Vikram Bath
@vikrambath.bsky.social
Former business school professor, current software engineer. Writes at ordinary-times.com
Pinned
Vikram Bath
@vikrambath.bsky.social
· Apr 5
Note that these are the years over which America first became the world’s economic superpower
I do think it could maybe be vastly improved by additional editing?
Part of me feels bad for judging humor so many decades after it was written. It hardly seems fair now that I think about it
Part of me feels bad for judging humor so many decades after it was written. It hardly seems fair now that I think about it
January 18, 2026 at 6:13 PM
I do think it could maybe be vastly improved by additional editing?
Part of me feels bad for judging humor so many decades after it was written. It hardly seems fair now that I think about it
Part of me feels bad for judging humor so many decades after it was written. It hardly seems fair now that I think about it
There’s a whole arc on tracking down wickets…so…yeah
January 18, 2026 at 6:06 PM
There’s a whole arc on tracking down wickets…so…yeah
It was fun reading about Zaphod Beeblebrox and realizing “Oh! It’s Zapp Brannigan!”
January 18, 2026 at 5:55 PM
It was fun reading about Zaphod Beeblebrox and realizing “Oh! It’s Zapp Brannigan!”
Yeah, that could be it. Time can also just be hard on humor books
January 18, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Yeah, that could be it. Time can also just be hard on humor books
Reposted by Vikram Bath
Reading the Hitchhiker’s Guide books with the 9 year old, and I am ashamed to admit that I actually don’t think they are that great?
January 18, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Reading the Hitchhiker’s Guide books with the 9 year old, and I am ashamed to admit that I actually don’t think they are that great?
Reposted by Vikram Bath
Opinion | An Old Theory Helps Explain What Happened to Renee Good
www.nytimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Vikram Bath
If you read one thing today, it should be this
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
Witnesses tell of the brutality inflicted on those taking part in anti-regime protests
www.thetimes.com
January 18, 2026 at 10:04 AM
If you read one thing today, it should be this
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Iran report says 16,500 dead in ‘genocide under digital darkness’
www.thetimes.com/article/01ba...
Another L for Gen X as well
January 18, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Another L for Gen X as well
Reposted by Vikram Bath
I mean the joke here is that Trump is a moron who only knows how to tariff and lie
Q: If the credit card companies don't lower interest rates, what's Trump's plan?
LEAVITT: Tariffs? No I'm just kidding
LEAVITT: Tariffs? No I'm just kidding
January 18, 2026 at 1:13 AM
I mean the joke here is that Trump is a moron who only knows how to tariff and lie
"Do you think the ICE agent should face criminal charges for shooting the woman in Minneapolis?"
Men: Yes
Women: Yes
White: Yes
Black: Yes
Hispanic: Yes
Other: Yes
Men: Yes
Women: Yes
White: Yes
Black: Yes
Hispanic: Yes
Other: Yes
January 18, 2026 at 11:51 AM
"Do you think the ICE agent should face criminal charges for shooting the woman in Minneapolis?"
Men: Yes
Women: Yes
White: Yes
Black: Yes
Hispanic: Yes
Other: Yes
Men: Yes
Women: Yes
White: Yes
Black: Yes
Hispanic: Yes
Other: Yes
Imagine the response you would get if you’d expressed concern that a woman Trump pardoned for fraud would turn around and commit more fraud and get yet another complete pardon
January 18, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Imagine the response you would get if you’d expressed concern that a woman Trump pardoned for fraud would turn around and commit more fraud and get yet another complete pardon
The derangement of the real-life Trump exceeds the imagination of even the most afflicted TDS sufferer 1/2
I mean, imagine the response you would have got if you'd expressed concern 12 months ago that Trump might very publicly invade a country, kidnap the leader, declare himself the new leader, sell off their assets, and direct the proceeds to offshore accounts in the Middle East.
I think it's also worth looking at everything that's happened so far and asking, if you'd asked a year before they did said things "are these things legitimate concerns or alarmist fan fiction," what might we have said?
