History

England 1170: Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his Cathedral by four knights of King Henry II. Once the king’s close ally and chancellor, Becket fiercely defended the independence of the Church after becoming archbishop. His death shocked Christendom. pic.twitter.com/WqMkSaU5NT

— Plantagenet (@Plantagenet1455) December 29, 2025

An Insight

"Poverty is not the cause of crime. The single cause of crime is the decision to commit it...Yet when professional criminologists examine crime they talk about people as if they’re billiard balls, moved around only by external forces." https://t.co/KjSxr3cSvc

— Rob Henderson (@robkhenderson) December 29, 2025

I see wonderful things

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”

pic.twitter.com/pnbPqqR8zP

— Jan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 (@RosaryMum) December 28, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

I'm not sure I've ever read a better first paragraph in an economics paper in my life

(van Oldeniel--Snyder--@ASoetevent via @nberpubs, QED) pic.twitter.com/3yGyLCxTkl

— Scott Kominers (@skominers) December 27, 2025

 

Data Talks

The math on this image is insane.

New Horizons transmitted at 2,000 bits per second from 3 billion miles away. Slower than a 1990s dial-up modem. It took 16 months to download all the flyby data.

The spacecraft had to hit a target box 100km wide, arriving within 150 seconds… https://t.co/vGCogVbwtf

— Aakash Gupta (@aakashgupta) December 28, 2025

 

The Afternoon Meal c. 1772 by Luis Meléndez

The Afternoon Meal c. 1772 by Luis Meléndez (Spain, 1716-1780)

Click to enlarge.

History

In 1986, an astronomer spent 10 months tracking down a 75-cent computer time discrepancy, only to uncover a German hacker who was selling U.S. defense secrets to the KGB...

The astronomer was Clifford Stoll, then 36 years old and working at the Lawrence Berkeley National… pic.twitter.com/zoT8ENNBmr

— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) December 28, 2025

 

History

In the winter of 1092, two men stood in the snow-peaked Elburz Mountains of Persia, staring at the fortress of Alamut. One was Hasan-e Sabbah, the other an emissary of the Seljuk Sultan, Malik-Shah. Suddenly, a figure in a white tunic and red sash appeared on the battlements… pic.twitter.com/8HOcwezwpn

— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) January 22, 2026

 

An Insight

Modern blue-state governing policy is often, quite literally, at Monty Python-skit levels. https://t.co/FcpQYaOsWD

— Wilfred Reilly (@wil_da_beast630) December 29, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

The spectacular Roman gold-glass medallion of Arezzo, showing the living face of a Roman man from c.200-250 AD. The miniature portrait depicts a bearded man wearing a white toga and tunic with red 'clavus' stripe indicating his equestrian rank. Delicately etched into gold leaf,… pic.twitter.com/ea9ONPzWqj

— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) December 28, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

A “Butt Load” is an actual unit of measurement that equals 128 gallons....

Despite how it sounds today, a butt load was once a perfectly respectable and widely used unit of measurement.

The term comes from the medieval English word butt, which referred to a large wooden barrel… pic.twitter.com/I5QoOmseNb

— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) December 28, 2025

 

Data Talks

🇮🇹 FROM EUROPE’S “SICK MAN” TO POSTER CHILD: ITALY IS OUTPERFORMING THE REST OF THE EU

For years, Italy was Europe’s caution sign: unstable governments, heavy debt, and slow reforms.

Now it's leading the pack, and the numbers prove it.

Over the past 5 years, Italy’s main… pic.twitter.com/VrEOPt5Z9h

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 27, 2025

 

A Wish, 1880 by Paul Hoecker

A Wish, 1880 by Paul Hoecker (Germany, 1854-1910)

Click to enlarge.

History

I was writing some code the new-school way yesterday, prompting gpt-4.1 through aider, and for whatever reason my mind flashed back 50 years and the utter freaking enormity of it all crashed in on me like a tidal wave.

And now I want to make you feel that, too.

In 1975 I ran…

— Eric S. Raymond (@esrtweet) December 27, 2025

 

An Insight

I was talking to old timers at the family holiday functions and over the course of the conversation it dawned on me that we had completely different parental experiences w/r/t transporting children.

To wit, the old timers (either as children or with their own children) would… https://t.co/MZpetgq8AN

— Conan, Epiphanator (@conan_esq) December 27, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

Never tell me the ancients were incapable of loving their children.

(a Greek epitaph from the 1st c BC) pic.twitter.com/y6gG1KLijT

— CoffeeWithTheClassics (@CoffeewClassics) December 28, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Astonishingly, the truth about the man-made climate change narrative somehow found its way onto mainstream UK television.

From 'Yes, Prime Minister' (2013).

