sascha benjamin cohen
@saschaben.bsky.social
"'In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart, or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant.
You may quote me."
- Elwood P. Dowd
Baker of Bread. Brewer of Beer.
Altogether awkward but not entirely unpleasant person.
You may quote me."
- Elwood P. Dowd
Baker of Bread. Brewer of Beer.
Altogether awkward but not entirely unpleasant person.
Pinned
Sascha Benjamin Cohen: books, biography, latest update
Follow Sascha Benjamin Cohen and explore their bibliography from Amazon.com's Sascha Benjamin Cohen Author Page.
www.amazon.com
Poetry, you say? Odd short fiction, you say? Snarky humor, you say? Serious work on religious and biblical narrative, you say?
Why yes, I've written some stuff like that...
www.amazon.com/stores/Sasch...
Why yes, I've written some stuff like that...
www.amazon.com/stores/Sasch...
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
Even giant tech companies are made up of individual employees who mostly want to do the right thing. Resisting lawless ICE subpoenas is an easy place to start. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Open Letter to Tech Companies: Protect Your Users From Lawless DHS
EFF is calling on technology companies like Meta and Google to stand up for their users by resisting DHS lawless administrative subpoenas for user data.
www.eff.org
February 12, 2026 at 11:56 PM
Even giant tech companies are made up of individual employees who mostly want to do the right thing. Resisting lawless ICE subpoenas is an easy place to start. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Politically provided immunity, like multiple billions of dollars, is innately toxic.
February 12, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Politically provided immunity, like multiple billions of dollars, is innately toxic.
Since even before Ross Perot there has been a chorus of a certain class of American demanding that government be "run like a business" and projecting the idea that a "businessman" would be the most competent chief executive for the nation.
February 12, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Since even before Ross Perot there has been a chorus of a certain class of American demanding that government be "run like a business" and projecting the idea that a "businessman" would be the most competent chief executive for the nation.
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
I see no reason not to look at the online gambling and prediction market craze as a new opioids crisis.
It will wreak havoc on lower-income Americans and leave a trail of destruction and despair in its wake.
The companies are just Purdue Pharma 2.0
www.liberalcurrents.com/from-pill-mi...
It will wreak havoc on lower-income Americans and leave a trail of destruction and despair in its wake.
The companies are just Purdue Pharma 2.0
www.liberalcurrents.com/from-pill-mi...
From Pill Mills to Prop Bets: Prediction Markets and Mobile Sports Betting Apps Are Fueling America’s Next Addiction Crisis
Against the gamblification of the world.
www.liberalcurrents.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:00 PM
I see no reason not to look at the online gambling and prediction market craze as a new opioids crisis.
It will wreak havoc on lower-income Americans and leave a trail of destruction and despair in its wake.
The companies are just Purdue Pharma 2.0
www.liberalcurrents.com/from-pill-mi...
It will wreak havoc on lower-income Americans and leave a trail of destruction and despair in its wake.
The companies are just Purdue Pharma 2.0
www.liberalcurrents.com/from-pill-mi...
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
February 12, 2026 at 2:26 PM
I'm still SHOCKED by the obscene rise in billionaire election spending since Citizens United in the NYT piece, despite already knowing that election corruption w/ $ was profound. (Recall that BCRA fought dangerous campaign $ in *2002*)
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
The article data didn't have a graph, so I made one to show it.
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
i can remember how in the 80s and the 90s, imelda marcos’ shoe collection was a shorthand for comically naked thievery and corruption and now we have a first family who literally shat in golden toilets
one of the things that’s harder to see while we are in it, but will jump off the page at future historians, is how deeply corrupt *the entire trump family* is, and how they abused and and manipulated every lever of the federal government they could grab to steal everything that isn’t nailed down
News: The top-secret whistleblower complaint against Tulsi Gabbard is related to a conversation intercepted last spring in which two foreign nationals discussed Jared Kushner, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...
February 12, 2026 at 9:18 PM
i can remember how in the 80s and the 90s, imelda marcos’ shoe collection was a shorthand for comically naked thievery and corruption and now we have a first family who literally shat in golden toilets
This tracks, apologies to employees who may still to think they work for a neutral tech company or are building something to better humankind. Generative AI is, in its current form, a fascism tool; the fact that those pushing it on us are supporting authoritarians and fascists should not surprise.
