@paulcurrion.bsky.social
Jeremy Bentham's "A Picture of the Treasury" - his anguished account of his failure to gain government support for his Panopticon - has a section entitled "Secret Plan for Rendering the Purchase Useless" which illustrates that the pain of dealing with bureaucracy is as old as bureaucracy itself.
August 30, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Jeremy Bentham's "A Picture of the Treasury" - his anguished account of his failure to gain government support for his Panopticon - has a section entitled "Secret Plan for Rendering the Purchase Useless" which illustrates that the pain of dealing with bureaucracy is as old as bureaucracy itself.
I found this review essay very thought-provoking, but part of it was missing for me - through certain activity we become fully human, but what is the nature of that activity? I wrote something which I hope complements the points which Munch (and Rosen) make in their work currion.net/2025/07/23/a...
July 23, 2025 at 7:34 AM
I found this review essay very thought-provoking, but part of it was missing for me - through certain activity we become fully human, but what is the nature of that activity? I wrote something which I hope complements the points which Munch (and Rosen) make in their work currion.net/2025/07/23/a...
Why do the large humanitarian agencies need to go? Because the old aid industry has already gone, and with it the foundations on which those large agencies were built currion.net/2025/05/06/b...
Bringing Down the Mammoths – the unforgiving minute
currion.net
May 6, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Why do the large humanitarian agencies need to go? Because the old aid industry has already gone, and with it the foundations on which those large agencies were built currion.net/2025/05/06/b...
The future is fibre cutters, satellite countermeasures, and splinternet AI, probably.
April 9, 2025 at 6:30 AM
The future is fibre cutters, satellite countermeasures, and splinternet AI, probably.
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function, probably www.reuters.com/world/us/sta...
Remaining USAID staff fired, Trump says Myanmar will still get earthquake aid
A U.S. appeals court ruled that Musk and DOGE can keep making cuts to USAID while they appeal a lower court order that had barred them from doing so.
www.reuters.com
March 31, 2025 at 8:37 AM
The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function, probably www.reuters.com/world/us/sta...
Annals of Running Government like a Startup #347
BREAKING: DOGE is starting to put together a team to migrate the SSA's computer systems entirely off one of its oldest programming languages in a matter of months, potentially putting the integrity of the system—and the benefits on which tens of millions of Americans rely—at risk.
DOGE Plans to Rebuild SSA Codebase In Months, Risking Benefits and System Collapse
Social Security systems contain tens of millions of lines of code written in COBOL, an archaic programming language. Safely rewriting that code would take years—DOGE wants it done in months.
www.wired.com
March 31, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Annals of Running Government like a Startup #347
"Evils which have struck their roots deep in the fabric of human society are often accepted, even by the best minds, as part of the providential ordering of life."
🚨 Outrage as 20 police officers break into Westminster Quaker Meeting House and arrest six. 🚨
This shocking violation of a place of worship is a direct result of crackdowns on protest and dissent - freedom of speech, assembly and democracy are at risk.🕊️
👉 www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
This shocking violation of a place of worship is a direct result of crackdowns on protest and dissent - freedom of speech, assembly and democracy are at risk.🕊️
👉 www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Quakers condemn police raid on Westminster Meeting House
Police broke into a Quaker Meeting House last night (27 March) and arrested six young people holding a meeting over concerns for the climate and Gaza.
www.quaker.org.uk
March 29, 2025 at 12:03 PM
"Evils which have struck their roots deep in the fabric of human society are often accepted, even by the best minds, as part of the providential ordering of life."
Reposted
Really enjoying this classic Sesame Street segment, two minutes of freestyle jazz riffing on saxophone factory footage
March 13, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Really enjoying this classic Sesame Street segment, two minutes of freestyle jazz riffing on saxophone factory footage
Reposted
We are disappointed but not surprised that Meta has used millions of pirated books to develop its AI systems.
As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting.
But what can authors do? Read here:
societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...
As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting.
But what can authors do? Read here:
societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...
March 21, 2025 at 5:04 PM
We are disappointed but not surprised that Meta has used millions of pirated books to develop its AI systems.
As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting.
But what can authors do? Read here:
societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...
As a matter of urgency, Meta needs to compensate the rightsholders of all the works it has been exploiting.
But what can authors do? Read here:
societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/t...
Reposted
I helped build a government AI system. DOGE fired me, rolled the AI out to the whole agency, and implied the AI can do my job and the jobs of the others they've fired.
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
March 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM
I helped build a government AI system. DOGE fired me, rolled the AI out to the whole agency, and implied the AI can do my job and the jobs of the others they've fired.
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
It can't. But, what DOGE accidentally revealed about themselves in the process is fascinating. 🧵
Reposted
OK, time to bust another @USAID myth.
Stephen Miller said on Fox today that USAID is a rogue slush fund. Trump & Elon have made the same accusation.
FALSE. They're either ignorant of how USAID spends money, or willfully lying about it. Or...
Anyway, caffeinate and read on.
🧵
Stephen Miller said on Fox today that USAID is a rogue slush fund. Trump & Elon have made the same accusation.
FALSE. They're either ignorant of how USAID spends money, or willfully lying about it. Or...
Anyway, caffeinate and read on.
🧵
a little girl is asking why not both while standing in a kitchen .
ALT: a little girl is asking why not both while standing in a kitchen .
media.tenor.com
February 9, 2025 at 10:08 PM
OK, time to bust another @USAID myth.
Stephen Miller said on Fox today that USAID is a rogue slush fund. Trump & Elon have made the same accusation.
