@philrectangle.bsky.social
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had an incredible interview the other day with dr. jess morrissette (@decafjedi.com) and dr. megan condis, about their fascinating new research paper:
February 4, 2026 at 8:14 PM
had an incredible interview the other day with dr. jess morrissette (@decafjedi.com) and dr. megan condis, about their fascinating new research paper:
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4) create complicity 5) activate resentment and frustration …Etc. Epstein uses all these tactics. I think they are ultimately very similar to con-artist tactics—‘I’ve got a great deal. You will get something for nothing. You’ve been overlooked! But we could both get in trouble.’ Etc.
February 4, 2026 at 7:37 AM
4) create complicity 5) activate resentment and frustration …Etc. Epstein uses all these tactics. I think they are ultimately very similar to con-artist tactics—‘I’ve got a great deal. You will get something for nothing. You’ve been overlooked! But we could both get in trouble.’ Etc.
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Since gamergate, I have have in the back of my mind what one might call ‘fascist recruiting tactics.’ Some of these could be called 1) unlock forbidden wishes, promise to satisfy them 2) use inequality to create envy + promise share of spoils 3) create belonging by promising ‘total acceptance.’
February 4, 2026 at 7:37 AM
Since gamergate, I have have in the back of my mind what one might call ‘fascist recruiting tactics.’ Some of these could be called 1) unlock forbidden wishes, promise to satisfy them 2) use inequality to create envy + promise share of spoils 3) create belonging by promising ‘total acceptance.’
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A tough one to sit with--but we must--is that some people's ability to make good art in part derived from, or was protected by, the fact that they were enabling or doing terrible things. See also: We Need to Talk about Cosby doc. Even more troubling on this score: Read deep reporting on Alice Munro
"actually his stuff was very Derivative and not Original" like, you don't have to do this. it is good for us all to sit with the cognitive dissonance that a very bad person can make very good art. it is good for us to work through the moral ramifications of that.
February 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
A tough one to sit with--but we must--is that some people's ability to make good art in part derived from, or was protected by, the fact that they were enabling or doing terrible things. See also: We Need to Talk about Cosby doc. Even more troubling on this score: Read deep reporting on Alice Munro
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discussing this with my sister once, she said very wisely that it's good to learn to sit with cognitive dissonance. there's value to being able to say, I love this art made by a shitty person. there's value to holding those two truths without trying to make them resolve.
September 3, 2024 at 1:57 PM
discussing this with my sister once, she said very wisely that it's good to learn to sit with cognitive dissonance. there's value to being able to say, I love this art made by a shitty person. there's value to holding those two truths without trying to make them resolve.
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"actually his stuff was very Derivative and not Original" like, you don't have to do this. it is good for us all to sit with the cognitive dissonance that a very bad person can make very good art. it is good for us to work through the moral ramifications of that.
February 2, 2026 at 9:50 PM
"actually his stuff was very Derivative and not Original" like, you don't have to do this. it is good for us all to sit with the cognitive dissonance that a very bad person can make very good art. it is good for us to work through the moral ramifications of that.
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one thing that would be cool, when prominent creators turn out to be terrible people, would be if we didn't have to go through this performative dance of insisting that their work was never good in the first place.
February 2, 2026 at 9:48 PM
one thing that would be cool, when prominent creators turn out to be terrible people, would be if we didn't have to go through this performative dance of insisting that their work was never good in the first place.
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jeffrey epstein's apparent association with the likes of bobby kotick, steve bannon, and peter thiel – and his fascination with game design as a means of controlling others – paint an unsettling picture
![If you’re not already seeing the pattern, it’s clear that Epstein and his associates saw games as mechanisms for profit, coercion, and control, a throughline that persists in his association with two key figures in Gamergate and the surrounding bedlam: Peter Thiel and Steve Bannon.
Based on available files, Epstein expressed interest in Thiel and his surveillance company, Palantir, as early as 2012, but correspondence between the two began in 2014. Then, in May 2016, Epstein messaged Thiel saying that he "would have gladly share[d] your expenses for the gawker suit" and invited him to dinner with Noam Chomsky, of all people (it is unclear if this dinner ever took place). That suit, of course, led to the collapse of Gawker Media and the sale of its many sites – of which Kotaku, a major Gamergate target (and the former employer of all five members of Aftermath’s core staff), was one. This would send ripples through the worlds of media and journalism for years to come, leading to a press defanged by the threat of legal annihilation.
