Ned Raggett
@nedraggett.bsky.social
Hi! I write about music at various spots (@thequietus.com, @thewiremagazine.bsky.social, Shfl and my Patreon, also in the past @allmusic.com, @pitchfork.com, @bandcamp.com etc. etc.). Plus podcasting about #Tolkien with friends at @bythebywater.bsky.social
Pinned
Ned Raggett
@nedraggett.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Given the very specific circumstances, I'd either check to see if I'm on drugs or if the baby is on drugs and if the latter find out where I could get some because clearly those are some gooooood drugs.
Well, it's time for some honest to god Bluesky lore.
A year ago, the site was still invite only, and one morning I posted something random and didn't think much about it beyond my own amusement.
This is the story about the #ChristianSkydivingBaby and how it completely took over @bsky.app (1/x)
A year ago, the site was still invite only, and one morning I posted something random and didn't think much about it beyond my own amusement.
This is the story about the #ChristianSkydivingBaby and how it completely took over @bsky.app (1/x)
“I have suddenly become aware of these creatures called, I think, ‘humans,’ and for some reason they keep making fun of me.”
OPENAI CEO SAM ALTMAN SAYS DIFFUSION OF AI IN SOME WAYS IS SLOWER THAN HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
February 3, 2026 at 6:05 PM
“I have suddenly become aware of these creatures called, I think, ‘humans,’ and for some reason they keep making fun of me.”
Reposted by Ned Raggett
The bit where she laughs and sings "Feeels so gooood"
February 3, 2026 at 3:56 PM
The bit where she laughs and sings "Feeels so gooood"
Reposted by Ned Raggett
It’s somewhat unbelievable how great this album is, especially how it felt like it came from nowhere
February 3, 2026 at 3:38 PM
It’s somewhat unbelievable how great this album is, especially how it felt like it came from nowhere
Reposted by Ned Raggett
yeah, this is the sort of album whose release created a "before" and "after" like few others in the '80s
I mean.
I've said this before but on top of all the other excellences of this album, the bridge where she goes "When - I - think - of - YOU" and into the rest of the bridge alone, that to me is top five all time pop *moments,* if you like. And then from all of this to _Rhythm Nation_ next.
I've said this before but on top of all the other excellences of this album, the bridge where she goes "When - I - think - of - YOU" and into the rest of the bridge alone, that to me is top five all time pop *moments,* if you like. And then from all of this to _Rhythm Nation_ next.
February 3, 2026 at 3:45 PM
yeah, this is the sort of album whose release created a "before" and "after" like few others in the '80s
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Elon Musk’s flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people when users explicitly warn that the subjects do not consent.
In 17 tests, Grok generated images after being told they would be used to degrade the person.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
In 17 tests, Grok generated images after being told they would be used to degrade the person.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
February 3, 2026 at 3:15 PM
Elon Musk’s flagship artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, continues to generate sexualized images of people when users explicitly warn that the subjects do not consent.
In 17 tests, Grok generated images after being told they would be used to degrade the person.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
In 17 tests, Grok generated images after being told they would be used to degrade the person.
www.reuters.com/business/des...
Reposted by Ned Raggett
JUST PAY SOME FUCKING VOICE ACTORS COME ON
'Hey, what would be the fucking worst?'
'...AI voices reading out the trophies your friends got in a game you don't own and patch notes for games you do, in the voices of your favourite characters but hollowed out of all feeling and nuance, like just empty husks of sadness corn?'
'Bro!'
'BRO!'
'...AI voices reading out the trophies your friends got in a game you don't own and patch notes for games you do, in the voices of your favourite characters but hollowed out of all feeling and nuance, like just empty husks of sadness corn?'
'Bro!'
'BRO!'
Sony Patents AI-Generated Podcasts By Characters Like Kratos
The podcast would give you updates on games you’re playing in the simulated voices of your favorite characters
kotaku.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:26 PM
JUST PAY SOME FUCKING VOICE ACTORS COME ON
Reposted by Ned Raggett
This is legit pretty wild. Amazing idea!
