaf artists and writers are grappling with a second Trump administration keen on dismantling the Americans with Disabilities Act.
thebaffler.com
November 5, 2025 at 4:52 PM
“Culturally deaf activists and thinkers tend to describe being deaf as distinct from disability; to them, deaf people are a linguistic minority like Arabic or Vietnamese speakers in the United States; the disadvantage is structural rather than intrinsic.”
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
William Mortensen, "The Incubus" or "Masks from the West of Zanzibar" 1928.
November 4, 2025 at 8:48 AM
William Mortensen, "The Incubus" or "Masks from the West of Zanzibar" 1928.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
New eugenics startup just dropped.
Here’s the latest company planning for gene-edited babies
Entrepreneurs say it’s time to safety-test designer baby technology.
www.technologyreview.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:08 PM
New eugenics startup just dropped.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
In 2021, the Pandora Papers revealed that the Legion of Christ organization stashed nearly $300 million overseas in the wake of a Vatican investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
Check out the latest HBO series, "Marcial Maciel: the Wolf of God":
Check out the latest HBO series, "Marcial Maciel: the Wolf of God":
New TV series highlights ICIJ reporting on disgraced Legion of Christ priest - ICIJ
Documents from the Paradise and Pandora Papers leaks showed the "full extent" of the hidden financial schemes set up by Marcial Maciel, a priest found to have molested at least 60 children.
buff.ly
October 22, 2025 at 9:57 PM
In 2021, the Pandora Papers revealed that the Legion of Christ organization stashed nearly $300 million overseas in the wake of a Vatican investigation into sexual abuse allegations.
Check out the latest HBO series, "Marcial Maciel: the Wolf of God":
Check out the latest HBO series, "Marcial Maciel: the Wolf of God":
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Happy 82nd Birthday to 🇫🇷French actress and film producer #CatherineDeneuve born #OnThisDay in Paris
October 22, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Happy 82nd Birthday to 🇫🇷French actress and film producer #CatherineDeneuve born #OnThisDay in Paris
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Remembering Raphael Ravenscroft 🎷, who died today 19th October 2014
Played the saxophone break on Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" for which he was reputed paid £27.50.
#photooftheday #ClassicRock #MusicSky #music
📸 Roy Anderson
Played the saxophone break on Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" for which he was reputed paid £27.50.
#photooftheday #ClassicRock #MusicSky #music
📸 Roy Anderson
October 19, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Remembering Raphael Ravenscroft 🎷, who died today 19th October 2014
Played the saxophone break on Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" for which he was reputed paid £27.50.
#photooftheday #ClassicRock #MusicSky #music
📸 Roy Anderson
Played the saxophone break on Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" for which he was reputed paid £27.50.
#photooftheday #ClassicRock #MusicSky #music
📸 Roy Anderson
There was a dream I had once where an Italian actress who shall not be named taught me everything I needed to know about punctuation rules and editing. Namely, that they're arbitrary and inherently totalitarian. And she was right. That's why I'm so rich. Timothy Dexter, thou art avenged.
After complaints about Timothy Dexter's A Pickle for the Knowing Ones (1797) being entirely devoid of punctuation, in future editions the eccentric businessman supplied a supplemental page so that people “may peper and solt as they please”: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/dexter-pickle
October 14, 2025 at 2:27 PM
There was a dream I had once where an Italian actress who shall not be named taught me everything I needed to know about punctuation rules and editing. Namely, that they're arbitrary and inherently totalitarian. And she was right. That's why I'm so rich. Timothy Dexter, thou art avenged.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
The Senate Intelligence Authorization Act contains a major change that would allow the CIA’s top lawyer to avoid the Senate confirmation process. In an era of creeping authoritarianism this could hasten the Intelligence Community’s use as a tool of political espionage. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
EFF and Other Organizations: Keep Key Intelligence Positions Senate
In a joint letter to the ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, EFF has joined with 20 other organizations, including the ACLU, Brennan Center, CDT, Asian Americans
www.eff.org
October 12, 2025 at 4:58 PM
The Senate Intelligence Authorization Act contains a major change that would allow the CIA’s top lawyer to avoid the Senate confirmation process. In an era of creeping authoritarianism this could hasten the Intelligence Community’s use as a tool of political espionage. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
i had no idea this is how canada's supreme court dresses
October 7, 2025 at 12:49 AM
i had no idea this is how canada's supreme court dresses
That OpenAI has a naive presumption that "creators" are inherently noble and acting in good faith isn't just laughable. It's as crippling as cancer. But AMD shareholder value gon' shoot up up uppity up up and at the end of the day, that's all you noncified greedheads seem to give a fuck about.
