Mastodawn

Richard Littler

Just rewatched Lord of the Rings. I'd forgotten that Sauron's seeing-stone is called Palantir. So, democracy-sceptic, demon-believing Peter Thiel names his company (and models its logo?) after a device that allows an all-seeing evil eye to "broadcast propaganda" and control what people can and can't see in the service of malevolence... And the UK gov thought: "Yes, let's hire that company to look after our defence, policing, financial and health systems"?
https://www.reuters.com/technology/uk-lawmakers-call-palantirs-role-public-sector-an-unacceptable-weakness-2026-06-02/

Olivier Pynoh 2d ago

@Richard_Littler yeah, when I first heard the name of the company, I couldn't believe it either. It's really calling yourself "BadGuyCompany"

Colman Reilly 2d ago

@Pynoh @Richard_Littler Palantirs traditionally had positive uses — Sauron had corrupted them.

My information is that all the, arguably useful for national security, analysis functions of Palantir have been disbanded in last year or two because who needs experts?

CynAq🤘2d ago

@Colman @Pynoh @Richard_Littler I think the lesson Tolkien was going for was “there’s no incorruptible all-seeing-eye-technology so don’t pursue it”.

aliengasmask 2d ago

@CynAq @Colman @Pynoh @Richard_Littler also made by feanor who did the silmarils. The lesson of hubris and overreach of mortals trying to control and touch the divine and so falling to corruption couldnt be clearer.

Kevin Russell 1d ago

@aliengasmask @CynAq @Colman @Pynoh @Richard_Littler

No, just theives using tricks to steal.

Archmage of Procrastination 1d ago

@CynAq @Colman @Pynoh @Richard_Littler

I think the lesson is that the making of the world was corrupted at the start, and it is EVERYONE's job to fix what they can, with what they have, whereever they are. That should be your purpose in life.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."
-- Gandalf

CynAq🤘1d ago

Sorry, I should’ve remembered that individual story elements can’t have lessons or meanings worth talking about and only the overall, distilled message of the whole novel has value.

Archmage of Procrastination 1d ago

Have a great day. No matter what occurs.

Western Infidels 1d ago

@CynAq @Colman @Pynoh @Richard_Littler Finally we can build the corrupt all-seeing eye from the "Don't Build The Corrupt All-Seeing Eye" novel!

@Pynoh @Richard_Littler
It's like Ronseal. Does what it says on the tin. Thiel has a defence company called Anduril too. Basically spoiling LOTR for the rest of us.

Stefan Monnier 1d ago

@Pynoh @Richard_Littler IIUC, they first went with Fascist4Ever, but it was already taken

@Richard_Littler it’s madness all round.

@Richard_Littler They also hired Oswald Mosley’s grandson as UK CEO, if you’re catching up with the impossibly obvious evil routine they’re doing.

Petrichor ᚄᚔᚅᚐᚁᚆᚃᚒᚔᚂ 1d ago

@True_Heresy @Richard_Littler to be fair to the lad, none of us deserve blame or credit for what our granda was

Kid Mania 2d ago

@Richard_Littler
"And the UK gov thought: "Yes, let's hire that company to look after our defence, policing, financial and health systems"?"

You are correct, sir.
👁️

@Richard_Littler And Thiel isn't being ha ha funny or anything. He's a robot, the name just makes sense. That description exactly fits it.

Thanks for saying something, the more people who know the better for all of us.

ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES 1d ago

@Sempf @Richard_Littler

your occasional reminder that "Peter Thiel" is an anagram of "The Reptile"

make of that what you will

#Palantir #Thiel #PeterThiel

Epistomai 1d ago

@benroyce @Sempf @Richard_Littler so he's more like Voldemort and not like Sauron?

ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES 1d ago

@epistomai @Sempf @Richard_Littler

i don't follow you

who are you talking about?

are you referring to Tom Marvolo Riddle?

i don't see any connection

(/s)

Epistomai 1d ago

@benroyce @Sempf @Richard_Littler it's a fan/nerd joke. Palantir is from lord of the rings' lore, Voldemort from Harry Potter. Voldemort could speak with serpents, and shaped as a viper kinda monster.

I'm only fan of Tolkien

ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES 1d ago

@epistomai @Sempf @Richard_Littler

oh yes i got you

the (/s) denotes sarcasm, i was playing stupid

i mean, i'm also genuinely stupid, but i was also playing stupid

(/s)

Epistomai 1d ago

@benroyce @Sempf @Richard_Littler my bad, didn't read the rest

@Richard_Littler i thought that was fox news

Simon Zerafa 1d ago

@Richard_Littler

It's technically not Sarons but he does make use of them.

They were created at the beginning of the first age of middle earth a Mastodon instance run by the Elves.

@Richard_Littler Well, it was probably that or the flaming eye of Mordor, not exactly spoiled for choice.

