Zohran won an election. The VP dressed up for Halloween. Are they that different? Both trigger reactions in 18-29 year old women, so in this political environment who knows. This is now the longest shutdown ever. Polymarket has another 9 days.
Democrats won governorships in VA and NJ too, which you would think is more important than a mayor. More on that mayor though, Former FTC commissioner Lina Khan is the transition chair. Regular New Yorkers like Alex Soros are excited. His intern asks for Jihad. And Zohran made a speech.
California redistricts. China releases it’s next Five Year Plan. Giga.ai raises a big Series A. Tesla has a shareholder meeting. Pelosi retires. Bitcoin “tanks” to $100k. Whales are selling. B-52s strafe Venezeula.
Ilya was deposed. A cargo plane has a crazy crash. A prescient 2020 email from Thiel on socialism surfaces. The median age of first time home buyers hits 40. An IRS lawyer starts a hot dog stand. Nicki Minaj thanks Trump for supporting Christians in Nigeria. Chamath gets a new collar.
St. John Henry Newman is a Doctor of the Church. Pray for us.
On to the reading!
Timely
Technology, Power, and the Case for Global Socialism - A dive into the economic and strategic implications of China’s latest Five Year Plan.
Zohran Mamdani, Third-Worldism, and the Algerian Revolution -
‘Soul-Crushing’: Students Slam Harvard’s Grade Inflation Report - Harvard students aren’t happy about stricter grading rules. They liked all their easier A’s.
What If You Don’t Need MCP? - This is in the weeds, but I used to think MCP was a key part of the AI experience. I’m less sure now. Does an LLM need tools? Yes absolutely, but that doesn’t mean MCP anymore.
Timeless
Spirit and the Cost of Cognition - What does it mean for intelligence to be disembodied? “The magic will be plentiful, but the magicians are few.”
Thoughts on the AI Buildout - Dwarkesh with some rational thoughts on just how big things can scale.
Beijing’s New Approach To Taiwan - There’s a lot of new movement between PRC and Taiwan, on both sides.
Deciding To Win - A new summary on what needs to happen for Democrats to win decisively. I continue to think the rebuilding of the Democratic Party is one of the most important American projects right now.
Books
Excellent Advice For Living by Kevin Kelly - If you know me you know I love aphorisms. Kevin Kelly is always fun to read too, so there was no way combining the two wouldn’t make a book I love. I love this book. So many simple and elegant lessons. My kids will each get a copy of this when they’re older.
Tweets
Some good ones, so you don’t need to scroll!
The world is amazing. Cheers!