Andy Harbison
@andrewharbison1.bsky.social
Early refugee from the Bad Place. IT security, forensics and investigations guy with far too many history books. All opinions personal and do not reflect etc. etc.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Reposted by Andy Harbison
You can joke about Pam Bondi’s ridiculous unprofessionalism all you want, but I’m deeply shocked by it: She acts as if she fears absolutely no consequences, convinced that there will be no more political power transfers. — This should shake everyone to their core.
February 11, 2026 at 5:48 PM
You can joke about Pam Bondi’s ridiculous unprofessionalism all you want, but I’m deeply shocked by it: She acts as if she fears absolutely no consequences, convinced that there will be no more political power transfers. — This should shake everyone to their core.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
This couldn’t be clearer. Bannon’s texts to Epstein in mid July 2018 - “overthrowing May right now” and in “London with Boris” as well as his appearance on LBC with Nigel Farage are prettying damning evidence of a cross party plot with foreign backing
February 11, 2026 at 12:18 PM
This couldn’t be clearer. Bannon’s texts to Epstein in mid July 2018 - “overthrowing May right now” and in “London with Boris” as well as his appearance on LBC with Nigel Farage are prettying damning evidence of a cross party plot with foreign backing
Reposted by Andy Harbison
French President Emmanuel Macron: “So many times we invest in and finance non-European solutions. We are crazy.”
February 11, 2026 at 5:05 PM
French President Emmanuel Macron: “So many times we invest in and finance non-European solutions. We are crazy.”
As a Drogheda resident, I won’t be attending.
I won’t be attending the Pol Pot Association meeting next week either.
I won’t be attending the Pol Pot Association meeting next week either.
We're delighted to be hosting this event this year! 😊
The 2026 Cromwell Association Schools' Conference for A-Level students will take place in Huntingdon on June 25th, hosted by the Cromwell Museum. Join us for a day of debate with leading historians, source and artefact workshops, and a tour of the museum. www.olivercromwell.org/wordpress/le...
February 11, 2026 at 9:38 AM
As a Drogheda resident, I won’t be attending.
I won’t be attending the Pol Pot Association meeting next week either.
I won’t be attending the Pol Pot Association meeting next week either.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
a society losing the plot in real time
February 10, 2026 at 9:11 PM
a society losing the plot in real time
Reposted by Andy Harbison
"Crying girls will make you rich."
That's the actual pitch from a marketer selling packages of emotional videos that brands use to flood TikTok with undisclosed ads.
I just published an investigation into industrial UGC campaigns. What I found is troubling. 🧵 indicator.media/p/crying-gir...
That's the actual pitch from a marketer selling packages of emotional videos that brands use to flood TikTok with undisclosed ads.
I just published an investigation into industrial UGC campaigns. What I found is troubling. 🧵 indicator.media/p/crying-gir...
“Crying girls will make you rich”: How marketers trick users with mass-produced "organic" content
Indicator analyzed UGC campaigns that generated over 2 billion TikTok views and found rampant violations of disclosure rules.
indicator.media
February 10, 2026 at 2:54 PM
"Crying girls will make you rich."
That's the actual pitch from a marketer selling packages of emotional videos that brands use to flood TikTok with undisclosed ads.
I just published an investigation into industrial UGC campaigns. What I found is troubling. 🧵 indicator.media/p/crying-gir...
That's the actual pitch from a marketer selling packages of emotional videos that brands use to flood TikTok with undisclosed ads.
I just published an investigation into industrial UGC campaigns. What I found is troubling. 🧵 indicator.media/p/crying-gir...
Reposted by Andy Harbison
While reporting this, I had something happen that's never happened. A comms rep for one of the co's disputed my reporting and said what I was telling them was untrue because it was not in Grok, xAI's chatbot.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
Epstein had many known connections to Silicon Valley CEOs, but less known was how he made money from those relationships.
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
We did a deep dive into how he got dealflow in Silicon Valley, giving him shots to invest in Coinbase, Palantir, SpaceX and other companies.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/b...
Jeffrey Epstein’s Money Mingled With Silicon Valley Start-Ups
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:38 PM
While reporting this, I had something happen that's never happened. A comms rep for one of the co's disputed my reporting and said what I was telling them was untrue because it was not in Grok, xAI's chatbot.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
I was looking directly at the files. And this person was using AI to challenge the truth.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Grazalema, Spain, received over 2,000 mm (78 inches) of rain in just the last 20 days.
Over a year’s worth of rain — and it’s only early February. This is hydrologically absurd.
Over a year’s worth of rain — and it’s only early February. This is hydrologically absurd.
February 9, 2026 at 4:11 PM
Grazalema, Spain, received over 2,000 mm (78 inches) of rain in just the last 20 days.
Over a year’s worth of rain — and it’s only early February. This is hydrologically absurd.
Over a year’s worth of rain — and it’s only early February. This is hydrologically absurd.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
“AI is actually brown people in a shed” part 6519
Once again, it turns out “fully autonomous” means “a guy in the Philippines.”