@Richard_Littler We also have Palantir in some states of Germany (like Bavaria), it's used for "crime prevention" - at least according to our politicians 🤔

ᴮᵉⁿ ᴿᵒʸᶜᵉVOTE IN THE PRIMARIES 1d ago

@Richard_Littler

we need some hobbits

Nine Stones Close 1d ago

@benroyce @Richard_Littler a lot more…. And a lot of guillotines.

Lord Caramac the Clueless, KSC 1d ago

@Richard_Littler The Palantiri were originally made by the Elves, but Sauron got his hands on one and did what he could to corrupt them, have them show the users only what he wanted them to see.

Dan Hatton 1d ago

@Richard_Littler

The people awarding the contracts think they're Aragorn (who could bend the palantir to his will against the direct resistance of Sauron). They're not Aragorn.

Verena Rupp 1d ago

@Richard_Littler I've started calling him Sauron.

@VerenaRupp @Richard_Littler That would be an insult to Sauron.

Verena Rupp 1d ago

@thaodan @Richard_Littler But that name literally means "abhorrent".

@VerenaRupp @Richard_Littler It does but it doesn't give Sauron enough credit as Sauron i seems to be more cunning and intelligent then whatever Herr Thiel is.

@Richard_Littler Thiel names all his endeavours after Tolkien's work. However he seems to have the understanding of a 14 year old boy engulfed in the manosphere of the messages on those works.

Sassinake! ᑐ ∪ ∩ ⊂1d ago

@Richard_Littler

They say 'Evil people don't know they're Evil' but I have my doubts.

@Richard_Littler To correct or probably more to nerd out here: the Palantír where corrupted by Sauron. While I looked up the term it came to mind that there's Palantir the company, but there is also Palantír the orb.
Effectively the reptile acted like Sauron by abusing the use of an existing in itself neutral technology.

yumaikas/sakiamu 1d ago

@Richard_Littler Gotta go for that Britch Mythological Pride, y'know. Surely that is not hurbis that will come back and bite them

KristenHG 1d ago

@Richard_Littler Last summer, Current Affairs did a pretty good rundown of this whole weird obsession these guys have with willfully misunderstanding LoTR.

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-the-right-abuses-tolkien

How the Right Abuses Tolkien

For Peter Thiel, JD Vance, and other figures on today’s far right, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien have become a cultural touchstone. Pity they don’t understand the first thing about them.

Nine Stones Close 1d ago

@kristenhg @Richard_Littler its their new Bible

Graeme 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿1d ago

@Richard_Littler Good call. They're not even pretending, are they? FFS...

tony 🏳️‍⚧️ 🏴 🚴🧗🏻1d ago

@Richard_Littler people are allergic to drawing conclusions

@Richard_Littler it blows my mind how loudly they're screaming what they're about, and still just keep chugging right along.

hiphopheaven 1d ago

@Richard_Littler western countries slowly stop pretenting that they are democratic and reveal themselves as facist

@Richard_Littler thiel is obviously fucked up. Anyone who gets involved in his bullshit is asking for it.

@Richard_Littler it's weird, there's a lot more, let's call them "tech for evil" companies such as anduril industries, mithril capital, lembas to name a few.

Look it up if you like your day getting worse🫠

kat donegan (she/her) 🇵🇸✊1d ago

@mr_harm @Richard_Littler i don't know why i accepted your challenge, but now i'm:
a) more informed
b) more despondent

@kathimmel @Richard_Littler 🥲

Rick Calkins 1d ago

@Richard_Littler
I always thought their corporate name was Palantir Fasciitis. 😁

@Richard_Littler thats indirect consequences of Jacksons decision to cut Bombadil from movies

Guitarsophist 1d ago

@Richard_Littler They read almost all fantasy and science fiction backwards. They read Tolkien and think, "What a perfect world that would be without those nasty little hobbits!" They read Snow Crash and don't understand that it is a dystopia and think that L. Bob Rife is absolutely right when he argues that because his employees have his intellectual property in their brains, he is justified in surveilling and controlling them 24/7. They read Harry Potter and think that Voldemort is the coolest guy in the series while they try to figure out how to breed dementors. It's endless.

@Richard_Littler I can never decide whether it’s more likely that Thiel just didn’t understand the books (didn’t understand that the point about the Palantirs isn’t that they’re all-seeing but that they can’t be trusted) or whether he did understand but is arrogant enough to assume nobody else did.

cuan_knaggs 1d ago

@Richard_Littler also see: anduril

@[email protected]1d ago

@Richard_Littler yup.

Tolkien is rolling over. And those of us who know the books - and movies - see one more awful thing from these creeps.

Drunkmonk 1d ago

@Richard_Littler the guy who said the only system that works is Mordor? I’m shocked

Grumble 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇬🇱1d ago

@Richard_Littler

Palantir's salesforce made a compelling argument to UK leadership...

Simon Villeneuve 1d ago

@Richard_Littler oui, dès que j'ai entendu parler de cette compagnie, j'ai été troublé de constater qu'on nommait volontairement une entreprise d'après un symbole aussi fort de corruption