Excited for this event coming up on Friday: "Who Controls Data in the Age of AI?" luma.com/kpf2voda
Sign up and come to UC Law San Francisco to learn about the law and practice of data transfers with several distinguished speakers, and me. (But I organized it, so they had to include me, mwahaha!)
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We are, collectively, struggling to come to terms with the emerging capabilities of AI. Two conversations are happening with no cross-pollination, optimistic and pessimistic. I am trying to create a workable theory to reach both. Here is my chapter on self: mchrisriley.medium.com/chapter-9-th...
"Doing harm at scale requires infrastructure." So good, from @johnathan.bsky.social @shappy.bsky.social I always read World's Best Newsletter, but this one I am going to save and reread. mailchi.mp/rawsignal/yo...
Ultimately, Petitioners may, because of the arcane United States immigration system, return to their home country, involuntarily or by self-deportation. But that result should occur through a more orderly and humane policy than currently in place. Philadelphia, September 17, 1787: "Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?" "A republic, if you can keep it." With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike, It is so ORDERED. SIGNED this 31st day of February, 2026. 7um Jing FRED BIERY UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE Credit: Bystander Matthew 19:14 John 11:35 There is also the photo of the boy from the viral stories included.
Federal judge has ordered the release of Liam Ramos (the bunny hat boy) and his father. A brief and rather remarkable order. Clearly written to be shared widely, so please do. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
NEW: When can states prosecute federal agents? While it may not be easy, especially if federal officials impede an investigation, states have more power than people may realize. @aliciabannon.bsky.social breaks down the tools states have to hold federal officials accountable:
Every social theory undergirding Trumpism has been broken on the steel of Minnesotan resolve. The multiracial community in Minneapolis was supposed to shatter. It did not. It held until Bovino was forced out of the Twin Cities with his long coat between his legs. The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone. In Minnesota, all of the ideological cornerstones of MAGA have been proved false at once. Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave. Minnesotans have shown that their community is socially cohesive—because of its diversity and not in spite of it. Minnesotans have found and loved one another in a world atomized by social media, where empty men have tried to fill their lonely soul with lies about their own inherent superiority. Minnesotans have preserved everything worthwhile about “Western civilization,” while armed brutes try to tear it down by force.
Last week in Minnesota, I watched ordinary people risk their lives to protect their neighbors. In the process, they not only won a significant—though not final—victory against authoritarianism, they proved virtually every MAGA social theory wrong. (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/s...
There is a callout box in the print version of this piece that reads, "Like all gods, this technology is inscrutable." .... sheesh. The piece itself is pretty great though, and reinforces what I wrote about idolatry and dangerous mutual worship dynamics.
Excited to kick off the spring concert prep cycle!
If I may, based on this piece, you might also enjoy the serialized book I'm writing on AI and consciousness (TL;DR: I don't think it's close, but I offer a possible framework built on abstraction and resilience). Here's the latest (which gets a bit personal): mchrisriley.medium.com/part-3-resil...
This is an incredible conversation, touching on several distinct and worthy issues -- not just AI, but even more so science and how we approach it, the pervasive confusion of correlation and causation, and a bit of current politics/events at the end. Well worth a read.
I sympathize. I'm roughly D4 down to an A1. I can sing Johnny Cash at karaoke and that's about it unless I drop an octave and that just sounds weird. It was fun to be the lowest singer in the Yale Russian Chorus during my time, though.
This is a very sad, but of course not surprising, development.
I'm sure literally no one involved in making this happen will care, but I shudder to think of the child psychologist reaction to this Universal Basic Investment proposal: www.axios.com/2025/12/21/t...
Making every kid aware of, and competing over, money seems like a fast way to ruin childhood.
For future anthropologists or others studying the internet to make sense of it, I will add to this that I wrote it when the internet was abuzz with the second installment of Ryan Lizza writing about Olivia Nuzzi. And if those names mean nothing to you, congratulations, you are better off for that.
Spotify Wrapped, showing 5 top artists: Jelly Roll, Andy Grammer, Anna Palfreeman, Thomas Rhett, Kenny Chesney.
Breaking recommendation algorithms with my highly specific tastes, 2025 edition. Had a lot of long car rides with kids in the first half of the year...
I would be a bit concerned about the 5 year old battery, personally, but budget is budget. If you do go this route definitely get 512 GB storage. Even the folk I know with extremely ordinary laptop usage struggle at 256 GB with how bloated core OS and apps seem to have become.
No, you don't. Really.
As a practicing Christian, I genuinely believe God engages with the present world in mysterious ways, and if we but listen quietly and humbly, He will speak to us.
... but not like that.
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o...
(See also, by me: mchrisriley.medium.com/interlude-co...)
The comments on this post are illuminating.
This is, of course, a fascinating thread from Kate asking why Google is effectively cannibalizing its own market for both digital ads on third party properties and search ads, by effectively taking away the incentive to click through to third party sites. I have a theory as to why they're doing it.
Today is @dansinker.com 's birthday. If you're not already signed up for his emails, you should! dansinker.com/follow/ And maybe buy some stickers or something. I love my "TRYING" sticker, it is the anchor sticker on my laptop, the first one I put on.
Where will things progress now? Will law enforcement in NYC face thrown slices of pizza? Hot dogs in Chicago? Sushi in LA or SF? Teriyaki in Seattle? Only time will tell.
in this economy? pff
each year since COVID started counts as three so uhh i'd say it's actually 20 years. (let's call Nov 2016 to Mar 2020 as 3.5 years and Mar 2020 to now as 5.5 years x 3 = 16.5 + 3.5 = 20.)
After the epic conference round too.
Oh and before you ask, "Wow, Chris, what are you writing??" Here is the introduction: mchrisriley.medium.com/introduction... - Chapter 1 is up too, and I'm in the midst of editing Chapter 2.
It's extra ironic to use an AI copyeditor to write about how AI is absolutely not conscious, and not close.
I'm going to say it: I like working with an AI copyeditor. Generally, I hate independent editing, because all of my words are precious butterflies and how dare you (even when you're right). But with AI, I have absolutely zero compunction to say "Ha ha, fuck you, NO" and put the original back in.
