Ben
@benfields.net
🇺🇸immigrant in LDN
recovering academic
Trying to understand humanity with data, music, libations
Might not be looking in the right places
–
currently: Head of Data @lakaHQ
previously: @bbc @futurelearn @funandplausible
cf https://assemblag.es/@alsothings
recovering academic
Trying to understand humanity with data, music, libations
Might not be looking in the right places
–
currently: Head of Data @lakaHQ
previously: @bbc @futurelearn @funandplausible
cf https://assemblag.es/@alsothings
Fallout 2
November 26, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Fallout 2
Reposted by Ben
Look, Biden never did this. Never.
November 26, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Look, Biden never did this. Never.
🤩🤩🤩
Today I’m recommending that NYC’s pension fund boards drop BlackRock and 2 other (out of 49) public markets asset managers due to inadequate decarbonization plans.
Climate risk is financial risk – we need asset managers who will invest responsibly.🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Climate risk is financial risk – we need asset managers who will invest responsibly.🧵
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
NYC’s Lander Recommends Dropping $42 Billion BlackRock Mandate
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is urging three of the city’s pension funds to drop BlackRock Inc. because of “inadequate” climate plans, the latest move to penalize investment firms for failing...
www.bloomberg.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:49 PM
🤩🤩🤩
Reposted by Ben
"Trump’s threat apparently got the BBC to censor something that is obviously correct. Trump is the most corrupt president in U.S. history; it’s not even a close call, and the open flaunting of his corruption and self-dealing are an essential feature of his presidency on a near-daily basis."
In case you missed this, the BBC edited a historian's speech about Trump to remove the claim that he's "the most openly corrupt president in US history." This came after Trump had threatened a $1 billion lawsuit.
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Trump Angrily Threatened to Sue BBC. Then Things Took a Darker Turn.
First, British Broadcasting Corporation execs resigned after Trump complained about a segment. Now the BBC edited out a line from a historian that was critical of Trump. Where does this end?
newrepublic.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM
"Trump’s threat apparently got the BBC to censor something that is obviously correct. Trump is the most corrupt president in U.S. history; it’s not even a close call, and the open flaunting of his corruption and self-dealing are an essential feature of his presidency on a near-daily basis."
Reposted by Ben
A good summary of many of the lies told by people like Wes Streeting and the rest of the political far right about puberty blockers.
www.thepinknews.com/2025/11/26/p...
www.thepinknews.com/2025/11/26/p...
Six lies transphobes tell about puberty blockers - debunked
Ahead of the NHS PATHWAYs puberty blockers trial, PinkNews debunks six lies commonly told about puberty blockers.
www.thepinknews.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:10 AM
A good summary of many of the lies told by people like Wes Streeting and the rest of the political far right about puberty blockers.
www.thepinknews.com/2025/11/26/p...
www.thepinknews.com/2025/11/26/p...
Reposted by Ben
I wrote about "Quiet, Piggy," natalist movements, the denigration of women in authoritarian societies, the ways that women were treated not so long ago in the workplace (including me), and how you can push back against all that.
Quiet, Piggy
Trump's relentless campaign against women has shifted U.S. culture.
degenerateart.beehiiv.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I wrote about "Quiet, Piggy," natalist movements, the denigration of women in authoritarian societies, the ways that women were treated not so long ago in the workplace (including me), and how you can push back against all that.
Reposted by Ben
Boats already stopped in the water. People about to die. Clues to drone and manned aircraft fighting systems.
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
What the Pentagon’s Attack Videos Reveal About the Boat Strikes at Sea
www.nytimes.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Boats already stopped in the water. People about to die. Clues to drone and manned aircraft fighting systems.
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
—Findings of our freeze-frame study of the Trump administration’s promotional videos of its bombing campaign on suspected drug smuggling boats.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...
Reposted by Ben
If the Democrats take control of Congress in about a year and Jeffries and Schumer haven't been primaried, then they almost certainly will be the leaders of both bodies, and based on all available evidence they will take that opportunity to immediately surrender in the name of unity and comity.
November 26, 2025 at 1:18 PM
If the Democrats take control of Congress in about a year and Jeffries and Schumer haven't been primaried, then they almost certainly will be the leaders of both bodies, and based on all available evidence they will take that opportunity to immediately surrender in the name of unity and comity.