Believe it or not, this was produced by the BBC. pic.twitter.com/IY1UPyumb3

— Wide Awake Media (@wideawake_media) December 26, 2025

 

Data Talks

Every once in a while I remember that this twin study exists https://t.co/yWuWZuOt0E pic.twitter.com/7hNl0rlqhq

— Richárd (@krichard121212) December 27, 2025

 

Haystacks, c. 1904-05 by Kees Van Dongen

Haystacks, c. 1904-05 by Kees Van Dongen (Netherlands, 1877-1968)

Click to enlarge.

History

A Republican who divided his party, insulted other politicians, loved holding big rallies, survived an assassination attempt, was labeled a racist by his opponents, advocated for tariffs, ignored Congress and added his own corollary to the Monroe Doctrine…

Theodore Roosevelt. pic.twitter.com/rkrIsQzFq3

— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) January 5, 2026

An Insight

Here’s the inconvenient truth…

If @elonmusk didn’t buy Twitter, the fraud exploding out of Minnesota would still be buried.

Tim Walz might even be Vice President right now.

Independent platforms broke the Democrat media monopoly. And the truth finally got out.

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) December 27, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

British swimmer Rob Hoey was enjoying a calm swim with his daughter off New Zealand’s North Island when the ocean suddenly revealed something extraordinary. 🌊👨‍👧

A pod of dolphins appeared out of nowhere, circling tightly around them and gently herding them toward the center.… pic.twitter.com/eMswXXhPJ3

— Mr PitBull (@MrPitbull07) December 28, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Not many badgers in the House of Lords pic.twitter.com/B8svSglE4R

— Hunter📈🌈📊 (@StatisticUrban) December 27, 2025

 

Data Talks

14.33% OF EVERY HOME HEALTH & PERSONAL CARE AIDE IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES IS IN NEW YORK

One state. One-seventh of the nation’s aides.

60 out of every 1000 jobs in New York is a home healthcare job. 6% of all employment!

Something very lucrative is happening inside a… pic.twitter.com/HZYe6tHyDe

— Reza Chowdhury (@RezaC1) December 27, 2025

 

Snow Trees, 1986 by Eyvind Earle

Snow Trees, 1986 by Eyvind Earle (America, 1916-2000)

Click to enlarge.

History

OTD in 1775 an anonymous article, signed “An American Guesser,” published in the Pennsylvania Journal--later credited to Ben Franklin--described in detail on the front page why Franklin believed the rattlesnake was the perfect symbol for the colonies:

"She may therefore be… pic.twitter.com/KDtSaZYY7e

— ZitoSalena (@ZitoSalena) December 27, 2025

 

An Insight

The inevitable conclusion from the released Putin-Bush transcripts:
Putin didn’t invade Ukraine because he opposed NATO enlargement.
Putin opposed NATO enlargement because it would have prevented his goal of invading and eliminating Ukraine.
The ideas he had a quarter century ago… pic.twitter.com/0gqkivV2Ve

— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) December 26, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

Love me a good old door. pic.twitter.com/9jRCFeEcpx

— Muse (@xmuse_) December 27, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

The first page of the Bible FDR sent to every member of the armed forces right before WWII.

Many Big Think reporters are historically illiterate. https://t.co/HVpRhXeOwn pic.twitter.com/JfFF8QAiP3

— Nick Solheim (@NickSolheim) December 27, 2025

 

Data Talks

leftism is a memetic parasite optimized for host sterilization. every core tenet leads to the same endpoint: you don’t reproduce

equality - no hierarchy means no selection for excellence, no reason to strive, no family formation incentive.
sexual liberation - commodified… pic.twitter.com/TsmxHKukNK

— vittorio (@IterIntellectus) December 28, 2025

 

Considerable Falls of Snow, 1938 by Eric Ravilious

Considerable Falls of Snow, 1938 by Eric Ravilious (England 1903-1942)

Click to enlarge.

It rang out sweetly, like a swallow's call.

From The Swallow's Song: Odysseus' Bow by Armand D'Angour.

At a spine-tingling moment in Homer’s Odyssey, when Odysseus is about to reveal who he is to the suitors - whom he will then kill, all 108 of them, with his mighty bow and arrows - Homer creates a marvellous simile in which he compares the stringing of the bow to that by a minstrel of his lyre:

Just as an expert player on the lyre, 

a seasoned minstrel, pulls around the peg 

a sheep's-gut cord, and twists and makes it fast, 

so did Odysseus string the mighty bow 

with practised ease. He held it in one hand, 

his right, and with the other plucked the string: 

It rang out sweetly, like a swallow's call....

[snip]

The swallow’s call rings out sweet, because when it is heard it signals that the bird has returned from distant shores after a long and hazardous journey. The hearers of Homer’s song understand its significance: Odysseus, on the point of revealing his true identity after his prolonged and perilous travels, is finally home and dry.

History

“Satrap” means provincial governor in Persian, yet carries negative connotations in the west

Ironically, Greek conquerors preserved the satrapy system after the fall of the Aechemenid Persians as they had no blueprint for administering a large territory spanning three continents pic.twitter.com/BykRWiwES9

— Cyrus II of Persia (@ShahanshahCyrus) December 25, 2025

 

An Insight

While it is an imperfect rule, I think that most people who are trying to describe somebody's mental state would be better off using older synonyms rather than their modern therapy equivalents.

