Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 17hElon Musk is neither "truly elite" and the role he filled in the American market at the beginning of his rise to wealth could have been filled by any non-immigrant. So not really an answer, is it? 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 17hAI solipsism: the notion that all problems have a clearly efficient and optimizeable solution, and that solution can only be achieved through the use of AI systems. Here, Alvin assumes that the optimization of training a voice model provides all the requirements of language learning. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 08/10/2026I support the suit, and Trump's advertising seems to meet the definition of propaganda. But, I am concerned that the DNC is up to its eyeballs in debt and am worried Dems may be literally mortgaging future candidates' ability to run. Can they afford this? 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 07/10/2026The problem is essentially the same everywhere. It's more acute in Spain. There's just not enough housing to meet demand. And the proposals offered by Sánchez are tantamount to a band aid on an amputation. Maybe building more housing and forcing private equity out of real estate markets? 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 07/10/2026I think it's OK to not express political opinions; to be honest about not politically opining because it might affect your marketability as an actor; even to not want to participate in toxic political discourse. But, others get to shape your image without your input. Accurately or inaccurately. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 06/10/2026The only people who don't know that the terrorism rationale is a pretense is whoever is still left in the Trump coalition. And if the polling is to be believed, only the Christian nationalists remain. Which are basically Russians who don't say 'tovarich'. And that's *not* a coincidence. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Say what you will about the French. They're persnickety if you say "bonjour" when you should "bonsoir". They're surrender monkeys. They force feed geese to get patê. And sure, some of those things are bad. But they care about their education. I don't see American students with this much concern. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 06/10/2026We all need to pour one out for Tammy Fae. And forget that Jim ever existed. Just sayin'. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Oh, they're having sex! Whether or not any consent took place is another matter altogether. Somebody needs to find that out. Preferably, before filing articles of impeachment. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 06/10/2026And this, students, is how we go from coalition building to puritannical ragebaiting. All right, our next chapter is on the Mao Zedong, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and the Great Leap Forward. 010
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026I think the answer's pretty obvious. Robots in the mines and oil would be much more expensive to produce and maintain than to underpay labor to assume all the physical risk of mining and extracting oil. It's inverse with AI and the white collar sector. Even with AI's penchant for hallucinations. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Harris Faulkner would be promulgating mis- and disinformation right now if her employer didn't just settle their Dominion libel suit for $800 million, rather than have a jury award them potentially billions. Me, personally, I'd rather be mad at this than troll contrite Trump voters. BYDYB. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026OK so everyone but Trump realizes that India ≠ Brazil. But I do remember Trump bitching not only about electronic tabulating software, but also electronic balloting as being inherently unreliable and completely vulnerable to manipulation. And guess what all of Brazil's voting is? Electronic. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Honestly, not something I ever saw Travis Kelce being involved with ... like ever. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Nobody truly believes that U.S. reactionary fascism is unique. A cursory read of a high-school history text usually dispels that delusion. The point is that people are too busy treading choppy economic waters, and doing the bare minimum self-care that entails, to do anything *but* hand-wring. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026So, carpet bombing a country with the means to construct a nuke which *you* previously said was impossible due to previous military action, now, somehow, makes it *more* likely that Iran will use nukes and that's somehow worth the higher gas prices ad infinitum? Fucking carousel logic with the GOP. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Remember Susan Boyle? It's Sus anal bum party, err, Susan Album Party (susanalbumparty) all over again. Only with, pope repellant? I think. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026OK, so, where's the actual discourse about that? I'm sure it exists somewhere in the media ecosystem, but it seems to be taking a back seat to the more salacious speculations on the nature of the Trump/Harp relationship. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026So, I'm finally got through the first episode of Heated Rivalry. (I've noped out 10x) So far, I'm not liking it. I don't think it's particularly groundbreaking to explore the landscape of homophobia in sports interspliced with very hot men in graphic sex scenes. Which, to be fair, are pretty hot. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026SCOTUS size has changed at multiple points in history, so I fail to see it as a means of intimidation, at least from an originalist position. That said, if he does retire, or something else happens, I expect the Dems to stall the nomination for his replacement. Turnabout is fair play. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 05/10/2026There is such a thing as intellectual hubris. And ego-syntonic personality disorders. And the Dunning-Kruger effect. And epistemic luck. And it's possible that all of these converged on one person. But, Occam's razor dictates he's a f**king moron. But what does William of Ockham know? 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Yeah, I watched a couple of on-the-street interviews of Brazilians in Rio and São Paulo and 3/4 said none of the above for Bolsonaro Jr. and Lula. If you don't think a Trump Jr./Kushner 2028 or 2032 GOP ticket is possible, you really need your algorithm to be cleansed with sage or exorcised. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Not to project my own struggles onto Spectro here, but I'm struggling to tell whether he's talking about utilizing different non-cloud AI platforms, or being a sex pest/criminal when asks Daddy Leo how many "local models" Leo runs. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 03/10/2026So you're telling me that Congress was outplayed in their own book-cooking scheme invented to make it look like they were doing something about healthcare costs while complying with their self-imposed PAYGO rules in a buy, borrow, die style operation ... by Trump? Sadly, that makes complete sense. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 02/10/2026You know, I once heard Trump singing that one Pixies song ... You know, the one that goes 🎶 ... on a wave of mutilization, wave of mutilization, way- ay-ay-ay-ave ... 