Archit Shah
@tenarchits.bsky.social
Professional attorney and software engineer. Amateur everything else. Views expressed here are mine alone.
Pinned
Archit Shah
@tenarchits.bsky.social
· Oct 11
The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!
YouTube video by Bojan Strafe
www.youtube.com
"We’ve made too many compromises already. Too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here…THIS far, NO further! And I will make the pay for what they’ve done." www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jln3...
Reposted by Archit Shah
Reposted by Archit Shah
Every few months now I re-read this "Who Goes Nazi?" piece from 1941 and am blown away by how it captures the people we are dealing with 80 years later.
harpers.org/archive/1941...
harpers.org/archive/1941...
Who Goes Nazi?, by Dorothy Thompson
harpers.org
October 1, 2025 at 11:59 PM
Every few months now I re-read this "Who Goes Nazi?" piece from 1941 and am blown away by how it captures the people we are dealing with 80 years later.
harpers.org/archive/1941...
harpers.org/archive/1941...
Reposted by Archit Shah
Hands Reaching Up From Hell, Wat Rong Khun Temple, by Chalermchai Kositpipat, 1997
December 5, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Hands Reaching Up From Hell, Wat Rong Khun Temple, by Chalermchai Kositpipat, 1997
"A neurotypical person, the thinking goes, can churn out a 15-page paper with no hint of procrastination, maintain perfect focus during a boring lecture, and never experience social anxiety or awkwardness." reason.com/2025/12/04/w...
Why are 38 percent of Stanford students saying they're disabled?
If you get into an elite college, you probably don't have a learning disability.
reason.com
December 4, 2025 at 9:17 PM
"A neurotypical person, the thinking goes, can churn out a 15-page paper with no hint of procrastination, maintain perfect focus during a boring lecture, and never experience social anxiety or awkwardness." reason.com/2025/12/04/w...
Reposted by Archit Shah
"I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable Asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong."
~George Washington to Francis Adrian van der Kemp, May 28, 1788.
Image: Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington, 1804. Public domain.
~George Washington to Francis Adrian van der Kemp, May 28, 1788.
Image: Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington, 1804. Public domain.
November 28, 2025 at 5:38 PM
"I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable Asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong."
~George Washington to Francis Adrian van der Kemp, May 28, 1788.
Image: Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington, 1804. Public domain.
~George Washington to Francis Adrian van der Kemp, May 28, 1788.
Image: Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington, 1804. Public domain.
"Current AI adoption concentrates in technology occupations representing 2.2% of labor market wage value. Yet AI technical capability extends to cognitive and administrative tasks spanning 11.7% of the labor market ... across finance, healthcare, and professional services" iceberg.mit.edu/report.pdf
iceberg.mit.edu
November 27, 2025 at 11:29 PM
"Current AI adoption concentrates in technology occupations representing 2.2% of labor market wage value. Yet AI technical capability extends to cognitive and administrative tasks spanning 11.7% of the labor market ... across finance, healthcare, and professional services" iceberg.mit.edu/report.pdf
In 2000, Ted Chiang wrote science fiction that now feels imminent: "As metahumans began to dominate experimental research, they increasingly made their findings available only via digital neural transfer, leaving journals to publish second-hand accounts translated into human language."
gwern.net
November 14, 2025 at 6:44 PM
In 2000, Ted Chiang wrote science fiction that now feels imminent: "As metahumans began to dominate experimental research, they increasingly made their findings available only via digital neural transfer, leaving journals to publish second-hand accounts translated into human language."
"They were human beings, just like us. And it was not Hitler who arrested me, not Goering, not Goebbels. The grocer, the janitor, the tailor, the shoemaker, the baker, they suddenly got a uniform, a swastika armband, and there they were, the master race." www.nationalfonds.org/announcement...
