iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 15/09/2026

This is consistent with my view of the problem. www.thebignewsletter.com/p/is-artific...

In previous eras, we did manage risk. We allow ordinary humans to ride around in huge fast metal objects called cars, which can go out of control and kill at random. We travel over giant steel and concrete objects known as bridges, the failures of which would lead to mass death. We pile into metal tubes with wings that whisk us from city to city in the air at high speeds. We have dynamite, we’ve split the atom, we poured ozone into the atmosphere and stopped, we industrialized agriculture and compacted ourselves into urban zones that were perfect breeding grounds for plague, and so on and so forth. We managed risk all the time from older technologies, even existential risk. It looks like we don’t, because those rules are so internalized.

We haven’t constrained new technologies for decades, because we lost touch with our traditions of public governance. So we have lost the very ability to imagine it’s possible. In China, by contrast, where the superrich are not in control, and which has a coherent governance model, the same kind of existential fears about AI simply do not exist. Sure there’s a bit of concern about controlling these models, but LLMs are understood as machines with risk that needs to be managed. In the U.S., we have so downgraded the very concept of society-wide risk management that most can’t see the problem clearly, or really at all.

TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 15/09/2026

My view is that AI should be regulated like any other possibly dangerous product. The companies and people should be liable for harms. The risk of prison and existential fines would align the interests of the companies to society. Not very likely though. www.thebignewsletter.com/p/is-artific...

And here I think the last forty years of nihilistic refusal to govern for the public interest takes its toll on our imagination. I had a recent conversation with an AI doomer sympathizer, and I asked him why criminal prosecutions or holding these companies liable for harms wouldn’t restructure incentives and force safer products. He agreed that it would, but argued that in his experience, there is no way to enforce the rule of law against the powerful. No jury could ever convict, and no prosecutor would dare take on OpenAI or Anthropic.

I was sort of shocked, and then I realized it was more realistic for him to imagine that bots would take over our civilization and supplant humanity than to imagine that we might apply the rule of law to Sam Altman. And that, to me, proved that we don’t have a crisis with technological advances, we have a crisis of the rule of law.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 08/09/2026

It keeps getting worse. "The DHS document obtained by 404 Media shows that Border Patrol is analyzing the financial activity of Americans to find people to pull over. [Including] heavily using ALPRs to track potential targets’ movements." www.404media.co/a-secretive-...

404media.co

A Secretive DHS ‘Predictive Policing’ Unit is Analyzing Americans’ Financial Habits and Pulling Them Over

404 Media is revealing the name of Border Patrol's predictive policing units, which analyze financial data and have local cops pull people over. The people are not suspected of any particular crime.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 16/08/2026

For me, this is programming in 2026.

Screenshot showing the straighforward technical competence and charming experience between me and Milo, my agent as we text back and forth about a project.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 15/08/2026

I was leaving an airport when I saw the announcement of his shooting and survival. I thought, "Damn. He fucking lived." I wished Ronald Reagan dead and still wish he had died. A ton of the evil shit happening started with his 'taxation is theft'. Fuck him. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/15/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | He Tried to Kill My Father. Now He Wants to Rewrite History.

This is not what contrition looks like.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 12/08/2026

And in case you forgot why Chuck Schumer has to GO, here are the progressive values he inculcated in his daughter. "Amazon’s chief lobbyist fighting a delivery worker protection i is Jessica Schumer, the daughter of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)," prospect.org/2026/08/11/m...

prospect.org

Mamdani’s Taking On Amazon. His Opponent? Chuck Schumer’s Daughter. - The American Prospect

Legislation before the New York City Council would end Amazon’s subcontracting of delivery drivers. Jessica Schumer is the lead lobbyist against it.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 11/08/2026

In case you forgot why you despise Zuckerberg. m.slashdot.org/story/456940

m.slashdot.org

Slashdot

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 31/07/2026

After two years of research and implementation versions, I am pretty suree re I have solved a complicated graph matching algorithm. It’s costing me several cents per and I have 30K of them AND the project that was funding it has lost their funding but I can’t not see it work. Also. I need it. Grrrr

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 28/07/2026

I know I am going to be disappointed but, I can think of no public issue right now that I would like to see resolved well. If Pete Hegseth is rejected, it would be a rare moment of delight. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/28/u...

nytimes.com

Senate Democrats Press Blanche on Times Subpoenas (Gift Article)

Days before a committee vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination to be attorney general, Democrats demanded answers about the since-withdrawn subpoenas.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 27/07/2026

On the *outside* of the thermopane glass. Can it be dangerously humid?

