Fabien Mikol
@occam212.bsky.social
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Pourquoi les militants se fédèrent-ils autour de croyances sans lien entre elles et parfois même contradictoires ?
Et pourquoi défendent-ils ces croyances comme si leur vie en dépendait, allant jusqu'à tuer pour elles ?
L'anthropologue Pascal Boyer répond, et c'est passionnant.👇
Et pourquoi défendent-ils ces croyances comme si leur vie en dépendait, allant jusqu'à tuer pour elles ?
L'anthropologue Pascal Boyer répond, et c'est passionnant.👇
February 14, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Pourquoi les militants se fédèrent-ils autour de croyances sans lien entre elles et parfois même contradictoires ?
Et pourquoi défendent-ils ces croyances comme si leur vie en dépendait, allant jusqu'à tuer pour elles ?
L'anthropologue Pascal Boyer répond, et c'est passionnant.👇
Et pourquoi défendent-ils ces croyances comme si leur vie en dépendait, allant jusqu'à tuer pour elles ?
L'anthropologue Pascal Boyer répond, et c'est passionnant.👇
J'ai testé les capacités de Claude Opus 4.5 dans l'analyse historique d'une BD de vulgarisation, et j'ai choisi celle sur le conflit israélo-arabe par @goyamichel.bsky.social & Florent Calvez (sortie prévue ce mois-ci).
Les résultats sont intéressants (et problématiques à mon sens).
Fil 🧵
Les résultats sont intéressants (et problématiques à mon sens).
Fil 🧵
February 11, 2026 at 9:59 PM
J'ai testé les capacités de Claude Opus 4.5 dans l'analyse historique d'une BD de vulgarisation, et j'ai choisi celle sur le conflit israélo-arabe par @goyamichel.bsky.social & Florent Calvez (sortie prévue ce mois-ci).
Les résultats sont intéressants (et problématiques à mon sens).
Fil 🧵
Les résultats sont intéressants (et problématiques à mon sens).
Fil 🧵
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
A lot of food politics makes more sense if you understand it as an ongoing set of battles between incumbent and emergent interest groups trying to shape the market to their advantage.
The meaning of words is to be decided not by their use, usefulness, or history, but by their commercial benefit to the most powerful lobby groups. I have a recipe for almond milk in a cookbook from 1226. It has been used as a term in English for hundreds of years.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Oatly banned from using word ‘milk’ to market plant-based products in UK
Supreme court makes ruling after Swedish firm’s long-running battle with trade association Dairy UK
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:58 PM
A lot of food politics makes more sense if you understand it as an ongoing set of battles between incumbent and emergent interest groups trying to shape the market to their advantage.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
This New Yorker piece about Claude is in turns scary and hilarious: www.newyorker.com/ma...
February 11, 2026 at 7:28 AM
This New Yorker piece about Claude is in turns scary and hilarious: www.newyorker.com/ma...
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Le militantisme est souvent un esprit de clocher. Le militant défend moins des idées que le groupe auquel il associe ces idées.
Voici ce qu’écrit l’anthropologue Pascal Boyer (L’impossible démocratie) 👇
Voici ce qu’écrit l’anthropologue Pascal Boyer (L’impossible démocratie) 👇
February 10, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Le militantisme est souvent un esprit de clocher. Le militant défend moins des idées que le groupe auquel il associe ces idées.
Voici ce qu’écrit l’anthropologue Pascal Boyer (L’impossible démocratie) 👇
Voici ce qu’écrit l’anthropologue Pascal Boyer (L’impossible démocratie) 👇
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
LE MALAISE d'une partie de la gauche sur l’#Iran est lié au fait qu'elle ne voit ce pays que sous le prisme du conflit israélo-palestinien et non de la longue lutte du peuple iranien contre la République islamique ⬇️.
February 7, 2026 at 3:39 PM
LE MALAISE d'une partie de la gauche sur l’#Iran est lié au fait qu'elle ne voit ce pays que sous le prisme du conflit israélo-palestinien et non de la longue lutte du peuple iranien contre la République islamique ⬇️.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
This is not what is happening at all.
The amount of misinformation on BlueSky about AI is insane, and it keeps promising that AI is all hype that is going away soon.
A really dangerous position that cedes all AI policy and decisions about how it will be used to others.
