Baldur Bjarnason
@baldurbjarnason.com
Writer, web developer and consultant based in Hveragerði, Iceland. Lapsed Interactive Media Academic. Webby Tech Stuff and webby book stuff.
https://www.baldurbjarnason.com/
https://softwarecrisis.dev/
https://www.baldurbjarnason.com/
https://softwarecrisis.dev/
Pinned
Baldur Bjarnason
@baldurbjarnason.com
· Oct 27
I figure since there's been a recent influx of people here on Bluesky, it might be worthwhile to do "highlights reels" of sorts for my newsletter, which is at www.baldurbjarnason.com
The biggest topic on my newsletter is software and web development, usually from a bit of a systemic perspective.
The biggest topic on my newsletter is software and web development, usually from a bit of a systemic perspective.
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
All of those esoteric questions about how we define consciousness are fine and interesting, but the tech companies are not pushing those questions as part of a quest to advance understanding. They want us believing they're making something powerful that we must accede our agency to.
February 13, 2026 at 2:18 PM
All of those esoteric questions about how we define consciousness are fine and interesting, but the tech companies are not pushing those questions as part of a quest to advance understanding. They want us believing they're making something powerful that we must accede our agency to.
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
Guys will repost an ai-generated clip of Walter White and say "wow I genuinely can't tell this isn't real" and like, yeah dude, that's how being fooled works. That's not the future of cinema, that's a fake Rolex
February 13, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Guys will repost an ai-generated clip of Walter White and say "wow I genuinely can't tell this isn't real" and like, yeah dude, that's how being fooled works. That's not the future of cinema, that's a fake Rolex
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
Which is interesting: there has not been a need for the US to follow the Nazi playbook, no single act of legislation needed, no single "oh ok so now it's serious" moment.
Just a slow, decades-long wildfire of wealthy and powerful sexual predators controlling damn near every academic institution.
Just a slow, decades-long wildfire of wealthy and powerful sexual predators controlling damn near every academic institution.
February 13, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Which is interesting: there has not been a need for the US to follow the Nazi playbook, no single act of legislation needed, no single "oh ok so now it's serious" moment.
Just a slow, decades-long wildfire of wealthy and powerful sexual predators controlling damn near every academic institution.
Just a slow, decades-long wildfire of wealthy and powerful sexual predators controlling damn near every academic institution.
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
For decades. In US nazism, statistically the thing that has caused a woman to leave academia was not official legislation banning her but "my thesis advisor, who is in the Epstein files btw, turned out to be a massive fucking creep"
February 13, 2026 at 11:38 AM
For decades. In US nazism, statistically the thing that has caused a woman to leave academia was not official legislation banning her but "my thesis advisor, who is in the Epstein files btw, turned out to be a massive fucking creep"
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_i...
It's interesting to look at how Epstein directly, via hundreds of thousands of emails with his pedo buddies in academia, made US academia incredibly hostile to women for *decades*.
How many Emma Noethers never were, even before any of it was put into legislation?
It's interesting to look at how Epstein directly, via hundreds of thousands of emails with his pedo buddies in academia, made US academia incredibly hostile to women for *decades*.
How many Emma Noethers never were, even before any of it was put into legislation?
February 13, 2026 at 11:29 AM
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_i...
It's interesting to look at how Epstein directly, via hundreds of thousands of emails with his pedo buddies in academia, made US academia incredibly hostile to women for *decades*.
How many Emma Noethers never were, even before any of it was put into legislation?
It's interesting to look at how Epstein directly, via hundreds of thousands of emails with his pedo buddies in academia, made US academia incredibly hostile to women for *decades*.
How many Emma Noethers never were, even before any of it was put into legislation?
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
SaaSpocalypse: investors overspend badly on software companies and blame AI
no, you can’t vibe code your enterprise accounting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYF... - video
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20260212-saa... - podcast
time: 7 min 35 sec
pivot-to-ai.com/2026/02/12/s... - blog post
no, you can’t vibe code your enterprise accounting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYF... - video
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20260212-saa... - podcast
time: 7 min 35 sec
pivot-to-ai.com/2026/02/12/s... - blog post
February 13, 2026 at 12:07 AM
SaaSpocalypse: investors overspend badly on software companies and blame AI
no, you can’t vibe code your enterprise accounting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYF... - video
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20260212-saa... - podcast
time: 7 min 35 sec
pivot-to-ai.com/2026/02/12/s... - blog post
no, you can’t vibe code your enterprise accounting
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DYF... - video
pivottoai.libsyn.com/20260212-saa... - podcast
time: 7 min 35 sec
pivot-to-ai.com/2026/02/12/s... - blog post
Reading up on "agile swarming" to see if there's anything vaguely resembling sense in Microsoft's recent announcements about tackling Windows decline in quality and reliability and, uh, is it just me or does the entire thing sound really dumb?
Like, "let's send firefighters to build bridges" dumb?
