Martin Concagh
@mconcagh.bsky.social
Brit living in Toronto. Politics, books, jazz, Doctor Who and many more
Reposted by Martin Concagh
The subcategorization/tropefication of popular fiction has been very bad in general, both for authors and readers.
The death of browsing is part of the reason art is the way it is now. Our opinions are largely fed to us by algorithms. Spending a spare 15 minutes wandering around a bookstore or comic shop or video rental place was how you found stuff you wouldn't ordinarily pick up and thereby expanded your taste
Bookselling is like the most "people go to the store and buy what looks cool to them without a particular agenda" type business left, and your purchases have a huge influence on what is ordered, what is displayed, and what is recommended.
November 29, 2025 at 6:52 PM
The subcategorization/tropefication of popular fiction has been very bad in general, both for authors and readers.
Reposted by Martin Concagh
Canada is releasing a set of stamps celebrating the nation's graphic novelists.
These stamps feature Kate Beaton, Jimmy Beaulieu, Guy Delisle, Julie Doucet, Bryan Lee O’Malley and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, alongside some of their famous works.
These stamps feature Kate Beaton, Jimmy Beaulieu, Guy Delisle, Julie Doucet, Bryan Lee O’Malley and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, alongside some of their famous works.
November 21, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Canada is releasing a set of stamps celebrating the nation's graphic novelists.
These stamps feature Kate Beaton, Jimmy Beaulieu, Guy Delisle, Julie Doucet, Bryan Lee O’Malley and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, alongside some of their famous works.
These stamps feature Kate Beaton, Jimmy Beaulieu, Guy Delisle, Julie Doucet, Bryan Lee O’Malley and Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, alongside some of their famous works.
To the extent that leadership election polling means anything this is a *very* bad poll for Avi Lewis
November 29, 2025 at 5:01 PM
To the extent that leadership election polling means anything this is a *very* bad poll for Avi Lewis
Reposted by Martin Concagh
The biggest technological revolution of our lifetime is underway and it's not AI:
Official data is in this week, and US solar continues to grow rapidly, with generation up 30% compared to last year!
November 29, 2025 at 12:21 AM
The biggest technological revolution of our lifetime is underway and it's not AI:
Reposted by Martin Concagh
Reading At The Sharp End 2 and okay this is quite a good gag
November 28, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Reading At The Sharp End 2 and okay this is quite a good gag
Reposted by Martin Concagh
again, the great paradox of all this is that ukraine is a country where the guilty get punished, being judged by two countries where the guilty do not
Ukrainian media report that Andriy Yermak submitted a resignation letter from his position as Presidential Office Head.
November 28, 2025 at 3:24 PM
again, the great paradox of all this is that ukraine is a country where the guilty get punished, being judged by two countries where the guilty do not
Reposted by Martin Concagh
Just cancel your Netflix subscription and stop buying avocados. You'll be fine
November 28, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Just cancel your Netflix subscription and stop buying avocados. You'll be fine
Reposted by Martin Concagh
this is getting some traction on the other place, but might as well bring it over here
November 28, 2025 at 4:04 AM
this is getting some traction on the other place, but might as well bring it over here
Reposted by Martin Concagh
this is unironically good
November 28, 2025 at 2:36 PM
this is unironically good
Reposted by Martin Concagh
for all they scream about "importing the third world" it's the most idiotic, base tribal clannishness they aspire too as well. fuck rule of law, fuck the law, fuck rules, fuck neutral institutions, fuck universalism, fuck meritocracy.
i mean what are these "western values" these guys are so hopped up about? they are directly antagonistic to western europe. they don't believe in civil liberties. they reject democracy. and don't get me started on christianity, they hate their white neighbors almost as much as the brown ones
November 27, 2025 at 8:43 PM
for all they scream about "importing the third world" it's the most idiotic, base tribal clannishness they aspire too as well. fuck rule of law, fuck the law, fuck rules, fuck neutral institutions, fuck universalism, fuck meritocracy.
Reposted by Martin Concagh
This is also the potential tragedy of the United Kingdom
The great tragedy of Eastern Europe was that ethnonationalists looked at these diverse societies, proclaimed them to be impossible, and then worked to make these sordid proclamations a reality.
It is obviously affirmatively possible to have multiethnic and multireligious states in Eastern Europe, because they exist. All of them are in fact multiethnic and multireligious. Sometimes, percentagewise, actually moreso than certain Western countries.
November 27, 2025 at 11:41 AM
This is also the potential tragedy of the United Kingdom
Jotted down this counterfactual some months back
November 26, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Jotted down this counterfactual some months back
Reposted by Martin Concagh
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
Even God Is Worried About ChatGPT
Pope Leo XIV told students not to use artificial intelligence for homework, saying that AI ‘won’t stand in authentic wonder before the beauty of God’s creation.’
www.vulture.com
November 26, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Handing back student work that’s been written by ChatGPT with a 0 followed by the comment “This essay will never stand in authentic wonder before the Beauty of God’s creation.”
