Elf M. Sternberg
@elfsternberg.bsky.social
Husband to a gorgeous wife, father to two great kids, greying leatherfairy, infamous furry, and world-class software engineer. If you can read this, you're running code I wrote.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
Hassett on new study from NY Fed showing 90% of tariff burden is being shouldered by US firms & consumers: "The paper is an embarrassment. It's I think the worst paper I've ever seen in the history of the Fed system. The people associated with this paper should presumably be disciplined."
February 18, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
In other news, a research group is about to be audited by the IRS and all if its researchers prosecuted for mortgage fraud.
February 10, 2026 at 1:16 AM
In other news, a research group is about to be audited by the IRS and all if its researchers prosecuted for mortgage fraud.
I remember arguing with someone over the use of refined plutonium oxide as an RTG power source for long-range space probes. I pointed out that if you swallowed a quarter-teaspoon of the stuff, you'd have a slightly elevated risk of colon cancer in 40 years.
Pete Hegseth Wondering Whether Uranium Would Be A Good Mixer https://theonion.com/pete-hegseth-wondering-whether-uranium-would-be-a-good-mixer/
February 18, 2026 at 4:27 PM
I remember arguing with someone over the use of refined plutonium oxide as an RTG power source for long-range space probes. I pointed out that if you swallowed a quarter-teaspoon of the stuff, you'd have a slightly elevated risk of colon cancer in 40 years.
To be fair, part of my writer's block as a programming blogger is half "Will what I write end up in some AI and I won't get the credit... " and half "... and will anyone ever read what I write when they all get their answers from AIs now?"
Matt’s subhead: “It’s hard to write good articles when you have no idea if everything is about to change”. In short, Matt has half-drunk the AI-psychoactive koolaid. My view: Matt should talk to Ezra Klein, and have Ezra Klein recount to him Ezra’s days in San Francisco, when it seemed every... 1/
February 18, 2026 at 4:22 PM
To be fair, part of my writer's block as a programming blogger is half "Will what I write end up in some AI and I won't get the credit... " and half "... and will anyone ever read what I write when they all get their answers from AIs now?"
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
“Is there a technology the left is excited about?”
High-speed rail! MRNA vaccines! New cancer treatments! Solar and wind energy collection! Better and longer-range EVs! That wood that's harder than steel! New apples! Fibermaxxing! Buldak Swicy ramen! Muppets! Muppets are too a technology, shut up!
High-speed rail! MRNA vaccines! New cancer treatments! Solar and wind energy collection! Better and longer-range EVs! That wood that's harder than steel! New apples! Fibermaxxing! Buldak Swicy ramen! Muppets! Muppets are too a technology, shut up!
February 18, 2026 at 1:40 PM
“Is there a technology the left is excited about?”
High-speed rail! MRNA vaccines! New cancer treatments! Solar and wind energy collection! Better and longer-range EVs! That wood that's harder than steel! New apples! Fibermaxxing! Buldak Swicy ramen! Muppets! Muppets are too a technology, shut up!
High-speed rail! MRNA vaccines! New cancer treatments! Solar and wind energy collection! Better and longer-range EVs! That wood that's harder than steel! New apples! Fibermaxxing! Buldak Swicy ramen! Muppets! Muppets are too a technology, shut up!
"The word 'affordability' is a Democrat scam." - The Republican Administration, December 2, 2025.
The cost of groceries and shelter have both risen by over 30% since 2020.
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/18/b...
www.cnbc.com/2026/02/18/b...
The 'boomcession': Why Americans feel left behind by a growing economy
A combination of the words "boom" and "recession" can help explain why Americans feel so sour about a growing economy.
www.cnbc.com
February 18, 2026 at 4:12 PM
"The word 'affordability' is a Democrat scam." - The Republican Administration, December 2, 2025.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
The right is currently demonizing **rainbow crosswalks**. There is no safe space to retreat to where we won’t have to win the political fight.
Like this. "You must strategically abandon the specific issues that the right has rendered toxic & focus on others."
But then ... why wouldn't the right just be able to do the same thing on those other issues?
But then ... why wouldn't the right just be able to do the same thing on those other issues?
February 18, 2026 at 11:53 AM
The right is currently demonizing **rainbow crosswalks**. There is no safe space to retreat to where we won’t have to win the political fight.
