Words
@wordsandchaos.bsky.social
Pinned
Words
@wordsandchaos.bsky.social
· Oct 10
A World in the Wake of the Death of an Empire
The early Middle Ages is often conceived of as a cultural void. But nothing could be further from the truth, as Chris Wickham’s book The Inheritance of Rome goes to admirable lengths to illus…
wordsandchaos.com
The early Middle Ages is often conceived of as a cultural void. But nothing could be further from the truth, as Chris Wickham's book The Inheritance of Rome goes to admirable lengths to illustrate.
wordsandchaos.com/2025/10/10/a...
wordsandchaos.com/2025/10/10/a...
Nearly slashed my skull open when the bloke came in to test the fire alarms this morning.
December 3, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Nearly slashed my skull open when the bloke came in to test the fire alarms this morning.
It's just a few chapters...
December 2, 2025 at 10:03 AM
It's just a few chapters...
Said it a dozen times, I'll say it again: The uses to which AI is being marketed are not the uses it is good for. It sucks at anything creative.
But scanning for patterns, finding information or optimisations for industrial purposes? It's great at that!
But industrial isn't mass-market sexy.
But scanning for patterns, finding information or optimisations for industrial purposes? It's great at that!
But industrial isn't mass-market sexy.
Three years into the generative-AI wave, demand for the technology seems surprisingly flimsy
Investors expect AI use to soar. That’s not happening
Recent surveys point to flatlining business adoption
econ.st
December 1, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Said it a dozen times, I'll say it again: The uses to which AI is being marketed are not the uses it is good for. It sucks at anything creative.
But scanning for patterns, finding information or optimisations for industrial purposes? It's great at that!
But industrial isn't mass-market sexy.
But scanning for patterns, finding information or optimisations for industrial purposes? It's great at that!
But industrial isn't mass-market sexy.
You ever have one of those conversations where you wonder if the words you're saying are actually the words you're saying?
November 20, 2025 at 10:11 PM
You ever have one of those conversations where you wonder if the words you're saying are actually the words you're saying?
"Stifles innovation" being libertarian speak for "refuses to ignore the reckless and destructive impacts of blatant greed at the expense of everybody who isn't rich."
The AI Act was meant to use Europe’s economic heft to create “trustworthy AI”. Instead, it has become a case study for those who say the EU stifles innovation.
Today's Big Read on #FTEdit 👉 How the EU botched its attempt to regulate AI on.ft.com/486rA6W
Take the #FTEdit poll 🗳️ on.ft.com/49tSzvx
Today's Big Read on #FTEdit 👉 How the EU botched its attempt to regulate AI on.ft.com/486rA6W
Take the #FTEdit poll 🗳️ on.ft.com/49tSzvx
November 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
"Stifles innovation" being libertarian speak for "refuses to ignore the reckless and destructive impacts of blatant greed at the expense of everybody who isn't rich."
It's interesting how much of the Internet falls over when one block is removed.
November 18, 2025 at 12:05 PM
It's interesting how much of the Internet falls over when one block is removed.
The best chapter in American Psycho is the dinner with Armstrong. It's just Bateman talking to himself, and he hates it.
November 18, 2025 at 10:48 AM
The best chapter in American Psycho is the dinner with Armstrong. It's just Bateman talking to himself, and he hates it.
Oi, we got Time splitters in real life!
Scientists Discovered a Time Crystal That Reveals a New Way to Order Time
A time crystal that beats to the rhythm of both order and chaos has revealed a new way in which matter can keep time.
www.sciencealert.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Oi, we got Time splitters in real life!
This is supposed to set her up as some kind of super woman. All it tells me is that Japan, a nation in dire need of clear-headed leadership, is being led by someone who, scientifically, cannot think straight.
I hate to invoke the whole 'end-stage capitalism' but how else to explain this absurdity?
I hate to invoke the whole 'end-stage capitalism' but how else to explain this absurdity?
Two hours a night: Japan PM’s sleep schedule prompts concerns about work-life balance
Takaichi caused a stir last week after she summoned aides to her office for a 3am meeting to prepare for a budget committee hearing
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:18 AM
This is supposed to set her up as some kind of super woman. All it tells me is that Japan, a nation in dire need of clear-headed leadership, is being led by someone who, scientifically, cannot think straight.
I hate to invoke the whole 'end-stage capitalism' but how else to explain this absurdity?
I hate to invoke the whole 'end-stage capitalism' but how else to explain this absurdity?
This is the kind of shit that writers spend decades trying to come up with as the opening to a novel.
"babies are born worshipping unknown gods" is one of the most incredible dwarf fortress bugs i have heard of. its poetry.
November 14, 2025 at 10:18 PM
This is the kind of shit that writers spend decades trying to come up with as the opening to a novel.
Wood. Chipper. Feet. First.
November 14, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Wood. Chipper. Feet. First.
What? Can't they find a bitter, senile conspiracy theorist?
Breaking news: The £500mn sale of the Telegraph to US private equity firm RedBird has collapsed, throwing the future of the newspaper into question as it enters its third year without an owner. on.ft.com/4oPEgpN
November 14, 2025 at 12:39 PM
What? Can't they find a bitter, senile conspiracy theorist?
