r_ephemeral
@rephemeral.bsky.social
Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
December 20, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
the collapse of the US made this feel inevitable english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/6...
Japan maybe the most obvious one, but the logic, and the momentum, will apply to… dozens of countries?
Japan maybe the most obvious one, but the logic, and the momentum, will apply to… dozens of countries?
Japan needs to possess nuclear weapons, prime minister's office source says
A source within Japan's prime minister's office said Thursday that the country needs nuclear weapons, remarks that deviate from the country's long-standing non-nuclear principles and could trigger bac...
english.kyodonews.net
December 19, 2025 at 2:52 PM
the collapse of the US made this feel inevitable english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/6...
Japan maybe the most obvious one, but the logic, and the momentum, will apply to… dozens of countries?
Japan maybe the most obvious one, but the logic, and the momentum, will apply to… dozens of countries?
Reposted by r_ephemeral
There are narrowly true things you can say about how a real commitment to equity might occasionally disadvantage the odd white man or two, but to decide to massively overhype those things in a moment when The Existence of Academia In Ten Years is an open question, well, kudos Compact magazine
December 19, 2025 at 2:25 PM
There are narrowly true things you can say about how a real commitment to equity might occasionally disadvantage the odd white man or two, but to decide to massively overhype those things in a moment when The Existence of Academia In Ten Years is an open question, well, kudos Compact magazine
Reposted by r_ephemeral
Autism/vaccines here, but this is a claim made way too often in general: "yes, counter reaction X is awful, but it wouldn't have worked if social trend Y hadn't gone too far". The causality is often just declared as true, under evidenced and doesn't engage with the history of X before we even had Y
This bit!
"The conspiracy-laden crusades by US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and others to discredit vaccines, blaming them for rising autism rates, would have less success had diagnosis rates not been inflated by expanded diagnostic criteria."
Has JBM heard of the first MMR go around? 🙄
"The conspiracy-laden crusades by US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and others to discredit vaccines, blaming them for rising autism rates, would have less success had diagnosis rates not been inflated by expanded diagnostic criteria."
Has JBM heard of the first MMR go around? 🙄
Home - Financial Times
News, analysis and opinion from the Financial Times on the latest in markets, economics and politics
FT.com
December 13, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Autism/vaccines here, but this is a claim made way too often in general: "yes, counter reaction X is awful, but it wouldn't have worked if social trend Y hadn't gone too far". The causality is often just declared as true, under evidenced and doesn't engage with the history of X before we even had Y
Reposted by r_ephemeral
We must imagine Justin Herbert a champion
December 9, 2025 at 2:22 AM
We must imagine Justin Herbert a champion
Reposted by r_ephemeral
One reason why Trump has been able to maintain such discipline of GOP rank-and-file lawmakers is because they fear he will provoke his followers into killing them or their families. They’re much more afraid of this than of violence from the left, and for good reason. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
Indiana lawmaker is the victim of swatting after Trump criticized him over redistricting
State Sen. Greg Goode said that he and his family are okay after a false report prompted a police response.
www.nbcnews.com
November 30, 2025 at 12:14 PM
One reason why Trump has been able to maintain such discipline of GOP rank-and-file lawmakers is because they fear he will provoke his followers into killing them or their families. They’re much more afraid of this than of violence from the left, and for good reason. www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...
Reposted by r_ephemeral
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:49 PM
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Reposted by r_ephemeral
Traditionally you had to play this game of plausible deniability if you wanted to both play to a right wing base and get invited on The Shows: You had to say (and vote for) things that would energize racists while also acting horrified & indignant at any suggestion that you might yourself be racist.
November 20, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Traditionally you had to play this game of plausible deniability if you wanted to both play to a right wing base and get invited on The Shows: You had to say (and vote for) things that would energize racists while also acting horrified & indignant at any suggestion that you might yourself be racist.
Reposted by r_ephemeral
Michele Obama flashback
www.npr.org/2016/10/13/4...
Sad that the U.S. electorate lacked the moral perception of a six-year-old.
www.npr.org/2016/10/13/4...
Sad that the U.S. electorate lacked the moral perception of a six-year-old.
November 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Michele Obama flashback
www.npr.org/2016/10/13/4...
Sad that the U.S. electorate lacked the moral perception of a six-year-old.
www.npr.org/2016/10/13/4...
Sad that the U.S. electorate lacked the moral perception of a six-year-old.
Reposted by r_ephemeral
wonder if any enterprising reporters have access to the NY Times building
We have the emails that then-NYT reporter Landon Thomas Jr exchanged w/Epstein using Thomas' nyt email address. But those are only the emails from jeevacation@gmail. What if Thomas exchanged additional emails w/Epstein using a different Epstein email address? That stuff may still be on NYT servers.
November 14, 2025 at 3:42 PM
wonder if any enterprising reporters have access to the NY Times building
Reposted by r_ephemeral
I'm kind of baffled how the "moderates" have apparently all decided to turn against climate policy at once, just as China reaches green electrostate liftoff mode. I thought these people were all about National Greatness and making Hard Choices
November 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
I'm kind of baffled how the "moderates" have apparently all decided to turn against climate policy at once, just as China reaches green electrostate liftoff mode. I thought these people were all about National Greatness and making Hard Choices
sounds like a deliberate, conscious allusion to George Wallace
If you aren't familiar with Massie, this quote is the quickest way to catch up. So many levels to it
reason.com/2017/03/15/t...
reason.com/2017/03/15/t...