The nice thing about being bisexual is that you don't see the great diversity of humanity as some sort of hierarchy.
It's more like a buffet. A smorgasbord. A feast for the senses.
Occasionally, a fondue.
It's more like a buffet. A smorgasbord. A feast for the senses.
Occasionally, a fondue.
The cruel anxiety that men inflict on young men going through puberty and maturation about their worth as men, their relative status in some bizarre hierarchy of masculinity, often manifests in some very strange ways.
February 18, 2026 at 2:39 PM
The nice thing about being bisexual is that you don't see the great diversity of humanity as some sort of hierarchy.
It's more like a buffet. A smorgasbord. A feast for the senses.
Occasionally, a fondue.
It's more like a buffet. A smorgasbord. A feast for the senses.
Occasionally, a fondue.
The cruel anxiety that men inflict on young men going through puberty and maturation about their worth as men, their relative status in some bizarre hierarchy of masculinity, often manifests in some very strange ways.
February 18, 2026 at 2:37 PM
The cruel anxiety that men inflict on young men going through puberty and maturation about their worth as men, their relative status in some bizarre hierarchy of masculinity, often manifests in some very strange ways.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
These people never grapple with the reality that the right not only outspends trans people 20:1 but they also control social media algorithms and many legacy media institutions.
They never ask the questions why public opinion changed and why certain issues are so central to the debate.
They never ask the questions why public opinion changed and why certain issues are so central to the debate.
February 18, 2026 at 1:13 PM
These people never grapple with the reality that the right not only outspends trans people 20:1 but they also control social media algorithms and many legacy media institutions.
They never ask the questions why public opinion changed and why certain issues are so central to the debate.
They never ask the questions why public opinion changed and why certain issues are so central to the debate.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
Appalling: During Trump's effort to indict Dems for the video warning against carrying out illegal orders, one of their lawyers asked prosecutors to say what statute was allegedly violated, I'm told. They failed to name one. Then they tried to indict anyway.
New:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
New:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
February 18, 2026 at 12:20 PM
Appalling: During Trump's effort to indict Dems for the video warning against carrying out illegal orders, one of their lawyers asked prosecutors to say what statute was allegedly violated, I'm told. They failed to name one. Then they tried to indict anyway.
New:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
New:
newrepublic.com/article/2066...
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
the overseer of project 2025 is telling you out loud that every inch you cede on trans rights is part of the plan to create a white christian fascist state
Kevin Roberts, President of The Heritage Foundation, claims that evidence suggests a correlation between undergoing Trans Medical Care and acts of violence.
He states Heritage's public policy solution is to ban it for all ages and they're willing to work towards this goal on an incremental basis.
He states Heritage's public policy solution is to ban it for all ages and they're willing to work towards this goal on an incremental basis.
February 18, 2026 at 9:08 AM
the overseer of project 2025 is telling you out loud that every inch you cede on trans rights is part of the plan to create a white christian fascist state
This is an excellent read and a lovely term, "clarity trap." The thing that occurs to me is that, with the purchase of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch started pushing the median voter needle rightward, and Matt Yglesias is following along a leash.
Other things that can be clarity traps. Stochastic parrots. Weaponized interdependence. www.programmablemutter.com/p/the-median...
The Median Voter Theorem is a Clarity Trap
What the Democratic party needs - what it demands - is bold, persistent experimentation
www.programmablemutter.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:29 PM
This is an excellent read and a lovely term, "clarity trap." The thing that occurs to me is that, with the purchase of Fox News, Rupert Murdoch started pushing the median voter needle rightward, and Matt Yglesias is following along a leash.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
Read this sentence slowly:
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
As Bernie Sanders Comes to California, Wealth Tax Opponents Intensify Efforts
www.nytimes.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Read this sentence slowly:
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
“Gov. Gavin Newsom, crypto executives and business leaders are ramping up efforts this week to stop the proposed wealth tax...”
gift link:
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/u...
"Beware of dog." Gotta be careful of Denver. You might get licked.
February 18, 2026 at 2:19 AM
"Beware of dog." Gotta be careful of Denver. You might get licked.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
My exact point right here.
