Media pundit
@mediapundit.bsky.social
Writer and film reviewer. Working on my first novel! Letterboxd: https://bit.ly/46ipvlF. Blog: https://tinyurl.com/mud3xvz4
Pinned
Review: John Updike’s Rabbit quartet
Harry Angstrom of John Updike’s Rabbit series is an unusual protagonist. There are plenty of characters in literature who are ‘everymen’- Winston Smith from 1984, for example- but for the most part…
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk
Review of John Updike's Rabbit quartet.
My last blog post of the year
#Updike #Rabbit #writing #writingcommunity
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/23/r...
My last blog post of the year
#Updike #Rabbit #writing #writingcommunity
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/23/r...
Cheerful news to bring in the new year
#2026 #happynewyear
#2026 #happynewyear
January 1, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Cheerful news to bring in the new year
#2026 #happynewyear
#2026 #happynewyear
Reposted by Media pundit
the kind of boring and banal truth about AI tools is that they are basically like every other tool in that they work best to complement your existing areas of expertise, have limitations, and do require an investment of time to learn their capabilities and limitations.
December 21, 2025 at 7:29 PM
the kind of boring and banal truth about AI tools is that they are basically like every other tool in that they work best to complement your existing areas of expertise, have limitations, and do require an investment of time to learn their capabilities and limitations.
Reposted by Media pundit
Cunk spittin Christmas cheer
December 20, 2024 at 12:48 PM
Cunk spittin Christmas cheer
Review of John Updike's Rabbit quartet.
My last blog post of the year
#Updike #Rabbit #writing #writingcommunity
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/23/r...
My last blog post of the year
#Updike #Rabbit #writing #writingcommunity
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/23/r...
Review: John Updike’s Rabbit quartet
Harry Angstrom of John Updike’s Rabbit series is an unusual protagonist. There are plenty of characters in literature who are ‘everymen’- Winston Smith from 1984, for example- but for the most part…
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk
December 23, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Review of John Updike's Rabbit quartet.
My last blog post of the year
#Updike #Rabbit #writing #writingcommunity
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/23/r...
My last blog post of the year
#Updike #Rabbit #writing #writingcommunity
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/23/r...
One thing which dispelled the magic around LLMs for me was asking ChatGPT for a review of a film, then for a summary of some actual scenes.
The review was ’fine.’ The descriptions of key scenes in the film was complete nonsense.
The review was ’fine.’ The descriptions of key scenes in the film was complete nonsense.
The “AI” has not read the book. Even if the book was in its training data, it has just absorbed it as a set of statistics. It will juggle you a “summary” that might or might not relate to the conclusions of the actual text. The only way you’ll know is to read it yourself.
This is one of the reasons I remain horrified by seeing @historians.org suggest "ways to use gAI" that included this:
December 22, 2025 at 8:58 AM
One thing which dispelled the magic around LLMs for me was asking ChatGPT for a review of a film, then for a summary of some actual scenes.
The review was ’fine.’ The descriptions of key scenes in the film was complete nonsense.
The review was ’fine.’ The descriptions of key scenes in the film was complete nonsense.
Reposted by Media pundit
The “AI” has not read the book. Even if the book was in its training data, it has just absorbed it as a set of statistics. It will juggle you a “summary” that might or might not relate to the conclusions of the actual text. The only way you’ll know is to read it yourself.
This is one of the reasons I remain horrified by seeing @historians.org suggest "ways to use gAI" that included this:
December 22, 2025 at 7:21 AM
The “AI” has not read the book. Even if the book was in its training data, it has just absorbed it as a set of statistics. It will juggle you a “summary” that might or might not relate to the conclusions of the actual text. The only way you’ll know is to read it yourself.
Reposted by Media pundit
Discworld QOTD, from The Last Continent
“The wizards were civilized men of considerable education and culture. When faced with being inadvertently marooned on a desert island they understood immediately that the first thing to do was place the blame.”
“The wizards were civilized men of considerable education and culture. When faced with being inadvertently marooned on a desert island they understood immediately that the first thing to do was place the blame.”
Discworld QOTD, from Thud!
December 19, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Discworld QOTD, from The Last Continent
“The wizards were civilized men of considerable education and culture. When faced with being inadvertently marooned on a desert island they understood immediately that the first thing to do was place the blame.”
“The wizards were civilized men of considerable education and culture. When faced with being inadvertently marooned on a desert island they understood immediately that the first thing to do was place the blame.”
Reposted by Media pundit
You know a thing that is very bad about this? This is the anti-trans playbook being played against women. Start with 'has the x movement failed the people it's supposed to help', then infantilize them, then make the case they can't be responsible for their own choices, then take their rights away
"Has feminism failed women brought to you by bank of america" is my MKULTRA sleeper agent activation phrase
December 19, 2025 at 5:42 PM
You know a thing that is very bad about this? This is the anti-trans playbook being played against women. Start with 'has the x movement failed the people it's supposed to help', then infantilize them, then make the case they can't be responsible for their own choices, then take their rights away
Just re-read 1984 and struck this time by how pointless and self-defeating Ingsoc’s plans are.
December 19, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Just re-read 1984 and struck this time by how pointless and self-defeating Ingsoc’s plans are.
Reposted by Media pundit
Man answering his phone on the train: Yes? Correct, I’m not at work (pause) I’m not going to answer that because I am not at work today. No, you’re going to have to ask someone who is. Goodbye.
December 17, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Man answering his phone on the train: Yes? Correct, I’m not at work (pause) I’m not going to answer that because I am not at work today. No, you’re going to have to ask someone who is. Goodbye.
