From the personal collection
It is an interesting time we live in. While people have always tried to shape narratives it has become more important to be able to spot that activity. I listened to the congressional testimonies of Matt Taibbi and Michael Shellenberger, and realize just how bad things have gotten. And then the recent news about USAID …
I recently saw a video clip of Elon Musk describing how hard it was to get a list of government agencies. Here is the clip: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GXJvxPMY_H0 In the clip he says the Google and different AI’s say the number is around 400. Well I went to the government site https://www.opm.gov/about-us/open-government/Data/Apps/Agencies/index.aspx which lets you see the …
I wrote a bookmarklet that finds a two word solution to the New York Times game “Letterbox”. It worked, but for fun I decided to let an AI rewrite it to be faster. Here is the code it came up with, but it did take several tries before it could open a new tab. It …
Scams are everywhere, and they’re getting more sophisticated. But don’t worry—you’re not alone! This guide will help you recognize scams, protect yourself, and take action if you ever become a target.
I was at a Superbowl party and someone claimed that President Trump is an authoritarian. I suspect an argument for that might be that presidents issue executive orders, especially if you happen to disagree with the policies of the President . Here is a brief history of executive orders and how they have been used …
Scams are not just about deception—they are psychological manipulations designed to exploit cognitive biases and emotional triggers. Despite advancements in security measures, fraudsters continue to succeed because they understand how people think and react under pressure. This article explores the key psychological principles that make scams effective and examine real-world examples demonstrating these tactics in …
After years of teaching community college and working with AI, I’ve concluded that comparing their intelligence is like comparing apples to artificially generated images of apples. AI can instantly calculate complex derivatives that make calculus students weep, yet it confidently insists that Abraham Lincoln was the first astronaut to walk on Mars. Meanwhile, community college …
Note: this article was written by ChatGPT. Have you ever looked back on a situation and wondered, “What was I thinking?” That feeling of acting impulsively, without your usual logic, is often caused by what psychologists call an amygdala hijack. This reaction can make people vulnerable to emotional manipulation—and it’s exactly what romance scammers count …
In today’s digital world, WhatsApp scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated. To help combat this, I’ve created a simple tool that lets you analyze any WhatsApp conversation for potential scam indicators. The tool extracts your conversation and copies it to your clipboard so you can easily get it analyzed by Claude.ai.
The United States federal tax system, with its complex forms, massive bureaucracy, and army of auditors, could be dramatically simplified through a revolutionary yet practical approach: eliminating direct federal tax collection in favor of a state-based system. This isn’t just a pipe dream – the framework for such a system largely exists in current state …