Bernard McCarty
@thesolarmancer.bsky.social
My Substack: https://bernardmccarty.substack.com/
Message me off WhatsApp, talk to me on Element: https://matrix.to/#/@bernard_mccarty:matrix.org
Message me off WhatsApp, talk to me on Element: https://matrix.to/#/@bernard_mccarty:matrix.org
Pinned
The Transformed: 001 Defection
© Bernard McCarty, 2025
open.substack.com
The first episode from the world of The Transformed is out now!
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Qualcomm is acquiring DIY electronics platform Arduino
Arduino’s under new ownership.
www.theverge.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Can We Test for Machine Understanding?
Hey, did GPT-5 just create new knowledge?
open.substack.com
October 4, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Can We Test for Machine Understanding?
Hey, did GPT-5 just create new knowledge?
open.substack.com
October 4, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Taking a break from howling into the void about #AI and concentrating on some #SciFi short stories. I've got a new one out today, I'd really appreciate a sharing it if you have a moment.
So here it is, I hope you like it.
#MarsNoir #NoirPunk #PunkFi #Ramones
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
So here it is, I hope you like it.
#MarsNoir #NoirPunk #PunkFi #Ramones
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Falling Out of the Rainbow
© Bernard McCarty, 2025: "We got a little tear-jerker, for all you lonely hearts out there..."
open.substack.com
August 3, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
The Digital Enclosures
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Brandon North on Future Pathways
This is a key addition to the technofeudalism discourse. Thanks!!
open.substack.com
September 3, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The Digital Enclosures
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
The first episode from the world of The Transformed is out now!
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
The Transformed: 001 Defection
© Bernard McCarty, 2025
open.substack.com
August 29, 2025 at 9:30 AM
The first episode from the world of The Transformed is out now!
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
So, about 1/20th of a single day's worth of CO₂?
This would need to scale by a factor of 7300 (= 20 x 365) just to keep current atmospheric CO₂ levels *constant*, not even reducing them (we currently emit ~100,000,000 tonnes *per day*).
Fail.
www.ecoticias.com/en/norway-st...
This would need to scale by a factor of 7300 (= 20 x 365) just to keep current atmospheric CO₂ levels *constant*, not even reducing them (we currently emit ~100,000,000 tonnes *per day*).
Fail.
www.ecoticias.com/en/norway-st...
Norway starts absorbing world pollution — 5,000,000 tons at 8,500 ft under the sea
Norway is looking at a solution to capture and stored away pollution. Approximately 5 million tons of carbon will be stored at a CO₂ storage site.
www.ecoticias.com
September 4, 2025 at 3:43 PM
So, about 1/20th of a single day's worth of CO₂?
This would need to scale by a factor of 7300 (= 20 x 365) just to keep current atmospheric CO₂ levels *constant*, not even reducing them (we currently emit ~100,000,000 tonnes *per day*).
Fail.
www.ecoticias.com/en/norway-st...
This would need to scale by a factor of 7300 (= 20 x 365) just to keep current atmospheric CO₂ levels *constant*, not even reducing them (we currently emit ~100,000,000 tonnes *per day*).
Fail.
www.ecoticias.com/en/norway-st...
The Digital Enclosures
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Brandon North on Future Pathways
This is a key addition to the technofeudalism discourse. Thanks!!
open.substack.com
September 3, 2025 at 11:55 AM
The Digital Enclosures
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
The first episode from the world of The Transformed is out now!
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
The Transformed: 001 Defection
© Bernard McCarty, 2025
open.substack.com
August 29, 2025 at 9:30 AM
The first episode from the world of The Transformed is out now!
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
001 Defection
#sci-fi #sciencefiction #transistorpunk #fiction #shortstories
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Taking a break from howling into the void about #AI and concentrating on some #SciFi short stories. I've got a new one out today, I'd really appreciate a sharing it if you have a moment.
So here it is, I hope you like it.
#MarsNoir #NoirPunk #PunkFi #Ramones
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
So here it is, I hope you like it.
#MarsNoir #NoirPunk #PunkFi #Ramones
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Falling Out of the Rainbow
© Bernard McCarty, 2025: "We got a little tear-jerker, for all you lonely hearts out there..."
open.substack.com
August 3, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Betelgeuse is a binary! Maybe!
A second star has possibly been found orbiting the soon-to-be supernova. It still needs to be confirmed (despite a LOT of breathless articles saying it's real) but if it is it'll have implications for how we study Big B.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-second-s...
🧪🔭
A second star has possibly been found orbiting the soon-to-be supernova. It still needs to be confirmed (despite a LOT of breathless articles saying it's real) but if it is it'll have implications for how we study Big B.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-second-s...
🧪🔭
A second star for Betelgeuse?!
Astronomers post a possible binary companion for the soon-to-be supernova
badastronomy.beehiiv.com
July 28, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Betelgeuse is a binary! Maybe!
A second star has possibly been found orbiting the soon-to-be supernova. It still needs to be confirmed (despite a LOT of breathless articles saying it's real) but if it is it'll have implications for how we study Big B.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-second-s...