Reposted by Ben
This article heavily implies that ICE is being used in a custody dispute to help Karoline Leavitt's brother get his son and have the mother locked up in ICE detention
"A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts."
www.wcvb.com/article/karo...
www.wcvb.com/article/karo...
![REVERE, Mass. —
A woman with a family connection to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Revere, Massachusetts.
The woman, Bruna Ferreira, has an 11-year-old son with Michael Leavitt, Karoline Leavitt's brother.
Ferreira migrated with her family to the United States from Brazil as a child and is currently in custody at an ICE facility in southern Louisiana.
Michael Leavitt released a statement, saying that his "only concern has always been the safety, well-being, and privacy of [his] son."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:x4qyokjtdzgl7gmqhsw4ajqj/bafkreiacyzixchgacpjse7wyra342opgjsvdxzqdrkxq55zzqah65zyeae@jpeg)
November 26, 2025 at 4:24 AM
This article heavily implies that ICE is being used in a custody dispute to help Karoline Leavitt's brother get his son and have the mother locked up in ICE detention
Oversoon
Budget
Release
Budget
Release
BREAKING The entire Budget has leaked early
- £22BN of headroom
- £26bn tax rises
- Freeze on tax thresholds
- Pay per mileage confirmed
- Changes to capital gains
- £22BN of headroom
- £26bn tax rises
- Freeze on tax thresholds
- Pay per mileage confirmed
- Changes to capital gains
November 26, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Oversoon
Budget
Release
Budget
Release
Reposted by Ben
OBR, oh lord, OBR.
Someones’s mucked up, oh lord, OBR.
Someones’s mucked up, oh lord, OBR.
November 26, 2025 at 12:08 PM
OBR, oh lord, OBR.
Someones’s mucked up, oh lord, OBR.
Someones’s mucked up, oh lord, OBR.
I think one of the most painful things about vibe coding or any other sort of maximally genAI facilitated software development is it results in tools/products/pieces of software that are black box systems, even to the people who 'build' them, even if they are deterministic 1/n
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 PM
I think one of the most painful things about vibe coding or any other sort of maximally genAI facilitated software development is it results in tools/products/pieces of software that are black box systems, even to the people who 'build' them, even if they are deterministic 1/n
Reposted by Ben
new favourite New York Times term for a British thing just dropped
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 AM
new favourite New York Times term for a British thing just dropped
Farage has been telling everyone who he is his entire life and succeeding through a mix of people who see that and love him for it and a bunch of mainstream squishy types who see it and are indifferent/enabling
As for Farage’s use of racist slurs being confined to his childhood - well, that's not what Alan Sked, the founder of UKIP, claimed in this 2014 interview.
He says here that Farage was using the "n" word as late as 1997.
Farage would have been about 33 at time.
www.theguardian.com/politics/201...
He says here that Farage was using the "n" word as late as 1997.
Farage would have been about 33 at time.
www.theguardian.com/politics/201...
Ukip founder Alan Sked: 'The party has become a Frankenstein's monster'
He may have founded Ukip, but Alan Sked's moderate, Brussels-boycotting party has gone rogue. Stuart Jeffries meets the academic who's desperate to stop the bandwagon he first set rolling
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Farage has been telling everyone who he is his entire life and succeeding through a mix of people who see that and love him for it and a bunch of mainstream squishy types who see it and are indifferent/enabling
Reposted by Ben
excellent read from @brianphillips.bsky.social
The Olivia Nuzzi and RFK Jr. Affair Is Messier Than We Ever Could Have Imagined
Inside the most important, and also least important, story of our time
www.theringer.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:02 AM
excellent read from @brianphillips.bsky.social
STP, I mean it was 1994.
It’s 1994
You only have eight bucks in your piggy bank
You can buy only ONE poster from this ad
Which are you choosing
You only have eight bucks in your piggy bank
You can buy only ONE poster from this ad
Which are you choosing
November 25, 2025 at 9:52 PM
STP, I mean it was 1994.
I mean some people were confined ELIZA was conscious, but that's not actually how this works.
People really want other stuff to think, we sometimes personify rocks or volleyballs...
People really want other stuff to think, we sometimes personify rocks or volleyballs...
