Alex Hern
@hern.bsky.social
AI writer at the Economist. I write about it, that is. I’m still human. One of literally dozens of people online who is not American.
lol lmao this government will stop at nothing to fold for people who are never going to vote for them
Inheritance tax for farmers to kick in at £2.5m, not £1m as planned, in government U-turn to help farming community - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
December 23, 2025 at 12:07 PM
lol lmao this government will stop at nothing to fold for people who are never going to vote for them
Reposted by Alex Hern
Well that’s one way to deal with a bad review I guess
December 22, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Well that’s one way to deal with a bad review I guess
Absolutely bonkers that Screen Time launched eight years ago and you still can’t do the thing every parent I know wants which is just set the damn tablet to fully lock up after 20 minutes of use
December 22, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Absolutely bonkers that Screen Time launched eight years ago and you still can’t do the thing every parent I know wants which is just set the damn tablet to fully lock up after 20 minutes of use
Destiny: The Taken King; The Witcher III
Quote this with what you would have said your game of the year was at the end of 2015, if you had one, and what you would say your favourite game of 2015 is now, if it differs
Localisations and early access count, remasters don't. Remakes depend
Refresher here: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
Localisations and early access count, remasters don't. Remakes depend
Refresher here: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
December 19, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Destiny: The Taken King; The Witcher III
Reposted by Alex Hern
Offering cheaper AI systems comes down to using cheaper electricity. On that, Saudi Arabia reckons it has the edge
Saudi Arabia wants to host the world’s cheapest data centres
With plentiful land and electricity on hand, the kingdom thinks it has found an edge
econ.st
December 19, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Offering cheaper AI systems comes down to using cheaper electricity. On that, Saudi Arabia reckons it has the edge
lots of micro-level takes here but I think the big one is that it's just so important to punish people when they do bad things www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/m...
Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons: The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich
www.nytimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:18 PM
lots of micro-level takes here but I think the big one is that it's just so important to punish people when they do bad things www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/m...
@simonwillison.net's "Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle" progress in 14 months. On the left, Gemini Flash 1.5; on the right, Gemini Flash 3
simonwillison.net/tags/pelican...
simonwillison.net/tags/pelican...
December 18, 2025 at 10:25 AM
@simonwillison.net's "Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle" progress in 14 months. On the left, Gemini Flash 1.5; on the right, Gemini Flash 3
simonwillison.net/tags/pelican...
simonwillison.net/tags/pelican...
Reposted by Alex Hern
With plentiful land and electricity on hand, the kingdom thinks it has found an edge
Saudi Arabia wants to host the world’s cheapest data centres
With plentiful land and electricity on hand, the kingdom thinks it has found an edge
econ.st
December 17, 2025 at 7:20 PM
With plentiful land and electricity on hand, the kingdom thinks it has found an edge
I'm not sure which is the right lesson to draw from the fact that mobile games used to be fantastic and are now terrible, but I'm desperately looking for one that isn't inherently either elitist, conservative or fogeyish and coming up blank
Hugely enjoyed @jmrivera.bsky.social's review of the Simogo Collection, a boutique collection of games from a time when it didn't feel like your smartphone was poisoning you. The App Store's golden window for games lasted such a short while 😔
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/games/2025/d...
Simogo Legacy Collection review – remember when phone games were this wonderful?
A suite of iOS classics is lovingly preserved in this collection from the Swedish developer, early standard-setters of the meaningful smartphone game
www.theguardian.com
December 17, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I'm not sure which is the right lesson to draw from the fact that mobile games used to be fantastic and are now terrible, but I'm desperately looking for one that isn't inherently either elitist, conservative or fogeyish and coming up blank
vole.wtf/work-reply-s... utterly mesmerising
Work Reply Soundboard 👤💬
Respond to requests and feedback, using the full richness of the English language to convey your feelings.
vole.wtf
December 17, 2025 at 4:12 PM
vole.wtf/work-reply-s... utterly mesmerising
Got a fancy coffee advent calendar and 17 days in, have confirmed: the coffee hedonistic treadmill isn’t for me
December 17, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Got a fancy coffee advent calendar and 17 days in, have confirmed: the coffee hedonistic treadmill isn’t for me
Hades; Hades
Quote this with what you would have said your game of the year was at the end of 2020, and what you would say your favourite game of 2020 is now, if it differs
(I will count two-way ties for either answer)
For a more comprehensive refresher than this grid: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
(I will count two-way ties for either answer)
For a more comprehensive refresher than this grid: backloggd.com/games/lib/po...
