Are people bad at their jobs or are the jobs just bad?
(annehelen.substack.com)
A Bed Assembly Drama
A Bed Assembly Drama
GPT-4o draws itself as a consistent type of guy
(danielpaleka.com)
When asked to draw itself as a person, the ChatGPT Create Image feature introduced on March 25, 2025, consistently portrays itself as a white male in his 20s with brown hair, often sporting facial hair and glasses.
When asked to draw itself as a person, the ChatGPT Create Image feature introduced on March 25, 2025, consistently portrays itself as a white male in his 20s with brown hair, often sporting facial hair and glasses.
Rust is indeed woke
(dreamwidth.org)
Hello, you've been (semi-randomly) selected to take a CAPTCHA to validate your requests. Please complete it below and hit the button!
Hello, you've been (semi-randomly) selected to take a CAPTCHA to validate your requests. Please complete it below and hit the button!
Abundance isn't going to happen unless politicians are scared of the status quo
(yimbyaction.org)
“Too many goods created a bad.”
“Too many goods created a bad.”
Is Your Son a Computer Hacker? (2001)
(gwern.net)
As an enlightened, modern parent, I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company they keep and the books they read. You could say I'm a model parent.
As an enlightened, modern parent, I try to be as involved as possible in the lives of my six children. I encourage them to join team sports. I attend their teen parties with them to ensure no drinking or alcohol is on the premises. I keep a fatherly eye on the CDs they listen to and the shows they watch, the company they keep and the books they read. You could say I'm a model parent.
The mana of digging a grave (2024)
(thespinoff.co.nz)
On learning an underappreciated but vitally important skill.
On learning an underappreciated but vitally important skill.
Non-Consensual Consent: The Performance of Choice in a Coercive World
(qualiaadvocate.substack.com)
Consider the following scenario: You're sitting in a job interview for a position you desperately need to pay rent. The interviewer asks, "Why are you passionate about working in insurance claims processing?" Despite feeling nothing resembling passion, you fabricate enthusiasm, carefully crafting a narrative about your deep interest in risk assessment and customer service.
Consider the following scenario: You're sitting in a job interview for a position you desperately need to pay rent. The interviewer asks, "Why are you passionate about working in insurance claims processing?" Despite feeling nothing resembling passion, you fabricate enthusiasm, carefully crafting a narrative about your deep interest in risk assessment and customer service.
The School Car Pickup Line Is a National Embarrassment
(collegetowns.substack.com)
The school car pickup line is a national embarrassment.
The school car pickup line is a national embarrassment.
AI is becoming 'yes-men on servers'
(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.
It is as if you were on your phone
(pippinbarr.com)
It is as if you were on your phone is an almost speculative game about an incredibly near future in which we’re all simultaneously under significant pressure to be on our phones all the time, but also to not be on our phones all the time.
It is as if you were on your phone is an almost speculative game about an incredibly near future in which we’re all simultaneously under significant pressure to be on our phones all the time, but also to not be on our phones all the time.
There Are Other People in the World
(defector.com)
You are at the supermarket. You push your shopping cart up and down the aisles, filling it as desired. You are making good time, especially in a crowded store, but suddenly you need to stop, because you need to reach something on a high shelf, or because you want to compare a few different items, or perhaps because you ran into a friend you haven't seen in a while and want to chat.
You are at the supermarket. You push your shopping cart up and down the aisles, filling it as desired. You are making good time, especially in a crowded store, but suddenly you need to stop, because you need to reach something on a high shelf, or because you want to compare a few different items, or perhaps because you ran into a friend you haven't seen in a while and want to chat.
From Statecraft to Soulcraft
(noemamag.com)
Nearly 450 years ago, a French philosopher wrote a book that feels like a precursor to “The White Lotus,” HBO’s hit TV show set in a luxury resort that follows various groups of guests as tensions build among them.
Nearly 450 years ago, a French philosopher wrote a book that feels like a precursor to “The White Lotus,” HBO’s hit TV show set in a luxury resort that follows various groups of guests as tensions build among them.
A shirt whose price increases by 1 euro with every purchase
(driesdepoorter.be)
A shirt whose price increases by 1 euro with every purchase.
A shirt whose price increases by 1 euro with every purchase.
From MAGA to monarchy: How tech billionaires are engineering American autocracy
(salon.com)
Thomas Paine, The Father of the American Revolution, wrote in opposition to the British Monarchy and in favor of American independence. We live in a period of revolution that is rapidly moving toward a return to a monarchy. In our modern times, it is not to have the return of a king, but to an all-powerful executive surrounded by loyal and very wealthy oligarchs. Paine’s writings were both educational and influential in shaping public opinion.
Thomas Paine, The Father of the American Revolution, wrote in opposition to the British Monarchy and in favor of American independence. We live in a period of revolution that is rapidly moving toward a return to a monarchy. In our modern times, it is not to have the return of a king, but to an all-powerful executive surrounded by loyal and very wealthy oligarchs. Paine’s writings were both educational and influential in shaping public opinion.
