Week 71

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On May 30, 2026

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This week has been another round of “Iran: Groundhog Day.” It started with Trump teasing an agreement on social media last weekend and has ended with the usual nothing. But.

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Election of the weekend I: Malta

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On May 30, 2026
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Voting is presently underway in Malta's snap election. The electoral system: 13 districts, 5 seats each, elected through single transferable vote, optional preferential voting. This is an interest twist on ranked choice, as it works in both directions. First, in the conventional way; the votes of...

Hotel Art

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On May 30, 2026

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Reading the New Yorker profile of Hakeem Jeffries, one kind of feels bad for the guy. He's not a bad person. He's not a bad congressman. In decent times. he'd.

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The soul of a dead machine

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On May 30, 2026
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Dan's post regarding Eve Fairbanks' essay about what's wrong with AI prose reminded me of a thought I'd had a couple of times recently, which is this: Such criticisms are reminiscent of the arguments Orwell makes about contemporary -- meaning now 80 years ago -- English...
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Who’s Excited for $8 Gas?

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On May 29, 2026
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Thanks Don! Exxon Mobil warned Thursday that oil inventories will fall to record low levels in coming weeks, forcing prices to spike and curbing demand. “We’re approaching unheard of inventory levels,” said Exxon Senior Vice President Neil Chapman at a conference hosted by Bernstein in New York....

The LLM Style

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On May 29, 2026

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Eve Fairbanks, whom I can attest is an extremely skilled editor, has some things to say about LLM-generated prose. The problem is that the efficiency and frictionlessness that make AI.

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