In 2022, Boris Johnson wanted to introduce multi-generational mortgages.
The White House pitching 50-year mortgages is the same con in new wrapping.
The right always wants to go backwards. Apparently, to indentured servitude.
Symptoms of a civilisation in crisis.
The White House pitching 50-year mortgages is the same con in new wrapping.
The right always wants to go backwards. Apparently, to indentured servitude.
Symptoms of a civilisation in crisis.
November 14, 2025 at 9:03 AM
In 2022, Boris Johnson wanted to introduce multi-generational mortgages.
The White House pitching 50-year mortgages is the same con in new wrapping.
The right always wants to go backwards. Apparently, to indentured servitude.
Symptoms of a civilisation in crisis.
The White House pitching 50-year mortgages is the same con in new wrapping.
The right always wants to go backwards. Apparently, to indentured servitude.
Symptoms of a civilisation in crisis.
The GTA series has always parodied contemporary society. But, narratively, are Rockstar condemning themselves to scope creep as they attempt to keep up with modernity’s accelerating omnidirectional, mutating fractalisation?
November 13, 2025 at 11:32 AM
The GTA series has always parodied contemporary society. But, narratively, are Rockstar condemning themselves to scope creep as they attempt to keep up with modernity’s accelerating omnidirectional, mutating fractalisation?
A fair amount written today. Happy with that.
November 12, 2025 at 8:09 PM
A fair amount written today. Happy with that.
Overwhelmed by your scene? Distance yourself.
November 10, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Overwhelmed by your scene? Distance yourself.
Am I crazy?
If AI is:
- Successful: It displaces swathes of jobs. Hundreds of millions of people/orgs cannot pay taxes or service debts. Economic collapse.
- Unsuccessful: The S&P and Nasdaq collapse as the tech sector liquidates overnight. Economic fallout follows.
If AI is:
- Successful: It displaces swathes of jobs. Hundreds of millions of people/orgs cannot pay taxes or service debts. Economic collapse.
- Unsuccessful: The S&P and Nasdaq collapse as the tech sector liquidates overnight. Economic fallout follows.
November 9, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Am I crazy?
If AI is:
- Successful: It displaces swathes of jobs. Hundreds of millions of people/orgs cannot pay taxes or service debts. Economic collapse.
- Unsuccessful: The S&P and Nasdaq collapse as the tech sector liquidates overnight. Economic fallout follows.
If AI is:
- Successful: It displaces swathes of jobs. Hundreds of millions of people/orgs cannot pay taxes or service debts. Economic collapse.
- Unsuccessful: The S&P and Nasdaq collapse as the tech sector liquidates overnight. Economic fallout follows.
In theory, I'm all for this. If neither Labour nor the Tories are remotely competent, get rid of them.
On the other hand, a large section of the Brexit debacle was a 'protest vote'. So uninformed emotional votes for 'not this', potentially introduce something even less useful than the status quo.
On the other hand, a large section of the Brexit debacle was a 'protest vote'. So uninformed emotional votes for 'not this', potentially introduce something even less useful than the status quo.
Welcome to 21st-century politics: a bitter revolt against power that will consume Labour and the Tories | John Harris
Welcome to 21st-century politics: a bitter revolt against power that will consume Labour and the Tories | John Harris
A mood of turbulence and insurgency against the two main parties has been building for years, says Guardian columnist John Harris
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:57 PM
In theory, I'm all for this. If neither Labour nor the Tories are remotely competent, get rid of them.
On the other hand, a large section of the Brexit debacle was a 'protest vote'. So uninformed emotional votes for 'not this', potentially introduce something even less useful than the status quo.
On the other hand, a large section of the Brexit debacle was a 'protest vote'. So uninformed emotional votes for 'not this', potentially introduce something even less useful than the status quo.
I'm always fascinated by the fact that the same people argue for a Victorian-era-style laissez faire economy, are often those who are the least likely to benefit from it.
November 6, 2025 at 8:50 AM
I'm always fascinated by the fact that the same people argue for a Victorian-era-style laissez faire economy, are often those who are the least likely to benefit from it.
Can somebody explain why the right have this decades-long unhealthy obsession with George Soros, please?
I even read a book by him once, trying to figure out where all the conspiracies come from. Aside from some potentially questionable ideas about economics, he just seems like a bloke.
I even read a book by him once, trying to figure out where all the conspiracies come from. Aside from some potentially questionable ideas about economics, he just seems like a bloke.
November 5, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Can somebody explain why the right have this decades-long unhealthy obsession with George Soros, please?
I even read a book by him once, trying to figure out where all the conspiracies come from. Aside from some potentially questionable ideas about economics, he just seems like a bloke.
I even read a book by him once, trying to figure out where all the conspiracies come from. Aside from some potentially questionable ideas about economics, he just seems like a bloke.
Can't start a scene? Start asking dumb questions.
November 5, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Can't start a scene? Start asking dumb questions.
Nicely done, New York.
November 5, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Nicely done, New York.
Does the existence of an 'Antioch' imply the existence of a 'Pro-och'?
November 4, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Does the existence of an 'Antioch' imply the existence of a 'Pro-och'?