OpenAI president on donating $50 million to pro-Trump and AI PACs: "Anything I can do to support this technology benefiting everyone is a thing that I will do...maybe supporting the team is bigger than the people that I happen to be employed with. It's really team humanity.” from @mzeff.bsky.social
OpenAI’s President Gave Millions to Trump. He Says It’s for Humanity
In an interview with WIRED, Greg Brockman says his political donations support OpenAI's mission—even if some employees at the company disagree.
www.wired.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:19 PM
This tracks, apologies to employees who may still to think they work for a neutral tech company or are building something to better humankind. Generative AI is, in its current form, a fascism tool; the fact that those pushing it on us are supporting authoritarians and fascists should not surprise.
sunk cost fascism
i agree with the villagers that it’s terrible my golem sometimes kills people or drives them mad. it’s not supposed to do that. but i can’t just banish it. the king has a lot of gold invested in this project.
February 12, 2026 at 8:37 PM
sunk cost fascism
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
All of my group chats are responding to Homan’s announcement by asking everyone to double down because:
1. ICE is still out there and abducting people today. We can’t trust the occupation is over until we actually see it.
2. People are going to be in an economic crisis for a very long time.
1. ICE is still out there and abducting people today. We can’t trust the occupation is over until we actually see it.
2. People are going to be in an economic crisis for a very long time.
February 12, 2026 at 3:56 PM
All of my group chats are responding to Homan’s announcement by asking everyone to double down because:
1. ICE is still out there and abducting people today. We can’t trust the occupation is over until we actually see it.
2. People are going to be in an economic crisis for a very long time.
1. ICE is still out there and abducting people today. We can’t trust the occupation is over until we actually see it.
2. People are going to be in an economic crisis for a very long time.
It is a Thursday morning in February. I have in theory completed my taxes, and seen the resulting numbers. Therefore, everything sucks, the world is shit, and I am going to make a cup of coffee.
February 12, 2026 at 6:31 PM
It is a Thursday morning in February. I have in theory completed my taxes, and seen the resulting numbers. Therefore, everything sucks, the world is shit, and I am going to make a cup of coffee.
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
"This just happened" is news in a way that "this is still happening" is not, and overcoming that structural bias within the news industry is a really hard problem.
February 12, 2026 at 2:48 PM
"This just happened" is news in a way that "this is still happening" is not, and overcoming that structural bias within the news industry is a really hard problem.
was wondering in the middle of the night about whether our consummate inability to accurately represent and acknowledge asymmetrical power dynamics and disparities has something to do with our cultural love of the underdog.
the David & Goliath mythos runs deep in America.
the David & Goliath mythos runs deep in America.
February 12, 2026 at 3:38 PM
was wondering in the middle of the night about whether our consummate inability to accurately represent and acknowledge asymmetrical power dynamics and disparities has something to do with our cultural love of the underdog.
the David & Goliath mythos runs deep in America.
the David & Goliath mythos runs deep in America.
I used to say that Benioff was the least shitty billionaire, but I think he has lost that crown, and it has been melted down for scrap.
I am disgusted.
I am disgusted.
Salesforce workers outraged after CEO makes joke about ICE watching them
Marc Benioff’s remarks criticized as employees were reportedly planning to urge him to cancel business with agency
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I used to say that Benioff was the least shitty billionaire, but I think he has lost that crown, and it has been melted down for scrap.
I am disgusted.
I am disgusted.
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
Please do sign/repost the petition to save the Wilbur J. Cohen building in DC. Thanks! c.org/27WcGRYfZ2
#arthistory #architecture #preservation #Academicsky #murals #NewDeal
#arthistory #architecture #preservation #Academicsky #murals #NewDeal
February 12, 2026 at 2:38 AM
Please do sign/repost the petition to save the Wilbur J. Cohen building in DC. Thanks! c.org/27WcGRYfZ2
#arthistory #architecture #preservation #Academicsky #murals #NewDeal
#arthistory #architecture #preservation #Academicsky #murals #NewDeal
The fact that so many SV founder types have lined up behind him is for me almost immediately disqualifying.
Tech money and self-interest already has too much influence as THE lobby of the state right now; they don't also need a lock on the actual elected positions of power.
Tech money and self-interest already has too much influence as THE lobby of the state right now; they don't also need a lock on the actual elected positions of power.
Google's Sergey Brin and other tech elite have a new favorite to replace Newsom
The mayor of San Jose has already garnered massive support from the tech elite.
www.sfgate.com
February 12, 2026 at 12:17 AM
The fact that so many SV founder types have lined up behind him is for me almost immediately disqualifying.
Tech money and self-interest already has too much influence as THE lobby of the state right now; they don't also need a lock on the actual elected positions of power.
Tech money and self-interest already has too much influence as THE lobby of the state right now; they don't also need a lock on the actual elected positions of power.
"party balloon" is the new euphemism for farts emitted from secretary hegseth's ego.
February 12, 2026 at 12:08 AM
"party balloon" is the new euphemism for farts emitted from secretary hegseth's ego.
what an asshat
Scoop: Top FDA official Vinay Prasad overruled the agency’s reviewers when he refused to accept Moderna’s application for a new influenza vaccine, STAT has learned.
www.statnews.com/2026/02/11/m...
www.statnews.com/2026/02/11/m...
Prasad overruled FDA staff to reject Moderna's flu vaccine application
The rejection is the latest instance of Vinay Prasad overruling career FDA scientists to place vaccines under harsher scrutiny.
www.statnews.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:54 PM
what an asshat
You just know that now he will gloat over the occasion with comments about how he is so generous that he even let his enemies come join the meeting.
Breaking news: President Trump backed down from his decision to exclude Democratic governors from an annual White House meeting that has long been bipartisan, according to the National Governors Association.
Trump allows Democratic governors to White House meeting after initial snub
Trump had initially excluded Democrats from the traditionally bipartisan meeting.
wapo.st
February 11, 2026 at 10:17 PM
You just know that now he will gloat over the occasion with comments about how he is so generous that he even let his enemies come join the meeting.
While I'd wholeheartedly support a review of the current data around finance equity in the city & then looking at potential changes to the law to catch up with reality, voting on the basis of vibes - however strong the vibes are - is simply lazy governance and a punt from our SF supes.
Do better.
Do better.
'Ethos of inclusivity' no more: S.F. looks to repeal law requiring stores to accept cash
Seven years after San Francisco passed a law requiring brick and mortar stores to accept cash from customers, citing an “ethos of inclusivity,” city leaders are seeking to repeal it.
missionlocal.org
February 11, 2026 at 10:05 PM
While I'd wholeheartedly support a review of the current data around finance equity in the city & then looking at potential changes to the law to catch up with reality, voting on the basis of vibes - however strong the vibes are - is simply lazy governance and a punt from our SF supes.
Do better.
Do better.
I hope that they are able to negotiate a fair settlement contract soon.
That said: it is becoming clear that Superintendent Su and Mayor Lurie are...not as good at this as they think they are.
That said: it is becoming clear that Superintendent Su and Mayor Lurie are...not as good at this as they think they are.
S.F. teachers strike Day 3: Tensions rise as negotiations remain at a standstill
Schools remain closed as teacher walkout hits Day 3 — with superintendent chiding union for failing to bargain through the night
missionlocal.org
February 11, 2026 at 9:11 PM
I hope that they are able to negotiate a fair settlement contract soon.
That said: it is becoming clear that Superintendent Su and Mayor Lurie are...not as good at this as they think they are.
That said: it is becoming clear that Superintendent Su and Mayor Lurie are...not as good at this as they think they are.
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
My doomer-worry about AI is not that the LLMs become omnipotent and take over the world but that the wealthy and powerful use it as a means to consolidate power and marginalize or lay off skilled workers and also everything about our technological and political and social life gets worse
February 11, 2026 at 8:20 PM
My doomer-worry about AI is not that the LLMs become omnipotent and take over the world but that the wealthy and powerful use it as a means to consolidate power and marginalize or lay off skilled workers and also everything about our technological and political and social life gets worse
Reposted by sascha benjamin cohen
A way to place this in the AI context is that an LLM is the equivalent of a person still learning what is relevant at the beginning stages of the relevant education who has been told they are an expert and put out in front of the world to act like one.
February 11, 2026 at 8:18 PM
A way to place this in the AI context is that an LLM is the equivalent of a person still learning what is relevant at the beginning stages of the relevant education who has been told they are an expert and put out in front of the world to act like one.
I do not understand taking joy in cruelty
February 11, 2026 at 7:12 PM
I do not understand taking joy in cruelty
This rundown of Newsom's failings is, sadly, pretty on point. Even in his days as Mayor, he has been long on vision, weak on the necessary finesse to create successful outcomes, and petulant in defeat. I wish it weren't the case.
Gavin Newsom’s likely presidential bid is built on broken promises | Gil Durán
The California governor has a record of failed pledges on housing, healthcare and more as he mistakes theatrics for leadership
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 6:41 PM
This rundown of Newsom's failings is, sadly, pretty on point. Even in his days as Mayor, he has been long on vision, weak on the necessary finesse to create successful outcomes, and petulant in defeat. I wish it weren't the case.