Jeff Bernstone
@jbernstone.bsky.social
Boston based freelance writer and content strategist. Culturally ambiguous by design. Mercenary, but not in that French Foreign Legion way. Once referred to as an asshole by Patti Smith. She was justified. My cat will beat up your dog.
You can defend the politics of the Dropkick Murphys all you want. If they manage to convert fans into quantifiable action, so much the better. But for me, they'll always be the same arrogant pricks who had the audacity to demand a $5K minimum to play a BENEFIT show only 2 years after they formed.
January 15, 2026 at 10:17 PM
You can defend the politics of the Dropkick Murphys all you want. If they manage to convert fans into quantifiable action, so much the better. But for me, they'll always be the same arrogant pricks who had the audacity to demand a $5K minimum to play a BENEFIT show only 2 years after they formed.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Quoted in this Marketplace piece on modern price discrimination. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...
Different customers, different prices: Companies use data for personalized pricing
Between surveillance pricing and discounting, it's harder than ever to figure out if you're getting the best price.
www.marketplace.org
January 15, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Quoted in this Marketplace piece on modern price discrimination. www.marketplace.org/story/2026/0...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
1. These companies continued to advertise on X as Grok generated nonconsensual sexualized images of kids (and adults).
We contacted all of them for comment. All 37 either declined to comment or did not respond.
NFL
Shein
NBA
Outback Steakhouse
Burger King
ESPN
(Con't)
We contacted all of them for comment. All 37 either declined to comment or did not respond.
NFL
Shein
NBA
Outback Steakhouse
Burger King
ESPN
(Con't)
These companies advertised on X as Grok produced sexualized images of kids
At least 37 major companies were advertising on the platform this week, a Popular Information investigation reveals.
popular.info
January 15, 2026 at 6:35 PM
1. These companies continued to advertise on X as Grok generated nonconsensual sexualized images of kids (and adults).
We contacted all of them for comment. All 37 either declined to comment or did not respond.
NFL
Shein
NBA
Outback Steakhouse
Burger King
ESPN
(Con't)
We contacted all of them for comment. All 37 either declined to comment or did not respond.
NFL
Shein
NBA
Outback Steakhouse
Burger King
ESPN
(Con't)
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Between Musk's porn generator, Zuckerberg's trauma machine, and the suicide-encouraging bots that Google invested in - Big Tech is finding that child sacrifice is very, very profitable.
I feel especially strongly about this one. New from me:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
I feel especially strongly about this one. New from me:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
The upside of child sacrifice
Those Moloch worshipers were pikers. Back in those days, I imagine the ancients brought a child or two to the altar to be knifed in early spring, in order...
buttondown.com
January 15, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Between Musk's porn generator, Zuckerberg's trauma machine, and the suicide-encouraging bots that Google invested in - Big Tech is finding that child sacrifice is very, very profitable.
I feel especially strongly about this one. New from me:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
I feel especially strongly about this one. New from me:
buttondown.com/creativegood...
It's never been a stretch of the imagination to state that if Goebbels or Julius Streicher were alive today, they'd be racking up the YouTube counts. But if you've ever felt "maybe I SHOULDN'T be sleeping w/ an online influencer," this justifies that sentiment.
relevant to the debate over whether we should keep funding DHS without reforms and accountability for how out of control their spending is
January 15, 2026 at 5:42 PM
It's never been a stretch of the imagination to state that if Goebbels or Julius Streicher were alive today, they'd be racking up the YouTube counts. But if you've ever felt "maybe I SHOULDN'T be sleeping w/ an online influencer," this justifies that sentiment.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
It is the 107th anniversary of Boston's Great Molasses Flood, which, despite the delightful name, was a major industrial accident of the sort that explains why we have safety regulations and inspections.
January 15, 2026 at 2:04 PM
It is the 107th anniversary of Boston's Great Molasses Flood, which, despite the delightful name, was a major industrial accident of the sort that explains why we have safety regulations and inspections.
