Al Sweigart
@alsweigart.bsky.social
Author of "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python" and other books. Mostly harmless. he/him
But what's the worst thing that could happen if we just hear out what the Nazis have to say?
*opens history book*
Oh... oh no...
*flips through pages*
Oh no oh no oh no....
*opens history book*
Oh... oh no...
*flips through pages*
Oh no oh no oh no....
November 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
But what's the worst thing that could happen if we just hear out what the Nazis have to say?
*opens history book*
Oh... oh no...
*flips through pages*
Oh no oh no oh no....
*opens history book*
Oh... oh no...
*flips through pages*
Oh no oh no oh no....
When Timon and Pumbaa first find Simba, they see an opportunity to help someone who is in a weak position now, but can later be a strong ally. Meanwhile, every bug who crosses their path gets eaten.
I think a lot about the relationship between the strong and the weak in our society.
I think a lot about the relationship between the strong and the weak in our society.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
When Timon and Pumbaa first find Simba, they see an opportunity to help someone who is in a weak position now, but can later be a strong ally. Meanwhile, every bug who crosses their path gets eaten.
I think a lot about the relationship between the strong and the weak in our society.
I think a lot about the relationship between the strong and the weak in our society.
Helping my young nephew with homework pulled me in two directions: I want to go into all these tangents and explain how this fits into the world. On the other hand, it was already 8pm and his shit ton of homework was due tomorrow, so I just needed to help him get answers to write down.
Cooked.
Cooked.
November 25, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Helping my young nephew with homework pulled me in two directions: I want to go into all these tangents and explain how this fits into the world. On the other hand, it was already 8pm and his shit ton of homework was due tomorrow, so I just needed to help him get answers to write down.
Cooked.
Cooked.
Reposted by Al Sweigart
I'm going insane because people constantly recommend using AI for things and it is always, ALWAYS worse than repeatedly bashing my head on a brick.
It's like you have an actual problem & all anyone recommends is "have you tried talking to my cousin? He drinks bleach & doesn't wash his pants"
It's like you have an actual problem & all anyone recommends is "have you tried talking to my cousin? He drinks bleach & doesn't wash his pants"
November 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
I'm going insane because people constantly recommend using AI for things and it is always, ALWAYS worse than repeatedly bashing my head on a brick.
It's like you have an actual problem & all anyone recommends is "have you tried talking to my cousin? He drinks bleach & doesn't wash his pants"
It's like you have an actual problem & all anyone recommends is "have you tried talking to my cousin? He drinks bleach & doesn't wash his pants"
I don't hate public libraries, or even people who pirate my books (would they have bought a copy otherwise? Maybe.) I hate people *selling* bootleg ebook copies of my books. That *does* cost me. Etsy has a chronic problem of enabling these. Why would they solve the problem when they profit from it?
Always worth taking a moment to remind you if you’re pirating authors’ book you’re a shitty person. You can rail that our profession isn’t a profession all you want. You can paint yourself as an online revolutionary liberating ideas. It’s all bullshit.
You’re just a shitty person who hates writers.
You’re just a shitty person who hates writers.
November 24, 2025 at 7:29 PM
I don't hate public libraries, or even people who pirate my books (would they have bought a copy otherwise? Maybe.) I hate people *selling* bootleg ebook copies of my books. That *does* cost me. Etsy has a chronic problem of enabling these. Why would they solve the problem when they profit from it?
The fundamental assumption of machine learning is that a model that does well with the training set data will do well in the real world.
You know, just like how the best politician is the one that can get the most people to vote for them.
You know, just like how the best politician is the one that can get the most people to vote for them.
November 24, 2025 at 7:07 PM
The fundamental assumption of machine learning is that a model that does well with the training set data will do well in the real world.
You know, just like how the best politician is the one that can get the most people to vote for them.
You know, just like how the best politician is the one that can get the most people to vote for them.
"I disagree with music piracy because artists deserve to get paid for their work. That's why I have a Spotify subscription."
😐
😐
November 24, 2025 at 6:27 PM
"I disagree with music piracy because artists deserve to get paid for their work. That's why I have a Spotify subscription."
😐
😐
Reposted by Al Sweigart
It's incredibly easy to interpret laws if you understand the original reason the law was passed.
But 99% of politics is disguising the real reason you pass the laws you do.
But 99% of politics is disguising the real reason you pass the laws you do.
November 24, 2025 at 6:21 PM
It's incredibly easy to interpret laws if you understand the original reason the law was passed.
But 99% of politics is disguising the real reason you pass the laws you do.
But 99% of politics is disguising the real reason you pass the laws you do.
