New blog entry: More in Sadness than in Anger: https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2026/02/more-in-sadness-than-in-anger.html
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@darwinwoodka @MedeaVanamonde @cstross
Well let's be fair about this: a national lottery. One person a week is to be sacrificed, drawn by lot; but the number of entries in the lottery is the number of <£$¥€> one has, & that wealth will be returned to the national pot. It could be you, but statistically it's much more likely to be a billionaire.@HighlandLawyer @darwinwoodka @MedeaVanamonde That's going to reap an awful lot of middle-aged/middle-class skulls, though: 3000 middle-aged folks who own average homes (£0.3M each) = one billionaire-equivalent. Might be best to omit the family home from the notional wealth.
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@cstross @GinevraCat In the county in which I live, I’m theoretically “rich” because I’m in the upper quartile of income here, but people from places like the SF bay area scoff and describe anyone not making multiple millions per year as “poor.”
@cstross @GinevraCat And by “in the upper quartile,” I mean “just barely in it.” So I’m probably around the 75-80%, not the 99%, in a mostly rural county primarily depending upon being a commuter country for Reno.
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@HighlandLawyer @darwinwoodka @MedeaVanamonde That's going to reap an awful lot of middle-aged/middle-class skulls, though: 3000 middle-aged folks who own average homes (£0.3M each) = one billionaire-equivalent. Might be best to omit the family home from the notional wealth.
@cstross @darwinwoodka @MedeaVanamonde
Counterpoint- great method to reduce prices in the housing market. -
@darwinwoodka @MedeaVanamonde @cstross
Well let's be fair about this: a national lottery. One person a week is to be sacrificed, drawn by lot; but the number of entries in the lottery is the number of <£$¥€> one has, & that wealth will be returned to the national pot. It could be you, but statistically it's much more likely to be a billionaire.@HighlandLawyer @darwinwoodka @MedeaVanamonde @cstross Well, that’s a better basis for Omelas than the original …
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R relay@relay.an.exchange shared this topic on
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The fact that Gates wanted to give his wife STD medication without her knowledge tells you everything you need to know about Microsoft's and the tech industry's approach to consent.
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@skua @svavar @cstross Nothing we didn't already know since - oh, 1977.
Sorry for the source
When billionaire geeks fall out: Bill, was the big meanie of Microsoft, claims co-founder who says Gates 'tried to cut him out when he got sick with cancer'
Paul Allen claims Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, pictured, wanted to dilute his share in the firm in 1982 because he didn’t think he was working hard enough.
Mail Online (www.dailymail.co.uk)
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New blog entry: More in Sadness than in Anger: https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2026/02/more-in-sadness-than-in-anger.html
@cstross I’m repeatedly struck by how incredibly, mind-numbingly stupid these people are. Really just brain achingly dumb despite the appearance of, in some cases remarkable intellect. There’s some incredible brain rot going on but also perhaps it betrays something fundamental about the “success” of these folk, that they are really good at manipulating others.
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Footnote: the outcome of the Epstein/Gates email itself is immaterial—what's interesting is the mind set underlying it, which seems to have strong explanatory power for our current mess: there are too many poor people, and Epstein and his mates would like to get rid of us.
@cstross Reminiscent of discourse of the London intelligensia at the time of the Irish Famine (Nassau Senior, Economist magazine): the projected population decline was spoken of as highly desirable but likely too small.
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@svavar @BrianSmith950 @cstross is that a fact? We've only Epstein's word for it, in drafts not sent to anyone else, haven't we?
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@trademark @jsl @cstross If you're characterizing Biden as "left" you're confirming what I said about the left in the USA not existing.
Biden was a much more progressive President than he campaigned on, that's for sure. Many people, myself included, were pleasantly surprised by his pro-labor appointments. But he was a center right President.
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@trademark @jsl @cstross If you're characterizing Biden as "left" you're confirming what I said about the left in the USA not existing.
Biden was a much more progressive President than he campaigned on, that's for sure. Many people, myself included, were pleasantly surprised by his pro-labor appointments. But he was a center right President.
@callisto @jsl @cstross I am characterizing him as the president whose policies were the most to the left of any US president ever. I think the hate he got from the left was a massive own-goal. Doubly so since the left blamed him when the courts struck down the student loan cancellations. Are you saying that you prefer the current orange disaster? Are you an accelerationist?