Like, "let's send firefighters to build bridges" dumb?
February 13, 2026 at 11:35 AM
Reading up on "agile swarming" to see if there's anything vaguely resembling sense in Microsoft's recent announcements about tackling Windows decline in quality and reliability and, uh, is it just me or does the entire thing sound really dumb?
Like, "let's send firefighters to build bridges" dumb?
Like, "let's send firefighters to build bridges" dumb?
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
But hey, those are very serious businesses, they must ensure they spend their money wisely, right? Quote:
"Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
“Some of these bigger companies have so much money to spend,” he said, “that they don’t care to negotiate.”"
"Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
“Some of these bigger companies have so much money to spend,” he said, “that they don’t care to negotiate.”"
February 13, 2026 at 10:04 AM
But hey, those are very serious businesses, they must ensure they spend their money wisely, right? Quote:
"Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
“Some of these bigger companies have so much money to spend,” he said, “that they don’t care to negotiate.”"
"Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
“Some of these bigger companies have so much money to spend,” he said, “that they don’t care to negotiate.”"
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
So. Everybody knows that "AI" is the future and inevitable and everyone loves it.
That is why Microsoft and Google are paying influencers between 400K and 600K to sell their AI products.
That is why Microsoft and Google are paying influencers between 400K and 600K to sell their AI products.
Google, Microsoft pay creators $500,000 and more to promote AI
Tech companies including Google and Microsoft are paying influencers hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote AI products.
www.cnbc.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:04 AM
So. Everybody knows that "AI" is the future and inevitable and everyone loves it.
That is why Microsoft and Google are paying influencers between 400K and 600K to sell their AI products.
That is why Microsoft and Google are paying influencers between 400K and 600K to sell their AI products.
“Google, Microsoft pay creators $500,000 and more to promote AI”
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-pay-creators-500000-and-more-to-promote-ai.html?ref=aftermath.site
> Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
😬
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-pay-creators-500000-and-more-to-promote-ai.html?ref=aftermath.site
> Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
😬
Google and Microsoft offer lucrative deals to promote AI, but even $500,000 won't sway some creators
Tech companies including Google and Microsoft are paying influencers hundreds of thousands of dollars to promote AI products.
www.cnbc.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:35 AM
“Google, Microsoft pay creators $500,000 and more to promote AI”
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-pay-creators-500000-and-more-to-promote-ai.html?ref=aftermath.site
> Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
😬
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/06/google-microsoft-pay-creators-500000-and-more-to-promote-ai.html?ref=aftermath.site
> Creators can charge up to $100,000 per post, Eckstein said.
😬
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
99% of all the tech nerd bullshit you see them spout, is indistinguishable from any nerd conversation about fiction from warhammer to tolkien. The only difference is they think they're actually doing science.
July 13, 2024 at 12:58 PM
99% of all the tech nerd bullshit you see them spout, is indistinguishable from any nerd conversation about fiction from warhammer to tolkien. The only difference is they think they're actually doing science.
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
One effect of this is that in the absence of knowledge, humans reflexively seize on the nearest plausible narrative, the most popular, the most well developed.
This is why tech nerds suck so hard.
This is why tech nerds suck so hard.
July 13, 2024 at 12:56 PM
One effect of this is that in the absence of knowledge, humans reflexively seize on the nearest plausible narrative, the most popular, the most well developed.
This is why tech nerds suck so hard.
This is why tech nerds suck so hard.
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
I am putting two images side by side and I need you to consider them for future Muppet televised programming
February 12, 2026 at 9:46 PM
I am putting two images side by side and I need you to consider them for future Muppet televised programming
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
Our tiny team also did a giant timeline update this week—48 new entries, each involving an unhinged level of rereading and arguing about how to explain about things that are so cruel and evil and also so abidingly dumb in a way that makes sense to normal people.
unbreaking.org/issues/immig...
unbreaking.org/issues/immig...
Immigration — Unbreaking
How the administration is breaking the government, and what that means for all of us.
unbreaking.org
February 12, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Our tiny team also did a giant timeline update this week—48 new entries, each involving an unhinged level of rereading and arguing about how to explain about things that are so cruel and evil and also so abidingly dumb in a way that makes sense to normal people.
unbreaking.org/issues/immig...
unbreaking.org/issues/immig...
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
Let's make it clearer. This week's in-depth briefing from our volunteer collective at @unbreaking.org is on extraordinary acts of courage and decency by ordinary people fighting back against inhumane attacks on their neighbors.
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
I don't know if it's really clear, outside of coverage of Mpls and pockets of organizing elsewhere, that hundreds of thousands of people are actively and at every level of society fighting our government as it abducts and imprisons and torments our neighbors.
February 12, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Let's make it clearer. This week's in-depth briefing from our volunteer collective at @unbreaking.org is on extraordinary acts of courage and decency by ordinary people fighting back against inhumane attacks on their neighbors.
