Van Badham
@vanbadham.bsky.social
Guardian columnist, co-hosts The Week on Wednesday podcast, makes theatre, yaps a lot. Contact me: https://linktr.ee/vanbadham You should totally buy my book, QANON & ON: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults. It’s bonkers.
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Xania Monet’s music is the stuff of nightmares. Thankfully her AI ‘clankers’ will be limited to this cultural moment | Van Badham
While a robot pop star may be novelty now, young people are maturing with a scorn for generic digital products
www.theguardian.com
My latest in the Guardian is about the AI singer who just signed a $3m recording contract… while rumours of the return to analogue fun continue to spread.
www.theguardian.com/technology/c...
www.theguardian.com/technology/c...
Reposted by Van Badham
Grateful to The Verge for publishing my essay on why large-language models are not going to achieve general intelligence nor push the scientific frontier.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Is language the same as intelligence? The AI industry desperately needs it to be
The AI boom is based on a fundamental mistake.
www.theverge.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Grateful to The Verge for publishing my essay on why large-language models are not going to achieve general intelligence nor push the scientific frontier.
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
I write full-time but holy fuck, I don’t know how I would have been able to manage it if I had’ve had children. “yes, no problem, thank you for the gig 1000 miles away at one week’s notice”, “absolutely I can commit to be here until midnight”, “you need this in three hours? Sure, done.”
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 26, 2025 at 2:13 AM
I write full-time but holy fuck, I don’t know how I would have been able to manage it if I had’ve had children. “yes, no problem, thank you for the gig 1000 miles away at one week’s notice”, “absolutely I can commit to be here until midnight”, “you need this in three hours? Sure, done.”
Reposted by Van Badham
I left my job to write books full-time in January 2019, and there is no relaxing, because the wolf never leaves the door. I work very hard but it's mostly luck and privilege and I never ever forget that.
And the folks who are actually writing full-time generally only got there after years of day jobs, family support, or both.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
The point of sharing this is not to demoralize anyone, but to let emerging writers know they're not failing if they can't make a living off writing alone. Almost no one can.
almost every novelist you read who's not from the airport fiction or bestseller sections is working a full on day job, including multi-award winners and absolute legends, or they have a spouse or trust that supports them. virtually across the board. just normalize in your mind that's how it works.
November 26, 2025 at 12:47 AM
I left my job to write books full-time in January 2019, and there is no relaxing, because the wolf never leaves the door. I work very hard but it's mostly luck and privilege and I never ever forget that.
Reposted by Van Badham
Honestly, this makes me want to dress more like a slob when I travel just to spite that moron
Sean Duffy, the U.S. transportation secretary, has been urging people for the past week to dress and comport themselves better as a way of restoring “civility” to air travel. On Tuesday, he added another item to his list of concerns: the quality of the snacks handed out on commercial flights.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Wants Healthier In-Flight Snack Options
Sean Duffy, who has been promoting greater decorum among air travelers, said he would like to see choices besides salty pretzels and buttery cookies.
nyti.ms
November 26, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Honestly, this makes me want to dress more like a slob when I travel just to spite that moron
Reposted by Van Badham
If a woman loses a pregnancy, authorities will do an excruciating investigation to determine whether the miscarriage was the woman's fault, but if it's baby who dies because the parents ignored easy-to-follow medical advice, they shrug their shoulders.
November 25, 2025 at 11:17 PM
If a woman loses a pregnancy, authorities will do an excruciating investigation to determine whether the miscarriage was the woman's fault, but if it's baby who dies because the parents ignored easy-to-follow medical advice, they shrug their shoulders.
Reposted by Van Badham
I have long posited that Daniel Craig's accent in Glass Onion is better than Knives Out because in Knives Out he is trying to do a real Southern accent and is bad at it but in Glass Onion he is just talking like Foghorn Leghorn, which is something a real gay Southern weirdo would do.
November 25, 2025 at 10:39 PM
I have long posited that Daniel Craig's accent in Glass Onion is better than Knives Out because in Knives Out he is trying to do a real Southern accent and is bad at it but in Glass Onion he is just talking like Foghorn Leghorn, which is something a real gay Southern weirdo would do.
Reposted by Van Badham
I'm wondering if Kegseth is hell-bent on going after Mark Kelly because he outranked him. Small men do that kind of thing.
November 25, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I'm wondering if Kegseth is hell-bent on going after Mark Kelly because he outranked him. Small men do that kind of thing.
Reposted by Van Badham
I think Pecan Pie is one of those things that is divisive now because it’s just a blob of sugar with nuts on it but to someone 150 years ago who ate shoes it was probably like having 12 orgasms at once
November 25, 2025 at 10:54 PM
I think Pecan Pie is one of those things that is divisive now because it’s just a blob of sugar with nuts on it but to someone 150 years ago who ate shoes it was probably like having 12 orgasms at once
Reposted by Van Badham
Unbelievable.
