I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
January 5, 2026 at 7:22 PM
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Me, seeing someone reading a book: oh, hey that’s interesting. You have another person make up stories for you? I simply close my eyes and effortlessly weave fantastical yarns, breathing life into dozens of characters, and shelving the creation in my Mind Library. But yeah, this seems cool, too
January 5, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Me, seeing someone reading a book: oh, hey that’s interesting. You have another person make up stories for you? I simply close my eyes and effortlessly weave fantastical yarns, breathing life into dozens of characters, and shelving the creation in my Mind Library. But yeah, this seems cool, too
This is well-intentioned but this seems like a waste of time and energy, since—I say this as a fiction professor who routinely encounters AI-generated/assisted fiction—it is unthinkable that AI might write something a publisher would come close to accepting
As we're opening to submissions in less than 11 hours, we're currently looking at AI-generated-text detection tools. I wish this wasn't necessary, but sadly it probably will be. Does anyone have any recommendations? Internxt seems quite good, and has decent privacy terms.
#booksky
#booksky
January 4, 2026 at 3:48 PM
This is well-intentioned but this seems like a waste of time and energy, since—I say this as a fiction professor who routinely encounters AI-generated/assisted fiction—it is unthinkable that AI might write something a publisher would come close to accepting
Me (on the ground, getting kicked in the face): that poor man's foot, I hope he has a good podiatrist
Just thinking... we give so much attention (as we should!) to the victims of state violence, ie, people sent to CECOT.
But, we give little consideration to the psychic violence suffered by those tasked with carrying out the physical violence.
Yes, they "chose" those jobs. But...
But, we give little consideration to the psychic violence suffered by those tasked with carrying out the physical violence.
Yes, they "chose" those jobs. But...
December 28, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Me (on the ground, getting kicked in the face): that poor man's foot, I hope he has a good podiatrist
Wife has once again failed her weekly Steely Dan quiz, somehow mixing up Rick Marotta and Steve Gadd. This means she'll have to relisten to Aja and write a 1000 word essay about the significance of the drum solo
December 22, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Wife has once again failed her weekly Steely Dan quiz, somehow mixing up Rick Marotta and Steve Gadd. This means she'll have to relisten to Aja and write a 1000 word essay about the significance of the drum solo
Reading my student evaluations, and as always, feeling proud that for yet another group of young people, I have forever ruined the magic of storytelling
December 22, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reading my student evaluations, and as always, feeling proud that for yet another group of young people, I have forever ruined the magic of storytelling
Breaking three of my fingers in my rush to type "it's the Velvet Underground duhhhrrrrr"
December 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Breaking three of my fingers in my rush to type "it's the Velvet Underground duhhhrrrrr"
Reposted by AOP
wow, great question:
December 19, 2025 at 3:20 PM
wow, great question:
my very photogenic mother died in a freak accident (knausgaard, lerner)
December 18, 2025 at 8:49 PM
my very photogenic mother died in a freak accident (knausgaard, lerner)
Nice to see some reporting that's not "some are saying these incidents could be defined as extralegal." No, these are quite clearly illegal murders with an absurd justification, being called for by the worst fucking people in the world
Not only excellent reporting, this is the clearest and most plainly stated article I've seen in the mainstream media so far, mincing no words and pointing out every single one of the Trump admin's canards and misdirections.
As one of the quoted experts says, it's murder, full stop.
As one of the quoted experts says, it's murder, full stop.
December 6, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Nice to see some reporting that's not "some are saying these incidents could be defined as extralegal." No, these are quite clearly illegal murders with an absurd justification, being called for by the worst fucking people in the world
Reposted by AOP
My employer, Dartmouth College, today boasts it's 1st Ivy "to launch AI at an institutional scale." It is doing this by partnering--"more than a collaboration"--with Anthropic, a company that stole the books of many faculty, me included, which many of us are suing.
December 4, 2025 at 9:38 PM
My employer, Dartmouth College, today boasts it's 1st Ivy "to launch AI at an institutional scale." It is doing this by partnering--"more than a collaboration"--with Anthropic, a company that stole the books of many faculty, me included, which many of us are suing.
