iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Ben Zalin

Mike Goodman @themlg.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

As good a time as ever to do a new pinned post which tells everybody that @doublepivotpodcast.bsky.social is now on YouTube. If soccer nerd stuff with little charts is your jam (and even if it isn’t) you should head on over and subscribe tell your friends to do the same. youtube.com/@doublepivot...

youtube.com

Double Pivot Podcast

The world's most agreeable soccer analytics podcast with Michael Goodman and Michael Caley since 2016. Find all of us at Patreon.com/DoublePivot

072

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 10h

Very much so. Knew we were playing in white from the radio in the first half and having got it on the TV for the second half, still spent 2m trying to work out who was playing where for Liverpool in red before realising.

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 11h

Yes, that’s just not the way those on the left would describe their views, because almost everyone knows what “immigration is one of my top issues” means.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Entirely fair, I’m afraid. LASK have managed to look surprisingly decent going forward and think the CMs and FBs are also a bit at fault but the CBs should be good for at least being in the right place to make it a *bit* difficult.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Well, a heavily rotated side presumably still wins, anyway.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

You were right about 2 of them almost straight away and Barcola after his hat trick. Only so many subs you can make, ofc and arguably also want scope to take off Rio and Nyoni, if they look tired, I guess. Only LASK but the squad does look a bit deeper after a heavily rotated side wins.

110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

I think you probably are more moral for having left, even if that’s not either why you left or how you frame the decision. Apart from anything else, the hypothetical you still on Twitter would almost certainly be *less* moral, given the Nazi state of Twitter these days.

020

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Personally I’d be more worried about HAVING COMMITTED MURDER but I am, I admit, a bit of a bleeding heart liberal.

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Even by Jenrick standards this is some depraved shouting the quiet part out very loud. It’s obvs just vice signalling, but yes, murdering refugees would solve the “problem” in much the same way using a flamethrower on people drinking in parks would work in preventing that.

110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

To be fair to the guy, v hard indeed to parse a comment about sticking your dick in a branded electrical socket as anything other than a serious recommendation of that brand and nether region electrical interfacing.

020

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

I’m sure there’s a bit of this but it’s alarmingly *detailed* and reads a lot like every accusation is a confession to me, at least as far as a personal obsession goes, even if not personal behaviour.

110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Obvs even more than most things, race and ethnicity are just stories we tell ourselves but some of these stories don’t even have any internal coherence. People stumbling around trying to hold together what’s just complete nonsense once you even prod it gently.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Good knowledge but that wouldn’t have annoyed them as much.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Has she dislocated her eyeballs rolling her eyes yet?

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

You would believe yourself a hero under extremely difficult but necessary circumstances. As you say, capacity for convenient delusion is enormous and explains all sorts of mad beliefs. Not usually *that* mad though.

130

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Then, apparently, there aren’t any Israeli children. Perhaps they get a pass, although they didn’t get one from Hamas, did they? Turns out I shouldn’t have deconstructed this. It’s not made me feel any better about it.

040

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Not sure we should deconstruct this terrifyingly genocidal position. Still, for Israeli adults, not all have, in fact, served in the IDF. That’s before you consider whether all IDF service = being a genocidal terrorist (clearly, it does not) or whether all genocidal terrorists should die.

140

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

If enough wind for the ship of the line to manoeuvre I think it wins.

130

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

If getting that close, imagine the triremes get blown out of the water unless enough of them could swarm at once. The ship of the line would be more vulnerable at bow and stern, where it has far fewer guns but could swing round to bring others to bear. Depends a lot on conditions, I think.

110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Nothing woker than independently reviewing terrorist legislation though.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I didn’t say it was reliably good at it!

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Thought this was v good and did the usual check profile not *too* weird before following thing and you’re the author of Loki! Okay, I appreciate this is something you v likely already know but still, is the only book my 9 year old son has liked all year.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Well, not what you’ve done with the pixels, obviously, that looks a bit amateurish but the joke was excellent.

110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The system: known for its targeting of terror crimes.

150

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

That would require there to be topics she has done the work on though.

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Not decrying health care at any age but it’s pretty marginal, to be honest.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Tries to resist painfully obvious joke about that explaining why it took so long. Reads replies, sees someone has mentioned sat navs. Rests quietly.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

There is only anti Muslim racist, Zionist genocide supporter on one had and brave anti Zionists against (almost) all forms of racism on the other Jonn, you know that. Am really sorry about some of your replies though, even so.

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

“Retired engineee who drove Smart Car to ULEZ camera” wouldn’t be a much less partial account of it.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Ah, I see you had a separate post with the tank. I reiterate my point about the content. Mad but marvellous. What do you mean making it the Kemi party might have some downsides? Not in terms of content it doesn’t.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Is Kemi in a tank there? This is marvellous content, I have to say.

120

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

This is quite unexpected.

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Ah so she had opted for “FUN AND UNSAFE” but was blocked. It’s hard being a seven year old.

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Did she opt for “FUN AND UNSAFE” or “BORING AND SAFE” in the end?

110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

What do you mean you also think the US has approached its neighbours in an appalling way for ever? Anyway, you obviously don’t mean it because you don’t like Russia, so must be an imperialist running dog. Now back to the Monroe doctrine.

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Yeah, didn’t even get into other former Soviet states and an approach to their sphere of influence that makes the US approach to S America look quite benign. They like the sphere of influence concept, because it gets them out of answering some hard questions, at least to their own satisfaction.

110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Err, yes …? bsky.app/profile/benz...

000

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

As Stephen says, it’s a rich text. Not one that improves the closer it’s read though.

0140

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

They just can’t see Russia as imperialist. Imperialist means the west. Have had a couple of hilarious conversations around definitions where Russia invading Ukraine doesn’t count because they’ve not got a more global agenda. This was when Russia was in Syria! I had to break some v bad news.

181

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I thought about refusing to believe this was real, which would keep the world a (slightly) saner place. Is pretty funny though. Also, painfully online right shitposter stuff.

0110

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This is a completely plausible explanation although I’d keep open the possibility that at least a few City principals just didn’t really think they’d done much wrong. Certainly they don’t seem to have believed in the concept of having signed up to EPL regulation.

100

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

That would be nice. I’m mostly in it for the cash though, so would mainly like to get paid for my conspiracies.

100

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Purity tests are bad. I am good. This is what I want. It can’t therefore be a purity test.

030

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Oh yes, this is much worse, it’s more that the pattern of stupidity is similar. Looking back, I think some of the articles were actually written under ministerial bylines. But even that wasn’t this.

010

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Thing is, I don’t think they did know.

100

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

But who could be expected to remain consistent across years and countries? Somewhat reminiscent of Brexit, where UK government would be saying one thing in negotiations wth EU and briefing the press utterly contradictory things and you’d think, you know many Europeans can read English, don’t you?

100

Ben Zalin @benzalin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

This is, it has to be said, mostly because the thread is so long I can’t get back to the top of it.

000