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vgr's profile
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
@vgr

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Venkatesh Rao

@vgr

Conversational account. For work follow @ribbonfarm, @breaking_smart, @artofgig. Tweets are 90% vacuous views, apathetically held. Mediocritopian. IKEA builder.

Los Angeles, CA
venkateshrao.com
Joined August 2007

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    1. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      In my totally scientific gut poll, based on tracking doomscroll visuals of I’m now leaning towards conclusion that it’s gonna be Trump. City-state world here we come. Siege urbanism.

      4 replies 3 retweets 49 likes
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    2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      Was waiting for the right moment in this thread for the obligatory doomscroll gif, specially dedicated to @scrivenixpic.twitter.com/dVWEfAGDRZ

      1 reply 2 retweets 28 likes
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    3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      ** spins up speculative execution thread on 4 more years of Trump ** Analysis starting point for me has always been: one term for Trump could be the madness of a passionate crowd leveraged by electoral college. Two terms is a cold, level-headed, decisive mandate for illiberalism

      7 replies 3 retweets 79 likes
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    4. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      Since India has also taken a decisive turn towards illiberalism in the last decade, if Trump wins, I’m going to officially identify as ideologically homeless.

      5 replies 1 retweet 66 likes
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    5. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      Okay my illiberal-world rest-of-life plan starts with building Dark Age robots.

      2 replies 0 retweets 24 likes
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    6. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      Not kidding. One reason I have gotten back into maker/diy stuff is that the mainstream of humanity has, for the moment, chosen the bozo timeline. Tech is a better bet for a meaningful life.

      2 replies 2 retweets 76 likes
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    7. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      Now that a landslide is basically off the table, it doesn’t really matter who wins. A narrow win would merely be a rearguard action to buy us more time, not moral validation/mandate for a counter-reformation. The world is clearly locked on its current course for ~50 years not 5.

      3 replies 12 retweets 115 likes
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    8. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      Implications - Climate action is now purely up to businesses - Avocado politics is the future. Wherever you see the phrase “climate refugee” read “climate war” - 100% of political agency for liberalism will come from control of tech. Like guild navigators. Spice!

      7 replies 7 retweets 134 likes
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    9. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      We are officially into our Dark Age. That’s not all bad. Cozy web renaissance. I’ve been exploring this potential future since 2013.https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2013/12/09/our-diurnal-civilization/ …

      2 replies 3 retweets 37 likes
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    10. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      I’m available for dark age consulting 😎https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2017/11/30/prolegomena-to-any-dark-age-psychohistory/ …

      4 replies 1 retweet 31 likes
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      Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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      So one thing is how little has changed on the ground despite so much change in the national consciousness. The map looks the same as 2016 so far, and it’s down to the same states: PA, MI, OH etc. Nobody in power has learned anything but it feels like I have. Same scene, new eyes.

      8:37 PM - 3 Nov 2020
      • 3 Retweets
      • 48 Likes
      • Radagast the Brown Drake E. (he/him) Nathaniel Eliot Lawris stephen Prasoon Sada Rahul Ramchandani Billy Smith
      4 replies 3 retweets 48 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          The structural biases are so huge, a change in consciousness means nothing in some ways, everything in others. Now we know. The electoral college and gerrymandering are too much to overcome.

          5 replies 5 retweets 42 likes
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        3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          If you’re decisively left of Red America, it’s time to accept politics isn’t the answer. It’s merely a domain where you run interference to buy time to exercise other modes of agency.

          5 replies 8 retweets 121 likes
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        4. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          The notable thing is: nothing’s changed for Trump’s America either. He was going to make their lives great again.

          2 replies 0 retweets 22 likes
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        5. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          The nice thing is, this time around I’ve been prepared for exactly this contingency. This is what Project @basicmansion is about 😎 A personal Second Foundation for a Dark Age.

          2 replies 1 retweet 25 likes
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        6. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Venkatesh Rao Retweeted Venkatesh Rao

          Previously on the doomscrollhttps://twitter.com/vgr/status/1323775147044564992?s=21 …

          Venkatesh Rao added,

          Venkatesh Rao @vgr
          “No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.” H. L. Mencken.
          Show this thread
          2 replies 1 retweet 8 likes
          Show this thread
        7. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Commercial break. At least our Dark Age TV lineup is lit. Brought to you by @kneelingbus for Mayor of NYC. The mayor who will bring you the first Asimovian Cave of Steel in 2030.pic.twitter.com/i6aDUDWPr6

          2 replies 1 retweet 14 likes
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        8. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Things to look forward to tomorrow - Breakfast burrito - 50% reduction in scenario planning complexity for us futurists - Grand narratives are back. Dark age! - Can think long-term again - Great Weirding officially over, and into the Permaweird - Anthropocene Whiskey Sour

          4 replies 5 retweets 91 likes
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        9. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          The long arc story for the last 20 years has been urban vs rural. Every passing year, city-state future looks more real.

          5 replies 4 retweets 41 likes
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        10. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Underlines why Covid is so huge. In one sense it explodes the geopolitical foundation of urban political power. OTOH thatvoower itself is demographic not location-based. it is unclear what it will mean if the urban world floods out into the hinterland like a dam bursting.

          3 replies 0 retweets 23 likes
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        11. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Biden’s randomly making a statement. Sounds confident and doughty. Rallying the troops saying he feels on track to win this.pic.twitter.com/lkPu6Udh8a

          3 replies 0 retweets 6 likes
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        12. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Weirdly hypernormal. This is unfolding similarly to every election night I’ve stayed up tracking since 2000. Yet feels completely different.

