Emyr Derfel
@emyrderfel.bsky.social
Programming to pay for my bicycle habit.
ADHD+Dyslexia.
Welsh but in Bolton, Northwest England.
ADHD+Dyslexia.
Welsh but in Bolton, Northwest England.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
It's quite hard for Americans to understand that our instinct with anything other than genuinely tragic stories is to take the piss.
September 29, 2026 at 8:38 PM
It's quite hard for Americans to understand that our instinct with anything other than genuinely tragic stories is to take the piss.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Reuters got some of the IPO docs. Anthropic is a total dog of a company. Spent $12.6bn to make $4.6bn in revenue in 2025, $7.33bn of which was compute costs. Operating loss of $8bn. Losses getting worse year over year. Amazing stuff
www.reuters.com/business/fin...
www.reuters.com/business/fin...
September 29, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Reuters got some of the IPO docs. Anthropic is a total dog of a company. Spent $12.6bn to make $4.6bn in revenue in 2025, $7.33bn of which was compute costs. Operating loss of $8bn. Losses getting worse year over year. Amazing stuff
www.reuters.com/business/fin...
www.reuters.com/business/fin...
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Never sell anyone out.
In fact, if you're asked about banning 12-year-olds from softball, just say, "You're asking me to sell out kids for my political career. I'm not going to do that. Let's stop demonizing people in tougher circumstances than you or I will ever experience. They have guts."
In fact, if you're asked about banning 12-year-olds from softball, just say, "You're asking me to sell out kids for my political career. I'm not going to do that. Let's stop demonizing people in tougher circumstances than you or I will ever experience. They have guts."
NEWS — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear criticizes fellow Democrats who say transgender athletes should be barred from women’s sports.
“That is not the party that we are. We start as a party of compassion and empathy.”
“That is not the party that we are. We start as a party of compassion and empathy.”
September 29, 2026 at 12:23 AM
Never sell anyone out.
In fact, if you're asked about banning 12-year-olds from softball, just say, "You're asking me to sell out kids for my political career. I'm not going to do that. Let's stop demonizing people in tougher circumstances than you or I will ever experience. They have guts."
In fact, if you're asked about banning 12-year-olds from softball, just say, "You're asking me to sell out kids for my political career. I'm not going to do that. Let's stop demonizing people in tougher circumstances than you or I will ever experience. They have guts."
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Remember the random dude who got 49020939 articles of uncritical media coverage in the space of two days because he quit anthropic based on his fears of existential AI risk?
Yeah..........he's a climate denier. So is the whole AI industry.
www.crikey.com.au/2026/09/22/a...
Yeah..........he's a climate denier. So is the whole AI industry.
www.crikey.com.au/2026/09/22/a...
September 27, 2026 at 1:15 AM
Remember the random dude who got 49020939 articles of uncritical media coverage in the space of two days because he quit anthropic based on his fears of existential AI risk?
Yeah..........he's a climate denier. So is the whole AI industry.
www.crikey.com.au/2026/09/22/a...
Yeah..........he's a climate denier. So is the whole AI industry.
www.crikey.com.au/2026/09/22/a...
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Trump: Sleepy Joe Biden, have you heard of him?
*a few moments later*
Trump: 😴😴😴
*a few moments later*
Trump: 😴😴😴
September 28, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Trump: Sleepy Joe Biden, have you heard of him?
*a few moments later*
Trump: 😴😴😴
*a few moments later*
Trump: 😴😴😴
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Here's a map of how iron ore mined in Minnesota moves (the red lines). Note the markers for where steel facilities are located, they're where they are because you have to move the stuff on ships.
There are no steel mills in Iowa of any size because you can't get the fucking stuff it's made of there
There are no steel mills in Iowa of any size because you can't get the fucking stuff it's made of there
September 28, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Here's a map of how iron ore mined in Minnesota moves (the red lines). Note the markers for where steel facilities are located, they're where they are because you have to move the stuff on ships.
There are no steel mills in Iowa of any size because you can't get the fucking stuff it's made of there
There are no steel mills in Iowa of any size because you can't get the fucking stuff it's made of there
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Somehow not The Onion
John Fetterman accidentally calls himself ‘a lifelong Republican’
Social and news media commenters seize on senator’s gaffe, with some characterizing it as a Freudian slip
www.theguardian.com
September 28, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Somehow not The Onion
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Oil giant BP not only funded the research behind an influential climate science paper, but company execs even tried to revise versions of it.