"Fish Cop" may be the single greatest name for a band playing Red Hot Chili Peppers covers during an open mic night at Mushy's Burgers & Brews. Why you'd even consider going to Mushy's Burgers & Brews for an open mic night is your albatross, not mine.
Madison Sheahan is a 28-year-old former political aide to Kristi Noem with little law enforcement experience before being named ICE Deputy Director. Prior reporting said she was mocked internally as "fish cop" because she somehow got made director of Louisiana Fish and Wildlife in 2024.
January 15, 2026 at 4:35 PM
"Fish Cop" may be the single greatest name for a band playing Red Hot Chili Peppers covers during an open mic night at Mushy's Burgers & Brews. Why you'd even consider going to Mushy's Burgers & Brews for an open mic night is your albatross, not mine.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
One year after the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Assad, the #DamascusDossier leak shines a light on the brutality of Assad’s rule and the lengths his regime took to catalog the bodies of those killed during his last decade in power.
Inside the Damascus Dossier: From leaked images to verified data - ICIJ
ICIJ and its partners organized and analyzed thousands of chilling photographs to assemble comprehensive victim lists and quantify the human toll behind a sensitive data leak.
buff.ly
January 9, 2026 at 10:57 PM
One year after the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Assad, the #DamascusDossier leak shines a light on the brutality of Assad’s rule and the lengths his regime took to catalog the bodies of those killed during his last decade in power.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Shortwave radio listeners are well acquainted with the mysterious Russian military station known as the 'Buzzer.' UVB-76 rarely broadcasts music, thus the airing of 'Swan Lake' is giving rise to speculation. m.economictimes.com/us/news/r...
Russia’s ‘Doomsday Radio’ plays ‘Swan Lake’, dumps cryptic codes, speculations rise about the mysterious message and links to Ukraine war
Russia's UVB-76 radio station, dubbed 'Doomsday Radio,' has reactivated, broadcasting Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake' and a reworked Soviet song allegedly celebrating an attack on Kyiv. This rare musical broadcast, accompanied by unusual muffled voices, fuels speculation about the station's purpose and potential hacks, especially given 'Swan Lake's' historical association with Soviet instability.
m.economictimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Shortwave radio listeners are well acquainted with the mysterious Russian military station known as the 'Buzzer.' UVB-76 rarely broadcasts music, thus the airing of 'Swan Lake' is giving rise to speculation. m.economictimes.com/us/news/r...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Entering the US public domain in 2026: Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz's Insatiability.
More info behind window 31 of our advent-style countdown calendar for works entering the #publicdomain on Jan 1st: https://publicdomainreview.org/features/entering-the-public-domain/2026/ #PDin2026
More info behind window 31 of our advent-style countdown calendar for works entering the #publicdomain on Jan 1st: https://publicdomainreview.org/features/entering-the-public-domain/2026/ #PDin2026
December 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Entering the US public domain in 2026: Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz's Insatiability.
More info behind window 31 of our advent-style countdown calendar for works entering the #publicdomain on Jan 1st: https://publicdomainreview.org/features/entering-the-public-domain/2026/ #PDin2026
More info behind window 31 of our advent-style countdown calendar for works entering the #publicdomain on Jan 1st: https://publicdomainreview.org/features/entering-the-public-domain/2026/ #PDin2026
I may have a soft spot in my heart for Gloria simply cuz it's so universally despised. But this is the film that started my love affair w/ Gena Rowlands
New today on the site!
@carriecourogen.bsky.social on Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, and the enduring power of A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
@carriecourogen.bsky.social on Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, and the enduring power of A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
A Woman Under the Influence (1974): Tomorrow's Gonna Be Better
A Woman Under the Influence endures as a statement on womanhood not because it is a film-as-time-capsule—a relic of the women’s lib era—but because it’s just as relevant now as ever.
www.brightwalldarkroom.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:34 AM
I may have a soft spot in my heart for Gloria simply cuz it's so universally despised. But this is the film that started my love affair w/ Gena Rowlands
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
AI showing signs of self-preservation and humans should be ready to pull plug, says pioneer.
Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio warns against granting legal rights to cutting-edge technology. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio warns against granting legal rights to cutting-edge technology. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
AI showing signs of self-preservation and humans should be ready to pull plug, says pioneer
Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio warns against granting legal rights to cutting-edge technology
www.theguardian.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:00 PM
AI showing signs of self-preservation and humans should be ready to pull plug, says pioneer.
Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio warns against granting legal rights to cutting-edge technology. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Canadian computer scientist Yoshua Bengio warns against granting legal rights to cutting-edge technology. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
The ethos behind Muzak never really died. It just got shittier. Infinitely shittier.
The goal of Spotify’s algorithm isn’t to help you discover new music, its goal is simply to keep you listening for as long as possible. It serves up the safest songs possible to keep you from pressing stop.
Read more from @terrenceobrien.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/column/81574...
Read more from @terrenceobrien.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/column/81574...
December 31, 2025 at 1:17 AM
The ethos behind Muzak never really died. It just got shittier. Infinitely shittier.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Top 10 of this year's most read pieces — no.2: on the uncanny life-size doll (complete with “fine, curly horsehair” on her “parties honteuses”) commissioned by Oskar Kokoschka of former lover Alma Mahler: publicdomainreview.org/collection/a...
Full Top 10: publicdomainreview.org/blog/2025/12...
Full Top 10: publicdomainreview.org/blog/2025/12...
December 30, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Top 10 of this year's most read pieces — no.2: on the uncanny life-size doll (complete with “fine, curly horsehair” on her “parties honteuses”) commissioned by Oskar Kokoschka of former lover Alma Mahler: publicdomainreview.org/collection/a...
Full Top 10: publicdomainreview.org/blog/2025/12...
Full Top 10: publicdomainreview.org/blog/2025/12...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
New Substack, A CHRISTMAS STORY open.substack.com/pub/jerrysta...
A CHRISTMAS STORY
Jack Klugman shit in my face.
open.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
New Substack, A CHRISTMAS STORY open.substack.com/pub/jerrysta...
I have never been a Christmas person. I will never BE a Christmas person. I prefer not to associate w/ people who ARE Christmas peoples. I've met 'em and I know damn well they're up to some sketchy shit in the off season. But if more Christmas music was like this... www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQGo...
The Portsmouth Sinfonia - March from The Nutcracker
YouTube video by Galactapus
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I have never been a Christmas person. I will never BE a Christmas person. I prefer not to associate w/ people who ARE Christmas peoples. I've met 'em and I know damn well they're up to some sketchy shit in the off season. But if more Christmas music was like this... www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQGo...
"A competitive culture endures by tearing people down." - Jules Henry
"Your motives and your methods are not disguised/by your silk, soap, sex, or your smiling lies." - Richard Hell
"Your motives and your methods are not disguised/by your silk, soap, sex, or your smiling lies." - Richard Hell
“…the curriculum covers core AI concepts and newsroom-specific applications while emphasizing responsible use and internal governance frameworks.”
OpenAI Rolls out AI Academy for News Organizations | PYMNTS.com
OpenAI announced on Wednesday (Dec. 17) the launch of OpenAI Academy for News Organizations, an online learning hub designed to help journalists, editors
www.pymnts.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:56 PM
"A competitive culture endures by tearing people down." - Jules Henry
"Your motives and your methods are not disguised/by your silk, soap, sex, or your smiling lies." - Richard Hell
"Your motives and your methods are not disguised/by your silk, soap, sex, or your smiling lies." - Richard Hell
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Not a surprise, but according to the government’s own data, rents have not decreased. In fact the ONLY period rents decreased was for a few months during the Great Recession, so we probably don’t want that.
December 16, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Not a surprise, but according to the government’s own data, rents have not decreased. In fact the ONLY period rents decreased was for a few months during the Great Recession, so we probably don’t want that.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
A Reuters investigation reveals the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp made billions of dollars last year from Chinese ads for scams, illegal gambling, pornography and other banned content. www.reuters.com/investigation...