December 17, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Hades; Hades
You know I’m not sure you should be painting cars in Dazzle camouflage
I’ve been on the road in the new all-electric Jaguar
I’ve been on the road in the new all-electric Jaguar
www.independent.co.uk
December 17, 2025 at 11:21 AM
You know I’m not sure you should be painting cars in Dazzle camouflage
This was voted one of the FT’s “favourite non-FT articles of the year”
A jury of my peers? TWELVE murderers?!
December 17, 2025 at 8:28 AM
This was voted one of the FT’s “favourite non-FT articles of the year”
I had never heard of Rowan’s before this morning, and I’ve lived in London 36 years
December 16, 2025 at 7:27 PM
I had never heard of Rowan’s before this morning, and I’ve lived in London 36 years
this all seems really good
NEW: Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has just announced the BIGGEST EVER reforms to national policy to deliver more homes! Here are the five biggest: 🧵
December 16, 2025 at 4:03 PM
this all seems really good
One thing to add to this good piece, for the games example in particular: it is hard to justify the existing practice of labelling games "made with" AI and not count people using AI to write code in that definition www.ft.com/content/bab5...
Is the ‘Made by AI’ label pointless?
The experience of the video game industry suggests transparency about AI use won’t be straightforward
www.ft.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
One thing to add to this good piece, for the games example in particular: it is hard to justify the existing practice of labelling games "made with" AI and not count people using AI to write code in that definition www.ft.com/content/bab5...
Reposted by Alex Hern
When you start a business, fund your start-up or buy property: the (mandatory) notary has to read, out loud, the entire contract to the involved parties.
They easily do 500 words per minute. Truly impressive. It can still take hours. www.linkedin.com/posts/nathan...
They easily do 500 words per minute. Truly impressive. It can still take hours. www.linkedin.com/posts/nathan...
December 16, 2025 at 11:56 AM
When you start a business, fund your start-up or buy property: the (mandatory) notary has to read, out loud, the entire contract to the involved parties.
They easily do 500 words per minute. Truly impressive. It can still take hours. www.linkedin.com/posts/nathan...
They easily do 500 words per minute. Truly impressive. It can still take hours. www.linkedin.com/posts/nathan...
been toying with a take that would fully ruin my day
December 16, 2025 at 10:22 AM
been toying with a take that would fully ruin my day
it’s good, after all the heat and noise, to be reminded that there really are Nimbys. yes, there has been some semantic drift, but there really are people who think the reason why there should not be a national infrastructure project is because they, personally, do not want to hear it being built.
December 16, 2025 at 9:29 AM
it’s good, after all the heat and noise, to be reminded that there really are Nimbys. yes, there has been some semantic drift, but there really are people who think the reason why there should not be a national infrastructure project is because they, personally, do not want to hear it being built.
I enjoy that you could easily beat this achievement by putting a ladder against a bungalow in Buxton
The UK’s highest rooftop adventure is set to open next year, as visitors will soon be able to walk across the roof of Alexandra Palace, 130 metres above sea level.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/ale...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/ale...
Alexandra Palace unveils UK’s highest roof climb
The UK's highest rooftop adventure is set to open next year, as visitors will soon be able to walk across the roof of Alexandra Palace, 130 metres above sea level.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
December 15, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I enjoy that you could easily beat this achievement by putting a ladder against a bungalow in Buxton
Just realised Dan Bongino and Greg Bovino aren’t the same person
December 14, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Just realised Dan Bongino and Greg Bovino aren’t the same person
Reposted by Alex Hern
Shan’t 👍
Public should heed forthcoming rules on single-sex spaces, says UK equalities chief
Public should heed forthcoming rules on single-sex spaces, says UK equalities chief
Mary-Ann Stephenson says official guidance will not usher in ‘toilet police’ in businesses and public places
*
UK politics live – latest updates
“Nobody is expecting a toilet police” but people should follow the rules when guidance is finally issued on single-sex spaces, the chair of the equalities watchdog has said.
Mary-Ann Stephenson said that “generally speaking, we expect people to follow the rules and make sure that there is adequate provision”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 14, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Shan’t 👍
An underexplored point is that this is also crucial to understanding the pressures around immigration. If the tax take is skewed heavily towards higher earners then it’s much harder for lower earners to be net fiscal contributors, and that includes lower paid migrants.
I understand what marginal tax rates and how they work, but (with apologies for naive point) the fact that someone on a median income only pays this much tax - given the general state of the discourse on this - is surprising to me
December 12, 2025 at 12:43 PM
An underexplored point is that this is also crucial to understanding the pressures around immigration. If the tax take is skewed heavily towards higher earners then it’s much harder for lower earners to be net fiscal contributors, and that includes lower paid migrants.