“Chaps, I have had a go at rewriting the paper,” a BP climate adviser wrote the researchers at one point.
(Published June w/ @drilledmedia.bsky.social)
“Chaps, I have had a go at rewriting the paper,” a BP climate adviser wrote the researchers at one point.
(Published June w/ @drilledmedia.bsky.social)
How BP Execs Influenced a Climate Study That Shaped a Generation of Global Policy
BP sponsored an elite Princeton research center to address the climate problem without getting off fossil fuels. Its key work, a paper known as “Wedges,” guided climate discourse for a generation.
www.propublica.org
September 24, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Oil giant BP not only funded the research behind an influential climate science paper, but company execs even tried to revise versions of it.
“Chaps, I have had a go at rewriting the paper,” a BP climate adviser wrote the researchers at one point.
(Published June w/ @drilledmedia.bsky.social)
“Chaps, I have had a go at rewriting the paper,” a BP climate adviser wrote the researchers at one point.
(Published June w/ @drilledmedia.bsky.social)
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Thanks to those who came out last night to the Middleton Library to learn about Why Rich People Cheat (And Why We Let Them Get Away With It). It was great to have a packed house and such an engaged audience! And thanks to @uwmadison.bsky.social's @uwbadgertalks.bsky.social for supporting the event!
September 23, 2026 at 5:06 PM
Thanks to those who came out last night to the Middleton Library to learn about Why Rich People Cheat (And Why We Let Them Get Away With It). It was great to have a packed house and such an engaged audience! And thanks to @uwmadison.bsky.social's @uwbadgertalks.bsky.social for supporting the event!
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
AP Stylebook warns against anthropomorphizing AI systems:
“Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”
“Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”
September 24, 2026 at 12:30 AM
AP Stylebook warns against anthropomorphizing AI systems:
“Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”
“Avoid language that gives them human characteristics… Instead, explain what a system does, how well it performs, who built it and who could be affected by it.”
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Regulators should shut this down before it leads to a wave of predictable, preventable deaths by suicide.
September 23, 2026 at 12:39 AM
Regulators should shut this down before it leads to a wave of predictable, preventable deaths by suicide.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
This is true, that's what makes it both funny and sad.
September 23, 2026 at 8:54 AM
This is true, that's what makes it both funny and sad.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
This is my take on almost every single pending copyright case: settling for a few billion is what we will have to do because the alternative is probably that Congress rewrites copyright law so that we have to give it over for free.
And to be completely cynical, if there's a major adverse ruling here or at the appellate level, congress will amend copyright law to protect AI companies from liability. There's simply too much money involved for them to let copyright kill the entire AI industry.
September 21, 2026 at 10:10 PM
This is my take on almost every single pending copyright case: settling for a few billion is what we will have to do because the alternative is probably that Congress rewrites copyright law so that we have to give it over for free.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
She has a degree in economics (and int'l relations). The Right hates her for a lot of reasons, but one big one is that she runs circles around them intellectually and they know it
@aoc.bsky.social just put out a great statement on AI. Refreshing to see a major politician on the left nail this.
"Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity. But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves."
🎯
"Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity. But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves."
🎯
September 21, 2026 at 7:52 PM
She has a degree in economics (and int'l relations). The Right hates her for a lot of reasons, but one big one is that she runs circles around them intellectually and they know it
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Fully electric aviation has some major challenges (mostly: batteries are heavy and don't get lighter as they get used up) but I love the idea of decreasing aircraft emissions through a hybrid approach, perhaps as a step toward new, clever solutions for fully electric air transport in the future.
The world’s largest battery-electric aircraft flew for the first time on the 12th of August, a 27-minute test flight over upstate New York that cost about five dollars in electricity. Heart Aerospace’s 30-seat prototype is a big step toward a commercial version. buff.ly/i3f0PhR
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
The largest all-electric plane ever flew for 27 minutes, on $5 of electricity
Heart's X1 demonstrator flew for 27 minutes from a regional airport in upstate New York, running on battery power the entire time. The aircraft reached 1,100 feet...
www.techspot.com
September 20, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Fully electric aviation has some major challenges (mostly: batteries are heavy and don't get lighter as they get used up) but I love the idea of decreasing aircraft emissions through a hybrid approach, perhaps as a step toward new, clever solutions for fully electric air transport in the future.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
The driver’s behavior before and after the crash is sociopathic. But also, no car operated on public roads should be able to go 100 mph, much less 142 mph.
