tom bombadil
@authw8.bsky.social
if the bartender hitting me with a shovel is wrong, i don't want to be right.
tomthought.substack.com
tomthought.substack.com
huh. it turns out that if you smoke enough weed, you can intuitively perceive that epiphenomenal dualism is correct
May 21, 2025 at 1:58 AM
huh. it turns out that if you smoke enough weed, you can intuitively perceive that epiphenomenal dualism is correct
it feels like the modern world is one where the total amount of cultural output is going up, but the amount of talent isn't keeping up, so the talent gets spread thinner and thinner across more and more projects
March 28, 2025 at 7:04 PM
it feels like the modern world is one where the total amount of cultural output is going up, but the amount of talent isn't keeping up, so the talent gets spread thinner and thinner across more and more projects
looking around the coffee shop and assessing the vibes before deciding whether to open twitter or bsky
March 9, 2025 at 2:07 AM
looking around the coffee shop and assessing the vibes before deciding whether to open twitter or bsky
facebook keeps showing me this same video but with more garage beers every time
February 28, 2025 at 6:10 PM
facebook keeps showing me this same video but with more garage beers every time
honestly i don't remember if my high school history textbook mentioned Turing but he's not like an obscure figure if you do any reading at all
February 28, 2025 at 5:12 PM
honestly i don't remember if my high school history textbook mentioned Turing but he's not like an obscure figure if you do any reading at all
if you want to mildly inconvenience your friends while achieving nothing, consider picking a random date and posting some shit like this on instagram
February 28, 2025 at 2:44 PM
if you want to mildly inconvenience your friends while achieving nothing, consider picking a random date and posting some shit like this on instagram
the "can't pass a plan the right way so we do a bunch of ad hoc adjustments nobody likes" thing might be a defining characteristic of 21st century vetocracy and decaying state capacity
From the article the Welsh government are trying to do a bit but saying they need UK wide coordination, and the central gov... isn't responding. The "no plan so there's a series of painful adhoc adjustments that no one really thinks is a good idea" outcome for Uk higher ed looking incredibly likely.
And another 200 posts to go.
All those VCs sure do know how to push the structural failures of the funding system onto staff.
#UKHE
All those VCs sure do know how to push the structural failures of the funding system onto staff.
#UKHE
February 21, 2025 at 7:16 PM
the "can't pass a plan the right way so we do a bunch of ad hoc adjustments nobody likes" thing might be a defining characteristic of 21st century vetocracy and decaying state capacity
yimby kinda drives people nuts and i think it's because it doesn't fit comfortably into either side of the culture war. neither side can really appreciate the vision
the reason YIMBYs are so incessant about YIMBYism is that there is literally One Simple Trick to fix the housing crisis that actually *raises* government revenue and is environmentally friendly.
we just need to legalize housing
we just need to legalize housing
Auckland went all in on YIMBY, and the results are clear: 43,500 new homes in 10 years, and rents down 28% relative to peers.
www.population.fyi/p/beyond-ske...
www.population.fyi/p/beyond-ske...
February 16, 2025 at 11:39 PM
yimby kinda drives people nuts and i think it's because it doesn't fit comfortably into either side of the culture war. neither side can really appreciate the vision
i appreciate that miles o'brien knows a racial slur for cardassians
February 11, 2025 at 4:00 AM
i appreciate that miles o'brien knows a racial slur for cardassians
Reposted by tom bombadil
democracy is the system within which ruling parties lose elections
my answer to this paradox is that the actual core of democracy is not rule of the people but the prevention of rule by a tyrant
This is one of the most basic insights from 20th century polisci.
The paradox of a democracy that presumes mass knowledge and participation, and manages to (at least barely) function in their absence, is one of our foundational puzzles.
This is intro-level shit. And Balaji is failing the test.
The paradox of a democracy that presumes mass knowledge and participation, and manages to (at least barely) function in their absence, is one of our foundational puzzles.
This is intro-level shit. And Balaji is failing the test.
February 9, 2025 at 9:01 PM
democracy is the system within which ruling parties lose elections
i don't care what anyone says, i'm pretty sure this is when elon was radicalized
February 11, 2025 at 12:32 AM
i don't care what anyone says, i'm pretty sure this is when elon was radicalized
i will say i think it remains to be seen if this strategy works for democrats. the media naturally tends to see the dems as the protagonist, and McConnell's strategy may depend on exploiting that journalistic bias
Mitch McConnell's big insight: The American public never blames the minority party. Only people who play close attention to politics notice.
For everyone else—including a lot of media—the president is the main character, bipartisanship means POTUS did good, and stuff not passing means POTUS failed.
For everyone else—including a lot of media—the president is the main character, bipartisanship means POTUS did good, and stuff not passing means POTUS failed.
Democrats are taking heat for this Politico reporting, but the framing here explains why they're timid on this.
Even with Republicans in complete control of the federal government, the Democrats are getting set up for blame if the government is shut down. www.politico.com/live-updates...