Not having to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting is lowkey goated when letting the soft animal of your body love what it loves is the vibe
December 4, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Not having to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting is lowkey goated when letting the soft animal of your body love what it loves is the vibe
Oh thank you, I would love to attend your colloquium on the digital humanities, it's just that I will die someday and therefore cannot spend a single second of my life in this manner
December 3, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Oh thank you, I would love to attend your colloquium on the digital humanities, it's just that I will die someday and therefore cannot spend a single second of my life in this manner
Reposted by AOP
we tell ourselves stories in order to agree with everything the protagonist says and does
November 23, 2025 at 2:15 AM
we tell ourselves stories in order to agree with everything the protagonist says and does
Tearfully donning my beret and informing my wife of my decision to get an MFA in poetry
December 2, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Tearfully donning my beret and informing my wife of my decision to get an MFA in poetry
Reposted by AOP
Playing chess in a beautifully rendered park with an AI reconstruction of my deceased grandfather. I think of all the things I never got to say to him, and also review the DLC hat options
December 1, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Playing chess in a beautifully rendered park with an AI reconstruction of my deceased grandfather. I think of all the things I never got to say to him, and also review the DLC hat options
Reposted by AOP
this dumb shit is what i mean when i say this is a purely aesthetic “politics.” yeah man, why can’t we have a fusion of cosmopolitan social democracy and revanchist hierarchies of wealth and privilege? tough question.
Matt Stoller: “..Trump & Mamdani defeated establishment in their own way, representing hunger of voters on the right & left who want something different. If those sides cd come together.. that would be a sea change in how we organize our political economy”.
www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-r...
www.thebignewsletter.com/p/monopoly-r...
Monopoly Round-Up: Why the Establishment Freaked Out Over a Mamdani-Trump Press Conference
Meta wins its antitrust case, there are now two fire truck antitrust claims, the stock market got wobbly, and Larry Summers was exiled from the establishment, at least for now.
www.thebignewsletter.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
this dumb shit is what i mean when i say this is a purely aesthetic “politics.” yeah man, why can’t we have a fusion of cosmopolitan social democracy and revanchist hierarchies of wealth and privilege? tough question.
Me to my class: some of you will have seen the dozens of messages between me and the world's most famous pedophile, where I refer to him as my "wing man." Sorry about that. Now then, let's talk about what the blind man represents in "Cathedral"
Larry Summers discusses his “statement of regret” for his disturbing messages to Jeffrey Epstein with Harvard students
November 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Me to my class: some of you will have seen the dozens of messages between me and the world's most famous pedophile, where I refer to him as my "wing man." Sorry about that. Now then, let's talk about what the blind man represents in "Cathedral"
Reposted by AOP
“you know, Skip, I am all for protecting innocent victims“
”of course”
“Mama Smith didn’t raise me to NOT expose bad guys”
“Right”
“Especially the ones who did bad things”
“Yes”
“BUT—“
”of course”
“Mama Smith didn’t raise me to NOT expose bad guys”
“Right”
“Especially the ones who did bad things”
“Yes”
“BUT—“
Jim Jordan: "We're all for protecting innocent victims, we're all for exposing the bad guys who did bad guys who did bad things, but ... "
November 19, 2025 at 12:19 AM
“you know, Skip, I am all for protecting innocent victims“
”of course”
“Mama Smith didn’t raise me to NOT expose bad guys”
“Right”
“Especially the ones who did bad things”
“Yes”
“BUT—“
”of course”
“Mama Smith didn’t raise me to NOT expose bad guys”
“Right”
“Especially the ones who did bad things”
“Yes”
“BUT—“
Saturdays are for the boys to effetely fail at doing minor repairs on their Hamptons beach house
True comedy is watching Dave Portnay trying to use a hammer
November 15, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Saturdays are for the boys to effetely fail at doing minor repairs on their Hamptons beach house
Just learned that my former professor, friend, and mentor Stephanie Vaughn, has died. For those unaware, Stephanie's book SWEET TALK is one of the greatest American story collections, up there with the likes of JESUS' SON. This is the justly famous intro of her story "Dog Heaven"
November 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Just learned that my former professor, friend, and mentor Stephanie Vaughn, has died. For those unaware, Stephanie's book SWEET TALK is one of the greatest American story collections, up there with the likes of JESUS' SON. This is the justly famous intro of her story "Dog Heaven"
Not big on generation discourse, but 18 year olds wearing Nirvana t-shirts does still give me a flash of adolescent "this is my band" rage—get a Geese shirt you little dork
November 14, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Not big on generation discourse, but 18 year olds wearing Nirvana t-shirts does still give me a flash of adolescent "this is my band" rage—get a Geese shirt you little dork
Really great review of what seems like a truly unpleasant book, from the person who called Lauren Oyler the Renata Adler of looking at her phone a lot:
thebaffler.com/latest/flat-...
thebaffler.com/latest/flat-...
Flat Earth Catalog | Ann Manov
“Flat Earth” is a provocative commentary on an artistic field reduced to its most superficial and craven impulses.
thebaffler.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Really great review of what seems like a truly unpleasant book, from the person who called Lauren Oyler the Renata Adler of looking at her phone a lot:
thebaffler.com/latest/flat-...
thebaffler.com/latest/flat-...