Joshua Loftus
@joft.bsky.social
New father. Also: Prof. of #Statistics, #machinelearning / ethics for #datascience @LSE. Unschooled to community college to PhD @Stanford
Technology, institutions, and ideas should serve people, but much of humanity is stuck with this upside-down.
Technology, institutions, and ideas should serve people, but much of humanity is stuck with this upside-down.
This perfectly explains why almost all TV sucks so bad
The real and true story of why Police Squad (the TV series Naked Gun was based on and easily the funniest tv show of its time) was canceled is legitimately insane and one of the most egregious examples of TV malpractice I’ve ever heard:
November 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
This perfectly explains why almost all TV sucks so bad
This is so much more scandalous than some UCs offering remedial math courses
But somehow I won't be surprised if the same journos and pundits who're so concerned about "woke" lowering standards are silent about this
www.nber.org/system/files...
But somehow I won't be surprised if the same journos and pundits who're so concerned about "woke" lowering standards are silent about this
www.nber.org/system/files...
November 24, 2025 at 11:29 AM
This is so much more scandalous than some UCs offering remedial math courses
But somehow I won't be surprised if the same journos and pundits who're so concerned about "woke" lowering standards are silent about this
www.nber.org/system/files...
But somehow I won't be surprised if the same journos and pundits who're so concerned about "woke" lowering standards are silent about this
www.nber.org/system/files...
I'm getting cautiously optimistic that the AI insanity will be ended soon by (1) a deluge of lawsuits and (2) society in general learning that it's bullshit
on.ft.com/3M4Y61L
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...
on.ft.com/3M4Y61L
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...
November 23, 2025 at 9:13 PM
I'm getting cautiously optimistic that the AI insanity will be ended soon by (1) a deluge of lawsuits and (2) society in general learning that it's bullshit
on.ft.com/3M4Y61L
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...
on.ft.com/3M4Y61L
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/b...
Logging on to X the Everything app™️ and having the audacity to say remedial math classes are good actually and universities should educate and not just select students
November 22, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Logging on to X the Everything app™️ and having the audacity to say remedial math classes are good actually and universities should educate and not just select students
Slicing salami, the knife slips, freeze frame at a moment when I'm not sure whether it's about to take a finger off. My brain in that moment: whatever happens there we've got to eat this slice of salami first. Then we can go searching for the finger.
(It missed, phew)
(It missed, phew)
November 19, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Slicing salami, the knife slips, freeze frame at a moment when I'm not sure whether it's about to take a finger off. My brain in that moment: whatever happens there we've got to eat this slice of salami first. Then we can go searching for the finger.
(It missed, phew)
(It missed, phew)
Bring back Jormny Crobins
matt yglesias' primary claim about politics is that to win elections, democrats should adopt the strategy which has given starmer a 13% approval rating in the UK
November 17, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Bring back Jormny Crobins
Reposted by Joshua Loftus
AI is bad for students. Get it out of our schools.
Banning cellphones has been a top priority for many US school districts, but where educators should focus their attention next is clear: the use of generative artificial intelligence products, write Sorelle Friedler and Nicol Turner Lee.
Schools Went After Cellphones. Now It’s Time to Ban Generative AI. | TechPolicy.Press
After banning cellphones in many US schools, educators should turn next to generative AI products, write Sorelle Friedler and Nicol Turner Lee.
www.techpolicy.press
November 11, 2025 at 1:14 PM
AI is bad for students. Get it out of our schools.
Counterpoints:
- He only won 2016 primary because the GOP didn't fight its outsider(s) as effectively as the Dems (in both 2016 and 2020)
- He wouldn't have won in 2024 without backing from the literal world's richest man
- The same political trends are everywhere (incl. musk interference!)
- He only won 2016 primary because the GOP didn't fight its outsider(s) as effectively as the Dems (in both 2016 and 2020)
- He wouldn't have won in 2024 without backing from the literal world's richest man
- The same political trends are everywhere (incl. musk interference!)
Trump defeated the establishments of both parties to become president twice, break most civic and legal norms of import, end-run the Constitution's safeguards against Trump-like figures, survive numerous career-ending scandals, and now single-handedly holds a party together that would have spent
Trump has gotten huge numbers of infrequent voters to the polls, twice. He's deeply unpopular but has mobilized a large, unprecedented coalition of Americans motivated by some combination of ignorance, avarice, and cruelty. It is hard to describe what he has as something other than charisma
November 7, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Counterpoints:
- He only won 2016 primary because the GOP didn't fight its outsider(s) as effectively as the Dems (in both 2016 and 2020)
- He wouldn't have won in 2024 without backing from the literal world's richest man
- The same political trends are everywhere (incl. musk interference!)
