2025-09-23

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• Underappreciated Subcultural Details - by Justis Mills

  Competitive Super Smash Bros players are extremely multiracial. This is true at all levels; the best players in the world are diverse, and so are the best players at your local meetup. Maybe as a consequence, Smash Bros tournaments are remarkably unconcerned with racial boundaries. I live in a Southern city with two major universities, one of which is an HBCU, so in general it’s one of the most (de facto) segregated places in the US. My high school was 90% black, for example, just because there’s so much racial clustering within neighborhoods. But Smash Bros tournaments were always not only integrated, but integrated at every level of status. The coolest guy in the room was pretty much selected at random from the racial distribution, and then the second coolest guy was selected at random again. Why? Because the coolest guy, for that specific room, was the best guy at a specific children’s video game, and that isn’t very correlated with race.

  I don’t drink or smoke, my politics are like, “type of guy who wishes Ezra Klein and Tyler Cowen could be president together,” and I wear earplugs to concerts, so I wasn’t the most natural social fit. That didn’t matter. Punks accept everybody. It feels weird saying this, because lots of communities make a lot of noise about being inclusive, and that’s usually code for “tolerating everyone except the outgroup.” But no. I really mean it. Punks, at least the punk scene I hung out with in the late 2010s, tolerated everyone.

  Does this kind of radical inclusivity work? As an entire society, presumably not. There were lots of problems with accepting everyone and meeting them where they were, specifically that you end up having to tolerate a fair bit of petty crime and other bad behavior. I’m sure lots of awful stuff happened, even other than the numerous overdose deaths. But on the whole, I still admire the specific subculture for being so truly, totally willing to break bread with the full range of humanity.

Horseshit

• Land mines and tuberculosis are no match for Tanzanian 'hero rats'

• The Delco Accent of Eastern Pennsylvania

• Want Better Cognitive Health? A Fascinating New Harvard Study Says This 1 Change Matters Most

• My Plea to NBC - Jack’s Substack

  The United States won 126 medals in 2024, 40 of those gold. You can watch the events on NBC's YouTube but you cannot download the videos. I am writing this essay to call this out as a terroristic threat to world freedom. NBC, listen to me, you did not win the gold medal, you did not run in the race, you did not sacrifice your whole life chasing greatness, so you do not get to prohibit me from giving Quincy Hall the privilege of seeing what the race looks like with Ye's Runaway playing on top of it.

• What It's Like to Face a One-in-a-Million Cancer

• 40k-Year-Old Symbols in Caves Worldwide May Be the Earliest Written Language

• Flaccid measurements are never very accurate: Have we been measuring mountains all wrong?

• Our actions are dictated by 'autopilot' not choice, finds study

• What It's Like to Get High

• Private toll roads are supposed to save taxpayers' money, but have hidden costs

Obit

• Charlie Kirk's legacy of grace triumphs over hate -- His bravery is what America needs most

  On Saturday, the liberal former Obama adviser revealed the text messages Kirk sent him the day before he died, after their heated public spat over the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Kirk reached out in a disarming direct message on X: “Hey Van, I mean it, I’d love to have you on my show to have a respectful conversation about crime and race. “I would be a gentleman as I know you would be as well,” Kirk added. “We can disagree about the issues agreeably.” Jones admitted he was “shocked” to get the message and wasn’t sure about sharing it. But after all the hate and celebrations over Kirk’s murder, he decided it was “important” to share the truth about the young man’s heart. “I’m watching the whole country talk about civil war, censorship, justifying murder,” Jones told CNN. “He was not for censorship, he was not for civil war. He was not for violence. He was for dialogue, open debate … When our public dispute started going sideways … he pushed for more civility, not more stridency or venom.”

Rank Propaganda / Thought Policing / World Disordering

• United Nations Seen as Necessary but Ineffective by Americans

• Bluesky says it's getting more aggressive about moderation and enforcement

  • How? The only thing they haven't done yet is require invites for signups.

