Do make say think
In the past 10 months, the US government has killed 221 people in strikes on suspected drug boats—apparently to little effect, based on the purity and prices of street drugs in the US. / The Atlantic [$]
“It is hard to say what we all have in common, apart from the interstate highway system and reliance on certain corporations.” A road trip across an America that feels like it’s drifting apart. / The Paris Review
All Americans, regardless of their political affiliation, can finally agree on one thing: Everyone hates data centers. / The New Republic
See also: For America to maintain AI dominance, it’s going to have to get communities on board. / Foreign Affairs
Data centers are making American steel more expensive twice over—once through surging demand, and again by competing over the same energy sources. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
“Why didn’t the British invent the skyscraper? Because for the United States, colonialism was local, while in Europe it was diffuse.” Why American architecture is like that. / The Nation
“So my message is: sure this is complicated but it’s fine, we can do complicated.” Why it’s good to explain how things are made to a classroom of seven-year-olds. / Interconnected
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A point-by-point explanation of how the key changes in Russell Vought’s proposed financial assistance rules are designed to kill American science. / Elizabeth Ginexi
As EVs age, evidence mounts that worries over loss of range were overstated and many are performing well “even after several hundred thousand miles.” / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Depending on who decides what the “right behavior” is, AI surveillance can—and in many places, very likely will—be used to chill social progress. / The Guardian
See also: The more people use AI to draft messages, the more the models’ biases could change long-term public opinion. / The Guardian
Tidal’s new AI music policy won’t let people monetize AI-generated tracks, but that doesn’t stop Tidal from profiting off those same tracks. / Dada Drummer Almanach
Unrelated: The phantom listening booth and new music recommendations from the past quarter-year. / Andrew Womack
An analysis of 873,000 marathon runners finds that men are more than twice as likely to “hit the wall.” / Nature
See also: When runners are forced to stop, what follows can be a form of grief. “It was the way I explored the world.” / The New York Times [$]