Maria
@thismaria.bsky.social
🍂 Writes, acts
🍂 Easily distracted, overly interested
🍂 Cape Town, mostly; Birmingham, occasionally
🍂 Easily distracted, overly interested
🍂 Cape Town, mostly; Birmingham, occasionally
Pinned
Maria
@thismaria.bsky.social
· Jan 2
My favourite poems from ON THE SUBJECT OF FALLEN THINGS by James Kearns. Thank you, @bloots.bsky.social, for the collection!
Happy New Year, and here are two poems from my favourite poet's beautiful collection ON THE SUBJECT OF FALLEN THINGS*.
Thanks, @karinamszczurek.bsky.social!
*James Kearns (Bad Betty Press, 2023)
Thanks, @karinamszczurek.bsky.social!
*James Kearns (Bad Betty Press, 2023)
Reposted by Maria
The British Museum posted Al slop and quietly deleted it. Here's what it was and why it matters.
#archaeology🏺#musuem #culture #heritage #history
#archaeology🏺#musuem #culture #heritage #history
February 1, 2026 at 3:19 PM
The British Museum posted Al slop and quietly deleted it. Here's what it was and why it matters.
#archaeology🏺#musuem #culture #heritage #history
#archaeology🏺#musuem #culture #heritage #history
Reposted by Maria
Extraordinary: Mandelson told Epstein that JP Morgan should "threaten" then cabinet colleague and chancellor Alistair Darling over tax on bankers' bonuses. In plain language: "Minister conspired with US bank against own government".
More brilliant FT reporting
www.ft.com/content/91e8...
More brilliant FT reporting
www.ft.com/content/91e8...
Mandelson told Epstein JPMorgan should ‘threaten’ UK government over banker tax
Then business secretary advised sex offender on how Jamie Dimon should lobby chancellor
www.ft.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Extraordinary: Mandelson told Epstein that JP Morgan should "threaten" then cabinet colleague and chancellor Alistair Darling over tax on bankers' bonuses. In plain language: "Minister conspired with US bank against own government".
More brilliant FT reporting
www.ft.com/content/91e8...
More brilliant FT reporting
www.ft.com/content/91e8...
Reposted by Maria
Do you remember when people were saying "I think my phone is listening to me, i'm getting ads for stuff I spoke about" and people said "They arent listening to you, they're just this good at predicting your interests"?
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users
Class-action lawsuit alleged that Google's voice assistant illegally recorded and shared private conversations with advertisers.
www.cbsnews.com
February 1, 2026 at 9:44 PM
Do you remember when people were saying "I think my phone is listening to me, i'm getting ads for stuff I spoke about" and people said "They arent listening to you, they're just this good at predicting your interests"?
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
America is not a real place and nothing will convince me otherwise.
What do you MEAN the president audibly SHIT himself live on camera and they immediately cancelled the press conference and rushed everyone out of the room like it's a fire drill, and it happened two days ago, and I'm just hearing about it NOW?
February 1, 2026 at 10:16 PM
America is not a real place and nothing will convince me otherwise.
McGinn vigorously pointing something out to the guy next to him using his crutch has given us a startling glimpse of the Ol' Man Meatball he'll one day become. #avfc
February 1, 2026 at 2:10 PM
McGinn vigorously pointing something out to the guy next to him using his crutch has given us a startling glimpse of the Ol' Man Meatball he'll one day become. #avfc
Reposted by Maria
Discworld QOTD, from The Last Continent
‘“We put all our politicians in prison as soon as they’re elected. Don’t you?”
“Why?”
“It saves time.”’
‘“We put all our politicians in prison as soon as they’re elected. Don’t you?”
“Why?”
“It saves time.”’
Discworld QOTD, from Thud!
“Beating people up in little rooms…he knew where that led. And if you did it for a good reason, you’d do it for a bad one. You couldn’t say ‘We’re the good guys’ and do bad-guy things.”
“Beating people up in little rooms…he knew where that led. And if you did it for a good reason, you’d do it for a bad one. You couldn’t say ‘We’re the good guys’ and do bad-guy things.”
Discworld QOTD, from Making Money
"‘Even tyrants have to obey the law.’ He paused, looking thoughtful, and continued: ‘No, I tell a lie, tyrants do not have to obey the law, obviously, but they do have to observe the niceties.’"
"‘Even tyrants have to obey the law.’ He paused, looking thoughtful, and continued: ‘No, I tell a lie, tyrants do not have to obey the law, obviously, but they do have to observe the niceties.’"
January 30, 2026 at 7:36 PM
Discworld QOTD, from The Last Continent
‘“We put all our politicians in prison as soon as they’re elected. Don’t you?”
“Why?”
“It saves time.”’
‘“We put all our politicians in prison as soon as they’re elected. Don’t you?”
“Why?”
“It saves time.”’
Reposted by Maria
Can’t believe they released the Epstein files to cover up for the Melania movie.
January 30, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Can’t believe they released the Epstein files to cover up for the Melania movie.
Reposted by Maria
𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧: 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗧𝗛 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟬𝘀 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲
The Maynardville Open-Air Festival’s annual Shakespeare offering opens on 30 Jan ‘26. Tickets via Quicket. @thismaria.bsky.social gives you a behind the scenes glimpse: www.theatrescenecpt.co.za/post/spotlig...
The Maynardville Open-Air Festival’s annual Shakespeare offering opens on 30 Jan ‘26. Tickets via Quicket. @thismaria.bsky.social gives you a behind the scenes glimpse: www.theatrescenecpt.co.za/post/spotlig...
SPOTLIGHT: TWELFTH NIGHT promises to delight with 1960s Italian charm at Maynardville
This Maynardville staging of TWELFTH NIGHT, “not just a trope-based comedy”, is set to evoke the dolce vita of vita of 1960s Italy.
www.theatrescenecpt.co.za
January 30, 2026 at 2:46 PM
𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧: 𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗧𝗛 𝗡𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟬𝘀 𝗜𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲
The Maynardville Open-Air Festival’s annual Shakespeare offering opens on 30 Jan ‘26. Tickets via Quicket. @thismaria.bsky.social gives you a behind the scenes glimpse: www.theatrescenecpt.co.za/post/spotlig...
The Maynardville Open-Air Festival’s annual Shakespeare offering opens on 30 Jan ‘26. Tickets via Quicket. @thismaria.bsky.social gives you a behind the scenes glimpse: www.theatrescenecpt.co.za/post/spotlig...
Reposted by Maria
They were told (repeatedly) "We don't want this tech, we don't need this tech, we don't like this tech, we don't care that a handful of socially inept creeps have a hard-on for this tech". Crying about that to government is like buying a lotto ticket & suing because you didn't win*
Microsoft and Blackrock have "have largely given up on organic adoption [of AI] by consumers. They have moved on to a new dream of forced adoption mandated by government and managerial coercion."
Fascinating piece here on what Davos can teach us about the AI industry by @mattseybold.bsky.social
Fascinating piece here on what Davos can teach us about the AI industry by @mattseybold.bsky.social
"You have to use it. You have to trust it.": Forced Adoption of AI is The Subtext of Davos
Authoritarianism is the AI Bailout; But If AI Doesn't Need a Bailout, Does it Need Authoritarianism?
theamericanvandal.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:12 PM
They were told (repeatedly) "We don't want this tech, we don't need this tech, we don't like this tech, we don't care that a handful of socially inept creeps have a hard-on for this tech". Crying about that to government is like buying a lotto ticket & suing because you didn't win*
Reposted by Maria
Calling transphobia a 'gateway drug' to the far right undersells it. It's pure accelerant. Grimly fascinating to guess what crankery becomes any famous transphobe's secondary obsession, cos they all have one: 15 minute cities are fascism! Grok noncing is cool! ICE are good! We should kill all dogs!
January 27, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Calling transphobia a 'gateway drug' to the far right undersells it. It's pure accelerant. Grimly fascinating to guess what crankery becomes any famous transphobe's secondary obsession, cos they all have one: 15 minute cities are fascism! Grok noncing is cool! ICE are good! We should kill all dogs!
This level of good news on immigration feels unreal. Excellent work, Spain.
Spain’s decision to give legal residency to potentially half a million undocumented immigrants shows the country is an outlier among Western democracies in treating them as an asset.
Spain Moves to Legalize Migrants, Defying Europe’s Anti-Immigration Trend
Spaniards mostly view immigration as beneficial, although far-right opposition is rising.
on.wsj.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:32 PM
This level of good news on immigration feels unreal. Excellent work, Spain.
The once-mighty South African film industry has been devastated by the failure of the incentives scheme that should be securing hundreds of thousands of jobs. A large crowd gathered outside Parliament today to present our demands to the chair of the DTIC. #SaveSAFilm #SaveSAFilmJobs #CapeTown
January 28, 2026 at 10:27 AM
The once-mighty South African film industry has been devastated by the failure of the incentives scheme that should be securing hundreds of thousands of jobs. A large crowd gathered outside Parliament today to present our demands to the chair of the DTIC. #SaveSAFilm #SaveSAFilmJobs #CapeTown
