Reposted by Ben
on track for a white christmas
December 21, 2025 at 11:56 AM
on track for a white christmas
Reposted by Ben
I've started a newsletter, The Update.
Today I cover how journalists should use social science, EU-US unemployment convergence, the definition of AGI, and more.
Please subscribe!
theupdatebrief.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
Today I cover how journalists should use social science, EU-US unemployment convergence, the definition of AGI, and more.
Please subscribe!
theupdatebrief.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
December 19, 2025 at 12:25 PM
I've started a newsletter, The Update.
Today I cover how journalists should use social science, EU-US unemployment convergence, the definition of AGI, and more.
Please subscribe!
theupdatebrief.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
Today I cover how journalists should use social science, EU-US unemployment convergence, the definition of AGI, and more.
Please subscribe!
theupdatebrief.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
Not me putting the Geese album on then immediately telling Claude Code to do something, and it tells me it's 'Honking' 😭
December 2, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Not me putting the Geese album on then immediately telling Claude Code to do something, and it tells me it's 'Honking' 😭
Reposted by Ben
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
Scrapping the two-child limit in full is a monumental decision. Well done to all involved in the Child Poverty Strategy, and everyone who has made the case against the policy.
OBR says scrapping costs £3 billion in 2029-30 and will lift 450,000 out of poverty
OBR says scrapping costs £3 billion in 2029-30 and will lift 450,000 out of poverty
November 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
Reposted by Ben
AI could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2 percentage points
November 7, 2025 at 1:24 PM
AI could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2 percentage points
Reposted by Ben
Reposted by Ben
I know there's a lot going on, but occasionally it's good to remind people that billions of animals suffer in crazy conditions in factory farms. In the U.S. it's gotten worse / denser in recent yrs, contrary to popular conception.
https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/11/01/factory-farming-is-a-blight/
https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/11/01/factory-farming-is-a-blight/
November 3, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I know there's a lot going on, but occasionally it's good to remind people that billions of animals suffer in crazy conditions in factory farms. In the U.S. it's gotten worse / denser in recent yrs, contrary to popular conception.
https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/11/01/factory-farming-is-a-blight/
https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/11/01/factory-farming-is-a-blight/
Reposted by Ben
“Someone else can pay for it”ism seems to have infected huge swathes of British politics. Left variants include wealth tax, more tax on the ultra rich, “debt doesn’t matter”, etc. Right variants include deporting people on welfare, “efficiency” cuts, etc.
November 3, 2025 at 9:17 AM
“Someone else can pay for it”ism seems to have infected huge swathes of British politics. Left variants include wealth tax, more tax on the ultra rich, “debt doesn’t matter”, etc. Right variants include deporting people on welfare, “efficiency” cuts, etc.
Reposted by Ben
Saturday's Start over Chicago's Lake Michigan.
November 1, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Saturday's Start over Chicago's Lake Michigan.
Reposted by Ben
The fundamental problem:
58% of voters want public spending maintained or increased.
67% want taxes to stay at their current level or be cut.
In reality, it’s a binary choice. Taxes go up, or spending is cut. That’s it.
58% of voters want public spending maintained or increased.
67% want taxes to stay at their current level or be cut.
In reality, it’s a binary choice. Taxes go up, or spending is cut. That’s it.
October 31, 2025 at 12:00 PM
The fundamental problem:
58% of voters want public spending maintained or increased.
67% want taxes to stay at their current level or be cut.
In reality, it’s a binary choice. Taxes go up, or spending is cut. That’s it.
58% of voters want public spending maintained or increased.
67% want taxes to stay at their current level or be cut.
In reality, it’s a binary choice. Taxes go up, or spending is cut. That’s it.
Reposted by Ben
Under Over Over - West Hampstead
So it's taken a while, but I've finally found a location where you can clearly see London Underground trains traveling over London Overground trains.
The vantage point is at West Hampstead Overground station at the end of the platform.
So it's taken a while, but I've finally found a location where you can clearly see London Underground trains traveling over London Overground trains.
The vantage point is at West Hampstead Overground station at the end of the platform.
October 20, 2025 at 6:54 AM
Under Over Over - West Hampstead
So it's taken a while, but I've finally found a location where you can clearly see London Underground trains traveling over London Overground trains.
The vantage point is at West Hampstead Overground station at the end of the platform.
So it's taken a while, but I've finally found a location where you can clearly see London Underground trains traveling over London Overground trains.
The vantage point is at West Hampstead Overground station at the end of the platform.
Reposted by Ben
Edinburgh castle failing to render, likely thanks to the AWS outage
October 20, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Edinburgh castle failing to render, likely thanks to the AWS outage
Reposted by Ben
wrote about this last year and sure I wasn't in any way the only one but imo people voting for populist politics in the 21st century *is* a sign that they do just have too much faith in institutions, as opposed to not enough - they want to have their little tantrum but assume things will just hold
September 19, 2025 at 8:23 PM
wrote about this last year and sure I wasn't in any way the only one but imo people voting for populist politics in the 21st century *is* a sign that they do just have too much faith in institutions, as opposed to not enough - they want to have their little tantrum but assume things will just hold
Reposted by Ben
'The New Camden' (1976) by Jennifer Elizabeth Brown
(London Borough of Camden, Town Hall Extension)
(London Borough of Camden, Town Hall Extension)
September 12, 2025 at 11:28 AM
'The New Camden' (1976) by Jennifer Elizabeth Brown
(London Borough of Camden, Town Hall Extension)
(London Borough of Camden, Town Hall Extension)
Reposted by Ben
If a Labour government with 400 seats which has nailed its colours to the masts of planning reform and the green transition can't steam roller people like this and their ridiculous selfish BS objections, then what on earth is the point of it?
