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Chris Riley

@mchrisriley.com
2.2K followers 1K following 491 posts

"A blend of tech insights, dad humor, and existential musings... Bonus points if you can explain data portability over bourbon." mchrisriley.com (... of course)

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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 18/06/2026
New from me at Tech Policy Press: Building Trust Infrastructure for Agentic AI. There are challenges coming; let's get out ahead of them, if it's not already too late. www.techpolicy.press/building-tru...
A graphic with the Tech Policy Press logo and the title and author of the piece as quoted.
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Allan @allanfriedman.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Fantastic thread linking Taiwanese independence, the state of the chip market, and the stability of the US economy.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 17/05/2026
Pick a Bond from photos you already have on your phone.
Kirk Cousins and Fernando Mendoza, Raiders QBs, posing in a family style portrait wearing ties and argyle vests.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 17/05/2026
Just minding my own business, reading Dungeon Crawler Carl book 8, when all of a sudden ... Hey, what the heck, man! What did redheads do to you?
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 13/05/2026
I am sure I am the first person ever to vibe code while eating dinner and accidentally spill hot sauce on my MacBook, AMA
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 08/04/2026
This is a Peace Corps recruitment poster in the pedestal at the Statue of Liberty. Sure hits different now.
A vintage poster featuring the Statue of Liberty pointing out to sea, with text "Make America a Better Place. Leave the Country."
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 11/03/2026
this is just so wonderful
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 23/02/2026
Excited for this event coming up on Friday: "Who Controls Data in the Age of AI?" luma.com/kpf2voda Sign up and come to UC Law San Francisco to learn about the law and practice of data transfers with several distinguished speakers, and me. (But I organized it, so they had to include me, mwahaha!)
luma.com
Who Controls Data in the Age of AI? · Luma
Who Controls Data in the Age of AI? Portability, Platforms, and Power Friday, February 27 1:30–5:00 PM 198 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA About the…
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 18/02/2026
🎯
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 11/02/2026
We are, collectively, struggling to come to terms with the emerging capabilities of AI. Two conversations are happening with no cross-pollination, optimistic and pessimistic. I am trying to create a workable theory to reach both. Here is my chapter on self: mchrisriley.medium.com/chapter-9-th...
mchrisriley.medium.com
Chapter 9: The Nature of a Self
Dr. Landers: “You, Bob, are what most people would call an Artificial Intelligence, although that’s not strictly accurate. You are a copy…
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 04/02/2026
"Doing harm at scale requires infrastructure." So good, from @johnathan.bsky.social @shappy.bsky.social I always read World's Best Newsletter, but this one I am going to save and reread. mailchi.mp/rawsignal/yo...
mailchi.mp
You are not entirely powerless
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Tiffany C. Li @tiffanycli.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Federal judge has ordered the release of Liam Ramos (the bunny hat boy) and his father. A brief and rather remarkable order. Clearly written to be shared widely, so please do. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Ultimately, Petitioners may, because of the arcane United States immigration system, return to
their home country, involuntarily or by self-deportation. But that result should occur through a more
orderly and humane policy than currently in place.
Philadelphia, September 17, 1787: "Well, Dr. Franklin, what do we have?" "A republic, if you
can keep it."
With a judicial finger in the constitutional dike,
It is so ORDERED.
SIGNED this 31st day of February, 2026.
7um Jing
FRED BIERY
UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE
Credit: Bystander
Matthew 19:14
John 11:35

There is also the photo of the boy from the viral stories included.
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State Court Report @statecourtreport.org · 27/01/2026
NEW: When can states prosecute federal agents? While it may not be easy, especially if federal officials impede an investigation, states have more power than people may realize. @aliciabannon.bsky.social breaks down the tools states have to hold federal officials accountable:
statecourtreport.org
When Can States Prosecute Federal Agents?
Federal precedent permits such prosecutions in limited circumstances, but the legal bar remains high.
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Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Last week in Minnesota, I watched ordinary people risk their lives to protect their neighbors. In the process, they not only won a significant—though not final—victory against authoritarianism, they proved virtually every MAGA social theory wrong. (gift link) www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Every social theory undergirding Trumpism has been broken on the steel of Minnesotan resolve. The multiracial community in Minneapolis was supposed to shatter. It did not. It held until Bovino was forced out of the Twin Cities with his long coat between his legs.