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 26/07/2026

Me and both kids. Insane. (Some sci-fi had 'arcologies' with sci-fi domes over cities where people had to live. Go outside and fires and floods and heat and so on would kill. Seemed over the top back then, horrifyingly plausible now... Except for the idea of dome safety. No safety on offer.)

Screenshot showing dangerous weather in Chicago, Minnesota and Santa Cruz.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 23/07/2026

Legendary, at least. I read a lot of things by him. May his memory be a blessing.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 23/07/2026

I'm sad. I'm no sports person by youtube recently introduced me to Cunningham. She's a very cool basketball player and is fun to see on youtube. Now this. She apparently thinks trans-women are dangerous, presumably because they are lying rapists. Fuck her. www.nytimes.com/athletic/746...

nytimes.com

Sophie Cunningham says it’s ‘common sense’ to keep trans athletes out of women’s sports (Gift Article)

In an ESPN article, the Indiana Fever guard said that girls and women "shouldn't have to go against biological men."

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 13/07/2026

could there be a worse crook on the world stage than Donald Trump?

Riya Misra / Politico:
US to take over Strait of Hormuz, charge 20 percent fee for cargo shipped through, Trump says — President Donald Trump on Monday said the U.S. will take over the Strait of Hormuz — and will be reimbursed “at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped” for overseeing one of the world's …
Discussion: CBS News, The Hill, The Mahablog and NPR
RELATED:
Business Insider:
Trump demands shipping vessels pay 20% if they want to get through the Strait of Hormuz
Discussion: Reuters, CBS News, Bloomberg, Mediaite, New York Post, 19FortyFive, Jewish Insider and The Daily Signal
Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Trump proposes 20% toll on cargo through Strait of Hormuz; restarts Iran blockade
Discussion: Reuters, Al Jazeera, New York Post, Mediaite and Middle East Monitor

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 12/07/2026

Good news to start you day. Sad that he didn’t linger in pain but at least Lindsey Graham is dead.

Headline announcing the Lindsay’s Graham, asshole Senator, is dead at 71 and a “brief and sudden” illness. Sad he didn’t linger in pain but at least he’s dead.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 12/07/2026

Until 7/13, you can comment on the Federal rule change that will put political appointees in charge of science grant funding (instead of scientists) and disallow almost all communication opportunities (conferences, etc). It is apocalypse bad.   Comment here:   www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

federalregister.gov

Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposes to revise the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance to improve government- wide policies and requirements related to the management of grants, co...

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 11/07/2026

My wife, reading about the latest guy that ICE murdered, observes that ICE will be spoken of in the same way that we talk about the SS, Gestapo, Concentration Camp Guards and other exemplars of evil. I know that, were I to meet a person who works for ICE, I would feel contempt.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 06/07/2026

Me? I still do consulting. Nobody is unable to get a job because of me. I try to help and encourage young people. I’ll be dead soon enough. Let those with decades ahead run the show now. Let them have power. Bow the fuck out. I’ve had my time.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 05/07/2026

The premise of this book is that old people are holding back progress and need to be reigned in. It’s only a book review so I don’t know if I agree with his prescriptions for solving the problem but I do know that I agree that young people have a stronger claim. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/b...

nytimes.com

Are Old People Ruining American Democracy? (Gift Article)

A new book by Samuel Moyn argues that the country has become an “oldigarchy,” in which wealth and power are hoarded by the elderly.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 04/07/2026

Small price to pay for President Shithead and his spawn to make a couple of billion. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/04/u...

nytimes.com

Nearly a Million Investors Lost a Total of $3.8 Billion on Trump Crypto Coin

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 04/07/2026

CO2 has crossed my mind in meetings a thousand times over the decades but I always thought it sort of ridiculous. Turns out it is not ridiculous at all. CO2 climbs to impairment levels in conference rooms with not very many people after not too long. blog.mikebowler.ca/2026/07/03/c...

blog.mikebowler.ca

The bottleneck might be the air in the room

You gather your most expensive people into a room to make your most important decisions. Then, somewhere in the second hour, the room quietly gets worse at making them. Not the people. The room.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 04/07/2026

I've had so many arguments with those claiming that zionism equals racism or genocide or any other calumny. It is an inclusive and kind philosophy. "[T]he challenges and setbacks of any given moment do not invalidate the underlying promise of the idea itself" www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | What Zionism Has Always Meant

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 28/06/2026

Awhile ago, we had a spasm of ”you shouldn’t socialize with LLMs. Go find real friends.” My reply is always, “Where?” and “LLMs are more interesting than people”. I just spent the last couple of hours socializing with Claude. It was awesome. Better than any human. claude.ai/public/artif...

