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Rod Begbie

@rod.begbie.com

220 followers 160 following 400 posts

• Scottish 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 and Sweary 🤬 • Living in San Francisco, CA • Gen X as Fuck

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Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 4h

Stole this meme from @ethanmarcotte.com recently. I’ve been using it a lot.

looking forward to another week where all the stuff I want to accomplish depends on a sense of self discipline and executive time management I have never once possessed in my life

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 8h

And in Edinburgh, “Cockburn Street”

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 1d

Ready for bed? tired, but can't fall asleep?
try:
staying up for 3 to 4 hours
surely you won't regret
staying up for 3 to 4 hours
3 to 4 hrs yay

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

(And, again for clarity, this was observed at a previous job. There's a reason I'm not still there!)

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

• "The Aristocrats!"

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

• No-one can honestly say how much AI is helping/hindering, but they do it to keep the CEO happy.
• Oh, and at the same time API platform providers like Google/Amazon/Microsoft put out attention-grabbing stats that suggest "if you're paying engineers and they're not using AI, you're a chump"

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

• CEO cherry-picks stories, tells board "Yes, we're doing lots of AI stuff and it's great" to keep them happy.
• Investors go to next meeting and say "All our other companies are doing great stuff with AI. You should too or you'll fall behind"
• Next CEO feels pressure and pushes down to their team.

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

My observation:

• CEO sees way wind is shifting. Starts pitching as an "AI" startup as way to raise next round of funding
• Folks invest in startup because they're already heavily invested in AI platforms and want more usage of them.
• Investors on board start putting pressure on CEO to do more AI.

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

Some context: This was when the network forced Conan’s show back on air during the 2008 writers’ strike (when actors wouldn’t cross the picket line to be guests), so he had to fill the time somehow!

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

The sheer number of ways a user can be admonished for “doing it wrong” (even once you’ve navigated the process of creating an account). You picked the wrong instance. You didn’t use a content warning. You added to a pile-on because you couldn’t see all the replies the poster received.

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 2d

Yes at previous job. Reportedly got waaay worse after I left.

Reposted by Rod Begbie

Burrito Justice @burritojustice.bsky.social · 8d

quick while the government is shut down let’s all switch to metric

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 9d

Comedians who accepted the Saudi dime: You people telling me I’m wrong can’t silence me! I speak truth to power!

Also comedians who accepted the Saudi dime: "I certainly wasn't gonna show up in your country and insult the people that are paying me the money."

But in an episode of the Tim Dillon Podcast last week, the comedian announced he'd been removed from the lineup for the comments he made about the country's record on slavery.
(NPR reached out to Saudi's General Entertainment Authority for verification, but has not yet heard back.) "I addressed it in a funny way and they fired me," Dillon said on his podcast. "I certainly wasn't gonna show up in your country and insult the people that are paying me the money."

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 10d

What's your sign?

The old Mayflower Poultry Co sign near Inman Square in Cambridge MA. It reads "LIVE POULTRY FRESH KILLED"

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 12d

Looking at the YT comments, sounds like it's a little of both.

"Yeah - sorry about that! Unless you were to use a VPN of some kind, there's just NO WAY of watching the show..."

"We WILL make the show available for the UK (more on that to follow), but for various reasons we can't make it happen for the live stream. Forgive us for not leading with that in the announcement! 🙏"

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 12d

Pure guesses:

1. Some other company already has the rights to stream/air the show in the UK & Ireland (but it's not announced yet)

2. There's some contractual thing in the venue/promoter's agreement that says it can't stream in the UK.

Reposted by Rod Begbie

Alyssa Long @measuredandslow.bsky.social · 16d

Hey a thing I really don’t want to get lost here is that while Tylenol doesn’t cause autism, IT’S FINE TO BE AUTISTIC. Let’s not grant them the premise that autism should be eradicated in our way to correct the science, okay? Okay.

Reposted by Rod Begbie

David Slack @slack2thefuture.bsky.social · 16d

Steve Silberman is not here to shout it — so it’s up to all of us.

Vaccines don’t cause autism.

Neither does Tylenol. (I mean seriously WTF?!?!)

The “epidemic” of autism is the result of increased testing, broader definitions, and raised awareness.

LOUDER.

Ward Q. Normal (he/him) @wardqnormal.bsky.social · 16d

Steve Silberman is so pissed about this Tylenol bullshit that he's screaming from the afterlife he didn't even believe in.

Increased rates of autism are due to testing, a broadened definition, and greater awareness. It's not vaccines. It's not Tylenol.

It's like his work never happened.

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 17d

Big old shaky EARTHQUAKE!

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 17d

The Verge continues to publish some of the best political analysis of this era.

The Verge @theverge.com · 17d

Trump’s H-1B visa fee isn’t just about immigration, it’s about fealty

Trump’s H-1B visa fee isn’t just about immigration, it’s about fealty

Trump’s H-1B visa fee isn’t just about immigration, it’s about making tech companies bend the knee in exchange for a pass.

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 17d

All you need to know about me: This track is currently Number 60 in my “Replay ‘25” most played tracks of the year. music.apple.com/us/album/bbc...

BBC News Countdown 24 by David Lowe on Apple Music

Song · 2025 · Duration 1:37

music.apple.com

Reposted by Rod Begbie

Liam Hogan @liamhogan.bsky.social · Mar 22

“But are there not many Fascists in your country?"
"There are many who do not know they are Fascists, but will find it out when the time comes.”

- Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940)

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 17d

THAT’S TODAY! youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 18d

I love this list of draft “facts” about Technotronic from one of the Cunk writers. joelmorris.substack.com/p/pump-up-th...

Pump Up The Jam

Technotronic, Philomena Cunk and the joy of excess...

joelmorris.substack.com

Rod Begbie @rod.begbie.com · 18d

In ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ news, this morning I was able to get the new Cardi B album delivered by DoorDash(?) and claim both a $7 "breakfast" discount(??) and apply my Chase credit card $10 "groceries" credit(???) to it.

Screenshot of my receipt from Doordash showing I spend $34.43 at "The Cardi Bodega" and got $17 of discounts.