FALSE. They're either ignorant of how USAID spends money, or willfully lying about it. Or...
Anyway, caffeinate and read on.
🧵
Stephen Miller said on Fox today that USAID is a rogue slush fund. Trump & Elon have made the same accusation.
FALSE. They're either ignorant of how USAID spends money, or willfully lying about it. Or...
Anyway, caffeinate and read on.
🧵
Reposted
I have spawned a bastard child of an article/personal memoir on Woolf's On Being Ill collabed with discursive institutionalism. This is my attempt at a critical exploration of psychosis, recovery, and the institutional narratives that shape our own stories.
rachelhart.substack.com/p/sectioned-...
rachelhart.substack.com/p/sectioned-...
February 5, 2025 at 7:47 PM
I have spawned a bastard child of an article/personal memoir on Woolf's On Being Ill collabed with discursive institutionalism. This is my attempt at a critical exploration of psychosis, recovery, and the institutional narratives that shape our own stories.
rachelhart.substack.com/p/sectioned-...
rachelhart.substack.com/p/sectioned-...
Reposted
As someone who has reported on AI for 7 years and covered China tech as well, I think the biggest lesson to be drawn from DeepSeek is the huge cracks it illustrates with the current dominant paradigm of AI development. A long thread. 1/
January 27, 2025 at 2:12 PM
As someone who has reported on AI for 7 years and covered China tech as well, I think the biggest lesson to be drawn from DeepSeek is the huge cracks it illustrates with the current dominant paradigm of AI development. A long thread. 1/
DeepSeek-R1 is an extinction level event for AI firms because their fundraising strategy (particularly OpenAI) relied on over-hyping AI development as a kind of Promethean struggle to which the entire economy should be turned, and a Chinese quant firm just churned one out as a side hustle.
January 28, 2025 at 7:27 AM
DeepSeek-R1 is an extinction level event for AI firms because their fundraising strategy (particularly OpenAI) relied on over-hyping AI development as a kind of Promethean struggle to which the entire economy should be turned, and a Chinese quant firm just churned one out as a side hustle.
There is a non zero chance that the endgame for this administration is that:
a) US aid becomes conditional on acquiescence to US foreign policy. No aid for Egypt unless they take a million Palestinians!
b) USAID will cease to exist as a body, and possibly "US aid" will cease to exist as a concept.
a) US aid becomes conditional on acquiescence to US foreign policy. No aid for Egypt unless they take a million Palestinians!
b) USAID will cease to exist as a body, and possibly "US aid" will cease to exist as a concept.
A global stop-work order on foreign aid will cost many, many lives if kept in place.
As written, it halts ALL ongoing humanitarian relief activities, except food aid, in places like Syria, Sudan, Gaza.
Also halts all global health programs.
What this will mean in human terms:
🧵
t.co/1nCjZFfBdS
As written, it halts ALL ongoing humanitarian relief activities, except food aid, in places like Syria, Sudan, Gaza.
Also halts all global health programs.
What this will mean in human terms:
🧵
t.co/1nCjZFfBdS
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-pause-applies-all-foreign-aid-israel-egypt-get-waiver-says-state-dept-memo-2025-01-24/
t.co
January 28, 2025 at 6:39 AM
There is a non zero chance that the endgame for this administration is that:
a) US aid becomes conditional on acquiescence to US foreign policy. No aid for Egypt unless they take a million Palestinians!
b) USAID will cease to exist as a body, and possibly "US aid" will cease to exist as a concept.
a) US aid becomes conditional on acquiescence to US foreign policy. No aid for Egypt unless they take a million Palestinians!
b) USAID will cease to exist as a body, and possibly "US aid" will cease to exist as a concept.
Reposted
A global stop-work order on foreign aid will cost many, many lives if kept in place.
As written, it halts ALL ongoing humanitarian relief activities, except food aid, in places like Syria, Sudan, Gaza.
Also halts all global health programs.
What this will mean in human terms:
🧵
t.co/1nCjZFfBdS
As written, it halts ALL ongoing humanitarian relief activities, except food aid, in places like Syria, Sudan, Gaza.
Also halts all global health programs.
What this will mean in human terms:
🧵
t.co/1nCjZFfBdS
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-pause-applies-all-foreign-aid-israel-egypt-get-waiver-says-state-dept-memo-2025-01-24/
t.co
January 25, 2025 at 3:33 AM
A global stop-work order on foreign aid will cost many, many lives if kept in place.
As written, it halts ALL ongoing humanitarian relief activities, except food aid, in places like Syria, Sudan, Gaza.
Also halts all global health programs.
What this will mean in human terms:
🧵
t.co/1nCjZFfBdS
As written, it halts ALL ongoing humanitarian relief activities, except food aid, in places like Syria, Sudan, Gaza.
Also halts all global health programs.
What this will mean in human terms:
🧵
t.co/1nCjZFfBdS
Reposted
6: "You might as well just blow your brains out on the first day."
January 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM
6: "You might as well just blow your brains out on the first day."
Starting (and possibly ending) this feed with good news. The development of solar took me completely by surprise compared to where we were 15 years ago. Still a long way to go but far away from where we were on renewables. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...
Australia struggling with oversupply of solar power
As Australia surges past a solar-powered milestone, questions turn to how much is too much, and can we hope to store it all?
www.abc.net.au
December 5, 2024 at 9:54 AM
Starting (and possibly ending) this feed with good news. The development of solar took me completely by surprise compared to where we were 15 years ago. Still a long way to go but far away from where we were on renewables. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11...