Ukraine had already demonstrated that cheap, almost consumer-class, drones can be a major factor in modern warfare. But this weekend, they took it to a whole new level. In case you haven’t seen the news yet, over the weekend Ukraine…
Generative AI And Government Reform: Two Bad Tastes That Taste Horrible Together
I have no idea whether the idiots responsible for all the “AI in Government” initiatives actually believe that AI is real or not, but it doesn’t really matter. Dupes or frauds, they’ll wreck this country either way. But to be…
You Should Read This: The Era Of The Business Idiot
Ed Zitron has been on something of a tear lately. And I am here for it. I don’t agree with everything he says. This is mostly because I think he’s too generous in saying that LLMs surely have some practical…
Trumpian Follies: Continent-sized Missile Defense Is Fools Gold
Donald Trump has … a thing … about nuclear war; it’s clear that the Cold War left a lasting impression on his psyche. And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war! – Kubla Khan, Samuel Taylor…
GenAI Hate: Yes, It’s Luddism But Not How You Think (And Not Just That)
Boosters of the generative AI slop that’s taking over everywhere these days like to call everyone who objects “Luddites”. Which is actually true, but not how they think. The popular conception of the Luddites is they they simply objected to…
You Should Read This: Building A Delusional Panopticon
Today’s links come via Schneier on Security. It’s time to look at what the coup has been doing with government data. TLDR: it’s not good. You should read these two articles: While both of them are absurdly uncritical about whether…
You Should Read This: Ed Zitron Gets A Little Rude About The Generative AI Bubble
And “a little” is far less than the topic deserves. We should be getting a lot more rude about this nonsense. He opens his latest epic post on the topic with: I’m sick and god-damn tired of this! I have…
Good Doggies, Bad Science: The Dire Wolf Is Still Extinct
To be very, very clear: it is theoretically possible to bring back some (recently) extinct animals. But only theoretically. And what Colossal Biosciences has done is certainly not that. They appear to have done some (legitimately impressive) gene editing work…
Libation Day: Pouring One Out For The Economy
Well, that was a thing. A very, very stupid thing. So, the new Trump tariff announcement happened. Set aside the fact that tariffs are a tax paid by purchasers of imported goods, and not (as Trump and his enablers inexplicably…
Taking the 4th: Privacy And The Subcontracting State
The 4th Amendment to the U.S. constitution says: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable…