MJ Gardner

This is despicable, the dishonor of this administration is astonishing.

Once again, I am saying that letting a group of extremely antisocial tech bros make critical decisions about our collective data and all human interaction online is a very bad idea.

i think we have under-theorized and under-prepared for this moment, because people think fascism is still RISING

fascism is HERE. it is ASCENDANT. and now it is wondering how much you, personally, would cost to get onboard

as an artist your political intervention, the way you mark the world, is the WORK. so if your art is any good at all, a few times in your life the devil is gonna come knock on your door, and he's going to be holding a big bag of money

so as an artist you have to be ready

The concept of limitless capitalism has poisoned the minds of so many that it has seeped into and dominated criticism & pseudo-intellectualism. Things aren't allowed to be successful on their own; they have to be the best or they've failed.

It's okay for things to find THEIR audience and that alone

I *cannot* fucking stress this enough:

The threat of AI is *NOT* making movies for us, but the hundreds of jobs it will be able to easily eliminate from crew positions. VFX. Drone pilots. Color timing. Sound mixing. Clerical staff.

If we don't move to protect jobs NOW, they WILL go away forever.

Gender is a performance, and I'm happy to hire other people to do it for me, because I have no charisma.

Gender is a performance, and I’m running the concession stand out in the lobby 🫡

Everyone should watch this it’s so good.

The best books of 2025 so far

Cover of angel down with a flattering blurb

Thank you, @vulture.com. This helps alleviate my ceaseless ennui.

It’s kinda funny that the right is so mad about Cancel Culture when their whole thing is… canceling culture.

Statement: an update on our application portal Grantium An update on our application portal Grantium

Just in case people think I’m shitting them…

All Project Grants have been paused… ALL.

www.artscouncil.org.uk/creative-mat...

Huh. Interesting…

Because of the problems that have arisen on Grantium since 23rd July, ACE has paused all Project Grants until at the very least mid-Sept on under £30K. Over that is estimated to be the end of the month… yet I’ve not seen any activity on Theatre Sky (here) to indicate people know

You could drop a tactical nuke on Whitehall and improve life in this country in an instant.

How many wasted artist’s hours of setting up exciting projects for ACE approval? 80 hours x 12 applications x 5 regions x 52 weeks? A giant meteor of wasted opportunity.

Opinion | They Let Their Children Cross the Street and Now They’re Felons

“Parents have withdrawn their children from the public realm because they perceive the public realm as dangerous — and they aren’t wrong.” The danger is from cars and infrastructure built for speed. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/06/o...

The old holding hands meme: Democratic Party holding hands w/Hollywood in: Taking the wrong lesson from every success

It took me a very long time to learn "do your best" does not mean "give 100% effort even at the expense of your physical or mental health" or "give A+ effort even when it is clearly not appreciated or valued". Sometimes doing your best is heating up a can of soup and going to bed early.

If historians know something it is this: nothing is inevitable just because it is popular. AI is not an exception. Nor is fascism.

An interior view of a shoe store or department featuring a sign that reads "DON'T Enter Mirror" on a mirror covering a wall.

no one ever comes back

Britain’s medical exodus is a warning sign for the NHS Doctors are increasingly prepared to travel abroad in search of better pay and conditions

This is a truly excellent piece by @stephenkb.bsky.social
Face it guys, you have to pay the doctors
www.ft.com/content/e263...

Reading my fav passage from Lessons in Magic and Disaster, out Aug 19 💖

four shots of Agent Smith in the rain from Matrix Revolutions with text, in yellow: Why, why? Why do you do it? Why, why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting... for something? For more than your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Could it be for love? Only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist? A big shot of Neo from Matrix Revolutions on the right, with text in red: Because I choose to. @tillybridges.bsky.social

trans people living through this rn

This is a key table to understanding public opinion on migration. *When confronted with the real trade offs* people go for protecting the NHS and the economy over reducing migration.

The problem as per the rest of the thread is many don't believe those trade offs exist.

#scriptsky note to self: Remind people to check the printer if there is a cat nearby.

barking heard from the floorboard?

Why do we call Artificial Intelligence “Intelligence”? Especially when people talk about AI being more intelligent than humans. Since human intelligence is the model, when it goes beyond that, to do something more or different, why do we presume it’s still intelligence?

David Lynch saying “Good morning everyone, It’s…It’s a total shitshow out there, today.

Monday mood

Never cease to be amazed by the amount of tourists who seem to come to Edinburgh during Fringe with zero awareness of / interest in the Fringe. It's, like, the MAIN thing Edinburgh is known for.