Steve
@bergerof.london
Tech, ecommerce, web dev, tech writing, food, drink, London, board games, computer games, philosophy, ethics, cycling, baking. All round elaborate hoax.
Reposted by Steve
Good interview in the paper, this. I think Sadiq is right: London 'needs' to be less successful than it is for a bunch of political arguments here in the UK to work, hence the fictions being invented about it:
Populists attack London because it is ‘progressive and successful’, says Sadiq Khan
Rightwing attacks on one of the world’s most visited cities at odds with reality, says mayor
www.ft.com
December 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Good interview in the paper, this. I think Sadiq is right: London 'needs' to be less successful than it is for a bunch of political arguments here in the UK to work, hence the fictions being invented about it:
Reposted by Steve
Also we've fetishized "debate” in these spaces as some kind of civic good, when what matters is competence, trust, shared purpose. Medicine, engineering, boardrooms aren’t organized around debate or requirements of false balance. We've poisoned public discourse by insisting it be adversarial.
"Bluesky is an echo chamber."
"Bluesky doesn't have enough reach"
"Liberals must return to X to challenge the far right"
I'm not a tech bro or a journalist. Your priorities are not my priorities. Stop telling me I need to do anything other than chat about comics & telly with people who seem nice.
"Bluesky doesn't have enough reach"
"Liberals must return to X to challenge the far right"
I'm not a tech bro or a journalist. Your priorities are not my priorities. Stop telling me I need to do anything other than chat about comics & telly with people who seem nice.
December 15, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Also we've fetishized "debate” in these spaces as some kind of civic good, when what matters is competence, trust, shared purpose. Medicine, engineering, boardrooms aren’t organized around debate or requirements of false balance. We've poisoned public discourse by insisting it be adversarial.
Reposted by Steve
100% agree. Ironically, this is the only version of "broken windows" that actually makes any sense, because it has to do with the individual behavior of one person going from getting away with small crimes to getting away with big crimes, instead of being some vague theory about general contagion.
My hottest take is that letting cops park in red zones for mundane errands and coffee breaks; I think “you can break the law at your discretion as a job perk” is the small domino that ends in the large domino of “shooting protesters in the face with rubber bullets”
It must be wild to get to abuse the public then pay for it with the public's money
December 12, 2025 at 6:14 AM
100% agree. Ironically, this is the only version of "broken windows" that actually makes any sense, because it has to do with the individual behavior of one person going from getting away with small crimes to getting away with big crimes, instead of being some vague theory about general contagion.
Reposted by Steve
🚨Some personal news.
I'm thrilled to announce that I've just filed my first copy for The New Yorker.
A profile of Jonathan Gullis.
"You get the sense that offstage, Jonathan Gullis struggles with being Jonathan Gullis."
open.substack.com/pub/mrhenrym...
I'm thrilled to announce that I've just filed my first copy for The New Yorker.
A profile of Jonathan Gullis.
"You get the sense that offstage, Jonathan Gullis struggles with being Jonathan Gullis."
open.substack.com/pub/mrhenrym...
Jonathan Gullis, The Seagull's Lament
A New Yorker Profile
open.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:01 AM
🚨Some personal news.
I'm thrilled to announce that I've just filed my first copy for The New Yorker.
A profile of Jonathan Gullis.
"You get the sense that offstage, Jonathan Gullis struggles with being Jonathan Gullis."
open.substack.com/pub/mrhenrym...
I'm thrilled to announce that I've just filed my first copy for The New Yorker.
A profile of Jonathan Gullis.
"You get the sense that offstage, Jonathan Gullis struggles with being Jonathan Gullis."
open.substack.com/pub/mrhenrym...
Reposted by Steve
Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.
November 28, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.
Reposted by Steve
This is such a good article btw - I really buy this as a theory of contemporary US politics
October 13, 2025 at 11:12 AM
This is such a good article btw - I really buy this as a theory of contemporary US politics
Absolutely wild that he gives a long speech talking about Britain, governing, policies, people, and more, and yet the BBC's editorial team is "but how does this affect Farage, the protagonist of reality?". Absolutely obsessed.
September 30, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Absolutely wild that he gives a long speech talking about Britain, governing, policies, people, and more, and yet the BBC's editorial team is "but how does this affect Farage, the protagonist of reality?". Absolutely obsessed.
