Gareth Watkins

This week on the podcast, we watch Fast Five and talk about feminist theory because the franchise continues to be weird about women

"The imperative to use AI to create is an attempt to frame a problem of politics as a problem of efficiency. I do not need to be more efficient, I need time and freedom to read and to think and to write and to fail as we all do."

"Doctor, I struggle to reconcile my identification with the media I love with the evil effects of its hidden messages on reactionary young men."
"Acclaimed album The Marshall Mathers LP is on streaming. Listen from Track 1 to the end, and you'll be cured."
"But doctor, I am The Real Slim Shady."

I've had the greatest idea: harsh noise Varang from Avatar Fire and Ash.

Showing up at DND night and derailing the game by being like 'yeah, but fuck the picts though am I right? Wode-wearing asses.'

thinking about noise misato again 😢

I love when I come across an account that is a very young woman who is a recent Catholic/Eastern Orthodox convert posting antisemitic conspiracy theories and about why women shouldn’t vote and she has zero followers and not even any reply guys

She’s trying so hard, and she just can’t get picked 🥀

Let’s talk about Graham Platner’s Big Lie, finally. In 2009, at the height of the Gulf War, the Marines barred him from active duty. Platner claims it was his forearm tattoos. But his one forbidden tattoo was the Nazi symbol on his chest. He knew - and he left the Marines rather than give it up. 1/

Perfect example of why everyone hates tech people. Perpetually aggrieved self righteous douchebags who cant even take the lightest ribbing of their unwarranted sense of self importance lol

Ah, you saw the video from the official White House account too then.

I assume that this is because their fund is so good that they just couldn't let people not be part of it?

the February Nonfarm Payroll report just says “the car’s on fire and there’s no driver at the wheel” is that good

Damn, never knew John Goodman had a pre-Roseanne career.

Basically two groups in Labour right now:

-soft left types starting to realise they followed the herd when they probably shouldn't have and are thinking they might have fucked it.

-Blue Labour types, grenade in one hand, pin in the other screaming that if they're going you're going with them

The Dune/Star Wars crossover we've been craving is here.

(Although they got a nice carpet of greenery because they didn't cap their substrate with too much sand like a fucken noob.)

It's literally the same breeds of fish. Half the plants are exactly the same. Baudrillard laser eyes but they're like from that one alternate X-men universe where Cyclops's eye beams become so intense that they ignite the atmosphere.

I turned on one of those ten hours of an aquarium YouTube videos to relax then realised what I was doing.

Be so for real with me: is The Secret Agent good?

"The ideology that has utterly failed is conservatism; the center right has ceased to exist across the world, its institutions taken over by fascists, its voters pledging allegiance to a new flag."
In this essay, @polphilpod.bsky.social helpfully reframes the discussion of "postliberalism."

yeag (THREAD 2/2)

hell (THREAD 1/2)

Blood Work | Patreon A podcast about the economy of violence

I have dived way too deep into the muck for this week's @bloodwork.show newsletter, and now I'm wading knee deep in the DoD and Atlantic Council hiring ex-COD developers and sponsoring streamers.

Hear more this Sunday, only on bloodwork.show

A High Value Male would not allow himself to be detained.

As a PSL 2 with 0.47 jawline recession, it is Tate's genetic destiny to be mogged by Salafi Gigachads.

He must submit to the inviolable laws of nature.

He must begin taking estrogen and become the bride of a Saudi Border patrol officer.

Ah yes, a post-literate society where people get their news through highly emotive and addictive pabulum, something that is famously bad for the right.

I Who Have Never Known Magical Girls - by Adam Smith In which I talk about books and anime that I have enjoyed, and why the world has returned to them now

Dystopian fiction, anime, magical girls, uncertainty, and falling off a cliff

read all about it, the latest Wealth of Notions: wealthofnotions.substack.com/p/i-who-have...

Where things stand with the Department of War A statement from Dario Amodei

I think one of the most staggering industry shifts in my 16 years as a tech reporter is that it’s not become a question of “should our product help the government kill and/or surveil people?” but “to what extent?”

www.anthropic.com/news/where-s...