Reposted by Martin Concagh
“Bullying” is bad by definition. It’s not a value neutral tool to be deployed positively toward good ends. It’s so fucked up that people want so badly to reclaim this thing, and are so eager to do it that they want to brand things that aren’t bullying as bullying.
"Some people deserve to be bullied" is always wild to see because it's so deliberately childish as to make it difficult to imagine the person saying it has the moral capacity of an adult human being.
November 26, 2025 at 1:50 PM
“Bullying” is bad by definition. It’s not a value neutral tool to be deployed positively toward good ends. It’s so fucked up that people want so badly to reclaim this thing, and are so eager to do it that they want to brand things that aren’t bullying as bullying.
The two child benefits cap was evil and regardless of anything else I’ll celebrate it being gone
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live...
Budget 2025 live: Rachel Reeves scraps two-child benefit cap and confirms council tax changes as OBR apologises for leaking details
Office for Budget Responsibility blames ‘technical error’ after forecasts were published ahead of budget
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:55 PM
The two child benefits cap was evil and regardless of anything else I’ll celebrate it being gone
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live...
Wicked: For Good (2025)
November 26, 2025 at 5:42 AM
Wicked: For Good (2025)
The politics of both The Wizard of Oz and Wicked are unsophisticated and weird but it’s fascinating how the undercurrent of Oz in every iteration of the story is basically “if only the Tsar knew how bad the boyars are”
November 26, 2025 at 2:29 AM
The politics of both The Wizard of Oz and Wicked are unsophisticated and weird but it’s fascinating how the undercurrent of Oz in every iteration of the story is basically “if only the Tsar knew how bad the boyars are”
Reposted by Martin Concagh
No. Strangle this idea in its crib, don't let it grow like the "brain not fully developed until 25" stat
Adolescence lasts to 32, say brain scientists
Adolescence lasts to 32, say brain scientists
www.thetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:11 PM
No. Strangle this idea in its crib, don't let it grow like the "brain not fully developed until 25" stat
Reposted by Martin Concagh
blocking people insane about Will remains one of the most consistent ways to make this website a more pleasant user experience; he draws the maddest fuckers.
i have agreed with stancil and i have disagreed with stancil. he has sharp elbows. but the accusation that he is a raging transphobe is not connected to reality. and the weaponization of "i'm listening to trans people" to smear someone because you disagree about fucking econ polling is disgusting
No, I do not “pick on” trans people, I have never done anything like this. And frankly, I think the willingness of some people to completely invent accusations of transphobia in the desperate search for a cudgel against ideological opponents suggests they don’t really care about transphobia
November 25, 2025 at 5:01 PM
blocking people insane about Will remains one of the most consistent ways to make this website a more pleasant user experience; he draws the maddest fuckers.
Random musing re Pluribus but you can read it as about the utterly unreal experience of every even moderately successful actor or director
November 24, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Random musing re Pluribus but you can read it as about the utterly unreal experience of every even moderately successful actor or director
Reposted by Martin Concagh
The leftism leaving people's bodies like cartoon ghosts when people say "artists need to be paid" and "don't steal books."
i have never wanted to make a YouTube video before, but now i want to make one that's basically: Books Are Not Free Content For You, Stop Stealing From Authors, You Scabs.
we are not the enemy.
every dollar folks think they're taking from Amazon, they're taking from authors more.
we are not the enemy.
every dollar folks think they're taking from Amazon, they're taking from authors more.
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 AM
The leftism leaving people's bodies like cartoon ghosts when people say "artists need to be paid" and "don't steal books."
Reposted by Martin Concagh
"Listen I know it's a lie but the vibe feels right" is both the lost pathetic and most pervasive argument of the 21st century
November 23, 2025 at 12:18 PM
"Listen I know it's a lie but the vibe feels right" is both the lost pathetic and most pervasive argument of the 21st century
Reposted by Martin Concagh
Every 2-4 years, a bunch of left-wing populists have the brilliant thought “Hey, what if people’s resentment of social minorities is actually just sublimated resentment for capitalist elites?” and then we get to spend 2-4 years once again learning that no, it’s very much the reverse
November 22, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Every 2-4 years, a bunch of left-wing populists have the brilliant thought “Hey, what if people’s resentment of social minorities is actually just sublimated resentment for capitalist elites?” and then we get to spend 2-4 years once again learning that no, it’s very much the reverse
Reposted by Martin Concagh
called my local pizza joint on the phone, placed an order, walked down to pick it up and will walk it back on
own two legs as god and nature intended
own two legs as god and nature intended
November 23, 2025 at 1:11 AM
called my local pizza joint on the phone, placed an order, walked down to pick it up and will walk it back on
own two legs as god and nature intended
own two legs as god and nature intended