November 13, 2025 at 10:17 AM
sounds like a deliberate, conscious allusion to George Wallace
really excited to read the (doubtless imminent) concurrence from Conor Friedersdorf
Something absolutely perfect about Larry Summers riffing about the scourge of woke cancel culture being unfair to predatory men in a friendly email to his pal JEFFREY EPSTEIN.
November 13, 2025 at 2:55 AM
really excited to read the (doubtless imminent) concurrence from Conor Friedersdorf
Reposted by r_ephemeral
this is frankly reason alone to say "no deal" to anything for the next three years. but this isn't viewed as a worthy cause for the same reason anti-ice activities isn't viewed as a worthy cause for the same reason that there were no actions taken against gillibrand calling mamdani a "jihadist".
1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️
November 9, 2025 at 11:28 PM
this is frankly reason alone to say "no deal" to anything for the next three years. but this isn't viewed as a worthy cause for the same reason anti-ice activities isn't viewed as a worthy cause for the same reason that there were no actions taken against gillibrand calling mamdani a "jihadist".
Reposted by r_ephemeral
if THE RUNNING MAN were actually a real television show, i am 100% certain mr beast would host it
mr beast talking about the human lives he has trapped in simultaneous simulations with "cant wait to upload these" is why black mirror can never be as good as it used to be
March 20, 2025 at 2:03 AM
if THE RUNNING MAN were actually a real television show, i am 100% certain mr beast would host it
Reposted by r_ephemeral
When I hear about Mamdani wishing to keep Tisch on, I just think about how Allende believed until the very end that Pinochet was loyal.
New: NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch got advance notice from the Trump admin that ICE agents were about to conduct their aggressive Canal St. immigration raid — a revelation that could raise complex questions for Mamdani, who wants to as mayor keep her as PC. www.nydailynews.com/2025/11/06/n...
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch got Trump admin heads up before ICE raid on Canal Street
The revelation that Tisch had advance knowledge of the Trump administration’s Canal St. raids could raise a number of complicated questions for Zohran Mamdani, the mayoral-elect who has said …
www.nydailynews.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:42 PM
When I hear about Mamdani wishing to keep Tisch on, I just think about how Allende believed until the very end that Pinochet was loyal.
Reposted by r_ephemeral
I mean, come on bsky.app/profile/brun...
November 6, 2025 at 2:08 PM
I mean, come on bsky.app/profile/brun...
the “mainstream Republican” wing
Cool. What would you call the other wing then? www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/u...
November 6, 2025 at 12:59 PM
the “mainstream Republican” wing
Reposted by r_ephemeral
They’ve got John Roberts defending congressional powers from the executive, folks.
Roberts now going at the solicitor general like a cat with a wounded mouse. Keeps telling him that tariffs are taxes on the American people. "Who pays the tariffs??" Says Trump's argument would neutralize separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. Incredible stuff.
November 5, 2025 at 3:38 PM
They’ve got John Roberts defending congressional powers from the executive, folks.
Reposted by r_ephemeral
"most dem victories where centrists"
i say later in the 🧵, i'm not claiming this as a victory for either normie dems or socialists
it's a victory for opposing fascism & not trying to appease it (which comes in both lib & left variants)
i say later in the 🧵, i'm not claiming this as a victory for either normie dems or socialists
it's a victory for opposing fascism & not trying to appease it (which comes in both lib & left variants)
uk labour lost **half** their coalition playing to racist fears & attacking trans people
us dems just won big without any of that
us dems just won big without any of that
November 5, 2025 at 2:52 PM
"most dem victories where centrists"
i say later in the 🧵, i'm not claiming this as a victory for either normie dems or socialists
it's a victory for opposing fascism & not trying to appease it (which comes in both lib & left variants)
i say later in the 🧵, i'm not claiming this as a victory for either normie dems or socialists
it's a victory for opposing fascism & not trying to appease it (which comes in both lib & left variants)
Reposted by r_ephemeral
This video confirms my reporting from my Monday newsletter:
While NFL players seem to believe the NFL's sexual celebration rules are highly specific (a la Key and Peele's 2 pumps vs. 3 pumps), the actual rule asks each ref to determine what is illegally sexy based on their personal preferences
While NFL players seem to believe the NFL's sexual celebration rules are highly specific (a la Key and Peele's 2 pumps vs. 3 pumps), the actual rule asks each ref to determine what is illegally sexy based on their personal preferences
November 5, 2025 at 2:43 PM
This video confirms my reporting from my Monday newsletter:
While NFL players seem to believe the NFL's sexual celebration rules are highly specific (a la Key and Peele's 2 pumps vs. 3 pumps), the actual rule asks each ref to determine what is illegally sexy based on their personal preferences
While NFL players seem to believe the NFL's sexual celebration rules are highly specific (a la Key and Peele's 2 pumps vs. 3 pumps), the actual rule asks each ref to determine what is illegally sexy based on their personal preferences
Reposted by r_ephemeral
Vox Populi, Vox DEI
November 5, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Vox Populi, Vox DEI
Reposted by r_ephemeral
Seriously though, I’m a little worried just how uninterested the OR GOP seems to be in actually getting anyone to vote for them who isn’t already a totally bought in MAGA-maniac. They seem to think they’ll be able to wield power without having to, ya know, persuade people to vote for them.
October 29, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Seriously though, I’m a little worried just how uninterested the OR GOP seems to be in actually getting anyone to vote for them who isn’t already a totally bought in MAGA-maniac. They seem to think they’ll be able to wield power without having to, ya know, persuade people to vote for them.