I asked Claude.ai for its Super Bowl thoughts. The answer is spectacularly, repeatedly stupid. Sure, AI is totally worth $7 trillion by 2030 and enormous environmental cost. Sure.

Incredible to see two such potentially similar countries, the two countries where I have citizenship, diverge so profoundly. One day in Australia. One day in the US. New on my Substack. open.substack.com/pub/5minutes...

When Trump won in 2024, I put the over/under on the shooting of innocent civilian protesters at July 4, 2025. (I was in a darkly ironic mood obv.) Clearly I was alarmist. It took a little longer than that.

Anyone who thinks for one second 🇺🇸 wouldn't take Greenland needs to learn about Hawaii www.nea.org/nea-today/al...

What’s your interest level in a book on what it’s really like to emigrate from 🇺🇸 (as I did 7 years ago after 15 years of travel and looking into the options)?

Last week's news, but new on my Substack, don't judge me: How immigrants were *absolutely essential* to the moon landing, the development of the atom, etc 5minutesinaustralia.substack.com/p/stephen-mi... #immigration #racism #science #history #NASA #tech #technology

Satire can often be viewed as a reductio ad absurdum proof, dramatised. ("If X is true, then Y and Z etc must logically follow, and Z is obviously absurd, so X is false.") Humankind seems to learn best unfortunately by acting out its reductio ad absurdum proofs over decades

I've started a Substack of short essays on what it's actually like to leave 🇺🇸 and live elsewhere (in my case 🇦🇺). What would you most want to know? 5minutesinaustralia.substack.com/p/australia-...

As a dual 🇦🇺 🇺🇸 citizen, my reaction to this week's violence (Yes, I've started a Substack. 63 pc of Gen Z in 🇺🇸 is considering emigrating ffs. I'll write about what it's really like.) open.substack.com/pub/5minutes...

OMG Charlotte Walker turned 21 on election day. When we spoke at the local booth here, she was far enough down the Labor ticket that she honestly thought she had zero chance of winning. But as votes add up, she's currently on track to become the youngest senator in Aussie history Wow 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺 🤞🤞🤞

#AntonyGreenStandingOvation repost if you agree #auspol

I wish all Australia had some way to give Antony Green a group standing ovation at the end of tonight. Regardless of our political stripe, the man's whole career has been devoted to 🇦🇺 democracy #AntonyGreenStandingOvation or similar really should trend on all media. This legend deserves it #auspol

I wish all Australia had some way to give Antony Green a group standing ovation at the end of tonight. Regardless of our political stripe, the man's whole career has been devoted to 🇦🇺 democracy #AntonyGreenStandingOvation or similar really should trend on all media. This legend deserves it #auspol

Voted today in 🇦🇺 fed election, 1st time as 🇦🇺 citizen (expat from 🇺🇸) Small town, pre-poll Yet *right there* stood Marisa Bell, Labor MP candidate, and Charlotte Walker, a Senate candidate Great chat Pic taken by a Green volunteer ❤️ *All* unimaginable in 🇺🇸 Aussies, realise what you have #auspol

HOW MUCH MONEY DID MEASLES GIVE THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN I need to make it make sense apnews.com/article/rfk-...

Correlation does not equal causation 🤣 My last lap of 🇺🇸 (probably) was a weird time everywhere I looked #auspol #science

Pretending to believe in (or comprehend) merit 🤣🤣 Your own Education Secretary thought "A.I." was "A-1." Hegseth—merit! sure Vance—totally best for the job RFK—most learned doctor on earth Laughing stocks of the world. Also, deadly lunatics 🇺🇸 will never recover www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Holy crap, this is real. Also, funny. Also, incredibly dangerous AI is honestly going to get us all killed someday, then tell the next species that evolves in a few million years that it was our own fault It will be correct

Want a simple model for where Trumpists are taking 🇺🇸? 1931, in a nutshell In the economy, banking, labor rights, health care, race relations, women's rights, food safety, the environment, so much more FDR's New Deal never happened, fascism looming *1931* en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_D...

Tesla is now basically an EV credit arbitrage business. It’s not a successful car/robot/whatever the fuck company by any standard.

This is spectacular writing. Canadian novelist and essayist @stephenmarche.bsky.social captures his melancholy about the 🇺🇸 in terms that profoundly resonated for this expat to 🇦🇺 I must read more of his work www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Spud went to yet another servo today. 12 so far. Has the bowser vote LOCKED ⛽️⛽️⛽️ Too bad most 🇦🇺 voters are human It's getting so repetitive now, and his polls are looking so bad, maybe fossil fuel is just the Coalition's happy place when stressed Ah, the smell of home 🛢🔥💨 safe now #auspol

US economy and markets are already in long-term trouble thanks to Trump If he cans the head of the Fed and replaces him with a lackey, basically putting himself—the guy who somehow bankrupted his own *casinos*—in charge of the main levers of economic stablity? US might be permafucked

RFK Jr being rebutted by my friend of almost 40 years @davidruttenberg.bsky.social David is the only time that Florida Man makes a headline and it's actually a good thing www.miamiherald.com/opinion/lett...

