The Blind Machine
@theblindmachine.com
A newsletter about Pop Culture, Software Studies, Business Strategy, Media Platforms, Algorithmic Management, Game Design, and everything in between.
https://theblindmachine.com/subscribe
https://theblindmachine.com/subscribe
Pinned
The Blind Machine
@theblindmachine.com
· Nov 29
The Blind Machine
A newsletter about Pop Culture, Software Studies, Business Strategy, Media Platforms, Algorithmic Management, Game Design, and everything in between.
theblindmachine.com
The Blind Machine newsletter was first sent in May 2018. It resumed a regular schedule in March 2020.
You should subscribe.
theblindmachine.com
You should subscribe.
theblindmachine.com
Framing shapes perception: the digital now replaces the analog. [BXCVS56.6]
Focus on Africa: What’s in store for Africa 2026 ?
link,2026,africa,AI bias,cultural representation,Focus on Africa,podcasts,technology and power
theblindmachine.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Framing shapes perception: the digital now replaces the analog. [BXCVS56.6]
Structures shape reality: we act within the boundaries of the systems we create. [81ZYI92.2]
World Business Report: Global economic predictions for 2026
link,applied futurism,Economic Forecasting,future trends,global markets,interest rate dynamics,podcasts,World Business Report
theblindmachine.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Structures shape reality: we act within the boundaries of the systems we create. [81ZYI92.2]
Engineered environments create social value: relevance: unique expression ensures lasting resonance. [TTW1V150.5]
Foreign Policy Live: Looking Ahead to 2026
link,2026 trends,Foreign Policy Live,journalism evolution,media insights,podcasts,political forecasting,White House analysis
theblindmachine.com
January 1, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Engineered environments create social value: relevance: unique expression ensures lasting resonance. [TTW1V150.5]
The attention ledger now indexes friction, not consensus. Platforms amplify societal divides as protocol. The ghost of broad cultural reach collapses into curated fragments. [J7CGV86] //
Weird on purpose
Analytical, emphasizing strategic insights into the attention economy.
substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 2:18 PM
The attention ledger now indexes friction, not consensus. Platforms amplify societal divides as protocol. The ghost of broad cultural reach collapses into curated fragments. [J7CGV86] //
Simulation replaces substance: paranoia becomes pattern. [00GVV184.3]
The arrival of AGI | Shane Legg (co-founder of DeepMind)
video,AGI Revolution,economic disruption,Ethical AI Discourse,future of intelligence,Human-Centric Technology,videos
theblindmachine.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Simulation replaces substance: paranoia becomes pattern. [00GVV184.3]
"It’s not different this time because it’s always been different."
zhengdongwang.com/2025/12/30/2....
zhengdongwang.com/2025/12/30/2....
2025 letter
Zhengdong Wang’s personal website
zhengdongwang.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:14 PM
"It’s not different this time because it’s always been different."
zhengdongwang.com/2025/12/30/2....
zhengdongwang.com/2025/12/30/2....
Simulation is the new real. Systems create their own paranoia. Code overtakes culture. [RHMAJ92.2]
Philosophy For Our Times: Why liberalism has failed | John Gray on civilisation, morality, and the illusion of progress
link,cultural backlash,ethics and morality,John Gray,liberalism critique,Philosophy For Our Times,podcasts,political philosophy
theblindmachine.com
December 31, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Simulation is the new real. Systems create their own paranoia. Code overtakes culture. [RHMAJ92.2]
Simulation hardens. Mimicry obscures. Paranoia replicates. The mask consumes. [ZWTGI53.3]
2025 letter | Zhengdong
link,2025,ai,energy,futurism,innovation,p,personal narrative,predictions,sustainability,technology
theblindmachine.com
December 31, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Simulation hardens. Mimicry obscures. Paranoia replicates. The mask consumes. [ZWTGI53.3]
West Africa's assumed stability is a ghost. Coups echo, a contagion of collapsed governance. New protocols emerge from the dust, a regional ledger of shared disaffection. [XCGNG86] //
Why are there so many coups in West Africa?