They are not narcissistic, they are selfish and thoughtless.

1/

— Shylock Holmes (@shylockh) December 25, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

The Duomo in Milan Took 6 Centuries to Complete. They Started in 1386 and Finished in 1965… pic.twitter.com/lysi8IYWEp

— 𝕰𝖒𝕲 (@Emilio2763) December 27, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

An NPR moment: pic.twitter.com/GuXHoUQ2Io

— Elliot Kaufman (@ElliotKaufman6) December 25, 2025

 

Data Talks

One of the great political moves by the left in recent years has been convincing a large portion of America that we don’t already spend most of our money on healthcare + entitlements…

The vast majority of Democrats truly believe our largest budget item is the military. https://t.co/6xx40LyXcQ pic.twitter.com/5qLAks5Opx

— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) January 18, 2026

 

Data Talks

the apppeal is simple:

mars has one thing that earth can never have: a shallow gravity well.

escape velocity from earth is very high. if earth were just a tiny bit more massive, we would not be able to attain it with current tech.

mars is much lower. it is, therefore, the…

— el gato malo (@boriquagato) December 27, 2025

 

Wild Garden, Winter, 1959 by John Nash

Wild Garden, Winter, 1959 by John Nash (England, 1893-1977)

Click to enlarge.

Letter from Ulysses to Penelope from inside the Wooden Horse by Ronald Knox

Letter from Ulysses to Penelope from inside the Wooden Horse by Ronald Knox.  Written by Knox in Latin elegiac verse in 1921 and translated by Armand D'Angour in 2020.  

Dear Wife, This letter comes to you from near the Trojan shore, 

where I'm concealed inside a jerry-built machine of war. 

Excuse the awful handwriting, it's all over the place: 

the reason is, my elbow's jammed in Demophoon's face. 

You'll notice that the ink I'm writing with is mixed in blood; 

don't worry, it's his leg, not mine, that gives a steady flood. 

The fact is this: I'm stuck inside a giant wooden horse 

constructed by Epeus - "laced with oaken ribs", of course. 

We chose the crew by throwing lots, the hardest lads together; 

I only wish the hardest lads weren't all as tough as leather. 

To what should I compare the situation that we're in? 

It feels as if we're packed like bloody sardines in a tin. 

The tickle up my nose from Thoas' crest I can't abide, 

And now Thersander's quiver's poking holes in my backside. 

The Trojans rolled us into town, they heaved us rough and quick; 

I've always hated sailing; as you know, it makes me sick. 

Right now they're throwing spears into the horse's flank to check; 

at any moment soon, I'm sure, I'll get it in the neck. 

Penelope, farewell. If I get out of here alive, 

I'll only ever go by foot, I swear, and never drive. 

History

In April 1881, Henry McCarty was tried for murder in Mesilla, New Mexico. McCarty, aka William Bonney and best known as “Billy the Kid,” had been captured by a posse led by Sheriff Pat Garrett. It is unclear exactly how many men Billy had killed by then. Just before his death at… pic.twitter.com/fP5z27UWoQ

— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) December 26, 2025

 

An Insight

One of the worst parts of modern liberalism is that we go through these decade-long moral panics that completely reshape the structure of society until they are tossed into the garbage and forgotten literally overnight - making it impossible to discuss or rectify them. https://t.co/lB8dcyzwnR

— Mr. S.T.A.R. (@favelaoverlord) December 25, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire, England!❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Begun in 1083, completed in 1375! pic.twitter.com/qHLURzGUtt

— Jim's the Man (@yesjimstheman) December 26, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Reminder that this appeared in the NY Times... https://t.co/YyuCFHb1fh pic.twitter.com/BYlU1rszXi

— Covfefe Anon (@CovfefeAnon) December 26, 2025

 

Data Talks

Whoever signed on Obamacare should be charged with crimes against humanity. pic.twitter.com/TeN9lPZKSQ

— Rothmus 🏴 (@Rothmus) December 26, 2025

 

Sunrise in Åsgårdstrand, 1893-94 by Edvard Munch

Sunrise in Åsgårdstrand, 1893-94 by Edvard Munch (Norway, 1863-1944)

Click to enlarge.

Grok - the answer becomes worth the candle

I am so enjoying the rapid evolution of our modern epistemic environment.  There is much to lament (the disappearance of credible newspapers with real reporting), and much to be concerned about.  But oh, my - what a world is on the horizon.

The time span from Visicalc (1979) to Lotus 1-2-3 (1983) to MS Excel (1985) was roughly five years, maybe ten years for the emergent dominance of MS Excel over the earlier two.  Now it seems like five to ten months for one AI platform to outpace another.