A solar farm that could have powered “all the households in Witney” has been refused permission by West Oxfordshire District Council. Councillors were concerned about the risk of fire, one drawing parallels to the 1966 Aberfan disaster: “Until someone can guarantee it is safe, I can’t support it.”
September 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM
If a Labour government with 400 seats which has nailed its colours to the masts of planning reform and the green transition can't steam roller people like this and their ridiculous selfish BS objections, then what on earth is the point of it?
Reposted by Ben
In most of the world, bigger cities have stronger economies. It happens in France, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, and on, and on. But not in Britain. In Britain, the bigger a city gets the weaker its economy is, except for London. This costs us dearly.
August 13, 2025 at 11:25 PM
In most of the world, bigger cities have stronger economies. It happens in France, the USA, the Netherlands, Belgium, and on, and on. But not in Britain. In Britain, the bigger a city gets the weaker its economy is, except for London. This costs us dearly.
Tfw turning 28 www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4df...
George Clanton - I Been Young
YouTube video by GeorgeClantonVEVO
www.youtube.com
August 5, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Tfw turning 28 www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4df...
Reposted by Ben
A UK wealth tax sounds simple: "tax the super‑rich, fund public services"
But it's not.
Our 16,000 word deep‑dive shows revenues are fragile, it puts growth, investment and jobs at risk, and there's no revenue before 2029.
Here’s the evidence:
But it's not.
Our 16,000 word deep‑dive shows revenues are fragile, it puts growth, investment and jobs at risk, and there's no revenue before 2029.
Here’s the evidence:
July 22, 2025 at 8:15 AM
A UK wealth tax sounds simple: "tax the super‑rich, fund public services"
But it's not.
Our 16,000 word deep‑dive shows revenues are fragile, it puts growth, investment and jobs at risk, and there's no revenue before 2029.
Here’s the evidence:
But it's not.
Our 16,000 word deep‑dive shows revenues are fragile, it puts growth, investment and jobs at risk, and there's no revenue before 2029.
Here’s the evidence:
Reposted by Ben
launching the concept of having a single espresso followed by a can of diet coke, the elegant daytime equivalent of ordering a shot and a beer
June 11, 2025 at 12:28 PM
launching the concept of having a single espresso followed by a can of diet coke, the elegant daytime equivalent of ordering a shot and a beer
Reposted by Ben
I like this analogy - like DIY, vibe coding can make lots of little things better, and you can learn new tricks along the way. But you wouldn’t want to rely on it for anything where safety, stability or security is essential.
June 3, 2025 at 11:01 AM
I like this analogy - like DIY, vibe coding can make lots of little things better, and you can learn new tricks along the way. But you wouldn’t want to rely on it for anything where safety, stability or security is essential.
Reposted by Ben
Probably the purest distillation of Trump’s neomercantilist ideology that any time you import something you’re automatically losing. He can’t even grasp the concept of a mutually beneficial transaction.
Trump: "We were losing hundreds of billions of dollars with China. Now we're essentially not doing business with China. Therefore, we're saving hundreds of billions of dollars. It's very simple."
May 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Probably the purest distillation of Trump’s neomercantilist ideology that any time you import something you’re automatically losing. He can’t even grasp the concept of a mutually beneficial transaction.
Reposted by Ben
Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen
April 9, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen
Reposted by Ben
how to get into smuggling
how to smuggle goods
what goods are easily smuggled
where to smuggle goods from
overseas suppliers of goods
how to speak chinese
least secure trading ports
best boat for smuggling
cheapest boat for smuggling
maritime law
boat driving basics
boat law
how to get into piracy
how to smuggle goods
what goods are easily smuggled
where to smuggle goods from
overseas suppliers of goods
how to speak chinese
least secure trading ports
best boat for smuggling
cheapest boat for smuggling
maritime law
boat driving basics
boat law
how to get into piracy
April 9, 2025 at 7:36 AM
how to get into smuggling
how to smuggle goods
what goods are easily smuggled
where to smuggle goods from
overseas suppliers of goods
how to speak chinese
least secure trading ports
best boat for smuggling
cheapest boat for smuggling
maritime law
boat driving basics
boat law
how to get into piracy
how to smuggle goods
what goods are easily smuggled
where to smuggle goods from
overseas suppliers of goods
how to speak chinese
least secure trading ports
best boat for smuggling
cheapest boat for smuggling
maritime law
boat driving basics
boat law
how to get into piracy
Reposted by Ben
I do think blanket opposition to free trade was kind of a luxury belief for a lot of political actors because it was so assumed that the pro-trade coalition was so strong we'd never get something like this. whoops.
April 4, 2025 at 7:46 PM
I do think blanket opposition to free trade was kind of a luxury belief for a lot of political actors because it was so assumed that the pro-trade coalition was so strong we'd never get something like this. whoops.