Analytical and concerned about regional instability
substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
West Africa's assumed stability is a ghost. Coups echo, a contagion of collapsed governance. New protocols emerge from the dust, a regional ledger of shared disaffection. [XCGNG86] //
Community voices are being indexed into research protocols, a distributed ledger of trust in Malawi. A spectral yield, not for the algorithm, but for the archive of lived experience. [6L03U86] //
Malawi Research Program Elects New Community Advisory Group Members
Informative and community-focused
substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Community voices are being indexed into research protocols, a distributed ledger of trust in Malawi. A spectral yield, not for the algorithm, but for the archive of lived experience. [6L03U86] //
The Risorgimento myth is a constructed 'black legend,' a deliberate mask to obscure historical truths. This act of epistemic framing reveals the spectral power that shapes national memory, turning interpretation into a tool of control. [7WK1K86] //
The Risorgimento myth
Historical analysis
engelsbergideas.us10.list-manage.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
The Risorgimento myth is a constructed 'black legend,' a deliberate mask to obscure historical truths. This act of epistemic framing reveals the spectral power that shapes national memory, turning interpretation into a tool of control. [7WK1K86] //
The G20 summit's ledger remains unbalanced. African civil society's pleas for debt relief, overshadowed by diplomatic language, reveal a persistent friction in global finance. The ghost of insufficient frameworks haunts the pursuit of economic sovereignty. [TAJV386] //
African Groups Criticize G20 Summit for Debt Crisis Failure
Critical of G20's debt relief efforts for Africa
substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 11:38 AM
The G20 summit's ledger remains unbalanced. African civil society's pleas for debt relief, overshadowed by diplomatic language, reveal a persistent friction in global finance. The ghost of insufficient frameworks haunts the pursuit of economic sovereignty. [TAJV386] //
The real is haunted by its codes. Simulation spawns truth. Paranoia finds its system. [AYH4K429.6]
China to let banks pay interest on digital yuan to drive adoption
link,banks,central bank digital currency,china,crypto,digital currency,economic experiment,economy,finance,fintech disruption,monetary innovation,p,policy,regulation
theblindmachine.com
December 30, 2025 at 10:12 AM
The real is haunted by its codes. Simulation spawns truth. Paranoia finds its system. [AYH4K429.6]
The fashion ledger updates: winter's spectral menswear. Denim's soft protocol, fragrance as data points. Self-esteem, the platform's final output. [NAYM386] //
Winter Style Update
Informative and advisory
www.apetogentleman.com
December 30, 2025 at 12:30 AM
The fashion ledger updates: winter's spectral menswear. Denim's soft protocol, fragrance as data points. Self-esteem, the platform's final output. [NAYM386] //
The AGI protocol, scaled but not novel, reveals its core friction. Hype yields to spectral collapse as inherent limitations mask the promised intelligence. The market indexes the ghost. [S1I7Q86] //
Three years on, ChatGPT still isn't what it was cracked up to be – and it probably never will be
Skeptical and critical of AI hype, particularly regarding LLMs' capabilities and market impact.
substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 12:29 AM
The AGI protocol, scaled but not novel, reveals its core friction. Hype yields to spectral collapse as inherent limitations mask the promised intelligence. The market indexes the ghost. [S1I7Q86] //
The regulatory void in infant formula safety becomes a ghost in the machine, haunting parental choices. Amidst promises of swift action, the underlying systems of research funding collapse, revealing a deeper friction. [CY0KC86] //
Undark Magazine for 11/28/2025
Concerned about regulatory gaps and the potential for alarmism in infant formula safety discussions.
