John Lappin
@johnlappin.bsky.social
970 followers 1.9K following 1.7K posts
Journalist, financial, mostly I have opinions on many things.
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Reposted by John Lappin
Reposted by John Lappin
samfr.bsky.social
Goes back to the argument I made in the Guardian earlier this year that the world is in danger because the techbros have completely misunderstood a bunch of sci-fi and fantasy...

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...
Reposted by John Lappin
kevinrothrock.me
lol, story on the very next page
Reposted by John Lappin
danhowdle.bsky.social
1. press gently into the cavities either side of your nose. if soft, jelly-like spheres are present, you're good to go
2. go outside and listen for moths and owls. if present, you're on time. if not, wait
3. point the socket-jellies in the opposite direction to your shoes
Reposted by John Lappin
petertl.bsky.social
This reminds me of high-frequency trading: a technology-driven zero-sum arms race with minimal social benefits.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/b...
Recruiters Use A.I. to Scan Résumés. Applicants Are Trying to Trick It.
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by John Lappin
alexhh.bsky.social
It’s so easy for armchair critics living in safety to find fault, tear things down, scoff. Would they prefer war to continue, more Palestinians die? Of course the deal is risky, flawed, lacks details. But, in our imperfect world, this is what we got, and I’d rather it succeed, than the alternative.
Reposted by John Lappin
Reposted by John Lappin
paulduane.bsky.social
Always cheers me up to remember my local Dealz had to remove all their self-checkouts because Dublin 8 locals made it the most shoplifted-from Dealz in all of Ireland.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
But for all that adoption, self-checkout’s ROI remains murky. Despite some labor cost savings, companies must pay upfront to install the kiosks, and for ongoing software licensing and maintenance fees. Theft associated with the lanes has spurred retailers like Target and Walmart to cut back on the technology. And customers continue to report frustrations with glitches or theft-prevention measures. Last year just over one-third of US transactions were at self-checkout lanes, according to FMI, a notable drop from 44% in 2023.
johnlappin.bsky.social
Perhaps Conservatism wasn't Adenauer, De Gaulle or Ike. They were outliers from a very specific post war time. 1920s/30s version as the norm? Uniquely vulnerable to non-democratic forces.
I mean good god. Look at the UK version now.
Reposted by John Lappin
watershedlab.bsky.social
When buying beer and wine for a glaciology conference you need to get the appropriate stuff. I don’t make the rules. 🧪⚒️❄️
Cans of “fjord” beer Bottles of “moraine” wine
Reposted by John Lappin
kenwhite.bsky.social
Should the New York Times be sold to Pennysaver and its editors sent to work in Amazon warehouses? It depends on who you ask.
Reposted by John Lappin
astrokatie.com
I also appreciated this sign in the Globe gift shop ⚔️🚫
A sign that says “No Sword-Fighting in the Shop” next to a display of toy swords
Reposted by John Lappin
nickreeves.bsky.social
Farage, Arron Banks, and convicted Russian asset Nathan Gill have all parroted the Russian lie that NATO and EU expansion provoked Putin into invading Ukraine.

That's a lie for a Western audience. Putin is much more honest about Russia's imperialist motives when he's speaking to a Russian audience.
popovaprof.bsky.social
Pu spells out Ru's imperialist motivations for the war. He calls the conquest a long-held dream and historical destiny.

He beclowns those who insist NATO expansion caused the war. Let's see if anyone from the Mearsheimer fan club admits the claim has been falsified.
www.kremlin.ru/events/presi...
Обращение по случаю Дня воссоединения ДНР, ЛНР, Запорожской и Херсонской областей с Россией
www.kremlin.ru
Reposted by John Lappin
goodclimate.bsky.social
Summer 1924. A British-registered floating pub appears 15 miles from the US coast. It's a hit with thirsty prohibition-era yacht owners.
Reposted by John Lappin
robfordmancs.bsky.social
Among the many possibilities for the next few years, the scenario of swapping one pair of dominant parties (Lab and Con) for another (Reform and LD) is intriguing, under-discussed and, in English elections, not entirely implausible either (several county councils made this leap in May)
electionmaps.uk
Aggregate Result of the 122 Council By-Elections (for 125 Seats) since the 2025 Local Elections:

RFM: 47 (+40)
LDM: 32 (+10)
CON: 13 (-15)
LAB: 12 (-30)
GRN: 11 (+3)
Ind: 5 (-4)
Local: 3 (-3)
SNP: 1 (-1)
PLC: 1 (=)

Explore: electionmaps.uk/byelections-...
johnlappin.bsky.social
4. A general sense of ease and openness to others and ideas amid the permanent population
I am not saying that is easily measured.
Reposted by John Lappin
davidcorn.bsky.social
A classic case of irresponsible both-sidesism from the NYT. The story is that Trump and MAGA propagandists are lying about Portland to incite a conflict, not that there are different views of the matter.
Reposted by John Lappin
johnthejack.bsky.social
New approach is gaining attention: replacement of the damaged dopamine circuits with “living implants”. The first prototypes have been created, made from lab-grown brain cells, and modified so that they can be controlled electronically
(£) www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a...
By @rhysblakely.bsky.social
Inside the British bet on a ‘live implant’ cure for Parkinson’s
Government-backed scientists are making implants from lab-grown brain cells that could one day replace damaged circuits in patients with Parkinson’s disease
www.thetimes.com
Reposted by John Lappin
realcaptainhaddock.bsky.social
Thiel saying the quiet bit out loud
ebharrington.bsky.social
What Thiel is saying about tax havens = what Altman is saying about copyright:

"I can't be rich unless you let me steal from you."

This is how Broligarchs differ from oligarchs of yore: the latter tried to hide their thievery; the Broligarchs trumpet their entitlement to steal as a natural right.
Reposted by John Lappin
darren.africandefence.net
So I don't expect a significant diplomatic impact from this. If it had been a system that fell under the Wassenaar dual-use system & hadn't been properly tracked it would be a different story.

But many Western commercial parts are in Russian drones.

www.bbc.com/news/article...
British parts found in Russian drones, Zelesnky says
The Ukrainian leader says British-made microcomputers were used in weapons launched at Ukraine this weekend.
www.bbc.com
Reposted by John Lappin
ianboudreau.com
It simply should not be possible for the president to repeatedly claim that a major city is burning without a wall of live standups happening in that city clearly demonstrating that it is not
ianboudreau.com
American broadcast journalism has utterly failed and is a dead industry, there's nothing left worth saving
Reposted by John Lappin
katie0martin.ft.com
applications are still open if you are interested in working with me and @robarmstrong.bsky.social on the Unhedged newsletter

main task is to try and make me look clever and to compensate for my woeful inability to make nice charts

job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io/financialtim...
Unhedged Reporter
London
job-boards.eu.greenhouse.io