“…that Sora is being used for stalking and harassment will likely not be an edge case, because deepfaking yourself and others into videos is one of its core selling points.”
Far from an edge case, it’s the primary use case.
Far from an edge case, it’s the primary use case.
Stalker Already Using OpenAI's Sora 2 to Harass Victim
A journalist claims that her stalker used Sora 2, the latest video app from OpenAI, to churn out videos of her.
futurism.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:49 AM
That OpenAI has a naive presumption that "creators" are inherently noble and acting in good faith isn't just laughable. It's as crippling as cancer. But AMD shareholder value gon' shoot up up uppity up up and at the end of the day, that's all you noncified greedheads seem to give a fuck about.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Grim Reaper comes back to haunt #Harvard Medical School as court reinstates suit over the way its morgue manager sliced off and sold body parts
www.universalhub.com/2025/grim-re...
#lawsuits
www.universalhub.com/2025/grim-re...
#lawsuits
October 6, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Grim Reaper comes back to haunt #Harvard Medical School as court reinstates suit over the way its morgue manager sliced off and sold body parts
www.universalhub.com/2025/grim-re...
#lawsuits
www.universalhub.com/2025/grim-re...
#lawsuits
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
“.. His conclusion is very stark: not just that an economy already at stall speed will fall into recession as both the data-center and wealth effects plateau, but that they’ll reverse, just as in the dot-com bubble did ..”
@marketwatch.com
www.marketwatch.com/story/the-ai...
@marketwatch.com
www.marketwatch.com/story/the-ai...
October 3, 2025 at 12:10 PM
“.. His conclusion is very stark: not just that an economy already at stall speed will fall into recession as both the data-center and wealth effects plateau, but that they’ll reverse, just as in the dot-com bubble did ..”
@marketwatch.com
www.marketwatch.com/story/the-ai...
@marketwatch.com
www.marketwatch.com/story/the-ai...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
This #CollegeRadioDay, stations worldwide are celebrating student radio’s past & future. Discover 9,000+ artifacts—station flyers, playlists & more—in the College Radio Collection, part of the Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications at Internet Archive. 📻 ➡️ blog.archive.org/2025/10/03/h...
October 3, 2025 at 6:30 PM
This #CollegeRadioDay, stations worldwide are celebrating student radio’s past & future. Discover 9,000+ artifacts—station flyers, playlists & more—in the College Radio Collection, part of the Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications at Internet Archive. 📻 ➡️ blog.archive.org/2025/10/03/h...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Oracle employees who expressed support for Palestine were "referred to internal mental health resources."
Oracle is about to own TikTok.
Oracle is about to own TikTok.
Execs at Oracle, the likely new owner of TikTok, are VERY outspoken in Israeli media about the company's "mission to support the State of Israel" & "unequivocal support for Israel."
Insufficiently pro-Israel Oracle staff receive mental health counseling. responsiblestatecraft.org/oracle-tikto...
Insufficiently pro-Israel Oracle staff receive mental health counseling. responsiblestatecraft.org/oracle-tikto...
Oracle execs: Love Israel or maybe this isn't the job for you
Employees who disagreed were reportedly referred to company mental health services
responsiblestatecraft.org
October 3, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Oracle employees who expressed support for Palestine were "referred to internal mental health resources."
Oracle is about to own TikTok.
Oracle is about to own TikTok.
The fact that both Sandy Pearlman and Allen Lanier had the bad sense to die before ritually hexing anyone involved in this horseshit in some Massapequa basement is proof positive that karmic justice is a pipe dream.
October 3, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The fact that both Sandy Pearlman and Allen Lanier had the bad sense to die before ritually hexing anyone involved in this horseshit in some Massapequa basement is proof positive that karmic justice is a pipe dream.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Listen, obviously, Massachusetts is pretty awesome, but that doesn't mean we're completely immune to all of the broader cultural forces. 46 titles have been challenged or removed from shelves in Mass from 2022-24. That's exactly 46 too many. Here's a list of all too familiar titles
Books Challenged in MA 2022-24
Books Challenged or Censored in Massachusetts 2022-24 These 46 titles were challenged or removed from shelves in Massachusetts between 2022 and 2024. This list is compiled from data collected by…
docs.google.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Listen, obviously, Massachusetts is pretty awesome, but that doesn't mean we're completely immune to all of the broader cultural forces. 46 titles have been challenged or removed from shelves in Mass from 2022-24. That's exactly 46 too many. Here's a list of all too familiar titles
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Tenants around the nation are being deceived, taken advantage of and abused by their giant, profit-driven corporate landlords.
