VagabondVisions
@vagabondvisions.studio
Reporting, ranting, and ripping apart propaganda since forever. Politics, culture, tech...sourced, skeptical, and sharp enough to piss off all the right people.
https://medium.com/@brian.ragle
https://vagabondvisions.beehiiv.com/
https://medium.com/@brian.ragle
https://vagabondvisions.beehiiv.com/
1/6 Once the stated objections to genAI are addressed...ethical training sets, open-source models, community-driven and decentralized...there are still a cadre of critics who will get angrily huffy about it.
They aren't Luddites
(I addressed that here:
medium.com/@brian.ragle... )
They aren't Luddites
(I addressed that here:
medium.com/@brian.ragle... )
Automation, AI Agents, and the Post-Labor Future
Let’s be blunt: the future of artificial intelligence isn’t chatbots, it’s agents. Not in the James Bond sense (unless he’s been fine-tuned…
medium.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:28 AM
1/6 Once the stated objections to genAI are addressed...ethical training sets, open-source models, community-driven and decentralized...there are still a cadre of critics who will get angrily huffy about it.
They aren't Luddites
(I addressed that here:
medium.com/@brian.ragle... )
They aren't Luddites
(I addressed that here:
medium.com/@brian.ragle... )
Look, the whole Trump administration is a criminal cabal that is held together by cultic loyalty and the promise of pardons. There is no realistic path for "arrest Bondi" or others regarding the Epstein disclosure act. It's all just posturing and performance.
December 21, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Look, the whole Trump administration is a criminal cabal that is held together by cultic loyalty and the promise of pardons. There is no realistic path for "arrest Bondi" or others regarding the Epstein disclosure act. It's all just posturing and performance.
There are going to be a lot of fan theories about #Pluribus (there already are) but after this latest episode, it seems more clearly than ever to be a parable about #AI or maybe even a future #AGI, right down to the different ways people are reacting to it. Right down to the kiss. #IYKYK
December 20, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by VagabondVisions
Like Putin did Ukraine, this buffoon is doing it to Venezuela. This must be stopped! We can't allow this buffoon to start another needless war and that is exactly what he is doing!
Trump’s Claim That Venezuela ‘Stole’ U.S. Oil Fields Touches Nationalist Nerve www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/w...
Trump’s Claim That Venezuela ‘Stole’ U.S. Oil Fields Touches Nationalist Nerve
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Like Putin did Ukraine, this buffoon is doing it to Venezuela. This must be stopped! We can't allow this buffoon to start another needless war and that is exactly what he is doing!
1/3 I have been putting this off for a bit, but I think I will get it done today. The two-part economics/metaphysics analysis of the Rankin/Bass production of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" will arrive today (or tomorrow morning, latest).
a stuffed deer with a red nose is standing in the snow
ALT: a stuffed deer with a red nose is standing in the snow
media.tenor.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:26 AM
1/3 I have been putting this off for a bit, but I think I will get it done today. The two-part economics/metaphysics analysis of the Rankin/Bass production of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" will arrive today (or tomorrow morning, latest).
Her: do we have the kind of relationship where you would let me go through your phone?
Me: do we have the kind of relationship where you would let me go through your #Sims4 saves?
Boundaries, people.
Me: do we have the kind of relationship where you would let me go through your #Sims4 saves?
Boundaries, people.
December 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Her: do we have the kind of relationship where you would let me go through your phone?
Me: do we have the kind of relationship where you would let me go through your #Sims4 saves?
Boundaries, people.
Me: do we have the kind of relationship where you would let me go through your #Sims4 saves?
Boundaries, people.
Literally the first thing I thought of when I heard this was that it was yet another Republican regime change quagmire. Bush I was Iraq, left for Clinton clean up and manage. Bush II was Iraq (again) and Afghanistan, left for Obama to clean up and manage. Trump then surrendered Afghanistan.
December 17, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Literally the first thing I thought of when I heard this was that it was yet another Republican regime change quagmire. Bush I was Iraq, left for Clinton clean up and manage. Bush II was Iraq (again) and Afghanistan, left for Obama to clean up and manage. Trump then surrendered Afghanistan.
1/8 New piece: “The Gentrification of Yesterday”
“Old Tech 2026” is the trend where people swear they’re ditching smartphones for flip phones, DVDs, MP3 players, disposable cameras, and “authenticity.”
It’s not rebellion. It’s gentrification.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...
“Old Tech 2026” is the trend where people swear they’re ditching smartphones for flip phones, DVDs, MP3 players, disposable cameras, and “authenticity.”
It’s not rebellion. It’s gentrification.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...
The Gentrification of Yesterday: How Wealthy Nostalgia Tourists Are Pricing the Poor Out of the…
In which we discover that “Old Tech 2026” is just colonialism with a sepia filter
medium.com
December 16, 2025 at 12:10 PM
1/8 New piece: “The Gentrification of Yesterday”
“Old Tech 2026” is the trend where people swear they’re ditching smartphones for flip phones, DVDs, MP3 players, disposable cameras, and “authenticity.”
It’s not rebellion. It’s gentrification.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...
“Old Tech 2026” is the trend where people swear they’re ditching smartphones for flip phones, DVDs, MP3 players, disposable cameras, and “authenticity.”
It’s not rebellion. It’s gentrification.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...
1/ Tomorrow morning (Dec 16): I’m dropping a piece on “Old Tech 2026,” the TikTok trend where people swear they’ll ditch smartphones for flip phones, DVDs, MP3 players, disposable cameras, and “vibes.”
Spoiler: it’s not rebellion. It’s a shopping haul.
1/7
Spoiler: it’s not rebellion. It’s a shopping haul.
1/7
December 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
1/ Tomorrow morning (Dec 16): I’m dropping a piece on “Old Tech 2026,” the TikTok trend where people swear they’ll ditch smartphones for flip phones, DVDs, MP3 players, disposable cameras, and “vibes.”
Spoiler: it’s not rebellion. It’s a shopping haul.
1/7
Spoiler: it’s not rebellion. It’s a shopping haul.
1/7
1/9 New piece: “Narco Pardons, Peso Lifelines, and Seized Oil.” Subtitle: “The Privatization of the Monroe Doctrine.” medium.com/@brian.ragle...
Narco Pardons, Peso Lifelines, and Seized Oil: The New Monetized Foreign Policy
The Privatization of the Monroe Doctrine: How Donors Ate the State Department
medium.com
December 15, 2025 at 11:07 AM
1/9 New piece: “Narco Pardons, Peso Lifelines, and Seized Oil.” Subtitle: “The Privatization of the Monroe Doctrine.” medium.com/@brian.ragle...
Who else is waiting for the hero-story out of Bondi Australia to be spun based on the identities and motives of the attackers?
December 14, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Who else is waiting for the hero-story out of Bondi Australia to be spun based on the identities and motives of the attackers?
New piece drops Monday morning: "Narco Pardons, Peso Lifelines, and Seized Oil: The New Monetized Foreign Policy"
How clemency, sanctions, sovereign debt, and “special zones” start looking less like policy and more like… a business model.
Subscribe to be the first to see it: medium.com/@brian.ragle
How clemency, sanctions, sovereign debt, and “special zones” start looking less like policy and more like… a business model.
Subscribe to be the first to see it: medium.com/@brian.ragle
December 13, 2025 at 9:09 PM
New piece drops Monday morning: "Narco Pardons, Peso Lifelines, and Seized Oil: The New Monetized Foreign Policy"
How clemency, sanctions, sovereign debt, and “special zones” start looking less like policy and more like… a business model.
Subscribe to be the first to see it: medium.com/@brian.ragle
How clemency, sanctions, sovereign debt, and “special zones” start looking less like policy and more like… a business model.
Subscribe to be the first to see it: medium.com/@brian.ragle
You can't spell "Erika Kirk" without KKK.
December 13, 2025 at 10:57 AM
You can't spell "Erika Kirk" without KKK.
Reposted by VagabondVisions
@philinvestigates.com - this just tickles me pink!! Let's get these clowns out of our faces, off our screens and behind bars! @maddow.bsky.social
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
'News to me:' Neo-Nazi learns he's being sued for civil rights violations during livestream
Neo-Nazi Jon Minadeo discovered during his own livestream that he was being sued for violating the civil rights of members of Nashville's Jewish community.
www.newschannel5.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:44 PM
@philinvestigates.com - this just tickles me pink!! Let's get these clowns out of our faces, off our screens and behind bars! @maddow.bsky.social
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
Is that Laura Loomer, shamelessly throwing herself at a Nazi?
December 12, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Is that Laura Loomer, shamelessly throwing herself at a Nazi?
Arash Azizi argues in The Atlantic that the Cinnabon cashier who screamed racial slurs at a Somali couple shouldn't have been fired. He calls it "solidarity." I call it nonsense. Asking minorities to subsidize the livelihoods of their abusers isn't socialism.
My response: medium.com/@brian.ragle...
My response: medium.com/@brian.ragle...
Labor Rights Are Not a Suicide Pact
Arash Azizi’s defense of a racist worker isn’t solidarity. It’s a gift to union-busters everywhere.
medium.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Arash Azizi argues in The Atlantic that the Cinnabon cashier who screamed racial slurs at a Somali couple shouldn't have been fired. He calls it "solidarity." I call it nonsense. Asking minorities to subsidize the livelihoods of their abusers isn't socialism.
My response: medium.com/@brian.ragle...
My response: medium.com/@brian.ragle...
For all the people who are complaining about the #TimeMagazine cover and Person of the Year, or just complain about #AI in general, the coming year of our Lord Betty White, 2026.....is not going to be great for you.
December 12, 2025 at 11:36 AM
For all the people who are complaining about the #TimeMagazine cover and Person of the Year, or just complain about #AI in general, the coming year of our Lord Betty White, 2026.....is not going to be great for you.
Reposted by VagabondVisions
Good job @philinvestigates.com - Thank you! @maddow.bsky.social
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
Neo-Nazi org scrambling after being de-platformed, civil rights lawyer applauds shutdown
An attorney for a national civil rights organization is celebrating recent defeats for a neo-Nazi group that stirred up trouble in Nashville and hoping it is a sign of more to come.
www.newschannel5.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Good job @philinvestigates.com - Thank you! @maddow.bsky.social
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...
1/ 🧵 Now serving: “The Viper in the Vestry.”
Bill #Kristol is not your brave pro-democracy dad. He is the guy who built the highway #Trump drove in on.
medium.com/@brian.ra...
1/8
Bill #Kristol is not your brave pro-democracy dad. He is the guy who built the highway #Trump drove in on.
medium.com/@brian.ra...
1/8
The Viper in the Vestry
I. Introduction: The Farmer, the Snake, and the MSNOW Green Room
medium.com
December 11, 2025 at 7:52 AM
1/ 🧵 Now serving: “The Viper in the Vestry.”
Bill #Kristol is not your brave pro-democracy dad. He is the guy who built the highway #Trump drove in on.
medium.com/@brian.ra...
1/8
Bill #Kristol is not your brave pro-democracy dad. He is the guy who built the highway #Trump drove in on.
medium.com/@brian.ra...
1/8
While this is not fake, let's also not get too excited here. It's following steps, just like the dancing robots.
If you want to show your robots that can't do anything, show them dancing. This is no different. The bot doesn't actually do anything to engage the target. It's just following steps.
If you want to show your robots that can't do anything, show them dancing. This is no different. The bot doesn't actually do anything to engage the target. It's just following steps.
December 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
While this is not fake, let's also not get too excited here. It's following steps, just like the dancing robots.
If you want to show your robots that can't do anything, show them dancing. This is no different. The bot doesn't actually do anything to engage the target. It's just following steps.
If you want to show your robots that can't do anything, show them dancing. This is no different. The bot doesn't actually do anything to engage the target. It's just following steps.
This is your daily reminder that there is no such thing as "Sedition/treason against the President". That's not an actual action that exists in US law. You cannot actually do it because it's not a thing.
time.com/7339756/trum...
time.com/7339756/trum...
Trump Calls Reports on His Health ‘Seditious’
The President posted that he recently “aced” a cognitive exam and reports that demean him are “perhaps even treasonous.”
time.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
This is your daily reminder that there is no such thing as "Sedition/treason against the President". That's not an actual action that exists in US law. You cannot actually do it because it's not a thing.
time.com/7339756/trum...
time.com/7339756/trum...
It is with great regret that I must tender my resignation from the position as VP of Product Prototypes at Apple Inc.
December 9, 2025 at 11:04 PM
It is with great regret that I must tender my resignation from the position as VP of Product Prototypes at Apple Inc.
New piece just dropped.
Short version: the GOP didn’t suddenly stumble into fascism like someone tripping over a coffee table. This has been a century-long drift, and Trump just ripped the brakes out.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...
Short version: the GOP didn’t suddenly stumble into fascism like someone tripping over a coffee table. This has been a century-long drift, and Trump just ripped the brakes out.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...
The Grand Old Putsch
A Century of Fascist Influence on the Republican Party
From the Klan’s ‘America First’ to Trump’s ‘Vermin’: How the Ideological Thread…
medium.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:10 PM
New piece just dropped.
Short version: the GOP didn’t suddenly stumble into fascism like someone tripping over a coffee table. This has been a century-long drift, and Trump just ripped the brakes out.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...
Short version: the GOP didn’t suddenly stumble into fascism like someone tripping over a coffee table. This has been a century-long drift, and Trump just ripped the brakes out.
medium.com/@brian.ragle...