I have been playing around with Grok, integrated as it is with X.  It is a pleasure to nearly instantaneously do reality checks on social media claims.  For example:

Ubisoft great replaced the men in their company now its dying a slow and well-deserved death. https://t.co/oYZY0LuOxP pic.twitter.com/En2jBEFq6O

— Carl Benjamin 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@Sargon_of_Akkad) January 24, 2026

I am not a gamer.  I have a vague awareness of some of the ebbs and tides in that industry but no real knowledge.  The before and after pictures are compelling but are they real.  Are they even Ubisoft, and if so, are they even comparable groups.  I would have guessed not, but what does Grok say?

The implied argument seems to be:  Ubisoft focused on hiring female gamer talent, replaced its male employees with women, and subsequently suffered financial destruction.

My knee-jerk questions are

What was the female percent of Ubisoft's workforce in from 2007 to 2025 by year?

Did the Ubisoft market capitalization increase or decrease between 2007 and 2025?

Me:  What was the female percent of Ubisoft's workforce in from 2007 to 2025 by year?

Grok:  

Year                Female Percentage                    Notes/Source

2007                        20%                                    Fiscal year ending March 31, 2007; from Ubisoft's 2007 Reference Document.

2008                        No data available                Diversity metrics were not consistently reported in early annual documents.

2009                        No data available

2010                        No data available

2011                        No data available

2012                        No data available

2013                        No data available

2014                        No data available

2015                        No data available

2016                        No data available

2017                        No data available

2018                        No data available

2019                                21.3%                            Fiscal year ending March 31, 2019.

2020                                22%                               Fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. 

statista.com

2021                                23.5%                            Fiscal year ending March 31, 2021.  statista.com

2022                                25.5%                            Fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.  statista.com

2023                                25.9%                            Fiscal year ending March 31, 2023.  statista.com

2024                                25.9%                            Fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.  statista.com

2025                                26.3%                            Fiscal year ending March 31, 2025; from Ubisoft's 2024-25 Universal Registration Document.

Note: Data is based on fiscal years ending in March, which may not align perfectly with calendar years. Comprehensive gender diversity reporting by Ubisoft began around 2019, with earlier figures sparse and primarily from official documents or secondary sources like Statista. For years without data, no reliable public information was found despite extensive searches.

Twelve years to increase the female headcount from 20% in 2007 to 21% in 2019.  Then six years to raise it from 21% 2019 to 26% in 2025.  

The posts argument seems to be that there was a a very large increase in the female headcount from 2007 to 2014 but that is not evident from the (incomplete) numbers.  20% to 26% over eighteen years is not necessarily a disruptive issue.  It can be disruptive, depending on how the policies are executed but that is a different issue.

Also, there is the issue of where the headcount is being added and how that is affecting the rest of the organization.  If you are a software company and you pad your HR and Marketing headcount to achieve overall increases in quota, then you can expect an increase A&G costs without necessarily any increase in productivity.

This warrants a follow-on question.

Me:  What was Ubisoft personnel turnover by year from 2007 to 2025?

Grok:  [in part] Ubisoft does not publicly disclose detailed employee turnover rates (voluntary or total attrition/turnover percentage) on a consistent year-by-year basis from 2007 to 2025 in its annual reports, Universal Registration Documents (URDs), or other official filings. Comprehensive turnover statistics are rare for most companies unless specifically required or voluntarily highlighted in sustainability/HR sections, and Ubisoft's disclosures focus more on headcount totals, diversity metrics, and recent restructurings rather than historical turnover percentages.

Go to the link for more detail but basically not enough data is public and there was too much else going on (scandals within the company, restructurings i.e. involuntary turnover, etc.) for Grok to estimate an answer.

OK.  A marginal increase in female employee headcount but no visibility whether this came in the core business of software or not, nor how that might have affected retention of talent, always a strategic issue for software companies.

How about market capitalization.  How has that changed between 2007 and 2025?

Me:  What was the market capitalization of Ubisoft in 2007 and what is it in 2025?

Grok:  In 2007, Ubisoft's market capitalization at the end of the year (December 31, 2007) was approximately $4.60 billion USD (or around €2.57–€3 billion equivalent, depending on exchange rates at the time). This figure comes from historical market cap tracking sources like CompaniesMarketCap.com, which lists end-of-year values. Earlier in the fiscal year (as of March 31, 2007, Ubisoft's FY-end), it was lower, around €1.66 billion (roughly $2.1–2.2 billion USD at 2007 exchange rates), per Ubisoft's own 2007 Reference Document. Some sources show varying annual figures (e.g., ~$8.38 billion in one dataset), but these appear inconsistent or possibly misaligned with calendar-year vs. fiscal-year reporting; the ~$4.6B end-2007 value aligns across multiple reliable trackers.

In 2025, Ubisoft's market capitalization showed significant decline amid ongoing challenges (restructurings, losses, stock plunges). At the end of 2025 (December 31, 2025), it was approximately $1.01–1.02 billion USD (or €0.81–1 billion EUR). As of late January 2026 (current context around January 23–24, 2026), it had fallen further to roughly $0.64 billion USD (€547–812 million EUR, varying by exact date and source like Yahoo Finance, CompaniesMarketCap, or Euronext quotes), reflecting the stock trading below €4–6 per share with ~130–140 million shares outstanding.

