Peter M Howard
@petermhoward.au
(they/them) pan-ace agender culture geek, some-time writer, and strategic consultant specialising in digital product... based on Gadigal land in Sydney Australia
Reposted by Peter M Howard
Social cohesion, Australia, 2026: hate preachers (brown) intolerable, protestors (brown) divisive, bomb-signers (Israeli) welcome, bomb-throwers (white) awkward
January 28, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Social cohesion, Australia, 2026: hate preachers (brown) intolerable, protestors (brown) divisive, bomb-signers (Israeli) welcome, bomb-throwers (white) awkward
Reposted by Peter M Howard
White racist literally threw a bomb at black people to kill them, apparently not a sufficient cause to have a moral panic, special envoy, national introspection, royal commission, terrorism declaration, new laws, 1,000 op-eds in The Australian. We're struggling to identify why that might be.
Device allegedly thrown into Invasion Day crowd designed to 'explode on impact', say police
A 31-year-old man is charged with making explosives in suspicious circumstances after a device was allegedly thrown into a crowd of hundreds of people attending an Invasion Day rally in central Perth ...
www.abc.net.au
January 28, 2026 at 4:57 AM
White racist literally threw a bomb at black people to kill them, apparently not a sufficient cause to have a moral panic, special envoy, national introspection, royal commission, terrorism declaration, new laws, 1,000 op-eds in The Australian. We're struggling to identify why that might be.
Reposted by Peter M Howard
As we look at what's happening in the US, Invasion Day is the perfect time to remember these gestapo jackboot types are carbon copies of militia groups used to round up First Nations people, that being shot in the street like a dog isn't new, it's been a cruel reality for many for centuries.
January 26, 2026 at 5:33 AM
As we look at what's happening in the US, Invasion Day is the perfect time to remember these gestapo jackboot types are carbon copies of militia groups used to round up First Nations people, that being shot in the street like a dog isn't new, it's been a cruel reality for many for centuries.
Reposted by Peter M Howard
rightwingers see people caring about others in their community and instead of finding that inspiring they think it’s some sort of grand conspiracy because they don’t understand what it means to care for others you don’t personally know
January 25, 2026 at 7:57 PM
rightwingers see people caring about others in their community and instead of finding that inspiring they think it’s some sort of grand conspiracy because they don’t understand what it means to care for others you don’t personally know
Reposted by Peter M Howard
The pain and the outrage is correct and just and I'm glad everyone can see and understand it here, and this is also already what BLM was, if you argued for training, police reform or body cams instead of abolition this is what you sounded like, this is why people were so mad at you
January 24, 2026 at 10:50 PM
The pain and the outrage is correct and just and I'm glad everyone can see and understand it here, and this is also already what BLM was, if you argued for training, police reform or body cams instead of abolition this is what you sounded like, this is why people were so mad at you
Reposted by Peter M Howard
We'll say it again: "social cohesion", when uttered by the holders of political and social power and privilege, means simply the maintenance of the dominant culture and silencing of any challenge to it.
January 15, 2026 at 6:12 AM
We'll say it again: "social cohesion", when uttered by the holders of political and social power and privilege, means simply the maintenance of the dominant culture and silencing of any challenge to it.
Reposted by Peter M Howard
Black people five years ago: you know, they can kill anyone they want to out there
Everybody today: hot damn, did you know they can kill anyone they want to out there?
Everybody today: hot damn, did you know they can kill anyone they want to out there?
January 8, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Black people five years ago: you know, they can kill anyone they want to out there
Everybody today: hot damn, did you know they can kill anyone they want to out there?
Everybody today: hot damn, did you know they can kill anyone they want to out there?
the only reason AI is getting traction is cause it’s marginally better than the internet we have now, but that is SO MUCH WORSE than what it used to be!
Today is one of those days where I’m struck anew by how *bad* the internet has gotten. It’s almost unusable. Clouds, apps, advertising — nothing is where it should be and it’s nigh impossible sometimes to do basic tasks online.
January 7, 2026 at 7:40 AM
the only reason AI is getting traction is cause it’s marginally better than the internet we have now, but that is SO MUCH WORSE than what it used to be!