The next month, shortly after the June 2016 referendum that kicked off Brexit, Epstein emailed Thiel, saying "brexit, just the beginning" and then, in response to Thiel asking what he meant, "return to tribalism. counter to globalization. amazing new alliances. you and I both agreed zero interest rates were too high, and as i said in your office. finding things on their way to collapse, was much easier than finding the next bargain."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5gdejlhcswjbzraadoltdpps/bafkreiao37med33tdxi7743wqz627lyzzfpfl2istut75g64cl763k6xea@jpeg)
February 3, 2026 at 9:28 PM
jeffrey epstein's apparent association with the likes of bobby kotick, steve bannon, and peter thiel – and his fascination with game design as a means of controlling others – paint an unsettling picture
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Launch marketing for GTA VI will begin this Summer and there are no plans to delay the physical version, says Take-Two
➡️ variety.com/2026/gaming/...
#GrandTheftAutoVI #GTA6 #GTAVI
➡️ variety.com/2026/gaming/...
#GrandTheftAutoVI #GTA6 #GTAVI
February 3, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Launch marketing for GTA VI will begin this Summer and there are no plans to delay the physical version, says Take-Two
➡️ variety.com/2026/gaming/...
#GrandTheftAutoVI #GTA6 #GTAVI
➡️ variety.com/2026/gaming/...
#GrandTheftAutoVI #GTA6 #GTAVI
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This is a great read. Thanks @davemilbo.bsky.social.
It’s only “terrorism” if they’re not white theshot.net.au/uncategorize...
It’s only “terrorism” if they’re not white theshot.net.au/uncategorize...
It’s only “terrorism” if they're not white - The Shot
“Fuck you I won’t do what you tell me” – Rage Against the Machine The state-sanctioned, IDF-trained, ICE murders on...
theshot.net.au
February 2, 2026 at 7:22 PM
This is a great read. Thanks @davemilbo.bsky.social.
It’s only “terrorism” if they’re not white theshot.net.au/uncategorize...
It’s only “terrorism” if they’re not white theshot.net.au/uncategorize...
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I’m sorry, this is so funny
March for Billionaires — San Francisco, Feb 7
Stand up for the entrepreneurs, innovators, and risk-takers who build our economy. February 7, 2026.
marchforbillionaires.org
February 1, 2026 at 1:40 AM
I’m sorry, this is so funny
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I wrote a piece on this open.substack.com/pub/asharang...
Your Cheat Sheet on Complicity in the Epstein Saga
Who knew complicity could be so...complicated?
open.substack.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:20 AM
I wrote a piece on this open.substack.com/pub/asharang...
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Michael "5000" Watts, the producer who founded Swishahouse and helped propel Houston’s "chopped and screwed" sound to international heights, has died at 52
Michael ‘5000’ Watts, Swishahouse founder and Houston hip-hop pioneer, dies at 52
Houston hip-hop icon Michael "5000" Watts, the founder of Swishahouse Records and a pioneer of the "chopped and screwed" sound, has passed away following a recent hospitalization.
www.fox26houston.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:56 AM
Michael "5000" Watts, the producer who founded Swishahouse and helped propel Houston’s "chopped and screwed" sound to international heights, has died at 52
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pizzagate: the wily paedophile elite are using secret codes and hidden tunnels for nefarious purposes
actualgate: Hi Jeff, can't wait do more of that paedophile stuff together on your childrape island like we did last time!
Hugs,
[email protected]
actualgate: Hi Jeff, can't wait do more of that paedophile stuff together on your childrape island like we did last time!
Hugs,
[email protected]
January 31, 2026 at 4:41 AM
pizzagate: the wily paedophile elite are using secret codes and hidden tunnels for nefarious purposes
actualgate: Hi Jeff, can't wait do more of that paedophile stuff together on your childrape island like we did last time!
Hugs,
[email protected]
actualgate: Hi Jeff, can't wait do more of that paedophile stuff together on your childrape island like we did last time!
Hugs,
[email protected]
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January 31, 2026 at 2:17 AM
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REVIEW: Cairn
“…the climb is so unbelievably alluring and addicting and all-consuming—something that you can’t really get until you’re in it.”
checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...
“…the climb is so unbelievably alluring and addicting and all-consuming—something that you can’t really get until you’re in it.”
checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...
