Rob Miller
@robm.wtf
• writer • https://roblog.co.uk
• strategist • https://orso.so
• umami lover • https://msgist.com/ & https://honestumami.com/
• documentary watcher • https://docked.blog/
• photographer • https://reldn.co.uk/
• Romanista • https://romer.world/
📍 London
• strategist • https://orso.so
• umami lover • https://msgist.com/ & https://honestumami.com/
• documentary watcher • https://docked.blog/
• photographer • https://reldn.co.uk/
• Romanista • https://romer.world/
📍 London
The gushing tone of US articles about military operations is nauseating. Nerds fawning over jocks, coopting the language of "elite units", "MH-47 helicopters", regimental nicknames and then casually dropping in "oh and 40 Venezuelan civilians died too" www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/u...
Inside ‘Operation Absolute Resolve,’ the U.S. Effort to Capture Maduro
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:18 AM
The gushing tone of US articles about military operations is nauseating. Nerds fawning over jocks, coopting the language of "elite units", "MH-47 helicopters", regimental nicknames and then casually dropping in "oh and 40 Venezuelan civilians died too" www.nytimes.com/2026/01/03/u...
Reposted by Rob Miller
orcas have the chance to do the funniest thing
December 31, 2025 at 5:25 PM
orcas have the chance to do the funniest thing
Hard to disagree with this.
Having had a day to think through everything about El-Fattah, here's where I stand. Yes, it's possible to believe all of these things at once! In fact, it really shouldn't be that hard.
December 29, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Hard to disagree with this.
Reposted by Rob Miller
Cruelty is anhedonic. It rarely delivers the euphoria promised because, in the abstract, what feels righteous and joyful inevitably reveals itself to be sordid and small. Then it's "No not like that". "No not enough". "No the real battle, the forever war to make this feel good starts now". Forever.
Note how these awful people are getting exactly the exclusions of children that they demanded and *that still isn’t enough for them*: they demand everyone be delighted about it and kiss their arses for being brilliant.
December 4, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Cruelty is anhedonic. It rarely delivers the euphoria promised because, in the abstract, what feels righteous and joyful inevitably reveals itself to be sordid and small. Then it's "No not like that". "No not enough". "No the real battle, the forever war to make this feel good starts now". Forever.
Reposted by Rob Miller
Jevons only knows: the Jevons paradox and AI, or “if AI makes your industry more efficient, what happens to demand – and to your job?” roblog.co.uk/2025/12/jevo...
Jevons only knows
Jevons paradox gets thrown around a lot in the context of AI, but it’s a useful lens through which to view an industry or a role. Should you run towards or away from what you’re currently doing?
roblog.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Jevons only knows: the Jevons paradox and AI, or “if AI makes your industry more efficient, what happens to demand – and to your job?” roblog.co.uk/2025/12/jevo...
Jevons only knows: the Jevons paradox and AI, or “if AI makes your industry more efficient, what happens to demand – and to your job?” roblog.co.uk/2025/12/jevo...
Jevons only knows
Jevons paradox gets thrown around a lot in the context of AI, but it’s a useful lens through which to view an industry or a role. Should you run towards or away from what you’re currently doing?
roblog.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Jevons only knows: the Jevons paradox and AI, or “if AI makes your industry more efficient, what happens to demand – and to your job?” roblog.co.uk/2025/12/jevo...
A post so lucid and straightforward-seeming that it makes you want to scream: “why can Labour not understand this?!?!?!”
Short new post from me about Bloc Politics. A lot of commentators have argued, with evidence from @profjanegreen.bsky.social, @robfordmancs.bsky.social and others, that British politics has split into blocs. So what does that mean for electoral strategy? 1/n
benansell.substack.com/p/bloc-parties
benansell.substack.com/p/bloc-parties
Bloc Parties
In a world of bloc politics, what's a good offensive strategy?
benansell.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
A post so lucid and straightforward-seeming that it makes you want to scream: “why can Labour not understand this?!?!?!”
Reposted by Rob Miller
Ever more talk of the war against fascism spreading to Europe's complacent, poorly-armed west.
The hope of relying on America closed off.
Some Brits denouncing their own country and cheering our enemies.
For some reason, I keep thinking about 1940-41 and these guys - the patriotic anti-Nazi left:
The hope of relying on America closed off.
