2026-07-16

Worthy

• Long, but worth reading entire: The OpenAI Bubble

  The AI bubble isn’t a result of any actual return on investment — whether that be in purely monetary terms, like revenue or profitability , productivity gains, or anything tangible or measurable. Rather, it’s an episode of cult-like psychosis that infected the brains of some of the most powerful and wealthy individuals and institutions, where the powerful mythology of a company inspired — and been used to inspire — the greatest capital misallocation in history. As much as this’ll piss some people off, I fully believe that the only reason this has kept going so long is that OpenAI has yet to collapse. Its failure would be a watershed moment — the Lehman Brothers of the AI bubble, and an event that would define the end of one epoch, the start of another, and that would shake the afflicted out of that psychosis.

  • I think it will be worse than this. We have too many people who firmly believe "AI knows all" to the point they will fight to keep it.

Horseshit

• Silicon Valley has a science fiction problem

  In 2021, when Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s rebrand to ‘Meta’, he took the name from Neal Stephenson’s novel Snow Crash (1992), which imagines the ‘Metaverse’: a virtual reality where people’s avatars navigate digital space. But Snow Crash is one of the sharpest satirical novels of the past half-century. Stephenson wrote it as a warning: his Metaverse is a consolation prize for a society that has collapsed. The federal government has disintegrated; corporate franchises govern daily life; even pizza delivery has been privatised into a Mafia-run operation. The novel’s protagonist is a pizza deliveryman and part-time hacker whose sword-fighting avatar in the virtual world is the only place where dignity is available to him. Stephenson intended the contrast between digital glamour and material poverty to be horrifying. He saw it as a cautionary vision of where platform capitalism leads. Zuckerberg’s presentation did not engage with any of this. The platform economy – where corporations are protected from democratic accountability while providing essential services – echoes Stephenson’s model precisely, and Zuckerberg read it as inspiration.

• Your lost dog can now call home with the world’s 1st satellite-connected dog collar.

• Making it easier to party is becoming serious public policy

• Physicists Have Argued over This Problem Since 1883. It May Now Be Solved

• T. rex named Gus sells for $50.1M to become the most expensive dinosaur

• How hard is it to build orbital data centers, actually?

• Vacuum of the Imagination: Why Space Rockets Could Have Flown Centuries Earlier

  • I would enjoy watching experiments along the lines he proposes here. from a distance.

• The Berlin team making books look well-read

• Florida woman receives unfortunate new license plate

  The license plate reads “SQZ A55,”

Epstein

• Buffett severs donations to Gates Foundation following Epstein revelations

• US Justice Dept says it cannot provide unredacted Epstein files to New Mexico

celebrity gossip

• Photo of Lionel Messi with Lamine Yamal as a baby resurfaces after 17 years

Musk

• Musk promises purge after Grok Build caught sending repos to the cloud

  • Grok Faces a Trust Crisis After Developers Flag a Major Privacy Concern

  • Musk: "All user data that was uploaded to SpaceXAI before now will be deleted"

• SpaceXAI's Unpermitted Data Center Power Project Impacts Black Communities

• Elon Musk quietly buys a $1 billion gas turbine company to power Grok

• Musk: We will make the codebase of X open source, no exceptions

• SpaceX stock sinks for a second-straight day, nearing $135 IPO price

  • SpaceX stock sinks below $135 IPO price for the first time

  • SpaceX sell-off wipes $1T from Elon Musk's rocket group

• SpaceX bond worth 10% less than issue price – heading for junk bond status

• Elon Musk Could Still Face Criminal Charges for Trying to Bribe Voters in WI

• What time is SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 launch on July 16?

  Thursday, July 16. Liftoff is set for 6:45 p.m. EDT (2245 GMT).

Electric / Self Driving cars

• The American E.V. Has Been Crushed. Will It Take the U.S. Auto Industry with It?

Robot uprising / Humanoid Helpers

• 1X's NEO Hand Is a Genuine Breakthrough. The Business May Not Survive It.

  NEO is priced at $20,000 outright or $499 per month to lease. For context, robotic hands with comparable complexity typically cost $20,000 or more per hand on their own. DroidUp’s Moya, which uses a similar tendon-driven actuation system, is priced at over $160,000. Even Unitree’s G1 costs at least $30,000 for their capable models. 1X is almost certainly selling the entire NEO robot, with two of its most advanced hands ever built, at a substantial loss per unit.

• Birds aren't real: Winged robot "puffin" can fly starting from the water

Edumacationalizing / Acedemia Nuts

• Florida student’s historic 11.99 GPA triggers district policy overhaul.