Ubisoft went from $4.6 billion in 2007 to $7-10 billion circa 2010-2020 to $0.6 billion today.  

Clearly a picture of a troubled company.  But was the trouble because of a huge increase in female headcount.

In about five minutes Grok give me the sort of data which reinforces my skepticism of this Just So story.  

Software in general and entertainment software are highly volatile sectors so not surprising to see big numerical fluxes.  In such times, management errors can be very influential and compounding.  

I can imagine a scenario where management in 2007 communicated a desire to hire more female talent and might have been perceived to have had quota targets.  In that sort of environment, it would not be surprising to see an acceleration in unplanned turnover among your most experienced and successful software engineers whose talents were then in constant demand.  It wasn't the increase in female headcount that might have been the problem so much as perceived discriminatory behavior of management against the then current employees which could have been the problem.

I can imagine a scenario where management in 2007, riding a strong market, got distracted and focused on non-business critical DEI, ESG, and quota type issues which would have similar negative impacts on the existing employee base.  Such distraction might be seen as a leading indicator explaining the apparent later management problems.

There are all sorts of scenarios.

This post suggests that Ubisoft switched from a majority male to a majority female (photo) employee base and that that switch was what caused the decline in market capitalization.  Just three Grok queries confirms that the situation is far more complex than the suggested causal relationship.  Possibly a DEI and quotas mindset contributed to later problems but market capitalization increase and collapse are clearly being driven by a host of issues beyond female headcount.

In five minutes of thinking (and much longer to write up), with Grok, the proposed argument can be dismissed as improbable.  

What a blessing.  In before times, that would have been a multi-hour effort and not worth the candle.  Now?  It is an interesting enough argument to invest five minutes to arrive at a least an indicative answer.  

Excellent tool.  It provides pointers to both its sources and the issues in the data that need resolving in order to get at a more robust answer.   

History

THE FORGOTTEN CHRISTIAN MARTYRS OF LÜBECK

These three Catholic priests-- Johannes Prassek, Eduard Müller, Hermann Lange-- and Protestant pastor Karl Friedrich Stellbrink are martyrs too few people know about.

They are all German who stood against Nazism and were barbarically… pic.twitter.com/9DkWYX6uJj

— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) December 24, 2025

 

An Insight

for 400 years, there was basically an infinite frontier where anyone willing to take some risks and work hard could thrive.

the people in modern europe are the ones whose ancestors looked at that and said "nah," and stayed home to be someone's vassal.

once you realize that, it…

— el gato malo (@boriquagato) December 25, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

River mist is the ghosts of our ancestors finding their Elysium pic.twitter.com/je463WVklP

— The English Oak Project (@TheKentAcorn) December 25, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Click to enlarge.

Data Talks

One thing I'll regret about 2025 is how many nonsense meetings I had to sit through on how China is becoming the world's "green" super power. Two-thirds of electricity generation in China is from thermal power plants (blue). That's coal. Give me a break...https://t.co/sHlN0zpYkV pic.twitter.com/5shFOuiKga

— Robin Brooks (@robin_j_brooks) December 25, 2025

 

Night Snow 2, 2019 by.Jeremy Miranda

Night Snow 2, 2019 by.Jeremy Miranda (America, 1980 - )

Click to enlarge.

History

Monteriggioni - the gate of the Middle Ages ...

Monteriggioni represents one of most important medieval walled castles, nestled in south-western end of Chianti, province of Siena, at the the heart of Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹. It has incredibly preserved an intact structure as a… pic.twitter.com/v47Mo1SmKh

— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) December 25, 2025

 

An Insight

I have liberal friends who refuse to believe this is happening, thinking it must be a loony right-wing conspiracy theory.
Wrong.
It is illegal in Germany & UK to insult someone & the punishment is worse for online than in person.
Even RTing an "insulting" post is illegal. https://t.co/dAuEE3o68m

— Michael Shermer (@michaelshermer) December 25, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

Rock-Hewn Churches; Lalibela - Ethiopia 🇪🇹

The 11 medieval monolithic cave churches, were carved out of rock of this 13th Century AD, 'New Jerusalem' are situated in a mountainous region in the heart of Ethiopia near a traditional village with circular-shaped dwellings. Lalibela… pic.twitter.com/VzIqSZ2AIJ

— Archaeo - Histories (@archeohistories) December 25, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

This is hilarious pic.twitter.com/vzjYsAj3cI

— Steve Stewart-Williams (@SteveStuWill) December 24, 2025

 

Data Talks

Why does the population density map of portugal have this strange line deviding high and low density seemingly in the middle of nowhere pic.twitter.com/8QV2D8Cwz9

— Epic Maps 🗺️ (@theepicmap) December 25, 2025

 

Come Warm Your Paws by Chris Dunn

Come Warm Your Paws by Chris Dunn (England, 1987 - )

Click to enlarge.

