Thomas Jones
@moonjets.bsky.social
I work @lrb.co.uk, most of my opinions are other people’s
Pinned
Thomas Jones
@moonjets.bsky.social
· Sep 1
Thomas Jones · Lunch with Mussolini: Ferrari Speeds Ahead
I’d been told in no uncertain terms at the ‘technical briefing’, even if you think you’re a good driver, even if...
www.lrb.co.uk
By his own account Ferrari met Mussolini once, on 9 April 1924. He was asked to lead the motorcade escorting the prime minister from Modena to Sassuolo for lunch. Ferrari drove so fast that Mussolini couldn’t keep up and nearly skidded off the road. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Not at all surprising given what he says now but also because it was reported in 2013 www.channel4.com/news/nigel-f...
November 25, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Not at all surprising given what he says now but also because it was reported in 2013 www.channel4.com/news/nigel-f...
Reposted by Thomas Jones
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
Reposted by Thomas Jones
One of the most colorful figures in the black market for ancient art has died. For @lrb.co.uk, I wrote about Jonathan Tokeley-Parry - a smuggler who made fake fakes to defeat border inspections to get Egyptian artifacts to the UK and US, whose downfall both changed and didn’t change the market.
‘By his own estimate, Jonathan Tokeley-Parry smuggled three thousand antiquities out of Egypt in 65 trips over six years. His success was down to his skill as a “fabricator”.’
Erin L. Thompson (@artcrimeprof.bsky.social) on the blog:
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/no...
Erin L. Thompson (@artcrimeprof.bsky.social) on the blog:
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/no...
Erin L. Thompson | Fake it till you make it
Jonathan Tokeley-Parry, who died last month, had a business card in the early 1990s that described him as ‘Jonty “...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 6:46 PM
One of the most colorful figures in the black market for ancient art has died. For @lrb.co.uk, I wrote about Jonathan Tokeley-Parry - a smuggler who made fake fakes to defeat border inspections to get Egyptian artifacts to the UK and US, whose downfall both changed and didn’t change the market.
Almost the plot of The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
if elon just hired an Inverse Jester (guy hired to listen to his jokes and pretend they're funny) we could solve every problem except how to keep the inverse jester from killing himself
November 24, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Almost the plot of The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Starmer says Farage needs to ‘show some leadership when it comes to racism’. But the problem is that is exactly what Farage is doing, and Starmer is among those following him.
November 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Starmer says Farage needs to ‘show some leadership when it comes to racism’. But the problem is that is exactly what Farage is doing, and Starmer is among those following him.
November 20, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Thomas Jones
very irritating whenever anyone acts like a relative handful of incel nazi internet dwellers are representative of an entire generation. in reality when that generation see a more left-wing option on offer they flock to it
The Greens are winning the support of around half of 18 to 24 year olds.
Reform are on 5%. So much for young people's turn to the right!
And the Young Greens now have 40,000 members - the biggest youth and students wing in British politics
Reform are on 5%. So much for young people's turn to the right!
And the Young Greens now have 40,000 members - the biggest youth and students wing in British politics
November 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM
very irritating whenever anyone acts like a relative handful of incel nazi internet dwellers are representative of an entire generation. in reality when that generation see a more left-wing option on offer they flock to it
Reposted by Thomas Jones
Me at the LRB blog on the atrocious refugee policy of Mahmood and Starmer
Christopher Bertram | ‘Core Protection’
Refugeehood is not supposed to be like this. The ideal envisaged by the Refugee Convention is that refugee status should...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Me at the LRB blog on the atrocious refugee policy of Mahmood and Starmer
Reposted by Thomas Jones
The Danish Social Democrats are currently on course for their worst election result since at least the Second World War, despite their brand of far-right accommodationism being touted as a blueprint for other centre-left parties.
November 18, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The Danish Social Democrats are currently on course for their worst election result since at least the Second World War, despite their brand of far-right accommodationism being touted as a blueprint for other centre-left parties.
The helmet! The helmet!
The boy (13) is doing gothic literature in English and has to write a gothic story. This has several promising elements - burning abbey, nuns, senseless murder - "but," he says, "I keep worrying it's turning into a comedy." So begins the most important lesson of the gothic.
November 11, 2025 at 8:43 AM
The helmet! The helmet!
Reposted by Thomas Jones
Dear GOD if you want to save money in the asylum system
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
November 7, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Dear GOD if you want to save money in the asylum system
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
Reposted by Thomas Jones
The fuss about the (temporary) environmental impact of trenching one offshore wind cable through the area has been considerably greater than that (if any) about losing the whole thing.
November 2, 2025 at 9:03 AM
The fuss about the (temporary) environmental impact of trenching one offshore wind cable through the area has been considerably greater than that (if any) about losing the whole thing.
Maybe he’s thinking that if he could be where Farage was four years ago, in four years’ time he’ll be where Farage is now
Starmer having a look at the polls and deciding he wants to see what it's like in 5th place.