February 18, 2026 at 1:09 AM
My exact point right here.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
February 17, 2026 at 7:31 PM
“I don’t want to be in this place I want to go to my school.”
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
- 7 year old imprisoned by ICE for 70 days in a concentration camp in Texas.
Today, after @propublica.org published this story, the camp was raided to confiscate letters from the children.
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
So, you know the Mission: Impossible theme, with it's four note, "Baaam, Baaam, BompBomp" opening? You could write that, oh, I dunno, like this:
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
February 17, 2026 at 11:30 PM
So, you know the Mission: Impossible theme, with it's four note, "Baaam, Baaam, BompBomp" opening? You could write that, oh, I dunno, like this:
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
-- ..
Today I learned that "-- .." is Morse code from "Mi".
Clever.
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
Electric vehicle batteries are slowly coming down in cost. But there's a quicker way automakers are trying to make their EVs more affordable.
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Why EV-Makers Are Suddenly Obsessed With Wires
Batteries can only get so small so fast. But there’s more than one way to get weight out of an electric car.
heatmap.news
February 17, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Electric vehicle batteries are slowly coming down in cost. But there's a quicker way automakers are trying to make their EVs more affordable.
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Here's @andrewmoseman.bsky.social on their latest obsession:
heatmap.news/electric-veh...
Reposted by Elf M. Sternberg
It is 1996. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
February 17, 2026 at 8:22 PM
It is 1996. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2006. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2016. The American president was born in 1946.
It is 2026. The American president was born in 1946.
AI writing facilitates "semantic ablation:" the slow removal of the spiky, quirky, humane way of writing, of having a writer's voice and your own weird fleet of metaphors, favorite words and phrases, memorized movie quotes and lyrics, and replacing all that with the most boring, most average words.
February 17, 2026 at 8:30 PM
AI writing facilitates "semantic ablation:" the slow removal of the spiky, quirky, humane way of writing, of having a writer's voice and your own weird fleet of metaphors, favorite words and phrases, memorized movie quotes and lyrics, and replacing all that with the most boring, most average words.
You have to wonder if the guys who wrote Postgres back in 1986 ever expected a day when PostgreSQL and its protocols would form the backbone of the entire information economy: devnewsletter.com/p/state-of-d...
State of Databases 2026
Databricks bought Neon for $1B, AI agents created 80% of its databases, PostgreSQL hit 55.6%, and Valkey beat Redis 3x.
devnewsletter.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:25 PM
You have to wonder if the guys who wrote Postgres back in 1986 ever expected a day when PostgreSQL and its protocols would form the backbone of the entire information economy: devnewsletter.com/p/state-of-d...
NVidia introduced "tiles," computational units that allow for different parts of your GPU to do different tasks simultaneously. Rust programmers can now take advantage of that and write asynchronous, cross-die code on the GPU: www.vectorware.com/blog/async-a...
Async/await on the GPU
GPU code can now use Rust's async/await. We share the reasons why and what this unlocks for GPU programming.
www.vectorware.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:22 PM
NVidia introduced "tiles," computational units that allow for different parts of your GPU to do different tasks simultaneously. Rust programmers can now take advantage of that and write asynchronous, cross-die code on the GPU: www.vectorware.com/blog/async-a...
The Russian economy has entered the "eating its own seed corn" phase, a downward spiral in which the reserves intended to buffer against disaster have themselves become the last reserves of a state that cannot collect enough to survive. There is no backup.
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
Russia’s economy has entered the death zone
Alexandra Prokopenko wonders how much longer it can go on metabolising its own muscle tissue
www.economist.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:19 PM
The Russian economy has entered the "eating its own seed corn" phase, a downward spiral in which the reserves intended to buffer against disaster have themselves become the last reserves of a state that cannot collect enough to survive. There is no backup.
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
www.economist.com/by-invitatio...
Only because he's going to end "Presidential History" if this goes on.
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...
MAGA Cultists Gush That Trump Is The "Most Consequential President In History'
Asked to name their favorite president, MAGA cultists Lance Wallnau, Mark Meckler, and Rick Green all gush over Trump: "I believe Donald J. Trump will go down in history as being the most impacting tr...
www.peoplefor.org
February 17, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Only because he's going to end "Presidential History" if this goes on.
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...
www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwat...