Patrick Tanguay
@inevernu.bsky.social
Autodidact. Generalist. Synthesist. I write Sentiers, a carefully curated weekly newsletter on the futures of technology, society, and culture. @inevernu@social.coop
📧 https://sentiers.media
📧 https://sentiers.media
Pinned
Patrick Tanguay
@inevernu.bsky.social
· Jan 22
I've already selected my image and word (Ultracrepidarian) of the year.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne_supr...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne_supr...
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
Timeline cleanse: Yesterday I was introduced to the teporingo (volcano rabbit) — it’s like a rabbit crossed with a pika and is only found on Popocatépetl and three of the other volcanoes near Mexico City: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano...
November 14, 2025 at 4:07 AM
Timeline cleanse: Yesterday I was introduced to the teporingo (volcano rabbit) — it’s like a rabbit crossed with a pika and is only found on Popocatépetl and three of the other volcanoes near Mexico City: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano...
Favourite term of the week, “bragawatts”.
(Speculative/announced multi-gigawatt data centers.)
(Speculative/announced multi-gigawatt data centers.)
Investors need to look beyond the ‘bragawatts’ in AI infrastructure boom on.ft.com/4okPken | opinion
Investors need to look beyond the ‘bragawatts’ in AI infrastructure boom
As investment rush accelerates, the winners will control inputs unlikely to be commoditised
on.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Favourite term of the week, “bragawatts”.
(Speculative/announced multi-gigawatt data centers.)
(Speculative/announced multi-gigawatt data centers.)
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
Bahahahahaha The New York Times just printed an opinion piece declaring "AI is intelligent, so long as we redefine what intelligence means to include it. And soon AI will be conscious, because we'll just redefine consciousness too!"
Nothing means anything! Yay!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Nothing means anything! Yay!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Opinion | A.I. Is on Its Way to Something Even More Remarkable Than Intelligence
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Bahahahahaha The New York Times just printed an opinion piece declaring "AI is intelligent, so long as we redefine what intelligence means to include it. And soon AI will be conscious, because we'll just redefine consciousness too!"
Nothing means anything! Yay!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Nothing means anything! Yay!
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/o...
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
Absolutely the greatest thing to happen to a bookish teen with a sense of drama. '“I didn’t want to say immediately it was me,” he said. “With this photo there is a mystery, so you have to make it last.”'
Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Absolutely the greatest thing to happen to a bookish teen with a sense of drama. '“I didn’t want to say immediately it was me,” he said. “With this photo there is a mystery, so you have to make it last.”'
Who could have possibly predicted this? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...
www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...
FBI Warns of Criminals Posing as ICE, Urges Agents to ID Themselves
In a bulletin to law enforcement agencies, the FBI said criminal impersonators are exploiting ICE’s image and urged nationwide coordination to distinguish real operations from fakes.
www.wired.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Who could have possibly predicted this? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...
www.wired.com/story/fbi-wa...
Who's surprised?
Venture capitalists Andreessen and Horowitz invest in startup that sells thousands of AI bot influencers to manipulate social media as a service, clearly violating major platform policies
www.404media.co/a16z-backed-...
www.404media.co/a16z-backed-...
a16z-Backed Startup Sells Thousands of ‘Synthetic Influencers’ to Manipulate Social Media as a Service
Andreessen Horowitz is funding a company that clearly violates the inauthentic behavior policies of every major social media platform.
www.404media.co
November 3, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Who's surprised?
Instead of their headline, I'm going to go with "People are having fewer kids. The world's economy is limiting their choices." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Family size around the world is dropping. That choice by couples is triggering a population shift that's sending shock waves through economies.
People are having fewer kids. Their choice is transforming the world's economy
Family size around the world is dropping. That choice by couples is triggering a population shift that's sending shock waves through economies.
n.pr
November 3, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Instead of their headline, I'm going to go with "People are having fewer kids. The world's economy is limiting their choices." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Watching S3 of the Diplomat, can't help but see Luigi Mangione every time I see Callum Ellis / Aidan Turner.
www.imdb.com/name/nm26361...
www.imdb.com/name/nm26361...
Aidan Turner | Actor, Producer, Soundtrack
Known for: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
www.imdb.com
October 31, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Watching S3 of the Diplomat, can't help but see Luigi Mangione every time I see Callum Ellis / Aidan Turner.
www.imdb.com/name/nm26361...
www.imdb.com/name/nm26361...
Sound Blaster from the past.
www.theverge.com/news/811357/...
www.theverge.com/news/811357/...
Sound Blaster’s modular hub is a reconfigurable Stream Deck for audio
Stop swapping audio cables.
www.theverge.com
October 31, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Sound Blaster from the past.
www.theverge.com/news/811357/...
www.theverge.com/news/811357/...
Totally normal, I'm sure. Nothing to worry about here. 😬
And actually astonishing when you think about it: The Trump administration's top officials are choosing to separate themselves from the public—more to the point: separate themselves from any visible protest—and live on military bases.
Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Top Trump Officials Are Moving Onto Military Bases
Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Kristi Noem, and others have taken over homes that until recently housed senior officers.
www.theatlantic.com
October 31, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Totally normal, I'm sure. Nothing to worry about here. 😬
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
Bleak. BLEAK. www.wired.com/story/ai-tea...
October 27, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Bleak. BLEAK. www.wired.com/story/ai-tea...
Dunning-Kruger v imposter syndrome cage match.