I’m told Labour MPs have been told by whips to *abstain* in the vote on Nigel Farage’s ten-min rule bill on leaving the ECHR, which has left some furious. Whips’ arguments seems to be to just ignore it. Labour MPs worry it leaves Lib Dems/Greens looking like only they care on this.
October 29, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Maybe he’s thinking that if he could be where Farage was four years ago, in four years’ time he’ll be where Farage is now
Reposted by Thomas Jones
It's funny to me that this has basically led to a search for "is there a culture group that does not do this?" and so far the answer seems genuinely to be "no".
October 29, 2025 at 1:07 PM
It's funny to me that this has basically led to a search for "is there a culture group that does not do this?" and so far the answer seems genuinely to be "no".
Reposted by Thomas Jones
Starmer having a look at the polls and deciding he wants to see what it's like in 5th place.
I’m told Labour MPs have been told by whips to *abstain* in the vote on Nigel Farage’s ten-min rule bill on leaving the ECHR, which has left some furious. Whips’ arguments seems to be to just ignore it. Labour MPs worry it leaves Lib Dems/Greens looking like only they care on this.
October 29, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Starmer having a look at the polls and deciding he wants to see what it's like in 5th place.
Reposted by Thomas Jones
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Reposted by Thomas Jones
A grim, faustian pact to irreversibly couple the functioning of hospitals to the shallow, hype-driven boom and busts of the chatbot-obsessed tech industry selling modern Bitcoin - this is not something you have to welcome. You are allowed to push back.
October 29, 2025 at 11:17 AM
A grim, faustian pact to irreversibly couple the functioning of hospitals to the shallow, hype-driven boom and busts of the chatbot-obsessed tech industry selling modern Bitcoin - this is not something you have to welcome. You are allowed to push back.
Reposted by Thomas Jones
They revoked Wole Soyinka’s US visa? I keep typing reactions and deleting them. Another new low.
The first African author to win the Nobel in literature, Soyinka has been an outspoken critic of governments worldwide.
Trump administration strips Nigerian Nobel winner Wole Soyinka of US visa
The first African author to win the Nobel in literature, Soyinka has been an outspoken critic of governments worldwide.
bit.ly
October 29, 2025 at 11:38 AM
They revoked Wole Soyinka’s US visa? I keep typing reactions and deleting them. Another new low.
I don’t think he cares at all. If one of your businesses is making $300bn it makes no difference if another is making or losing $100m. It’s a rounding error.
i don’t actually agree that bezos wants the paper to be profitable. he’d prefer it, obviously, but i do not think it’s his primary motivation.
This has always seemed like the key issue. Bezos and Lewis, understandably, want the Post to be profitable. But the actions they've taken with Opinion (killing the Kamala endorsement, firing their top talent, etc) have consistently undermined that strategy. bsky.app/profile/dave...
October 27, 2025 at 8:07 AM
I don’t think he cares at all. If one of your businesses is making $300bn it makes no difference if another is making or losing $100m. It’s a rounding error.
This is clearly true: it’s the reason the dramatic arts exist. (Also, successful politicians tend to be very good at it.)
People keep saying this but I strongly disagree that most people can successfully perform an emotion on camera or speaking in front of a crowd if you merely authentically experience that emotion. It's much harder than you think it is. bsky.app/profile/inep...
It's still galling that a Democratic politician would need speech training and acting classes to learn how to convey anger at the demolition of the East Wing of the White House. So many Dem politicians are Turing Test failures, trapped somewhere in the uncanny valley between human and robot.
October 24, 2025 at 5:46 PM
This is clearly true: it’s the reason the dramatic arts exist. (Also, successful politicians tend to be very good at it.)
Reposted by Thomas Jones
BBC's editorial policy for stories of crimes committed by asylum seekers seems to be to boost them in the hope of achieving credibility with people who have already decided that the BBC is a pedophile protection racket
October 24, 2025 at 5:33 PM
BBC's editorial policy for stories of crimes committed by asylum seekers seems to be to boost them in the hope of achieving credibility with people who have already decided that the BBC is a pedophile protection racket
Reposted by Thomas Jones
“Following his lecture, Yarvin will debate the legendary British historian David Starkey on history and the future of conservatism.” Everything about this is so cursed. Masks off at the University of Oxford.
October 20, 2025 at 2:05 PM
“Following his lecture, Yarvin will debate the legendary British historian David Starkey on history and the future of conservatism.” Everything about this is so cursed. Masks off at the University of Oxford.
Don’t they remember what happened when they tried this with that animated paper clip. It won’t go any better this time.
This is the future of Windows. Microsoft wants to rewrite Windows to turn computers into AI PCs that you talk to. It's now bringing AI features to all Windows 11 PCs today, in a bid to convince you to talk to your PC and let AI control it. Full details 👇 www.theverge.com/news/799768/...
Microsoft wants you to talk to your PC and let AI control it
Copilot Voice and Vision are now rolling out.
www.theverge.com
October 16, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Don’t they remember what happened when they tried this with that animated paper clip. It won’t go any better this time.