Cairn Review - Such great heights
Cairn is the latest and greatest from The Game Bakers, with the climbing narrative game taking the studio to great heights.
checkpointgaming.net
January 29, 2026 at 11:39 PM
REVIEW: Cairn
“…the climb is so unbelievably alluring and addicting and all-consuming—something that you can’t really get until you’re in it.”
checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...
“…the climb is so unbelievably alluring and addicting and all-consuming—something that you can’t really get until you’re in it.”
checkpointgaming.net/reviews/2026...
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Today's newsletter: there's a new video from 11 days before Alex Pretti was shot to death. Some people refuse to believe it's real. I wrote about why that's going to be a problem moving forward: www.readtpa.com/p/thats-ai-i...
January 29, 2026 at 7:14 PM
Today's newsletter: there's a new video from 11 days before Alex Pretti was shot to death. Some people refuse to believe it's real. I wrote about why that's going to be a problem moving forward: www.readtpa.com/p/thats-ai-i...
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In which I have a look at AUKUS and tbh lose my shit at how dumb it is. @thepointau.bsky.social
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
All the money, none of the submarines: AUKUS deal paying upfront for hopes and dreams
When Kerry Packer bought Channel 9 back from Allan Bond for effectively half the price Bond had sold it to him, Packer famously said “You only get one Alan Bond in your lifetime, and I’ve had mine”.
thepoint.com.au
January 28, 2026 at 12:14 AM
In which I have a look at AUKUS and tbh lose my shit at how dumb it is. @thepointau.bsky.social
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
thepoint.com.au/opinions/260...
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Try a couple decades of shitty emails ranging from simple insults all the way up to death threats from idiot fanboys who can't handle you giving a game "only" 8/10 and see which one puts more calluses on your soul, dummy. You'd fold in six months or less.
January 28, 2026 at 3:18 AM
Try a couple decades of shitty emails ranging from simple insults all the way up to death threats from idiot fanboys who can't handle you giving a game "only" 8/10 and see which one puts more calluses on your soul, dummy. You'd fold in six months or less.
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This is a real questionnaire from a US company about what to do with employees who resist adopting "AI". @olivia.science @irisvanrooij.bsky.social @bcmerchant.bsky.social @prietschka.bsky.social
The "correct" answer is the 3rd option.
The "correct" answer is the 3rd option.
January 27, 2026 at 5:10 PM
This is a real questionnaire from a US company about what to do with employees who resist adopting "AI". @olivia.science @irisvanrooij.bsky.social @bcmerchant.bsky.social @prietschka.bsky.social
The "correct" answer is the 3rd option.
The "correct" answer is the 3rd option.
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Ruminations on that DHS Penguin Tweet
YouTube video by Folding Ideas
youtu.be
January 26, 2026 at 11:15 PM
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Thank you to everyone who helped out on this. The video game industry is a global one.
January 27, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Thank you to everyone who helped out on this. The video game industry is a global one.
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"The legislation is so broad, and because it's been rushed through, we haven't actually even investigated the unintended consequences."
Chief Political Analyst Amy Remeikis breaks down the new anti-hate speech laws on the latest episode of Follow the Money!
@amyremeikis.bsky.social #auspol
Chief Political Analyst Amy Remeikis breaks down the new anti-hate speech laws on the latest episode of Follow the Money!
@amyremeikis.bsky.social #auspol
January 23, 2026 at 4:18 AM
"The legislation is so broad, and because it's been rushed through, we haven't actually even investigated the unintended consequences."
Chief Political Analyst Amy Remeikis breaks down the new anti-hate speech laws on the latest episode of Follow the Money!
@amyremeikis.bsky.social #auspol
Chief Political Analyst Amy Remeikis breaks down the new anti-hate speech laws on the latest episode of Follow the Money!
@amyremeikis.bsky.social #auspol
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on an internet ruled by cynics, clip farmers, and ragebaiters – and built by those who seek to profit off them – highguard never stood a chance of having a normal launch
January 26, 2026 at 11:35 PM
on an internet ruled by cynics, clip farmers, and ragebaiters – and built by those who seek to profit off them – highguard never stood a chance of having a normal launch
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Lo, as the Great Seer hath foretold:
January 26, 2026 at 6:00 AM
Lo, as the Great Seer hath foretold: