Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
@vermilious.bsky.social
Mostly here to see my friends
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
thrilled to inform you that in the proud populist tradition of opera, the family production of magic flute at the met includes papageno counting 1, 2, … 6-7… 3
uproarious applause and laughter
uproarious applause and laughter
December 14, 2025 at 8:41 PM
thrilled to inform you that in the proud populist tradition of opera, the family production of magic flute at the met includes papageno counting 1, 2, … 6-7… 3
uproarious applause and laughter
uproarious applause and laughter
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
'Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas being transported to Fossanova Abbey.'
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
Photograph by Daniel Ibanez
December 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Not sure about this new Fahrenheit 451 remake. Rather than burning books, they've banned sick burns. It's a disstopia.
December 9, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Not sure about this new Fahrenheit 451 remake. Rather than burning books, they've banned sick burns. It's a disstopia.
The only upside of making ISPs sever internet access for illegal downloads is that the next AI company to torrent training data has their internet permanently shut off. And that’s still a terrible idea.
Gorsuch (?): ok so what about like, university dorms that are all on one account
Sony: have a stern word with the university
Gorsuch: ...
Sony: have a stern word with the university
Gorsuch: ...
December 1, 2025 at 4:46 PM
The only upside of making ISPs sever internet access for illegal downloads is that the next AI company to torrent training data has their internet permanently shut off. And that’s still a terrible idea.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
The reason it's Five Nights at Freddy's and not One Week is because of unions. Remember what labor rights got you.
December 1, 2025 at 12:20 AM
The reason it's Five Nights at Freddy's and not One Week is because of unions. Remember what labor rights got you.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
Fifteen Years
xkcd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:58 AM
i’m not crying you’re crying
xkcd: Fifteen Years
xkcd: Fifteen Years
What we have learned across Godzilla, Rogue One, and The Creator is that Gareth Edwards is fantastic at making a certain kind of extended battle sequence utterly captivating, and that his films come alive in these scenes. Because otherwise, they are sort of lifeless.
rogue one is bad folks. i have believed this since i saw it in theaters and no subsequent rewatch has changed my mind. basically a chop job until the final sequence, which is good (for star wars)
November 24, 2025 at 9:50 PM
What we have learned across Godzilla, Rogue One, and The Creator is that Gareth Edwards is fantastic at making a certain kind of extended battle sequence utterly captivating, and that his films come alive in these scenes. Because otherwise, they are sort of lifeless.
This cover raises the important question: Why didn’t Superman ever use the cool S on his costume?
Action Comics 1095 cover. The reference research for this one brought me back, man
November 22, 2025 at 12:20 PM
This cover raises the important question: Why didn’t Superman ever use the cool S on his costume?
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
So... spells.
We're using spells to undo the work we've done... tricking rocks into thinking with lightning.
And trapping evil cars in circles of salt.
The old ways are new again.
We're using spells to undo the work we've done... tricking rocks into thinking with lightning.
And trapping evil cars in circles of salt.
The old ways are new again.
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 20, 2025 at 5:52 PM
So... spells.
We're using spells to undo the work we've done... tricking rocks into thinking with lightning.
And trapping evil cars in circles of salt.
The old ways are new again.
We're using spells to undo the work we've done... tricking rocks into thinking with lightning.
And trapping evil cars in circles of salt.
The old ways are new again.
"All we get is one life, and there are too many books" is going on the family quote wall next to "Willful, but naive" and related bangers.
The bigger thing here is—outside certain extremely narrow professional competency areas, you must train yourself not to get mad at people for not having read something. I fight the instinct all the time! But we all get one life, and there are too many books.
It hits different reading this whole thread.
November 20, 2025 at 4:29 PM
"All we get is one life, and there are too many books" is going on the family quote wall next to "Willful, but naive" and related bangers.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Antisemitism is a lot like Qanon child abuse conspiracies in that there’s this real and bad phenomenon and, parallel to that, what can only be described as a large scale mass psychosis about a mostly fictional version of the same phenomenon
November 16, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Antisemitism is a lot like Qanon child abuse conspiracies in that there’s this real and bad phenomenon and, parallel to that, what can only be described as a large scale mass psychosis about a mostly fictional version of the same phenomenon
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
nothing says you’re kicking ass at Buddhism quite like having an insatiable desire for something
November 12, 2025 at 10:16 PM
nothing says you’re kicking ass at Buddhism quite like having an insatiable desire for something
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Happy partially muscled skeleton screaming by the perimeter fence day to all who celebrate. A solemn 30 second screaming before vanishing will take place at 11am.