Jesus Christ, this article will enrage you like nothing else
Tesla driver charged with murdering 2 in San Jose shows no remorse, prosecutors say
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — When Ivana Balistreri and her baby were trapped inside a “fireball,” a Tesla driver who had just crashed into the victims’ car on Highway 87 in San…
www.kron4.com
September 20, 2026 at 4:35 PM
The driver’s behavior before and after the crash is sociopathic. But also, no car operated on public roads should be able to go 100 mph, much less 142 mph.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
The weather excuse is just bollocks. When we lived in Beijing, it hit below -10C (10F) in winter & over 40C (105F) in summer & we cycled all year round. I don't know if it still is but transport cycling was very common in HCMC/Saigon relatively recently. Cold snowy Nordics. Wet windy Low Countries.
September 20, 2026 at 5:26 PM
The weather excuse is just bollocks. When we lived in Beijing, it hit below -10C (10F) in winter & over 40C (105F) in summer & we cycled all year round. I don't know if it still is but transport cycling was very common in HCMC/Saigon relatively recently. Cold snowy Nordics. Wet windy Low Countries.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
this tweet is NINE years old and is still the best trans rights policy advice out there
September 19, 2026 at 11:28 AM
this tweet is NINE years old and is still the best trans rights policy advice out there
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
if I was the CEO of a racing series I would simply not say my favourite Marvel character is fucking THANOS of all people what in hell man
September 20, 2026 at 6:06 PM
if I was the CEO of a racing series I would simply not say my favourite Marvel character is fucking THANOS of all people what in hell man
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
But speaking of staying in one's lane, can we PLEASE switch the default position from "It's fine to use 'AI' for this thing I'm not an expert in" to "Yeah, I'd be really skeptical of any use cases and need to see strong evidence that it's okay, but I'm not the one who can produce that evidence"?
September 19, 2026 at 7:58 PM
But speaking of staying in one's lane, can we PLEASE switch the default position from "It's fine to use 'AI' for this thing I'm not an expert in" to "Yeah, I'd be really skeptical of any use cases and need to see strong evidence that it's okay, but I'm not the one who can produce that evidence"?
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
It is wild to think that most cities used to have extensive electric tram systems, capable of efficiently transporting people and producing zero emissions at street level.
And they were persuaded it was a good idea to rip them out.
Now cities are spending billions putting them back in.
And they were persuaded it was a good idea to rip them out.
Now cities are spending billions putting them back in.
September 19, 2026 at 6:21 PM
It is wild to think that most cities used to have extensive electric tram systems, capable of efficiently transporting people and producing zero emissions at street level.
And they were persuaded it was a good idea to rip them out.
Now cities are spending billions putting them back in.
And they were persuaded it was a good idea to rip them out.
Now cities are spending billions putting them back in.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
I think AI has already exceeded the intelligence of the type of person that believes AGI is imminent, which is why they believe AGI is imminent.
September 17, 2026 at 2:38 AM
I think AI has already exceeded the intelligence of the type of person that believes AGI is imminent, which is why they believe AGI is imminent.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
I am very rarely in favour of outright banning things, but slot machines really have absolutely nothing to recommend them. If we must have them in the world, we should tax the living fuck out of them so that at least they contribute *something*.
The Betfred co-founder argues that after all the tax and wage rises already imposed on the industry, a raid on slot machines would be a wrecking ball
Betting shops and jobs will go if the morality police strike again
www.thetimes.com
September 19, 2026 at 4:32 PM
I am very rarely in favour of outright banning things, but slot machines really have absolutely nothing to recommend them. If we must have them in the world, we should tax the living fuck out of them so that at least they contribute *something*.
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
really don't want to never watch Formula E again especially cus Gen4 looks sick but ...I do not want to subscribe to this shite
Disney+ has updated its terms to allow ads across ALL subscription plans, including Premium.
Junior Mode profiles will remain the only exception.
Junior Mode profiles will remain the only exception.
September 19, 2026 at 4:53 PM
really don't want to never watch Formula E again especially cus Gen4 looks sick but ...I do not want to subscribe to this shite
Reposted by Emyr Derfel
Interesting thread about FAKE Natalie Harp photo.
Thread: Two different versions of this AI-generated image purporting to show President Trump and his assistant Natalie Harp kissing went viral this week, generating millions of views across multiple platforms. Despite being fake, this wasn't a straightforward AI image to debunk.
I'll explain why.
I'll explain why.
September 19, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Interesting thread about FAKE Natalie Harp photo.