Reposted by Steve
Too late, Batman. Once this Tylenol floods the city's water supply, my wiki won't run out of editors ever again
September 22, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Too late, Batman. Once this Tylenol floods the city's water supply, my wiki won't run out of editors ever again
Reposted by Steve
“I’m strong and I want to have like fifty kids and a farm” of course you do. You’re twelve. “I don’t want to eat vegetables I think steak and French fries is the only meal” hell yeah homie you’re twelve. “Maybe if there’s crime we should just send the army” bless your heart my twelve year old buddy
September 8, 2025 at 12:51 AM
“I’m strong and I want to have like fifty kids and a farm” of course you do. You’re twelve. “I don’t want to eat vegetables I think steak and French fries is the only meal” hell yeah homie you’re twelve. “Maybe if there’s crime we should just send the army” bless your heart my twelve year old buddy
Reposted by Steve
working on a new unified theory of american reality i'm calling "everyone is twelve now"
September 8, 2025 at 12:37 AM
working on a new unified theory of american reality i'm calling "everyone is twelve now"
Reposted by Steve
KIM KITSURAGI - "What is it, detective? Can you make it out?"
BULLET - "if you read this you are gay lmao"
1. "It, um, doesn't say anything."
2. "Transgender ideology. My old foe."
3. [Espirit de Corps - Medium 10] "I think you should read it for yourself, Kim."
BULLET - "if you read this you are gay lmao"
1. "It, um, doesn't say anything."
2. "Transgender ideology. My old foe."
3. [Espirit de Corps - Medium 10] "I think you should read it for yourself, Kim."
September 12, 2025 at 11:38 PM
KIM KITSURAGI - "What is it, detective? Can you make it out?"
BULLET - "if you read this you are gay lmao"
1. "It, um, doesn't say anything."
2. "Transgender ideology. My old foe."
3. [Espirit de Corps - Medium 10] "I think you should read it for yourself, Kim."
BULLET - "if you read this you are gay lmao"
1. "It, um, doesn't say anything."
2. "Transgender ideology. My old foe."
3. [Espirit de Corps - Medium 10] "I think you should read it for yourself, Kim."
Reposted by Steve
From the way some talk, you'd think Labour is losing all its voters to Reform. Absolutely not. From @georgeeaton.bsky.social excellent email
August 7, 2025 at 11:22 AM
From the way some talk, you'd think Labour is losing all its voters to Reform. Absolutely not. From @georgeeaton.bsky.social excellent email
Reposted by Steve
I prosecute and defend the most serious sexual offences in our courts.
The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative.
Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.
The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative.
Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.
August 4, 2025 at 3:29 PM
I prosecute and defend the most serious sexual offences in our courts.
The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative.
Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.
The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative.
Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.
Reposted by Steve
Stand by this: www.politico.com/newsletters/...
February 19, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Stand by this: www.politico.com/newsletters/...
Reposted by Steve
Someone on here compared AI produced material as "digital asbestos " which in a few decades' time we will have to work out how to eradicate from the fabric of research.
From my own academic research, even pre LLMs there was a huge danger of zombie factoids that begin in a respectable publication by mistake and then get reprinted for decades because no one is backtracing to the original source. Once bad info gets into the system it can take years to clear it out.
I've seen numerous examples of this in recent days - we're at a point where some reporters are using LLMs as a source and not even remotely properly factchecking, but also where LLM generated material is making its way into other material and being unknowingly reproduced by others.
July 30, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Someone on here compared AI produced material as "digital asbestos " which in a few decades' time we will have to work out how to eradicate from the fabric of research.
Reposted by Steve
An AI slop factory apparently tried to rewrite our article about AI not replacing workers en masse, but hit the paywall... so just summarised the paywall. If this is the robot that takes my job I'll be v embarrassed
July 24, 2025 at 5:46 PM
An AI slop factory apparently tried to rewrite our article about AI not replacing workers en masse, but hit the paywall... so just summarised the paywall. If this is the robot that takes my job I'll be v embarrassed
Reposted by Steve
i think one of the things that makes 21st century right-authoritarianism distinctive is how much it's about shitting on your country. Hillary Clinton's "America is already great" riff was a failure and that was kind of instructive. One of the ways 'conservatism' has stopped being a useful term...
I would, I think, want to be able to point out just how *unpatriotic* the claims that Britain is lost really is. Blood and soil narratives about belonging are very specifically a really terrible fit to our socio-political reality because integration has been so relatively successful. Make that clear
July 23, 2025 at 12:13 PM
i think one of the things that makes 21st century right-authoritarianism distinctive is how much it's about shitting on your country. Hillary Clinton's "America is already great" riff was a failure and that was kind of instructive. One of the ways 'conservatism' has stopped being a useful term...