Musk

• Tesla Owners Swapping for Diesels Might Be the Funniest Turn of 2025

  Not too long ago, legacy automakers were struggling to keep pace with Tesla, as more buyers left their gas-powered cars behind for the Californian brand’s electric line-up. Now the tide appears to be shifting. Fresh data shows Tesla’s brand loyalty has dropped noticeably, with a growing number of owners not only moving to rival marques but, in some cases, even leaving EVs behind altogether for diesel-powered trucks from the likes of Chevrolet and Ford.

• NASA safety panel warns Starship lunar lander could be delayed by years

• Tesla coast-to-coast FSD crashes after 60 miles

• Three crashes in the first day:Tesla in Austin

Electric / Self Driving cars

• RAM ends EV pickup truck plans

Robot uprising / Humanioid Helpers

• $400 AI Robot Pet Is Selling Out in Japan

Religion / Tribal / Culture War and Re-Segregation

• Women tend to be more religious than men – but Gen Z may show a shift

Edumacationalizing / Acedemia Nuts

• University of Missouri violated free speech rights of pro-Palestine group

  A pro-Palestinian student group at the University of Missouri in Columbia can participate in the school’s Homecoming parade next weekend, after a federal judge ruled the university cannot exclude the group because of its viewpoints. U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough granted a preliminary injunction Friday that bars the university from excluding the Mizzou Students Justice for Palestine group from the annual parade.

• Why Johnny Can't Add Anymore: Low standards and ideological fights don't help

• American students are getting dumber

Info Rental / ShowBiz / Advertising

• US conservative news network Newsmax files antitrust lawsuit against Fox News

• Malware on Steam leads to $150K+ stolen from victims

• Microsoft's pivotal Windows NT 3.5 release made it a serious contender

• Canon updates a PowerShot with higher price and fewer features

• Kwikset ends support for smartphone enabled deadbolt. Suggests physical keys

TechSuck / Geek Bait

• Microsoft put me on a list.

  It only happens when the program is called SS14.Loader.exe. The final piece of the puzzle. It didn’t happen in a dev environment because then the exe isn’t named SS14.Loader.exe. Microsoft only enables “Optimizations for windowed games” on a specific list of games. And guess what, none of those select games are on ARM64, at least until I was unfortunate enough to port mine. How did we get on the list? Who knows. Microsoft put me on a list, that ships with every Windows install. And this list actually broke my game. Achievement unlocked!

AI Will (Save | Destroy) The World

• LinkedIn will soon train AI models with data from European users

• There isn't an Al bubble-there are three

• Hard Drives Are Making an AI Comeback. Yes, Hard Drives

• Moody's raises Big Red over flag Oracle's mega AI DC buildout blueprint

• California issues historic fine over lawyer's ChatGPT fabrications

• Nvidia to Invest $100B in OpenAI

  • OpenAI and Nvidia Announce Partnership to Deploy 10GW of Nvidia Systems

  • Nvidia to Invest Up to $100B in OpenAI

• AI Has Moved from a Niche Sector to the Primary Driver of All VC Investment

Space / Boomy Zoomers / UFO

• Congressman Calmly Explains "Entities" Coming from "Five or Six Deepwater Areas"

• Blue Origin wins NASA deal to ferry VIPER rover to lunar South Pole

Crypto con games

• Cryptocurrencies Sink as $1.5B in Bullish Bets Wiped Out

Economicon / Business / Finance

• Seattle, Tech Boomtown, Grapples with a Future of Fewer Tech Jobs

• VCs are still hiring MBAs, but firms are starting to need other experience more

• Amazon Faces Trial on FTC Charges Related to Prime Service

  • Amazon faces US trial over alleged Prime subscription deceptions

• Nuclear startup Deep Fission goes public in a curious SPAC

• Glimpse into Canva accounts raises questions about profit story

• Top hedge funds can pay traders $100M

• Inflation Is the Lesser Evil

• Texas leads US in job growth, breaks employment records again in August.

• Trump's $100k H-1B fee sparks a global race to grab top talent

• A Cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover Is Causing a Supply Chain Disaster

  • Is this a handy external excuse for other problems? Have they been seeking some way to avoid having to admit those problems for a while, like embracing irrelevant controversies without apparent understanding of any of the parties they claim to be supporting?

