Constant Fractal
@nfb42.bsky.social
Fan of reading, writing, gaming and all that!
This is an example of much needed nuance in discussions of the “Danish model” (= pundits arguing the centre-left should go hard right on immigration), in this case from a Dutch perspective. To recap the main points in English: (1/7)
Is er écht een verband tussen de verkiezingszeges van de Deense sociaaldemocraten en hun immigratiebeleid?
Is er écht een verband tussen de verkiezingszeges van de Deense sociaaldemocraten en hun immigratiebeleid?
www.volkskrant.nl
December 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM
This is an example of much needed nuance in discussions of the “Danish model” (= pundits arguing the centre-left should go hard right on immigration), in this case from a Dutch perspective. To recap the main points in English: (1/7)
Reposted by Constant Fractal
De 5 beste plekken om naartoe te emigreren nadat je 'jij ook' zei toen ober je smakelijk eten wenste
De 5 beste plekken om naartoe te emigreren nadat je 'jij ook' zei toen ober je smakelijk eten wenste
Iedereen heeft het weleens meegemaakt:
speld.nl
December 13, 2025 at 11:02 AM
De 5 beste plekken om naartoe te emigreren nadat je 'jij ook' zei toen ober je smakelijk eten wenste
Reposted by Constant Fractal
"They have betrayed the values that made that society great, values which they apparently only ever held superficially"
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
“Now he has betrayed the very system that made his success possible; the system in which he and a handful of others like him have profited disproportionately relative to their contribution.” www.liberalcurrents.com/marc-andrees...
Marc Andreessen Is a Traitor
It is the tech oligarchs, not young radicals, who have turned against the system that made them.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 12, 2025 at 10:15 PM
"They have betrayed the values that made that society great, values which they apparently only ever held superficially"
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
If more Americans understood even half the basic facts in this article, we'd be halfway to defeating the scourge of billionaires.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
no, no, james, you've got this all wrong, we should turn *more* of the military over to people whose primary qualification for leadership has been their ability to bullshit investors long enough to sell the company before it goes bankrupt, i thought you were a clausewitz guy, you should know this
Dude have you considered that a Silicon Valley company of 80 people has more flexibility than an organization of 2 million people? Wow. Lots to think about.
December 13, 2025 at 12:27 AM
no, no, james, you've got this all wrong, we should turn *more* of the military over to people whose primary qualification for leadership has been their ability to bullshit investors long enough to sell the company before it goes bankrupt, i thought you were a clausewitz guy, you should know this
Reposted by Constant Fractal
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
December 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
There isn't a single problem "solved" by edtech that couldn't be fixed with smaller classes led by well-paid teachers given real academic freedom
Reposted by Constant Fractal
I am a better writer than Nuzzi, and it's not close, and this isn't me being arrogant. And yet, she's editor of Vanity Fair and I'm just about barely scraping by in cowtown
The thing that really annoys me about how we all keep talking about Olivia Nuzzi is that she’s just fucking dumb.
She’s not a good writer. She has no insightful analysis. She’s not keyed into a specific niche. I gained absolutely nothing from reading anything she’s written. LLM slop is more useful
She’s not a good writer. She has no insightful analysis. She’s not keyed into a specific niche. I gained absolutely nothing from reading anything she’s written. LLM slop is more useful
Not that it should really matter but it's striking how much better Lizza is as a writer than Nuzzi - I'm even kinda coming around on the introductory bamboo metaphor.
December 12, 2025 at 6:55 AM
I am a better writer than Nuzzi, and it's not close, and this isn't me being arrogant. And yet, she's editor of Vanity Fair and I'm just about barely scraping by in cowtown
Reposted by Constant Fractal
I really do have to just say The Last Unicorn, as much as I may love True Grit or The Big Lebowski.
December 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
I really do have to just say The Last Unicorn, as much as I may love True Grit or The Big Lebowski.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Okay, as promised, here are my 25 boardgames that would make good presents for historians or the historically-inclined.
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
December 11, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Okay, as promised, here are my 25 boardgames that would make good presents for historians or the historically-inclined.
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
- I've played them and enjoyed them
- They have to have a historical theme or be related to the practice of history
- They were within the first 25 I thought of...
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Nico Mantje was 28 jaar priester, maar werd verliefd, en verbrak het celibaat. ‘Ik wist gewoon: met haar kan ik altijd blijven praten’
Nico Mantje was 28 jaar priester, maar werd verliefd, en verbrak het celibaat. ‘Ik wist gewoon: met haar kan ik altijd blijven praten’
Priester Nico Mantje voert sinds dit jaar geen priesterstaken meer uit. De reden: hij was verliefd geworden. ‘Ik kon mijn gevoelens niet meer wegstoppen.’
www.trouw.nl
December 10, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Nico Mantje was 28 jaar priester, maar werd verliefd, en verbrak het celibaat. ‘Ik wist gewoon: met haar kan ik altijd blijven praten’
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Pope Leo critical of Trump attitude toward Europe
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
Pope Leo critical of Trump attitude towards Europe
Speaking outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV said recent remarks by President Trump seemed to be “trying to break apart what I think needs to be a very important alliance today and ...
www.nbcnews.com
December 9, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Pope Leo critical of Trump attitude toward Europe
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
www.nbcnews.com/video/pope-l...
