Muchos conocen a Baltasar Gracián como un brillante escritor barroco, maestro del ingenio y del estilo. Pero quedarse en eso es superficial. Gracián no es sólo literatura, porque su obra supone una de las filosofías más incisivas y actuales del siglo XVII. Y merece un hilo. 🧵👇
Gracián no escribe para adornar, sino para pensar críticamente desde la realidad y hacia la realidad. Y no sólo para pensar en abstracto, sino a su vez para enfrentarse a la vida real, al mundo tal como es: conflictivo, engañoso, lleno de trampas. Su obra no consuela: desengaña.
Leer a Gracián no es un ejercicio estético, es una prueba de lucidez. Para muchos dificultosa, a veces algo buscado por el mismo Gracián. Porque lo que pone en cuestión no es un detalle, sino la imagen entera que solemos tener del hombre, del mundo y de cómo hay que vivir en él.
¿Sabías que en la antigua Roma una madre prefería ser desterrada antes que poner un espejo frente a su bebé recién nacido? Cinco civilizaciones sin contacto alguno compartieron este mismo y aterrador tabú para proteger el alma de sus hijos. Tira del hilo 🧵👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽
El primer espejo del mundo no era de cristal, sino de piedra volcánica. Hace unos 8.000 años, en el antiguo asentamiento de Çatalhöyük, en la actual Turquía, los artesanos comenzaron a pulir trozos de oscura obsidiana hasta lograr reflejar un rostro de manera nítida.
Pero cuando nuestros antepasados vieron su propio rostro por primera vez, no sintieron vanidad, sino un pánico absoluto. Creían que la imagen proyectada en aquella superficie pulida era algo mucho más profundo que un reflejo físico, creían que era un trozo de su propia alma.
Miroslav Simonov, a Russian drone operator from an elite unit defected to Ukraine, walking six miles through the front line at night, dodging sentries and minefields.
He carried drone secrets and intelligence on Russia's Rubicon Centre. — The Times.
1/
Miroslav Simonov, 24, was an estate agent in Novosibirsk. He arrived in Moscow for a prestigious course — and was immediately arrested for not completing national service.
Officers watched him sign a military contract. Within weeks, he was at the front.
2/
In his drone unit, Simonov watched his commander joke in a chat after a strike hit a residential building — a 20-year-old girl in intensive care, grandmothers and children wounded.
"This is war. War will write everything off, will forgive everything," an officer told him.
3/
These statements just scream guilt. Read this closely and you'll understand that they have zero corroboration for any of the actual claims. In the story of the 23 year old woman, for example, Kristof conveniently fails to provide a single fact that would allow any follow-up investigation. No place or time or name or reason for detainment. This should be a glaring red flag for any editor. And if corroboration of the events already exists in the public record, why the anonymity and a complete lack of detail? Now, that's just dealing with the existence of the accuser, not even her claims. What part of the dog rape story was fact checked? It's so nonsensical that any real editor would have a million questions. And the named accusers in the "opinion" piece-- I notice they stressed this to wrongly insinuate that the basic ethical guidelines for reporting are different -- are violent activists (and an accused sex pest and crank with zero connections to any of this other than spreading conspiracies.) Failing to give that context or possible motivation is another huge red flag, as any real editor knows, as well. I doubt even the Times would have published something so incredibly shoddy if it wasn't written by a big-name columnist aiming at the left's favorite target (tho, who knows these days?). It doesn't meet the minimal standard of ethical journalism. Probably because most, or all of it, is a lie.
🧵A message to all armchair experts who have become captivated by #UAVs (also known as #drones) as the latest shiny object of modern warfare. I hope this message sparks some much-needed debate on the ongoing technological change, while providing a necessary reality check. 1/6
#Drones don't eliminate the enduring requirements of warfare: seizing terrain, generating trained manpower, sustaining logistical capacity, etc., and most of all imposing political outcomes on an adversary. They are enablers within a broader system, not independent solutions.2/6
The side that merely destroys more enemy assets/ terrorizes the population may still lose if it cannot maneuver. Attrition and maneuver are a continuum. Current discourse about #drones obscures this continuum by implying that technology can substitute for operational art. 3/6
Delta is indeed very impressive, but before this becomes another "$200 drone bet better than JASSM" thing, we must appreciate why Delta is great (even optimal) for Ukraine and why it's a poor fit for the US military.
Delta works because of a number of features unique to Ukraine.
1/ Essential Ukraine #23 is out, sharing some conclusions from it (paywall). Bottom line: the specter of a larger war is becoming clearer to all: Ukraine cannot defeat Russia w/o NATO involvement, while Russia cannot impose victory w/o risking broader confrontation with Europe.