November 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I mean some people were confined ELIZA was conscious, but that's not actually how this works.
People really want other stuff to think, we sometimes personify rocks or volleyballs...
People really want other stuff to think, we sometimes personify rocks or volleyballs...
Reposted by Ben
Bolsonaro to Start Serving 27-Year Sentence Over Coup Plot
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Reposted by Ben
😈 Maleficent, the evil queen, had her goblins searching for Sleeping Beauty for 16 years.
🛑 BUT…. they were looking for a baby the whole time. Acceptance criteria fail!
🧠 This is why it’s so important for villains to leverage AGILE practices. Don’t let this become your team. My new ecourse will
🛑 BUT…. they were looking for a baby the whole time. Acceptance criteria fail!
🧠 This is why it’s so important for villains to leverage AGILE practices. Don’t let this become your team. My new ecourse will
November 25, 2025 at 3:26 PM
😈 Maleficent, the evil queen, had her goblins searching for Sleeping Beauty for 16 years.
🛑 BUT…. they were looking for a baby the whole time. Acceptance criteria fail!
🧠 This is why it’s so important for villains to leverage AGILE practices. Don’t let this become your team. My new ecourse will
🛑 BUT…. they were looking for a baby the whole time. Acceptance criteria fail!
🧠 This is why it’s so important for villains to leverage AGILE practices. Don’t let this become your team. My new ecourse will
Reposted by Ben
I swear if our species ever invents a means of faster-than-light communication it will take us less than a generation to ignore it entirely what for all offers of a timeshares off Alpha Centauri and urgent messages from a boss stuck in the Kuiper Belt and in need of an urgent favor.
November 25, 2025 at 9:15 AM
I swear if our species ever invents a means of faster-than-light communication it will take us less than a generation to ignore it entirely what for all offers of a timeshares off Alpha Centauri and urgent messages from a boss stuck in the Kuiper Belt and in need of an urgent favor.
This bit, this is the credit-default-swaps but at Web Scale bit
Long way down from these inflated market peaks
Long way down from these inflated market peaks
Yet what worries me the most is that NVIDIA claimed to have "shipped 6 million Blackwell GPUs" in the last year. That's 6GW to 12GW of IT load capacity - the data centers do not exist, there is not enough space, there is not enough power. Where are the GPUs?
www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-g...
www.wheresyoured.at/the-haters-g...
November 25, 2025 at 4:25 PM
This bit, this is the credit-default-swaps but at Web Scale bit
Long way down from these inflated market peaks
Long way down from these inflated market peaks
Reposted by Ben
![R. H. Bing (October 20, 1914 – April 28, 1986)[1] was an American mathematician who worked mainly in the areas of geometric topology and continuum theory.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreid62wy3dekb2kzbisjfdlimlb35j4rlgew5iof7vi32byfszmg26a@jpeg)
![Bing's father was named Rupert Henry, but Bing's mother thought that "Rupert Henry" was too British for Texas. Thus she compromised by abbreviating it to R. H.[5] Consequently, R. H. does not stand for a first or middle name.
When Bing was applying for a visa, he was requested not to use initials. He explained that his name was really "R-only H-only Bing", and ended up receiving a visa made out to "Ronly Honly Bing".](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreigmfj53q4uy33spga2bxdkllqm3ag5sffovg5g7ddmu3vqzkb6k24@jpeg)
Miliband clearly running a (not so) stealth campaign for the top job
The top two posts on my Instagram feed are from two Labour cabinet ministers and are slightly different in tone, approach, and engagement.
November 25, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Miliband clearly running a (not so) stealth campaign for the top job
Can someone just follow Starmer around reading this to him whenever he's in public
A very, very important peer-reviewed empirical study published in the academic journal Pediatrics shows that hormone treatment of young trans people decreases suicidality very significantly.
Doubtless it will be ignored by Simonoff et al, who are not even measuring this in the “Pathways” study.
Doubtless it will be ignored by Simonoff et al, who are not even measuring this in the “Pathways” study.
Changes in Suicidality among Transgender Adolescents Following Hormone Therapy: An Extended Study
To examine changes in suicidality following hormone therapy (HT) among transgender and gender-diverse adolescents and young adults.A retrospective cha…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Can someone just follow Starmer around reading this to him whenever he's in public