#BruceSterling
@bruces.bsky.social
Author, journalist, editor and critic combining his time in Turin, Austin, Ibiza, Belgrade etc #BruceSterling
"Minimum Viable Living Thing"
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... - this looks super cool, but does it really relate to the origin of life?
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...
www.science.org
February 13, 2026 at 12:41 PM
"Minimum Viable Living Thing"
"My new AI Girlfriend is the entire population of white, college-educated, novel-reading women age 24-50 from Ohio"
February 13, 2026 at 12:37 PM
"My new AI Girlfriend is the entire population of white, college-educated, novel-reading women age 24-50 from Ohio"
*Instead of acting like one fake human, the thing acts like an entire fake demographic sector
February 13, 2026 at 12:36 PM
*Instead of acting like one fake human, the thing acts like an entire fake demographic sector
*Yeah, I uh, noticed those other ones, too
*What does 2029 look like
*What does 2029 look like
February 13, 2026 at 9:14 AM
*Yeah, I uh, noticed those other ones, too
*What does 2029 look like
*What does 2029 look like
*Federal cops in white Chevy vans came to the publisher's door and ran off with a cyberpunk gaming book, okay
*Four other better-qualified guys were writing that book but they all gave up because there was too much else going on
*Four other better-qualified guys were writing that book but they all gave up because there was too much else going on
Loved your Hacker Crackdown book. ☺️
February 13, 2026 at 8:04 AM
*Federal cops in white Chevy vans came to the publisher's door and ran off with a cyberpunk gaming book, okay
*Four other better-qualified guys were writing that book but they all gave up because there was too much else going on
*Four other better-qualified guys were writing that book but they all gave up because there was too much else going on
*Yes, Ed is a much better writer than a code-bro having a panic attack about his industry turning inside-out
*But this reads like an opera tenor criticizing the diction of the Boy Who Cried Wolf
"The wolf really bit my leg hard, I'm scared now"
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qw6k5...
*But this reads like an opera tenor criticizing the diction of the Boy Who Cried Wolf
"The wolf really bit my leg hard, I'm scared now"
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qw6k5...
www.dropbox.com
February 13, 2026 at 7:59 AM
*Yes, Ed is a much better writer than a code-bro having a panic attack about his industry turning inside-out
*But this reads like an opera tenor criticizing the diction of the Boy Who Cried Wolf
"The wolf really bit my leg hard, I'm scared now"
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qw6k5...
*But this reads like an opera tenor criticizing the diction of the Boy Who Cried Wolf
"The wolf really bit my leg hard, I'm scared now"
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qw6k5...
*I used to interview computer cops, they were like "Are you gonna teach people how to buld bombs"? A "cyberpunk" was that bad
*You know how many people know how to build IEDs now? Millions of them. Whole generations, ethic groups. Women do it. Someone's granny
*You know how many people know how to build IEDs now? Millions of them. Whole generations, ethic groups. Women do it. Someone's granny
February 13, 2026 at 7:49 AM
*I used to interview computer cops, they were like "Are you gonna teach people how to buld bombs"? A "cyberpunk" was that bad
*You know how many people know how to build IEDs now? Millions of them. Whole generations, ethic groups. Women do it. Someone's granny
*You know how many people know how to build IEDs now? Millions of them. Whole generations, ethic groups. Women do it. Someone's granny
*It didn't help that my main conversation-topics of that period were international computer-crime and Cliff-Stoll-style cyber-espionage
*People just weren't supposed to know about that. There was a prim silence on such unseemly, shocking topics. "Security-through-obscurity," all of that
*People just weren't supposed to know about that. There was a prim silence on such unseemly, shocking topics. "Security-through-obscurity," all of that
February 13, 2026 at 7:45 AM
*It didn't help that my main conversation-topics of that period were international computer-crime and Cliff-Stoll-style cyber-espionage
*People just weren't supposed to know about that. There was a prim silence on such unseemly, shocking topics. "Security-through-obscurity," all of that
*People just weren't supposed to know about that. There was a prim silence on such unseemly, shocking topics. "Security-through-obscurity," all of that
*I'm touched by this. Cyberpunks used to be really-truly shocking people. not just, like, Bluesky-shocking
*In my punk heyday, I used to walk into rooms full of coders, with their plastic pocket protectors, and they would go pale with fear
