Regarding OFAC, making payment to any ransomware illegal, I have long pondered if participating in cryptocurrencies that is or has been used for ransomware payments shouldn't be considered under money laundering laws. That might make most cryptocurrencies illegal, or rather shine the light on the main useages already being illegal.

If you want interesting historical deep dives, I always enjoy Dig - the history podcast. Well researched by actual scholars, which goes hand in hand with the episodes not dropping that often.

The picture at top of the blog post is Sam Altman, the guy saving the world from the AI he is creating.

And yeah, he looks like that.

I've used SMTP2go. It was adequate for the needs of the organisation I worked for.

I happened to come across an article mentioning the Robinson–Patman Act (from 1936) in relation with wage fixing by algorithm.

From Wikipedia: "a United States federal law that prohibits anticompetitive practices by producers, specifically price discrimination"

It might be relevant here. Obviously I am not a US lawyer specialised in monopoly law.

On 1, I hope you are right that the AI bubble will burst soon.

I am less certain where the next bubble will be, but pretty certain there will be one. We have seen bubble after bubble during the neoliberal era where hot money inflates valuations in a sector, sells it as success and cash out, leaving the bag with banks, governments, pension funds or households. Then it crashes, causing more or less widespread devastation. But those that started the process are now richer and has more money to push into the next bubble, preferably something that is already growing.

So, apart from AI, what is growing now? Weapons manufacturers seem to be doing very well, and weapons and AI are also connected. So my prediction is that the next bubble will be weapons related, probably focused around AI powered drones. As the US is pressuring NATO governments to increase weapons spending, money will pour in directly from governments to the corporations. As long as the threat of on outbreak of peace can be averted, money will keep rolling in.

Good piece.

I would add scammers to the list, and I don't mean fake AI as the public at large isn't aware about just how much "AI" is just off-shoring to someone in a country with lower wages. I mean scam email, posts, DM:s, what have you. Creating the bullshit text to lure the victim has never been easier.

I also think that unfortunately that is one sector where AI might very well be profitable even when it has to carry its real costs.

Just curious, now that crypto seems to be nearing the end of its destructive bubble life, is their any good ideas on who or what (if group, not suggesting aliens) Satoshi Nakamoto is or were?

No, This is shit: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cE4lpSFNFUE

(Actually it is quite good. The linked tune that is. Not the book.)

I really like her version of the "first we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin"-song.

What benefits did the Longtermist stuff on pandemics do in the actual pandemic?

If, as I suspect, it was of no benefit, it belongs in the same pile as hindering the acasualrobotgod.

I am mostly here for the stupidity.

Crypto is entertainingly stupid, in particular now that it's crashing and burning, so why not.

(Assistant stage whispers: It's a vote, just say Aye)

I mean Aye!