Also Futurism is clickbait
The amount of misinformation on BlueSky about AI is insane, and it keeps promising that AI is all hype that is going away soon.
A really dangerous position that cedes all AI policy and decisions about how it will be used to others.
Also Futurism is clickbait
February 6, 2026 at 9:15 PM
This is not what is happening at all.
The amount of misinformation on BlueSky about AI is insane, and it keeps promising that AI is all hype that is going away soon.
A really dangerous position that cedes all AI policy and decisions about how it will be used to others.
Also Futurism is clickbait
The amount of misinformation on BlueSky about AI is insane, and it keeps promising that AI is all hype that is going away soon.
A really dangerous position that cedes all AI policy and decisions about how it will be used to others.
Also Futurism is clickbait
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Another part of the Waymo discourse driving me insane is that they're all electric. Even if they were ONLY as safe as human drivers, I'd still want to replace as many cars in America with them as possible, because most cars still run on gas!
February 6, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Another part of the Waymo discourse driving me insane is that they're all electric. Even if they were ONLY as safe as human drivers, I'd still want to replace as many cars in America with them as possible, because most cars still run on gas!
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Les sourciers affirment détecter de l'eau souterraine au moyen de différents dispositifs (baguettes, pendule...)
Loin d'être cantonnés à des activités traditionnelles, on apprend en 2024 que certaines préfectures rendent leur passage obligatoire dans le cadre de grands travaux.
Fil à dérouler ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Loin d'être cantonnés à des activités traditionnelles, on apprend en 2024 que certaines préfectures rendent leur passage obligatoire dans le cadre de grands travaux.
Fil à dérouler ⬇️⬇️⬇️
February 3, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Les sourciers affirment détecter de l'eau souterraine au moyen de différents dispositifs (baguettes, pendule...)
Loin d'être cantonnés à des activités traditionnelles, on apprend en 2024 que certaines préfectures rendent leur passage obligatoire dans le cadre de grands travaux.
Fil à dérouler ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Loin d'être cantonnés à des activités traditionnelles, on apprend en 2024 que certaines préfectures rendent leur passage obligatoire dans le cadre de grands travaux.
Fil à dérouler ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Une chouette vidéo sur un sujet fascinant ⤵️
Déconstruire des idées fausses permet, souvent, d'encore mieux comprendre un sujet.
Déconstruire des idées fausses permet, souvent, d'encore mieux comprendre un sujet.
[NOUVELLE VIDÉO !!!] Pourquoi Les Revues du Monde se trompe (cas d’école des travers des sciences sociales)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dJPhT3fUTY
Points-clés :👀⬇️
#dégoût #beauté #subjectivité
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dJPhT3fUTY
Points-clés :👀⬇️
#dégoût #beauté #subjectivité
February 4, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Une chouette vidéo sur un sujet fascinant ⤵️
Déconstruire des idées fausses permet, souvent, d'encore mieux comprendre un sujet.
Déconstruire des idées fausses permet, souvent, d'encore mieux comprendre un sujet.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Or, le consensus scientifique dit exactement l'inverse :
- La viande rouge reste "probablement cancérigène" (OMS), quel que soit son mode de production
- L'élevage extensif génère PLUS d'émissions que les systèmes conventionnels
- Il est nécessaire de végétaliser notre alimentation
- La viande rouge reste "probablement cancérigène" (OMS), quel que soit son mode de production
- L'élevage extensif génère PLUS d'émissions que les systèmes conventionnels
- Il est nécessaire de végétaliser notre alimentation
February 3, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Or, le consensus scientifique dit exactement l'inverse :
- La viande rouge reste "probablement cancérigène" (OMS), quel que soit son mode de production
- L'élevage extensif génère PLUS d'émissions que les systèmes conventionnels
- Il est nécessaire de végétaliser notre alimentation
- La viande rouge reste "probablement cancérigène" (OMS), quel que soit son mode de production
- L'élevage extensif génère PLUS d'émissions que les systèmes conventionnels
- Il est nécessaire de végétaliser notre alimentation
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Les gens ne sont pas aussi manipulables qu'on veut bien le croire, et le problème, dans la crise de la confiance que nous observons, est peut-être moins l'excès de crédulité que l'excès de scepticisme.
