Nikhil Venkatesh
@nikvenkatesh.bsky.social
Mainly philosophy and cricket
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Scrapping the two-child benefit cap in full will lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty over the course of this Parliament.
A major victory for all the families who have suffered hardship because of it and all those who campaigned for so long to end it.
A major victory for all the families who have suffered hardship because of it and all those who campaigned for so long to end it.
November 26, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Scrapping the two-child benefit cap in full will lift hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty over the course of this Parliament.
A major victory for all the families who have suffered hardship because of it and all those who campaigned for so long to end it.
A major victory for all the families who have suffered hardship because of it and all those who campaigned for so long to end it.
I would pay to use an old-school internet: a search engine that simply searched, a social media feed that was just posts of people I follow in chronological order, etc.
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 2:53 PM
I would pay to use an old-school internet: a search engine that simply searched, a social media feed that was just posts of people I follow in chronological order, etc.
Turns out my brain will reach its adult stage just as I finish my research fellowship. Poor timing
Brain has five ‘eras’, scientists say – with adult mode not starting until early 30s
Brain has five ‘eras’, scientists say – with adult mode not starting until early 30s
Study suggests human brain development has four pivotal ‘turning points’ at around the ages of nine, 32, 66 and 83
Scientists have identified five major “epochs” of human brain development in one of the most comprehensive studies to date of how neural wiring changes from infancy to old age.
The study, based on the brain scans of nearly 4,000 people aged under one to 90, mapped neural connections and how they evolve during our lives. This revealed five broad phases, split up by four pivotal “turning points” in which brain organisation moves on to a different trajectory, at around the ages of nine, 32, 66 and 83 years. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Turns out my brain will reach its adult stage just as I finish my research fellowship. Poor timing
I'm not an epidemiologist and need some guidance through the literature: what are the best things to read about whether Covid lockdowns saved lives, and how many? And where there's disagreement between researchers, why is this?
November 25, 2025 at 10:58 AM
I'm not an epidemiologist and need some guidance through the literature: what are the best things to read about whether Covid lockdowns saved lives, and how many? And where there's disagreement between researchers, why is this?
Top tier thought experiment - what if my wife thought I was really great?
November 24, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Top tier thought experiment - what if my wife thought I was really great?
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
they're saying there's a spectre haunting europe and it's very nice, we're looking into it strongly, it's beautiful, we love it and we think it means well
November 21, 2025 at 10:39 PM
they're saying there's a spectre haunting europe and it's very nice, we're looking into it strongly, it's beautiful, we love it and we think it means well
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
If nothing else, England's tour of Australia over the next few weeks will provide the perfect preparation for the next time England tour Australia.
November 20, 2025 at 5:42 PM
If nothing else, England's tour of Australia over the next few weeks will provide the perfect preparation for the next time England tour Australia.
Largely agree with this from @jemgilbert.bsky.social tribunemag.co.uk/2025/11/recl...
Reclaiming Labour
While many socialists are rightly repulsed by the misdeeds of the Starmer government, its tenure will come to an end soon enough. When it does, we must be ready to renew the Labour Party’s radical mis...
tribunemag.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Largely agree with this from @jemgilbert.bsky.social tribunemag.co.uk/2025/11/recl...
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
"... it goes after those of us who look like we could be immigrants. We have talked a lot about illegal immigration sitting at the heart of this debate, but what we are not talking about so much is race"
Shabana Mahmood condemning the hostile environment back in 2018
Shabana Mahmood condemning the hostile environment back in 2018
November 17, 2025 at 8:01 AM
"... it goes after those of us who look like we could be immigrants. We have talked a lot about illegal immigration sitting at the heart of this debate, but what we are not talking about so much is race"
Shabana Mahmood condemning the hostile environment back in 2018
Shabana Mahmood condemning the hostile environment back in 2018
The people currently running the Labour Party got there by punching left. That's all they know how to do. Factionalism is no model for governing a country or expanding and maintaining a coalition.
Labour seem to now come up with a new kamikaze nosedive operation to alienate social liberals while failing to attract Reform curious voters every month. Then back off again in face of anger from progressives and failure among social conservatives. A doom loop which may yet kill them off altogether.
November 17, 2025 at 9:37 AM
The people currently running the Labour Party got there by punching left. That's all they know how to do. Factionalism is no model for governing a country or expanding and maintaining a coalition.
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
My least woke opinion is that the grounds's grounding the grounded can ground the grounded
November 14, 2025 at 3:32 PM
My least woke opinion is that the grounds's grounding the grounded can ground the grounded
The era of T20 and Bazball, ladies and gentlemen
November 14, 2025 at 12:09 PM
The era of T20 and Bazball, ladies and gentlemen
"And the young people ask, 'what are they marching for?' / And I ask myself the same question."
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
YouTube video by The Pogues - Topic
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
"And the young people ask, 'what are they marching for?' / And I ask myself the same question."
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Piketty talking a huge amount of sense here (gift link!)
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’
The economist on populism, fiscal debt and the long-term trend of economic equality
on.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Piketty talking a huge amount of sense here (gift link!)
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
good morning specifically to the FBI agent who introduced Mamdani’s dad to Marx
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
good morning specifically to the FBI agent who introduced Mamdani’s dad to Marx
Was Wilt Chamberlain aware that he was used in Nozick's thought experiment arguing for property rights?
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
November 5, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Was Wilt Chamberlain aware that he was used in Nozick's thought experiment arguing for property rights?
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
I don't want to be mean, and I'm sure the food's lovely, but this seems like a terrible name for a restaurant www.sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk
Sophie's Choice – European Restaurant, Sidcup
www.sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 11:27 AM
I don't want to be mean, and I'm sure the food's lovely, but this seems like a terrible name for a restaurant www.sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk
Would have been more credible both politically and economically to do this twelve months ago (or even not make the pledge in the first place)
Rachel Reeves' answer to @pippacrerar.bsky.social makes it crystal clear that Reeves is headed towards breaking a manifesto pledge on tax and how she will frame it - as a necessary response to "the world as it is" when the alternative would be more cuts or borrowing.
November 4, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Would have been more credible both politically and economically to do this twelve months ago (or even not make the pledge in the first place)
Hilary Mantel, on Robespierre: "He feels something, in his heart, and then he sits down and works out the logic of it, in his head. Then he says that the head part came first; and we believe him."
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
November 3, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Hilary Mantel, on Robespierre: "He feels something, in his heart, and then he sits down and works out the logic of it, in his head. Then he says that the head part came first; and we believe him."
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
Super interesting on the history of socialism and the occult. jacobin.com/2025/10/soci...
The Forgotten History of Socialism and the Occult
Socialism has a well-earned reputation as a secular, rational movement. But not all socialists throughout history were quite so grounded.
jacobin.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Super interesting on the history of socialism and the occult. jacobin.com/2025/10/soci...
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
Historic day for cricket and for India
November 2, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Historic day for cricket and for India
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Say what you will about Kandinsky, the guy could name a painting. That sure is several circles.
Several Circles by Vasily Kandinsky, 1926
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137491
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137491
November 1, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Say what you will about Kandinsky, the guy could name a painting. That sure is several circles.
What a filmography this is, by the way. RIP Kate Garraway #celebritytraitors
October 30, 2025 at 10:05 PM
What a filmography this is, by the way. RIP Kate Garraway #celebritytraitors