LLM chat transcript showing very fancy physics conversation summary about wavefunctions and Neumann-Wigner “consciousness-collapse” and more. Illustrates how cool the conversation was. Hit the link to see the complete chat. It was great.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 26/06/2026

I swing both ways on this observation. On one side, I want everyone to make a living. On the other, asserting dependance on corporations furthers the destruction of our society.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 26/06/2026

I don't like heroes. Especially ones in uniform. "FDNY has increasingly become a clearinghouse for knee-jerk criticism of bike lane projects, a trend that threatens to stymie Mayor Mamdani’s agenda of making the Big Apple’s streets the “envy of the world.”" nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/06/26/f...

nyc.streetsblog.org

FDNY Brass Lobby Against Bronx Harlem River Greenway - Streetsblog New York City

FDNY officials are taking their war on Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plans to build bike lanes to a Bronx community board.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 26/06/2026

When Trump ran against Hillary who ran against Bernie, I observed that Trump's existence ruined the D's, too, in the form of Bernie Bros, vicious, lying, dogmatic anti-Hillary types. It's coming to fruition. I feel hideously vindicated. This essay explains why. www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-democr...

noahpinion.blog

The Democrats have their own MAGA now

The shape of America's new Left is becoming clearer.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 18/06/2026

I did not read that in the memorandum text.

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Reposted by TQ White II (he/him)

NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 18/06/2026

Ukraine’s SSO confirmed strikes on an oil depot and fuel base in Gukovo, Rostov region, overnight on June 18. Operators worked with the Black Spark resistance movement, with drone hits causing fires and destruction at the facilities. #Ukraine

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 14/06/2026

This government isn't against anything except trans people, etc. Under Trump there are no principles. At best, somebody got worried about Mythos and then thought, Hey, we could use this to screw Anthropic. More likely, the reverse. The 'screw anthropic' committee had a brainstorm.

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Reposted by TQ White II (he/him)

Nick Diakopoulos @ndiakopoulos.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

What law exactly allows the president of the US to dictate that you can’t sell a product to a non-US citizen?

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Reposted by TQ White II (he/him)

David Marx @digthatdata.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

This is an even more symbolically appropriate image with the failed attempt to obstruct the public's view and deny the press their right to document the moment.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 14/06/2026

The article concludes that 250th anniversary UFC fight shows Trumps contempt for American values. IMHO, it is a perfect reflection of the zeitgeist, superficial, self-aggrandizing, money-grubbing & violent. Tempting to blame him but look around. I see it everywhere www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Only One President Could Come Up With This Spectacle

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 14/06/2026

"This spectacle" is the 250th anniversary UFC fight. It shows, it says, is how awful Trump is. IMHO, its a perfect example of the zeitgeist. Perhaps a moment when Trump reflects America most accurately. Superficial, money grubbing, self-aggrandizing and violent. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/13/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Only One President Could Come Up With This Spectacle

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 14/06/2026

I would have to see this somewhere much more authoritative before I believe that the Trump administration was sad about fucking over Anthropic. I suspect this text is false.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 19/05/2026

re: Trump lawsuit corrupt slush fund Looks like everyone should apply for to get money because of Justice Department abuse. "“Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they were victims,” Blanche replied." www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05...

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 19/05/2026

Bullies are always weak. Trump most of all. "For all his defiant projection of unbound command, the war has revealed extraordinary weakness at the core of his presidency, the true puniness of his power." www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Trump and His Advisers Clearly Haven’t Actually Read Thucydides

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 02/05/2026

Obviously this scientist is paid for by the water industry to make up LIES and PROPAGANDA saying that WE DON’T NEED WATER.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 29/04/2026

If this doesn't bring tears to your eyes, there is something very wrong with you. America has become an evil place. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | White Drivers Got a Warning. Latino Drivers Got Detained.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 27/04/2026

I’m guessing that there are about a hundred people every day who are trying to shoot President Shithead that are intercepted ands stopped. This guy was able to get into the hotel with a ton of weapons. Two minutes later, “we have to build the ballroom to prevent this” activates my bullshit detector.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 26/04/2026

I never believed the first assassination. Cartilage heals slowly and has bad scars. He was back in the pink in a week. This one, he didn’t even pretend to be arises by the shots.

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TQ White II (he/him) @tq.tqwhite.com · 19/04/2026

First good mitigation of the nightmare that has become of the Supreme Court's corrupt power. The premise is to have the judges for each case be chosen, by lottery, in this case a panel chosen from all the federal judges. (This is how appeals courts work now.) www.liberalcurrents.com/break-up-the...

liberalcurrents.com

Break Up the Big Court

The federal court suffers simultaneously from lawless leadership and chronic understaffing. Let's fix both problems at once.

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