- He only won 2016 primary because the GOP didn't fight its outsider(s) as effectively as the Dems (in both 2016 and 2020)
- He wouldn't have won in 2024 without backing from the literal world's richest man
- The same political trends are everywhere (incl. musk interference!)
The next Democratic POTUS (lol) will learn from this and do something different (lmao)
Remember when biden bragged about having the toughest border policy ever, even tougher than Trump's, look at how we do tough borders better than the Republicans, something our voters definitely wished for, etc
When trump said this, white liberals only opposed it based on the vibes and the fact that they weren't the ones doing it.
They'll gleefully threaten people with "I can't wait to see you get deported in Project 2025!" and then support biden doing the exact same shit.
They'll gleefully threaten people with "I can't wait to see you get deported in Project 2025!" and then support biden doing the exact same shit.
October 25, 2025 at 8:02 PM
The next Democratic POTUS (lol) will learn from this and do something different (lmao)
Me, to the universe: you're welcome. It was easy actually
October 23, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Me, to the universe: you're welcome. It was easy actually
The tattoo was bad, he shouldn't have gotten it, he should have had it removed long ago, next best time is now.
Also, it is a tattoo, which is art on a person's body. Almost all federal politicians are providing material support for an ongoing genocide right now. Just another perspective!
Also, it is a tattoo, which is art on a person's body. Almost all federal politicians are providing material support for an ongoing genocide right now. Just another perspective!
MAINE Senate race, Democratic primary
UNH/Pine Tree State Poll
Graham Platner 58%
Janet Mills 24%
UNH/Pine Tree State Poll
Graham Platner 58%
Janet Mills 24%
October 23, 2025 at 7:26 PM
The tattoo was bad, he shouldn't have gotten it, he should have had it removed long ago, next best time is now.
Also, it is a tattoo, which is art on a person's body. Almost all federal politicians are providing material support for an ongoing genocide right now. Just another perspective!
Also, it is a tattoo, which is art on a person's body. Almost all federal politicians are providing material support for an ongoing genocide right now. Just another perspective!
trump voters: "I'm not against immigrants, I just think they should do it LEGALLY"
The legal system:
The legal system:
NEW: The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did.
We found more than 170 such incidents since the start of the second Trump administration. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer.
We found more than 170 such incidents since the start of the second Trump administration. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes nearly 20 children, two of whom have cancer.
More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days.
The government does not track how often immigration agents grab citizens. So ProPublica did. Our tally — almost certainly incomplete — includes people who were held for days without a lawyer. And near...
www.propublica.org
October 16, 2025 at 5:44 PM
trump voters: "I'm not against immigrants, I just think they should do it LEGALLY"
The legal system:
The legal system:
Reposted by Joshua Loftus
A man was wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit for more than 40 years. As soon as he was exonerated, ICE picked him up to deport him to a country he has not lived in since he was a baby www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him
Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.
www.miamiherald.com
October 13, 2025 at 6:12 PM
A man was wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit for more than 40 years. As soon as he was exonerated, ICE picked him up to deport him to a country he has not lived in since he was a baby www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...
In academia you don't get to put on your CV that you have *not* done something like this
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
Harvard Dean Was Paid $150,000 as an Expert Witness in Tylenol Lawsuits
www.nytimes.com
September 26, 2025 at 9:19 PM
In academia you don't get to put on your CV that you have *not* done something like this
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
Over 300,000 children have died so far as a direct result of trump and musk illegally defunding USAID
September 18, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Over 300,000 children have died so far as a direct result of trump and musk illegally defunding USAID
The really strange thing is that Klein is fully bought-in on the idea that social media algorithms are a major cause of all the things getting politically worse right now
... and then he turns around and promotes/befriends(?) the specific people using those algorithms *most* destructively 🤨
... and then he turns around and promotes/befriends(?) the specific people using those algorithms *most* destructively 🤨
September 16, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The really strange thing is that Klein is fully bought-in on the idea that social media algorithms are a major cause of all the things getting politically worse right now
... and then he turns around and promotes/befriends(?) the specific people using those algorithms *most* destructively 🤨
... and then he turns around and promotes/befriends(?) the specific people using those algorithms *most* destructively 🤨
I'm now guessing >20%
I think the likelihood of a US civil war in the next ~1-10 years is >15%
This is extremely high, why is nobody talking about it?
There is already no rule of law & trump lives to provoke and divide. Mass protests, trump orders military crackdown, chain of command breaks. Who could even stop it now?
This is extremely high, why is nobody talking about it?
There is already no rule of law & trump lives to provoke and divide. Mass protests, trump orders military crackdown, chain of command breaks. Who could even stop it now?
