Rupert Cocke

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AI as Sparring Partner Using AI to develop our own skills is different from training chatbots to replace us

GenAI can be an excellent sparring partner for idea generation. However, you should probably politely decline the invitation to draft the ideas being generated up for you! Please check out this week's free essay on my personal blog after the jump.

A principled stance by an opportunistic leader Spanish leader Pedro Sanchez' opposition to Trump's war on Iran is the right call but is not without its ironies.

A principled stance by an opportunistic leader

Consciousness Formed Before Life Itself, Scientists Say—And the Evidence Could Be in This Asteroid Sample Tantalizing clues in 4-billion-year-old asteroid Bennu samples could reveal particular molecular formations that some scientists say support the workings of consciousness.

Did consciousness form before life?

Trump: ‘We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain’ The US president lashed out at the Spanish government after it blocked Washington from using its bases

Trump: ‘We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain’

This is a classic example of politicians missing the point not once but twice. (1) Expats earn more than locals? Why not work out how to improve productivity / wages? (2) Flats are going up in price? Why not build more?

‘The gravy train is over’: Spain is turning on British expats Rising house prices make life unaffordable for locals who blame holiday lets and foreign buyers

Spain turns on Brits with aspirations to buy property

Brussels to finally adopt ‘Made in Europe’ act after yet another rehash Industrial Accelerator Act finally lands after suffering repeated delays and undergoing yet more revisions.

Brussels to finally adopt ‘Made in Europe’ act after yet another rehash

Push from Saudis, Israel helped move Trump to attack Iran President Trump launched a wide-ranging attack on Iran after weeks-long lobbying by an unusual pair of U.S. allies in the Middle East: Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made multiple private phone calls to Trump over the past month advocating a U.S. attack, despite his public support for a diplomatic solution

MAGA Melts Down Over Iran War No One Voted For A Trump-authorized strike on Iran took place just hours after JD Vance tried to allay MAGA fears of another conflict without a clear end.

MAGA Melts Down Over Iran War No One Voted For

Why did the US strike Iran? And four other questions about the latest conflict in the Middle East, answered.

The latest rhetoric suggests the United States seeks not to make a deal with the Islamic Republic, but to eliminate it

Sleight of Hand Fact-fiction reversals are a key technique in the conspiracy-theory playbook

We all know that conspiracy theorists believe that the news is fiction. Perhaps surprisingly, theorists will often also say that we should treat fiction as if it were the news. Please check out this week's essay on my personal blog to explore fact-fiction reversals!

Germany’s AfD sparks fears it is helping Russia with inquiry on NATO weaknesses The far-right party is pressing the government for information on a drill in Estonia last year that exposed the vulnerabilities of NATO forces.

Germany’s AfD sparks fears it is helping Russia with inquiry on NATO weaknesses

Pakistan strikes Afghan cities as cross-border attacks escalate The Afghan Taliban said it had responded to the Pakistani strikes, which targeted Afghan cities including Kabul and Kandahar.

Pakistan strikes Afghan cities as cross-border attacks escalate

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Spain declassifies files on 1981 attempted coup The release comes on the same day as the death of the coup leader, Antonio Tejero Molina.

Spain declassifies files on 1981 attempted coup in effort to dispel conspiracy theories

Borders as Mirrors A guest post from Jo Harper on the border between Poland and Belarus

An immigration crisis on Poland's border with Belarus a few years ago acted as a rehearsal for future crises. Please check out this free-to-read guest essay from Jo Harper on my personal blog after the jump.

Trump's sweeping global tariffs struck down by US Supreme Court ruling - follow live The Supreme Court rules with a 6-3 majority that Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs via a law reserved for national emergencies.

Trump's sweeping global tariffs struck down by US Supreme Court

Antarctica’s 'Gravity Hole' Has Been Quietly Growing Stronger Scientists aren't fully sure what this means for Antarctica's future, however.

Antarctica’s ‘Gravity Hole’ Has Been Quietly Growing Stronger

I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI – and it only took 20 minutes I found a way to make AI tell you lies – and I'm not the only one.

I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI – and it only took 20 minutes

Interesting idea! As a Brit who lives in Spain, I think first past the post creates better incentives for backbench rebellions, but written constitutions are better than unwritten constitutions. How do you see it?

Thanks! I do use AI as a sparring partner before my ideas come to the boil, but I always politely decline any offers to write the essay for me.

On Guardrails Liberals are often better at writing constitutions than at winning closely fought elections

Will the guardrails hold? This week's free-to-read essay on my personal blog looks at why the best written constitutions are based on liberal principals, and why non-liberal elected officials will often try and tear them up. More after the jump!

In a sane world, Sánchez never would have formed a government in 2023, when he came second; or passed an amnesty law that most of the population hated; or kept governing without budgets for 2024, 2025, or 2026... Please sit down as you wait for him to call the next election, as we say in Spanish!

Exit polls in Aragón (one of Spain's 17 autonomous communities) show centre-right PP winning regional elections without majority. It will need hard-right Vox to govern. Centre-left Socialists fall to lowest level since self-government began in 1983.

From Funk to Punk A musical journey through three albums

This week's free-to-read essay on my personal blog will take you on a musical journey from the New Orleans funk of the Meters to Miles Davis' most controversial album and onto New York punk band the Voidoids. There will be African polyrhythms and second-line drumming throughout. Check it out!

What Is Upstream of Automation? Roles that probe the quality of underlying data used for GenAI models might be safer than others as the workplace changes in the decades ahead

What is upstream of automation? This week's free-to-read essay on my personal blog explores roles that assess the quality of data used by AI. Please check it out after the jump!

It's an índie side gig!

Thanks for sharing!

Red Lines for Lukewarm MAGA Supporters What would it take for you to drop your support of President Trump?

This week's free essay on my personal blog is based on a question to lukewarm MAGA supporters. Where are your personal red lines? Please check it out after the jump!