The Economist: We Demand To Be Taken Seriously
November 24, 2025 at 6:16 PM
The Economist: We Demand To Be Taken Seriously
I've been meaning to put together an "Explain Kelly" wiki just like the "Explain XKCD" wiki just so to promote this exceptional comic strip. It's satire is polished to a diamond's shine.
November 24, 2025 at 6:10 PM
I've been meaning to put together an "Explain Kelly" wiki just like the "Explain XKCD" wiki just so to promote this exceptional comic strip. It's satire is polished to a diamond's shine.
The thing is, I don't think that was *ever* true. We'd just be reading a different chapter of the same BS: WMDs in Iraq, the "gay agenda", Cold War hysteria, those troublesome Chinese and Irish immigrants, etc. etc. There was never a golden time when mainstream media wasn't corporate propaganda.
November 24, 2025 at 5:39 PM
The thing is, I don't think that was *ever* true. We'd just be reading a different chapter of the same BS: WMDs in Iraq, the "gay agenda", Cold War hysteria, those troublesome Chinese and Irish immigrants, etc. etc. There was never a golden time when mainstream media wasn't corporate propaganda.
I remember when I thought that watching the news each evening and reading the newspaper every morning made me well-informed.
November 24, 2025 at 4:27 PM
I remember when I thought that watching the news each evening and reading the newspaper every morning made me well-informed.
My shoes have lasted longer than the Confederacy.
November 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
My shoes have lasted longer than the Confederacy.
"Confusing what's on a screen and what's in real life" sounds good.
November 23, 2025 at 6:31 PM
"Confusing what's on a screen and what's in real life" sounds good.
"People have trouble separating tv and reality." Does this phrasing make sense? Do people still say "tv"? So much is streaming shows or internet videos or movies. "Fantasy and reality" won't work because I want to emphasize the media-industry aspect. Any suggestions?
November 23, 2025 at 6:29 PM
"People have trouble separating tv and reality." Does this phrasing make sense? Do people still say "tv"? So much is streaming shows or internet videos or movies. "Fantasy and reality" won't work because I want to emphasize the media-industry aspect. Any suggestions?
AI telling you things and the verification is citing search results from Google of AI-generated slop content.
Fuck.
Fuck.
November 23, 2025 at 6:10 PM
AI telling you things and the verification is citing search results from Google of AI-generated slop content.
Fuck.
Fuck.
We will drag them, kicking and screaming, so that years later they can pretend they always thought our way.
November 21, 2025 at 11:04 PM
We will drag them, kicking and screaming, so that years later they can pretend they always thought our way.
(The great thing about these posts is I get to flush out all the followers I want to add to the block list.)
November 21, 2025 at 9:28 PM
(The great thing about these posts is I get to flush out all the followers I want to add to the block list.)
"It's just a name, it doesn't matter."
"Well if it doesn't matter, let's change the default from 'master' to 'main'."
"I WILL FIGHT YOU TO THE END OF TIME FOR DESTROYING OUR SACRED TRADITIONS."
"Well if it doesn't matter, let's change the default from 'master' to 'main'."
"I WILL FIGHT YOU TO THE END OF TIME FOR DESTROYING OUR SACRED TRADITIONS."
November 21, 2025 at 9:27 PM
"It's just a name, it doesn't matter."
"Well if it doesn't matter, let's change the default from 'master' to 'main'."
"I WILL FIGHT YOU TO THE END OF TIME FOR DESTROYING OUR SACRED TRADITIONS."
"Well if it doesn't matter, let's change the default from 'master' to 'main'."
"I WILL FIGHT YOU TO THE END OF TIME FOR DESTROYING OUR SACRED TRADITIONS."
Reposted by Al Sweigart
I'm sure LLMs are reasonably good at helping people put together .bat files for ffmpeg and such. That's fine.
I'm pretty confident LLMs can also generate more readable text than the median American is capable of writing. That's a nightmare.
I'm pretty confident LLMs can also generate more readable text than the median American is capable of writing. That's a nightmare.
November 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
I'm sure LLMs are reasonably good at helping people put together .bat files for ffmpeg and such. That's fine.
I'm pretty confident LLMs can also generate more readable text than the median American is capable of writing. That's a nightmare.
I'm pretty confident LLMs can also generate more readable text than the median American is capable of writing. That's a nightmare.
Reposted by Al Sweigart
Checking in on MechaHitler
November 20, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Checking in on MechaHitler
Yeah, but at the same time the fash is full of "white people aren't having enough babies" and genuinely don't believe in climate change/pandemic, so I wonder if they'd be doing this anyway? Like, capitalism has made the economy suck and a black guy was President, therefore response = fascism?
November 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Yeah, but at the same time the fash is full of "white people aren't having enough babies" and genuinely don't believe in climate change/pandemic, so I wonder if they'd be doing this anyway? Like, capitalism has made the economy suck and a black guy was President, therefore response = fascism?