*In my punk heyday, I used to walk into rooms full of coders, with their plastic pocket protectors, and they would go pale with fear
as someone who treasured all your books, i’m kinda shocked by your posts
on one hand, you claim “60 million can’t be wrong/shamed”
then you claim a thorough debunking — which requires quoting — is the streisand effect
both of these things can’t be true. and it’s so sloppy
on one hand, you claim “60 million can’t be wrong/shamed”
then you claim a thorough debunking — which requires quoting — is the streisand effect
both of these things can’t be true. and it’s so sloppy
February 13, 2026 at 7:41 AM
*I'm touched by this. Cyberpunks used to be really-truly shocking people. not just, like, Bluesky-shocking
*In my punk heyday, I used to walk into rooms full of coders, with their plastic pocket protectors, and they would go pale with fear
*In my punk heyday, I used to walk into rooms full of coders, with their plastic pocket protectors, and they would go pale with fear
*"Always Coming Home," it's what happens when Dad's good pal Ishi the native American takes over the planet. #Ursula #writesscifi #prettygoodatit
The Dispossessed was an interesting book
February 13, 2026 at 7:27 AM
*"Always Coming Home," it's what happens when Dad's good pal Ishi the native American takes over the planet. #Ursula #writesscifi #prettygoodatit
*Wjhy does the Wall Street Journal still exist? Shouldn't they just fold into their parent-outfit Fox News, where lying people scream on video all day every day?
It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.
February 13, 2026 at 7:20 AM
*Wjhy does the Wall Street Journal still exist? Shouldn't they just fold into their parent-outfit Fox News, where lying people scream on video all day every day?
*Yeah, Elon is of course all over that
*The only SF Elon has nothing to do with is *feminist* SF; if he tried to read Ursula Le Guin he'd melt into a puddle of wax
*The only SF Elon has nothing to do with is *feminist* SF; if he tried to read Ursula Le Guin he'd melt into a puddle of wax
if i am thinking of science fiction stuff i imagine people jacking their brains into an AI and helping to train the AI with direct brain interface
February 13, 2026 at 7:18 AM
*Yeah, Elon is of course all over that
*The only SF Elon has nothing to do with is *feminist* SF; if he tried to read Ursula Le Guin he'd melt into a puddle of wax
*The only SF Elon has nothing to do with is *feminist* SF; if he tried to read Ursula Le Guin he'd melt into a puddle of wax
*Everybody since the 1960s has always recited the "cure cancer" and "go to the moon" thing
*Absolutely standard "American Technological Sublime," it's a cultural shibboleth, has next-to-nothing to do with what happens
*Absolutely standard "American Technological Sublime," it's a cultural shibboleth, has next-to-nothing to do with what happens
February 13, 2026 at 7:11 AM
*Everybody since the 1960s has always recited the "cure cancer" and "go to the moon" thing
*Absolutely standard "American Technological Sublime," it's a cultural shibboleth, has next-to-nothing to do with what happens
*Absolutely standard "American Technological Sublime," it's a cultural shibboleth, has next-to-nothing to do with what happens
*It's like thinking that every dissheveled hippie freak in Tim Leary's "League of Spiritual Discovery" was a "scam artist"
*Prof Tim was, sorta, but also people were eating so much raw acid at the time that they forgot what a chair was
*You could eat some now, LSD works, okay, it's not a pretense
*Prof Tim was, sorta, but also people were eating so much raw acid at the time that they forgot what a chair was
*You could eat some now, LSD works, okay, it's not a pretense
I like Ed (we hung out and had a couple beers once at the First And Last Chance Saloon) but I'm very confident he's wrong when he dismisses the wild-eyed AI believers as bad faith, even if they have a history. 90% of those wild eyes are genuinely awed/appalled by what they think they see
February 13, 2026 at 7:07 AM
*It's like thinking that every dissheveled hippie freak in Tim Leary's "League of Spiritual Discovery" was a "scam artist"
*Prof Tim was, sorta, but also people were eating so much raw acid at the time that they forgot what a chair was
*You could eat some now, LSD works, okay, it's not a pretense
*Prof Tim was, sorta, but also people were eating so much raw acid at the time that they forgot what a chair was
*You could eat some now, LSD works, okay, it's not a pretense
*Or, you might just be a wondering connoiseur of rarefied internecine beefs from peculiar and eccentric subcultures
*It's like thinking you have to virtuosly ignore the Amish because what happens if you succumb, grow a beard and remove all your buttons