The right side of 🇦🇺 politics just doesn't BS effectively anymore If you're gonna claim a car's sale price will go up, the car should, y'know, still be sold C'mon, Coalition! You can bullshit better than this. Show some pride in your work. Sad! #auspol www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

🇺🇸 may soon suffer a brain drain common to authoritarian states If you're a 🇺🇸 scientist and want a new home, check out 🇦🇺! UNCLE ROO WANTS YOU!!! I migrated 🇺🇸->🇦🇺 years ago; YES it is better here Please share w any academics you know #UncleRooWantsYou #auspol www.science.org.au/news-and-eve...

Are you a 🇺🇸 science academic horrified by 🇺🇸's imminent transformation into the world's largest anti-science authoritarian third world idiocracy? Want a better place to work? AUSTRALIA WANTS YOU. We *want* smart people here. Crazy but true! 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺 www.science.org.au/news-and-eve...

If Blue Origin were only a trebuchet, the world could be a much nicer place

The day in 2015 when Trump announced candidacy, @thedailyshow.com ended w the entire cast feigning orgasm bc, hey, comedy gold! I said to my best friend the same day, "this is not a drill," emigrated, now 🇦🇺 citizen Jon's funny + brilliant. Also, blinded by faith in 🇺🇸's BS about itself Don't be

Why can't Democrats do this

Meanwhile www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Wonder if most in 🇺🇸 have any idea how fast 🇺🇸 is becoming an international pariah I bet MAGAs would mock people who don't want to risk being detained unjustly as "snowflakes" The true snowflakes are the ones afraid of science, education, progress, and equality www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

🇦🇺 election soon. As a new citizen, I’m actually *excited* to vote for the first time on a little green paper and a huge white paper, ranking my choices 1-6 and 1-12. So cool. The languages on offer say a lot for this island of misfit toys, mostly struggling together and well. Grateful 🇦🇺 #auspol

So cool to my 🇺🇸-born eyes: last night's 🇦🇺 election debate (below) wasn't in an urban city hall or TV studio, but — in a large pub / nightclub space (Wenty Leagues) — in a suburb filled w numerous immigrant groups — whose residents got to ask the questions #auspol www.youtube.com/watch?v=q90u...

Labor PM Albo scores a big win from an audience of undecideds in tonight's #leadersdebate despite it being held by Murdoch's deeply biased Sky News. Lib leader Dutton was given more time to speak with no fact-checking but still lost handily Sky pundits spinning *hard* but a good day for 🇦🇺 #auspol

You can do a lot of good with $45 billion. Or you can do this.

Stayed up in 🇦🇺 tonight to watch #WallStreet open on CNBC. Hadn't watched in years. The whole gang look / sound like drunks watching football now Maybe such-and-such'll happen! Nah, no way. Yes way! Ya gotta believe or why are we here! Etc "Expertise" is now just idiocy while famous #Trumpcrash

Btw the 3 May 🇦🇺 election will be my 1st time casting a federal ballot as a citizen It's preferential voting, on a Saturday, on unhackable paper ballots retained for inspection, with zero gerrymandering, and no sane person pretends it's rigged I am so grateful 🇦🇺 ❤️ 🇦🇺 www.youtube.com/watch?v=326J...

In wrecking USAID, Trump didn't just condemn countless vulnerable people to suffering / death—he also created new hatreds of 🇺🇸 due to sudden abandonment, plus a void that China can rush into and be seen as a hero *Incredibly* stupid, topped only by the tariffs www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Things I don't see discussed enough: —Trump has *already* *permanently* destroyed US cred as a place to invest or build. End of overseas companies building in US, massive loss —If tariffs stay, US businesses fail, loans and mortgages go unpaid, banks start to fail —Major chaos likely. *Already*

Okay, so as capitalism destroys the environment, the environment will destroy capitalism Can't say I blame it. Self-defence really We were an entertaining, industrious, and creative species. albeit destructive www.theguardian.com/environment/...

So for 🇺🇸 followers, this is how 🇺🇸 ls discussed by an Aussie prime minister seeking Aussie public support for re-election in a country that has long been one of America’s most consistent ally — “America” is a bad word now #auspol #usa

We're doing this again? Okay List six famous people/groups you’ve met but one is a lie Madonna Jerry Seinfeld James Cameron Pele Robert Downey, Jr Hillary Clinton Bonus points if you can guess the two (exactly two) who were actually warm and friendly in our encounter

Dutton's face is wonderful here. You can practically see him doing the calculation: "did I just define myself in this election? Will this go viral? Will people remember this for years and laugh about it?" He can probably ask Scott Morrison www.youtube.com/shorts/WxSfF...

It’ll do

Meanwhile in 🇦🇺: the rough-and-tumble National Rugby League (imagine NFL full contact w/o pads) is holding a Multicultural Round celebrating 65 countries of origin of current NRL/NRLW (women's league) players "Stronger Together" Virtually no controversy It can be done www.nrl.com/news/2025/03...

Symptom of what's gone wrong in 🇺🇸: self-promoting empty bigness is a high value; quality, art, meaning, subtlety, skill, history mean little Other wealthy countries just really aren't this dumb Pride will kill 🇺🇸. Tariffs just the first massive fuck-up to come www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/mlb/ar...