Night of the living
“None of this comports with either 18th century English practice, the 1787 Founders’ vision, or typical past practice.” A round-up of good things to read about the shutdown, ICE, and the construction of a presidential police force. / Matt’s Five Points
See also: “How Trump is building a violent, shadowy federal police force.” / ProPublica
The first of two Confederate monuments Trump ordered reinstalled is now back up in DC, and the second—often mischaracterized as a "reconciliation monument”—will return in 2027. / NPR, Civil War Memory, Stars and Stripes
Endless hold times and frustrating interactions in audio and phone calls from people calling Social Security to get help. / The Washington Post [$]
The feeling of being certain you were awake even when you’re visibly asleep is often called “paradoxical insomnia,” and brain imaging proves you were kind of right. / The Guardian
Hobbyists figure out how to disable the recording light on Meta’s glasses. / 404 Media
See also: Meta’s $800 smart glasses are pretty much impossible to repair. “Every recharge cycle brings these closer to the end of their wearable life.” / iFixit
Copper wire thefts are increasing across US cities, and public EV charging stations have emerged as one of their prime targets. / Gizmodo
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According to OpenAI, every week more than a million ChatGPT users have “conversations that include explicit indicators of potential suicidal planning or intent.” / TechCrunch
Related: ChatGPT’s tendencies to skew toward sycophancy could be exactly what users who are in a mental health crisis don’t need. / Platformer
“No one has turned off the internet after it’s been turned on. No one is really sure how it could be turned on again.” Could the internet go away? / The Guardian
Regarding the concept of screentime being outdated: “You cannot rein in screen time itself, for screen time is the speed of life today.” / The Atlantic [$]
To get the same heart health benefits over the age of 50, men may need to exercise twice as much as women. / New Scientist
Unrelated: Nike is developing a running assistive device that acts like a second set of calf muscles. / dezeen
Why does Halloween seem to start earlier every year? Because spending is increasing, and stores don’t want to get stuck with inventory. / The Conversation
From the archives: Dennis Mahoney serves up the best horror movies you’ve probably never seen. / The Morning News
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