October 29, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Dunning-Kruger v imposter syndrome cage match.
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
taking an actual wrecking ball to the White House is a little on the nose as far as metaphors go
Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU
White House begins demolishing East Wing facade to build Trump’s ballroom
The president had claimed construction of the $250 million ballroom wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure.
wapo.st
October 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
taking an actual wrecking ball to the White House is a little on the nose as far as metaphors go
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
Pope Leo quotes Hannah Arendt:
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
Pope Leo calls for news agencies to stand as bulwark against "post-truths," lies and manipulation
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the "ancient art of lying" and manipulation.
www.cbsnews.com
October 12, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Pope Leo quotes Hannah Arendt:
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."
www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
Kimmel’s monologue was really pretty great and effective and he was clearly moved by the reaction. You should watch it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tj...
Jimmy Kimmel is Back!
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
www.youtube.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:02 AM
Kimmel’s monologue was really pretty great and effective and he was clearly moved by the reaction. You should watch it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1tj...
Little weird annoyance: In Obsidian and various code editors, if you select a phrase or bit of code and hit ", (, {, or [, for example, the editor is smart enough to surround the text with {that character and its opposite.} In Google Docs, Word, etc., it replaces the selection. Bad. Annoying.
September 17, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Little weird annoyance: In Obsidian and various code editors, if you select a phrase or bit of code and hit ", (, {, or [, for example, the editor is smart enough to surround the text with {that character and its opposite.} In Google Docs, Word, etc., it replaces the selection. Bad. Annoying.
Watching a second series in a row where the main character is a birder on the side. Did I miss a memo or trend?
September 14, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Watching a second series in a row where the main character is a birder on the side. Did I miss a memo or trend?
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
This is censorship from an authoritarian regime that wants to project the illusion that they face no internal opposition or dissent. No other way to describe it.
What the actual fuck.
US Tennis Association: “We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity, including ENG [Electronic News Gathering] coverage.”
US Tennis Association: “We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity, including ENG [Electronic News Gathering] coverage.”
U.S. Open Orders Broadcasters to Censor Reactions to Trump
An email obtained by Bounces includes instructions from the U.S. Open on supporting Trump's planned stagecraft during the National Anthem.
www.benrothenberg.com
September 6, 2025 at 8:11 PM
This is censorship from an authoritarian regime that wants to project the illusion that they face no internal opposition or dissent. No other way to describe it.
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
One of the most deranged quotes I have ever seen
“We believe that in the near future half the people on the planet will be AI, and we are the company that’s bringing those people to life,” said CEO Jeanine Wright, who was previously chief operating officer of podcasting company Wondery
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/dig...
5,000 Podcasts. 3,000 Episodes a Week. $1 Cost Per Episode — Behind an AI Start Up’s Plan
Former Wondery exec Jeanine Wright is leading a new firm, Inception Point AI, that's betting on flooding the zone with audio content: “I think that people who are still referring to all AI-generated c...
www.hollywoodreporter.com
September 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM
One of the most deranged quotes I have ever seen
To people complaining that the iPhone 17 isn't enough of a step up from 16 to be worth an upgrade, a quick note:
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO CHANGE YOUR DAMNED PHONE EVERY YEAR ANYWAY, YOU CONSUMERIST NITWIT!!!
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO CHANGE YOUR DAMNED PHONE EVERY YEAR ANYWAY, YOU CONSUMERIST NITWIT!!!
a man sits at a desk in front of a computer and a bulletin board with a map on it
ALT: a man sits at a desk in front of a computer and a bulletin board with a map on it
media.tenor.com
September 10, 2025 at 9:32 PM
To people complaining that the iPhone 17 isn't enough of a step up from 16 to be worth an upgrade, a quick note:
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO CHANGE YOUR DAMNED PHONE EVERY YEAR ANYWAY, YOU CONSUMERIST NITWIT!!!
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO CHANGE YOUR DAMNED PHONE EVERY YEAR ANYWAY, YOU CONSUMERIST NITWIT!!!
Succession was a documentary.
This tactic - pressuring corporations financially until they put a regime friendly voice in charge - is exactly how Orbán took over the free press in Hungary
Lord save us:
"Paramount is on the verge of acquiring Bari Weiss’s The Free Press and tossing her the keys to CBS News. The deal is on the 1-yard line, I’m told."
"Paramount is on the verge of acquiring Bari Weiss’s The Free Press and tossing her the keys to CBS News. The deal is on the 1-yard line, I’m told."
September 5, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Succession was a documentary.
Reposted by Patrick Tanguay
Aaaaand the main business case for consumer LLMs is revealed. It's for gathering data on users, creating profiles, and targeting us with ads and propaganda. Hooray -- it's Web 2.0 with chatbots!
feels significant that mass-market LLMs like ChatGPT are now capable of generating extensive natural-language dossiers about a given user's interests, location, preferences, identifying information, and more
simonwillison.net/2025/May/21/...
simonwillison.net/2025/May/21/...
I really don’t like ChatGPT’s new memory dossier
Last month ChatGPT got a major upgrade. As far as I can tell the closest to an official announcement was this tweet from @OpenAI: Starting today [April 10th 2025], memory …
simonwillison.net
September 4, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Aaaaand the main business case for consumer LLMs is revealed. It's for gathering data on users, creating profiles, and targeting us with ads and propaganda. Hooray -- it's Web 2.0 with chatbots!