Reverse engineering ICE’s AI. “What I found isn’t just data analytics—it’s an automated surveillance network built for precision at scale. The system draws from DMV databases, data brokers, phone metadata, facial recognition, and license plate readers. Together, these feeds form […]
Price’s law. “Price’s law says that 50% of the work is done by the square root of the total number of people who participate in the work.” ~ learn more
AOL’s dial up internet takes its last bow. As recently as 2023 there were still 160k households using the service. Meanwhile, I haven’t had a landline phone in what feels like decades. ~ learn more
JPMorgan’s insult added to its injury. They are “footing a staggering $115 million bill for the army of lawyers who defended convicted fraudster Charlie Javice and her former colleague Olivier Amar — a sum nearly two-thirds of what the bank […]
When not to trust Wikipedia. “Wikipedia claimed Roth’s book “The Human Stain” was inspired by the life of writer Anatole Broyard. Roth said this was “in no way substantiated by fact.” He should know: he wrote it. … Roth contacted […]
How to draw construction equipment for kids. “But despite being very deliberately hand-drawn, Taback’s illustrations include a really wonderful amount of detail. If he draws a dump truck in profile, he’ll be clear to capture the wires and hydraulics. Wheels […]
Greenland is a beautiful nightmare. “Greenland appeared to have roughly 9 people living there and maybe 5 things to look at. Even professional travel personalities seemed to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. … It reminded me a lot […]
Your phone already has social credit. “The only difference between your phone and China’s social credit system is that China tells you what they’re doing. We pretend our algorithmic reputation scores are just “user experience features.” At least Beijing admits […]
Fishing tournament uses lie detector test. “B.A.S.S. officials announced the disqualification of Elite Series angler KJ Queen from the 2025 Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Mississippi River event, following two failed credibility assessments administered via polygraph. In addition to the […]
The origins of Serendipity. In an old Persian fairy tail “The Three Princes of Serendip”, … the princes were, “always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of.” ~ learn more