The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone. In Minnesota, all of the ideological cornerstones of MAGA have been proved false at once. Minnesotans, not the armed thugs of ICE and the Border Patrol, are brave. Minnesotans have shown that their community is socially cohesive—because of its diversity and not in spite of it. Minnesotans have found and loved one another in a world atomized by social media, where empty men have tried to fill their lonely soul with lies about their own inherent superiority. Minnesotans have preserved everything worthwhile about “Western civilization,” while armed brutes try to tear it down by force.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 25/01/2026
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/s... There is a callout box in the print version of this piece that reads, "Like all gods, this technology is inscrutable." .... sheesh. The piece itself is pretty great though, and reinforces what I wrote about idolatry and dangerous mutual worship dynamics.
nytimes.com
It Makes Sense That People See A.I. as God
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 24/01/2026
Excited to kick off the spring concert prep cycle!
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 20/01/2026
This is an incredible conversation, touching on several distinct and worthy issues -- not just AI, but even more so science and how we approach it, the pervasive confusion of correlation and causation, and a bit of current politics/events at the end. Well worth a read.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 08/01/2026
This is a very sad, but of course not surprising, development.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 21/12/2025
I'm sure literally no one involved in making this happen will care, but I shudder to think of the child psychologist reaction to this Universal Basic Investment proposal: www.axios.com/2025/12/21/t... Making every kid aware of, and competing over, money seems like a fast way to ruin childhood.
axios.com
The solve for America's aging crisis: Universal Basic Investment
The goal: Give the next generation a financial leg up, plus a living lesson in compound interest.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 03/12/2025
Breaking recommendation algorithms with my highly specific tastes, 2025 edition. Had a lot of long car rides with kids in the first half of the year...
Spotify Wrapped, showing 5 top artists: Jelly Roll, Andy Grammer, Anna Palfreeman, Thomas Rhett, Kenny Chesney.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 26/11/2025
As a practicing Christian, I genuinely believe God engages with the present world in mysterious ways, and if we but listen quietly and humbly, He will speak to us. ... but not like that. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/o... (See also, by me: mchrisriley.medium.com/interlude-co...)
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 22/11/2025
Here, read this instead: mchrisriley.medium.com/chapter-6-me...
mchrisriley.medium.com
Chapter 6: Memories in the Mind and the Machine
Deckard: Remember when you were six? You and your brother snuck into an empty building through a basement window. You were going to play…
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Dave Karpf @davekarpf.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
All of Bluesky this morning:
media.tenor.com
a person holding a bag with a note that says dead dove do not eat
Alt: a person holding a bag with a note that says dead dove do not eat
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 21/11/2025
The comments on this post are illuminating.
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 18/11/2025
This is, of course, a fascinating thread from Kate asking why Google is effectively cannibalizing its own market for both digital ads on third party properties and search ads, by effectively taking away the incentive to click through to third party sites. I have a theory as to why they're doing it.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 14/11/2025
Today is @dansinker.com 's birthday. If you're not already signed up for his emails, you should! dansinker.com/follow/ And maybe buy some stickers or something. I love my "TRYING" sticker, it is the anchor sticker on my laptop, the first one I put on.
dansinker.com
follow my stuff | dansinker.com
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 06/11/2025
Where will things progress now? Will law enforcement in NYC face thrown slices of pizza? Hot dogs in Chicago? Sushi in LA or SF? Teriyaki in Seattle? Only time will tell.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 27/10/2025
I'm going to say it: I like working with an AI copyeditor. Generally, I hate independent editing, because all of my words are precious butterflies and how dare you (even when you're right). But with AI, I have absolutely zero compunction to say "Ha ha, fuck you, NO" and put the original back in.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 13/10/2025
AI has no place in beer. Today's edition of "sentences I never thought I'd have to say", but thanks to @404media.co apparently we do? www.404media.co/what-happene...
404media.co
What Happened When AI Came for Craft Beer
A prominent beer competition introduced an AI-judging tool without warning. The judges and some members of the wider brewing industry were pissed.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 11/10/2025
The longevity cult is going to be ALL OVER the naked mole rats. For science, I guess. Hat tip @404media.co of course, because they are the best.
Image is text, reading: Naked mole-rats didn’t get the memo about being a normal mammal and instead opted for a “eusocial” society similar to insects that is ruled by a colony queen with an entourage of breeder males, which are supported by a caste system of non-breeding workers. It’s super weird, but it seems to be working out for them because they can live to nearly 40 years old—ten times longer than most animals their size—and they are highly resistant to cancer and a host of other deathbringers. Image is text, reading: In addition to this window into mole-rat social behavior, a new genetic analysis identified the critical role of an enzyme called cGAS, a common component in animal immune systems, in extending the lives of these subterranean super-agers. 