We've had enough.
Join us on October 1st as we announce a new legal-tech tool that could shift tenant power for the better.
debtcollective.org/event/debt-s...
We've had enough.
Join us on October 1st as we announce a new legal-tech tool that could shift tenant power for the better.
debtcollective.org/event/debt-s...
Debt Strike! Abolish Corporate Landlords & Build Tenant Power
The rent is too damn high — and corporate landlords are to blame! Join the Debt Collective as we make a huge announcement: we’re launching a national Back-Rent Debt Strike against the fifth largest…
debtcollective.org
September 24, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Tenants around the nation are being deceived, taken advantage of and abused by their giant, profit-driven corporate landlords.
We've had enough.
Join us on October 1st as we announce a new legal-tech tool that could shift tenant power for the better.
debtcollective.org/event/debt-s...
We've had enough.
Join us on October 1st as we announce a new legal-tech tool that could shift tenant power for the better.
debtcollective.org/event/debt-s...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
I would very much like to read an article about who made this, how it came to be in Eric Adams’s possession, and any conversations he had about the decision to wear it for Rosh Hashanah.
You guys do yourself a favor and look at what Eric Adams wore to Rosh Hashanah services at the Sephardic Lebanese Congregation
September 24, 2025 at 12:21 AM
I would very much like to read an article about who made this, how it came to be in Eric Adams’s possession, and any conversations he had about the decision to wear it for Rosh Hashanah.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Since we're all talking about Nexstar...here's a story we wrote in April:
Nexstar ordered its local TV stations to run news stories that promoted the company's federal deregulation efforts.
Many directed viewers to a website that included pre-written social media posts advocating the same.
Nexstar ordered its local TV stations to run news stories that promoted the company's federal deregulation efforts.
Many directed viewers to a website that included pre-written social media posts advocating the same.
Exclusive: Nexstar pushes news viewers to lobby FCC for broadcast deregulation
Nexstar is encouraging news viewers to visit a website that includes pre-written comments directed at the FCC that lobby for broadcast ownership deregulation.
thedesk.net
September 24, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Since we're all talking about Nexstar...here's a story we wrote in April:
Nexstar ordered its local TV stations to run news stories that promoted the company's federal deregulation efforts.
Many directed viewers to a website that included pre-written social media posts advocating the same.
Nexstar ordered its local TV stations to run news stories that promoted the company's federal deregulation efforts.
Many directed viewers to a website that included pre-written social media posts advocating the same.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Containing 405 alphabet specimens from 164 languages, Edmund Fry's Pantographia (1799) is a treasure chest for the epigraphical imagination: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/pantographia
September 22, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Containing 405 alphabet specimens from 164 languages, Edmund Fry's Pantographia (1799) is a treasure chest for the epigraphical imagination: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/pantographia
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Was this not… what critical AI researchers have been saying this entire time?
"In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limits."
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
www.computerworld.com/article/4059...
OpenAI admits AI hallucinations are mathematically inevitable, not just engineering flaws
In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limi...
www.computerworld.com
September 21, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Was this not… what critical AI researchers have been saying this entire time?
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
At USDA, attacks on workers’ rights are threatening food safety. The USDA has canceled inspectors’ union contracts, which is likely to lead to more attrition, increase workloads, and compromise inspectors’ ability to raise food safety concerns.
www.wpr.org/news/food-sa...
www.wpr.org/news/food-sa...
Food safety experts warn cuts, staff shortages could lead to preventable outbreaks
Food inspectors face increased workloads and loss of union protection, making it more difficult to notice and report safety violations at food processing plants.
www.wpr.org
September 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
At USDA, attacks on workers’ rights are threatening food safety. The USDA has canceled inspectors’ union contracts, which is likely to lead to more attrition, increase workloads, and compromise inspectors’ ability to raise food safety concerns.
www.wpr.org/news/food-sa...
www.wpr.org/news/food-sa...