Reposted by Media pundit
The run that Rob Reiner went on between 1984 and 1992 is one of the most amazing hot streaks any director has ever had. Legendary stuff
December 15, 2025 at 3:31 AM
The run that Rob Reiner went on between 1984 and 1992 is one of the most amazing hot streaks any director has ever had. Legendary stuff
Reposted by Media pundit
my favorite thing about the benoit blanc movies is that they aren't really about benoit blanc. he is not grappling with demons from his past. we are not getting flashbacks to the husband whose murder he never solved. he just shows up and does his job like mary poppins for homicides
December 14, 2025 at 1:24 PM
my favorite thing about the benoit blanc movies is that they aren't really about benoit blanc. he is not grappling with demons from his past. we are not getting flashbacks to the husband whose murder he never solved. he just shows up and does his job like mary poppins for homicides
Reposted by Media pundit
retvrn to mystery stories based around the actual mystery and not whether the detective is sad and/or wet
my favorite thing about the benoit blanc movies is that they aren't really about benoit blanc. he is not grappling with demons from his past. we are not getting flashbacks to the husband whose murder he never solved. he just shows up and does his job like mary poppins for homicides
December 14, 2025 at 9:18 PM
retvrn to mystery stories based around the actual mystery and not whether the detective is sad and/or wet
Reposted by Media pundit
It’s weird how there’s always moves to make fiction more “interactive” with different endings etc. It’s like these people have never seen the same film twice a few years apart and had a completely different reaction. All fiction is interactive. That there’s an audience is the interactive part.
December 13, 2025 at 9:14 AM
It’s weird how there’s always moves to make fiction more “interactive” with different endings etc. It’s like these people have never seen the same film twice a few years apart and had a completely different reaction. All fiction is interactive. That there’s an audience is the interactive part.
New book pile of shame just dropped
December 12, 2025 at 3:59 PM
New book pile of shame just dropped
Got to love the sass in this.
Also, Dostoevsky. Doh.
Also, Dostoevsky. Doh.
December 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Got to love the sass in this.
Also, Dostoevsky. Doh.
Also, Dostoevsky. Doh.
This sounds like a very sad Russian poem
December 12, 2025 at 10:10 AM
This sounds like a very sad Russian poem
Reposted by Media pundit
Every ad for AI is like
Person: FUCK!! I don’t know what to get my loved one for Christmas!!!!!! I love them so much!!! Tell me what to do, AI!!
AI: get sock
Title Card: You are literally the smartest person for doing this
Person: FUCK!! I don’t know what to get my loved one for Christmas!!!!!! I love them so much!!! Tell me what to do, AI!!
AI: get sock
Title Card: You are literally the smartest person for doing this
December 9, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Every ad for AI is like
Person: FUCK!! I don’t know what to get my loved one for Christmas!!!!!! I love them so much!!! Tell me what to do, AI!!
AI: get sock
Title Card: You are literally the smartest person for doing this
Person: FUCK!! I don’t know what to get my loved one for Christmas!!!!!! I love them so much!!! Tell me what to do, AI!!
AI: get sock
Title Card: You are literally the smartest person for doing this
My motivation for writing anything:
December 10, 2025 at 10:58 AM
My motivation for writing anything:
New blog post: Julie Bindel was the first feminist I ever read.
It was a rough start.
#writing #feminism
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
It was a rough start.
#writing #feminism
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
Julie Bindel was the first feminist I ever read
You don’t get to choose your introduction to feminism. That’s sometimes a bad thing. Reading Julie Bindel articles I grew up in a liberal UK household, and as such, the main newspaper w…
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk
December 10, 2025 at 8:45 AM
New blog post: Julie Bindel was the first feminist I ever read.
It was a rough start.
#writing #feminism
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
It was a rough start.
#writing #feminism
chrisbarkerauthor.co.uk/2025/12/10/j...
There’s an article somewhere in how edgy 2000s internet stuff like The War Nerd is now influencing US DoD policy.
December 9, 2025 at 5:31 PM
There’s an article somewhere in how edgy 2000s internet stuff like The War Nerd is now influencing US DoD policy.
A good bit from the New Yorker article about Scott Galloway and masculinity.
December 9, 2025 at 11:49 AM
A good bit from the New Yorker article about Scott Galloway and masculinity.
LinkedIn is work-focused social media which has all the disadvantages of work and social media. Not really a surprise that it's terrible.
December 9, 2025 at 9:22 AM
LinkedIn is work-focused social media which has all the disadvantages of work and social media. Not really a surprise that it's terrible.
Reposted by Media pundit
"Are you impressed by Richard Hanania?" has become a good litmus test.
Value debate over substance? Influenced by X? Have trouble with bad faith? Taken in by fancier words? Think showing you're open to toxic ideas makes you better than people who aren't?
Matt Yglesias, Jared Polis — any others?
Value debate over substance? Influenced by X? Have trouble with bad faith? Taken in by fancier words? Think showing you're open to toxic ideas makes you better than people who aren't?
Matt Yglesias, Jared Polis — any others?
it’s been pretty funny to see Polis’ addiction to posting completely end any discussion of him as a potential 2028 candidate
December 8, 2025 at 12:32 AM
"Are you impressed by Richard Hanania?" has become a good litmus test.
Value debate over substance? Influenced by X? Have trouble with bad faith? Taken in by fancier words? Think showing you're open to toxic ideas makes you better than people who aren't?
Matt Yglesias, Jared Polis — any others?
Value debate over substance? Influenced by X? Have trouble with bad faith? Taken in by fancier words? Think showing you're open to toxic ideas makes you better than people who aren't?
Matt Yglesias, Jared Polis — any others?