Vernon Thomson
@vthomson.bsky.social
Aspiring raconteur and bon vivant
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
So Olivia Nuzzi is clearly a piece of shit who can never work in journalism again after this.
And, also, Ryan Lizza is clearly a piece of shit who should never work in journalism again after this either.
We're all agree on that, right?
And, also, Ryan Lizza is clearly a piece of shit who should never work in journalism again after this either.
We're all agree on that, right?
November 26, 2025 at 10:46 PM
So Olivia Nuzzi is clearly a piece of shit who can never work in journalism again after this.
And, also, Ryan Lizza is clearly a piece of shit who should never work in journalism again after this either.
We're all agree on that, right?
And, also, Ryan Lizza is clearly a piece of shit who should never work in journalism again after this either.
We're all agree on that, right?
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
yeah it’s bad that Lizza has been sitting on this for so long but also how cursory and inept was that Vox investigation that not only managed to miss the biggest scandal in the history of American political journalism but affirmatively exonerated her bsky.app/profile/bkel...
So the editor of New York Magazine said there was no bias or ethical problems with Olivia's articles?
Does he still think that?
They should retract all of her stories
Does he still think that?
They should retract all of her stories
November 26, 2025 at 10:42 PM
yeah it’s bad that Lizza has been sitting on this for so long but also how cursory and inept was that Vox investigation that not only managed to miss the biggest scandal in the history of American political journalism but affirmatively exonerated her bsky.app/profile/bkel...
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
Hey, congratulations to all of Olivia Nuzzi’s horny media critic defenders. Heckuva job!
November 26, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Hey, congratulations to all of Olivia Nuzzi’s horny media critic defenders. Heckuva job!
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
American culture is pretty much built completely out of artifice, twigs, and ego, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that so many of my fellow countrymen are taken in by algorithmic parrots
November 26, 2025 at 6:48 PM
American culture is pretty much built completely out of artifice, twigs, and ego, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that so many of my fellow countrymen are taken in by algorithmic parrots
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
journalists really should stop baring their entire asses like this
"I have no idea how this technology actually works but my editor is mostly interested in engagement clicks so we proceeded anyway"
"I have no idea how this technology actually works but my editor is mostly interested in engagement clicks so we proceeded anyway"
November 26, 2025 at 6:41 PM
journalists really should stop baring their entire asses like this
"I have no idea how this technology actually works but my editor is mostly interested in engagement clicks so we proceeded anyway"
"I have no idea how this technology actually works but my editor is mostly interested in engagement clicks so we proceeded anyway"
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
With the top-level story about Sleepy Don finally break the dam?
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/11/slee...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/11/slee...
Sleepy Don - Lawyers, Guns & Money
Whether this represents a dam breaking on a lame-duck administration or just another story that doesn’t become a Narrative remains to be seen, but it being the top story at the Times is a significant ...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:28 PM
With the top-level story about Sleepy Don finally break the dam?
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/11/slee...
www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2025/11/slee...
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
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 Vernon Thomson
they won't. instead of begging the media to be good when they never will be, democrats should be condemning the press for being a propaganda ally of a regime hurting america.
Over and over, the mainstream press reports that Trump has secured a “trade deal” with a foreign country and every single time he’s just making it up.
When will they learn?
When will they learn?
November 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
they won't. instead of begging the media to be good when they never will be, democrats should be condemning the press for being a propaganda ally of a regime hurting america.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
Oh noes it’s not politically palatable!
Do you hear yourself?
People need food. The. Market. Won’t. Provide. It.
Do you hear yourself?
People need food. The. Market. Won’t. Provide. It.
November 26, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Oh noes it’s not politically palatable!
Do you hear yourself?
People need food. The. Market. Won’t. Provide. It.
Do you hear yourself?
People need food. The. Market. Won’t. Provide. It.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
People need food. Market won’t provide it. The government can. The government should.
People needing food does not necessarily imply government run grocery stores. Just as it does not imply government owned bakeries or millers or wheat fields.
Direct cash transfers are strong as a policy but not politically palatable.