À ce propos, l'anthropologue Pascal Boyer dans "L'impossible démocratie"👇
À ce propos, l'anthropologue Pascal Boyer dans "L'impossible démocratie"👇
February 2, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Les gens ne sont pas aussi manipulables qu'on veut bien le croire, et le problème, dans la crise de la confiance que nous observons, est peut-être moins l'excès de crédulité que l'excès de scepticisme.
À ce propos, l'anthropologue Pascal Boyer dans "L'impossible démocratie"👇
À ce propos, l'anthropologue Pascal Boyer dans "L'impossible démocratie"👇
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
and, indeed, what the Nova folks want to do is get away from something like nutriscore on a food-by-food basis because it shows the weakness of their model - hence their opposition to what they term "healthy UPFs" - because they want to sideline empirical evidence that challenges their schema.
January 31, 2026 at 4:36 PM
and, indeed, what the Nova folks want to do is get away from something like nutriscore on a food-by-food basis because it shows the weakness of their model - hence their opposition to what they term "healthy UPFs" - because they want to sideline empirical evidence that challenges their schema.
Sans surprise, cette étude fait le buzz sur Bluesky. Je propose de laisser la parole à Claude, puisqu'il est concerné.
claude.ai/share/9b85fb...
claude.ai/share/9b85fb...
January 31, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Sans surprise, cette étude fait le buzz sur Bluesky. Je propose de laisser la parole à Claude, puisqu'il est concerné.
claude.ai/share/9b85fb...
claude.ai/share/9b85fb...
"The study supports both sides’ view of markets — they make it easier to co-operate with strangers but potentially weaken ties closer to home"
Bon article !
Bon article !
Do markets make us moral? In my column this week I wrote about a super-interesting study using historical data to explore how markets have shaped culture.
1st 300 clicks free to read...
as.ft.com/r/b02da2ad-d...
1st 300 clicks free to read...
as.ft.com/r/b02da2ad-d...
Do markets make us moral?
[FREE TO READ] New research describes how commerce shaped our culture
as.ft.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:07 AM
"The study supports both sides’ view of markets — they make it easier to co-operate with strangers but potentially weaken ties closer to home"
Bon article !
Bon article !
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
A good sociological explanation of why that odd "95% of AI projects fail MIT study" (that was not actually a study at all, but based on someone's unexplained interpretation of 52 unspecified interviews at a conference) somehow became a ubiquitous point of discussion last summer, and even today.
January 29, 2026 at 2:19 AM
A good sociological explanation of why that odd "95% of AI projects fail MIT study" (that was not actually a study at all, but based on someone's unexplained interpretation of 52 unspecified interviews at a conference) somehow became a ubiquitous point of discussion last summer, and even today.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
The other thing that really grinds my gears about the anti-"ultra-processed" crowd is the assertion that the profit motive somehow taints UPFs as a category, but not other foods. You don't think the profit motive is behind the factory farms that churn out billions of "unprocessed" chickens?
The ultraprocessed food conversation has well and truly jumped the shark. Now its proponents are opposing fortification, urging us to ignore the nutritional properties of foods, & conflating the extent and purpose of processing. Put this schema out of its misery already.
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
www.bmj.com/content/392/...
Misleading narrative of “healthy” ultraprocessed foods
A focus on “healthy” ultraprocessed foods is overstating benefits, legitimising industry narratives, and obscuring the priority of reducing overall consumption, argue Leandro Rezende and colleagues
...
www.bmj.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:20 PM
The other thing that really grinds my gears about the anti-"ultra-processed" crowd is the assertion that the profit motive somehow taints UPFs as a category, but not other foods. You don't think the profit motive is behind the factory farms that churn out billions of "unprocessed" chickens?