‘Disposable’ / single-use plastic is an excellent analogy for LLM content
Something about the way LLMs build in the idea that to find something out, you shouldn't read an already existing text that other people have also read (ew!); you should get fresh text generated just for you. Each time, new disposable text.
July 23, 2025 at 2:10 PM
‘Disposable’ / single-use plastic is an excellent analogy for LLM content
The Slack UX feature where highlighting text and then pasting a URL over it _and having it keep the text but create a hyperlink_ is a pattern that should be repeated everywhere.
July 21, 2025 at 12:25 PM
The Slack UX feature where highlighting text and then pasting a URL over it _and having it keep the text but create a hyperlink_ is a pattern that should be repeated everywhere.
Reposted by Steve
Today on London Centric: those blue jacket knife-crime fundraisers (Inside Success) and why no one seems to be able to get rid of them
www.londoncentric.media/p/inside-suc...
www.londoncentric.media/p/inside-suc...
Why can't anyone stop the fundraisers outside London stations?
Inside Success and WeRBlighty have broken the law with their fundraising activities. So why are they are allowed to continue operating outside the capital's busiest railway stations?
www.londoncentric.media
July 17, 2025 at 10:21 AM
Today on London Centric: those blue jacket knife-crime fundraisers (Inside Success) and why no one seems to be able to get rid of them
www.londoncentric.media/p/inside-suc...
www.londoncentric.media/p/inside-suc...
Pleasing to have an enhancement request accepted by the team but a little rude for them to say "but don't do his suggested improvement"
July 7, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Pleasing to have an enhancement request accepted by the team but a little rude for them to say "but don't do his suggested improvement"
Reposted by Steve
please can i come to the party tonight? i promise won't do the spoken word poetry banking advert bit again
(three beers later) Here's to the kitchen thinkers. The M&S tinnie drinkers. The bathroom queue winkers. The champagne flute clinkers. Here's to the people that make this gathering, a party.
(three beers later) Here's to the kitchen thinkers. The M&S tinnie drinkers. The bathroom queue winkers. The champagne flute clinkers. Here's to the people that make this gathering, a party.
July 6, 2025 at 6:35 PM
please can i come to the party tonight? i promise won't do the spoken word poetry banking advert bit again
(three beers later) Here's to the kitchen thinkers. The M&S tinnie drinkers. The bathroom queue winkers. The champagne flute clinkers. Here's to the people that make this gathering, a party.
(three beers later) Here's to the kitchen thinkers. The M&S tinnie drinkers. The bathroom queue winkers. The champagne flute clinkers. Here's to the people that make this gathering, a party.
Reposted by Steve
It was good to talk on BBC Breakfast this morning about what's driving the rise in fake ebikes in the UK.
Food delivery app firms need to take responsibility for the risks their business practices are creating and be held to account for ending it
Food delivery app firms need to take responsibility for the risks their business practices are creating and be held to account for ending it
Shocking to see multi-billion pound delivery platforms taking no responsibility for how their riders operate.
Riders are incentivised to break rules to make ends meet. It puts themselves and others in danger.
Well done to @lauralaker.bsky.social for holding them to account on BBC Breakfast 🧵
Riders are incentivised to break rules to make ends meet. It puts themselves and others in danger.
Well done to @lauralaker.bsky.social for holding them to account on BBC Breakfast 🧵
July 7, 2025 at 9:21 AM
It was good to talk on BBC Breakfast this morning about what's driving the rise in fake ebikes in the UK.
Food delivery app firms need to take responsibility for the risks their business practices are creating and be held to account for ending it
Food delivery app firms need to take responsibility for the risks their business practices are creating and be held to account for ending it
As a student of philosophy, I always thought that it should be thought in schools. Now I see it should be taught in prisons.
Phenomenal news story this and I love how the Mail seems quite supportive of it.
Violence plummets in men's prison after inmates were taught philosophy
Inmates at HMP Wayland, Norfolk, were taught how to live virtuous, peaceful lives based on resilience, rational thinking and self-discipline.
www.dailymail.co.uk
July 6, 2025 at 12:16 PM
As a student of philosophy, I always thought that it should be thought in schools. Now I see it should be taught in prisons.
Just a man, asking that Atlassian implement some sort of exact string matching to Confluence search. Putting "this is my search" into quotes does not search exactly for "this is my search" and I am yet to find a good way to get it to work.
July 2, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Just a man, asking that Atlassian implement some sort of exact string matching to Confluence search. Putting "this is my search" into quotes does not search exactly for "this is my search" and I am yet to find a good way to get it to work.