And to be completely clear, that's bad.

Alex Shephard@alexshephard.bsky.social · 4h ago

really good piece... also there is an epidemic of people getting mad when the newspaper does not include "and that's bad" at the end of every paragraph involving the bad president or his bad administration or bad supporters www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/m...

really good piece... also there is an epidemic of people getting mad when the newspaper does not include "and that's bad" at the end of every paragraph involving the bad president or his bad administration or bad supporters www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/m...

The Most Powerful Men in America Are Eating Only Steak and Sauerkraut. Could I?

I ate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a week. The results were fascinating.

nytimes.com

The following is a SPOILER for On the Calculation of Volume, 1 through 4. Something I wonder about is the total absence of bad people. Of the dozens of loopers, nobody is threatening, or even difficult. No sexists, racists, etc. The biggest conflicts are long discussions of the meanings of words.

This is an obvious marker for totalitarianism. In totalitarian societies, anyone can be arrested at any time for reasons they don't understand and can't predict, and the resulting terror is very much an intended consequence.

Gift link: major hedge funds targeted by cyberattacks www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Major Hedge Funds Targeted in Wave of Attempted Cyberattacks

Hackers launched a wave of sophisticated attacks on Wall Street firms in recent days, targeting information systems at major money managers, according to people familiar with the matter.

bloomberg.com

It is International Owl Awareness Day. Here are some owls you might not already be aware of.

I've been rereading some Heinlein, and the more I read, the more obvious it is that Musk's beliefs and politics are those of a teenager who read a lot of mid-century sf and nothing else, which underlines how clearly his character and attitudes are those of the kind of teenager who would do that.

Don't even think about fucking with us

Hello! Any chance anyone in London has a drum kit that could be borrowed next weekend for a gig in the Streatham Hill/Brixton area? There’s been a last minute change of plan to a gig that requires drums

I saw David Bowie on SNL in 1979 singing The Man Who Sold the World in a shiny black plastic skirt w velvet and sequin trim. This blew my 11 y/o mind. I was like "Oh shit, you can just do whatever you want!". Later I learned that this is only true for the beautiful, the talented and the wealthy.

The band in Tompkin's Square today was remarkably good, so I ask who these middle-aged guys are, and it's Ted Leo &, and Ted Leo starts keeping time with the mic against his head, and I think Ah, a sly reference to wilder punk days of long gone youth, until blood starts dripping down his forehead.

Jonas Salk Hologram To Be Prosecuted By People Who Didn't Get Polio

I'm wondering how many people would have to gather before they felt threatened enough to give up and leave, how that number varies by number of agents, and if it would be useful for everyone to have a sense of those figures.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@soraya.press · 5d ago

"WE THE FUCKING JUDGE SON" New York, I love you. I love you so fucking much. Via wali_talks on IG

a sharply-dressed Bilbo Baggins on The Dick Cavett show circa 1971 smoking cigarettes and bringing Cavett and the audience to absolute tears with his devastating wit

"Are they fearful of the socialists’ plans to ensure all Americans have health care and stop genocide, or are they not horrified by what Trump has done. Here’s what scares me: that Allen and VandeHei would say “yes” to both," writes @alexshephard.bsky.social. newrepublic.com/article/2136...

The New Red Scare Is Here—and It’s Dumber Than Ever

These Beltway pundits desperately want us to believe that there’s an equivalent of Trumpism on the left.

newrepublic.com

Me: I had the WORST day. Nothing can come close Katy Perry, recently trapped in a giant bottle because fans refused to roll her towards the stage: Hm

more fun facts like this here: www.gojeffgo.com/more-very-go... 3 bands with an ! inside their name: - Panic! At The Disco - The Go! Team - Godspeed You! Black Emperor 3 bands with an ! end of their name: - Against Me! - Los Campesinos! - Wham! One band with only !s in its name: - !!!

More Very Good Music Facts

People seemed to enjoy my "Very Good Music Fun Facts" post, so it is time to empty my brain once again and offer up some more nostalgic conversation starters.

gojeffgo.com

During the Odyssey I helped out my theatermates by loudly identifying the racial makeup of every performer as they appeared & then describing how they were likely to behave according to my knowledge of classic stereotypes. Afterwards they all applauded me, said it really helped them enjoy the film

Lots of good answers on this and I appreciate everyone's efforts but the truth is it's Dorothy Malone as the unnamed bookstore girl in The Big Sleep (1946)

Dawn@502eire.bsky.social · 2w ago

there is a recurring prompt around what’s the best that anyone has ever looked on camera and I never have an answer but I’m watching right now and I think it’s gotta be George Clooney in Ocean’s 11

Another typical New York City hellscape.

[all dialogue guaranteed] Young, earnest resident: Are you having any thoughts of harming yourself or others? Me: Or others? This is New York, pal. Have you been here long?

As it turned out, the creation of this AI image is what finally took down the power grid.

Lyse@lyse.myatproto.social · 2w ago

Men? You guys okay?

I’m watching a documentary (Haskell Wexler, et al) called Underground with members of the Weather Underground. Cathy Wilkerson explains she was first arrested protesting segregated schools in Chester, PA. The title mayor of my new book, The Mayor, is the mayor of Chester.

The great @jrobertlennon.com brings the fire and the fury in this piece about discovering that a story his lit mag published was plagiarized with the assistance of generative AI www.epochliterary.com/blog/on-ai-i...

Want to see a crazy roundup of current fake accounts on Bluesky, some of which have probably just followed you? Okay then do this search:

I was lucky enough to spend a few days at the Kavli Institute of Theoretical Physics recently, observing an interdisciplinary group of scientists as they grappled with the limits of language in the face of biological complexity. My scene report: clairelevans.substack.com/p/report-fro...

Report from Goleta

An account of three days haunting the halls of the Institute for Theoretical Physics.

clairelevans.substack.com

Attempting to finish up this book on Charcot and came across this doozy of an IQ question 😳 Yikes!

*eats an apple instead of getting the usual slice of pizza* I am probably the healthiest man in New York.

I made this thirteen years ago when Sears was going through a rebranding phase. I mean, if you’re one of the most comfortingly normal brands ever, just remind people to go to your store.

Against us, tyranny's blood-stained standard has been raised