*It's like thinking you have to virtuosly ignore the Amish because what happens if you succumb, grow a beard and remove all your buttons
this website is a machine for surfacing extremely rarefied internecine beef from toxic friend groups and you need to be able to recognize when it's happening and avert your gaze
February 13, 2026 at 7:03 AM
*Or, you might just be a wondering connoiseur of rarefied internecine beefs from peculiar and eccentric subcultures
*It's like thinking you have to virtuosly ignore the Amish because what happens if you succumb, grow a beard and remove all your buttons
*It's like thinking you have to virtuosly ignore the Amish because what happens if you succumb, grow a beard and remove all your buttons
":How "ashamed of themselves" are 60 million people supposed to get
"Just don't talk about AI replacing all the human coders"? Why not? Compared to a straight-up shoggoth gnaw-the-world rant, that Shumer code-bro panic-attack is pretty weak tea
"Just don't talk about AI replacing all the human coders"? Why not? Compared to a straight-up shoggoth gnaw-the-world rant, that Shumer code-bro panic-attack is pretty weak tea
February 13, 2026 at 6:59 AM
":How "ashamed of themselves" are 60 million people supposed to get
"Just don't talk about AI replacing all the human coders"? Why not? Compared to a straight-up shoggoth gnaw-the-world rant, that Shumer code-bro panic-attack is pretty weak tea
"Just don't talk about AI replacing all the human coders"? Why not? Compared to a straight-up shoggoth gnaw-the-world rant, that Shumer code-bro panic-attack is pretty weak tea
*Normally I'm rather in Ed's corner, but here Ed is eagerly boosting and republishing Shumer's screed by loudly telling everybody to feel ashamed about it
*He's a one-man Streisand-machine here
*He's a one-man Streisand-machine here
February 13, 2026 at 6:54 AM
*Normally I'm rather in Ed's corner, but here Ed is eagerly boosting and republishing Shumer's screed by loudly telling everybody to feel ashamed about it
*He's a one-man Streisand-machine here
*He's a one-man Streisand-machine here
*Yes, that's nice, but the President of the United States and every member of his cabiet are also "just scam artists"
*Also Sam Altman, Elon Musk, of course they're both "scam artists" and yet they're also physically building it
*I don't trust "this guy's" integrity, but that makes no difference
*Also Sam Altman, Elon Musk, of course they're both "scam artists" and yet they're also physically building it
*I don't trust "this guy's" integrity, but that makes no difference
he’s just a scam artist
like this guy has scammed before. ed explains:
like this guy has scammed before. ed explains:
Here’s this week’s Better Offline monologue. I walk you through why Matt Shumer’s “Something Big Is Coming” is deceptive misinformation peddled by a grifter, and why everybody who boosted or republished it should be ashamed of themselves.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Linktr.ee/betteroffline
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b...
Linktr.ee/betteroffline
February 13, 2026 at 6:49 AM
*Yes, that's nice, but the President of the United States and every member of his cabiet are also "just scam artists"
*Also Sam Altman, Elon Musk, of course they're both "scam artists" and yet they're also physically building it
*I don't trust "this guy's" integrity, but that makes no difference
*Also Sam Altman, Elon Musk, of course they're both "scam artists" and yet they're also physically building it
*I don't trust "this guy's" integrity, but that makes no difference
*A form of "singularity" that eats software; everybody human who writes or reads code has to leave, they're just no damn good at it any more
*A kind of vast, evacuated Chernobyl where the nuclear plants are still chugging because the foundation-models still need the voltage
*A kind of vast, evacuated Chernobyl where the nuclear plants are still chugging because the foundation-models still need the voltage
February 13, 2026 at 6:44 AM
*A form of "singularity" that eats software; everybody human who writes or reads code has to leave, they're just no damn good at it any more
*A kind of vast, evacuated Chernobyl where the nuclear plants are still chugging because the foundation-models still need the voltage
*A kind of vast, evacuated Chernobyl where the nuclear plants are still chugging because the foundation-models still need the voltage
*I don't think he has actual chatbot-psychosis, he just got really worked-up and he shouted the quiet parts out loud
*What does a Von Neumann "singularity" look like when it afflicts software-coders first and hardest, it just flattens their arcane nerd-world like a Trinity bomb
*What does a Von Neumann "singularity" look like when it afflicts software-coders first and hardest, it just flattens their arcane nerd-world like a Trinity bomb
Is he Drexlering?