History

1/2) The face that launched a thousand ships: Helen of Troy looking suitably fabulous on this Roman mosaic dating to the 4th century AD, a tiny part of one of the largest figurative Roman mosaics ever discovered - at the Villa de Noheda, Spain. pic.twitter.com/H9T3lD2hXs

— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) May 13, 2021

 

An Insight

As a society addicted to instant gratification, we’ve lost the ability to really celebrate an eve — we struggle with active anticipation and tend to jump straight to celebrating the event which has not come yet.

In many things in life, the “waiting” is as memorable as the… pic.twitter.com/ta9FO9812I

— ThinkingWest (@thinkingwest) December 24, 2025

 

An Insight

Silly me.
I thought the purpose of journalism was to document and inform. https://t.co/pyWZBoJHfw

— Jonathan H. Adler (@jadler1969) December 24, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

A Persian architecture. pic.twitter.com/FSXP1PSm2A

— The Figen (@TheFigen_) December 24, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

I think that the most plausible explanation for the "Secret History" is that Procopius was a respected scholar who in his private life was kind of a crazy conspiracy theorist.

Many such cases. pic.twitter.com/bJw9df3IBw

— LiorLefineder (@lefineder) December 25, 2025

 

Data Talks

Grok - How many Gazans in 2020 and how many in 2025?

In 2020, the population of the Gaza Strip was approximately 2.05 million people, according to mid-year estimates from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and consistent with sources like Reuters and CEIC data… https://t.co/b5nibrmE9q

— Charles Bayless (@CharlesBayless) December 26, 2025

 

The Valley of the Sambre, 1890 by Théo van Rysselberghe

The Valley of the Sambre, 1890 by Théo van Rysselberghe (Belgium, 1862-1926)

Click to enlarge.

The peasant was the last to find his voice.

Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White, Jr..  Page v.

Voltaire to the contrary, history is a bag of tricks which the dead have played upon historians. The most remarkable of these illusions is the belief that the surviving written records provide us with a reasonably accurate facsimile of past human activity. ‘Prehistory’ is defined as the period for which such records are not available. But until very recently the vast majority of mankind was living in a subhistory which was a continuation of prehistory. Nor was this condition characteristic simply of the lower strata of society. In medieval Europe until the end of the eleventh century we learn of the feudal aristocracy largely from clerical sources which naturally reflect ecclesiastical attitudes: the knights do not speak for themselves.  Only later do merchants, manufacturers, and technicians begin to share their thoughts with us. The peasant was the last to find his voice.

History

I found my great grandfather's grandfather's Ottoman identity card issued in Damascus in 1802.

This is what Claude says:
This Ottoman identity certificate was issued to Yusuf (Joseph) Abadi, a Jewish man from Damascus, Syria (then the Damascus Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire). His… pic.twitter.com/MTv8qOodzj

— Carlos Abadi (@NewSamawal) December 23, 2025

 

An Insight

Large Forgings

A nation’s ability to produce large forgings is a good threshold for what we should consider an “Industrialised Nation”.

One of the cool things about buying large forgings is that the forming process is almost always a “witness point” where the client is expected… pic.twitter.com/17QZnOJStR

— Object Zero (@Object_Zero_) December 23, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

A 1st Century AD, Emerald Earrings were found near Pompeii. They are relatively simple, made of beads threaded on a convex grid of gold wires, which was then fastened to a circular frame designed to hang from the ear by a basic gold wire hook.

However, they were expensive,… pic.twitter.com/P4eSRQiWS4

— Dr. M.F. Khan (@Dr_TheHistories) December 25, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Not too much to ask for... pic.twitter.com/3EgTKLV8kZ

— The Guy X (@theguyzoneX) December 25, 2025

 

Data Talks

The sex split in student loan payments is interesting.

Men immediately cut down on their loans, whereas women tend to make little progress, even more than a decade on. https://t.co/XAZVCIc3Va pic.twitter.com/Wet7IE2FFy

— Crémieux (@cremieuxrecueil) December 25, 2025

 

Data Talks

Over a decade ago, @FiveThirtyEight published a clever methodology for estimating someone's age based on their first name.

I turned it into an interactive tool, the Name Age Calculator. Type in "Jennifer" and discover when that name peaked in 140+ years of Social Security data… pic.twitter.com/vjm9y4M71t

— Randy Olson (@randal_olson) December 23, 2025

 

Home To Bed by Gary Bunt

Home To Bed, 2022 by Gary Bunt (England, 1957-2025)

Click to enlarge.

Try to love the questions themselves

From Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke in 1903.  

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

It's dense, a bit like digesting a delicious whale

From a tweet by Anders K. @Falliblemusings  He is pointing out that the fashionable nihilism of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is based on bad philosophy.