January 18, 2026 at 12:13 AM
The derangement of the real-life Trump exceeds the imagination of even the most afflicted TDS sufferer 1/2
Reposted by Vikram Bath
I mean, imagine the response you would have got if you'd expressed concern 12 months ago that Trump might very publicly invade a country, kidnap the leader, declare himself the new leader, sell off their assets, and direct the proceeds to offshore accounts in the Middle East.
I think it's also worth looking at everything that's happened so far and asking, if you'd asked a year before they did said things "are these things legitimate concerns or alarmist fan fiction," what might we have said?
January 17, 2026 at 4:34 PM
I mean, imagine the response you would have got if you'd expressed concern 12 months ago that Trump might very publicly invade a country, kidnap the leader, declare himself the new leader, sell off their assets, and direct the proceeds to offshore accounts in the Middle East.
Reposted by Vikram Bath
it's insanely on the nose how maria corina machado is the second ever person to gift away their nobel prize and the first was some guy in nazi occupied norway who gave it to joseph goebbels as a bargaining chip and got nothing out of it
January 17, 2026 at 9:12 PM
it's insanely on the nose how maria corina machado is the second ever person to gift away their nobel prize and the first was some guy in nazi occupied norway who gave it to joseph goebbels as a bargaining chip and got nothing out of it
lol. We still have the tree up and the outdoor lights. If there’s snow, it’s Christmas
January 17, 2026 at 9:18 PM
lol. We still have the tree up and the outdoor lights. If there’s snow, it’s Christmas
Reposted by Vikram Bath
There’s no real debate. I have witnessed a very small number of ICE activists advocating for carrying firearms or even trying to agitate by physically striking ICE vehicles, etc. Let’s be clear: the incredibly vast majority of people resisting ICE correctly believe these people are fools.
January 17, 2026 at 7:32 PM
There’s no real debate. I have witnessed a very small number of ICE activists advocating for carrying firearms or even trying to agitate by physically striking ICE vehicles, etc. Let’s be clear: the incredibly vast majority of people resisting ICE correctly believe these people are fools.
January 17, 2026 at 9:11 PM
Reposted by Vikram Bath
DOJ investigating whether Denmark lied on its Greenland mortgage.
January 17, 2026 at 6:23 PM
DOJ investigating whether Denmark lied on its Greenland mortgage.
The tariffs aren’t on Denmark. They are un-legislated taxes on Americans who import things from Denmark
January 17, 2026 at 6:53 PM
The tariffs aren’t on Denmark. They are un-legislated taxes on Americans who import things from Denmark
Why 10%? Doesn’t he usually like to shock with bigger numbers and then pare them down later if he wants to?
January 17, 2026 at 5:55 PM
Why 10%? Doesn’t he usually like to shock with bigger numbers and then pare them down later if he wants to?
Mandatory for able retirees who want to collect Social Security?
January 17, 2026 at 3:09 PM
Mandatory for able retirees who want to collect Social Security?
Reposted by Vikram Bath
GS: Unemployment Among Young Tech Workers Has Mostly Normalized
January 17, 2026 at 12:16 PM
GS: Unemployment Among Young Tech Workers Has Mostly Normalized
The time requires a different definition of what it means to be a “moderate”. I don’t particularly care at all what flavor of Medicare For All you prefer or if your gun control support is lukewarm.
You are either someone who sees the threat to democracy or you’re a collaborator
You are either someone who sees the threat to democracy or you’re a collaborator
exactly this. do you correctly view MAGA as an evil force that jerks off over murdering women and flash banging babies, which must be crushed and destroyed forever? Or are you still clinging to a dangerously naive delusion that these creatures can be won over with the Power of Debate?
the dividing line amongst democrats is basically do you view republicans as existential threats to the country or do you view them as sparring partners.
it’s 2026. cuck democrats can either get on board or get primaried
it’s 2026. cuck democrats can either get on board or get primaried
January 17, 2026 at 12:03 PM
The time requires a different definition of what it means to be a “moderate”. I don’t particularly care at all what flavor of Medicare For All you prefer or if your gun control support is lukewarm.
You are either someone who sees the threat to democracy or you’re a collaborator
You are either someone who sees the threat to democracy or you’re a collaborator