Brendan Halpin
@bthalpin.bsky.social
Refugee from ex-Twitter, mostly at @bthalpin@mastodon.social
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Bloomberg's X account has more than 800k followers. Their most recent post was shared five times
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
January 7, 2026 at 7:19 AM
Bloomberg's X account has more than 800k followers. Their most recent post was shared five times
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
I think poor Nige is being misunderstood here: he's just standing up for Clacton.
(Is Jaywick in his constituency too?)
(Is Jaywick in his constituency too?)
"If Sadiq Khan thinks today that London is the greatest city in the world, then he's deluded," says Nigel Farage.
Suspect there may be one or two Londoners who, for all its faults, don't much like their city being talked down.
Suspect there may be one or two Londoners who, for all its faults, don't much like their city being talked down.
January 7, 2026 at 11:20 AM
I think poor Nige is being misunderstood here: he's just standing up for Clacton.
(Is Jaywick in his constituency too?)
(Is Jaywick in his constituency too?)
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Simon Harris to continue posting on the child sexual abuse image generating site but shaking his head so people know he disagrees
January 6, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Simon Harris to continue posting on the child sexual abuse image generating site but shaking his head so people know he disagrees
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Israel just shot up a university in Palestine, wounding students.
Just thought you should know.
Just thought you should know.
January 7, 2026 at 12:26 AM
Israel just shot up a university in Palestine, wounding students.
Just thought you should know.
Just thought you should know.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Tánaiste Simon Harris this evening asked if he'd delete his X account in light of the creation and sharing of non-consensual sexualised images of children and women on Grok, says he'll have to reflect on it.
January 6, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Tánaiste Simon Harris this evening asked if he'd delete his X account in light of the creation and sharing of non-consensual sexualised images of children and women on Grok, says he'll have to reflect on it.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
There we go. That there’s a headline.
Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter
A look inside Elon Musk’s big tent
www.ft.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:08 PM
There we go. That there’s a headline.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Things stepping up.
ICCL and Digital Rights Ireland have written to the Garda Commissioner calling for an urgent investigation of X.
ICCL and Digital Rights Ireland have written to the Garda Commissioner calling for an urgent investigation of X.
January 6, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Things stepping up.
ICCL and Digital Rights Ireland have written to the Garda Commissioner calling for an urgent investigation of X.
ICCL and Digital Rights Ireland have written to the Garda Commissioner calling for an urgent investigation of X.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
I think we need two words; "Unamerican" (not what the US is ostensibly like, e.g., in the Superman comics) and "Un-American" (not what the US is actually like in practice).
Invading other countries to replace a leader you don't like might be Unamerican but it's not been Un-American in my lifetime.
Invading other countries to replace a leader you don't like might be Unamerican but it's not been Un-American in my lifetime.
Here is the Trump Doctrine, as articulated by Stephen Miller in his truly frightening interview with Jake Tapper this afternoon. It is very much like the doctrine of the dictators we fought and defeated in World War II and of Putin today. It is un-American at its very core.
January 6, 2026 at 11:41 AM
I think we need two words; "Unamerican" (not what the US is ostensibly like, e.g., in the Superman comics) and "Un-American" (not what the US is actually like in practice).
Invading other countries to replace a leader you don't like might be Unamerican but it's not been Un-American in my lifetime.
Invading other countries to replace a leader you don't like might be Unamerican but it's not been Un-American in my lifetime.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
When I said last year that the average American MAGA supporter closely resembles a Russian vatnik in both mindset and ideology, I meant it seriously.
January 5, 2026 at 5:01 AM
When I said last year that the average American MAGA supporter closely resembles a Russian vatnik in both mindset and ideology, I meant it seriously.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Éibhear Ó hAnluain: FIFA doesn't give a rats arse!
Malachy Clerkin: Trump is showing Fifa what a shameful mistake its bogus peace prize was
Malachy Clerkin: Trump is showing Fifa what a shameful mistake its bogus peace prize was
The US president has spent the month since his award showing Gianni Infantino and the world that he is the war-mongerer in chief
www.irishtimes.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Éibhear Ó hAnluain: FIFA doesn't give a rats arse!
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Nothing says you have quality products your customers love like threatening to kill their friends and family if they switch providers.
The "head of office at US Big Tech lobby CCIA Europe, told Euractiv that he would warn EU lawmakers against efforts to decouple too sharply from US technology, as this would risk provoking countermeasures"
Europe readies digital infrastructure push in 2026
A wave of EU legislation will target cloud services, chips and networks and step up Europe’s push to curb dependence on US technology
- @euractiv.com
www.euractiv.com/news/europe-...
A wave of EU legislation will target cloud services, chips and networks and step up Europe’s push to curb dependence on US technology
- @euractiv.com
www.euractiv.com/news/europe-...