  The high marks by Vaibhav Bhaskar, who is on his way to Duke University to study finance and economics, earned him a new state record, beating out the Sunshine State’s previous top 11.84 grade point average. Bhaskar’s course load included 44 advanced placement and dual college enrollment classes.

  Because he took on such a massive volume of schoolwork, the combined weight of his classes pushed his GPA to an astronomical level. While Hillsborough County school officials praised Bhaskar’s achievement, they stressed that no student should be able to amass an 11.99 GPA. Principal Tiffany Ewell compared the loophole to an “arms race” that has since prompted the district to revise its policy.

  Bhaskar expressed that he fully supports transitioning to a standardized approach, restricting GPA to a five point scale. He pointed out that “my 11.99 GPA on our district’s scale probably translates to a 4.93 on a standard 5.0 scale,” and reassured other students that “regardless of the scale, colleges will recalculate your GPA.”

  • points for pointing out the stupidity of the system

Info Rental / ShowBiz / Advertising

• Google and Epic stop fighting – third-party Android app stores coming next week

• Google Images is getting a visual refresh as it turns 25

• Microsoft's Secure Boot has been broken for a decade and no one noticed

• clean your cookies when this happens: Facebook's desktop web page leaks multiple GB of memory

• Microsoft has released software updates to plug at least 570 security holes

• OnePlus to Pull Out of American and European Markets

• YouTube and X Have Become 'Gateways' to Nudify Apps

• The Truth About Whether Meta's NameTag Face Recognition Tech 'Exists'

Space / Boomy Zoomers / UFO

• Space cargo costs falling faster than steamship freight in the 1800s

• 'Alien chemistry' found on meteorite that dropped on New Jersey home

AI Will (Save | Destroy) The World

• Meta Sued for Allegedly Using Discriminatory AI in Layoff Decisions

  • Meta used AI to tag workers who took leave to be laid off, lawsuit claims

  • Lawsuit claims Meta's layoff decisions were made by AI, not humans

  • Meta employees sue, allege AI-driven layoffs targeted medical, parental leave

• New York becomes first U.S. state to impose AI data center ban

  • New York becomes first US state to suspend data centre development

  • New York won't build big data centers for 12mos, weighs energy and climate risks

• Google's AI search features pose 'unacceptable risk' to children

  • Google Search's AI Overviews and AI Mode pose an "unacceptable risk" to children

• German media regulator says Google's AI Overviews subject to German media law

• OpenAI's First Device Will Be Movable, Screenless Speaker

  • The OpenAI Mystery Device Will Reportedly Be Basically Just a Smart Speaker

  • OpenAI's first hardware device is reportedly a screenless speaker that can move

  • OpenAI's first branded hardware is a light-up keyboard?

  • OpenAI's first hardware product is the $230 Codex Micro macropad by Work Louder

• George Lucas says rejecting AI is like rejecting cars in favour of horses

  • George Lucas likens AI sceptics to luddites clinging to horses and carts

  • Star Wars creator George Lucas makes bold statement AI's impact on Hollywood

• Where authorities are restricting data centres amid AI boom

• OpenAI and Anthropic warning about a future they're building at breakneck speed

• Anthropic's state-by-state plan to ratchet up AI rules

• Nobel economists, tech leaders warn how AI could threaten jobs

• Job Hunters Are Using AI to Cheat in Interviews, and Failing at the Office

• CoreWeave considers derivatives to hedge against falling memory prices

• White House launches AI cybersecurity clearinghouse

• When China's open-source AI is a trap

• SoftBank's Son says AI will need $5T per year by 2040, dismisses bubble talk

• AI Chip Regulation Is Not a Dystopian Surveillance State

• Chamath Palihapitiya says soaring AI token spend will hit companies' earnings

• Data Centers to Add Billions in Power Costs in 13 States

• Anthropic, Blackstone bet the next trillion-dollar AI business is implementation

• AI and the New Mechanical Turk

• AI's $5.8T Buildout Needs Every Bond Flavor It Can Sell

• Lower-skilled workers earn more in an AI world

• Vint Cerf is working on a plan to unleash AI agents on the open internet

• When A.I. Is a Member of the Family

• "Bailout" Most Americans now say the public should own half of the big AI companies

• Apple's lawyer mixed up Asian OpenAI employees before lawsuit

• OpenAI blames email mixup for why it didn't respond to Apple trade theft claims

• Is This the Fastest Opinion Shift in American Politics?