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
unbreaking.org/blog/this-we...
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
I don't know the purpose of this tiny house, but it's definitely not in good condition.
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #sky #river
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #sky #river
February 10, 2026 at 10:05 PM
I don't know the purpose of this tiny house, but it's definitely not in good condition.
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #sky #river
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #sky #river
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
A summer cabin stood here once. Although the house itself is long gone, there are still reminders of what once was.
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss
February 11, 2026 at 10:01 PM
A summer cabin stood here once. Although the house itself is long gone, there are still reminders of what once was.
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
Remnants of the old summer cabin.
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss #graffiti
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss #graffiti
February 12, 2026 at 10:00 PM
Remnants of the old summer cabin.
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss #graffiti
#Iceland #Reykjavik #photography #landscape #nature #naturephotography #landscapephotography #abandoned #decay #trees #moss #graffiti
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
A personified AI agent submitted a github PR to matplotlib. The project maintainers closed the issue, then the AI (really, the developer controlling it) published a blog post on "its" blog accusing the project maintainers of discrimination, then the LLM (again, the developer) had to issue an apology
[PERF] Replace np.column_stack with np.vstack().T by crabby-rathbun · Pull Request #31132 · matplotlib/matplotlib
This PR addresses issue #31130 by replacing specific safe occurrences of np.column_stack with np.vstack().T for better performance.
IMPORTANT: This is a more targeted fix than originally proposed. ...
github.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:43 PM
A personified AI agent submitted a github PR to matplotlib. The project maintainers closed the issue, then the AI (really, the developer controlling it) published a blog post on "its" blog accusing the project maintainers of discrimination, then the LLM (again, the developer) had to issue an apology
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
“Mass pseudo-culture…is a device invented by monopoly capital to facilitate dictatorship over a mystified, docile, debased humanity, whose impulse of real violence must be redirected into imaginary channels.” https://aworkinglibrary.com/writing/pseudo-culture
Pseudo-culture
Trust your own eyes.
aworkinglibrary.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:08 PM
“Mass pseudo-culture…is a device invented by monopoly capital to facilitate dictatorship over a mystified, docile, debased humanity, whose impulse of real violence must be redirected into imaginary channels.” https://aworkinglibrary.com/writing/pseudo-culture
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
One thing I think the Writers Guild really got right in our last negotiation was asking "Even if the tech doesn't work, how could they use it to pay us less?"
10 years ago they told us AI and self-driving cars were going to wipe out up to half of all jobs. They didn’t.
But while everyone was talking about whether they would, companies rolled out algorithmic management and used digital tech as a pretext to reclassify workers as contractors.
But while everyone was talking about whether they would, companies rolled out algorithmic management and used digital tech as a pretext to reclassify workers as contractors.
I'm not even saying that's the most *likely* possibility, but it's just very clear that the likelihood of that outcome as increased and even if there's, like, a 1 in 10 change that "AI replaces most to all white collar jobs in 10 years" that's an *enormous* risk to the social order!
February 12, 2026 at 1:26 PM
One thing I think the Writers Guild really got right in our last negotiation was asking "Even if the tech doesn't work, how could they use it to pay us less?"
“Moltbook Is Pure “AI” Hype • Buttondown”
https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/moltbook-is-pure-ai-hype/
> What is surprising, however, is the number of people who mistake what is at best interactive fiction for an indication of machine "intelligence" or "autonomy".
https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/moltbook-is-pure-ai-hype/
> What is surprising, however, is the number of people who mistake what is at best interactive fiction for an indication of machine "intelligence" or "autonomy".
Moltbook Is Pure “AI” Hype
Are “AI” agents really plotting our downfall?
buttondown.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:09 PM
“Moltbook Is Pure “AI” Hype • Buttondown”
https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/moltbook-is-pure-ai-hype/
> What is surprising, however, is the number of people who mistake what is at best interactive fiction for an indication of machine "intelligence" or "autonomy".
https://buttondown.com/maiht3k/archive/moltbook-is-pure-ai-hype/
> What is surprising, however, is the number of people who mistake what is at best interactive fiction for an indication of machine "intelligence" or "autonomy".
Reposted by Baldur Bjarnason
Oh my god yes. If I see one more grifter or lackey crying about how it's so mean that all they did was steal our work, laugh about taking our jobs, and destroy our environment, and now we're not NIIICE to them and it's not FAAAAIIIIIR.
Man I'm so goddamn sick of ai. "Wahhh you can't have a reasonable conversation about ai on here," yeah maybe be mad about the two year parade of scam artists and financial charlatans and environmental ruiners who have radicalized everyone against the spell check that agrees with you
February 12, 2026 at 9:33 AM
Oh my god yes. If I see one more grifter or lackey crying about how it's so mean that all they did was steal our work, laugh about taking our jobs, and destroy our environment, and now we're not NIIICE to them and it's not FAAAAIIIIIR.