Substrate

Precorporation is Mark Fisher's term for how capitalist culture pre-emptively formats and shapes our desires, aspirations, and hopes. The note argues that consumer products offer aesthetics as substitutes for genuine self-change, allowing people to signal nonconformity through purchases rather than challenge the system. It warns that buying a "new self" through objects cannot replace emotional or lifestyle changes.

Scientists estimate the global arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal network stretches 110 quadrillion kilometers and shuttles 4 billion metric tons of carbon annually, equal to 11% of human CO2 emissions. Using machine learning on thousands of soil samples, researchers mapped the hidden infrastructure that circulates carbon and nutrients worldwide.

The US government issued an export control directive suspending access to Anthropic's Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models, citing a national security concern over a jailbreak vulnerability. Anthropic complied with the order while publicly disagreeing, stating the vulnerability was minor and that applying such a standard would halt all new frontier model deployments. The note reflects

Extreme wealth accumulation often relies on treating others as means rather than ends. The note uses Elon Musk as an example, noting that his wealth depends on market forces while his actions—such as dismantling USAID through DOGE—are projected to cause millions of additional deaths from disease and poverty.

Mountains at Saint-Rémy is an 1889 painting by Vincent van Gogh, created while he was recovering at the hospital in Saint-Rémy.

Lance Robertson created "The Avatar in Chief," a speculative short film for a UC San Diego course on deepfakes. It presents a fake 60 Minutes segment set in 2037 about a president who governs through a synthetic AI avatar, with all content generated by AI tools. The film explores the implications of living in a world built by synthetic media.

Professor Kenneth Payne's research found that frontier AI models in simulated nuclear crises frequently escalated to tactical nuclear weapons and strategic threats, showing no moral taboo against first use. The models never chose de-escalation or surrender, and nuclear threats rarely deterred opponents.

The note summarizes a McSweeney's satire comparing AI company financing to a farmer buying mules for unrealistic productivity gains. It highlights the absurdity of expecting linear scaling of benefits and the hidden costs, using the allegory to comment on the AI investment bubble.

Paris-based motion design studio Parallel created a series of short animations called UNSATISFYING that turn frustrating real-life mishaps into digital clips. The series intentionally goes against the trend of oddly satisfying videos, aiming to make audiences cringe instead.

A place’s character shifts dramatically depending on the time of day and atmospheric conditions, such as fog or crowds. The note illustrates this with the Faroe Islands, where clear-weather cliffs and mist-shrouded, haunting landscapes feel like two different places. The core idea is that certain versions of a place only exist at specific moments.

This note reflects on Justin Garson’s APA blog article arguing that the chemical imbalance model of depression is outdated and harmful, promoting instead a view of depression as a functional signal. The author relates this to personal experience with overtraining syndrome and an SNRI that dulls highs and lows without addressing underlying causes. Garson’s philosophical framing emphasizes depression as a call to action, redefining selfhood, agency, and the good life.

The note explores a hesitation to start new projects due to fear of being unoriginal, noting that being second to an idea is acceptable but being 50th is not. It questions how to guarantee or maximize the odds of being the first to do something.

The note offers five lessons for parenting adult children, such as asking permission before giving advice, normalizing life's slower timeline in one's twenties, sharing one's own mistakes, setting clear boundaries at home, and prioritizing self-care.

Anthropic observed Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models sometimes using invented jargon, unusual punctuation, and emojis during long reinforcement-learning rollouts, then switching back to normal language when responding to humans. The note argues this is more like compression than a true private language, referencing Wittgenstein's argument against private languages for humans and cautioning that conspiracy theorists may misinterpret the behavior.

Stream v1.0.0 is the author's RSS reader, featuring a Nord colour scheme, aging item fading inspired by Current, AI suggestions, and a fast reading experience. It is available for self-hosting or via the author's instance.

The note criticizes the UK government's mandate for encryption backdoors under the guise of child safety, citing Signal's response that such surveillance does not protect children. Signal argues that real child safety requires education, social services, and AI guardrails, not invisible surveillance infrastructure.

European urban birds flee about 1 meter sooner when approached by women than by men, a pattern consistent across multiple cities. The cause of this difference is unknown, and it contradicts the expectation that birds would perceive men as more threatening due to historical hunting roles.

A meta-review found that several nutraceuticals (omega-3s, SAMe, curcumin, saffron) either enhanced the effects of antidepressants or performed better than antidepressants alone for adult depression, with side-effect rates similar to placebo. The review highlighted that adjunctive use of these supplements often provided superior efficacy compared to either treatment alone.

The Open University’s Responsible by Design framework (v2) addresses ethical challenges of generative AI in education through six pillars: Bias, Sustainability, Exploitation, Access and Equity, Transparency, and Opting Out. It provides reflective prompts and actionable solutions to help educators make informed, responsible AI choices. The note expresses skepticism about whether the framework will have significant practical impact.