It Turns Out Waymos Are Being Controlled by Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:13 PM
“AI is actually brown people in a shed” part 6519
Reposted by Andy Harbison
5/5 PMs with approval ratings of measles isn't just a feature of failed leadership. It's Brexit Britain. There's no money for anything people want and were promised they would have, and no one can blame the people who got us into this mess because they got 52% of the vote (let alone reverse it).
Starmer's reported condition - incredibly unpopular, shorn of authority, probably un-reelectable and yet will stagger on for want of an alternative - is just the new normal of how Britain is governed. It was also true for two-thirds of May's premiership, half of Johnson's and all of Sunak's.
February 6, 2026 at 12:10 PM
5/5 PMs with approval ratings of measles isn't just a feature of failed leadership. It's Brexit Britain. There's no money for anything people want and were promised they would have, and no one can blame the people who got us into this mess because they got 52% of the vote (let alone reverse it).
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Every American needs to watch this:
February 5, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Every American needs to watch this:
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Thread:
So on this day when one of the oligarchs of our digitized and dystopic world is emptying one of America's greatest newsrooms of trained and committed journalists, I thought I would regale you all with a wonderful little anecdote about our world to come. It involves two of the finest...
So on this day when one of the oligarchs of our digitized and dystopic world is emptying one of America's greatest newsrooms of trained and committed journalists, I thought I would regale you all with a wonderful little anecdote about our world to come. It involves two of the finest...
February 5, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Thread:
So on this day when one of the oligarchs of our digitized and dystopic world is emptying one of America's greatest newsrooms of trained and committed journalists, I thought I would regale you all with a wonderful little anecdote about our world to come. It involves two of the finest...
So on this day when one of the oligarchs of our digitized and dystopic world is emptying one of America's greatest newsrooms of trained and committed journalists, I thought I would regale you all with a wonderful little anecdote about our world to come. It involves two of the finest...
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Former speechwriter for Bush the Younger and Senior Editor at The Atlantic:
February 4, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Former speechwriter for Bush the Younger and Senior Editor at The Atlantic:
Reposted by Andy Harbison
For basically my entire adult life, Mandelson has been resigning from one job after another in distinctly unedifying ways. The fact he keeps being rehired presumably shows he's very good at something and I'd be interested to read a brief summary of what exactly that is. Does anyone know?
February 4, 2026 at 1:14 PM
For basically my entire adult life, Mandelson has been resigning from one job after another in distinctly unedifying ways. The fact he keeps being rehired presumably shows he's very good at something and I'd be interested to read a brief summary of what exactly that is. Does anyone know?
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Pleased to see the jury make this decision.
We need to have eyes wide open this is exactly why the Government wants to abolish juries.
People protesting against a genocide are not the criminals here - it's the politicians who continue to provide cover.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
We need to have eyes wide open this is exactly why the Government wants to abolish juries.
People protesting against a genocide are not the criminals here - it's the politicians who continue to provide cover.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Palestine Action protesters not guilty of defence firm burglary
The group are cleared of aggravated burglary over the alleged raid at an Elbit Systems warehouse.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Pleased to see the jury make this decision.
We need to have eyes wide open this is exactly why the Government wants to abolish juries.
People protesting against a genocide are not the criminals here - it's the politicians who continue to provide cover.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
We need to have eyes wide open this is exactly why the Government wants to abolish juries.
People protesting against a genocide are not the criminals here - it's the politicians who continue to provide cover.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Possibly the biggest burn in this year, and this says a lot when reflecting the last 4 weeks. The French MFA absolutely torched Elon Musk.
February 4, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Possibly the biggest burn in this year, and this says a lot when reflecting the last 4 weeks. The French MFA absolutely torched Elon Musk.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
This isn’t some anonymous tip. This is sworn testimony, under penalty of perjury, from someone who said Trump threatened to kill her if she exposed Epstein’s sexual abuse.
February 3, 2026 at 5:04 PM
This isn’t some anonymous tip. This is sworn testimony, under penalty of perjury, from someone who said Trump threatened to kill her if she exposed Epstein’s sexual abuse.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
February 4, 2026 at 7:47 AM
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Reposted by Andy Harbison
Geht doch 👇‼️
Musk's X office in France raided by Paris prosecutor
Musk's X office in France raided by Paris prosecutor
The Paris prosecutor says its cyber-crime unit is conducting a search of X's offices.
www.bbc.com
February 3, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Geht doch 👇‼️
Function specific AI’s can be of immense use (eg the protein folding AIs that won the Nobel last year.) LLMs are also useful in reformatting data - text to speech, summarisation etc, where their intrinsic propensity to hallucinate can be controlled.
But for too many, AI has become akin to a cult.
But for too many, AI has become akin to a cult.
AI conferences have rushed to restrict the use of LLMs for writing and reviewing research papers in recent months after being flooded with AI-generated slop (Melissa Heikkilä/Financial Times)
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
February 2, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Function specific AI’s can be of immense use (eg the protein folding AIs that won the Nobel last year.) LLMs are also useful in reformatting data - text to speech, summarisation etc, where their intrinsic propensity to hallucinate can be controlled.
But for too many, AI has become akin to a cult.
But for too many, AI has become akin to a cult.
Reposted by Andy Harbison
