With most media outlets, again, struggling to find adequate ways to cover Trump, this stands out. In December, The Atlantic published a mono-thematic issue, entirely dedicated to laying out in the clearest possible terms what the unthinkable, but far from unlikely would mean. If you’re unsure where to start, start here: «America survived the first Trump term, though not without sustaining serious damage. A second term, if there is one, will be much worse.» A Warning.

A short post with a single, simple thought: Maybe instead of telling ourselves that we need to stop anthropomorphising AI, we should do just that. «Honestly, interacting with a computer through generative AI has been the most enjoyable experience I’ve had with computers.»

As someone who always loved playing video games (and never in easy mode, obviously) and as a parent always juggling one too many balls, this felt very relatable. «Easy mode indulges a specific fantasy in adult life that has nothing to do with slaying the undead or racing supercars: the dream of summoning a little more ease at will.»

Take this with a more than a pinch of salt, and read it for what it is: a very Western-centric, mostly US-centric outlook on the world in ten years. As such, it still makes for an interesting read. Some notable non-mentions: Migration and demographic change, India, the entire continent of Africa.

When things go wrong, it’s easy to ask whose mistake it was. That’s where the «blameless postmortem» comes into play. It’s a process – a long-standing, internationally formalised tradition in aviation – that forces everyone to look beyond individual mistakes. «When liability is not a concern, an investigation has leeway to draw more meaningful conclusions». Which makes it easier to implement changes that will actually reduce future risk. Reminded me of this interview on why we should never accept that something has been «an accident».

Interesting story of a scientific study turned into one of the most popular shows on Netflix. 22 pairs of identical twins with similar lifestyles get split by diet: For eight weeks, one twin was assigned a healthy vegan diet, the other a healthy omnivore diet. Those in the vegan cohort ended the study with much better health outcomes. Good discussion on the merits and the flaws of the study, and what is won, and what is lost when it gets the Netflix treatment.

In the face of death and destruction in Gaza, a reflection on what it means to witness. I learned that what often gets translated as martyr, the Arab شهيد (shaheed), actually means witnesser. «It is a word with many folds of meaning and history. It carries connotations not only of seeing, but of presence and proximity. To be a witness is to make contact, to be touched, and to bear the marks of this touch.»

A quick test to find out what mix of Intense / Classic / Parisian / Procrastinator / Messy perfectionist you are.

«Insurance sounds like a boring topic, until you think about it a little: it’s the (enormous) part of the economy that’s assigned to understand risk.» And it’s that part of the economy that is starting to make a difference in the climate crisis. Because when things get risky, insurance makes them expensive. «The enormous momentum of the global economy is beginning to run into the enormous friction of climate change.»