Some Brits denouncing their own country and cheering our enemies.
For some reason, I keep thinking about 1940-41 and these guys - the patriotic anti-Nazi left:
December 14, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Ever more talk of the war against fascism spreading to Europe's complacent, poorly-armed west.
The hope of relying on America closed off.
Some Brits denouncing their own country and cheering our enemies.
For some reason, I keep thinking about 1940-41 and these guys - the patriotic anti-Nazi left:
The hope of relying on America closed off.
Some Brits denouncing their own country and cheering our enemies.
For some reason, I keep thinking about 1940-41 and these guys - the patriotic anti-Nazi left:
Reposted by Rob Miller
Ⓝ TIRO ISSUE 1_NAPOLI Ⓝ
ON SALE NOW: a zine celebrating Napoli: the football, culture, and everything else in this incredible city, and football club.
Orders to ship from 12/12, also available in digital format!
SHOP HERE: shop.tirofootball.com/
ON SALE NOW: a zine celebrating Napoli: the football, culture, and everything else in this incredible city, and football club.
Orders to ship from 12/12, also available in digital format!
SHOP HERE: shop.tirofootball.com/
December 8, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Ⓝ TIRO ISSUE 1_NAPOLI Ⓝ
ON SALE NOW: a zine celebrating Napoli: the football, culture, and everything else in this incredible city, and football club.
Orders to ship from 12/12, also available in digital format!
SHOP HERE: shop.tirofootball.com/
ON SALE NOW: a zine celebrating Napoli: the football, culture, and everything else in this incredible city, and football club.
Orders to ship from 12/12, also available in digital format!
SHOP HERE: shop.tirofootball.com/
Reposted by Rob Miller
my central hypothesis is that this is also true for humans
> Our central hypothesis is that poetic form operates as a general-purpose jailbreak operator.
Is such a good sentence
Is such a good sentence
November 22, 2025 at 8:33 PM
my central hypothesis is that this is also true for humans
Obviously to base it on soup is demented, but this way of displaying "choose your own" recipes is… kind of neat?
Nov 1956: Tomato Soup ad from Crosse & Blackwell
(+Cream of Mushroom Soup; Cream of Celery Soup; Cream of Green Pea; Vegetable Soup; and Consomme)
«CROSSE & BLACKWELL
Ten-o'clock Tested
SOUPS»
(+Cream of Mushroom Soup; Cream of Celery Soup; Cream of Green Pea; Vegetable Soup; and Consomme)
«CROSSE & BLACKWELL
Ten-o'clock Tested
SOUPS»
December 8, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Obviously to base it on soup is demented, but this way of displaying "choose your own" recipes is… kind of neat?
Reposted by Rob Miller
Every interview with a right-wing politician is like: "Mr. Hitler is adamant: If we sacrifice enough children, Santa Claus will come back and deliver 5% GDP growth. But I have to ask him: Do you ever worry that your relentless advocacy for working folks offends the rootless cosmopolitan parasites?"
I don’t get how Jenrick can actually believe that we should shrink the population and then start making more of our own things from pots and pans to what iPhones? How does he think that happens?
December 6, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Every interview with a right-wing politician is like: "Mr. Hitler is adamant: If we sacrifice enough children, Santa Claus will come back and deliver 5% GDP growth. But I have to ask him: Do you ever worry that your relentless advocacy for working folks offends the rootless cosmopolitan parasites?"
Reposted by Rob Miller
Heroes of Great Britain advent calendar - door 5
December 5, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Heroes of Great Britain advent calendar - door 5
Reposted by Rob Miller
New post just out:
Six lessons from the 2024 election.
And what they mean for the next one.
Covering: Labour's fatal misunderstanding about why they won; effects of a more fragmented system; changes in media/polling.
(£/free trial)
samf.substack.com/p/six-lesson...
Six lessons from the 2024 election.
And what they mean for the next one.
Covering: Labour's fatal misunderstanding about why they won; effects of a more fragmented system; changes in media/polling.
(£/free trial)
samf.substack.com/p/six-lesson...
Six lessons from the 2024 election
And what they mean for the next one
samf.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:40 AM
New post just out:
Six lessons from the 2024 election.