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@cstross @GinevraCat And by “in the upper quartile,” I mean “just barely in it.” So I’m probably around the 75-80%, not the 99%, in a mostly rural county primarily depending upon being a commuter country for Reno.
@KaylaAllen @cstross I wish more people realised how far away they are from billionaires and pushed for better tax on them!
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@KaylaAllen @cstross I wish more people realised how far away they are from billionaires and pushed for better tax on them!
I wish more people realized that if you have to work for a salary—if you can't just decide to retire tomorrow and still have an income in the top 1%—then you are not "rich".
"Rich" is like being Steve Jobs keeping a Gulfstream jet fueled up on the ramp, with crew ready and waiting 24x7 *for nine months*, in case a histocompatible liver came up for transplant at short notice in a neighboring state (they only last a few hours out of the donor body).
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The fact that Gates wanted to give his wife STD medication without her knowledge tells you everything you need to know about Microsoft's and the tech industry's approach to consent.
Also explains the uncontested divorce.
Some of us had an idea of what he was back when he ripped off DR DOS.
Source: https://culturacolectiva.com/en/technology/bill-gates-plagiarism-inventions/
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The fact that Gates wanted to give his wife STD medication without her knowledge tells you everything you need to know about Microsoft's and the tech industry's approach to consent.
@svavar@masto.svavar.com @cstross@wandering.shop
Take this medication so I don’t have to deal with the consequences of my dishonesty
| Yes | | Ask me again in 3 days | -
@callisto @jsl @cstross I am characterizing him as the president whose policies were the most to the left of any US president ever. I think the hate he got from the left was a massive own-goal. Doubly so since the left blamed him when the courts struck down the student loan cancellations. Are you saying that you prefer the current orange disaster? Are you an accelerationist?
@trademark @jsl @cstross Of course not, and you're proving my point. The Overton Ratchet only moves in one direction in the USA. We're not allowed to demand better from our leaders, because omg what about that worse person.
"Most to the left of any US president ever" is nonsense. Please read some history. But more importantly, if you're unwilling to listen to anyone to your left, you're missing the entire point. Dems keep losing BECAUSE they offer nothing but "we're not Trump."
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@trademark @jsl @cstross Of course not, and you're proving my point. The Overton Ratchet only moves in one direction in the USA. We're not allowed to demand better from our leaders, because omg what about that worse person.
"Most to the left of any US president ever" is nonsense. Please read some history. But more importantly, if you're unwilling to listen to anyone to your left, you're missing the entire point. Dems keep losing BECAUSE they offer nothing but "we're not Trump."
@callisto @jsl @cstross Your point is exactly what I am arguing against in the first place I'm saying "don't attack somebody who does what you want just because you don't perceive them as being leftist" And you you're saying "you don't understand HE IS NOT A LEFTIST!" Biden moved the Overton window leftwards, even standing on a picket line and for this he was attacked by the left.
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@callisto @jsl @cstross Your point is exactly what I am arguing against in the first place I'm saying "don't attack somebody who does what you want just because you don't perceive them as being leftist" And you you're saying "you don't understand HE IS NOT A LEFTIST!" Biden moved the Overton window leftwards, even standing on a picket line and for this he was attacked by the left.
@trademark @jsl @cstross And you're saying I'm attacking him by saying he isn't a leftist.
AND pulling out the sole issue - labor - on which he truly was significantly to the left of predecessors post FDR, neglecting the issues on which he was to the right of Reagan.
Okay.
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@trademark @jsl @cstross And you're saying I'm attacking him by saying he isn't a leftist.
AND pulling out the sole issue - labor - on which he truly was significantly to the left of predecessors post FDR, neglecting the issues on which he was to the right of Reagan.
Okay.
@callisto @jsl @cstross I showed that your claim that Biden did not listen to the left was false with an example of him listening. Now you are saying that this was the sole issue, which is also wrong, another instance of him listening to the left is with the stock buyback tax he introduced. This was a major outstretched hand to the left, but instead of taking it, the left spit in his face. It burned his relationship with Silicon Valley and this is why they turned hard right. Great job leftists!
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@callisto @jsl @cstross I showed that your claim that Biden did not listen to the left was false with an example of him listening. Now you are saying that this was the sole issue, which is also wrong, another instance of him listening to the left is with the stock buyback tax he introduced. This was a major outstretched hand to the left, but instead of taking it, the left spit in his face. It burned his relationship with Silicon Valley and this is why they turned hard right. Great job leftists!