February 13, 2026 at 6:41 AM
*I don't think he has actual chatbot-psychosis, he just got really worked-up and he shouted the quiet parts out loud
*What does a Von Neumann "singularity" look like when it afflicts software-coders first and hardest, it just flattens their arcane nerd-world like a Trinity bomb
*What does a Von Neumann "singularity" look like when it afflicts software-coders first and hardest, it just flattens their arcane nerd-world like a Trinity bomb
*AI-bubble destroying the value of everything that isn't-AI
*Especially including earlier, more primitive forms of AI
*Elon sez that AI will even destroy "money" per se (while rubbing his hands in chainsaw DOGE glee)
www.reuters.com/business/sto...
*Especially including earlier, more primitive forms of AI
*Elon sez that AI will even destroy "money" per se (while rubbing his hands in chainsaw DOGE glee)
www.reuters.com/business/sto...
For stock market, AI turns from lifting all boats to sinking ships
Investors are discovering that the artificial intelligence landscape is not just fertile ground for stocks -- it is also a minefield.
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 6:34 AM
*AI-bubble destroying the value of everything that isn't-AI
*Especially including earlier, more primitive forms of AI
*Elon sez that AI will even destroy "money" per se (while rubbing his hands in chainsaw DOGE glee)
www.reuters.com/business/sto...
*Especially including earlier, more primitive forms of AI
*Elon sez that AI will even destroy "money" per se (while rubbing his hands in chainsaw DOGE glee)
www.reuters.com/business/sto...
*I'm not even a developer and I reposted the guy twice
*Also I'm starting to fret about "the bar for developer capability"
*Especially, like, chock-a-block with-cheap-AI developer North Korean developer capability #cyberwarslop #robberyslop
*Also I'm starting to fret about "the bar for developer capability"
*Especially, like, chock-a-block with-cheap-AI developer North Korean developer capability #cyberwarslop #robberyslop
My new bar for developer capability is “smart enough not to repost Matt Schumer.”
February 13, 2026 at 6:16 AM
*I'm not even a developer and I reposted the guy twice
*Also I'm starting to fret about "the bar for developer capability"
*Especially, like, chock-a-block with-cheap-AI developer North Korean developer capability #cyberwarslop #robberyslop
*Also I'm starting to fret about "the bar for developer capability"
*Especially, like, chock-a-block with-cheap-AI developer North Korean developer capability #cyberwarslop #robberyslop
*Well, something like 60 million people (so far) have read this guy's focussed, extensive screech of alarm about AI reassembling the entire world top-top-bottom
*I hope that was gratifying; I don't think he was kidding, even if he's visibly guzzling his own bathwater
shumer.dev/something-bi...
*I hope that was gratifying; I don't think he was kidding, even if he's visibly guzzling his own bathwater
shumer.dev/something-bi...
February 13, 2026 at 6:07 AM
*Well, something like 60 million people (so far) have read this guy's focussed, extensive screech of alarm about AI reassembling the entire world top-top-bottom
*I hope that was gratifying; I don't think he was kidding, even if he's visibly guzzling his own bathwater
shumer.dev/something-bi...
*I hope that was gratifying; I don't think he was kidding, even if he's visibly guzzling his own bathwater
shumer.dev/something-bi...
"Bisks" ?
printing up my tweets and bisks and distributing them throughout Paris' cafés for a profit
February 12, 2026 at 10:09 AM
"Bisks" ?
*Hmmm. This seems to be kilo-sized, crack-cocaine block of the StanfordKetamine here
shumer.dev/something-bi...
shumer.dev/something-bi...
Something Big Is Happening
A personal note for non-tech friends and family on what AI is starting to change.
shumer.dev
February 11, 2026 at 5:04 PM
*Hmmm. This seems to be kilo-sized, crack-cocaine block of the StanfordKetamine here
shumer.dev/something-bi...
shumer.dev/something-bi...