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David Ziff

@djsziff

Teaching Professor, University of Washington School of Law #LegalWriting My stuff: https://linktr.ee/djsziff

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Latest posts by David Ziff @djsziff

Euclid's 6th postulate.

12.03.2026 04:01 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

[I'm not making any sense. I think I'm losing them. Even I can no longer understand what I'm saying. Quick. How can I save this?]

[I've got it!]

"This is the most intellectually ambitious answer."

12.03.2026 01:37 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Fair enough. If we force a last turtle, the most honest answers, ranked by my preference:
Nothing. The last turtle floats in a void, unsupported, existing without cause or foundation. This is actually the position most modern physics flirts with β€” the universe simply is, a brute fact, requiring no substrate beneath it. It's unsatisfying, but probably true.
Itself. The last turtle's existence is self-explanatory β€” it is its own cause (causa sui, as Spinoza would say). This is the move most conceptions of God make. It doesn't fully satisfy logically, but it at least closes the loop rather than leaving things dangling in a void.
Something categorically different β€” not a turtle at all, not even a "thing" in the normal sense. Maybe the ground beneath the last turtle is pure mathematical necessity, or consciousness, or a principle so fundamental it doesn't need support because it is the precondition for support meaning anything. This is the most intellectually ambitious answer.

Fair enough. If we force a last turtle, the most honest answers, ranked by my preference: Nothing. The last turtle floats in a void, unsupported, existing without cause or foundation. This is actually the position most modern physics flirts with β€” the universe simply is, a brute fact, requiring no substrate beneath it. It's unsatisfying, but probably true. Itself. The last turtle's existence is self-explanatory β€” it is its own cause (causa sui, as Spinoza would say). This is the move most conceptions of God make. It doesn't fully satisfy logically, but it at least closes the loop rather than leaving things dangling in a void. Something categorically different β€” not a turtle at all, not even a "thing" in the normal sense. Maybe the ground beneath the last turtle is pure mathematical necessity, or consciousness, or a principle so fundamental it doesn't need support because it is the precondition for support meaning anything. This is the most intellectually ambitious answer.

Not a problem for Claude!

12.03.2026 01:26 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

Though I would be skeptical of the model's explanation of its own actions. I don't think it's any more factually accurate or reliable when purportedly reflecting on itself. It doesn't actually have particular insight I don't think. (Or at least I've heard others cautioning re this.)

12.03.2026 01:14 πŸ‘ 16 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
Seinfeld - George's Briefcase - Dear God!
Seinfeld - George's Briefcase - Dear God! YouTube video by Matthew

youtu.be/_ok7SpbRhbA?...

11.03.2026 17:42 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

For those keeping score at home:

I informed Grammarly via email precisely what I thought of their appropriation of my name and reputation and received an email from their head of litigation promising a full response by the end of the week.

To be continued...

11.03.2026 02:41 πŸ‘ 1733 πŸ” 320 πŸ’¬ 41 πŸ“Œ 10

Congratulations!

10.03.2026 22:44 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Your scientists were so preoccupied &c., &c., &c.

10.03.2026 22:39 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

bsky.app/profile/colu...

10.03.2026 22:37 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Kaffee: Doctor, other than the rope marks, was there any other sign of external damage?

Sam: No.

K: No scrapes?

S: No.

K: No cuts? Bruises? Broken Bones?

S: No.

K: Doctor, was there *any* sign of violence?

S: You mean other than the dead body?

K: $&%@! I walk into that every g- d- time!

10.03.2026 22:32 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

🎯🎯🎯

10.03.2026 22:02 πŸ‘ 20 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Time to bring back this blog: www.unnecessaryquotes.com
#LegalWriting #"Legal"Writing

10.03.2026 22:22 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

On another document: Renfer claims that language he placed in quotation marks was intended as a general statement of the case and not an actual quotation. "This was a writing technique to liven up the prose."

10.03.2026 20:26 πŸ‘ 892 πŸ” 63 πŸ’¬ 31 πŸ“Œ 98

Congress's power is like Michael Scott's power in The Office. They are constitutionally empowered to walk into the chamber and yell "War!" but it will have no legal or practical effect.

10.03.2026 16:58 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image
09.03.2026 19:44 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

There is so much going on here. Besides these, you've got cute plagues? Is the baby the first born?

09.03.2026 17:20 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

He are the exception.

09.03.2026 01:35 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Thinking about how they established that Johnny 5 was alive in Short Circuit because he laughed at an antisemitic joke. So maybe Grok is alive?

07.03.2026 16:28 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
AI Inventory

Not what you are looking for, I know, but the inventory at the end of this page looks interesting. They recently started using AI for TOC and TOA. Dates of adoption are interesting.
www.justice.gov/ai/ai-invent...

07.03.2026 04:09 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Unfortunately, β€œYo brother, legal team confirmed we can’t work with minors rn” is an instant classic

06.03.2026 13:38 πŸ‘ 9639 πŸ” 2193 πŸ’¬ 90 πŸ“Œ 35

Odd that the picture includes neither face nor elbow.

06.03.2026 06:34 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I was thinking about this a bit yesterday. So much of my day-to-day writing is tedious and chore-like. But all of it requires me to exercise some judgment and depends on context. And it's hard to get AI efficiency when also taking the time to add in the necessary judgment and context.

06.03.2026 01:00 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

With more and more of Twins Twitter β€” including beat writers β€” coming over to Bluesky for this season, I updated my "starter pack" of recommended Twins-related accounts to follow that post regularly here.

go.bsky.app/7MyGRMz

05.03.2026 18:33 πŸ‘ 55 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 1

King Achashverosh Cake

05.03.2026 01:03 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Every time someone posts a link to a new Chotiner interview.

04.03.2026 22:45 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Appeals | Self-Help Washington Helping people who do not have lawyers.

Which has a special section on appeals:
www.courts.wa.gov/self-help/ap...
/X

04.03.2026 22:26 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Self-Help Washington Helping people who do not have lawyers.

That's part of the new-ish "Self-Help Washington" program:
www.courts.wa.gov/self-help/
2/

04.03.2026 22:26 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Supreme Court Petition for Review Process

I know everyone talks about AI as the great "access to justice" solution, but I like what our living breathing judges and administrators are doing out here in Washington!
www.courts.wa.gov/self-help/ap...
1/

04.03.2026 22:26 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Justin Timberlake song about the Salhyr, which flows through Simferopol.

04.03.2026 05:57 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

This is true. Too much practical stuff to learn in law school. Only so much of it can be done during 1L legal writing.

An ask for employers who supervise summer interns: Instead of thinking "How did they not learn this in law school!??!" please take an opportunity to do some practical teaching!

04.03.2026 04:59 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0