🧪🔭
A second star has possibly been found orbiting the soon-to-be supernova. It still needs to be confirmed (despite a LOT of breathless articles saying it's real) but if it is it'll have implications for how we study Big B.
badastronomy.beehiiv.com/p/a-second-s...
🧪🔭
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Big Tech is racing to build a sentient god out of duct tape and venture capital, and I'm told I'm the alarmist.
So I sat down with @edzitron.com to talk about the hype, the bullshit, and the trillion-dollar delusions behind AI.
www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/scre...
So I sat down with @edzitron.com to talk about the hype, the bullshit, and the trillion-dollar delusions behind AI.
www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/scre...
Betting on AI: The Delusion Driving Big Tech - Last Week in AWS Podcast
www.lastweekinaws.com
July 24, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Big Tech is racing to build a sentient god out of duct tape and venture capital, and I'm told I'm the alarmist.
So I sat down with @edzitron.com to talk about the hype, the bullshit, and the trillion-dollar delusions behind AI.
www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/scre...
So I sat down with @edzitron.com to talk about the hype, the bullshit, and the trillion-dollar delusions behind AI.
www.lastweekinaws.com/podcast/scre...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
yeah i think there's a chance this all ends with Altman claiming they've "made AGI" and they create a vast, expensive mechanical turk style machine that can only be used by one person at once, it'll be demoed to a reporter who will say "waooawww..." and nothing will change
It’s such little kid marketing. I think the death rattle is going to be the sound of Sam Altman saying “we’ve created AGI.”
July 25, 2025 at 5:09 PM
yeah i think there's a chance this all ends with Altman claiming they've "made AGI" and they create a vast, expensive mechanical turk style machine that can only be used by one person at once, it'll be demoed to a reporter who will say "waooawww..." and nothing will change
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Premium newsletter: Based on my research, the majority of SoftBank and OpenAI’s partnership - Stargate and the $3bn-a-year SB OpenAI Japan - does not appear to exist, and as it stands, SoftBank does not appear capable of funding OpenAI’s $30 billion round.
www.wheresyoured.at/softbank-openai/
www.wheresyoured.at/softbank-openai/
Is SoftBank Still Backing OpenAI?
Earlier in the week, the Wall Street Journal reported that SoftBank and OpenAI's "$500 billion" "AI Project" was now setting a "more modest goal of building a small data center by year-end."
To quote...
www.wheresyoured.at
July 24, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Premium newsletter: Based on my research, the majority of SoftBank and OpenAI’s partnership - Stargate and the $3bn-a-year SB OpenAI Japan - does not appear to exist, and as it stands, SoftBank does not appear capable of funding OpenAI’s $30 billion round.
www.wheresyoured.at/softbank-openai/
www.wheresyoured.at/softbank-openai/
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Newsletter: This is the Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble: genAI is nothing like Uber or Amazon Web Services, there are no profitable genAI companies, agents do not and cannot exist, there is no AI SaaS story, and everything rides - and dies - on selling GPUs.
www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-g...
www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-g...
The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble
Hey! Before we go any further — if you want to support my work, please sign up for the premium version of Where’s Your Ed At, it’s a $7-a-month (or $70-a-year) paid product where every week you get a ...
www.wheresyoured.at
July 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Newsletter: This is the Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble: genAI is nothing like Uber or Amazon Web Services, there are no profitable genAI companies, agents do not and cannot exist, there is no AI SaaS story, and everything rides - and dies - on selling GPUs.
www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-g...
www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-g...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
The current trajectory of LLM development shows they cannot and do not create physical laws from their training data. Instead they make it up. Use with care.
#AI #AIHype #LLM #LLMs
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
#AI #AIHype #LLM #LLMs
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
New physics? Nah, LLMs just make it up as they go along
LLMs do not understand the physics they’ve been trained on. Instead they make it up.
open.substack.com
July 16, 2025 at 8:36 AM
The current trajectory of LLM development shows they cannot and do not create physical laws from their training data. Instead they make it up. Use with care.
#AI #AIHype #LLM #LLMs
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
#AI #AIHype #LLM #LLMs
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
I know there's a fair bit of grimness out there in the world, but if you'd allow me a small celebration...
Book Launch! The Software Developers’ Guidebook
#BookLaunch #MSE #DaveFarley
@trishagee.bsky.social @kevlin.bsky.social @davefarley77.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Book Launch! The Software Developers’ Guidebook
#BookLaunch #MSE #DaveFarley
@trishagee.bsky.social @kevlin.bsky.social @davefarley77.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Book Launch! The Software Developers’ Guidebook
A Collection of Modern Engineering Practices
open.substack.com
July 21, 2025 at 7:42 AM
I know there's a fair bit of grimness out there in the world, but if you'd allow me a small celebration...
Book Launch! The Software Developers’ Guidebook
#BookLaunch #MSE #DaveFarley
@trishagee.bsky.social @kevlin.bsky.social @davefarley77.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Book Launch! The Software Developers’ Guidebook
#BookLaunch #MSE #DaveFarley
@trishagee.bsky.social @kevlin.bsky.social @davefarley77.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Thank you to everyone who supported me already, I've smashed my target! If you were thinking of donating but haven't yet, please donate to Helen's page instead:
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...