Reposted by Peter M Howard
*I'm catching glimpses of a world where self-driving cars massacre more people than the Russo-Ukrainian front, and it doesn't matter because they've all got measles and they're NonPlayerCharacters who've got no jobs anyhow
*And also the cars can just carry anything anywhere, cheap and fast, sorta
*And also the cars can just carry anything anywhere, cheap and fast, sorta
January 6, 2026 at 7:48 AM
*I'm catching glimpses of a world where self-driving cars massacre more people than the Russo-Ukrainian front, and it doesn't matter because they've all got measles and they're NonPlayerCharacters who've got no jobs anyhow
*And also the cars can just carry anything anywhere, cheap and fast, sorta
*And also the cars can just carry anything anywhere, cheap and fast, sorta
Reposted by Peter M Howard
We don’t talk enough about how the AI bubble is going to seamlessly transition to tech-based state surveillance and oppression of the working and dwindling middle classes as the wealth class steals more and more resources and power and as the climate worsens.
January 1, 2026 at 12:35 AM
We don’t talk enough about how the AI bubble is going to seamlessly transition to tech-based state surveillance and oppression of the working and dwindling middle classes as the wealth class steals more and more resources and power and as the climate worsens.
Reposted by Peter M Howard
Linking the march across the bridge to the massacre is disgusting and everyone doing so should be deeply ashamed of their giving tacit support for genocide
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
NSW to effectively ban protests for up to three months as premier links Gaza rallies to Bondi terror attack
Chris Minns says state ‘can’t risk another mass demonstration on that scale in NSW [because] the implications can be seen, in my view, on Sunday’
www.theguardian.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:14 AM
Linking the march across the bridge to the massacre is disgusting and everyone doing so should be deeply ashamed of their giving tacit support for genocide
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Reposted by Peter M Howard
The most racist, supremacist garbage is being vomited across Australian media right now. Criticising Israel is an unacceptable threat to Jews so speech must be restricted but we have to ensure the restrictions don’t stop us from saying Muslims are terrorists or that brown people shouldn’t migrate.
December 18, 2025 at 11:57 PM
The most racist, supremacist garbage is being vomited across Australian media right now. Criticising Israel is an unacceptable threat to Jews so speech must be restricted but we have to ensure the restrictions don’t stop us from saying Muslims are terrorists or that brown people shouldn’t migrate.
every now and again I forget how bad Colbert is and watch a monologue for a few laughs and then I get hit with a «Trump is losing cause he hasn’t deported as many people as Biden» 🤦
December 13, 2025 at 4:39 AM
every now and again I forget how bad Colbert is and watch a monologue for a few laughs and then I get hit with a «Trump is losing cause he hasn’t deported as many people as Biden» 🤦
excellent essay, and this bit on caring about the limitations of LLMs jumped at me
Leah notes: some people have “been taught not to care by the same industry that had a hand in destroying the communication skills of an entire generation and offering them quick solutions and viral success instead”
Leah notes: some people have “been taught not to care by the same industry that had a hand in destroying the communication skills of an entire generation and offering them quick solutions and viral success instead”
December 11, 2025 at 3:29 AM
excellent essay, and this bit on caring about the limitations of LLMs jumped at me
Leah notes: some people have “been taught not to care by the same industry that had a hand in destroying the communication skills of an entire generation and offering them quick solutions and viral success instead”
Leah notes: some people have “been taught not to care by the same industry that had a hand in destroying the communication skills of an entire generation and offering them quick solutions and viral success instead”
Reposted by Peter M Howard
Prohibition has never previously worked as a policy for getting people to not consume something they want, but fortunately the social media ban will buck this trend by virtue of its careful evidence-based design and Albo's friendly reassuring smile every time he fails to answer the question.
December 10, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Prohibition has never previously worked as a policy for getting people to not consume something they want, but fortunately the social media ban will buck this trend by virtue of its careful evidence-based design and Albo's friendly reassuring smile every time he fails to answer the question.