Recollections of Auschwitz at BUCH WIEN 2021 - National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism
From 10–14 November 2021, the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism was an exhibitor at BUCH WIEN (“Vienna Book Fair”) for the third time, which, despite Covid 19 ...
www.nationalfonds.org
November 7, 2025 at 11:38 PM
"They were human beings, just like us. And it was not Hitler who arrested me, not Goering, not Goebbels. The grocer, the janitor, the tailor, the shoemaker, the baker, they suddenly got a uniform, a swastika armband, and there they were, the master race." www.nationalfonds.org/announcement...
Nuremberg Law No. 10: "[P]ersons found guilty ... may upon conviction be punished as shall be determined by the tribunal to be just. ...: (a) Death. (b) Imprisonment ... (c) Fine ... (d) Forfeiture ... (f) Deprivation of some or all civil rights." crimeofaggression.info/documents/6/....
November 7, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Nuremberg Law No. 10: "[P]ersons found guilty ... may upon conviction be punished as shall be determined by the tribunal to be just. ...: (a) Death. (b) Imprisonment ... (c) Fine ... (d) Forfeiture ... (f) Deprivation of some or all civil rights." crimeofaggression.info/documents/6/....
Reposted by Archit Shah
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Reposted by Archit Shah
My favorite comment on the FT story
November 6, 2025 at 7:49 PM
My favorite comment on the FT story
Reposted by Archit Shah
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
November 2, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Did not expect one of the best paragraphs I’d read about baseball would come from an Irish newspaper
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
www.irishexaminer.com/sport-column...
Reposted by Archit Shah
Happy Halloween
October 31, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Happy Halloween
Reposted by Archit Shah
ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we've ever seen in the agency - a 700% increase.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
October 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we've ever seen in the agency - a 700% increase.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
Reposted by Archit Shah
We have armed secret police kidnapping people off the street based on the color of their skin.
When we win: we will haul them before a Senate committee. The masks will come off. There will be consequences.
When we win: we will haul them before a Senate committee. The masks will come off. There will be consequences.
October 12, 2025 at 4:44 PM
We have armed secret police kidnapping people off the street based on the color of their skin.
When we win: we will haul them before a Senate committee. The masks will come off. There will be consequences.
When we win: we will haul them before a Senate committee. The masks will come off. There will be consequences.
"We’ve made too many compromises already. Too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here…THIS far, NO further! And I will make the pay for what they’ve done." www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jln3...
The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!
YouTube video by Bojan Strafe
www.youtube.com
October 11, 2025 at 5:31 AM
"We’ve made too many compromises already. Too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again! The line must be drawn here…THIS far, NO further! And I will make the pay for what they’ve done." www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jln3...
Reposted by Archit Shah
The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Friday she “cannot support” a White House proposal that asks MIT and eight other universities to adopt President Donald Trump’s political agenda in exchange for favorable access to federal funding. https://to.pbs.org/4qadGZG
MIT president rejects proposal to adopt Trump priorities for funding benefits
The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Friday she “cannot support” a White House proposal that asks MIT and eight other universities to adopt President Donald Trump's politica...
www.pbs.org
October 10, 2025 at 11:34 PM
The president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said Friday she “cannot support” a White House proposal that asks MIT and eight other universities to adopt President Donald Trump’s political agenda in exchange for favorable access to federal funding. https://to.pbs.org/4qadGZG
Reposted by Archit Shah
there's really a point where i genuinely fear for my own immortal soul, because even as i oppose this administration, i still am a part of this polity and am guilty of its sins
NEW: By a 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to cancel Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan migrants.
KBJ, dissenting, says she "cannot abide our repeated, gratuitous, and harmful interference" while "lives hang in the balance."
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
KBJ, dissenting, says she "cannot abide our repeated, gratuitous, and harmful interference" while "lives hang in the balance."
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...
October 3, 2025 at 9:14 PM
there's really a point where i genuinely fear for my own immortal soul, because even as i oppose this administration, i still am a part of this polity and am guilty of its sins
Reposted by Archit Shah
It has never been about the technology or any real innovation in digital money and payments. It has always been about regulatory arbitrage.