Even with Republicans in complete control of the federal government, the Democrats are getting set up for blame if the government is shut down. www.politico.com/live-updates...
February 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
i will say i think it remains to be seen if this strategy works for democrats. the media naturally tends to see the dems as the protagonist, and McConnell's strategy may depend on exploiting that journalistic bias
creating a constitutional crisis as seen in Juan Linz's famous paper, "don't have a constitutional crisis"
February 9, 2025 at 7:03 PM
creating a constitutional crisis as seen in Juan Linz's famous paper, "don't have a constitutional crisis"
i bet monster fucking has an evopsych basis. someone who is mutilated may still have desirable genes. surviving such a terrible injury is a hard-to-fake signal
February 9, 2025 at 7:22 AM
i bet monster fucking has an evopsych basis. someone who is mutilated may still have desirable genes. surviving such a terrible injury is a hard-to-fake signal
realistically, i think we can date the constitutional crisis to at least the year 2000 with the supreme court stopping a recount on a party line vote
The Constitutional crisis was 2017-2024. That period saw many, increasingly egregious violations of Constitution and rule of law that US institutions struggled to contain. One by one, barriers between democracy and authoritarianism fell to the onslaught.
We're now in the post-Constitutional crisis.
We're now in the post-Constitutional crisis.
February 6, 2025 at 6:38 PM
realistically, i think we can date the constitutional crisis to at least the year 2000 with the supreme court stopping a recount on a party line vote
Reposted by tom bombadil
The number one imperative of our time is to be friendly and welcoming rather than snarky to anyone who wants to get off the Trump Train, regardless of how we feel about their prior decision-making.
Arab-Americans For Trump is changing its name to Arab-Americans For Peace because it turns out that Trump is bad.
apnews.com/article/arab...
apnews.com/article/arab...
Pro-Trump Arab American group changes its name after the president's Gaza 'Riviera' comments
The group Arab Americans for Trump is renaming itself Arab Americans for Peace after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would “take over” the Gaza Strip.
apnews.com
February 6, 2025 at 12:49 AM
The number one imperative of our time is to be friendly and welcoming rather than snarky to anyone who wants to get off the Trump Train, regardless of how we feel about their prior decision-making.
worth noting that what trump is doing right now is similar in many ways to what a lot of leftists imagined bernie sanders would do if he ever won (use the powers of the executive to smash through congress and do whatever you want)
February 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
worth noting that what trump is doing right now is similar in many ways to what a lot of leftists imagined bernie sanders would do if he ever won (use the powers of the executive to smash through congress and do whatever you want)
@mattyglesias.bsky.social on what types of news coverage is helpful vs unhelpful
open.substack.com/pub/matthewy...
open.substack.com/pub/matthewy...
February 4, 2025 at 7:28 PM
@mattyglesias.bsky.social on what types of news coverage is helpful vs unhelpful
open.substack.com/pub/matthewy...
open.substack.com/pub/matthewy...
frozen jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches are like, 10x better than they have any right to be. especially the sausage biscuits. adding jimmy dean to my list of companies/brands with unexpectedly high levels of quality
February 4, 2025 at 3:40 PM
frozen jimmy dean breakfast sandwiches are like, 10x better than they have any right to be. especially the sausage biscuits. adding jimmy dean to my list of companies/brands with unexpectedly high levels of quality
the "maximum pressure" style that trump uses is kinda built to work this way i think. idk how much is systematized vs he's just winging it, but the pattern is definitely extreme pressure that lets up for relatively modest concessions
Trump backing down after the slightest pushback should be instructive going forward.
🚨Trudeau announces Trump agreed to a one month pause on tariffs
February 4, 2025 at 2:19 PM
the "maximum pressure" style that trump uses is kinda built to work this way i think. idk how much is systematized vs he's just winging it, but the pattern is definitely extreme pressure that lets up for relatively modest concessions
i like ipa beers and i'm tired of pretending otherwise
February 4, 2025 at 4:22 AM
i like ipa beers and i'm tired of pretending otherwise
Reposted by tom bombadil
I'm sorry for ever doubting you. Thank you finance bros. 🙏🥹
If you guys didn't price in the tariffs it's going to shake my faith. Don't let me down bro.😭
February 4, 2025 at 1:04 AM
I'm sorry for ever doubting you. Thank you finance bros. 🙏🥹
something interesting i've noticed about myself is that i get both nicer and more combative when i'm in a good mood. when i'm in a bad mood i tend to just lay low and keep to myself
February 3, 2025 at 9:03 PM
something interesting i've noticed about myself is that i get both nicer and more combative when i'm in a good mood. when i'm in a bad mood i tend to just lay low and keep to myself
so trump presumably is looking for some similar sort of "win" he can point to with canada, right?
Mexico will deploy 10,000 national guard soldiers on the US border immediately to stop drug trafficking, President Sheinbaum announced. In response tariffs on Mexico have been paused for a month.
February 3, 2025 at 4:52 PM
so trump presumably is looking for some similar sort of "win" he can point to with canada, right?