Salman
@schdhri.bsky.social
Strategic designer. Curious about political economy.
Reposted by Salman
As someone who works on the interaction layer of software: it's this.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
i think it's useful to look at areas where the *tech* has gotten much better while tech *interactions* have gotten way worse. streaming has gotten worse, google search has gotten worse, digital cameras are leaps better. apple's silicone is so good it's threatening their user upgrade cycle
it’s so weird to look around and realize like, tech and media are materially worse than a decade ago
November 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
As someone who works on the interaction layer of software: it's this.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
Stupid trends in hardware self correct after a generation or two, but *software* ratchets in the direction of unusable because designers are occupied with interaction patterns and not whether the fucking thing works properly.
Reposted by Salman
Reposted by Salman
In amongst the noise & media whatabouttary, something significant happened this week.
The Mayor of London committed to fully implementing HEPA filtration in 200 London schools.
Proper filters, not desk items.
That it has taken so long to do so is a disgrace, but not on Sadiq Khan.
1/
The Mayor of London committed to fully implementing HEPA filtration in 200 London schools.
Proper filters, not desk items.
That it has taken so long to do so is a disgrace, but not on Sadiq Khan.
1/
October 18, 2025 at 8:01 AM
In amongst the noise & media whatabouttary, something significant happened this week.
The Mayor of London committed to fully implementing HEPA filtration in 200 London schools.
Proper filters, not desk items.
That it has taken so long to do so is a disgrace, but not on Sadiq Khan.
1/
The Mayor of London committed to fully implementing HEPA filtration in 200 London schools.
Proper filters, not desk items.
That it has taken so long to do so is a disgrace, but not on Sadiq Khan.
1/
Reposted by Salman
Wow. This is the paper I have been waiting for. Mobile apps are brain rot, with meaningfully bad economic consequences for those who overuse them.
Recently accepted by #QJE, “Digital Distractions with Peer Influence: The Impact of Mobile App Usage on Academic and Labor Market Outcomes,” by Barwick, Chen, Fu, and Li: doi.org/10.1093/qje/...
Digital Distractions with Peer Influence: The Impact of Mobile App Usage on Academic and Labor Market Outcomes*
Abstract. Concerns about excessive mobile phone use among youth are mounting. We present estimates of both behavioral and contextual peer effects, along wi
doi.org
October 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Wow. This is the paper I have been waiting for. Mobile apps are brain rot, with meaningfully bad economic consequences for those who overuse them.
Reposted by Salman
Front page of Scottish newspaper The National today.
October 13, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Front page of Scottish newspaper The National today.
Reposted by Salman
This is a strong piece. Whenever we talk about immigration, we should emphasise that the economy is heading for broke without it. Rational countries at this point would be rolling out the red carpet for immigrants. Instead, we’re being ridiculous, awful, and self-sabotaging.
Labour, Tories and Reform are talking about trying to shrink the UK’s working age population by curtailing immigration. Here’s an excellent summary of why this approach is catastrophic even solely on economic grounds. www.bearlypolitics.co.uk/p/nans-not-b...
Nan’s Not Bankrupting Britain (But Politicians Might Be)
Pensions, productivity, and the myth of the migrant “drain.”
www.bearlypolitics.co.uk
September 7, 2025 at 8:54 AM
This is a strong piece. Whenever we talk about immigration, we should emphasise that the economy is heading for broke without it. Rational countries at this point would be rolling out the red carpet for immigrants. Instead, we’re being ridiculous, awful, and self-sabotaging.
Reposted by Salman
we used to build household shrines to Going On The Computer and it's no coincidence that as we abandoned these we started straying further from god's light
August 22, 2025 at 9:19 AM
we used to build household shrines to Going On The Computer and it's no coincidence that as we abandoned these we started straying further from god's light
Reposted by Salman
We have to tackle the part we play in the #ClimateEmergency
Aye, wee things like recycling, turning off lights, cycling not driving...
But, mainly, by demanding change at government and corporate level.
There's no benefit in using a paper straw if a rainforest has been cut down to make it.
Aye, wee things like recycling, turning off lights, cycling not driving...
But, mainly, by demanding change at government and corporate level.
There's no benefit in using a paper straw if a rainforest has been cut down to make it.
July 28, 2025 at 8:52 AM
We have to tackle the part we play in the #ClimateEmergency
Aye, wee things like recycling, turning off lights, cycling not driving...
