A SOCIAL ISLAND

The essay argues that the biggest risk from AI isn’t runaway intelligence but our cultural readiness to hand over collective judgment to opaque systems. It calls for re-anchoring democracy around shared deliberation, contestability and human dignity.

A big mess of AI social posts from the white house.

The essay argues that while modern culture equates more choices with freedom, in fact excess choice can undermine decision-making, social solidarity and genuine autonomy.

A deep dive into the influence of Vladislav Surkov (the “Wizard of the Kremlin”) on Russian statecraft and ideology.

Investigative reporting shows how DHS and ICE under the Trump administration dismantled oversight, enabled masked agents in unmarked vehicles and created a near-anonymous force targeting immigrants.

The article argues that Substack is shifting value-distribution in media away from attention dominance toward diversified revenue by showing 71% of its revenue flows to publications with under 100 k subscribers.

In this essay Tochi Onyebuchi critiques the culture of rapid tech-innovation, arguing for the value of slower creation and lived experience over instant outputs.

Private videos obtained by ProPublica show adviser Russ Vought outlining plans to use the military on protesters, dismantle agencies and build a “shadow” Office of Legal Counsel for a second Donald Trump term.

Japanese company NTT has developed a drone with red and green laser-grid projector to deter wild birds and other animals from poultry farms, aiming to reduce risk of bird flu outbreaks.

Wim Carton and Andreas Malm trace the real-world geoengineering experiments of 2022-24 and show how fossil-capital power is driving solar-radiation-management before adequate governance.

The article examines how President Donald Trump’s military actions are testing the limits of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and Congress’s constitutional war-making role.

An essay by Richard Toon reflecting on museum-studies, time, memory and futures — treating the museum as archive at the end of the universe.

Skyborne’s CODiAQ robot dog features AI targeting, modular 40 mm grenade and shotgun payloads, and is intended for remote lethal support. Deployment to test units is underway.

Joshua Citarella argues Gen Z uses irony as a political strategy that makes them vulnerable to right-wing narratives, and calls for leftist counter narratives.

An essay from Novum argues that excessive self-analysis can trap individuals and societies in recursive introspection, undermining clarity and collective action.

Benjamin Bratton argues that Europe should stop over-critiquing AI and instead commit resources to building a viable “Eurostack.”

Documents reveal ICE intends to hire contractors to monitor public social media across platforms, producing leads for deportation and enforcement.

Prediction platforms like Kalshi let users bet on weather and climate outcomes, creating new financial markets while stirring debate over ethics, public data use, and inequality.

Andrew Pickering argues that our attempts at linear control over nature in the Anthropocene are inherently flawed and imprecise.

The essay explores whether humans should use genetic tools to alter species in response to environmental collapse, weighing ecological, cultural and moral risks.