Deutsch has a concept he calls 'bad philosophy.' Not philosophy that's merely false, but philosophy that actively prevents the growth of knowledge. Ideas that close doors rather than open them. That makes problems seem unsolvable by design.

After soaking in Deutsch's framework (it's dense, a bit like digesting a delicious whale), it becomes clear: Harari's books are riddled with bad philosophy. They're smuggling nihilism in under the guise of scientific objectivity.

[snip]

Where Harari sees a species of deluded apes stumbling toward obsolescence, Deutsch sees universal explainers, the only entities we know of capable of creating explanatory knowledge, solving problems, and potentially seeding the universe with intelligence.

The difference isn't academic. Ideas shape action. If you believe life is meaningless, progress is a trap, and humans are hackable animals with no free will, how does that affect what you build? What you fight for? What you teach your children?

Harari's books sell because they flatter a fashionable pessimism. They let readers feel sophisticated for seeing through the "delusions" everyone else lives by. That smug cynicism is corrosive. And it's everywhere: in schools, in media, in bestselling books. More than half of young adults now say they feel little to no purpose or meaning in life. This is what happens when you teach an entire generation bad philosophy. Less progress, less health, less wealth. Less flourishing. And ultimately, a higher chance that civilization and consciousness go extinct.

Fortunately, there's another equally well-written, but much truer, account of homo sapiens, appropriately titled 'The Beginning of Infinity'. And this one smuggles no despair in by the backdoor.

The contrast he is drawing is with The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch.  

After Sapiens had been out for a year or two and had received such effusive praise across the spectrum, I broke down and purchased a copy expecting it to be an exciting fresh treatment of material with which I was broadly already familiar.  

It still sits upon the shelf waiting to be read.  I sampled it.  Read the first few pages.  Leafed through the chapters trying to find a snippet that gripped.  There are plenty of good books which fail that test and sit on a shelf and which I later read with enjoyment and benefit.  

But Sapiens failed the test and still sits, waiting for a second chance.  But Fallible Musings pushes an alternate to the head of the line and I am on the hunt for The Beginning of Infinity.

Feeling insignificant because the universe is large has exactly the same logic as feeling inadequate for not being a cow.

From The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch, p. 34.  

I was wrong to be impressed by the mere scale of what I was looking at. Some people become depressed at the scale of the universe, because it makes them feel insignificant. Other people are relieved to feel insignificant, which is even worse. But, in any case, those are mistakes. Feeling insignificant because the universe is large has exactly the same logic as feeling inadequate for not being a cow. Or a herd of cows. The universe is not there to overwhelm us; it is our home, and our resource. The bigger the better.

History

The Siege of Candia lasted for 21 years.

An old thread on how the said siege was conducted. https://t.co/M2Do6MzuGY

— Aristocratic Fury (@LandsknechtPike) December 23, 2025

 

An Insight

Show this video to your kids…Wow😳 pic.twitter.com/bauy35a1v6

— John Rich🇺🇸 (@johnrich) December 24, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

The oldest VW Beetle ever built was completely rebuilt by hand and in its original condition.

After the technical acceptance by TÜV NORD Mobility, the prototype of the W30 series from 1937, is back on the road.pic.twitter.com/64S7wmJZNo

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 23, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Fun trick to do to impress the family

📹trickhubo

pic.twitter.com/FCC5SgMmV5

— Science girl (@sciencegirl) December 24, 2025

 

Data Talks

Lake Superior - The graveyard of ships pic.twitter.com/kPj3Z6j4pI

— Epic Maps 🗺️ (@theepicmap) December 24, 2025

 

Barge Haulers on the Volga by Ilya Repin

Barge Haulers on the Volga by Ilya Repin (Russia, 1870–1873)

Click to enlarge.

History

Lysimachus is one of those historical figures who sounds fictional until you realize the sources keep insisting he was real.

He began as a somatophylax, one of Alexander the Great’s elite bodyguards—men close enough to the king to save his life or end it. That job wasn’t… pic.twitter.com/MU3VojXRm5

— ArchaeoHistories (@histories_arch) December 23, 2025

 

An Insight

I'll do it: pic.twitter.com/aqpLPSOSTa

— Mark Richardson (@MarkRichardson2) December 23, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

Faraday wave.

Visualization of a standing wave. And secrets to some of Nikola Tesla’s work.

The water surface is responding to controlled vibration. As the container oscillates at a fixed frequency, energy transfers uniformly into the liquid.

Instead of random ripples, waves… pic.twitter.com/BwlmfKtQyX

— Brian Roemmele (@BrianRoemmele) December 23, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

This Duck Maker made my day.pic.twitter.com/nxuSZS8PPH

— Interesting things (@awkwardgoogle) December 23, 2025

 

Data Talks

Detailed Map of British English Dialects

What's your favourite?https://t.co/Kka6tgTXmw

credit: @Starkey_Comics pic.twitter.com/AamT9FVGG5

— Brilliant Maps (@BrilliantMaps) December 24, 2025

 

Blackbird & Berries by Angela Harding

Blackbird & Berries by Angela Harding (England, 1960 - )

Click to enlarge.