And what they mean for the next one.
Covering: Labour's fatal misunderstanding about why they won; effects of a more fragmented system; changes in media/polling.
(£/free trial)
samf.substack.com/p/six-lesson...
Six lessons from the 2024 election.
And what they mean for the next one.
Covering: Labour's fatal misunderstanding about why they won; effects of a more fragmented system; changes in media/polling.
(£/free trial)
samf.substack.com/p/six-lesson...
Reposted by Rob Miller
If I was head of the WI and an 80 year old trans woman told me it was the only place she'd ever felt respected as a woman, and the British State told me she wasn't allowed to bebin the WI any more, I'd be putting out a public statement declaring the WI to now be an armed guerilla organisation.
This part is *infuriating*. This cis woman heard an 80 year old trans woman say, 'This is the only place I've been respected as a woman IN MY LIFE.'
And did not immediately think, 'I will fight every inch like a dying badger to keep her in my organization.'
Absolutely pathetic.
And did not immediately think, 'I will fight every inch like a dying badger to keep her in my organization.'
Absolutely pathetic.
December 3, 2025 at 3:13 PM
If I was head of the WI and an 80 year old trans woman told me it was the only place she'd ever felt respected as a woman, and the British State told me she wasn't allowed to bebin the WI any more, I'd be putting out a public statement declaring the WI to now be an armed guerilla organisation.
Reposted by Rob Miller
🔔 Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? 🔔 We're hosting a conversation @kinship.works to share ideas...
cado.kinship.works. 1/n
cado.kinship.works. 1/n
Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership?
Across Britain, there are countless examples of land and buildings in the heart of communities lying empty and deteriorating, often stuck in unclear or absent ownership. We can all think of examples: ...
cado.kinship.works
December 3, 2025 at 8:34 AM
🔔 Is it time for a new push on delinquent ownership? 🔔 We're hosting a conversation @kinship.works to share ideas...
cado.kinship.works. 1/n
cado.kinship.works. 1/n
Reposted by Rob Miller
"The current disinformation and slop phenomenon on the internet today makes the days of ‘Russian bot farms’ seem quaint; the problem is now fully decentralized and distributed across the world and is almost entirely funded by social media companies themselves."
www.404media.co/americas-pol...
www.404media.co/americas-pol...
America’s Polarization Has Become the World's Side Hustle
The 'psyops' revealed by X are entirely the fault of the perverse incentives created by social media monetization programs.
www.404media.co
November 28, 2025 at 11:20 AM
"The current disinformation and slop phenomenon on the internet today makes the days of ‘Russian bot farms’ seem quaint; the problem is now fully decentralized and distributed across the world and is almost entirely funded by social media companies themselves."
www.404media.co/americas-pol...
www.404media.co/americas-pol...
@genmon.fyi hello! Chrome is removing XSLT soon so I converted the Pretty Feed XSLT to JS a la Jake Archibald's technique[1]. You can see it in action here: roblog.co.uk/feed.xml Let me know if you want a pull request on About Feeds and I'll submit one.
[1]: jakearchibald.com/2025/making-...
[1]: jakearchibald.com/2025/making-...
roblog.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 5:33 PM
@genmon.fyi hello! Chrome is removing XSLT soon so I converted the Pretty Feed XSLT to JS a la Jake Archibald's technique[1]. You can see it in action here: roblog.co.uk/feed.xml Let me know if you want a pull request on About Feeds and I'll submit one.
[1]: jakearchibald.com/2025/making-...
[1]: jakearchibald.com/2025/making-...
Reposted by Rob Miller
The UK just has incredible attention to detail when it comes to making sure the people who pay all the taxes can’t have nice things. Child benefit? No. Free Child car? No. Cut price bike to cycle to work? No.
Functionally we are telling people they pay too much tax to get anything from the state.
Functionally we are telling people they pay too much tax to get anything from the state.
Rachel Reeves is setting the Cycle to Work scheme on fire as part of the war on salary sacrifice policies! on.ft.com/4oKXNrC
Rachel Reeves to curb bike purchases through salary sacrifice in Budget
Introduction of new cap comes after retailers warned some higher-rate taxpayers were exploiting the perk
on.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:21 AM
The UK just has incredible attention to detail when it comes to making sure the people who pay all the taxes can’t have nice things. Child benefit? No. Free Child car? No. Cut price bike to cycle to work? No.
