Mississippi Can't Possibly Have Good Schools
(educationdaly.us)
Painting the Deep South as an embarrassing cultural backwater is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice among elites. It’s not just tolerated - it’s venerated.
Painting the Deep South as an embarrassing cultural backwater is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice among elites. It’s not just tolerated - it’s venerated.
Umarell
(wikipedia.org)
Umarell (Italian spelling of the Bolognese Emilian word umarèl, Emilian pronunciation: [umaˈrɛːl]; plural umarî) are men of retirement age who spend their time watching construction sites, especially roadworks – stereotypically with hands clasped behind their back and offering unwanted advice to the workers.[1] Its literal meaning is "little man" (also umaréin).[2] The term is employed as lighthearted mockery or self-deprecation.
Umarell (Italian spelling of the Bolognese Emilian word umarèl, Emilian pronunciation: [umaˈrɛːl]; plural umarî) are men of retirement age who spend their time watching construction sites, especially roadworks – stereotypically with hands clasped behind their back and offering unwanted advice to the workers.[1] Its literal meaning is "little man" (also umaréin).[2] The term is employed as lighthearted mockery or self-deprecation.
MAGA's War on Science
(paulkrugman.substack.com)
Why do these people believe that ignorance is strength?
Why do these people believe that ignorance is strength?
The Anti-Capitalist Case for Standards
(mitpress.mit.edu)
“It is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism,” the saying goes. Indeed, as climate disasters intensify, liberal democracies crumble, and economic instability deepens, visions of collapse seem far more tangible than those of a post-capitalist future.
“It is easier to imagine an end to the world than an end to capitalism,” the saying goes. Indeed, as climate disasters intensify, liberal democracies crumble, and economic instability deepens, visions of collapse seem far more tangible than those of a post-capitalist future.
The Fantasy of a Nonprofit Dating App
(theatlantic.com)
Imagine if digital matchmakers had no financial incentives.
Imagine if digital matchmakers had no financial incentives.
Ted Kaczynski's brother wrote him for decades to explain why he turned him in
(nytimes.com)
Ted Kaczynski, whose anti-tech rants are finding a new generation of readers, shunned the brother who called the F.B.I. in an effort to halt his campaign of violence.
Ted Kaczynski, whose anti-tech rants are finding a new generation of readers, shunned the brother who called the F.B.I. in an effort to halt his campaign of violence.
The Enshittification of Tech Jobs
(pluralistic.net)
Tech workers are a weird choice for "princes of labor," but for decades they've enjoyed unparalleled labor power, expressed in high wages, lavish stock grants, and whimsical campuses with free laundry and dry-cleaning, gourmet cafeterias, and kombucha on tap:
Tech workers are a weird choice for "princes of labor," but for decades they've enjoyed unparalleled labor power, expressed in high wages, lavish stock grants, and whimsical campuses with free laundry and dry-cleaning, gourmet cafeterias, and kombucha on tap:
The Enshittification of Tech Jobs
(pluralistic.net)
Tech workers are a weird choice for "princes of labor," but for decades they've enjoyed unparalleled labor power, expressed in high wages, lavish stock grants, and whimsical campuses with free laundry and dry-cleaning, gourmet cafeterias, and kombucha on tap:
Tech workers are a weird choice for "princes of labor," but for decades they've enjoyed unparalleled labor power, expressed in high wages, lavish stock grants, and whimsical campuses with free laundry and dry-cleaning, gourmet cafeterias, and kombucha on tap:
YC founder points out that jobs exist outside of working for police state
(bird.makeup)
It's a very exciting time in tech right now. If you're a first-rate programmer, there are a huge number of other places you can go work rather than at the company building the infrastructure of the police state.
It's a very exciting time in tech right now. If you're a first-rate programmer, there are a huge number of other places you can go work rather than at the company building the infrastructure of the police state.
Old Nerds, New Nerds
(retconnedone.substack.com)
Paul Graham writes a lot about nerds. In “Why Nerds are Unpopular,” he ranks the lunch tables. There were the popular kids, the nerds, and everyone else in between. He writes about the persecution of nerds, of junior high bullying, and a time when the category of “nerd“ was meaningful. I thought nerds were a movie trope. Who acts like this anymore?
Paul Graham writes a lot about nerds. In “Why Nerds are Unpopular,” he ranks the lunch tables. There were the popular kids, the nerds, and everyone else in between. He writes about the persecution of nerds, of junior high bullying, and a time when the category of “nerd“ was meaningful. I thought nerds were a movie trope. Who acts like this anymore?