• American AI is expensive. Some startups are turning to cheap Chinese models

• Microsoft CEO echoes Palantir CEO's warning on enterprise AI

• Anthropic to IPO as Early as October

Economicon / Business / Finance

• IBM stock drops the most since 1987

  • IBM loses quarter of its value as tech giant's shares plunge and profits falter

• Billionaires Punched in the Nose over Paramount-Warner

  • States sue to block Paramount/WBD merger that was approved by Trump admin

  • FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts from Paramount as It Sought Billion-Dollar Deals

• Stripe and Advent make $53B bid for PayPal

  • Stripe, Advent offer to buy PayPal for more than $53B

  • PayPal stock soars as Stripe, Advent make $53B takeover offer

• Chipotle to open its first restaurant in Mexico this week

• ASML reports -above guidance- €9.3B net sales and €2.9B net income in Q226

• Helsing's 'crazy' valuation raises defence tech bubble concerns

• How Brands Sneak in Cheaper Ingredients to Protect Their Profit Margins

• "Made in China" costs: Is this the end of the once-mighty GoPro?

  ounder Nicholas Woodman is propping the company up by extending it a loan of his own money to the tune of $20 million, at an annual interest rate of 6.5%, while a buyer is desperately sought. It’s believed GoPro may not survive the year without a new owner or fresh injection of cash, with Woodman’s intervention acting as a stopgap rather than bail-out per se.

• Why truckers say the Gordie Howe bridge changes everything

  The trucking industry estimates companies could save anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 annually, depending on the size of their fleet and how often they cross the border.

• Y'all Street is here: The Texas Stock Exchange opens for trading

• Terrorized by a so-called "tech" company. When will they see justice?

• Over 400 CLOs Tabbed for Upgrade in Pivot That Fans '08 Fears

• Wall Street Titans Posted Huge Trading Numbers. Be Worried

Gubmint / Poilitcks / Law Making

• House Votes for Permanent Daylight Saving Time

  • US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

  • House passes bill to make daylight saving time permanent

• Billionaires who fled California wealth tax risk intrusive residency audit

Trump

• Marco Rubio launches campaign to dismantle international criminal court

• Trump officials seek public input to overhaul Medicare payment system

Left Angst

• Brazil's Pix payments system in Trump's crosshairs

• Why I Am Suing Northwestern University—and the US Government

  I am suing them because—as my attorneys and I have shown in our filing and as we will prove in court—they have robbed me of my “successful academic career and livelihood because of a joint project of Northwestern and elements of the federal government to manufacture consent for their participation in the Zionist colonial project in Palestine.”

• US to fund Trump-aligned Europeans building 'civilisational bonds'

• Federal Court Suspends Trump Immigration Policy Targeting Technology Researchers

• Purging Orwell will not halt the rise of the political right

  Contemporary scholarship argues that preserving white dominance, rather than analysing interstate conflict, has been the foundational purpose of the international relations discipline. Many argue that race is constitutive of capitalism itself, and therefore central to understanding contemporary inequalities. Feminist scholars have made comparable arguments about gender. Critical approaches often prioritise identity and culture but, while valuable, this emphasis has often come at the expense of class-based explanations. George Orwell offers precisely what these trends overlook. His work contributes not only to critical theory but also to our understanding of contemporary political dynamics and systems of oppression.

• Canadian woman slaps teen over Trump clothing on Jersey Shore boardwalk; now charged and in ICE custody.

• People in Many Countries Now View China More Positively Than the U.S.

  • More people around the world now favour China over the US, Pew study suggests

• FCC to repeal 39% TV ownership cap in boost for Trump-friendly news orgs

Law Breaking / Police / Internal Security

• Welsh Doxbin admin jailed for egging on swatters from behind a screen

  Terence G. Reilly, special agent in charge at the FBI Nashville Field Office, said: "Swatting is not a victimless prank – it is a reckless and dangerous crime that can have deadly consequences. "This investigation exemplifies the remarkable dedication of the FBI and our international law enforcement partners to pursue and bring to justice those who commit this dangerous crime – no matter where in the world they reside." Louisa Robertson, specialist prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service Cymru-Wales, said: "Callum Dare put people in danger by encouraging the triggering of armed police responses, for his own thrills.

• Texas Police Spent $4.5M on Four Chevy Tahoes

External Security / Militaria / Diplomania

• Texas factory cost $469M using old equipment, makes zero artillery shells

  • New $500M Artillery Shell Plant Failed to Produce Any 155mm Parts

• Defense industry’s major players gather in Pennsylvania as US weapon stockpiles hit new low.

