Mary Thomson
@infraredeyes.bsky.social
Scientist, Scot, UK and US citizen, now living in New Zealand. Opinions expressed are my own. If you don't like 'em, think up your own stuff.
[Following back is not compulsory.]
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A significant number of Irish Catholics have identified strongly with the Palestinians almost since Israel has existed as a state. They see parallels with the religious/political divide in Northern Ireland.
October 8, 2026 at 4:21 AM
A significant number of Irish Catholics have identified strongly with the Palestinians almost since Israel has existed as a state. They see parallels with the religious/political divide in Northern Ireland.
So the whole Colonize Mars thing might be a waste of time, eh?
October 4, 2026 at 3:42 AM
So the whole Colonize Mars thing might be a waste of time, eh?
Can't help but admire the court for refusing to execute him because his coup plan was so stupid. "We can't very well hang you, you're such an idiot."
October 3, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Can't help but admire the court for refusing to execute him because his coup plan was so stupid. "We can't very well hang you, you're such an idiot."
Pronounced "dash-hound" if you do.
October 3, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Pronounced "dash-hound" if you do.
Bloody Stupid is the expression you're after.
October 1, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Bloody Stupid is the expression you're after.
Oakeshott is just about the only person who can give Daniel Hannan a run for his money in the Always Wrong About Everything Stakes.
September 30, 2026 at 9:33 PM
Oakeshott is just about the only person who can give Daniel Hannan a run for his money in the Always Wrong About Everything Stakes.
God bless Dan, the Man Who is Wrong About Everything! I think we can take this as a strong indication that we will, in fact, rejoin some day.
September 30, 2026 at 9:06 PM
God bless Dan, the Man Who is Wrong About Everything! I think we can take this as a strong indication that we will, in fact, rejoin some day.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
I think about this interview with the distinguished philosopher Conan O'Brien a lot. I actually think this is a healthy way to live your life! www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/a...
![Is this how you want to go out, with a show that gets smaller and smaller until it’s gone?
Maybe that’s O.K. I think you have more of a problem with that than I do. [Laughs.] At this point in my career, I could go out with a grand, 21-gun salute, and climb into a rocket and the entire Supreme Court walks out and they jointly press a button, I’m shot up into the air and there’s an explosion and it’s orange and it spells, “Good night and God love.” In this culture? Two years later, it’s going to be, who’s Conan? This is going to sound grim, but eventually, all our graves go unattended.
You’re right, that does sound grim.
Sorry. Calvin Coolidge was a pretty popular president. I’ve been to his grave in Vermont. It has the presidential seal on it. Nobody was there. And by the way, I’m the only late-night host that has been to Calvin Coolidge’s grave. I think that’s what separates me from the other hosts.
I had a great conversation with Albert Brooks once. When I met him for the first time, I was kind of stammering. I said, you make movies, they live on forever. I just do these late-night shows, they get lost, they’re never seen again and who cares? And he looked at me and he said, [Albert Brooks voice] “What are you talking about? None of it matters.” None of it matters? “No, that’s the secret. In 1940, people said Clark Gable is the face of the 20th Century. Who [expletive] thinks about Clark Gable? It doesn’t matter. You’ll be forgotten. I’ll be forgotten. We’ll all be forgotten.” It’s so funny because you’d think that would depress me. I was walking on air after that.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:qnyq7wies2uc56bzqmfz4q25/bafkreief4hu7c6hd6ymgqnsaejlaipfuj7fq4ka2tkix72pionkb3dkkdy)
September 29, 2026 at 7:15 PM
I think about this interview with the distinguished philosopher Conan O'Brien a lot. I actually think this is a healthy way to live your life! www.nytimes.com/2019/01/14/a...
Is it a threat or a promise?
September 29, 2026 at 6:43 AM
Is it a threat or a promise?
Reposted by Mary Thomson
I love drawing superintelligent dogs with thumbs using drones to destroy humanity, I should do this more often
September 25, 2026 at 2:28 PM
I love drawing superintelligent dogs with thumbs using drones to destroy humanity, I should do this more often
Staggering incompetence and not giving a shit often go hand-in-hand.
September 24, 2026 at 2:12 AM
Staggering incompetence and not giving a shit often go hand-in-hand.
Fair enough, so long as we're clear about that.
September 21, 2026 at 6:25 AM
Fair enough, so long as we're clear about that.
I don't really care one way or the other about whether AIs have souls or whatever.
What I care about is the moral and legal responsibility for the bad actions of AIs. Granting the AIs agency weakens the case against their creators and (IMO) controllers to an unacceptable extent.
What I care about is the moral and legal responsibility for the bad actions of AIs. Granting the AIs agency weakens the case against their creators and (IMO) controllers to an unacceptable extent.
September 21, 2026 at 12:31 AM
I don't really care one way or the other about whether AIs have souls or whatever.
What I care about is the moral and legal responsibility for the bad actions of AIs. Granting the AIs agency weakens the case against their creators and (IMO) controllers to an unacceptable extent.
What I care about is the moral and legal responsibility for the bad actions of AIs. Granting the AIs agency weakens the case against their creators and (IMO) controllers to an unacceptable extent.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Movies aren't evil per se, but propagandists exploit new media as soon as they get a handle on how the new media work. The Nazis made hay with film (Riefenstahl) and radio too. More recently, the far right and the internet. In earlier times, writing and print allowed religions to convert millions.
September 20, 2026 at 11:57 PM
Movies aren't evil per se, but propagandists exploit new media as soon as they get a handle on how the new media work. The Nazis made hay with film (Riefenstahl) and radio too. More recently, the far right and the internet. In earlier times, writing and print allowed religions to convert millions.
Reposted by Mary Thomson
Billy Joel where are you. We don't know who started the fire, but we do actually know the guy who keeps spraying gasoline on it.
September 18, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Billy Joel where are you. We don't know who started the fire, but we do actually know the guy who keeps spraying gasoline on it.
Here's my guess: you've had an idea for a sitcom, and you're figuring out whether it'll work or not.
September 17, 2026 at 12:50 AM
Here's my guess: you've had an idea for a sitcom, and you're figuring out whether it'll work or not.
I think what you are saying here is akin to mistaking the map for the territory.
September 16, 2026 at 11:45 PM
I think what you are saying here is akin to mistaking the map for the territory.
I want to be able to nail somebody's arse to the wall when an AI does something wrong.
September 16, 2026 at 12:01 AM
I want to be able to nail somebody's arse to the wall when an AI does something wrong.
Phenomenologically, you make a fair point. However, by anthropomorphizing AI, we make it easier for the people who create and promote these tools to dodge responsibility for bad outcomes.
September 16, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Phenomenologically, you make a fair point. However, by anthropomorphizing AI, we make it easier for the people who create and promote these tools to dodge responsibility for bad outcomes.
No, "thinking" is not a good word for this. You might get away with "reasoning", but even that carries implications of human-like interiority that we shouldn't attribute to AI. These are machines, we need to remember that. Any human-like traits are inherited from the human-generated training data.
September 15, 2026 at 11:37 PM
No, "thinking" is not a good word for this. You might get away with "reasoning", but even that carries implications of human-like interiority that we shouldn't attribute to AI. These are machines, we need to remember that. Any human-like traits are inherited from the human-generated training data.
Anthony Powell's "Dance to the Music of Time" sequence.
September 15, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Anthony Powell's "Dance to the Music of Time" sequence.