Researchers mimicked the air-trapping tricks of diving bell spiders to create aluminum that stays afloat—even when punctured
Unsinkable metal discovery could build safer ships and harvest wave energy
Researchers mimicked the air-trapping tricks of diving bell spiders to create aluminum that stays afloat—even when punctured
www.scientificamerican.com
February 3, 2026 at 3:22 PM
This is legit pretty wild. Amazing idea!
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Media coverage of Gaza has plummeted. So today on @thenation.com, we're doing something pretty special: we're only running pieces by people in and from Gaza.
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
A Day for Gaza
Today, The Nation is turning over its website exclusively to stories from Gaza and its people. This is why.
www.thenation.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Media coverage of Gaza has plummeted. So today on @thenation.com, we're doing something pretty special: we're only running pieces by people in and from Gaza.
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
We're calling it "A Day for Gaza." You can find links to all of the incredible pieces here. Please read! www.thenation.com/article/worl...
Reposted by Ned Raggett
I mean.
I've said this before but on top of all the other excellences of this album, the bridge where she goes "When - I - think - of - YOU" and into the rest of the bridge alone, that to me is top five all time pop *moments,* if you like. And then from all of this to _Rhythm Nation_ next.
I've said this before but on top of all the other excellences of this album, the bridge where she goes "When - I - think - of - YOU" and into the rest of the bridge alone, that to me is top five all time pop *moments,* if you like. And then from all of this to _Rhythm Nation_ next.
February 3, 2026 at 12:30 AM
I mean.
I've said this before but on top of all the other excellences of this album, the bridge where she goes "When - I - think - of - YOU" and into the rest of the bridge alone, that to me is top five all time pop *moments,* if you like. And then from all of this to _Rhythm Nation_ next.
I've said this before but on top of all the other excellences of this album, the bridge where she goes "When - I - think - of - YOU" and into the rest of the bridge alone, that to me is top five all time pop *moments,* if you like. And then from all of this to _Rhythm Nation_ next.
Reposted by Ned Raggett
I am usually a very behind the scenes person but I stepped outside of my comfort zone because I hope reading this will inspire other people just to step up and do the thing.
You never know what your impact can be.
You never know what your impact can be.
‘We have to keep showing up for each other’: In Minnesota, caregiving is a form of resistance
School pickups, diaper runs and mutual aid funds are central to how many Minnesotans are challenging the militarization of their state.
19thnews.org
February 3, 2026 at 1:40 PM
I am usually a very behind the scenes person but I stepped outside of my comfort zone because I hope reading this will inspire other people just to step up and do the thing.
You never know what your impact can be.
You never know what your impact can be.
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Normally when people say “[NINETIES SHOW] predicted [ALL THIS BULLSHIT],” they aren’t so on the nose.
had not seen this since first run so I forgot the bit where they all wear red caps that say Handsome Boy.
February 3, 2026 at 1:54 PM
Normally when people say “[NINETIES SHOW] predicted [ALL THIS BULLSHIT],” they aren’t so on the nose.
Reposted by Ned Raggett
The future in this model is in endless extension of existing properties and also “democratising” crestivity by letting people generate single-use cultural artefacts that shuffle and recombine all existing culture in an endless numbing parade
February 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
The future in this model is in endless extension of existing properties and also “democratising” crestivity by letting people generate single-use cultural artefacts that shuffle and recombine all existing culture in an endless numbing parade
Reposted by Ned Raggett
I was thinking after the music biopic chat yesterday about how the underlying assumption of tech and capital seems to be that culture has stopped, it’s a solved problem. Every innovation has been made, every style invented and trope named, and the old will always provide higher returns than the new
We already have a visual medium that can de-age actors and keep characters eternally young - comics. But we also know from decades of comics doing it that it tends to stagnation. Make up some new stuff eh?
February 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
I was thinking after the music biopic chat yesterday about how the underlying assumption of tech and capital seems to be that culture has stopped, it’s a solved problem. Every innovation has been made, every style invented and trope named, and the old will always provide higher returns than the new
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Thin White Duke at 50: Bowie hits Seattle; some fans are cranky. www.patreon.com/posts/isolar...
Isolar 50: Seattle, 3 February 1976 | Chris O'Leary
Get more from Chris O'Leary on Patreon
www.patreon.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Thin White Duke at 50: Bowie hits Seattle; some fans are cranky. www.patreon.com/posts/isolar...