November 14, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Happy partially muscled skeleton screaming by the perimeter fence day to all who celebrate. A solemn 30 second screaming before vanishing will take place at 11am.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
RE starbucks picket line--the relevant detail is "picket line, do not cross." Pass that along. Proclaiming that you are in no danger of doing so because you are too aesthetically pure to let Starbucks coffee pass your lips is...unhelpful and does not give the impression you perhaps imagine it does.
November 13, 2025 at 1:56 PM
RE starbucks picket line--the relevant detail is "picket line, do not cross." Pass that along. Proclaiming that you are in no danger of doing so because you are too aesthetically pure to let Starbucks coffee pass your lips is...unhelpful and does not give the impression you perhaps imagine it does.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Pretty much all affordability discourse could benefit from just posting this chart.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
November 10, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Pretty much all affordability discourse could benefit from just posting this chart.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
If you're in the better off America, all the luxury goods you want in excess are for the most part much cheaper. If you're in the poorer America, most of the shit you need to live/grow is more expensive.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
AIPAC sucks, supports genocide, and is a hub for Christian Zionists as much as anyone. *And* at the same time:
When you vaguepost like this about issues unrelated to Israel suggesting an org associated with Judaism is to blame, you are at least FLIRTING with antisemitic conspiracy theory.
When you vaguepost like this about issues unrelated to Israel suggesting an org associated with Judaism is to blame, you are at least FLIRTING with antisemitic conspiracy theory.
November 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
AIPAC sucks, supports genocide, and is a hub for Christian Zionists as much as anyone. *And* at the same time:
When you vaguepost like this about issues unrelated to Israel suggesting an org associated with Judaism is to blame, you are at least FLIRTING with antisemitic conspiracy theory.
When you vaguepost like this about issues unrelated to Israel suggesting an org associated with Judaism is to blame, you are at least FLIRTING with antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Happy There Is A Circulatory System Walking Through The Kitchen Day to all who celebrate.
November 10, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Happy There Is A Circulatory System Walking Through The Kitchen Day to all who celebrate.
Attempt it over four days in May every year and no other time. Trust me. I speak from experience.
November 6, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Attempt it over four days in May every year and no other time. Trust me. I speak from experience.
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Do you love the Chicago Public Library? Do you not want to wait weeks for books? Do you still want to be able to go to programs? Send a letter to electeds !
In the budget, Brandon Johnson is proposing 89 cuts to positions, and cutting our book budget in half. actionnetwork.org/letters/no-l...
In the budget, Brandon Johnson is proposing 89 cuts to positions, and cutting our book budget in half. actionnetwork.org/letters/no-l...
October 27, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Do you love the Chicago Public Library? Do you not want to wait weeks for books? Do you still want to be able to go to programs? Send a letter to electeds !
In the budget, Brandon Johnson is proposing 89 cuts to positions, and cutting our book budget in half. actionnetwork.org/letters/no-l...
In the budget, Brandon Johnson is proposing 89 cuts to positions, and cutting our book budget in half. actionnetwork.org/letters/no-l...
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Reposted by Benjamin "Not Ben Shapiro" Schapiro
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
November 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
This is a great idea
Best exercise I've done is have students ask an LLM something they're personally experts in (they're all 18-19, so these are all accessible topics).
One student this year asked for Top 10 MLB players in 2025. LLM gave a bunch of plausible names...and then Rafael Devers. Asked students why. (1/2)
One student this year asked for Top 10 MLB players in 2025. LLM gave a bunch of plausible names...and then Rafael Devers. Asked students why. (1/2)
It takes being an expert in some area to get a sense of where LLMs fall tragically short there.
Unfortunately, they also have a habit of making everyone perceive themselves an expert without any expertise needed to discern the outputs. It’s easy for it to feel like magic in these circumstances.
Unfortunately, they also have a habit of making everyone perceive themselves an expert without any expertise needed to discern the outputs. It’s easy for it to feel like magic in these circumstances.
November 4, 2025 at 1:10 AM
This is a great idea