‘If we don’t fight back, we don’t have a future’: the journalist taking on the ‘tech fascists’ of Silicon Valley
‘If we don’t fight back, we don’t have a future’: the journalist taking on the ‘tech fascists’ of Silicon Valley
As Elon Musk, Peter Thiel and their peers have grown richer and more influential, Gil Durán argues they have all but abandoned democracy – and found the perfect government to enable them
theguardian.com
sure would be something if Larry Ellison's last few years involved him losing his shirt on AI as the state antitrust lawsuit dismantles his nepobaby son's debt-riddled dreams of media domination
Larry Ellison Bet It All on the A.I. Boom. Will He Be the Face of the A.I. Bubble?
Inside the 81-year-old billionaire’s risky, debt-fueled scramble to transform his data empire into an A.I. juggernaut.
nytimes.com
1. Newer writers, just don't fucking use "AI" for anything, ever 2. How odd that being an established writer with a firm "no 'AI'" stance and ample pre-"AI" IP will become a definite competitive advantage over "new, hot, and possibly copyright compromised" deadline.com/2026/07/ai-q...
AI Questions Spoil Book & Movie Heat On 'Call Me, I'll Hide The Body' Novel
That screeching sound you heard from international publishers and film rights buyers was an abrupt application of the brakes after a fevered pursuit of the unpublished debut novel.
deadline.com
Jamelle asks the question that, in retrospect, is the obvious and pressing one: why do we tolerate this? And it’s clearly not because we need his cars or even his rockets, which makes any plausible answer all the more disturbing.
Gregg Gonsalves@gregggonsalves.bsky.social · last wk."If there is a question to ask, then, it is this: Why does Musk get a pass? Why do politicians, journalists and commentators treat his far-right racist radicalism as a sideshow rather than the core of his political, ideological and industrial project..." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/o...
"when you append “&udm=14” to a Google Search, it will hide AI results" Love to see this rejection to the tech bro dominance bubbling up from...libraries. I hope the Chicago Public Libraries will join in.
TechCrunch@techcrunch.com · 2w agoAt libraries around the country, "Avoiding AI" workshops have elicited unprecedented demand.
BREAKING: The Writers Guild of America has filed a lawsuit to block the Warner Bros-Paramount merger. This comes shortly after 12 states filed to block this $81 billion merger as well.
The “vibe shift” proclaimed Nov. 2024 - Jan. 2025 was just some elites—in business, media, law, and some higher ed admins—who kinda liked the fascism and gave themselves permission to accommodate it. That’s all it ever was. A close presidential election is not somehow a binding cultural referendum.
It's launch day for ON COURAGE! Maddow: “INVALUABLE. A CLASSIC OF OUR TIME.” In the dark early days of Trump II, @juliaangwin.com and I were interviewing dissidents on 5 continents, learning what Americans could do to save our republic. Where books are sold: www.harpercollins.com/products/on-...
In "Thimble Theatre" on June 26, 1931, Popeye revealed that his strength derives from eating spinach:
We have an opportunity in this moment. A responsibility. To insist on everyone’s humanity, all the way through.
Norway is banning generative AI for schoolchildren under 13 starting in September.
Norway says math, reading, and writing come first as it introduces AI restrictions for under-13s
Norway is taking steps to limit how generative AI can be used in schools from the start of the next school year.
techradar.com
This is BIG. After spending over $1 BILLION on the purchase of multiple commercial warehouses that ICE planned to convert into the largest jails/prisons in the nation, ICE is now largely abandoning the idea and will aim to sell off multiple warehouses at a loss.
Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social · 2mo agoNEW — I wanted to know if ICE’s newly uncovered plan to offload seven of the 11 concentration camp warehouses was actually a big deal, so I went straight to the expert: Michael Wriston of @projectsaltbox.com, which has been tracking these warehouses every step of the way. Our full convo here:
The State of American Resistance Is Stronger Than You Think www.nytimes.com/2026/06/16/o...
Opinion | The State of American Resistance Is Stronger Than You Think
nytimes.com
“We have shown that when the government tries to turn fear into policy, the AAUP will answer with law, with organizing, with solidarity, & with the oldest commitment we have: the defense of academic freedom for the common good.” 💥💥💥
Veena Dubal@veenadubal.bsky.social · 2mo agoHere are the notes from my @aaup.org Legal Update, delivered by the incredible @sbagen.bsky.social at the Biennial this last week! academeblog.org/2026/06/15/a...
The Jalen M. Brunson And The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts
Trump put up a scaffold to hag a curtain and hide the sight of his name coming down.
Pamela Ann@tenderpaw08.bsky.social · 2mo agoCliff Owen with the AP managed to take this photo.
So many devastating lines in this piece. chicagomaroon.com/52978/viewpo... E.g. Using AI to prepare teaching materials, write emails to students, etc. is like “... rolling the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile into a Michelin-starred restaurant and charging the same price.“ 🌭 🌭 🌭
UChicago AAUP@uchicagoaaup.bsky.social · 2mo agoExcellent op-ed from our own Mark Levin on UChicago's deal with Anthropic:
a little on the nose for capitalism that the world’s first trillionaire is a nazi conman
Lawyers for the Kennedy Center have ordered staff to remove all references to Trump from the institution’s signs, documents, and more, according to a memo obtained by @janaykingsberry.bsky.social.
Trump’s Name Is Disappearing From More Than Just the Kennedy Center
Lawyers are ordering staff to remove “Trump” from email signatures, letterhead, website, brochures, promotional materials, press releases, signs, and more.
bit.ly
“Amsterdam is set to ban climate-damaging advertising [fossil fuel & meat adverts] in public spaces, following a trend spreading across Dutch cities. France has also enacted legislation outlawing adverts from non-renewable energy companies, & one Italian city has plans to do the same.” #UrbanTruth
This EU city just banned all public ads for meat and fossil fuels
Initially proposed in 2020, Amsterdam has officially banned on public advertisements promoting meat and fossil fuel products.
euronews.com
Here’s where we are: A president initially lifted into office by a minority, backed by a Senate elected by and representing a minority, created a hard-right majority on the Supreme Court that nullified the most important law ever passed in U.S. history against the will of a clear majority.
Reminded of Pauline Kael's comment, "People who say we're all whores are usually just speaking for themselves." (Yes, I know, sex work is work. Not the point. Thank you for almost chiming in, though.)
Jonathan Bernstein@jonbern.bsky.social · 2mo agothis is not true, and this guy doesn't speak for me! nymag.com/intelligence...
A President ordering the Justice Department to criminally investigate a woman who won a sexual assault lawsuit against him makes Watergate look like an unpaid parking ticket.