Say it anyway
Dissecting the ways DHS’s propaganda paints agents as heroes—for example, by editing out the screams of children and families. / Chicago Sun-Times
Elon Musk and DOGE’s destruction of USAID has, as of right now, caused the deaths of 400,000 children worldwide. / The New Yorker
In the US and elsewhere, it’s illegal to create genetically modified babies, so of course Silicon Valley billionaires intend to do exactly that overseas. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
FOIA requests reveal a flurry of complaints from neighbors over the unlicensed school Mark Zuckerberg was running out of his Palo Alto compound. / WIRED
“When you think of yourself as a master of the universe, you think you can, or should, get away with things.” The obituary of James Watson you need to read. / STAT
Librarians are expected to use AI to increase the productivity that’s being hampered by dealing with an onslaught of AI-generated books. / 404 Media
Why might some writers start tailoring their work for AI? “Power over a superintelligent beast and resurrection are nothing to sneeze at.” / The American Scholar
See also: The Internet Archive’s founder on what was lost when it was forced to remove over a half-million books from its Open Library. “The world became stupider.” / Ars Technica
After 208 years in circulation, the Farmers’ Almanac—not the Old Farmers’ Almanac, which began 26 years earlier—will cease publication. / Associated Press
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Highly stylized and intentionally positioned subtitles are a vibrant part of the anime viewing experience—and under threat from Crunchyroll's business interests. / Daiz
“I did this because, in ways you might think I’d have outgrown by now, I’m a fucking idiot.” Maybe don’t talk to the New York Times about Zohran Mamdani. / Literary Hub
A deep audio dive on the very particular magic of A-Ha’s “Take on Me,” which won American hearts and minds in the 1980s, and never left. / The Washington Post [$]
“Headphone listening—the act of playing a highly personalized soundtrack wherever we go—is a surprisingly radical invention, and we’re only beginning to contend with its implications.” / The Atlantic [$]
See also: “I love listening to music in the car. It’s one of the things I will never do enough. When I’m dying, I’ll be like, Man, I wish I could listen to music in the car again.” Claire Rousey on perfectly produced songs. / Hearing Things
If you have to ask? “6-7” is the word of the year despite being impossible to define. / The New York Times [$]
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