Functionally we are telling people they pay too much tax to get anything from the state.
Functionally we are telling people they pay too much tax to get anything from the state.
Reposted by Rob Miller
Author wrote best book he's ever written.
Publisher disintegrated/fucked off with author's earnings.
Book was finally published by new publisher.
Author has bought two hardbacks, for full price, to give away, signed.
Please repost/reply if you'd like a chance to win one..
bsky.app/profile/zygo...
Publisher disintegrated/fucked off with author's earnings.
Book was finally published by new publisher.
Author has bought two hardbacks, for full price, to give away, signed.
Please repost/reply if you'd like a chance to win one..
bsky.app/profile/zygo...
November 13, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Author wrote best book he's ever written.
Publisher disintegrated/fucked off with author's earnings.
Book was finally published by new publisher.
Author has bought two hardbacks, for full price, to give away, signed.
Please repost/reply if you'd like a chance to win one..
bsky.app/profile/zygo...
Publisher disintegrated/fucked off with author's earnings.
Book was finally published by new publisher.
Author has bought two hardbacks, for full price, to give away, signed.
Please repost/reply if you'd like a chance to win one..
bsky.app/profile/zygo...
Reposted by Rob Miller
The first rule of Crossword Club: tank told it's messed up to keep mum about (4,4) Crossword Club.
November 13, 2025 at 8:20 AM
The first rule of Crossword Club: tank told it's messed up to keep mum about (4,4) Crossword Club.
Why does snake oil and quack medicine succeed, despite not working? It turns out it succeeds *because* it doesn't work: roblog.co.uk/2021/10/snak...
Why snake oil succeeds
Few products in history have been as successful as the “snake oil” of the 1800s and early 1900s. But why did these products succeed, when they didn’t work? Answering that means digging into our capaci...
roblog.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Why does snake oil and quack medicine succeed, despite not working? It turns out it succeeds *because* it doesn't work: roblog.co.uk/2021/10/snak...
I haven't seen this point made enough, but it seems obviously true: if you make the route to settlement longer for immigrants, they're less likely to see themselves as permanent residents, and so less likely to do the work to integrate. Yet another moronic policy destined to backfire
A few things stood out: Fiscal gains the UK might make by charging fees for people to extend their visas or restricting access to benefits from those who don't contribute will essentially be wiped out by the country no longer attracting, and even losing, net-contributing Skilled Workers.
Part 2
Part 2
November 6, 2025 at 11:03 AM
I haven't seen this point made enough, but it seems obviously true: if you make the route to settlement longer for immigrants, they're less likely to see themselves as permanent residents, and so less likely to do the work to integrate. Yet another moronic policy destined to backfire
@simonwillison.net your François Chollet "to really understand something you have to 'invent' it" link was great, ty. It reminded me of Audrey Tang's distinction between "literacy" and "competence": roblog.co.uk/2021/08/comp...
Build competence, not literacy
There’s a big difference between literacy and competence, but we often conflate them by mistake – and create cultures and organisations that are fragile as a result.
roblog.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 9:21 PM
@simonwillison.net your François Chollet "to really understand something you have to 'invent' it" link was great, ty. It reminded me of Audrey Tang's distinction between "literacy" and "competence": roblog.co.uk/2021/08/comp...
Reposted by Rob Miller
Morgan McSweeney frantically googling "how proscribe Green party terrorist"
Latest Polling by @YouGov
🟣 Reform 27%
🔵 Tory 17%
🔴 Labour 17%
💚 Green 16%
🟠 Lib Dem 15%
This is the LOWEST Labour
has ever polled with YouGov.
This is the HIGHEST @greenparty.org.uk has ever polled with YouGov.
4 parties within 2 points of each other for second place.
🟣 Reform 27%
🔵 Tory 17%
🔴 Labour 17%
💚 Green 16%
🟠 Lib Dem 15%
This is the LOWEST Labour
has ever polled with YouGov.
This is the HIGHEST @greenparty.org.uk has ever polled with YouGov.
4 parties within 2 points of each other for second place.
October 28, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Morgan McSweeney frantically googling "how proscribe Green party terrorist"