          1 reply 0 retweets 33 likes
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        13. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Since this is a livetweet of the election I must capture this inevitable inflammatory tweet. Now *this* is different from every other election.pic.twitter.com/Q9HLFDycCu

          5 replies 1 retweet 40 likes
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        14. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Arizona is possibly going to make it off my crap list. I’ve enjoyed all my visits to the state and it’s certainly good for astronomy.

          4 replies 0 retweets 43 likes
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        15. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          So looks like in Michigan and Pennsylvania the disproportionate early voting by democrats might cause a sharp shift in a few hours. They’re currently lagging on counting those. So double blue latency: cities and mail-in. Question is if it will be enough.

          4 replies 1 retweet 20 likes
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        16. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Venkatesh Rao Retweeted Venkatesh Rao

          Van Jones on CNN just made basically the same point I did a few hours ago, so I guess this is now a basic normie takehttps://twitter.com/vgr/status/1323814941040635904?s=21 …

          Venkatesh Rao added,

          Venkatesh Rao @vgr
          Well already seems clear it won’t be the blowout repudiation of Trumpism that beating Hoover’s 1932 margin of defeat (59-472). So my most favored outcome is already off the table. Dammit this was the one record I wanted Trump to own.
          Show this thread
          3 replies 0 retweets 12 likes
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        17. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          But just in case you think nothing is different: storefronts all over big cities are boarded up and prepared for riots, several friends have left the country, and others are prepping go bags. Belief it’s not the same is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Naive to pretend all is normal.

          1 reply 1 retweet 31 likes
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        18. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          There’s serious mechanism-complexity related uncertainty but still looks like Trump has more combinatorial pathways than Biden despite Arizona flip.

          2 replies 0 retweets 11 likes
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        19. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Remember in 2016 Trump won 304 electoral votes. That’s 34 votes Biden has to reclaim from somewhere. Looks like 11 in the bag so far, 23 more to go. Residual structural bias favors Biden (cities/mail-in) but Trump has more scenarios.

          1 reply 1 retweet 10 likes
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        20. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Both pre-election polling and exit polling are psycho-WMDs. Produces months of pseudoevent news.

          2 replies 6 retweets 24 likes
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        21. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          CNN tldrs state of play succinctly: Down to: PA, WI, MI. Whoever wins 2/3 wins.

          3 replies 2 retweets 23 likes
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        22. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Le sigh this is getting close enough, I’m thinking it might end up in the courts like in 2000 even without shenanigans. The Florida recount took a month to sort out and this will be much uglier.

          2 replies 1 retweet 21 likes
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        23. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Commercial break. Check out the @yak_collective for all your dark age consulting needs.pic.twitter.com/22MwIAimmZ

          1 reply 7 retweets 38 likes
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        24. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Another big difference: highest turnout in a century. Likely around 65% which would be the highest since 1908. So even if the map and outcome remain the same as 2016, it’s not the same. It’s more of the same. By about 5% more turnouthttps://foreignpolicy.com/2020/11/03/historic-united-states-voter-turnout-2020-election-behind-other-democracies-global/ …

          3 replies 6 retweets 18 likes
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        25. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Alright I think I’ll turn in soon. I think I’ll be waking up to the following scenarios in order of likelihood: - Legal wrangle in PA - Trump win - Biden win - Cthulhucene

          4 replies 1 retweet 19 likes
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        26. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 3
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          Ok: actual last tweet for the night. Trump is on droning about play by play in states. I’ll catch up tomorrow if he lobbed any grenades. Looks like prop 22 might pass in CA Now to read a chapter of Iain M. Banks’ Hydrogen Sonata before shuteye.

          3 replies 0 retweets 9 likes
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        27. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 4
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          Ok no real movement huh. Glad I went to bed. Time for coffee and burrito. Here on out it will be intermittent updates only in response to actual movement.

          1 reply 0 retweets 15 likes
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        28. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 4
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          Glad Prop 22 passed. The gig economy is too important to be run by regressive CA labor politics. I distrust big corporation less on this. If a 7/8 supermajority clause and corporate moneybags are required to defend against stuff like AB5, so be it.

          2 replies 1 retweet 26 likes
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        29. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 4
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          Venkatesh Rao Retweeted David Auerbach  📚

          Also glad the Dems kinda got an ass-kicking outside of the undecided potus race. The party machine on senate/house was way too smug and self-satisfied assuming a strong positionhttps://twitter.com/auerbachkeller/status/1324004355629031425?s=21 …

          Venkatesh Rao added,

          David Auerbach  📚Verified account @AuerbachKeller
          A very raw and revealing Politico rant. "TUESDAY WAS AN ABJECT DISASTER for Democrats in Washington. The infighting will be bloody -- as it should be." pic.twitter.com/Spj79XjTA4
          Show this thread
          2 replies 0 retweets 22 likes
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        30. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 4
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          I had a single issue of interest: getting Trump out. That’s still up in the air. Everything else though, yeah... necessary institutional reform. Florida should be a sharp warning for people supporting a far left push. It’s bad ideology and losing political strategy in the US.

          4 replies 3 retweets 37 likes
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        31. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Nov 4
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          When an institution is this sclerotic only charismatic power can renew it. Unfortunately of the two people with any charisma, one is an old caricature leftie out of Seinfeld and the other is a young firebrand leftie blinded by moral self-certainty riding a thirst-trap premium.

          2 replies 3 retweets 38 likes
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