September 16, 2025 at 4:38 AM
I'm now guessing >20%
Left: The entire British political establishment working diligently to destroy Jeremy Corbyn and keep him out of power by any means
Right: Starmer's Labour, in power, manages to become more unpopular than its lowest point under Corbyn
Right: Starmer's Labour, in power, manages to become more unpopular than its lowest point under Corbyn
September 15, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Left: The entire British political establishment working diligently to destroy Jeremy Corbyn and keep him out of power by any means
Right: Starmer's Labour, in power, manages to become more unpopular than its lowest point under Corbyn
Right: Starmer's Labour, in power, manages to become more unpopular than its lowest point under Corbyn
Delete all the data, is something I say, oftentimes
A data broker owned by major US airlines, including American Airlines, United, and Delta, is selling access to five billion plane ticketing records to the government for warrantless searching and monitoring of peoples’ movements, including by the FBI, Secret Service, ICE and other agencies
Airlines Sell 5 Billion Plane Ticket Records to the Government For Warrantless Searching
New documents obtained by 404 Media show how a data broker owned by American Airlines, United, Delta, and many other airlines is selling masses of passenger data to the U.S. government.
www.404media.co
September 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Delete all the data, is something I say, oftentimes
He's speaking to a far-right rally telling them that violence is coming to them, they have to fight back, there must be a revolutionary government change, and it cannot wait until the next election
He's trying to incite a violent insurrection, he should be arrested for encouraging terrorism
He's trying to incite a violent insurrection, he should be arrested for encouraging terrorism
"We must have revolutionary government change for that to occur. And this is not ordinary course of business sort of stuff. This really requires everyone to sort of marshal the people, to take charge, reform the government..."
September 13, 2025 at 9:20 PM
He's speaking to a far-right rally telling them that violence is coming to them, they have to fight back, there must be a revolutionary government change, and it cannot wait until the next election
He's trying to incite a violent insurrection, he should be arrested for encouraging terrorism
He's trying to incite a violent insurrection, he should be arrested for encouraging terrorism
Noahpinion accidentally admitting that the left isn't responsible for cancel culture, but probably doesn't even realize he implied as much
September 13, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Noahpinion accidentally admitting that the left isn't responsible for cancel culture, but probably doesn't even realize he implied as much
Realized that at least some Dem Party leaders aren't doing more to stop or resist the power grab because they are salivating thinking about the bribes they will be able to extract when it's their next turn holding the WH and Congress
September 9, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Realized that at least some Dem Party leaders aren't doing more to stop or resist the power grab because they are salivating thinking about the bribes they will be able to extract when it's their next turn holding the WH and Congress
This is what I've been saying since 2023 (image below)
"prediction: use of "AI" [...] will come to be broadly associated with cheating, deception, lack of respect for other people, and low quality work that cannot be trusted in important settings"
"prediction: use of "AI" [...] will come to be broadly associated with cheating, deception, lack of respect for other people, and low quality work that cannot be trusted in important settings"
September 2, 2025 at 8:31 AM
This is what I've been saying since 2023 (image below)
"prediction: use of "AI" [...] will come to be broadly associated with cheating, deception, lack of respect for other people, and low quality work that cannot be trusted in important settings"
"prediction: use of "AI" [...] will come to be broadly associated with cheating, deception, lack of respect for other people, and low quality work that cannot be trusted in important settings"
The rest of the world should unite and negotiate their trade deals with the US collectively rather than individually
"America First" should mean "USA vs The Entire World," and the side with ~95% of people on this planet should win
"America First" should mean "USA vs The Entire World," and the side with ~95% of people on this planet should win
Can anyone explain why other countries haven't started uniting into blocs to collectively negotiate against the US?
It's one imbecile versus the entire world, but other world leaders are lining up and waiting their turn to fight with him 1-on-1. Just team up and crush him, make the USA your lapdog!
It's one imbecile versus the entire world, but other world leaders are lining up and waiting their turn to fight with him 1-on-1. Just team up and crush him, make the USA your lapdog!
Here's what Trump's new tariff hikes look like—another 5% on major allies like the EU, Japan, & South Korea. Another 10% on large trading partners like India, Vietnam, & Canada. Some rather insane choices like 39% tariffs on Switzerland, 41% on Syria, and of course 50% on Brazil.
August 27, 2025 at 9:18 PM
The rest of the world should unite and negotiate their trade deals with the US collectively rather than individually
"America First" should mean "USA vs The Entire World," and the side with ~95% of people on this planet should win
"America First" should mean "USA vs The Entire World," and the side with ~95% of people on this planet should win
I'm guessing the general pattern is that these DOGE losers asked "grok" to summarize/search documents for them, didn't check any details, then made life and death decisions based on "hallucinations"
August 22, 2025 at 2:42 PM
I'm guessing the general pattern is that these DOGE losers asked "grok" to summarize/search documents for them, didn't check any details, then made life and death decisions based on "hallucinations"