Francis Fukuyama on finding an apartment in Santa Monica in the early 1980s: "On arriving, I saw an offer on the bulletin board at Rand for a room in a shared apartment posted by one of the secretaries. She was a rather attractive brunette somewhere in her mid-forties with a deep tan and freckles, who had a rent-controlled house close by in downtown Santa MonicaI. I showed up with my suitcase and found the front door open with no one apparently at home. I walked inside and wandered around; there were stairs leading up to a roof patio, where I found, amidst a jungle of marijuana plants, the secretary lying out on a chaise longue, completely naked. She told me to take the bedroom between her daughter’s and that of her own seventeen-year-old boyfriend. He was the same age as her daughter, and had his own room in case they weren’t getting along that day. When I met him in the evening, he turned out to be a bare-chested, suntanned surfer of California legend." google.com/books/edition/In_…

The SS United States is set to be sunk in mid-November ebx.sh/fNbRyA

Ukrainian-developed FPV drone simulator “Remote Reaper: FPV Drone” has officially left Early Access, with version 1.0 now available on Steam. Developed in collaboration with military pilots, the simulator focuses on combat FPV drone operations and introduces several features in its full release, including armored vehicles with modeled vulnerable zones, electronic warfare effects that can disrupt video feeds and control signals during the final stage of an attack, and a customizable drone editor. Version 1.0 also adds configurable weather conditions, custom mission editing, real-time flights with other pilots and a racing mode. Players can use FPV hardware or a gamepad with realistic flight physics, or opt for simplified controls using a keyboard and mouse. #RemoteReaper #FPV #FPVDrone #DroneSimulator

Québécois call and response folk singing has been all over my social media. I see this guy on instagram all the time. It’s fucking awesome. Vive le Québec fr

Highlights from the deal breakers that a medium attractive 31-year-old woman shared when applying to be set up with my matchmaking clients: - Wears glasses - Too connected to his family - Religious - Moderate or conservative politically I don't mean to be disrespectful but she may actually die alone 😳

Inside of 15 years the Roman Catholic Church changed its reputation from “backwards cabal of evil pedophilic rapists” to “the only major international social force taking a firm, humanist leadership role on the issues of the day”

In this era of artificial intelligence, it is becoming urgent to distinguish human art from what machines produce. There is an ontological difference, even before an aesthetic one, between art and what a machine can generate through statistical calculation based on millions of images created by others. Algorithms lack the spark of humanity. For this reason, the Church wishes to renew an alliance with artists and cultural institutions to safeguard our humanity.

also Pete’s dad dying in the American Airlines crash and him personally reckoning with it before he uses that story to help pitch to American Airlines while their PR is bad. perfect show

"one 25-year-old tells the BBC, adding, "also, I lift weights in the gym, so I don't want to snap a nail and waste money." But there are those who think the trend - or the way it's being discussed by some - belies something more sinister.” Spend $120 on nails or you’re classist?!

In 2017, I wrote a future history of the US in which President Trump died of a heart attack induced by a market crash in the third year of his second term. (Although in my case it was a climate disaster-driven crash in real estate, not an AI bubble.) nytimes.com/2026/09/18/us/po…

“You are worse than a fool. You have no care for your species. For thousands of years men dreamed of pacts with demons. Only now are such things possible. And what would you be paid with? What would your price be, for aiding this thing and letting it grow?”