Early on April 29, 2026, Bailey Townsend posted a skeet that turned out to be prophetic for what would happen later in the day: I think people forget sometimes that the "credible exit" part
The Lost History of One of the World’s Strangest Science Experiments (Published 2019)
The hummingbirds were dying. Cockroaches were everywhere. And then Steve Bannon showed up.
Sumit Roy on Twitter / X
A Bloomberg journalist thinks ChatGPT might have just changed how this election turned out. pic.twitter.com/n5vZEcXsdN— Sumit Roy (@sumitroy2) November 4, 2026
Debunking “When Prophecy Fails”
ABSTRACT In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased. But When Prophecy Fails (1956), the now‐canonical account of the event, claimed the opposite: that the group doubled down on its beliefs and began recruiting—evidence, the authors argued, of a new psychological mechanism, cognitive dissonance. Drawing on newly unsealed archival material, this article demonstrates that the book's central claims are false, and that the authors knew they were false. The documents reveal that the group actively proselytized well before the prophecy failed and quickly abandoned their beliefs afterward. They also expose serious ethical violations by the researchers, including fabricated psychic messages, covert manipulation, and interference in a child welfare investigation. One coauthor, Henry Riecken, posed as a spiritual authority and later admitted he had “precipitated” the climactic events of the study.
dev scoops: some narrative advice a Valve person gave me once
Many years ago when I was a tiny baby making InFlux (of which there is now a Redux), I had no idea what I wanted to do with it narratively, if anything. Because, from a young age, he had humoured me, I emailed Gabe Newell about it, knowing he was in the habit of either replying or forwarding to someone he thought might reply. I got some good thoughts back from David Speyrer, who’s been at Valve since ’99, which I shall publish here now because at a party last night someone was interested.
'We're doomed': Mayer Hillman on the climate reality no one else will dare mention
The 86-year-old social scientist says accepting the impending end of most life on Earth might be the very thing needed to help us prolong it
Meredith Whittaker on Twitter / X
I read it. And I'll engage here in good faith. But before I get into substance, I implore you to open the window, touch grass, and let yourself connect with the reality of what’s happening right now. This is a world historical moment. Please recognize what ICE is at this time,… https://t.co/DJVVqNX6oX— Meredith Whittaker (@mer__edith) January 29, 2026
John Battelle's Search Blog Predictions 2024: It’s All About The Data
Let’s talk 2024. 2023 was a down year on the predictions front, but at least I’ve learned to sidestep distractions like Trump, crypto, and Musk. If I can avoid talking about the joys of…
The Curious About Everything Newsletter #60
The many interesting things I read in February 2026
The Curious About Everything Newsletter #66
The many interesting things I read in August 2026
Cuckoos can beget Offshoots — and that's a sensational feature of keeping lexicons open. @rude1.blacksky.team and @anirudh.fi just demonstrated how ATProto's app-layer credible exit is meant to work, socially and technically. numergent.com/2026-04/Cuckoo-begets-Offshoo…
Cuckoo begets Offshoot
numergent.comSermon 2026-01-11
Epiphany Observed 2026
056. Ephesians 3:1-12
Epiphany • Ephesians 3:1–12 • January 6, 2013 - Concordia Theology
First Impressions on Ephesians 3:1-12 - Without Authority
Epiphany • Ephesians 3:1–12 • January 4, 2015 - Concordia Theology