January 5, 2026 at 9:19 AM
Nothing says you have quality products your customers love like threatening to kill their friends and family if they switch providers.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
« Les écrans c’est très dangereux pour les jeunes ! » nous disent des politiques sur un réseau social tenu par un nazi et qui héberge un bot pedocriminel qui sert au harcèlement
January 5, 2026 at 11:47 AM
« Les écrans c’est très dangereux pour les jeunes ! » nous disent des politiques sur un réseau social tenu par un nazi et qui héberge un bot pedocriminel qui sert au harcèlement
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
In other news I think a lot of smaller countries could cheaply replace the US branch of their military intelligence agency with one guy hitting refresh on any relevant Polymarket contracts
January 4, 2026 at 1:44 AM
In other news I think a lot of smaller countries could cheaply replace the US branch of their military intelligence agency with one guy hitting refresh on any relevant Polymarket contracts
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Another study showing proximity and contact with refugees leads to more favorable views of immigrants and greater opposition to anti-immigrant parties.
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
Local exposure to refugees changed attitudes to ethnic minorities in the Netherlands
Abstract. We investigate the effect of exposure to refugees on locals’ preferences with regard to ethnic minorities using individual-level panel data from
academic.oup.com
January 4, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Another study showing proximity and contact with refugees leads to more favorable views of immigrants and greater opposition to anti-immigrant parties.
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
academic.oup.com/ej/article/1...
That's precisely what "mandatory but not compulsory" means #speirghorm
Britain's digital-ID will be 'voluntary' but you won't be able work without it, or access entitlements, or banking, or healthcare. Britain spent $5billion on a failed ID system when Tony Blair was PM but now the Tony Blair Institute is promoting it again.
youtube.com/watch?v=Z8wJ...
youtube.com/watch?v=Z8wJ...
Britain's Digital ID
YouTube video by Fine Print
youtube.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:55 AM
That's precisely what "mandatory but not compulsory" means #speirghorm
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Whenever I hear someone say “the noisy minority,” I think they’re referring to straight white men with podcasts, and I think that’s beautiful.
January 4, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Whenever I hear someone say “the noisy minority,” I think they’re referring to straight white men with podcasts, and I think that’s beautiful.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
I think what China understood and the rest of the world has been slow to do is that Trump is running a protection racket more than a trade or foreign policy.
He wants the payoffs more than the invasion or regime change.
He wants the payoffs more than the invasion or regime change.
January 4, 2026 at 7:35 AM
I think what China understood and the rest of the world has been slow to do is that Trump is running a protection racket more than a trade or foreign policy.
He wants the payoffs more than the invasion or regime change.
He wants the payoffs more than the invasion or regime change.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Minor thing given what's going on in the world right now, but I've just discovered that TurnitIn, the product many universities use for grading & plagiarism detection, offers students an 'AI-powered writing tool' as well as AI detection tools for instructors. They're selling weapons to both sides.
January 3, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Minor thing given what's going on in the world right now, but I've just discovered that TurnitIn, the product many universities use for grading & plagiarism detection, offers students an 'AI-powered writing tool' as well as AI detection tools for instructors. They're selling weapons to both sides.
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
The Earth's orbit around the sun is very nearly, but not actually, a circle. This means that there's a point in the orbit when the Earth is as far away from the sun as it can be, and a point when it's as close as it can be. That closest point, perihelion, is right now, 17:16.
January 3, 2026 at 5:16 PM
The Earth's orbit around the sun is very nearly, but not actually, a circle. This means that there's a point in the orbit when the Earth is as far away from the sun as it can be, and a point when it's as close as it can be. That closest point, perihelion, is right now, 17:16.
Feeling smug after a bit of slactivism: Just e-mailed Micheál Martin and Simon Harris to ask them to stop hanging around with nazis and perverts.
I.e., to stop posting on x.com
#speirghorm
I.e., to stop posting on x.com
#speirghorm
January 2, 2026 at 10:29 PM
Feeling smug after a bit of slactivism: Just e-mailed Micheál Martin and Simon Harris to ask them to stop hanging around with nazis and perverts.
I.e., to stop posting on x.com
#speirghorm
I.e., to stop posting on x.com
#speirghorm
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Kids: Study collider bias
People are right to roll their eyes at this—another stupid and malicious effort to undermine universities. But don’t rest your opposition on the idea that scores “don’t predict outcomes”. Insofar as any measure is used to select a population, you have conditioned on it so it won’t predict outcomes.
January 2, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Kids: Study collider bias
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
Which stakeholders are preventing the government from immediately suspending all its X accounts?
January 2, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Which stakeholders are preventing the government from immediately suspending all its X accounts?
Reposted by Brendan Halpin
there are endless headlines about "grok apologizes" or "grok says it will be fixed" after it generated CSAM using pictures of minors and zero headlines about "grok being shut down" or "musk and xAI in big legal trouble" and I think something fundamental has broken here
January 2, 2026 at 6:59 PM
there are endless headlines about "grok apologizes" or "grok says it will be fixed" after it generated CSAM using pictures of minors and zero headlines about "grok being shut down" or "musk and xAI in big legal trouble" and I think something fundamental has broken here