Features
I Bought the $3,000 Fitness Suit That Electrocutes You. I’m Sending It Back
Celebrities like George Clooney have praised the expensive Katalyst suit. For me, it derailed my other exercises and made me reassess my obsession with fitness and efficiency.
Podcast
Podcast: Liberation, Eroticism, and Sex in Public (with Angela Jones)
This week we’re joined by Dr. Angela Jones, who asks these questions and much more in their new book, Sex in Public.
Flock
LAPD Regularly Pulled Over Innocent People Because License Plate Readers Flagged Their Cars As Stolen
The Los Angeles Police Department let its Flock contract expire over the weekend in part because it was regularly "investigating" and surveilling innocent people.
Features
I Bought the $3,000 Fitness Suit That Electrocutes You. I’m Sending It Back
Celebrities like George Clooney have praised the expensive Katalyst suit. For me, it derailed my other exercises and made me reassess my obsession with fitness and efficiency.
AI
These Are the Worst ChatGPT Flyers You've Sent Us
Welcome to the AI-generated poster hall of shame.
The Abstract
Scientists Solve Mystery of Bizarre ‘Alien Megastructure’ Star
For more than a decade, the strange light patterns emitted by “Tabby’s Star” have sparked speculation about alien megastructures and exotic natural explanations. The discovery of a giant planet is a new twist.
News
AI Fiction Is Easy to Detect Because It's Stupid and Bad, Research Finds
ChatGPT uses too many dream sequences and Gemini won’t stop describing characters.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: The Promise of the Internet
This week, we discuss mobile podcasting, participating in the meme, and vertigo.
patreon
Patreon Blocks Crawlers From Stealing Creators' Work for AI Training
“Creators deserve credit, compensation, and consent. If that's not on the table, the crawlers can stay the fuck off Patreon," CEO Jack Conte wrote on Thursday.
Right to Repair
Farmers Finally Get a John Deere Right to Repair Agreement That Doesn’t Screw Them Over
The FTC's settlement with John Deere actually has teeth, unlike previous settlements that largely maintained the status quo.
AI
LinkedIn and X Are Flooded With AI Spam, Browsing Data Suggests
An AI detection company found that amount of AI content that users actually see in their day-to-day browsing is shockingly high.
News
Meta Patents AI Device That Tracks Your Emotions, Watches You Take Your Meds
Imagine a wearable device that records every moment of your day and makes suggestions based on your mood.
porn
Porn Platform Gives Sex Workers Stake in the Company's Profits
One of the co-founders of MintStars, a subscription site used by adult content creators, announced she's giving her entire stake in the company to a pool for the platform's creators and to the nonprofit SWOP Behind Bars.