SIM Farm
The SIM Farm Hardware Seized by the Secret Service Is Also Popular With Ticket Scalpers
The tech the Secret Service claims can be used to "disable cell phone towers" is very commonly used by ticket scalpers to game Ticketmaster.
AI Slop
AI ‘Workslop’ Is Killing Productivity and Making Workers Miserable
AI slop is taking over workplaces. Workers said that they thought of their colleagues who filed low-quality AI work as "less creative, capable, and reliable than they did before receiving the output."
Announcements
We’re Suing ICE for Its $2 Million Spyware Contract
404 Media has filed a lawsuit against ICE for access to its contract with Paragon, a company that sells powerful spyware for breaking into phones and accessing encrypted messaging apps.
Tariffs
$2,000 Shipping: International Sellers Charge Absurd Prices to Avoid Dealing With American Tariffs
Some sellers on eBay and Etsy have jacked up their shipping costs so American buyers won't buy their products.
Podcast
Podcast: AI Slop Is Drowning Out Human YouTubers
How Trump's tariffs are impacting all sorts of hobbies; how OnlyFans piracy is ruining the internet for everyone; and ChatGPT's reckoning.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: 'Free Speech' and Open Dialogue
This week, we discuss "free speech," keeping stupid thoughts in one's own head, and cancel culture.
News
Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way
The mainstream media seems entirely uninterested in explaining Charlie Kirk's work.
HHS
HHS Asks All Employees to Start Using ChatGPT
The agency tells workers "we should all be vigilant against barriers that could slow our progress toward making America healthy again."
Tariffs
‘It's Just a Mess:' 23 People Explain How Tariffs Have Suddenly Ruined Their Hobby
"The real kick in the teeth is no matter how much manufacturing is brought back to the US these items will never be made in the USA. There is no upside."
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Sleeping With Slop
This week, we discuss slop in history, five-alarm fires, and AI art (not) at Dragon Con.
AI
AI Generated 'Boring History' Videos Are Flooding YouTube and Drowning Out Real History
"These AI videos are just repeating things that are on the internet, so you end up with a very simplified version of the past."
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Dogfooding and Datasets
This week, we discuss our top games, “dense street imagery," and first-person experiences with apps.