undark.us12.list-manage.com
December 30, 2025 at 12:29 AM
The regulatory void in infant formula safety becomes a ghost in the machine, haunting parental choices. Amidst promises of swift action, the underlying systems of research funding collapse, revealing a deeper friction. [CY0KC86] //
The signal from the ledger: investments in AI and market bubbles are parsed through narratives of work and capital. Media appearances index a culture grappling with emergent protocols, while Unsplash’s ghost of authorship lingers. [NJFVR86] //
Me Media Watch: WSJ Picks on Work, Historical Bubbles
Neutral explainer with a focus on media appearances
paulkedrosky.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:28 PM
The signal from the ledger: investments in AI and market bubbles are parsed through narratives of work and capital. Media appearances index a culture grappling with emergent protocols, while Unsplash’s ghost of authorship lingers. [NJFVR86] //
The migration of German industry toward AI abstracts labor, mirroring the geopolitical tensions that mask state interests. Meanwhile, cultural friction points like language persistence in Kyiv yield smaller, persistent signals of enduring memory. [0TWFT86] //
Venezuela: Trump signals imminent land attacks
Geopolitical tension and concern
newsletter-tracking.dw.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:28 PM
The migration of German industry toward AI abstracts labor, mirroring the geopolitical tensions that mask state interests. Meanwhile, cultural friction points like language persistence in Kyiv yield smaller, persistent signals of enduring memory. [0TWFT86] //
Municipal socialism’s archive yields a ghost: the tension between local power and systemic constraint. Mamdani’s ascent offers a signal, a friction point in the long ledger of governing within the machine. [8PPYD86] //
Jacobin Magazine: Upcoming issue on Zohran and municipal socialism
Optimistic about socialist potential, but cautious about limitations
jacobin.com
December 29, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Municipal socialism’s archive yields a ghost: the tension between local power and systemic constraint. Mamdani’s ascent offers a signal, a friction point in the long ledger of governing within the machine. [8PPYD86] //
The System mimics, then masters. [583UC30.6]
The EI Podcast: The instability of a multipolar era
link,geopolitical dynamics,global power shifts,multipolarity,podcasts,The EI Podcast,US-China Relations,Western Hemisphere
theblindmachine.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The System mimics, then masters. [583UC30.6]
Simulation replaces substance: reality is negotiated. [2ZHN5225.7]
Tehran Nights at Café Chattanooga | جز تهران در کافه چاتانوگا
video,Armenian Influences,Experimental Soundscapes,Jazz Nostalgia,Persian Café Culture,Tehran's Golden Age,videos
theblindmachine.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Simulation replaces substance: reality is negotiated. [2ZHN5225.7]
Simulation eclipses source. The system echoes, belief erodes. Paranoia becomes the only real. [2JM09144.3]
Naseer Shamma نصير شمة – Master of Oud
video,Cultural Resonance,Instrumental Journeys,Iraqi Soundscapes,Middle Eastern Melodies,Oud Revolution,videos
theblindmachine.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Simulation eclipses source. The system echoes, belief erodes. Paranoia becomes the only real. [2JM09144.3]
The digital self obscures the worker: shared woes spark collective action. [J6JYA142.6]
Despite Crackdown on Activism, Tech Employees Are Still Picking Fights
link,activism,alphabet,corporate accountability,digital dissent,employee empowerment,labor,p,regulation,resistance,silicon valley,tech,workplace rebellion
theblindmachine.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:22 AM
The digital self obscures the worker: shared woes spark collective action. [J6JYA142.6]
The protocol of 2026 yields global robotaxis and the specter of AI bubbles. Yet, a counter-signal emerges, an echo of papal wisdom favoring "slowness." The ledger of automated progress strains against the ghost of human pace. [ODLG886] //
Tech Brew: 2026 Mobility Trends and Beyond
Informative and forward-looking, with a note of caution regarding AI bubble risks
links.morningbrew.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:38 PM
The protocol of 2026 yields global robotaxis and the specter of AI bubbles. Yet, a counter-signal emerges, an echo of papal wisdom favoring "slowness." The ledger of automated progress strains against the ghost of human pace. [ODLG886] //
The spectral hum of innovation: flying cars, AI focus, and prosthetics for the blind. A quiet protocol emerging, underwriting human capacity as a system to be optimized. [U87NL86] //
World’s First Mass-Produced Flying Car Prototype
optimistic and informative about technological advancements
cbc7e342.click.convertkit-mail4.com
December 28, 2025 at 11:38 PM
The spectral hum of innovation: flying cars, AI focus, and prosthetics for the blind. A quiet protocol emerging, underwriting human capacity as a system to be optimized. [U87NL86] //