James Wallbank
@dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
860 followers 990 following 1K posts
Artist. Designer. Maker. Cottage Industrialist. Operates lasers and has opinions. 🇪🇺🇺🇳🏁
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dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
Should I do what Charlie Kirk wanted, and not give a damn about his death? Or should I care—thus rejecting and negating his whole disgusting shtick?
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
So one intent of investment in massive AI infrastructures may be to drive up energy demand. It's not chance that authoritarianism, crypto, corporatism, petrochemicals AI and gangsterism have become oddly culturally adjacent. They don't have to be "connected" to be "associated"—it's swarm behaviour.
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
I've no doubt that AI, particularly for pattern recognition, image and chemical analysis, and poor translation (better than no translation!) does have utility—but LLMs in their current form don't, and, I suggest, aren't a stepping stone to AGI, for which we have no conceptual model.
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
There are other interesting synergies, too. Are LLMs a step towards AGI? Maybe—but even if not, they have potential to dominate the media and cultural landscape, such that authoritarianism can thrive.
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
I fact, I suggest AI has significant potential (although not via LLMs—more shortly) but I contend the main driver of current (excessive) investment is this synergy with energy prices. Got some spare petrodollars? Put 'em into AI! It might work, but even if it doesn't, it'll drive oil prices up!
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
What I said was "primary purpose"—not "only function".

My view is that in the Corporate/Digital/Authoritarian/Petrochemical cluster that drives the current US investment landscape, we're seeing a kind of flocking behaviour. Investments are driven by synergies—AI drives energy prices up.
Reposted by James Wallbank
adambienkov.bsky.social
In today's least surprising news
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
The difference is that your car really does transport you from place to place, and that has measurable utility.

But what does cryptocurrency do for you that has more measurable utility than money, that you can actually spend in… you know… shops?
Reposted by James Wallbank
Reposted by James Wallbank
brainnotonyet.bsky.social
Centrists : “Karl, Stop calling the Republican Party the American Nazi party it’s not accurate”

The republican party :
The Rooster
@rooster_ohio 1h
A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor's office today...
Taylor's legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background.
Angelo Elia
Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH) (Jan. 2025-), Legislative
Correspondent
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PowerBrief
Is this you? Claim this page to update your photo and bio info.
Summary
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Biographical
Full Name: Angelo Joseph Elia
Pronouns: Masculine
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
"REPUBLICANS WILL DROP $450M ON A TENT IN AN ALLIGATOR SWAMP, $1B ON A QATAR JET REFIT, $200M ON A BALLROOM, AND $5M ON GOLF... THEN CLAIM THERE'S NO MONEY FOR KIDS' CANCER RESEARCH, VETERANS, SCHOOL LUNCHES, OR ELDER MEDICAID."

G W NELSON
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
Interesting! One way of interpreting AI and crypto is that they're both technologies designed to be energy sinks.

In other words, their escalating demand for power, in a context characterised as a race for commercial and national dominance, isn't unfortunate necessity, it's their primary purpose.
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
Are you implying that what he's doing right now—orientating the US military towards the occupation of US cities—is not 'real dangerous'?
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
I realised that there was an anagram of my guess 3, which would have put the cat amongst the pigeons! (I spend far too much time thinking about this stupid game BTW!)
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
I feel both lucky and unlucky here:

Wordle 1,579 4/6*

⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟨⬛🟩⬛🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
Just one more thing…

If Steve Bannon features on an "A-List", what does the 'A' stand for?
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
Screenshot (X)

@RpsAgainstTrump

Steve Bannon: I think there are many different alternatives we'll roll out after the midterms to make sure President Trump is on the ballot in 2028. And if he's on the ballot, he'll win.

Screenshot (News Nation)

BATYA'S A-LIST INTERVIEW
STEVE BANNON JOINS "BATYA"
Reposted by James Wallbank
timbale.bsky.social
Looking forward to the BBC asking Richard (man-made climate change is 'absolute garbage') Tice, MP for the towns, about this....

"Boston and Skegness in Lincolnshire [is] projected to have about 90% of homes at risk from river and coastal flooding by 2050 – the highest proportion in the country."
Millions more homes in Great Britain at risk of flooding, investigation finds
Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable
www.theguardian.com
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
Everyone should be alert to the possibility of election rigging. There only may be covert attempts to rig the midterms—but there will certainly be numerous bogus, speculative, or entirely false warnings that this may happen. Confusion and controversy will be promoted.
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
Here's the trouble—there is nobody to intervene, other than the electorate.

So it's vitally important that every instance of grotesque brutality is documented and propagated—which is tricky in a media context polluted by fakery and in which "the other side" is effectively unreachable.
Reposted by James Wallbank
implausibleblog.bsky.social
BBC News explain that because of Brexit, Brits will be photographed and have their fingerprints taken when going into the EU, as the UK now is a third country

BBC News forget to explain that the UK helped create these rules when we were part of the EU because we wanted stronger border control
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
I don't mean to say that this means that electronic communications are necessarily bad—they're a double-edged sword. Everything that they can distribute, they can also centralise. The decision to make connectivity asymmetric (i.e. you can download more than you can upload) was profoundly political.
dataknotsdesks.bsky.social
This is the context, not simply of UK politics, but of EVERYTHING. Information Technology can, more accurately, be thought of as Centralisation Technology—over the last few years it has served to centralise manufacturing, political influence, money, cultural prominence, even conversation itself!
Reposted by James Wallbank
maxbrockbank.com
When regional chairmen of Deform UK Ltd resign, they do it with feeling.

Sent to Fartrage by Patrick Sargent
Former Chairman, Middlesbrough & Thornaby East Branch
Former Parliamentary Candidate (2024) for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East
Former Interim Regional Director (North East)
Reform UK has become a hollowed-out organisation in which local branches are reduced
 to leaflet factories, stripped of any democratic say or meaningful influence. Members are
 treated as unpaid labour, not as valued contributors, and any independent thought or
 initiative is discouraged or punished.
 Appointments within the party appear driven by loyalty to a narrow inner circle rather than
 competence or experience. Talented, committed members have been side-lined in favour
 of yes-men. What could have been a serious political movement has instead become a
 vanity project obsessed with headlines rather than substance.
 This lack of seriousness is reflected in policy and governance. Reform's "policies" are
 often little more than slogans written for television, not serious proposals for government.
 Local administrations have stumbled into disarray - exposing a dangerous absence of
 training, preparation, and professionalism.