Critical Digital Media
@digital.therourke.net
Articles, essays, papers, artworks and news stories on digital media, digital culture, and media arts - also mirrored at: criticaldigitalmedia.tumblr.com
by @therourke.net (also see @additivism.org)
by @therourke.net (also see @additivism.org)
The United States is on the Cusp of a Digital Dark Age | TechPolicy.Press
The United States is on the Cusp of a Digital Dark Age | TechPolicy.Press
The first in a series of provocations, Dean Jackson and Sam Woolley write that the current assault on knowledge infrastructure is complex and multidirectional.
techpolicy.press
November 10, 2025 at 4:15 PM
The United States is on the Cusp of a Digital Dark Age | TechPolicy.Press
Spotify Gains Subscribers as App Offering Expands - WSJ
www.wsj.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Spotify Gains Subscribers as App Offering Expands - WSJ
Bizarre disappearing captcha
The Curious Case of the Bizarre, Disappearing Captcha
While puzzling captchas—from dogs in hats to sliding jockstraps—still exist, most bot-deterring challenges have vanished into the background.
www.wired.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Bizarre disappearing captcha
The Validation Machines - The Atlantic
The Validation Machines
Humanity thrives on friction—so why are the tools of the future built to make everything seem so easy?
www.theatlantic.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The Validation Machines - The Atlantic
Here’s How the AI Crash Happens - The Atlantic
Here’s How the AI Crash Happens
The U.S. is becoming an Nvidia-state.
www.theatlantic.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Here’s How the AI Crash Happens - The Atlantic
How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time | MIT Technology Review
How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time
The idea that machines will be as smart as—or smarter than—humans has hijacked an entire industry. But look closely and you’ll see it’s a myth that persists for many of the same reasons conspiracies...
www.technologyreview.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:15 PM
How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time | MIT Technology Review
How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi | Scientific American
How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi
What would the world look like if we changed the value of pi? Whether in the real world or a game environment, the answer is complex
www.scientificamerican.com
October 31, 2025 at 10:20 AM
How an Error in Cult Classic Game Doom Sparked New Appreciation for Pi | Scientific American
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Our devices work for Big Tech, not us
Hate for a $100 to-do list is misplaced
www.ft.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:50 PM
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AI use makes us overestimate our cognitive performance, study reveals
AI use makes us overestimate our cognitive performance, study reveals
When it comes to estimating how good we are at something, research consistently shows that we tend to rate ourselves as slightly better than average. This tendency is stronger in people who perform low...
techxplore.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM
AI use makes us overestimate our cognitive performance, study reveals
George R.R. Martin Is Carving Up OpenAI In Court, So Far
George R.R. Martin Is Carving Up OpenAI in Court, So Far
The scales have tipped in favor of the 'Game of Thrones' author and his cohort suing OpenAI, with a recent ruling advancing two additional theories of infringement against the AI giant.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:05 PM
George R.R. Martin Is Carving Up OpenAI In Court, So Far
My Brain Finally Broke | The New Yorker
My Brain Finally Broke
Much of what we see now is fake, and the reality we face is full of horrors. More and more of the world is slipping beyond my comprehension.
www.newyorker.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:45 AM
My Brain Finally Broke | The New Yorker
Analogue computers could train AI 1000 times faster and cut energy use
Analogue computers could train AI 1000 times faster and cut energy use
Computers built with analogue circuits promise huge speed and efficiency gains over ordinary computers, but normally at the cost of accuracy. Now, an analogue computer designed to carry out calculations...
www.newscientist.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Analogue computers could train AI 1000 times faster and cut energy use
2.2 Million New Materials Discovered with AI
2.2 Million New Materials Discovered with AI
Geological media, the technosphere, and impending singularities
softfutures.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:44 PM
2.2 Million New Materials Discovered with AI
The Argument for Letting AI Burn It All Down
The Argument for Letting AI Burn It All Down
When the AI bubble bursts, the nerds will do their best work.
www.wired.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:45 AM
The Argument for Letting AI Burn It All Down
The Age of De-Skilling
The Age of De-Skilling
Will AI stretch our minds—or stunt them?
www.theatlantic.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:15 AM
The Age of De-Skilling
Can TikTok Brainrot Make You a Marxist?
Can TikTok Brainrot Make You a Marxist?
Rabbit Holed is Kieran Press-Reynolds’ weekly column exploring songs and scenes at the intersection of music and digital culture, separating shitpost genius from shitpassé lameness. This week, Kieran...
pitchfork.com
October 26, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Can TikTok Brainrot Make You a Marxist?
Death to Spotify is hitting the mainstream, here's why you should get involved
Death to Spotify is hitting the mainstream, here's why you should get involved
The Death to Spotify campaign pushes a powerful message
www.androidpolice.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Death to Spotify is hitting the mainstream, here's why you should get involved
People Who Say They’re Experiencing AI Psychosis Beg the FTC for Help | WIRED
People Who Say They’re Experiencing AI Psychosis Beg the FTC for Help
The Federal Trade Commission received 200 complaints mentioning ChatGPT between November 2022 and August 2025. Several attributed delusions, paranoia, and spiritual crises to the chatbot.
www.wired.com
October 22, 2025 at 5:30 PM
People Who Say They’re Experiencing AI Psychosis Beg the FTC for Help | WIRED
Tech bros need the world to believe their hype. Here’s an idea – let’s just ignore them | Australian books | The Guardian
Tech bros need the world to believe their hype. Here’s an idea – let’s just ignore them | Pip Finkemeyer
Social media didn’t live up to its promises. So why do we think artificial intelligence will be any better?
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Tech bros need the world to believe their hype. Here’s an idea – let’s just ignore them | Australian books | The Guardian
Money, muscles and anxiety: why the manosphere clicked with young men – a visual deep dive | Internet | The Guardian
Money, muscles and anxiety: why the manosphere clicked with young men – a visual deep dive
The manosphere is known for misogyny, but that’s not the only thing that influencers in this space offer. Young men explain the allure and the problems of the manosphere in their own words
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Money, muscles and anxiety: why the manosphere clicked with young men – a visual deep dive | Internet | The Guardian
AI’s Invasive Species - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
AI’s Invasive Species
The slop is winning.
www.theatlantic.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:53 PM
AI’s Invasive Species - The Atlantic www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Opinion | Chatbots Are a Waste of A.I.’s Real Potential - The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
Opinion | Silicon Valley Is Investing in the Wrong A.I.
Generative A.I. can do many things human beings can do. But that misses the point about how A.I. can truly benefit us.
www.nytimes.com
October 20, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Opinion | Chatbots Are a Waste of A.I.’s Real Potential - The New York Times www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/o...
The platform exposing exactly how much copyrighted art is used by AI tools | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian
The platform exposing exactly how much copyrighted art is used by AI tools
From 007 to Elsa, Vermillio claims it can trace percentage of AI-generated image drawn from pre-existing material
www.theguardian.com
October 18, 2025 at 4:30 PM
The platform exposing exactly how much copyrighted art is used by AI tools | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian
How Sam Altman Played Hollywood With OpenAI's Sora 2
How Sam Altman Played Hollywood
OpenAI’s CEO brazenly regurgitated major studios’ characters to allow video app Sora 2 to spit out clips tailor-made for users. Insiders at the major agencies are alarmed — and some wonder whether...
www.hollywoodreporter.com
October 18, 2025 at 4:05 PM
How Sam Altman Played Hollywood With OpenAI's Sora 2