Direct cash transfers are strong as a policy but not politically palatable.
People need food. Market won’t provide it. Government should. It’s literally the whole point.
November 26, 2025 at 2:06 PM
People need food. Market won’t provide it. The government can. The government should.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
oh this is absolutely what i think. i think they feed him fake polls and outright AI slop
At this point, I wonder if he isn't lying when he says he has "my highest Poll Numbers, ever" since it's entirely possible that's what his aides are telling him. It's quite likely that there's an entire Potemkin village built around Trump right now.
Trump responds to a detailed report about his waning energy and propensity to sleep through on-camera events by calling the New York Times's Katie Rogers ugly
November 26, 2025 at 2:41 PM
oh this is absolutely what i think. i think they feed him fake polls and outright AI slop
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
Very good video addressing the conspiracy theories that have been invented about the pyramids since medieval times.
Hadn't realized how old some of those ideas were.
Hadn't realized how old some of those ideas were.
[NEW VIDEO] In my latest, I apply the first principles of archaeology to the GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA. It’s a real banger.
It’s got evidence you’ve never seen before, some fun debunks on fake archaeologists, and it features an interview with Dr Zahi Hawass. 🏺🏺🏺
youtu.be/umzE774v4Xs
It’s got evidence you’ve never seen before, some fun debunks on fake archaeologists, and it features an interview with Dr Zahi Hawass. 🏺🏺🏺
youtu.be/umzE774v4Xs
Dear Joe Rogan, the Great Pyramid is a Tomb (feat. Dr Zahi Hawass)
YouTube video by Archaeology with Flint Dibble
youtu.be
November 25, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Very good video addressing the conspiracy theories that have been invented about the pyramids since medieval times.
Hadn't realized how old some of those ideas were.
Hadn't realized how old some of those ideas were.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
can't believe this ancient mesopotamia shoe wearing ass said people need to dress up at the airport
November 26, 2025 at 1:30 AM
can't believe this ancient mesopotamia shoe wearing ass said people need to dress up at the airport
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
If people want to understand why American politics went bananas in 2012, the reason is that the moderate black President took a modest but consequential step toward decoupling healthcare from employment and every billionaire immediately poured their entire portfolio into race-hate media
November 26, 2025 at 1:37 AM
If people want to understand why American politics went bananas in 2012, the reason is that the moderate black President took a modest but consequential step toward decoupling healthcare from employment and every billionaire immediately poured their entire portfolio into race-hate media
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
It’s sad that “soldiers shouldn’t commit crimes” is a brave position for a Republican to take.
November 25, 2025 at 11:48 PM
It’s sad that “soldiers shouldn’t commit crimes” is a brave position for a Republican to take.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
So, a senior Justice Department official — along with several members of Congress — used the authority of their offices to boost an obviously dubious conspiracy theory accusing a federal employee of a horrific crime.
And now it’s clear the allegation was baseless.
www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-p...
And now it’s clear the allegation was baseless.
www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-p...
How an innocent woman's name was tied to the Jan. 6 pipe bombs
The FBI has ruled the woman out as a suspect in the 2021 plot, sources said, but only after her name circulated on social platforms and a conservative news site.
www.cbsnews.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:31 PM
So, a senior Justice Department official — along with several members of Congress — used the authority of their offices to boost an obviously dubious conspiracy theory accusing a federal employee of a horrific crime.
And now it’s clear the allegation was baseless.
www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-p...
And now it’s clear the allegation was baseless.
www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-p...
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
Hey y'all, check this out and if you're able and so inclined, help support a student trying to complete their education.
This is personal for me. When I was in college, my grants were cut. I needed to leave school, but the president of the university, Tom Kean, paid for my tuitions for the rest of my time there. I want to pay it forward to my student, but do not have the means to do it by myself. gofund.me/fa4a2893d
Donate to Support a Talented Student's Future, organized by Steven Strafford
Hello, everyone!
In case you're reading this and don't know me, my name i… Steven Strafford needs your support for Support a Talented Student's Future
gofund.me
November 25, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Hey y'all, check this out and if you're able and so inclined, help support a student trying to complete their education.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
All right, hear me out ... a Bob Moses biopic starring William Jackson Harper.
