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.
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.
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
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
Nate Hagens on Twitter / X
I knew it was coming. But that was an intellectual knowing. The emotional realization is harder https://t.co/XdXRgUfF71— Nate Hagens (@NJHagens) October 2, 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.comWondering if using "credible exit" when talking about atproto will confuse/mislead people how atproto works under the hood?
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This is a radically different idea than the advocacy I’ve seen for “data portability” and ”data sovereignty”. It’s a *restructuring* of power rather than small adjustments to existing structures. atproto and local-first, both in their own ways, demonstrate what such a restructuring can look like.
Sermon 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