🎶 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Everything here is objectively false. Inflation isn't under control. Trump couldn't possibly explain economic victories he hasn't achieved. And we have one of the least successful economies in the history of our country. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 02/10/2026If you're protesting the government's failure to provide adequate school resources, destroying those same resources is clearly self-defeating. That said: why do French students respond this forcefully when American students don't when faced with comparable problems?theguardian.comFrance school protests escalate into ‘urban violence’ as PM calls crisis cabinet meetingAbout 900 demonstrations, blockades and related incidents under way outside high schools around the country 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 01/10/2026I don't think this SCOTUS will ever view botched executions as cruel and unusual punishment. Even though it clearly is. Given the number of failed executions by lethal injection, at the bare minimum we should consider this cruel and unusual punishment under the constitution. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 01/10/2026I'm watching The Love Hypothesis, because reasons and the title card for the movie has possibly the worst definition for hypothesis I've encountered. Whatever a hypothesis is, it's not "An explanation based on limited evidence". Or rather, it's not just that. Functionally or semantically. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Is Blackburn's phone metadata protected from subpoena because of the Speech and Debate clause? There is a case here, at least to me. But it kind of fails on the merits because Blackburn was'nt the target of either the subpoena or the investigation. But with this SCOTUS, one never really knows.politico.comBlackburn sues Jack Smith for obtaining her phone recordsThe Republican senator brought the suit one day after the former special counsel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026I get the impulse to make hay from a spectacular failure of a haymaker. The schadenfreude for Sen. Schmitt is strong. That said, this seems like something that will be long forgotten by 2028. I'm already tired of it. I'd rather spend my focus and efforts on taking back Congress. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Oh. They're actually talking about actual bears who are actually fat. Honestly, not what I thought Fat Bear Week was going to be about. Nonetheless—congrats, Backpack! 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I don't inderstand the GOP position on Jack Smith's 1/6 investigation, given their support for Flock cameras and Palantir. Smith obtained metadata of calls between Trump aides and MoC's via grand jury subpoena. Then sought a National Archives text warrant via grand jury warrant as well. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Yes, because a crime with a victim is less severe than a drug possession which can land you in prison for anywhere from 6 months to 99 years depending on how much of said drug you happen to be in possession of at the time of your arrest. If this asshole wins, the Texas really is the stupid state. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I find it funny that Jeffries went on CNN stating "We're not running a popularity contest ..." when politics is, essentially, a popularity contest. Nobody really likes that aspect of politics, but popularity is a part of the equation. And it woukd be nice if party leaders at least a knowkedged it. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I'd like the larger context, though not to exonerate Thiel. Competence doesn't mitigate evil; if anything, it makes it more efficient. I just want to know what level of sociopathy produces that particular weltanschauung. 011
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 25/09/2026I’d expect other findings in the ME’s report to explain how a drowning occurred without fluid or debris (e.g., diatoms) in the lungs. Add the family’s independent autopsy finding an undetermined cause of death, and there are too many questions to ignore. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 24/09/2026The thing about regulation is that you can reject a slowdown all you want, but you're still subject to said regulation, if it entails a slowdown.nbcnews.comMark Zuckerberg rejects calls for industrywide AI slowdownIn an exclusive interview with NBC News chief tech analyst Joanna Stern, the Meta founder and CEO said he doesn’t think AI companies need to work together on a slowdown. 001
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 24/09/2026It's really hard to fight the nonzero amount of antisemitism on the left when Netanyahu uses DARVO as a means to DARVO. 100
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 24/09/2026OK. I think maybe I get what the deeper stratagem here is. Approach media oligopoly in the broadest terms possible which—OK, do whatcha gotta do. But also, you could do a full court press on the issue (mixed sports metaphors are fun!) and talk about other forms of mass entertainment beyond NFL. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 24/09/2026In my AZ political ad market: Rep. Ciscomani and Gov. Hobbs are spending my ad breaks on increasingly elaborate "gotchas" about their opponents. Meanwhile, this ad is actually funny and gotcha simultaneously Political ads: turns out you can make people laugh while "sticking it to your opponent. 010
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 23/09/2026It's only terrifying if 1) you're Tommy Tuberville or 2) whatever furry pilots do exist are actively yiffing in the cockpits on flights. 010
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 23/09/2026I'm enamoured with the red undertow metaphor for this election. Yes, Dems stand to take the House and maybe (essentially 50/50 shot) the Senate. That doesn't mean that the electorate supports Dems, only that the GOP is anathema. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Pat Boone apparently admonished Trump recently, issuing a Tik Tok calling out his treatment of women, his tired comportment, and asking everyone to pray for Trump. This is surprising as I didn't even realize Pat Boone was still alive, or even culturally relevant. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 22/09/2026I wonder if these FBI hack rumors (which have yet to be independently confirmed) are true, and if so, if it isn't the unredacted Epstein files, then why even bother? 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 22/09/2026I'm watching this video essay comparing Joe Rogan to Marshall Applewhite, the leader of the Heaven's Gate cult by smash cutting Rogan's eschatological statements with Applewhite's. And. I. Can't. Stop. Watching. It. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 20/09/2026So the Arch de Trump is now going to be a sniper roost, err, 'military installation'? Because it's not at all a fascist's wet dream to be able to officially pick off any visitor to the National Mall that might. 000
Michael Joneas @jmikegra.bsky.social · 19/09/2026IMO, Resident Evil is a solid movie. But in terms of value, I'd wait for streaming if I were you. It's 90-ish minutes, and the humor didn't land for me. But it really is a good movie. The VFX are sharp, and the ending is bleak (which l like, but understand that others don't). 000
