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There has been some lovely writing about self-driving this week, first in the New York Times where Jonathan Slotkin makes the medical case for autonomous vehicles. But I was really taken by The Economist’s look at how self-driving cars will transform urban economies. It’s behind a paywall. I enjoyed how…

At 88, Ed Bambas, an Army veteran and former GM worker, was still working full-time at a Michigan supermarket after losing his pension and wife. Australian influencer Sam Weidenhofer, moved by Bambas’ story, raised over $1.7 million through GoFundMe. The funds, revealed in an emotional surprise, will allow Bambas to…

At 88, Ed Bambas, an Army veteran and former GM worker, was still working full-time at a Michigan supermarket after losing his pension and wife. Australian influencer Sam Weidenhofer, moved by Bambas’ story, raised over $1.7 million through GoFundMe. The funds, revealed in an emotional surprise, will allow Bambas to…

Elon Musk slammed the EU with a €120 million fine for violating transparency rules under the Digital Services Act. He called for the EU’s abolition, advocating for national sovereignty. Regulators cited X’s inadequate verification, ad transparency, and researcher access. This marks a significant enforcement action, potentially impacting X’s operations and…

A 330-metre pyramid meant to showcase North Korea’s modernity, the Ryugyong Hotel remains empty decades after construction began. Briton Simon Cockerell, one of the few Westerners granted access, describes an unfinished concrete interior behind its polished glass façade. His rare visit reveals a £600m megaproject frozen mid-build, reflecting shifting priorities…

James LePage has a great write-up, SOTW 2025:The Year WordPress Became AI-Native.

Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario maps a chilling, minute-by-minute nuclear conflict, blending declassified sources, expert interviews, and climate models. She explores not just the immediate destruction, but the cascading famine, societal collapse, and global fallout that would follow. Through vivid scenarios, Jacobsen asks readers to confront the fragile assumptions…

Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario maps a chilling, minute-by-minute nuclear conflict, blending declassified sources, expert interviews, and climate models. She explores not just the immediate destruction, but the cascading famine, societal collapse, and global fallout that would follow. Through vivid scenarios, Jacobsen asks readers to confront the fragile assumptions…

Netflix’s massive $72-$83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, including HBO and DC, sparks controversy. MAGA activist Laura Loomer warns of an “Obama News Network,” citing the Obamas’ Netflix deal and Netflix executives’ political donations. While Netflix aims to boost content, critics fear political influence and media consolidation ahead of…

Spotify’s 2025 Wrapped dropped on 3 December with a chaotic new obsession: Listening Age, a playful metric guessing which era your taste belongs to. Users immediately turned it into a cultural referendum, older ages framed as superior taste, younger ages roasted as shallow, while Spotify reminded everyone the feature is…