What does an essayist need from a reader? To be willing to enter spaces in which solidarity is one of the possibilities
What does an essayist need from a reader? To be willing to enter spaces in which solidarity is one of the possibilities
Michel Houellebecqâs writing is a serious, perhaps desperate effort to express directly the experience of total absorption
Michel Houellebecqâs writing is a serious, perhaps desperate effort to express directly the experience of total absorption
Sally Mann is not just a taker of ethereal photographs. She is a Southern yarn-spinner, a humorist, and a darkly comic raconteur
Sally Mann is not just a taker of ethereal photographs. She is a Southern yarn-spinner, a humorist, and a darkly comic raconteur
The Trillion-Dollar AI Bet
There are bubbles of excess and bubbles of pure betting; some bubbles are both
Why Do Wind Turbines Have Three Blades? Why not two? Or five?...
Why Do Wind Turbines Have Three Blades? Why not two? Or five? Or eight? Turns out that three is sort of a Goldilocks sweet spot for blade count due to physics, engineering, and aesthetic reasons.
Why is the ROI on Generative AI so poor?
From AI slop to workslop
Why we should treat caffeine like the brain-altering drug it is
Jonathan Simone at Psyche: When it comes to caffeine, we often speak about âneeding our fixâ but Iâve yet to hear of an intervention staged for the friend who drinks three double espressos before noon
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time. "An emotional research team became...
Huntingtonâs disease successfully treated for first time. âAn emotional research team became tearful as they described how data shows the disease was slowed by 75% in patients.â
Nvidia Buys Into Intel, Appleâs Modem, Corporate Jobs, and the Billion-Dollar Cable Race
A few articles I really enjoyed, round up of all my content from September, and a short quiz.
Coffee Break: Palantir, Peter Thiel, Alex Karp, and the Antichrist
Palantir co-founders Peter Thiel and Alex Karp almost embody the zeitgeist of 2025 with Palantir's use of AI for ICE and the IDF, their Trump affiliations, and their outspoken views on the Antichrist
Hybrid ASCII Art
Enigmatriz uses ASCII art to punch up and blow out public domain photos and illustrations â I love their style. From Itâs Nice That: Using the Image to ASCII tool available online, Enigmatriz found a
Subscription Prices Gone Wild!
Can they really get away with this?
Worldâs first AI-designed viruses a step towards AI-generated life
Katie Kavanagh in Nature: AI models have already been used to generate DNA sequences, single proteins and multi-component complexes2. But designing a whole genome is much more challenging owing to com
Wednesday links: manipulating information markets
Historian Thomas Zimmer has left academia, Substack, and the US; now he's...
Historian Thomas Zimmer has left academia, Substack, and the US; now heâs launching his new career as an indie writer with a newsletter about âthe ongoing struggle over how much democracy, and for who
How drawing has accelerated human progress
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Alternative fĂźr Deutschland now the strongest party in Germany as Merz's government flounders, weak and bereft of options
This is supposed to be a blog on German politics, but I havenât posted much in this direction for some weeks.
Using Cesium-137 testing to find counterfeit wine. "Cesium-137 did not exist on...
Using Cesium-137 testing to find counterfeit wine. âCesium-137 did not exist on this planet until we exploded the first atomic bomb.â The technique was used to test the legitimacy of some wines said t
The oceans just hit an ominous milestone
A new report sounds the alarm on ocean acidification as Earth breaches the seventh of nine "planetary boundaries."
Is the New York Times finally getting real about Trump? "In the...
Is the New York Times finally getting real about Trump? âIn the last 10 days or so, several Times articles have been considerably more straightforward â and honest â about the way Trump lies and sprea
Why every country needs to master the Electric Tech Stack
Noah Smith at Noahpinion: The other day I gave a talk at a conference in Canada about industrial policy. When we came to the inevitable question of which specific industries Canada should target, I ha
Cropped 24 September 2025: High Seas Treaty milestone; âErraticâ water cycle; Family food at COP30
We handpick and explain the most important stories at the intersection of climate, land, food... The post Cropped 24 September 2025: High Seas Treaty milestone; âErraticâ water cycle; Family food at C
Against Treating Chatbots as Conscious
Don't give AIs "exit rights" to conversations
Everyone Was Wrong About Maximum Siphon Height
Steve Mould is always informative and entertaining, so I started watching his video on building the worldâs tallest siphon, nodding along to what I thought was the reasonable conclusion. And then the
Personal finance links: a misplaced focus
Wednesdays are all about personal finance here at Abnormal Returns. You can check out last weekâs links including a look at how...
The Village and the Sewer
Behind the "Blueskyism" debate
The Gaza Sumud Flotilla Is in Serious Danger
Participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza in defiance of Israelâs blockade knew they were in danger of Israeli attacks â and that was before yesterdayâs dron
In Jimmy Kimmel's words: What the late-night host said upon his return...
In Jimmy Kimmelâs words: What the late-night host said upon his return from suspension. âI was not happy when they pulled me off the air.â
Why Does Beauty Matter?
And is it really subjective?
Wall Streetâs Deregulation Agenda Will Cost Everyday Americans Everything
Trump administration financial deregulation, eliminating services and eviscerating oversight and enforcement, sets people up for harm
McSweeney's didn't even need to lampoon Trump's comments about vaccines, autism, &...
McSweeneyâs didnât even need to lampoon Trumpâs comments about vaccines, autism, & TylenolâŚthey just printed them verbatim and it reads like the most unhinged parody. âThey pump so much stuff into tho
Darwinâs Unexpected Final Obsession
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To Understand AI, Watch How It Evolves
Naomi Saphra thinks that most research into language models focuses too much on the finished product. Sheâs mining the history of their training for insights into why these systems work the way they d
middle management is what the other guy does
climbing the ladder of discomfort
Pluralistic: The billionaires aren't OK (24 Sep 2025)
Today's links The billionaires aren't OK: They're going to give us all Howard Hughes disease. Hey look at this: Delights to delectate. Object permanence: KY Republican says the First Amendment protect
A Philosophy Of Technology
Yuk Hui speaks with Daniel Birnbaum at Artforum: DANIEL BIRNBAUM: Many people I know are reading your recent book Post-Europe [2024] right now. It challenges us to participate in the creation of a new
Wednesday Poem
My Native Costume When you come to visit, said a teacher from the suburban school, donât forget to wear your native costume. But Iâm a lawyer. I said. My native costume is a pinstriped suit. You know,
Genesis Experience: Enter the Future of Community
A two-day immersive experience to prototype new cultural operating systems
Mergers, Collusions, and Prediction Markets
Can they speed up merger review?
Every Time Apple Fans Have Flip-Flopped About Basic Questions of Technology and Computing
this may be the pettiest thing I'll ever write
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