• US Military smartphones targeted through roaming and ad tech

• Hegseth Orders Mandatory Testosterone Screening, Optional TRT for Troops 30

  • DoD says soldiers over age 30 to be screened for testosterone deficiency

World

• UK plans default midnight social media curfew for 16- and 17-year-olds

  • Midnight social media curfew proposed for older UK teens

  • Midnight social media curfew, infinite scrolling limits proposed for older teens

  • UK 16- and 17-year-olds to be encouraged to follow midnight social media curfew

• UK teens report sleep, wellbeing gains under social media restrictions, study

• TikTok policy chief reacts to EU safety measures to limit social media access

• Europe Takes Step Toward Possible Social Media Ban for Children

• Why Europe is suddenly betting big on drones

• New era for Gibraltar with removal of border controls with Spain

• Locksmith scams: 'I was shut out with my baby and charged £2,200 to get back in'

• Poland begins construction of €2.3B deepwater port on Baltic coast

• Can't English be considered an indigenous Indian language, asks Supreme Court

• Swiss Army Breaks with Microsoft: "Cyber Command" Relies on Open Source

• Brussels prepares fresh Google fines as Big Tech enforcement increases

• Another Day, Another Ban: Brussels Blocks Right-Wing Protest

• Police break up €100M-a-month investment fraud ring

• The digital euro could be a major boost for European integration

• Haunted Houses Are in Demand in Japan

• Japan Builds Intelligence Agency It Hasn't Had Since World War II

Russia Bad / Ukraine War

• A man who would change Russia

• Mr. Putin, where is the gas?

• Putin Was Xi’s Role Model. Now He’s the Junior Partner.

China

• BYD can take Toyota's crown without the US market, says top executive

• China economic growth falls sharply, missing target

• China wants more babies – So it's cracking down on chatbot love affairs

• China detains US scientist who studied North Korea nuclear tests

• Five arrested after Hong Kong police raid independent bookshops

Health / Medicine

• Humans Have a 'Sixth Sense' You've Probably Never Heard Of – And It Appears to Be Key For Mental Health

  It's called interoception: the body's ability to sense and interpret its own internal signals. This sense detects things that seem 'invisible' but are happening constantly: your heart rate, your breathing, your hunger, the temperature running through your body. "Although we don't take much notice of it, it's an extremely important sense as it ensures that every system in the body is working optimally,"

• DEA to Temporarily Schedule 7-Oh and Related Substances to Protect Public Safety

  This temporary scheduling action does not apply to botanical kratom products that contain naturally occurring 7-OH below the specified threshold. Instead, it targets synthesized products and those containing elevated concentrations of 7-OH as outlined in the temporary scheduling order. DEA believes these substances pose an imminent threat to public safety given their effects are highly unpredictable.

• Alzheimer's Blood Tests Offer New Promise to Diagnose and Predict the Disease

Pox / COVID / BioTerror AgitProp

• Probe into explosive diarrhea points to Taco Bell and bad lettuce

• The Explosive Diarrhea Outbreak Is About to Get Much Bigger

• A Last-Resort Antibiotic Is Losing The Battle Against a Dangerous Hospital Bug.

Environment / Climate / Green Propaganda

• Microsoft Reports a 25 Percent Jump in Emissions

• After record heat, could the Atlantic make Britain's weather more extreme?

• Climate free fall: why the biggest risk to our economies is yet to be recognized

• Global Warming at 3 °C by 2050? What's Behind the New German Climate Warning

• A Colorado River decision could trigger major water cuts

• Scientists Found Gold in the Most Ironic Place Possible

  Geologists working with the crew of the Research Vessel (R/V) Shinsei Maru have uncovered an unusually potent deposit of actual elemental gold deeply interlaced within pyrite, commonly known as “fool’s gold,” in record-breaking concentrations as high as 1.9% by weight. Yes, that’s right—they found actual gold within fool’s gold,

• 78F to 88F. Guidance on upper indoor temperature limits: Protecting the health of seniors

  Health Canada recommends an upper indoor temperature limit of 26°C to protect older adults, defined in this document as those aged 60 and over, from heat-related illness and death. This threshold is based on a rapid evidence review of available epidemiological studies and controlled exposure research, and aligns with World Health Organization guidance and policies in several Canadian jurisdictions. Research indicates that indoor temperatures above 26°C increase physiological strain and risk of heat-related illnesses; sustained exposure to indoor temperatures between 26°C and 31°C, especially overnight, should be avoided whenever possible.

• Wildfires in Ontario make Toronto air quality worst in world