Reposted by Constant Fractal
The advantage of a democracy is not that the people never make a bad choice.
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
December 9, 2025 at 11:42 PM
The advantage of a democracy is not that the people never make a bad choice.
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
The advantage is that no one is stuck with the bad choice for decades unless they *keep making it.*
Reposted by Constant Fractal
It is my opinion that people should focus more on
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“
December 6, 2025 at 8:18 PM
It is my opinion that people should focus more on
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“
"How do we get through the next five years?"
and less on
"If only it was 2015 again!“
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Pope Leo at Jubilee Audience: “To hope is to participate: this is a gift that God gives us. No one saves the world alone. Not even God wants to save it alone: He could, but He does not want to, because together is better.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Pope at Audience: Advent teaches us how to wait in active hope - Vatican News
At the Jubilee Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the importance of active waiting during the Advent Season, as we learn to hope and help bring the ...
www.vaticannews.va
December 6, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Pope Leo at Jubilee Audience: “To hope is to participate: this is a gift that God gives us. No one saves the world alone. Not even God wants to save it alone: He could, but He does not want to, because together is better.” www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news...
Reposted by Constant Fractal
"The most powerful action Jesse and Polaris perform isn’t hurling debris or grinding for gunmods – it’s shouldering what they can and inspiring."
@unabridgedgamer.bsky.social explores faith and theology in Control:
@unabridgedgamer.bsky.social explores faith and theology in Control:
Control Explores Theology in the Multiverse - Unwinnable
In CONTROL, faith is a fundamental force like gravity.
unwinnable.com
December 6, 2025 at 1:00 AM
"The most powerful action Jesse and Polaris perform isn’t hurling debris or grinding for gunmods – it’s shouldering what they can and inspiring."
@unabridgedgamer.bsky.social explores faith and theology in Control:
@unabridgedgamer.bsky.social explores faith and theology in Control:
Reposted by Constant Fractal
I can't stop thinking about the purported drug smugglers being murdered by the US military. The punishment for drug offenses isn't the death penalty. This is just bloodlust and men in suits playing with lives they don't care about. It's truly grotesque and gravely compromises this country.
December 5, 2025 at 4:12 PM
I can't stop thinking about the purported drug smugglers being murdered by the US military. The punishment for drug offenses isn't the death penalty. This is just bloodlust and men in suits playing with lives they don't care about. It's truly grotesque and gravely compromises this country.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
I have a new paper coming out in Inquiry called ‘The Perils of Epistemic Idealism': philpapers.org/rec/SHITPO-40. I argue that especially in applied, political work, philosophers have a tendency to assume that political harms are primarily a product of false beliefs and misguided concepts.
Matthew Shields, The Perils of Epistemic Idealism - PhilPapers
I argue that philosophers are vulnerable to an occupational hazard that I call ‘epistemic idealism.’ This is the assumption that a practice in our epistemic lives with harmful political consequences i...
philpapers.org
December 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
I have a new paper coming out in Inquiry called ‘The Perils of Epistemic Idealism': philpapers.org/rec/SHITPO-40. I argue that especially in applied, political work, philosophers have a tendency to assume that political harms are primarily a product of false beliefs and misguided concepts.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Not saying I disagree with this but… i want to be careful with “unreachable.” Today, perhaps, these views are strongly held but people’s views change constantly with conditions and time. Politics doesn’t reflect majorities it constructs them!
Sometimes I try to estimate what percentage of the US population is politically unreachable. By the Manhattan Institute's measurements, just north of 1/3 of GOP voters do not believe in the efficacy of vaccines or the historical record of the Holocaust or 9/11
manhattan.institute/article/the-...
manhattan.institute/article/the-...
The New GOP: Survey Analysis of Americans Overall, Today’s Republican Coalition, and the Minorities of MAGA
A new national survey conducted by the Manhattan Institute examines today’s Republican Party and the coalition assembled by Donald Trump in 2024. It is one of the most exhaustive studies to date of th...
manhattan.institute
December 4, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Not saying I disagree with this but… i want to be careful with “unreachable.” Today, perhaps, these views are strongly held but people’s views change constantly with conditions and time. Politics doesn’t reflect majorities it constructs them!
Reposted by Constant Fractal
This is in the next county over from me.
For folks who don’t live in rural counties, there’s a class of politician that does this. Over and over again. They skim off the coffers because no one sees or because of stories like this where people miss who the recurring bad actors are
For folks who don’t live in rural counties, there’s a class of politician that does this. Over and over again. They skim off the coffers because no one sees or because of stories like this where people miss who the recurring bad actors are
Rolling Stone: clearly documents a 30+ year long con job. A rural county's own leadership lined their pockets by helping ag interests destroy the water supply.