Very few things piss me off more than anti-vax morons killing their children.
Very few things piss me off more than anti-vax morons killing their children.
November 25, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Unbelievable.
Very few things piss me off more than anti-vax morons killing their children.
Very few things piss me off more than anti-vax morons killing their children.
Reposted by Van Badham
This is exactly what you do
With presidents who coup
With presidents who coup
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro must begin serving his 27-year prison sentence for plotting an attempted coup, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ruled. https://cnn.it/4p1dgDV
November 25, 2025 at 9:01 PM
This is exactly what you do
With presidents who coup
With presidents who coup
Reposted by Van Badham
Australia is bringing in ‘world first’ minimum pay for food delivery drivers – here’s how it will work. Deal between companies and union, which includes an hourly wage and accident insurance, still requires approval from the industrial umpire.
www.theguardian.com/business/202... #ausunions #auslaw
www.theguardian.com/business/202... #ausunions #auslaw
Australia is bringing in ‘world first’ minimum pay for food delivery drivers – here’s how it will work
Deal between companies and union, which includes an hourly wage and accident insurance, still requires approval from the industrial umpire, but this is what we know so far
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Australia is bringing in ‘world first’ minimum pay for food delivery drivers – here’s how it will work. Deal between companies and union, which includes an hourly wage and accident insurance, still requires approval from the industrial umpire.
www.theguardian.com/business/202... #ausunions #auslaw
www.theguardian.com/business/202... #ausunions #auslaw
Reposted by Van Badham
Reposted by Van Badham
Impeach, convict, remove.
And if our current leaders won’t do it, they need to step aside for people who will.
And if our current leaders won’t do it, they need to step aside for people who will.
November 25, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Impeach, convict, remove.
And if our current leaders won’t do it, they need to step aside for people who will.
And if our current leaders won’t do it, they need to step aside for people who will.
Reposted by Van Badham
Please stop calling this Musk guy a huge fucking loser. As a huge fucking loser myself, he does not represent us. He's making us look bad.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Please stop calling this Musk guy a huge fucking loser. As a huge fucking loser myself, he does not represent us. He's making us look bad.
Reposted by Van Badham
The stupidest people who have ever existed are building the dumbest possible future and expect the rest of us to think they are geniuses and love them for it.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 9:44 PM
The stupidest people who have ever existed are building the dumbest possible future and expect the rest of us to think they are geniuses and love them for it.
Reposted by Van Badham
Sorry, capitalism, it is self-evidently disqualifying for any economic system to make this guy the wealthiest person on the planet.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Sorry, capitalism, it is self-evidently disqualifying for any economic system to make this guy the wealthiest person on the planet.
Reposted by Van Badham
Reposted by Van Badham
Dear god...
Not only are they shitty people, but they're also shit at being shitty people.
Not only are they shitty people, but they're also shit at being shitty people.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Dear god...
Not only are they shitty people, but they're also shit at being shitty people.
Not only are they shitty people, but they're also shit at being shitty people.
Reposted by Van Badham
this man was born to be the least popular friend in a group of magic the gathering players.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 10:15 PM
this man was born to be the least popular friend in a group of magic the gathering players.
Reposted by Van Badham
Try it. Do it. Come to the Crown and Anchor in Edmonton and try it out on a random customer. Go on.
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Try it. Do it. Come to the Crown and Anchor in Edmonton and try it out on a random customer. Go on.
Reposted by Van Badham
Trust me bro you’ll be the life of the party if you take a picture of someone, then look down and type for 20 minutes
People LOVE when you do that
People LOVE when you do that
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Trust me bro you’ll be the life of the party if you take a picture of someone, then look down and type for 20 minutes
People LOVE when you do that
People LOVE when you do that
Reposted by Van Badham
“I use AI to bully people. I am fun at parties.”
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 10:34 PM
“I use AI to bully people. I am fun at parties.”
Reposted by Van Badham
Joyce Carol Oates sees this on her timeline, presses Quote Tweet and begins to type…
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Joyce Carol Oates sees this on her timeline, presses Quote Tweet and begins to type…
Reposted by Van Badham
Musk laughing at the thought of his AI doing a "vulgar roast" of someone has the same energy as Mr Burns laughing about crippling an Irishman
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Musk laughing at the thought of his AI doing a "vulgar roast" of someone has the same energy as Mr Burns laughing about crippling an Irishman
Reposted by Van Badham
It's the two most foul meathead lunks you knew in high school giggling about how they can make a robot be racist because somehow they became two of the most powerful and influential men in the world instead of small town cops hooked on the fentanyl they steal from the evidence locker
Everything about this might be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen
November 24, 2025 at 10:54 PM
It's the two most foul meathead lunks you knew in high school giggling about how they can make a robot be racist because somehow they became two of the most powerful and influential men in the world instead of small town cops hooked on the fentanyl they steal from the evidence locker