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Terence Tao gets it:
"AI is teaching us...our idea of what intelligence is is not really accurate"
"we were looking for some elusive intelligent way of of thinking and we don't see it in the tools that actually solve our goals...maybe it's actually because intelligence is not what we think it is"
"AI is teaching us...our idea of what intelligence is is not really accurate"
"we were looking for some elusive intelligent way of of thinking and we don't see it in the tools that actually solve our goals...maybe it's actually because intelligence is not what we think it is"
Can AI Prove It? Terence Tao on “Big Math” and Our Theoretical Future | The Futurology Podcast
YouTube video by Berggruen Institute
youtu.be
January 26, 2026 at 11:18 PM
Terence Tao gets it:
"AI is teaching us...our idea of what intelligence is is not really accurate"
"we were looking for some elusive intelligent way of of thinking and we don't see it in the tools that actually solve our goals...maybe it's actually because intelligence is not what we think it is"
"AI is teaching us...our idea of what intelligence is is not really accurate"
"we were looking for some elusive intelligent way of of thinking and we don't see it in the tools that actually solve our goals...maybe it's actually because intelligence is not what we think it is"
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
CEOs of Anthropic and Deepmind (both AI scientists by background) this week predicting AGI in 2- and 5- years respectively. Both stating clearly that they would prefer a slow down or pause in progress, to address safety issues and to allow society and governance to catch up. 1/5
January 21, 2026 at 11:29 AM
CEOs of Anthropic and Deepmind (both AI scientists by background) this week predicting AGI in 2- and 5- years respectively. Both stating clearly that they would prefer a slow down or pause in progress, to address safety issues and to allow society and governance to catch up. 1/5
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Even for an "extreme power user" LLMs don't materially alter overall energy consumption. Driving, flying, eating meat, and living in an unnecessarily large and inefficient home are all way more impactful. An extra kWh/day is only $0.10 to $0.50 worth of electricity, depending on where you live.
Whenever I read discourse on AI energy/water use that focuses on the "median query," I can't help but feel misled. Coding agents like Claude Code send hundreds of longer-than-median queries every session, and I run dozens of sessions a day.
On my blog: www.simonpcouch.com/blog/2026-01...
On my blog: www.simonpcouch.com/blog/2026-01...
January 21, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Even for an "extreme power user" LLMs don't materially alter overall energy consumption. Driving, flying, eating meat, and living in an unnecessarily large and inefficient home are all way more impactful. An extra kWh/day is only $0.10 to $0.50 worth of electricity, depending on where you live.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
👀‼️
Interviewer: In a perfect world, if you knew that every other company would pause, if every country would pause, would you advocate for that?
Hassabis: I think so.
Interviewer: In a perfect world, if you knew that every other company would pause, if every country would pause, would you advocate for that?
Hassabis: I think so.
January 21, 2026 at 3:02 AM
👀‼️
Interviewer: In a perfect world, if you knew that every other company would pause, if every country would pause, would you advocate for that?
Hassabis: I think so.
Interviewer: In a perfect world, if you knew that every other company would pause, if every country would pause, would you advocate for that?
Hassabis: I think so.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
We have lived in close contact with them for nearly 10,000 years. There are around 1.5 billion cows and bulls on the planet. And only now have we discovered that they can use tools.
January 19, 2026 at 5:33 PM
We have lived in close contact with them for nearly 10,000 years. There are around 1.5 billion cows and bulls on the planet. And only now have we discovered that they can use tools.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
The difference is that previous machines were task specific and could not invent and build other machines on their own, they could not think. LLMs can think, and will eventually autonomously invent and use other tools like people do, and we will put them in general robots that build things.
It seems to me that this belief is mostly because we anthropomorphize these tools in a way we don’t to other tools. I don’t think people have articulated a difference that isn’t implicitly based on that. No one things an internal combustion engine is going to drive the value of human labor to zero.
January 19, 2026 at 10:01 PM
The difference is that previous machines were task specific and could not invent and build other machines on their own, they could not think. LLMs can think, and will eventually autonomously invent and use other tools like people do, and we will put them in general robots that build things.
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
Erdos problems, a set of famous difficult math challenges, are a clear example of AI models breaching a threshold. The idea that an AI could solve one, let alone many, would have been insane a year ago (o1 was brand new). Now we have multiple Erdos problems solved by GPT-5.2 in the last couple weeks
January 18, 2026 at 3:38 AM
Erdos problems, a set of famous difficult math challenges, are a clear example of AI models breaching a threshold. The idea that an AI could solve one, let alone many, would have been insane a year ago (o1 was brand new). Now we have multiple Erdos problems solved by GPT-5.2 in the last couple weeks
Reposted by Fabien Mikol
The scale of China's clean energy buildout is difficult to fathom. Check out these pictures.
Photos Capture the Breathtaking Scale of China's Wind and Solar Buildout
e360.yale.edu
January 16, 2026 at 6:39 PM
The scale of China's clean energy buildout is difficult to fathom. Check out these pictures.