Meta tolerates rampant ad fraud from China to safeguard billions in revenue
A Reuters investigation reveals the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp decided to accept high levels of fraudulent advertisements from China. Internal company documents show Meta wanted to minimize "revenue impact" caused by cracking down on the scams.
www.reuters.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:07 AM
A Reuters investigation reveals the owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp made billions of dollars last year from Chinese ads for scams, illegal gambling, pornography and other banned content. www.reuters.com/investigation...
I've never been a fan of child singers. In fact, I find them to be the aural equivalent of terminal cancer. But I've had this rendition of what might be one of the most execrable songs in my head for the past few weeks and no exorcism seems to be imminent. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhsr...
Stairway To Stardom (1988) - Joe Refano "Lady In Red"
YouTube video by stairwaytostardom
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
I've never been a fan of child singers. In fact, I find them to be the aural equivalent of terminal cancer. But I've had this rendition of what might be one of the most execrable songs in my head for the past few weeks and no exorcism seems to be imminent. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhsr...
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Swiss lawyer Christoph Zollinger was once one of Mossack Fonseca’s most senior employees, the embattled Panamanian law firm at the center of ICIJ’s #PanamaPapers investigation. Now, he’s due to face trial in Germany.
Swiss lawyer from Panama Papers firm to face court on tax evasion charges - ICIJ
Christoph Zollinger was once one of Mossack Fonseca’s most senior employees. Now, he’s due to face trial in Germany.
buff.ly
December 16, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Swiss lawyer Christoph Zollinger was once one of Mossack Fonseca’s most senior employees, the embattled Panamanian law firm at the center of ICIJ’s #PanamaPapers investigation. Now, he’s due to face trial in Germany.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
Wrong question.
Live cameras are tracking faces in New Orleans. Who should control them?
A private non-profit operates over 200 cameras with live facial recognition in New Orleans. The system raises questions about privacy, legal authority and who should control surveillance technology.
www.wbaa.org
December 16, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Wrong question.
As I get older, it never ceases to amaze me that not caring for the output of a chosen artist (and it really doesn't matter if it's Metallica or Richard Avedon) is on par w/ kicking a puppy or a small child. Like what you like, peoples. No need to defend or assail a difference in taste.
December 13, 2025 at 5:34 PM
As I get older, it never ceases to amaze me that not caring for the output of a chosen artist (and it really doesn't matter if it's Metallica or Richard Avedon) is on par w/ kicking a puppy or a small child. Like what you like, peoples. No need to defend or assail a difference in taste.
Reposted by Jeff Bernstone
NEW ESSAY — On the Moorish Revival castles of two eccentric Italian aristocrats: Cesare Mattei's Rochetta Mattei, optimised for electrohomeopathic healing, and Ferdinando Panciatichi's Castello di Sammezzano, an immersive, orientalist fever dream: publicdomainreview.org/essay/a-thou...
December 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
NEW ESSAY — On the Moorish Revival castles of two eccentric Italian aristocrats: Cesare Mattei's Rochetta Mattei, optimised for electrohomeopathic healing, and Ferdinando Panciatichi's Castello di Sammezzano, an immersive, orientalist fever dream: publicdomainreview.org/essay/a-thou...
"The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth—it is the truth which conceals that there is none.
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan
Hunter Biden's laptop. The lab leak theory. QAnon.
What started with a row over fact-checking and moderation of particular stories on social media has turned into a worldwide battle on the nature and limits of free speech online.
Read more from @jamesrball.com: www.theverge.com/features/839...
What started with a row over fact-checking and moderation of particular stories on social media has turned into a worldwide battle on the nature and limits of free speech online.
Read more from @jamesrball.com: www.theverge.com/features/839...
December 9, 2025 at 7:51 PM
"The simulacrum is never that which conceals the truth—it is the truth which conceals that there is none.
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan
The simulacrum is true." - Jean Baudrillard
"Whatever is going to happen is already happening." - Ted Berrigan