Stablecoin issuer Circle examines ‘reversible’ transactions in departure for crypto
President says sector should learn from traditional finance and allow refunds in cases of fraud or disputes
www.ft.com
September 25, 2025 at 11:40 AM
It has never been about the technology or any real innovation in digital money and payments. It has always been about regulatory arbitrage.
Reposted by Archit Shah
After so many shameful low points from him and for our country, this one is uniquely embarrassing and dangerous for all Americans.
This is no way to speak to anyone. Especially not to an audience of world leaders who are guests of our nation and our great city of New York.
This is no way to speak to anyone. Especially not to an audience of world leaders who are guests of our nation and our great city of New York.
Trump to the UN: "I'm really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell."
September 23, 2025 at 8:07 PM
After so many shameful low points from him and for our country, this one is uniquely embarrassing and dangerous for all Americans.
This is no way to speak to anyone. Especially not to an audience of world leaders who are guests of our nation and our great city of New York.
This is no way to speak to anyone. Especially not to an audience of world leaders who are guests of our nation and our great city of New York.
"The world he saw ... was distorted and dark. But he made it darker still with his exaltation of fanaticism. Yesterday someone came out of that darkness that he spawned, and killed him." NY Times, Feb. 22, 1965, obituary for Malcolm X (h/t @clarenceokoh.bsky.social).
September 15, 2025 at 3:49 PM
"The world he saw ... was distorted and dark. But he made it darker still with his exaltation of fanaticism. Yesterday someone came out of that darkness that he spawned, and killed him." NY Times, Feb. 22, 1965, obituary for Malcolm X (h/t @clarenceokoh.bsky.social).
Reposted by Archit Shah
Apropos of nothing, a reminder that German stock markets kept climbing in an almost uninterrupted fashion in the run-up to WW2. Investors are really, really bad at pricing serious institutional and political risks.
August 26, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Apropos of nothing, a reminder that German stock markets kept climbing in an almost uninterrupted fashion in the run-up to WW2. Investors are really, really bad at pricing serious institutional and political risks.
Reposted by Archit Shah
Police quoted as saying real police do t wear ski masks. As if we are living in an alternate universe where masked US military aren’t kidnapping people
Masked men came to the door claiming to be police with a warrant. They weren’t. When they started shooting, the homeowner shot back and killed them: www.khou.com/article/news...
Homeowner shoots, kills 2 men in ski masks claiming to be officers, HPD says
Two men are dead after police say they were impersonating officers at a southeast Houston home overnight.
www.khou.com
August 24, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Police quoted as saying real police do t wear ski masks. As if we are living in an alternate universe where masked US military aren’t kidnapping people
Reposted by Archit Shah
NB for young adults and parents considering UChicago for college--I wouldn't touch it. It breaks my heart, I so enjoyed teaching here. But how can we teach when we can't study?
August 19, 2025 at 5:29 PM
NB for young adults and parents considering UChicago for college--I wouldn't touch it. It breaks my heart, I so enjoyed teaching here. But how can we teach when we can't study?
Reposted by Archit Shah
One of the tenets of my own personal socialism is that capital will always work in its own interests, and seeing that assumption fail in such a spectacularly illogical direction is breaking my brain in a way I just did not anticipate. I simply don't know how to adjust my priors for this.
this is an absolute twenty alarm fire and I just cannot bring myself to believe capital, in one way or another, isn’t going to reel him in on this.
we can’t have a real economy without the goddamn labor numbers. it just doesn’t work.
we can’t have a real economy without the goddamn labor numbers. it just doesn’t work.
We know Trump lies all the time, but it feels important that reporters covering his politicization of employment data make sure to point out that even his stated reasons are bullshit!
August 4, 2025 at 2:24 AM
One of the tenets of my own personal socialism is that capital will always work in its own interests, and seeing that assumption fail in such a spectacularly illogical direction is breaking my brain in a way I just did not anticipate. I simply don't know how to adjust my priors for this.