Whereas cGAS may hinder DNA repair in most animals, including humans and mice, the naked mole-rat has evolved a version of the enzyme with four modified amino acids that enhances DNA repair . Naturally, the researchers also engineered some fruit flies with this naked mole rat enzyme—you gotta mess with fruit flies or it’s not science—and lo and behold, the juiced flies lived to about 70 days, roughly ten days longer than the control group.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 02/10/2025
I really enjoyed this piece on AI + consciousness, a topic I've been thinking about a lot lately. It covers some of the key thinkers + dimensions of the problem, and touches on why it matters: the future possibility of moral welfare, + the risk of it distracting from more pressing concerns.
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 24/09/2025
I somehow had missed this news, but this is huge and wonderful news in the midst of so much bad stuff. Alaa being freed is great...
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 24/09/2025
cool cool apnews.com/article/unga...
apnews.com
A massive telecom threat was stopped right as world leaders gathered at UN headquarters in New York
The U.S. Secret Service has dismantled a massive hidden telecom network in New York. Investigators say the system could have crippled cell towers and jammed 911 calls.
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Bennett School of Public Policy, University of Cambridge @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk · 15/09/2025
Governing AI starts with user control To keep AI open, competitive, & user-centred, we need real data portability — no more platform lock-in, writes @mchrisriley.com, Data Transfer Initiative, in a new blog: www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/blog/governi...
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 11/09/2025
👀 And don't miss the closing line of their announcement: "If you would like to bring your memory details over from a different AI tool or export your memory from Claude for backup or migration, you can follow these instructions." (link goes to: support.anthropic.com/en/articles/... )
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 10/09/2025
... wow
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 18/08/2025
Chris Riley offers a set of principles for personal AI data transfers, and proposes that technologists begin to immediately develop AI data transfer tools, starting with a concrete and yet valuable data model: generative AI conversation histories.
techpolicy.press
We Need to Control Personal AI Data So Personal AI Cannot Control Us | TechPolicy.Press
The need for collective work on data models and transfer tools will grow more complex and more important, writes Chris Riley.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 08/08/2025
"think harder" not smarter apparently...
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 08/08/2025
I am dying omg.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 07/08/2025
just this headline is disturbing me. maybe i should go back to bed...
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 06/08/2025
umm www.404media.co/constitution...
404media.co
Constitution Sections on Due Process and Foreign Gifts Just Vanished from Congress' Website
Part of Article I Section 8, and all of Sections 9 and 10, which address things like habeas corpus, nobility, and militias, are gone from Congress's website for the Constitution.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 01/08/2025
Another excellent piece from Rosie Spinks: rojospinks.substack.com/p/does-where... Read through to the end, the bit about how AI will remove more friction, which will undercut our thriving and sense of life's meaning. Great stuff.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 01/08/2025
And yet, there will be (many) mainstream Democrats hemming and hawing about whether this is an intellectually sound or fair argument to make, on the grounds that allegedly Trump and friends are paying for the costs, as if that distinction mattered any more.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 01/08/2025
I can see this, particularly in 2025, yeah. But my greater concern is that we will put AI in charge of everything, and then everything will break.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 31/07/2025
This feels like an Onion article.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 30/07/2025
Sam Altman says "don't use GPT for therapy" (techcrunch.com/2025/07/25/s...), meanwhile "therapy/companionship" is literally the #1 use case (hbr.org/2025/04/how-...)
media.tenor.com
a man is holding a purple iron with the words the irony written on it
Alt: a man is holding a purple iron with the words the irony written on it
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 20/07/2025
I know approximately one million. Paul is good people, for those who spot this.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 16/07/2025
"vibe physics" lol gizmodo.com/billionaires...
gizmodo.com
Billionaires Convince Themselves AI Chatbots Are Close to Making New Scientific Discoveries
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Preeti Chhibber @runwithskizzers.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
This, from @404media.co, is very good “The Media's Pivot to AI Is Not Real and Not Going to Work” www.404media.co/the-medias-p...
Screenshot from the linked article that reads: 


I also know that our credibility and the trust of our audience is the only thing that separates us from anyone else. It is the only "business model" that we have and that I am certain works: We trade good, accurate, interesting, human articles for money and attention. The risks of offloading that trust to an Al in a careless way is the biggest possible risk factor that we could have as a business. Having an article go out where someone goes "Actually, a robot wrote this," is one of the worst possible things that could ever happen to us, and so we have made the brave decision to not do that.Screenshot from the linked article that reads: 

There is no reason for an individual journalist or an individual media company to make the fast food of the internet. It's already being made, by spammers and the Al companies themselves. It is impossible to make it cheaper or better than them, because it is what they exist to do. The actual pivot that is needed is one to humanity.
Media companies need to let their journalists be human. And they need to prove why they're worth reading with every article they do.
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Chris Riley @mchrisriley.com · 08/07/2025
This is only the beginning. And I don't know what to do about it. (... which makes it exactly the sort of problem that interests me ... who wants to chat?) www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
A Marco Rubio impostor is using AI voice to call high-level officials
An imposter using AI to pose as Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted three foreign ministers, a U.S. governor and a member of Congress, according to a State Department cable.
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