David Spurrett

Dan Whitehead @danwhitehead.net · 7h

BBC Archive just uploaded The Lonely Shore (1962), a surreal 15-minute short that takes the form of a scientific report from an abandoned and desolate future Britain. Written by Jacquetta Hawkes, an actual archaeologist, and directed by Ken Russell, an actual madman.

1962: An Expedition to Post-Apocalyptic Britain | Monitor: The Lonely Shore | BBC Archive

YouTube video by BBC Archive

www.youtube.com

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

A thread of really splendid (knowledgeable, passionate, demanding, intensely appreciative of the possibilities of cinema and the obligations of creators...) movie reviews, and a slam dunk argument for following Sarah Manvel.

Sarah Manvel with a🪝for a 🖐️ @cairdiul.bsky.social · 8d

Here's my 🧵of #LFF2025 📽️ reviews starting with the movies I have covered elsewhere. My strongest recommendation is for ROMERÍA, an enormous act of love with an all-time dance scene done by filthy gutter punks movieswetextedabout.com/romeria-film...

'Romería' Film Review: An Extraordinary Act Of Love

Romería is the movie above all others I have been recommending from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. That is because this is such a powerful story, told with such an incredible amount of love, that i...

movieswetextedabout.com

1 1

by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

A PhD level filth-monger.

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

OpenAI to allow mature content on ChatGPT for adult verified users starting December reut.rs/3J8NTAi

OpenAI to allow mature content on ChatGPT for adult verified users starting December

OpenAI will allow mature content for ChatGPT users who verify their age on the platform starting in December, CEO Sam Altman said, after the chatbot was made restrictive for users in mental distress.

reut.rs

by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

A PhD level filth-monger.

by Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò — Reposted by David Spurrett, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 1d

"The United States struck another small boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, killing six people...It’s the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean"

again, merely political consequences for wanton murder aren't enough.

apnews.com/article/trum...

US kills 6 people in strike on boat accused of carrying drugs near Venezuela, Trump says

President Donald Trump says the U.S. has struck another boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela.

apnews.com

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 1d

I've seen a big shift with my two (one old enough for physical media, the other still in primary school now) and there's much less repetition now. But both were similar when very small, and had some favourites on rotation independent of the delivery system.

2

Reposted by David Spurrett, Carl T. Bergstrom, Iñaki Aldasoro

Reuters @reuters.com · 1d

OpenAI to allow mature content on ChatGPT for adult verified users starting December reut.rs/3J8NTAi

OpenAI to allow mature content on ChatGPT for adult verified users starting December

OpenAI will allow mature content for ChatGPT users who verify their age on the platform starting in December, CEO Sam Altman said, after the chatbot was made restrictive for users in mental distress.

reut.rs

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 2d

POLITICO: “.. They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies .. and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.

@politico.com
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

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Reposted by David Spurrett

TPM @talkingpointsmemo.com · 2d

Callais is the conservative legal movement’s latest vehicle to persuade the Court to do away with the greatest triumph of the Civil Rights Movement.

Louisiana v Callais: The Republicans Justices Are Getting Ready to Finish Off the Voting Rights Act

This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and...

talkingpointsmemo.com

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Reposted by David Spurrett, Jane E. Fountain, Zen Faulkes

Aubrey Hirsch @aubreyhirsch.bsky.social · 2d

Did you know that if you buy my book on Amazon, Jeff Bezos makes 5 times as much as I do on each copy sold? Sharing some behind-the-scenes book math on why buying directly from presses is best for EVERYONE (except Bezos) in my newsletter today! aubreyhirsch.substack.com/p/book-math

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 2d

The distinction between invented and genuine has no place in these LLMs. At 'best' an instruction like that leads to a change in the register of the output.

3

Reposted by David Spurrett, David Rosnick

David Cooper @davidbcooper.bsky.social · 4d

Rosie the Ribbiter

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by Jacob T. Levy — Reposted by David Spurrett, Anne Applebaum, Andrew Curry , and 4 more David Spurrett, Anne Applebaum, Andrew Curry, Michelle Everson, Scott A. Imberman, Samantha Brennan, Prakash Kashwan

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 4d

The deportation order derives from the crime of which he has now been exonerated.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him

Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.

www.miamiherald.com

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Reposted by David Spurrett

Kenan Malik @kenanmalik.bsky.social · 4d

“Hidden here is the assumption that ordinary people are unable to grasp anything challenging... It is a wretchedly patronising claim imposed upon working class people by middle-class gatekeepers who define what is ‘relevant’.” My ‪@theobserveruk.bsky.social column: observer.co.uk/news/columni...

It’s not opera that’s elitist but the idea that art is to...

The myth that culture has not been for the masses is debunked in a new book

observer.co.uk

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 4d

The idea is that the exercise does a few things. One is to incrementally (but inexorably, if you follow the rules) take things off the to do list. The other is to provide an unambiguous and unique answer to the question 'what should I fix next?'. Finally, it provides a simple progress metric.