• The Rush to Return to the Office Is Stalling

• DoorDash plans to test drone deliveries in San Francisco warehouse

• Oracle appoints insiders Clay Magouyrk, Mike Sicilia as co-CEOs in surprise move

• Taiwan has long been the top provider of screws to the United States

• Economists agree that the nightmare of hiring Generation Z is real

• Sotheby's losses more than double to $248M as art market slumps

• Amazon sends brick in lieu of 5080 – latest cautionary tale in commingling scams

• Black Swan Manager Sees Rally, Then 1929-Style Crash

Gubmint / Poilitcks / Law Making

• Trump reveals Rupert Murdoch and son Lachlan's role in deal to buy TikTok

  • Trump says Michael Dell is part of the team buying TikTok with Ellison, Murdochs

  • Trump says Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch might invest in TikTok deal

  • TikTok algorithm to be 'retrained' by Oracle in Trump deal

  • US-Run TikTok to License Algorithm, White House Says

  • TikTok algorithm to be retrained on US user data under Trump deal

• Some Republicans Warn of Government Overreach on Free Speech

• If the Government Shuts Down, Obamacare Will Be Why

• The FCC's 15-Year-Old Flickr Account Appears to Have Been Deleted

• CA bill to provide parking for homeless community college students in jeopardy

• Governor Newsom signs legislation cutting taxes on cannabis

• Federal judge lifts administration halt of offshore wind farm in New England

Trump

• Propaganda faucets in high gear:

  • Trump to link autism to Tylenol use during pregnancy

  • Trump officials reportedly set to tie Tylenol to autism risk

  • Trump will reportedly link autism to Tylenol – but many experts are sceptical

  • Upcoming HHS report will link autism to pain reliever Tylenol in pregnancy

  • Trump administration set to tie Tylenol to autism, officials say

  • Trump admin reportedly plans to link autism to Tylenol use while pregnant

  • TikTok Deal Swaps Chinese Surveillance for U.S. Surveillance, Critics Warn

  • Trump links autism to Tylenol and vaccines, claims not backed by science

• Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorist Organization

Democrats

• Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden's kids drove assistant to suicide with 'sexually explicit' behavior, homophobic slurs: lawsuit

  The lawsuit is “baseless and deeply misguided” and “riddled with false accusations,” a Bass Real Estate spokesperson said in a statement. “It appears to be a continued effort to deflect attention from O’Brien’s own serious misconduct, including a documented pattern of theft from those he once worked for.”

  When O’Brien finally quit in frustration on Sept. 30, 2024, Bass Wyden, 64, filed a report with the NYPD the next day, accusing him of $650,000 in credit card and other thefts, authorities said. Bass Wyden allegedly hired a private investigator to “probe into Mr. O’Brien’s personal life and business dealings,” according to court papers. By January, the prominent businesswoman “spread false rumors … to industry contacts and [his] professional colleagues,” leaving O’Brien distraught. O’Brien committed suicide on May 26.

Left Angst

• Charlie Kirk Helped Create an American Culture That Would Laugh at His Death

  But the circumstances of Kirk’s killing—an end no one deserves—can’t erase the role he himself played in pushing American political culture toward embracing violence. The Overton window shifted partly by his own hand. He celebrated when violence came for his enemies. When Paul Pelosi was nearly killed in his own home, the grace this purported holy Christian man could muster amounted to a homophobic snicker, and a request for “some amazing patriot” to “be a midterm hero” and “bail this guy out.” Kirk built his following by rewarding cruelty and training his audience to see violence as entertainment. He claimed to have helped in transporting 80+ buses “full of patriots” to “fight for this president” the morning of Jan. 6 and recently called for “full military occupation” of American cities. He mocked protests over George Floyd’s murder and spread COVID conspiracies. After Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral primary win, Kirk posted: “24 years ago a group of Muslims killed 2,753 people on 9/11. Now a Muslim Socialist is on pace to run New York City.” Kirk also tried to shift the moral math on guns. He said out loud that some gun deaths were necessary for preserving the Second Amendment. After American children were slaughtered in classrooms, you’d expect a father to show empathy. It’s the bare minimum.