History

This is how the Ancient Romans built huge water arches and enclosed canals to supply clean water to their cities pic.twitter.com/mVnrvVyoOy

— Undiscovered History (@HistoryUnd) December 23, 2025

 

An Insight

She went to Harvard AND Columbia. She's been published by every major outlet. And not only does she have her own Wikipedia article, but her father too.
Is there any historical precedent for something like this, an entire cultural elite suddenly epousing the most laughable lies? pic.twitter.com/pg05FyT2wi

— Lexer (@LexerLux) December 24, 2025

I see wonderful things

The Good Shepherd of Nicaea: A Faith in Hiding -

In the modern town of İznik, Türkiye 🇹🇷; once the Roman city of Nicaea—archaeologists have uncovered a rare window into early Christianity. Inside a 3rd Century AD, underground tomb, a fresco depicts Christ not as the bearded,… pic.twitter.com/GjDSO8B7rp

— Dr. M.F. Khan (@Dr_TheHistories) December 23, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Reality breaks their brain... https://t.co/IogJBmVfLi

— Armond Clugs (@ArmondClugs) December 23, 2025

 

Data Talks

“Ironically, people who see themselves as victims often feel entitled to mistreat others.”

[Link below.] pic.twitter.com/dejsLm0rON

— Steve Stewart-Williams (@SteveStuWill) December 23, 2025

 

View of the Bosporus by Ivan Aivazovsky

View of the Bosporus by Ivan Aivazovsky (Russia, 181-1900)

Click to enlarge.

Leeroy Jenkins!

Somehow these need to go together.  Not disavvowing CAPs point, just pointing out that it is incomplete. 

What’s great about Twitter is that you can have one reasonably smart normal guy instantaneously realize something is insane, run into battle against the 10,000 assistant profs, journos, and NGO workers trying to engineer a fake consensus, and then easily come out victorious.

— Coddled Affluent Professional (@feelsdesperate) January 17, 2026

the original leeroy jenkins viral video turns 20 years old this year pic.twitter.com/FhzgBnlpFJ

— Lost Internet (@LostMemeArchive) December 19, 2025

Those paying attention will of course have a valid argument that Leeroy Jenkins does not meet the minimum criteria:  "one reasonably smart normal guy."   

History

🇯🇴 The Roman Theatre in Amman, Jordan, built into a hillside during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius between 138 and 161 CE, is a steeply raked amphitheatre that could seat around 6,000 spectators.

A Greek inscription records that it was dedicated in honour of the emperor,… pic.twitter.com/OjLUXH7KqB

— MENA Visuals (@menavisualss) December 23, 2025

 

An Insight

In cultures dominated by male authority, women are heavily veiled or fully covered. In egalitarian societies, women's attire approaches near-nudity. https://t.co/rpEMqHJWcS

— Rob Henderson (@robkhenderson) December 23, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

Known today as compression lift, the idea of the XB-70's folding wingtips, was to use the shock waves generated by its own supersonic flight to generate lift.

This clip shows what the Valkyrie could have been. pic.twitter.com/zT1N9h5T2z

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 23, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Spain is running an experiement.

Madrid is attempting to making housing cheaper through increasing the supply of private housing.

Barcelona is trying to do it by capping Airbnbs and rent control.

My prediction: Madrid will get cheaper housing, but the author of this piece will…

— Sam Dumitriu (@Sam_Dumitriu) December 23, 2025

 

Data Talks

Historical recreations rarely portray just how young most people were, including those driving big events https://t.co/81vPJ19AvE pic.twitter.com/MtUSUVgdeZ

— Chris Arnade 🐢🐱🚌 (@Chris_arnade) December 24, 2025

 

View Across Frenchman`s Bay from Mount Desert Island, After a Squall, 1845 by Thomas Cole

View Across Frenchman`s Bay from Mount Desert Island, After a Squall, 1845 by Thomas Cole (America, 1801-1848)

Click to enlarge.

History

For most of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Republic of Venice had the most complex, well-organized, and effective intelligence and counterintelligence network in Europe and the Mediterranean region. While the Ottoman Empire also had a vast and sophisticated intelligence… pic.twitter.com/ZfzBNFOeER

— Annibale (@Annibal97783312) December 20, 2025

 

An Insight

*taps sign* https://t.co/3exvh5oXif pic.twitter.com/9Fto9Uf5fR

— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole) December 21, 2025

 

I see wonderful things

Bro literally could not miss and the crowd goes ballistic after he makes the last shot pic.twitter.com/gipLqqZZw8

— Dudes Posting Their W’s (@DudespostingWs) December 21, 2025

 

Offbeat Humor

Make Doors Great Again pic.twitter.com/aXtHjayKUB

— 🏛️⚡️ (@ComplvtvmC) December 23, 2025