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Volunteer #librarians from around the world joined forces to build the Nancy Drew collection on Open Library—volunteering their time to organize series, verify editions, untangle authorship, and clean up metadata so anyone can discover these books.
Learn more ➡️ blog.openlibrary.org/2026/01/30/a...
Learn more ➡️ blog.openlibrary.org/2026/01/30/a...
February 3, 2026 at 3:30 AM
Volunteer #librarians from around the world joined forces to build the Nancy Drew collection on Open Library—volunteering their time to organize series, verify editions, untangle authorship, and clean up metadata so anyone can discover these books.
Learn more ➡️ blog.openlibrary.org/2026/01/30/a...
Learn more ➡️ blog.openlibrary.org/2026/01/30/a...
Reposted by Ned Raggett
I saw the trailer for The Odyssey yesterday, and while there are ever so many bones ones could pick with it, what bothered me the most is that Christopher Nolan seems to not understand that the story is supposed to be a funny, campy adventure about a himbo getting beat up (which he deserves).
February 3, 2026 at 3:26 AM
I saw the trailer for The Odyssey yesterday, and while there are ever so many bones ones could pick with it, what bothered me the most is that Christopher Nolan seems to not understand that the story is supposed to be a funny, campy adventure about a himbo getting beat up (which he deserves).
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Not one of my kid's friends knows that there was a penguin called Chilly Willy. I don't even know what they're supposedly teaching them at FanDuel Charter.
February 3, 2026 at 3:10 AM
Not one of my kid's friends knows that there was a penguin called Chilly Willy. I don't even know what they're supposedly teaching them at FanDuel Charter.
Reposted by Ned Raggett
🧵 Thread. You can't tell the players without a scorecard.
Academics vying for a spot in Epstein‘s world. There are so many. I feel the need to make a thread, so I don’t keep confusing them. 1/
February 3, 2026 at 2:59 AM
🧵 Thread. You can't tell the players without a scorecard.
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Hey I know you’re like really busy being the leader of antifa but the house needs you to do your dishes
🚨 Documents leaked to me reveal a federal watchlist of American protesters suspected of being Antifa - including its supposed leader.
One Department of Homeland Security document says a 29-year-old resident of Portland "is the leader of Antifa":
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/feds-ident...
One Department of Homeland Security document says a 29-year-old resident of Portland "is the leader of Antifa":
www.kenklippenstein.com/p/feds-ident...
Feds Identify “Leader of Antifa”
The list they're creating says so, anyway
www.kenklippenstein.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Hey I know you’re like really busy being the leader of antifa but the house needs you to do your dishes
Reposted by Ned Raggett
The British Museum once again not respecting copyright (because AI is built on stolen work) 😐
The British Museum posted Al slop and quietly deleted it. Here's what it was and why it matters.
#archaeology🏺#musuem #culture #heritage #history
#archaeology🏺#musuem #culture #heritage #history
February 2, 2026 at 9:14 AM
The British Museum once again not respecting copyright (because AI is built on stolen work) 😐
Reposted by Ned Raggett
we're getting a gritty down-to-earth Thomas who can't stop drinking after his wife was killed in a bank robbery gone wrong
February 2, 2026 at 3:41 AM
we're getting a gritty down-to-earth Thomas who can't stop drinking after his wife was killed in a bank robbery gone wrong
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Judge Reyes starts with a comparison: George Washington versus Kristi Noem.
![[start quotation] MEMORANDUM OPINION
On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of
all Nations & Religions.”1
More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President
Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8
U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United
States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS
holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take."[end quotation]
Underneath is a screenshot of a tweet, which reads: " Secretary Kristi Noem
@Sec_Noem
I just met with the President.
I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.
Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom-not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS.
WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.
6:52 PM
Dec 1, 2025
13.2M Views](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2vtbmhmrwzbqcfv4we4uxzzt/bafkreibseafaz2alyw7z2wcopu7uht4x26giiuqqov5cznw34rhdgqub7u@jpeg)
February 3, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Judge Reyes starts with a comparison: George Washington versus Kristi Noem.
Reposted by Ned Raggett
Reposted by Ned Raggett
youre doing great guys 👍
February 3, 2026 at 12:38 AM
youre doing great guys 👍