July 21, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Thank you to everyone who supported me already, I've smashed my target! If you were thinking of donating but haven't yet, please donate to Helen's page instead:
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
This is not "normal company behaviour" and there is absolutely no company in history - not Uber, not Amazon web services, no enterprise/consumer product - that even resembles the burn behind generative ai. Amazon burned more than the entire cost of founding AWS ($60bn-ish) in 2024 capex ($80bn ish)
One claim I really don't understand about AI is the idea that it'll go away because they're all losing money. Losing money while building a product is just normal company behavior? You borrow and lose money to try to make a thing and/or control the market, and then you angle for sustainable profit.
July 20, 2025 at 1:57 PM
This is not "normal company behaviour" and there is absolutely no company in history - not Uber, not Amazon web services, no enterprise/consumer product - that even resembles the burn behind generative ai. Amazon burned more than the entire cost of founding AWS ($60bn-ish) in 2024 capex ($80bn ish)
Welcome to the age of AI-Feudalism, Digital Enclosures and who will be the New Levellers? @yanisvaroufakis.bsky.social @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy
#AI #AIFeudalism #TheKnowledgeCage #DigitalEnclosures #Resist
bernardmccarty.substack.com/p/digital-en...
#AI #AIFeudalism #TheKnowledgeCage #DigitalEnclosures #Resist
bernardmccarty.substack.com/p/digital-en...
Digital Enclosures
AI billionaires are privatising human creativity, who will stop them?
bernardmccarty.substack.com
July 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Welcome to the age of AI-Feudalism, Digital Enclosures and who will be the New Levellers? @yanisvaroufakis.bsky.social @pluralistic.net.web.brid.gy
#AI #AIFeudalism #TheKnowledgeCage #DigitalEnclosures #Resist
bernardmccarty.substack.com/p/digital-en...
#AI #AIFeudalism #TheKnowledgeCage #DigitalEnclosures #Resist
bernardmccarty.substack.com/p/digital-en...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
FAQ: What’s a @KevlinHenney?
One year on, this blog post feels worth resharing #CrowdStrike
kevlinhenney.medium.com/faq-whats-a-...
One year on, this blog post feels worth resharing #CrowdStrike
kevlinhenney.medium.com/faq-whats-a-...
FAQ: What’s a @KevlinHenney?
In the name of failure
kevlinhenney.medium.com
July 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
FAQ: What’s a @KevlinHenney?
One year on, this blog post feels worth resharing #CrowdStrike
kevlinhenney.medium.com/faq-whats-a-...
One year on, this blog post feels worth resharing #CrowdStrike
kevlinhenney.medium.com/faq-whats-a-...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
A great video about rooftop farms in Washington DC, the community that goes along with them and more from our stateside solarpunk siblings @solarpunkdc.bsky.social www.solarpunkdc.com/p/tech-wont-... #Solarpunk #UrbanFarming
Tech Won’t Save Us, But Community Might
Real solutions are growing on rooftops, riding through cities, and rising in resistance to unchecked AI
www.solarpunkdc.com
June 28, 2025 at 7:04 AM
A great video about rooftop farms in Washington DC, the community that goes along with them and more from our stateside solarpunk siblings @solarpunkdc.bsky.social www.solarpunkdc.com/p/tech-wont-... #Solarpunk #UrbanFarming
Here's a short science fiction story, I hope you like it.
#solarpunk #ai-punk #climatefiction #sceincefiction
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
#solarpunk #ai-punk #climatefiction #sceincefiction
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Aligning Mina
© Bernard McCarty, 2025
open.substack.com
July 19, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Here's a short science fiction story, I hope you like it.
#solarpunk #ai-punk #climatefiction #sceincefiction
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
#solarpunk #ai-punk #climatefiction #sceincefiction
open.substack.com/pub/bernardm...
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
Excellent story and poetry readings at Talking Tales in Bristol last night. I read my #FlashFiction, "Spring Flight": fabulistmagazine.com/spring-flight/
Spring Flight > The Fabulist Words & Art
This lovely tale of new beginnings and last chances comes on a wing and a fresh breeze off the Cornish coast.
fabulistmagazine.com
July 18, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Excellent story and poetry readings at Talking Tales in Bristol last night. I read my #FlashFiction, "Spring Flight": fabulistmagazine.com/spring-flight/
Reposted by Bernard McCarty
So @helenjoscott.com and I had the crazy idea to run the #LLHM #halfmarathon together next year, because she just had an operation and I'm not injured right now. We're running for @prostatecanceruk.bsky.social, because of my Dad. Please donate!
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...
Trisha's fundraiser for PROSTATE CANCER UK
Help Trisha Gee raise money to support PROSTATE CANCER UK
www.justgiving.com
July 18, 2025 at 1:37 PM
So @helenjoscott.com and I had the crazy idea to run the #LLHM #halfmarathon together next year, because she just had an operation and I'm not injured right now. We're running for @prostatecanceruk.bsky.social, because of my Dad. Please donate!
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...
www.justgiving.com/page/trisha-...