1

by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 5d

I'm pleased to hear it, Chris!

1

Reposted by David Spurrett, Rosemary A. Joyce, Juan Cole , and 3 more David Spurrett, Rosemary A. Joyce, Juan Cole, Robert C. Richards, Aaron Sojourner, Mark Rice

◥◤Kriston Capps @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 5d

HUD laid off so many fair housing investigators on Friday that it shuttered the regional offices that oversee discrimination cases in 9 states: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

HUD Issues Layoff Notices, Targeting Fair Housing Staff With Deep Cuts

Fair housing staffers who investigate claims of housing discrimination at field offices nationwide were among the hundreds of HUD staffers who received layoff notices.

www.bloomberg.com

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 5d

I've recently imposed it on myself for a book I've been revising and fiddling with in too many places at once. So I'm taking a big dose of my own medicine. It isn't always fun, but it does focus the mind. /fin

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 5d

The idea is that pages don't have to be perfect, but good enough to let go of them. (If you finish 'early' you can go back and polish.)

This seems to help in some cases, especially with those stuck in a 'choose your own adventure' exposition with undecided choice points in many places.

/4

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 5d

4. You can add pages, in order, to the bottom of the pile.

5. But once a page is in the pile you can't take it back.

So start at the beginning, and see how many pages you have. Then try to move forward through the text, keeping ahead of the reader, and never back-tracking.

/3

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 5d

2. They will start with the title page, and move to the first page of chapter 1. They will read each page once, and only move forward.

3. The dissertation/thesis doesn't have to be complete when the reader starts.

/2

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 5d

Big projects like dissertations invite having many incomplete/pending bits in many places. That can make it hard to organise finishing them. When I'm advising students, I sometimes suggest the following:

1. Imagine someone is going to start reading a paper copy.

/1.

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Reposted by David Spurrett, Henry Jones

The Onion @theonion.com · 6d

Israel Agrees To Go Back To Killing Palestinians On Less Frequent Basis

CAIRO—As part of a historic ceasefire agreement with Hamas following two years of war, the Israeli government reportedly agreed Thursday to go back to killing Palestinians on a less frequent basis. “I...

theonion.com

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Reposted by David Spurrett

Sarah Manvel with a🪝for a 🖐️ @cairdiul.bsky.social · 8d

Here's my 🧵of #LFF2025 📽️ reviews starting with the movies I have covered elsewhere. My strongest recommendation is for ROMERÍA, an enormous act of love with an all-time dance scene done by filthy gutter punks movieswetextedabout.com/romeria-film...

'Romería' Film Review: An Extraordinary Act Of Love

Romería is the movie above all others I have been recommending from this year’s Cannes Film Festival. That is because this is such a powerful story, told with such an incredible amount of love, that i...

movieswetextedabout.com

2 7 14

Reposted by David Spurrett, Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Sear , and 2 more David Spurrett, Lisa W. Fazio, Rebecca Sear, Erol Akçay, Larry W. Hunter

Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 9d

I have been trying to get this published as an op-ed, but I am going to post it here since I think it is timely in light of the "consent" extortion events.

Deafening Quiet from the Scientific Establishment

jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

1/14

jeremymberg.github.io

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Reposted by David Spurrett, Brigitte Nerlich, Virginia Braun , and 9 more David Spurrett, Brigitte Nerlich, Virginia Braun, John R. Hutchinson, Juan Cole, Daniel W. Drezner, Christine Kooi, Will Lowe, Michael H. Whitworth, Fiona Moore, Joanna Tai, Simon Lester

Esther Schindler @estherschindler.bsky.social · 9d

I just saw someone use the abbreviation “AI;DR” and I’ll be laughing for a while.

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Reposted by David Spurrett, Dorothy Bishop

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 12d

Palantir has pulled out of involvement with the UK Digital ID card, according to an interview with their UK CEO on Times Radio. They’re concerned about the reputational damage of being involved with an unpopular Starmer policy.

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 12d

Reposting because I'm quite pleased with "Slopzilla" (for OpenAI).

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 13d

Worth noting that they are in a 'strategic partnership' with Slopzilla: www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-of...

Guardian Media Group announces strategic partnership with OpenAI

Guardian Media Group today announced a strategic partnership with Open AI, a leader in artificial intelligence and deployment, that will bring the Guardian’s high quality journalism to ChatGPT’s globa...

www.theguardian.com

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 13d

I think Kevin's worry (or part of it) is that designers without addiction related intention might amplify/create addiction while trying to 'improve design'. I think that probably does happen sometimes. And design can generate non-addiction bad stuff (like junk and 'ultraprocessed' food).

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by David Spurrett

David Spurrett @doctorspurt.bsky.social · 13d

Also worth noting (social media feeds come up a lot among the replies) that (a) it is sometimes the same designers (gambling machine designers are UI designers for hire, and executives move between companies, or companies operate in both markets) and (b) the very same inventions/patents get adopted.

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References

Fields & subjects