iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 6h

Supergirl was not good, but not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. You have to respect a movie that's willing to make all the aliens absolutely disgusting.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 12h

Dying to get into edits on the novel but I am going to wait the full two weeks I decided I would.

static.klipy.com

Homer Simpson Tells Marge to Hurry Up!

ALT: Homer Simpson Tells Marge to Hurry Up!

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ᴄ ꜱᴛᴜᴀʀᴛ ʜᴀʀᴅᴡɪᴄᴋ🛸 @cstuarthardwick.com · 13h

All 210 new drugs approved by the FDA from 2010 to 2016 relied on taxpayer-funded research.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

It makes me want to drink cheap liquor (a thing I have done many times)

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Putting a draft aside to let it chill for a couple weeks before you edit is the hardest thing!!!

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Writing update: Draft 2.5 is DONE! 98k words. Its a fantasy/espionage genre smasher I'm calling THE SAINTS TRADE. Mysteries and powerful relics and spy services vying for occult secrets. Still tons of editing to go. #fantasy #writing #books #spies

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Doctora Malka Older @older.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

you can just look up the law and see if the order violates it, you don't have to say "according to"

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

If there is any justice, "sticky biological reality" will be a punch line for years to come. Re:

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

In the annals of all the media psychos whose brains have been permanently broken by twitter, there are none more obvious or demented than the people who run the Atlantic. They are clownish.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

I really hope these kinds of numbers are true but, honestly, I expect significant reversion to the mean of the last 12 years or so come election day.

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854

Taxing Entrepreneurial Wealth: Evidence from
Norway, 2021-2025
Marius A. K. Ring
WORKING PAPER 35854|
DOl 10.3386/w35854
ISSUE DATE October 2026
Whether imposing higher taxes on business owners adversely affects business activity by constraining investment and inducing capitalist flight is a central question in the ongoing debate on how to tax the ultra wealthy. To shed new light, I exploit a series of related Norwegian reforms during 2021-2024 that increased dividend tax rates, removed migration-related capital gains tax loopholes, and nearly doubled the effective marginal tax rate on business wealth. These reforms spurred international debate and, allegedly, an "exodus" of Norwegian billionaires (Financial Times,
2023). While I document clear effects on migration, these responses are concentrated among the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution and mostly confined to 2022 and 2023. My results indicate that at most 100 individuals left due to the reforms. I find no evidence of significant outmigration or reduced inflows of startup founders or inventors. I estimate that absent any outmigration, wealth tax revenues would have increased by 75% from 2021 to 2024. Reform-driven outmigration lowers the revenue gain to 71.5%. My findings further show that outmigrating owners' firms remain economically active and do not reduce investment. In a broader set of analyses, I examine whether business outcomes are affected, regardless of whether owners outmigrate, since firms may reduce investment both due to liquidity constraints or distortions to owners' savings decisions. I compare firms owned by Norwegian individuals subject to the wealth tax with firms owned by foreigners and other tax-exempt entities. By merging historical ownership data from Orbis with the Norwegian shareholder register, I perform these analyses on both Norwegian and foreign-domiciled firms.
Across settings, I find no evidence that Norwegian-owned firms pay out more dividends or invest less after the reforms,…

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Its honestly crazy how many well known phrases A Song of Ice and Fire has introduced into common usage. "winter is coming" "sweet summer child" "red wedding" Has to be the most nfluential fantasy author not named Tolkien

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Had a very detailed dream about Detroit style pizza last night that I didn't remember until just now. Was giving the chef pointers on how to make the dough. Awkward.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

They will always, always carry water for fascists.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Somehow seems unlikely that I'll see coverage of this on any mainstream news networks.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Writing update: I did not finish this weekend. Draft 2.5 is not done. HOWEVER. I am close! I am at 88k on this book, which is a fantasy/espionage genre mashup I'm (tentatively) calling THE SAINTS TRADE. Shooting for 100kish, so might be done this week! #fantasy #writing #books #spies

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

A compelling argument against efficiency

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

"AIs are obviously thinking! What fool can't see this?"

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

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Emmett Nahil @emnays.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

the crazy thing about making time for any creative pursuit is that you literally have to do what you have a gut-deep yearning to do or else you'll see other people doing it, and it WILL make you insane.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Writing update: So, my goal was to finish this draft (I'm calling it the 2.5th draft) by yesterday. Did I finish it? No. I did not. HOWEVER. I am close! I am at 85k on this book, which is a fantasy/espionage genre mashup I'm (tentatively) calling THE SAINTS TRADE. Can I finish this weekend?

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

One of our cats sleeps cuddled up right next to my ear and, you know what, it's alright.

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Ben K. @benjaminkabak.com · 29/09/2026

"appeared to"

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

These ads should be par for the course. If Republican leaders are truly as disgusting as they seem, then why not run on it?

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When I reread a sentence that seemed really great when I wrote it two minutes ago

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When the main character has to take part in a deadly tournament at school/camp/DragonRiderUniversity

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When the spy novel set after, say, 1960 is entirely uncritical of the CIA or MI6

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When a magic system is genetic and the book was written after the year 2000

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When the author puts a map at the front of the fantasy novel but the book gives you no reason to ever look at it

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

When the author switches to another character's viewpoint mid-chapter for no conceivable reason

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

You can put a throne in your living room and there's nothing anyone can do about it. it can even be made from the wood of the world tree, or the bones of a dead god, or the melted down weapons of your enemies. It's really up to you. Make decisions from your throne. Hold court. Recommended.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'll admit, Brown winning Ohio would shock me and I look forward to being shocked.

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Nash @radiodeadair.com · 28/09/2026

All it took was getting kicked out of the White House press room and suddenly CNN remembers that "lie" is a word.

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Possible that DSA wins some races just by being way better at social media (it's not really the reason but this is hilarious)

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

82k words into draft three, which is a big rewrite, and I'm hoping that the final 20k or so just pour out of me easily, like shooting down a water slide or some other more effective metaphor. thats never happened to me before but there's always a first time, right? #fantasy #writesky #fantasy

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

It's new asset taxes for billionaires!! Haha of course that's not it, it's nothing, actually.

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the babahuck @tylerhuckabee.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

bad news babe a rogue openai agent must have hacked our refrigerator last night and drank 15 beers

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Gef the Toking Mongoose @geftokingmongoose.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

this is who you had to buy weed from before legalization

Still from the first teenage mutant ninja turtles showing Ralph in his very effective disguise he used to go see critters at the theater

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Paul Montesanti @paulmontesanti.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

A more salient observation, perhaps, is that there are many, many people who have completely checked out of popular culture and are fine with it, and some people CANNOT deal with that choice.

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