Everyone who read the article apparently??: Amazon data centers did this in 2011
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
Everyone who read the article apparently??: Amazon data centers did this in 2011
www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult...
'The Precedent Is Flint': How Oregon's Data Center Boom Is Supercharging a Water Crisis
Amazon data centers constructed in eastern Oregon's farmland have worsened a water pollution problem that’s been linked to cancer and miscarriages.
www.rollingstone.com
December 4, 2025 at 8:04 AM
This is in the next county over from me.
For folks who don’t live in rural counties, there’s a class of politician that does this. Over and over again. They skim off the coffers because no one sees or because of stories like this where people miss who the recurring bad actors are
For folks who don’t live in rural counties, there’s a class of politician that does this. Over and over again. They skim off the coffers because no one sees or because of stories like this where people miss who the recurring bad actors are
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Our ideological biases, our cultural background, influences how we read Scripture; if we find them having us go against the way of love, we must, question them, cutting away that which would lead us to hate: www.patheos.com/blogs/henryk... #Catholic #Interpretation #Love
Navigating Assumptions In Interpretation
When we read Scripture, we take many assumptions with us, assumptions which help generate our interpretation of the text.
www.patheos.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Our ideological biases, our cultural background, influences how we read Scripture; if we find them having us go against the way of love, we must, question them, cutting away that which would lead us to hate: www.patheos.com/blogs/henryk... #Catholic #Interpretation #Love
Reposted by Constant Fractal
21st century American politics, can pretty much be explained by this, racism (bad), and, "every once in a while we get the finance and/or tech guys get out of hand"
I think the median voter believes in Natural Prices, and these are about how much things costed at the most recent point in their mind where they felt relatively financially stable. They expect politicians and businesses to honour this and take steps to ensure things cost their Natural Price.
December 4, 2025 at 8:45 AM
21st century American politics, can pretty much be explained by this, racism (bad), and, "every once in a while we get the finance and/or tech guys get out of hand"
Reposted by Constant Fractal
This Pope is so essential at a time of Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Pope to Youth of Lebanon: “If love has a time limit, it is not truly love. Conversely, friendship is genuine when it places ‘you’ before ‘I.’ This respectful and welcoming way of looking at others makes it possible for us to build a greater ‘we,’ open to society as a whole and to all of humanity.”
December 1, 2025 at 9:03 PM
This Pope is so essential at a time of Donald Trump and JD Vance.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
i.e. that ideas matter, deeply, & that the highest value is to (try our best to) live with intellectual & moral integrity— no bullshit. And that it also matters to try to hold one another to this ideal, as a group. I really do mean this.
December 1, 2025 at 12:27 PM
i.e. that ideas matter, deeply, & that the highest value is to (try our best to) live with intellectual & moral integrity— no bullshit. And that it also matters to try to hold one another to this ideal, as a group. I really do mean this.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
Unfortunately, in US journalism it is considered neutral to spread a lie, but it is considered "biased" to call out a lie. So, there is a structural asymmetry that rewards colorful lies with virality.
November 30, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Unfortunately, in US journalism it is considered neutral to spread a lie, but it is considered "biased" to call out a lie. So, there is a structural asymmetry that rewards colorful lies with virality.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
People are trying to make something of this, but I don’t think it reflects what they’re trying to make it into. Folks have to understand Pope Leo as a Midwestern Catholic. From a Midwest perspective, it would be rude to go to a mosque & offer a Catholic prayer in it. He’s respecting Islam.
Pope visits Istanbul mosque but, unlike predecessors, opts not to pray there
The Vatican then sent out a corrected version of its bulletin about the trip, removing reference to the planned "brief moment of silent prayer," without further explanation.
www.ncronline.org
November 29, 2025 at 11:02 PM
People are trying to make something of this, but I don’t think it reflects what they’re trying to make it into. Folks have to understand Pope Leo as a Midwestern Catholic. From a Midwest perspective, it would be rude to go to a mosque & offer a Catholic prayer in it. He’s respecting Islam.
Reposted by Constant Fractal
at the the of the day, you can try to litigate and legislate lying, but you can’t force good faith and no amount of regulating the truth can fix society if its participants aren’t good faith members of the same project
the fact that dealing with rampant lying and its much worse downstream consequences involves cultivating values rather than just imposing formal frameworks or rules (legal or otherwise) is a tough pill to swallow for some. but it is indeed medicine
Pointing out that something is incorrect definitely isn't sufficient - the *culture* of "it is bad to make incorrect statements, good to promptly and clearly retract and apologize for them, and disqualifying to keep making them deliberately" is the framework needed for fact-checking to plug into.
November 29, 2025 at 1:23 PM
at the the of the day, you can try to litigate and legislate lying, but you can’t force good faith and no amount of regulating the truth can fix society if its participants aren’t good faith members of the same project