Reposted by Peter M Howard
news.corp wanting to ensure the only bullying of teenagers is done by them
December 10, 2025 at 12:35 AM
news.corp wanting to ensure the only bullying of teenagers is done by them
Reposted by Peter M Howard
Infinite scroll and algorithms are the problem so instead of taking them on we’re just giving up and slapping a lazy ban on a handful of platforms we have heard kids use
December 9, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Infinite scroll and algorithms are the problem so instead of taking them on we’re just giving up and slapping a lazy ban on a handful of platforms we have heard kids use
Reposted by Peter M Howard
I wanted dinner recommendations so I scraped 13,000+ London restaurants and accidentally discovered Google Maps is running a shadow economy. Anyway here's a dashboard and a political economy thesis: open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
How Google Maps quietly allocates survival across London’s restaurants - and how I built a dashboard to see through it
I wanted a dinner recommendation and got a research agenda instead. Using 13000+ restaurants, I rebuild its ratings with machine learning and map how algorithmic visibility actually distributes power.
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I wanted dinner recommendations so I scraped 13,000+ London restaurants and accidentally discovered Google Maps is running a shadow economy. Anyway here's a dashboard and a political economy thesis: open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
Reposted by Peter M Howard
i think tech and ai positive people are going to be in for a big shock when anti tech and anti ai sentiment becomes a major part of leftwing politics going forward especially as datacenters continue to destroy communities and raise electricity bills
Is this platform still massively against AI or has it moved more towards acceptance?
November 26, 2025 at 5:34 AM
i think tech and ai positive people are going to be in for a big shock when anti tech and anti ai sentiment becomes a major part of leftwing politics going forward especially as datacenters continue to destroy communities and raise electricity bills
i love the writing in this
oh my god you have to read this until the end www.telos.news/p/part-1-how...
Part 1: How I Found Out
Olivia had just returned from a reporting trip—at least that’s what she told me it was—and her Herschel backpack, the one with the flap that never quite closed properly, was tossed beside our bed, its...
www.telos.news
November 18, 2025 at 1:54 AM
i love the writing in this
Reposted by Peter M Howard
Obsessive devotion to continuity is the enemy of epic/mythological storytelling—especially when there are many authors involved. Whether we're talking about Star Wars, superheroes, or Bond, the answer is to nail the essence of the story and care less about making it all "fit."
Or just have him start the next film alive and well and then at some point have someone be like "Bond! I thought you got blown up!" And then have him quip "you know better than to listen to rumors," or "what can I say? That was no time to die" and then absolutely refuse to explain further
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Obsessive devotion to continuity is the enemy of epic/mythological storytelling—especially when there are many authors involved. Whether we're talking about Star Wars, superheroes, or Bond, the answer is to nail the essence of the story and care less about making it all "fit."
Reposted by Peter M Howard
Important to understand this. There's a reasonable chance that your Dem Senator who voted against it and is acting mad now was in on the play. It's the same reason why they scheduled the surrender for AFTER the election this week. They didn't want people pissed at Dems right before an election.
The caucus meeting was just to orchestrate who would fall on the sword but not be up for a vote in 2026.
so currently defectors are:
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
Kaine (2030)
Shaheen (Retiring)
Hasan (2028)
Fetterman (2028)
Durbin (Retiring)
CCM (2028)
Rosen (2030)
King (2030)
November 10, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Important to understand this. There's a reasonable chance that your Dem Senator who voted against it and is acting mad now was in on the play. It's the same reason why they scheduled the surrender for AFTER the election this week. They didn't want people pissed at Dems right before an election.
Reposted by Peter M Howard
meanwhile the words: "Every time one of these murderers dies w/o having faced consequences for the massacres they ordered, the lives they destroyed, the societies they razed to the ground I realize how far we are from a world with justice. Rest in hell Dick Cheney. Your legacy is death."
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UChicago professor posts vile social media comment on Dick Cheney hours after his death
UChicago professor posts vile social media comment on Dick Cheney hours after his death
A University of Chicago professor who was recently arrested for aggravated assault at an anti-ICE rally unloaded on former Vice President Dick Cheney upon the news of his death.
www.fox32chicago.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:48 PM
meanwhile the words: "Every time one of these murderers dies w/o having faced consequences for the massacres they ordered, the lives they destroyed, the societies they razed to the ground I realize how far we are from a world with justice. Rest in hell Dick Cheney. Your legacy is death."
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