• Art History Professor Placed on Leave over Charlie Kirk Posts

• Social media is splitting views of Charlie Kirk's death

• Disney Says 'Jimmy Kimmel Live ' to Return After Backlash

  • Kimmel's Late-Night Show Will Return to Air Tuesday

  • Jimmy Kimmel's Show to Return to ABC on Tuesday Night

  • ABC ends Jimmy Kimmel's suspension and his show will return Tuesday

  • Jimmy Kimmel's show returning on Tuesday, ABC announces

  • Disney reinstates Jimmy Kimmel after backlash over capitulation to FCC

  • oh. well then. I guess we'll just forget all that stuff we said about Trump's jackbooted thugs and corporate compliance and such. oopsies.

• True, but he's as free to say "Kimmel Sucks" as you are: Rand Paul: FCC chair had "no business" intervening in ABC/Kimmel controversy

• Blockbuster Report on Trump Crypto Grift Leaves Observers Stunned

• I Thought I Knew Silicon Valley. I Was Wrong

• A 40-year study finds higher science funding under Republicans

• Documents offer rare insight on Ice's close relationship with Palantir

• Ice detainees hold hunger strike at Louisiana state penitentiary

• Bonkers CDC vaccine meeting ends with vote to keep Covid shot access

• Trump Is Getting Closer to Having an 'Infinite Money Pit'

Law Breaking / Police / Internal Security

• Man re-arrested by FBI after after shots fired at ABC affiliate in Sacramento

External Security / Militaria / Diplomania

• During WWII, the U.S. government censored the weather

• South Korea's President says US investment demands would spark financial crisis

• Pentagon now requiring approval before reporting even unclassified info

World

• Europe's cookie law messed up the internet. Brussels wants to fix it

• Kmart's use of facial recognition to tackle refund fraud unlawful

• UK banks still run software code written more than 60 years ago

• Germany leads EU push to block Big Tech from financial data access system

• Cuba suffers fifth nationwide blackout this year as crisis deepens

• Nordic Data Center Boom Fueled by Low Prices, Empty Land and Cool Weather

• EU cyber agency says airport software held to ransom by criminals

• US and Indian VCs just formed a $1B+ alliance to fund India's deep tech startups

• Only social media companies know how teen ban will work

• Britain Is Manifesting Nigel Farage as Its Next Prime Minister

Russia Bad / Ukraine War

• Poland will shoot down objects in clear-cut airspace violations, prime minister says.

• Poland to Russia: 'You have been warned' so don't 'whine' if jets shot down

China

• The Daring Caper of a Faithful Tibetan Who Outfoxed China

• China is spying on MPs but we can't charge anyone, say prosecutors

• $37B 'Stargate of China' project takes shape

• US Intel officials "concerned" China will soon master reusable launch

• Public toilets in China are making people watch ads for toilet paper

Health / Medicine

• New Eye Drops Sharpen Aging Eyes in Just One Hour

• Delta-8 THC use highest where marijuana is illegal, study finds

• Support from influencers helps drive an increase in the use of nicotine pouches

Pox / COVID / BioTerror AgitProp

• The US Is Tracking 14 Potential Rabies Outbreaks in 20 States

• Antibiotic resistance could cause more deaths than cancer in 25 years

Environment / Climate / Green Propaganda

• The Quantum Mechanics of Greenhouse Gases

• Beneath 300 km: First natural evidence of nickel-rich alloys deep in mantle

• Could wildfire smoke become America's leading climate health threat by 2050?

• How to Consume Less Plastic

• The Secret Lives of Dead Trees

• Energy users 'could save £5B a year' if gas plants are removed from market

• Top Fossil Fuel Producing Nations Plan to Blow Past Climate Targets

• Your Kitchen Is Full of Microplastics. Here’s How to Eat Less of Them