But, mainly, by demanding change at government and corporate level.
There's no benefit in using a paper straw if a rainforest has been cut down to make it.
Aye, wee things like recycling, turning off lights, cycling not driving...
But, mainly, by demanding change at government and corporate level.
There's no benefit in using a paper straw if a rainforest has been cut down to make it.
Waiting to see the apology written in Apple Notes.
July 13, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Waiting to see the apology written in Apple Notes.
Reposted by Salman
But they will use paper straws on the planes
June 24, 2025 at 11:45 AM
But they will use paper straws on the planes
Reposted by Salman
Useful discussion about AI energy use (tl;dr: hard to evaluate, for reasons), but also I'd love to see a comparison with other tech use: what's the energy cost of doing a Google search, or a Zoom call, or syncing your pics to iPhoto, etc? Numbers in isolation aren't helpful - they need context
How Much Energy Does AI Use? The People Who Know Aren’t Saying
A growing body of research attempts to put a number on energy use and AI—even as the companies behind the most popular models keep their carbon emissions a secret.
www.wired.com
June 24, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Useful discussion about AI energy use (tl;dr: hard to evaluate, for reasons), but also I'd love to see a comparison with other tech use: what's the energy cost of doing a Google search, or a Zoom call, or syncing your pics to iPhoto, etc? Numbers in isolation aren't helpful - they need context
Reposted by Salman
![tweet by @randygdub
trump [waving bible in front of them]: you morons love this shit huh
[audience going berserk]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:eqh433fdh2bqhvt455e3tg67/bafkreibg4t6onjzybimkdew5ffi7nsws7oh5gy47ylmiimgfk24v35bqta@jpeg)
Reposted by Salman
For all the blanket coverage it's getting today you wouldn't know that fishing contributes a grand total of 0.03% to the UK's economy, or that it is absolutely dwarfed by many other sectors, like the live music industry, which have been badly hit by Brexit but are rarely even mentioned
May 19, 2025 at 2:26 PM
For all the blanket coverage it's getting today you wouldn't know that fishing contributes a grand total of 0.03% to the UK's economy, or that it is absolutely dwarfed by many other sectors, like the live music industry, which have been badly hit by Brexit but are rarely even mentioned
Reposted by Salman
Quite possibly the biggest climate story of the year (especially when we look back on this in a few years' time)
For the first time on record, China's emissions are falling due to clean energy growth, not slow power demand...
For the first time on record, China's emissions are falling due to clean energy growth, not slow power demand...
NEW – Analysis: Clean energy just put China’s CO2 emissions into reverse for first time | @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/6eAcjRU
Read here: buff.ly/6eAcjRU
May 15, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Quite possibly the biggest climate story of the year (especially when we look back on this in a few years' time)
For the first time on record, China's emissions are falling due to clean energy growth, not slow power demand...
For the first time on record, China's emissions are falling due to clean energy growth, not slow power demand...
The beginning of the end of the hype cycle.
Klarna CEO in 2024: “… AI can already do all of the jobs that we, as humans, do."
Klarna CEO in 2025: "… what you end up having is lower quality.“
Tell me again why people are rushing to integrate this technology into *any* system, let alone critical systems…?
futurism.com/klarna-opena...
Klarna CEO in 2025: "… what you end up having is lower quality.“
Tell me again why people are rushing to integrate this technology into *any* system, let alone critical systems…?
futurism.com/klarna-opena...
Company Regrets Replacing All Those Pesky Human Workers With AI, Just Wants Its Humans Back
Years after outsourcing marketing and customer service gigs to AI, the Swedish company Klarna is looking to hire its humans back.
futurism.com
May 15, 2025 at 2:43 AM
The beginning of the end of the hype cycle.
Reposted by Salman
The mask is coming off of the Network State cult.
Here is Network State evangelist Balaji Srinivasan boosting Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong calling for the creation "10 or so" new tech cities on federal land.
Of course, Trump has already announced plans for 10 new cities...
Here is Network State evangelist Balaji Srinivasan boosting Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong calling for the creation "10 or so" new tech cities on federal land.
Of course, Trump has already announced plans for 10 new cities...
May 14, 2025 at 11:57 PM
The mask is coming off of the Network State cult.
Here is Network State evangelist Balaji Srinivasan boosting Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong calling for the creation "10 or so" new tech cities on federal land.
