It was an ambitious notion – now Californians will vote on a one-time 5% billionaire tax, and state’s super rich have pulled out all the stops in opposition One year ago, the idea of a billionaire tax in California was still in its infancy. It wasn’t yet one of the ...
Month: October 2026
I wrote a book about death. Here’s what people really think about dyingI wrote a book about death. Here’s what people really think about dying
In the eight years since my graphic novel on death published, I’ve learned readers of all ages want to talk about loss and preserve their family’s stories Becoming an author in my late 50s was unexpected, the result of my daughter Hallie’s own existential anxiety in her early 20s. Fearing ...
Ghost in the machine: how AI is haunting the search for the supernaturalGhost in the machine: how AI is haunting the search for the supernatural
Ghost hunting has changed in recent years due to AI chatbots, and paranormal enthusiasts are concerned Ghost hunting is a tech-heavy pursuit. When Amy Waine and Jarrad Cutting investigate haunted locations, they’re loaded up with software of their own design, such as an app that assigns signals from a phone’s ...
Scientists Analyzed Thousands of Psychedelic Trips. They Found Something DisturbingScientists Analyzed Thousands of Psychedelic Trips. They Found Something Disturbing
Researchers have amassed a trove of more than 25,000 calls to a support hotline for people during and after psychedelic trips, making it “the largest dataset of psychedelic support interactions ever assembled—exceeding the combined sample sizes of all published psychedelic clinical trials by an order of magnitude,” according to a ...
Proton’s CEO Cancels AI ‘Re-Interviews’Proton’s CEO Cancels AI ‘Re-Interviews’
On Friday, Andy Yen, the CEO of Proton, cancelled a series of nearly company-wide ‘re-interviews’ that would have forced employees to explain how they are using AI, with the clear intention that they may be fired if not using it enough in the eyes of Proton leadership, according to six ...
Behind the Blog: Tech SupportBehind the Blog: Tech Support
This is Behind the Blog, where we share our behind-the-scenes thoughts about how a few of our top stories of the week came together. This week, we discuss customer service and Proton fallout. JASON: Since I wrote about ChatGPT turning me into tech support for people’s random problems, I have ...
Apple Is Entering Its Slop EraApple Is Entering Its Slop Era
My ears perked up when I heard Apple’s new foldable phones were cracking. I licked my lips when the company announced it’s releasing a touch-screen laptop. This was a company that once charged $19 for a polishing cloth, asked $200 for a VESA mount, and sold $700 wheels for the ...
Crypto giant Binance attempting to recover $6.3bn stolen in hack linked to North KoreaCrypto giant Binance attempting to recover $6.3bn stolen in hack linked to North Korea
The cyber-attack, which the company describes as complex, is believed to be the largest ever of its kind. ...
Gulf states must rethink trillion-dollar defence in light of US-Iran war, says reportGulf states must rethink trillion-dollar defence in light of US-Iran war, says report
IISS study questions overreliance on American support and ‘overdependence on expensive, high-end systems’ Gulf states are going to have to reconfigure their trillion-dollar defences given the damage inflicted on their economies and the questionable continued value of US bases in the face of Iranian attack, according to a study by ...
US inmate Christa Pike says she woke up ‘confused and in pain’ after failed executionUS inmate Christa Pike says she woke up ‘confused and in pain’ after failed execution
It is Pike’s first public statement since she survived an execution attempt by lethal injection in September. ...