Ben Fry
@benfry.com
“In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story—and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read with renewed interest as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate…”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Ma...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Ma...
Gell-Mann amnesia effect - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 10, 2026 at 1:36 PM
“In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story—and then turn the page to national or international affairs, and read with renewed interest as if the rest of the newspaper was somehow more accurate…”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Ma...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gell-Ma...
Reposted by Ben Fry
Totally… I didn't share the original article when it first showed up, since I don't wanna rage dunk on others' life choices, but the interview with the author was too brilliant to ignore.
December 23, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Totally… I didn't share the original article when it first showed up, since I don't wanna rage dunk on others' life choices, but the interview with the author was too brilliant to ignore.
The original piece: www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-w...
I Work For an Evil Company, but Outside Work, I’m Actually a Really Good Person
I love my job. I make a great salary, there’s a clear path to promotion, and a never-ending supply of cold brew in the office. And even though my j...
www.mcsweeneys.net
December 23, 2025 at 12:18 PM
The original piece: www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-w...
Love seeing these anachronisms in older software—a reasonable choice for a late 90s UI, this kind of decision was used to tighten the layout & improve the visual experience. But what was a /little more/ elegant then says a lot about security at the time & is a reminder of how much has changed since.
December 23, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Love seeing these anachronisms in older software—a reasonable choice for a late 90s UI, this kind of decision was used to tighten the layout & improve the visual experience. But what was a /little more/ elegant then says a lot about security at the time & is a reminder of how much has changed since.
Same—debated quoting in the post, but decided that it's hard for most to really imagine just how huge the ISS actually is. Not always helped by “football field” comparisons if you haven't been *on one* in a long time. We perceive them to be about a third of their actual size on the telly after all…
December 17, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Same—debated quoting in the post, but decided that it's hard for most to really imagine just how huge the ISS actually is. Not always helped by “football field” comparisons if you haven't been *on one* in a long time. We perceive them to be about a third of their actual size on the telly after all…
I feel like it starts that shallow? Data centers hot! Space cold! It's science! It future! Give galactic funding!
Or sometimes you get an “infinite solar!” thing in there too, which is hilarious for its own set of reasons…
Or sometimes you get an “infinite solar!” thing in there too, which is hilarious for its own set of reasons…
December 17, 2025 at 10:05 PM
I feel like it starts that shallow? Data centers hot! Space cold! It's science! It future! Give galactic funding!
Or sometimes you get an “infinite solar!” thing in there too, which is hilarious for its own set of reasons…
Or sometimes you get an “infinite solar!” thing in there too, which is hilarious for its own set of reasons…
Ah yes, the Christmas Tree Light config, where we're running power to a repeater at each 100 m interval, and when one of those power lines is knocked out, it takes down everything else up the chain. Excellent, excellent.
December 17, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Ah yes, the Christmas Tree Light config, where we're running power to a repeater at each 100 m interval, and when one of those power lines is knocked out, it takes down everything else up the chain. Excellent, excellent.
I suspect you're being too polite, when what you actually mean is that you're concerned about those idiots who are gonna trip over the power cables and knock the data center offline. It's the plugging it all back in that'll be the real nightmare.
December 17, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I suspect you're being too polite, when what you actually mean is that you're concerned about those idiots who are gonna trip over the power cables and knock the data center offline. It's the plugging it all back in that'll be the real nightmare.
While reading it, the designer/engineer part of my brain kept thinking, “but what if X? but what if we looked at Y from another angle?” so I empathize with the allure of it. But the writeup seems to be from someone with actual experience and background in the area, and none of it adds up.
December 17, 2025 at 11:52 AM
While reading it, the designer/engineer part of my brain kept thinking, “but what if X? but what if we looked at Y from another angle?” so I empathize with the allure of it. But the writeup seems to be from someone with actual experience and background in the area, and none of it adds up.