With Great Power Came No Responsibility: Enshittification in the Trump Age
(pluralistic.net)
Last night, I traveled to Toronto to deliver the annual Ursula Franklin Lecture at the University of Toronto's Innis College:
Last night, I traveled to Toronto to deliver the annual Ursula Franklin Lecture at the University of Toronto's Innis College:
A 'joyful' Japan? Ishiba's slogan sparks the opposite feelings
(japantimes.co.jp)
When Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addressed parliament on Jan. 24, he sought to lay out a vision for a new Japan.
When Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addressed parliament on Jan. 24, he sought to lay out a vision for a new Japan.
Techno-Fascism Comes to America
(newyorker.com)
When a phalanx of the top Silicon Valley executives—Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Google’s Sundar Pichai—aligned behind President Trump during the Inauguration in January, many observers saw an allegiance based on corporate interests.
When a phalanx of the top Silicon Valley executives—Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Google’s Sundar Pichai—aligned behind President Trump during the Inauguration in January, many observers saw an allegiance based on corporate interests.
I'm Tired of Pretending Tech Is Making the World Better
(joanwestenberg.com)
I'm tired of pretending tech makes things better.
I'm tired of pretending tech makes things better.
From Reform to Ruin in the USSR
(cogitations.co)
“A nation so poorly prepared to act independently could not attempt total reform without total destruction. An absolute monarch would have been a less dangerous innovator.” – Alexis de Tocqueville
“A nation so poorly prepared to act independently could not attempt total reform without total destruction. An absolute monarch would have been a less dangerous innovator.” – Alexis de Tocqueville
'Everybody is looking at their phones,' says man freed after 30 years in prison
(news.sky.com)
A man who has been released from prison after 30 years for a crime he says he never committed has been readjusting to life - and getting used to just how connected people are now.
A man who has been released from prison after 30 years for a crime he says he never committed has been readjusting to life - and getting used to just how connected people are now.
New reviews for Lumina Probiotic, the genetically engineered toothpaste
(sfstandard.com)
In January of last year, a handful of tech elites flew to Honduras to try a single-use toothpaste that wasn’t available in the U.S. Shelling out up to $20,000 for a dose, they hoped the genetically engineered dental rinse might permanently ward off cavities.
In January of last year, a handful of tech elites flew to Honduras to try a single-use toothpaste that wasn’t available in the U.S. Shelling out up to $20,000 for a dose, they hoped the genetically engineered dental rinse might permanently ward off cavities.
America will collapse by 2025 (2010)
(salon.com)
A soft landing for America 40 years from now? Don't bet on it. The demise of the United States as the global superpower could come far more quickly than anyone imagines. If Washington is dreaming of 2040 or 2050 as the end of the American Century, a more realistic assessment of domestic and global trends suggests that in 2025, just 15 years from now, it could all be over except for the shouting.
A soft landing for America 40 years from now? Don't bet on it. The demise of the United States as the global superpower could come far more quickly than anyone imagines. If Washington is dreaming of 2040 or 2050 as the end of the American Century, a more realistic assessment of domestic and global trends suggests that in 2025, just 15 years from now, it could all be over except for the shouting.
We Live Like Royalty and Don't Know It
(thenewatlantis.com)
At the rehearsal dinner I began thinking about Thomas Jefferson’s ink. My wife and I were at a fancy destination wedding on a faraway island in the Pacific Northwest. Around us were musicians, catered food, a full bar, and chandeliers, all set against a superb ocean sunset. Not for the first time, I was thinking about how amazing it is that relatively ordinary middle-class Americans could afford such events — on special occasions, at least.
At the rehearsal dinner I began thinking about Thomas Jefferson’s ink. My wife and I were at a fancy destination wedding on a faraway island in the Pacific Northwest. Around us were musicians, catered food, a full bar, and chandeliers, all set against a superb ocean sunset. Not for the first time, I was thinking about how amazing it is that relatively ordinary middle-class Americans could afford such events — on special occasions, at least.
What We're Fighting For
(wheresyoured.at)
A great deal of what I write feels like narrating the end of the world — watching as the growth-at-all-costs, hyper-financialized Rot Economy seemingly tarnishes every corner of our digital lives. My core frustration isn't just how shitty things have gotten, but how said shittiness has become so profitable for so many companies.
A great deal of what I write feels like narrating the end of the world — watching as the growth-at-all-costs, hyper-financialized Rot Economy seemingly tarnishes every corner of our digital lives. My core frustration isn't just how shitty things have gotten, but how said shittiness has become so profitable for so many companies.
The Mythology of Work (2018)
(crimethinc.com)
What if nobody worked? Sweatshops would empty out and assembly lines would grind to a halt, at least the ones producing things no one would make voluntarily. Telemarketing would cease. Despicable individuals who only hold sway over others because of wealth and title would have to learn better social skills. Traffic jams would come to an end; so would oil spills. Paper money and job applications would be used as fire starter as people reverted to barter and sharing.
What if nobody worked? Sweatshops would empty out and assembly lines would grind to a halt, at least the ones producing things no one would make voluntarily. Telemarketing would cease. Despicable individuals who only hold sway over others because of wealth and title would have to learn better social skills. Traffic jams would come to an end; so would oil spills. Paper money and job applications would be used as fire starter as people reverted to barter and sharing.