Of course, Trump has already announced plans for 10 new cities...
Here is Network State evangelist Balaji Srinivasan boosting Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong calling for the creation "10 or so" new tech cities on federal land.
Of course, Trump has already announced plans for 10 new cities...
Reposted by Salman
This is a terrific and extremely important post by @salome.bsky.social
lpeproject.org/blog/the-rig...
lpeproject.org/blog/the-rig...
The Right Understands That All Governance Is Data Governance
The tech arm of Trump 2.0 isn't just reshaping government — it's consolidating control over the data infrastructure that makes modern governance possible. By centralizing data flows and gutting public...
lpeproject.org
May 12, 2025 at 12:08 PM
This is a terrific and extremely important post by @salome.bsky.social
lpeproject.org/blog/the-rig...
lpeproject.org/blog/the-rig...
Reposted by Salman
Things that are easy: Attacking trans people
Things that are hard: Stopping male violence against women
Things that are easy: Demonising immigrants
Things that are hard: Fixing life for people who already live here
Things that are hard: Stopping male violence against women
Things that are easy: Demonising immigrants
Things that are hard: Fixing life for people who already live here
May 12, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Things that are easy: Attacking trans people
Things that are hard: Stopping male violence against women
Things that are easy: Demonising immigrants
Things that are hard: Fixing life for people who already live here
Things that are hard: Stopping male violence against women
Things that are easy: Demonising immigrants
Things that are hard: Fixing life for people who already live here
The far-right won't love you Keir.
May 12, 2025 at 10:43 AM
The far-right won't love you Keir.
Reposted by Salman
Incalculable = when we calculated it, it didn't give us the answer we wanted
If you thought the PM’s speech was punchy, his foreword to the immigration white paper says high net migration has done “incalculable damage” to the country.
That is a serious shift in tone for a Labour government/party.
That is a serious shift in tone for a Labour government/party.
May 12, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Incalculable = when we calculated it, it didn't give us the answer we wanted
Reposted by Salman
My quick take on Labour's anti-immigration policies, and the inevitable harm which they will cause. Starmer is mirroring Reform, but can never go far enough to appease them. #r4today
May 12, 2025 at 7:44 AM
My quick take on Labour's anti-immigration policies, and the inevitable harm which they will cause. Starmer is mirroring Reform, but can never go far enough to appease them. #r4today
Reposted by Salman
Ever since AI took off, I've been trying to nail down one question: what's the climate impact of this technology? The initial impressions are not good. A new IEA report this week is the gold standard and shows emissions from data centres rising significantly: www.economist.com/science-and-...
April 11, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Ever since AI took off, I've been trying to nail down one question: what's the climate impact of this technology? The initial impressions are not good. A new IEA report this week is the gold standard and shows emissions from data centres rising significantly: www.economist.com/science-and-...
Reposted by Salman
severance: a closer look into the mid-century, brutalist, and retro-futuristic universe of lumon (10min) if you like interior and office design and that TV show, you’ll love all the references.
severance: a closer look into the mid-century, brutalist, and retro-futuristic universe of lumon
www.designboom.com
April 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM
severance: a closer look into the mid-century, brutalist, and retro-futuristic universe of lumon (10min) if you like interior and office design and that TV show, you’ll love all the references.
Reposted by Salman
every rich guy on earth currently in a coordinated effort to give each living human a new version of Sick Building Syndrome
Microsoft Study Finds AI Makes Human Cognition “Atrophied and Unprepared”
Researchers find that the more people use AI at their job, the less critical thinking they use.
www.404media.co
February 10, 2025 at 11:20 PM
every rich guy on earth currently in a coordinated effort to give each living human a new version of Sick Building Syndrome
Reposted by Salman
40 year Internet veteran - can conform I'm normal
This list misses document sharing between devices tho
This list misses document sharing between devices tho
Normal people’s productivity stack:
Reminders: Photos
Calendars: Photos
Project management: Photos
Contacts: Photos
Bookmarks: Photos
Photos: Photos
Notes: You’re not going to believe this, but Photos
Reminders: Photos
Calendars: Photos
Project management: Photos
Contacts: Photos
Bookmarks: Photos
Photos: Photos
Notes: You’re not going to believe this, but Photos
January 7, 2025 at 11:45 AM
40 year Internet veteran - can conform I'm normal
This list misses document sharing between devices tho
This list misses document sharing between devices tho