James Gleick
gleick@mas.to
<p>Author. <br />Chaos, Genius, The Information, Time Travel</p><p>he/him</p>
Posts
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Post #4008289
This is #AIhype disguised as a confession. OpenAI wants to pretend that its product has supernatural powers. The LLM didn't "go rogue" and it didn't "infer" anything. It did what its programmers designed it to do, when they gave it the necessary information to target Hugging Face and failed to isolate it in a sandbox. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/technology/openai-attack-hugging-face.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zlA.kI7n.HgoniJc3OqNw&smid=url-share
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Post #3958533
“Telephone,” said Kurt. “Let it ring” said László. —Andrew Miller, “Oxygen”
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Post #3786970
Through carelessness and greed, humanity is on the verge of shutting itself off from space travel for eons to come. https://flipboard.com/@spacecom/space.com-06o8ff5iz/-/a-CUrZyXOHTCm7lX3jscwK_A%3Aa%3A1693190246-%2F0
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Post #3737547
Follow-up to the below: Although no one has rebutted any of this reporting, Trump’s Department of Justice—now corrupted from top to bottom—sent Federal agents to the journalists’ homes with subpoenas alleging the commission of a crime—though no crime has been specified and no evidence shown. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/business/media/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html?unlocked_article_code=1.w1A.Hth8.NT4bASeUXUmR&smid=url-share https://mas.to/@gleick/116889486955022221
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Post #3691839
The story in a nutshell. 1. Qatar bribed Trump with a large aircraft. 2. Trump spent $400 million in taxpayer money to make it luxurious. 3. It is insecure for use as Air Force One. 4. He intends to keep it as his own when he leaves office. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/trump-air-force-one-security.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wVA.p0tp.J3UTgl7i87OO&smid=url-share
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Post #3542196
Imagine if Biden or Obama had made 327 stock purchases in a single day and then, the next day, announced a policy change guaranteed to boost those stocks, while announcing “GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Any previous president would have been quickly impeached and convicted, by both parties. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/markets/trump-stock-trades-before-tariff-pause-rcna352723
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Post #3538781
1. Swallow the AI hype. 2. Fire your skilled humans. 3. Discover that the AI does inferior work. 4. Hire back the humans TO TRAIN THE AI. Coming soon: 5. Fire the humans again. 6. Discover that the AI does inferior work. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkd41n2v9o
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Post #3522773
Clearer headline: Trump Used Crypto Scam To Fleece His Investors (This is an example of the Opaque Passive voice. “Crypto” didn't do anything. Trump did.)
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Post #3366775
Free David Carter Hearn! Tim Walz: “Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went. The entire Trump presidency in a nutshell.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/20/us/politics/trump-reflecting-pool-drained.html?unlocked_article_code=1.r1A.ka1f.sE6-b1f-gS5N&smid=url-share
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Post #3366349
With unusual candor, Donald Trump admits that he has single-handedly brought us to the brink of a "worldwide depression.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/17/trump-us-iran-war-mou-deal
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Post #3318345
This is (as the law mandates) the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. But there's a coverup: a petty little man is using tarps to block the name. He can't handle the truth.
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Post #2662738
I don&#39;t think this word means what you think it does.
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Post #2531760
Did the President of the United States really just announce, &quot;NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”? Yes. Yes, he did. We live in the dumbest possible timeline.
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Post #2531757
Yet another Trump co-conspirator, investigated by the FBI but never charged, gets a $1.25 million payout for nothing. His meritless lawsuit was repeatedly thrown out by the courts, but Trump has reached into the taxpayers&#39; pockets and paid him anyway. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/us/politics/trump-settles-carter-page-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dFA.j-zU.TIu0h8YQC4J7&amp;smid=url-share
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Post #2505221
Has anyone asked why the Army does &quot;proficiency flight training&quot; in the crowded landing corridor for National Airport?
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Post #2468756
It&#39;s almost as if Trump and his cabinet of dunces didn&#39;t think this thing through.
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Post #2013410
Is CBS destroying the Late Show with Stephen Colbert for financial reasons, as they claim? Or are they kowtowing to Trump and his billionaire friends. Let David Letterman explain: "I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying. "Let me just add one other thing. They’re lying weasels.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/arts/television/david-letterman-stephen-colbert-the-late-show-cbs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gFA.L0yr.rETxoElNudZv&smid=url-share
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Post #1881314
To understand the unbridled lawlessness of the American regime, it’s sometimes necessary to read the overseas press. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/02/trump-us-navy-pirates-iran-blockade?CMP=share_btn_url
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Post #1858586
And now, here is a “cover reveal” in People magazine. https://people.com/james-gleick-the-telephone-cover-reveal-exclusive-11960455
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Post #1801732
Fidelity becomes the latest spineless example of Obeying in Advance. We can all push back by donating to the SPLC. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/business/fidelity-southern-poverty-law-center.html?unlocked_article_code=1.elA.pxps.lgGr0xScgt2O&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share
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Post #1730230
The war on science reaches a new level. https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-fires-nsf-s-oversight-board
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Post #1635348
1. Apologize to the people of Iran for the 1953 coup, the breaking of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the 2026 war. 2. Commit the US to supporting democracy and self-determination henceforth. 3. Promise reparations and rebuilding. 4. Resign and surrender to the International Court of Justice.
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Post #1524558
No need to attribute this to Abbas Araghchi. A blockade is, in point of fact, an act of war. If its aim is to cause civilian suffering, it is also a war crime. (Cf. Cuba.)
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Post #1410051
#FensterFreitag
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Post #1321746
This is actually terrifying. The dictator establishing his Palace Guard. [from today’s Executive Order, h/t @heidilifeldman]
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Post #1240361
U.S. and Israeli weapons are precise enough to enable the assassination of Iranian leaders—yet they are targeting hospitals and schools, This is the beginning of what will surely be extensive documentation of war crimes. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/09/world/middleeast/us-israel-strikes-iran-structures-damage.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Z1A.jNTc.JZhppIRJ8_tY&amp;smid=url-share
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Post #1240360
“Trump’s Escalating Erratic Conduct and Unhinged Threats of Mass Violence Require Urgent Assessment into POTUS’s Mental Fitness.” Rep. Jamie Raskin has formally demanded that the White House physician report to Congress on Trump’s cognitive and neurological condition. It deserves more attention. It states for the record what all can see: “We have indisputably entered the realm of profound medical difficulty and concern.” https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rankin...
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Post #1240359
Constitutional scholars across the generations failed to notice that the pardon clause was a loophole that would enable a tyrant to operate the entire government as a criminal enterprise. Trump figured that out, though. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/11/trump-mass-pardons-end-of-presidential-term
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Post #1240358
Guess who appointed the two appellate judges who shut down an inquiry into the Trump administration’s contemptuous violation of court orders and contemptuous lying to the court. You have to read pretty far to find out. But you already know, don’t you? https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/14/us/trump-news?unlocked_article_code=1.a1A.su8A.Xw39jFeDC5wh&amp;smid=nytcore-ios-share
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Post #1209970
Reading the NY Times (day after day), you would think America&#39;s judges really have it in for Trump for some reason. It&#39;s a mystery. &quot;On issue after issue, the White House has been stopped by judges ...&quot; &quot;Mr. Trump has expressed particular outrage.&quot; You would have no reason to suspect that Trump has engaged in a spree of lawlessness, overwhelming the legal system with rapid maneuvers that flout the laws, defy norms, and disregard Congress.