2/ The frontline relatively stabilized compared to the deterioration after the fall of Huliapolie. Russia retains the structural advantage in attrition warfare through manpower, strike capacity and industrial scale, but still lacks a credible pathway toward decisive victory.
3/ Ukraine meanwhile managed to stabilize parts of the battlefield through technological adaptation, drone warfare, improved logistics and battlefield re-organization. However, manpower shortages and a heavily degraded energy system continue narrowing Kyiv’s long-term options.
🚨BREAKING: Google Gemini has insane features that almost nobody is using.
Most people only use Gemini for basic prompts… while Google quietly packed it with tools that replace hours of work in seconds.
You’re probably using less than 5% of what Gemini can actually do.
Here are 10 hidden Gemini features that feel almost unfair once you start using them: 👇
1️⃣ DEEP RESEARCH MODE
Open Gemini → tap the model menu → choose “2.5 Pro with Deep Research” and type any topic.
Gemini automatically scans 50+ websites, analyzes the information, compares sources, organizes key data, and generates a complete professional research report with citations included.
It feels less like a chatbot… and more like having a full research team working for you.
In just 5 to 10 minutes, you get something that looks more like a premium analyst report than a normal AI response.
The craziest part?
Tools with similar capabilities cost hundreds of dollars per month. Gemini gives you access for free. 🚀
2️⃣ GEMS: YOUR CUSTOM AI ASSISTANTS
Open Gemini → go to the left sidebar → click “Gems” → “Create New.”
This lets you build your own custom AI assistant designed for one specific task.
A Python tutor that teaches exactly the way you prefer.
An email writer trained in your personal tone.
A fitness coach adapted to your schedule and goals.
A meal planner that only recommends recipes based on your diet.
The best part?
Your Gem permanently remembers its instructions, style, and purpose.
That means you no longer have to repeat:
“Act as…”
“Remember this…”
“Use this tone…”
Every new chat starts with your custom setup already loaded and ready to work.
It basically turns Gemini into a team of specialized AI employees you can create in minutes. 🤯
“The entire premise of Putin’s negotiating tactic is using this cognitive warfare to convince the West that there’s no point in supporting Ukraine and that they should just push Ukraine to cede now to all of Russia’s demands,” Christina Harward, the Russia deputy team lead at @TheStudyofWar, told @CNN.
“This is really poking holes in that entire narrative,” she added.
🔴 Ceux qui ont "génocide" sur les lèvres H24 liront-ils les 300 pages de la Commission Civile du 7 Octobre qui conclut que les atrocités commises par le Hamas & co. 7/10 constituent des actes génocidaires au regard du droit international ?
Un petit 🧵
1/10⬇️
Un génocide ce sont des actes commis avec l'INTENTION de détruire tout ou partie d'un groupe (national/ethnique/racial/religieux). La Commission souligne que le 7/10 par son échelle et sa brutalité systématique envers les populations israélienne/juives satisfait ce critère
2/10⬇️
L'intention manifeste de détruire le groupe « en tant que tel » (dolus specialis, introuvable à Gaza) se déduit de 1) l'idéologie: le Hamas dans sa charte et les déclarations de ses dirigeants appellent explicitement au Jihad à l'anéantissement des Juifs et des Israéliens
3/10⬇️
I know a ton of attention this week is being paid to the resignation of FDA Commissioner Makary, but I also want to highlight a massively inside-baseball story within the agency that is absolutely baffling to me.
It's about FDA and finding new treatments for rare diseases. 🧵
Last year, Michael Lewis -- you might know him as the author of Moneyball and The Big Short -- wrote a piece in the Washington Post about an obscure effort by an FDA employee, Heather Stone (@IDEpiHeather), that had made it easier to find new uses for old drugs:
🔥THREAD🧵 - “Alex, I’ll take ‘Sh*t you can’t make up’ for $500.”
In 2013, former @CapitolPolice Asst. Chief Sean Gallagher, then a USCP captain, was found guilty of forgery and embezzlement of department funds in a payroll fraud scheme. Sources have informed us that he will be taking the position as #2 in charge of security at the World Bank in DC.⬇️
Coming right on the heels of our blockbuster revelation yesterday, I have just confirmed — through multiple @CapitolPolice sources — of this most recent development in the upwardly mobile career arc of this notorious @CapitolPolice leader, and key figure in the January 6 debacle.⬇️
From my March 2024 article about the egregiously criminal behavior of Gallagher, you can learn how his internal affairs investigation resulted in a recommendation for his termination: ⬇️