November 25, 2025 at 10:39 PM
All right, hear me out ... a Bob Moses biopic starring William Jackson Harper.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
@patrickwyman.bsky.social scrupulously cites his sources, corrects mistakes, interviews experts on the material he covers, incorporates feedback, and is a terrific storyteller. The only "big history" podcast that's self-consciously analytical.
November 25, 2025 at 6:12 PM
@patrickwyman.bsky.social scrupulously cites his sources, corrects mistakes, interviews experts on the material he covers, incorporates feedback, and is a terrific storyteller. The only "big history" podcast that's self-consciously analytical.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
If Books Could Kill just did Sapiens. @patrickwyman.bsky.social has a popular history coming out based on the podcast series he did on human prehistory. If you haven't listened to his now-ended podcast, Tides of History, its become a favorite among a broad range of academics.
November 25, 2025 at 6:12 PM
If Books Could Kill just did Sapiens. @patrickwyman.bsky.social has a popular history coming out based on the podcast series he did on human prehistory. If you haven't listened to his now-ended podcast, Tides of History, its become a favorite among a broad range of academics.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge's 16-yr-old son played tennis on the White House grounds w/o wearing socks. He got a blister and was dead from infection a week later.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
For a yr, I've been working on a series for The New Atlantis about the vast systems that underlie our lives. Our ancestors built them up over decades to fend off hunger, thirst, darkness and disease. But too few of us know about them—and they're all at risk. The conclusion is now available online:
Why We Are Better Off Than a Century Ago
Our ancestors built grand public systems to conquer hunger, thirst, darkness, and squalor. That progress can be lost if we forget it.
www.thenewatlantis.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:03 PM
In 1924, Calvin Coolidge's 16-yr-old son played tennis on the White House grounds w/o wearing socks. He got a blister and was dead from infection a week later.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
This is unthinkable today—which is why I wrote this series. Cuz the systems that save us from this kind of fate are in urgent need of care.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
Yep. I've been waiting for EU spooks to start reminding Trump that they've got their own capabilities.
Three things about the Witkoff tapes:
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
1) It appears Western intelligence services have decided to let Witkoff (and Trump) know they have recordings of their traitorous conversations w/Russia.
2) This Ukraine "deal" was all Witkoff's idea.
3) Congressional leaders should demand he be fired.
EXCLUSIVE: US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff advised Russia on how to pitch Ukraine plans to Trump, in audio files reviewed by Bloomberg
November 25, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Yep. I've been waiting for EU spooks to start reminding Trump that they've got their own capabilities.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
This gets right at my core opinion about AGI: we're not going to get anything like actual "intelligence" from a brain in a jar (or a chip in a computer). Intelligence is ultimately about interacting with the world; only embodied creatures can develop it.
The most basic is that Cartesianism, broadly speaking, is false. The mind is embodied and embedded in the physical world. Meaning is not in the head. Reference, truth, and rational belief require the right kind of causal relationships to the world.
November 25, 2025 at 8:49 PM
This gets right at my core opinion about AGI: we're not going to get anything like actual "intelligence" from a brain in a jar (or a chip in a computer). Intelligence is ultimately about interacting with the world; only embodied creatures can develop it.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
The most basic is that Cartesianism, broadly speaking, is false. The mind is embodied and embedded in the physical world. Meaning is not in the head. Reference, truth, and rational belief require the right kind of causal relationships to the world.
November 25, 2025 at 7:39 PM
The most basic is that Cartesianism, broadly speaking, is false. The mind is embodied and embedded in the physical world. Meaning is not in the head. Reference, truth, and rational belief require the right kind of causal relationships to the world.
Reposted by Vernon Thomson
There are so many different reasons to believe that LLMs cannot have beliefs, cannot know anything, cannot reason and cannot be a form of intelligence.
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 7:30 PM
There are so many different reasons to believe that LLMs cannot have beliefs, cannot know anything, cannot reason and cannot be a form of intelligence.