Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Tech Support
This week, we discuss customer service and Proton fallout.
The Abstract
People Used to Drink Wine Made From Ground-Up Mummies. Now, Scientists Are Studying It
In a new study perfectly timed for Halloween, scientists dug into the chemical properties of a once-popular beverage with purported medicinal benefits: wine made with ground-up Egyptian mummies.
ao3
‘Wake Up Call:’ Fanfiction Writers and Readers React to AO3 Outage
Writer and readers share what they're feeling and doing in the aftermath of the AO3 outage. It's anything but Wattpad.
the abstract
Scientists Analyzed Thousands of Psychedelic Trips. They Found Something Disturbing
A newly released database of more than 25,000 anonymized calls from the Fireside Project’s Psychedelic Support Line opens a rare window into psychedelic experiences outside of clinical settings.
Impact
Proton’s CEO Cancels AI ‘Re-Interviews’
The move came after 404 Media published an investigation into how Proton CEO Andy Yen was aggressively pushing AI across Proton despite security concerns and the culture of fear he has created.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Tech Support
This week, we discuss customer service and Proton fallout.
News
Apple Is Entering Its Slop Era
I might finally buy an iPhone now that Apple has been taken down a peg.
Podcast
Podcast: Flock CEO Says the Backlash Isn’t Real
Leaked audio of Flock's CEO, why Marisa Mayer can't keep pretending, and a CashApp nightmare.
Features
Manifestos, Fear, and ‘Loser Thinking’: Inside Proton’s AI Reckoning
Proton CEO Andy Yen projects a calm persona and rails against Big Tech and critiques AI. Internally, he is pushing engineers to build Proton with AI, even when they have security concerns.
Impact
Senators Demand Meta Answer for 'Pervert Glasses' Following 404 Media Investigation
"Meta’s smart glasses have increasingly been implicated in disturbing invasions of users’ and bystanders’ privacy," a letter sent to Meta from Ron Wyden and Edward Markey says.
Newsletters
Objection, your honor
If you're in the EU or UK, you might be able to object to Meta's new AI scraping terms. Also: this week's pod's out and more from around the web.
Meta
If You're In the UK or EU, Here's How to Object to Meta's AI Training
In light of Meta's new terms that will allow it to scrape users' data for AI, people in the EU and UK have the option to "object" to certain uses of their information, for now.