Guest Thinkers — December 21, 2010

AQAP Audio Tape

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

I downloaded the new AQAP audio tape on Sunday, but I have yet to have a chance to either listen to it or to read the transcript that was also posted to the forums. However, today AFP reports on a SITE transcript of the tape from Ibrahim al-Rubaysh, a former Guantanamo detainee.

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Couldn’t COVID-19 have originated in a Chinese lab?

In theory, scientists could’ve produced a deadly virus that accidentally infected lab workers. In practice, we know that didn’t happen.

A retro computer displays a ghost on the screen as pixelated chains drift across the foreground, reminiscent of a scene from a Ken Liu short story. This digital haunt unfolds against a vivid orange background.

High Culture

“The gods will not be chained”: A short story by Ken Liu

The first in a series of short stories by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author that inspired the cult hit “Pantheon.”

Construction equipment stands poised near a large, partially demolished dam wall, signaling the ongoing dam removal process beside a pool of green water.

The Present

The surprising alliance shaping the fate of America’s 90,000 dams

Retrofitting America’s aging dams for hydropower — while removing ecologically harmful ones — may be a productive path forward.

A person holds a smartphone and a book with an ornate cover, clasped together in both hands.

The Present

Silicon Valley’s obsession with AI looks a lot like religion

The tech world’s fixation on artificial intelligence has spawned beliefs and rituals that resemble religion — complete with digital deities, moral codes, and threats of damnation.

The Future

Can humans purge the bots without sacrificing our privacy?

“Personhood” credentials could cleanse the internet of bots — but are the costs worth it?

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

The Muhammad bin Nayif Tape

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to blog about this, because I would really like to. Instead, it will have to be a link dump. First there is the audio tape […]