# sci-fi

the xenonite plot armor of project hail mary

Hail Mary was a badly mismanaged, rushed death trap driven by groupthink and politics, and Ryland Grace was right to balk at the idea.
the xenonite plot armor of project hail mary

# tech

how ai can love bomb you into being an asshole

In ads, chatbots are omniscient arbiters and truth brokers. In practice, they're sycophantic enablers according to the latest research.
how ai can love bomb you into being an asshole

# politics

why we're all getting meaner and meaner online

Yes, being a professional asshole is now a viable career option. Which is awful news for online discourse.
why we're all getting meaner and meaner online

# science

how and why corporate jargon and technobabble lull the mind

Yes, sadly, some of the worst stereotypes about corporate culture really are true.
how and why corporate jargon and technobabble lull the mind

# tech

the great theoretical chatbot job apocalypse

According to Anthropic, LLMs can obliterate most white collar jobs. Well, theoretically...
the great theoretical chatbot job apocalypse

# tech

i prompt, therefore i am: how tech forgot about human agency

Tone deaf tech bros no longer seem to understand that their pitch for AI is fundamentally dystopian and dismissive.
i prompt, therefore i am: how tech forgot about human agency

# tech

is the future of social media the same as its past?

Why breaking the grip of giant social media platforms may require a major step back into the web's early days.
is the future of social media the same as its past?

# tech

why social media is ignoring a.i. slop

Social media isn't for people anymore. It's for bots, AI, investors, and metrics.
why social media is ignoring a.i. slop

# tech

the syn/ack-gogue of a.i. doomsday

Thanks to an explosion of cheap computing power, AI is advancing faster than ever. But one of it's high priests seems to be firmly stuck in the past millennium...
the syn/ack-gogue of a.i. doomsday

# tech

maga's final solution to the tiktok problem

Handing TikTok to Trump's friends seems like a slam dunk for MAGA's PR goals, but the platform may be too unruly and too feisty to easily manipulate.
maga's final solution to the tiktok problem

# tech

cory doctorow stumbles into the paradox of code

Is code really a liability instead of an asset? Actually, it's more like Schrodinger's cat...
cory doctorow stumbles into the paradox of code

# oddities

new year, same me, and a little overhaul

A quick update on some developments for this newsletter.
new year, same me, and a little overhaul

# tech

substack: the poster child of the zero click web

The creative, open web is being strangled by homogenized omni-platforms. Just look at the evolution of Substack.
substack: the poster child of the zero click web

# oddities

the seductive allure of technocracy, explained

Of all the dystopias that get covered in pop culture and the media, a technocracy seldom makes the list. It probably should.
the seductive allure of technocracy, explained

# tech

the 4channification of the web

No one forgot about 4chan. The site may be on and off, but we all live in the world its worst trolls built.
the 4channification of the web

older articles