Reading RSS content is a skilled activity
(doliver.org)
Shit's gotten weird out there. The internet has devolved from something that was mostly quirky and altruistic to something that, in many ways, is straight-up evil.
Shit's gotten weird out there. The internet has devolved from something that was mostly quirky and altruistic to something that, in many ways, is straight-up evil.
The Dangerous Ideas of "Longtermism" and "Existential Risk"
(currentaffairs.org)
So-called rationalists have created a disturbing secular religion that looks like it addresses humanity’s deepest problems, but actually justifies pursuing the social preferences of elites.
So-called rationalists have created a disturbing secular religion that looks like it addresses humanity’s deepest problems, but actually justifies pursuing the social preferences of elites.
Bad trip coming for AI hype as humanity tools up to fight back
(theregister.com)
Opinion 6:56 PM. April 11, 2025. Write it down. That's the precise moment the tech-bro-niverse imploded due to the gravitational force of irony at its core. That was the moment Jack Dorsey posted "Delete all IP law" on X. A little later, Elon Musk added his approval with "I agree."
Opinion 6:56 PM. April 11, 2025. Write it down. That's the precise moment the tech-bro-niverse imploded due to the gravitational force of irony at its core. That was the moment Jack Dorsey posted "Delete all IP law" on X. A little later, Elon Musk added his approval with "I agree."
PaulG on building the infrastructure of the police state
(twitter.com)
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
Something went wrong, but don’t fret — let’s give it another shot.
There Are Many Threats to Humanity. A Low Birth Rate Isn't One of Them
(currentaffairs.org)
Commentators across the political spectrum claim that humanity faces imminent collapse due to a “fertility crisis.” Is this mass delusion or cynical propaganda?
Commentators across the political spectrum claim that humanity faces imminent collapse due to a “fertility crisis.” Is this mass delusion or cynical propaganda?
Resistance from the Tech Sector
(drewdevault.com)
As of late, most of us have been reading the news with a sense of anxious trepidation. At least, those of us who read from a position of relative comfort and privilege. Many more read the news with fear. Some of us are already no longer in a position to read the news at all, having become the unfortunate subjects of the news. Fascism is on the rise worldwide and in the United States the news is particularly alarming.
As of late, most of us have been reading the news with a sense of anxious trepidation. At least, those of us who read from a position of relative comfort and privilege. Many more read the news with fear. Some of us are already no longer in a position to read the news at all, having become the unfortunate subjects of the news. Fascism is on the rise worldwide and in the United States the news is particularly alarming.
The Next Terrorist Attack
(snyder.substack.com)
Thirty years ago today, I was driving a moving van across the country, from the west coast to the east. The hold was packed well; the ride was wobbly, and I kept the heavy vehicle between the lines, mile after mile. Driving carefully, I was surprised to be stopped by state troopers.
Thirty years ago today, I was driving a moving van across the country, from the west coast to the east. The hold was packed well; the ride was wobbly, and I kept the heavy vehicle between the lines, mile after mile. Driving carefully, I was surprised to be stopped by state troopers.
Disruptors Don't Obey in Advance
(mattruby.substack.com)
“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”-Timothy Snyder in On Tyranny
“Do not obey in advance. Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.”-Timothy Snyder in On Tyranny
Why drinking coffee in Iran has become so complicated
(adelbordbari.github.io)
It all started with a sarcastic jab in a chat: “You shouldn’t be more Catholic than the Pope. You go to order a coffee, and the guy’s like, ‘From Kenyan farms or Brazil?’ It’s like going to Italy for ghormeh sabzi, and they ask if you want the herbs from Bostanabad or Tuyserkan. Come on—just give us an espresso so we can move on with our lives :))”
It all started with a sarcastic jab in a chat: “You shouldn’t be more Catholic than the Pope. You go to order a coffee, and the guy’s like, ‘From Kenyan farms or Brazil?’ It’s like going to Italy for ghormeh sabzi, and they ask if you want the herbs from Bostanabad or Tuyserkan. Come on—just give us an espresso so we can move on with our lives :))”
Regime Change in the West
(lrb.co.uk)
Aquarter of the way through this century, regime change has become a canonical term.
Aquarter of the way through this century, regime change has become a canonical term.
Crashing the Car of Pax Americana
(epsilontheory.com)
“Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you’ll understand. Sometimes when I’m driving… On the road at night… I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.”
“Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you’ll understand. Sometimes when I’m driving… On the road at night… I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.”
Crashing the Car of Pax Americana
(epsilontheory.com)
“Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you’ll understand. Sometimes when I’m driving… On the road at night… I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.”
“Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you’ll understand. Sometimes when I’m driving… On the road at night… I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.”