Sam Biddle
@sambiddle.com
Senior Technology Reporter at The Intercept
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https://sambiddle.com
Got a tip? Signal: sambiddle.99 (Make sure you don’t contact me via a work-provided device)
https://sambiddle.com
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Sam Biddle
@sambiddle.com
· 19d
As Israel Bombed Gaza, Amazon Did Business With Its Bomb-Makers
The Intercept has learned that Amazon sold cloud services to Israeli weapons firms at the height of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
theintercept.com
SCOOP: I obtained internal documents showing Amazon has been selling cloud computing and AI services to the state-owned Israeli weapons manufacturers whose bombs and missiles have ravaged Gaza.
theintercept.com/2025/10/24/a...
theintercept.com/2025/10/24/a...
All of the global engineering prowess of the past 20+ years should have been redirected solely on improving music app visualizer technology, this is what Apple is still shipping in the year 2025
November 12, 2025 at 3:57 AM
All of the global engineering prowess of the past 20+ years should have been redirected solely on improving music app visualizer technology, this is what Apple is still shipping in the year 2025
Medieval Peasant Brain USA
Under-the-weather TikTokers are slicing raw potatoes and placing them in their — and their children’s — socks before bed. The theory is that the potato draws out toxins.
However, experts warn against relying on folk remedies over medical care.
However, experts warn against relying on folk remedies over medical care.
No, putting a potato in your sock will not cure a cold
TikTokers are placing slices of raw potatoes in their — and their children’s socks — overnight to cure illnesses.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Medieval Peasant Brain USA
Reposted by Sam Biddle
late to this but i feel like an underrated part of the musk meltdown over joyce carol oates accusing him of not reading is this musk reply that makes it clear he has never read anything by joyce carol oates
November 10, 2025 at 9:31 PM
late to this but i feel like an underrated part of the musk meltdown over joyce carol oates accusing him of not reading is this musk reply that makes it clear he has never read anything by joyce carol oates
The latest “barber recommends frequent haircuts” op-ed
Of course, Eric Schmidt would think that the only two possible futures are rule by AI or rule through AI.
Trying to incorporate the critiques of the former to push for the latter, as if "deliberation with AI" wasn't precisely the "reproducing the ideology of the status quo"
Trying to incorporate the critiques of the former to push for the latter, as if "deliberation with AI" wasn't precisely the "reproducing the ideology of the status quo"
Opinion | This Is No Way to Rule a Country
www.nytimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:38 PM
The latest “barber recommends frequent haircuts” op-ed
I think the belief by the powerful that "people will put up with many things if you are excellent at math" is incredibly revealing in terms of understanding How We Got Here
November 11, 2025 at 7:14 PM
I think the belief by the powerful that "people will put up with many things if you are excellent at math" is incredibly revealing in terms of understanding How We Got Here
Reposted by Sam Biddle
Trump’s campaign to quell dissent by deploying the American military to U.S. cities comes at an immense price.
Trump’s Military Occupations of U.S. Cities Cost $473 Million and Rising
Trump’s campaign to quell dissent by deploying the American military to U.S. cities comes at an immense price.
interc.pt
November 11, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Trump’s campaign to quell dissent by deploying the American military to U.S. cities comes at an immense price.
the Netflix Frankenstein looks and feels like an NBC made for TV movie from 2004
November 10, 2025 at 6:26 PM
the Netflix Frankenstein looks and feels like an NBC made for TV movie from 2004
The notion that Palantir's "code of conduct" would stop it from engaging in civil liberties violations is a bad joke theintercept.com/2017/02/22/h...
November 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
The notion that Palantir's "code of conduct" would stop it from engaging in civil liberties violations is a bad joke theintercept.com/2017/02/22/h...
Reposted by Sam Biddle
infocom, game studio, catalog, back, excerpt (1983) archive.org/details/vgmu...
November 9, 2025 at 4:17 AM
infocom, game studio, catalog, back, excerpt (1983) archive.org/details/vgmu...
Reposted by Sam Biddle
I understand this argument but I disagree: being precise about who is doing this stuff matters, especially since we will eventually have to determine what to do in the future if reform becomes possible.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
It's fine and good to note that CBP is extra bad, but from a political messaging point of view, ICE is the way people identify the larger group and being Technically Correct is often just bad political messaging. It's ICE to the public. They're all on the same Gestapo mission.
Not ICE. Border Patrol. They’re wearing Border Patrol uniforms with clear Border Patrol patches on them.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
There are many videos of ICE officers doing outrageous stuff but a lot of the absolute worst videos are of Border Patrol, who are basically Bovino and Miller’s most aggressive tool right now.
November 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I understand this argument but I disagree: being precise about who is doing this stuff matters, especially since we will eventually have to determine what to do in the future if reform becomes possible.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
I somewhat agree with you about political messaging, but that’s not what I’m trying to do.
Reposted by Sam Biddle
SCOOP: Trump Has a Secret List of 24 “Designated Terrorist Organizations.” We Got Some of the Names.
The U.S. claims it is engaged in “armed conflict” with Tren de Aragua, Ejército de Liberación Nacional, and Cártel de los Soles, among others.
theintercept.com/2025/11/07/t...
The U.S. claims it is engaged in “armed conflict” with Tren de Aragua, Ejército de Liberación Nacional, and Cártel de los Soles, among others.
theintercept.com/2025/11/07/t...
Trump Has a Secret List of 24 “Designated Terrorist Organizations.” We Got Some of the Names.
The U.S. claims it is engaged in “armed conflict” with Tren de Aragua, Ejército de Liberación Nacional, and Cártel de los Soles, among others.
theintercept.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:07 PM
SCOOP: Trump Has a Secret List of 24 “Designated Terrorist Organizations.” We Got Some of the Names.
The U.S. claims it is engaged in “armed conflict” with Tren de Aragua, Ejército de Liberación Nacional, and Cártel de los Soles, among others.
theintercept.com/2025/11/07/t...
The U.S. claims it is engaged in “armed conflict” with Tren de Aragua, Ejército de Liberación Nacional, and Cártel de los Soles, among others.
theintercept.com/2025/11/07/t...
Just had my first experience with an synthesized voice "AI" answering the phone at a business (called to make a restaurant reservation) and it resulted in the bot texting me a link to OpenTable that doesn't work 👍
November 7, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Just had my first experience with an synthesized voice "AI" answering the phone at a business (called to make a restaurant reservation) and it resulted in the bot texting me a link to OpenTable that doesn't work 👍
This strikes me as an existential crisis for the social sciences
LLMs are now widely used in social science as stand-ins for humans—assuming they can produce realistic, human-like text
But... can they? We don’t actually know.
In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.
And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
But... can they? We don’t actually know.
In our new study, we develop a Computational Turing Test.
And our findings are striking:
LLMs may be far less human-like than we think.🧵
Computational Turing Test Reveals Systematic Differences Between Human and AI Language
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used in the social sciences to simulate human behavior, based on the assumption that they can generate realistic, human-like text. Yet this assumption rem...
arxiv.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:55 PM
This strikes me as an existential crisis for the social sciences
Reposted by Sam Biddle
Musk just called his robot program, Optimus, "an infinite money glitch" for the wealth it will bring Tesla and urges his shareholders to hold on to their Tesla stock.
One way or the other, we'll likely revisit this quote in the future.
One way or the other, we'll likely revisit this quote in the future.
November 6, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Musk just called his robot program, Optimus, "an infinite money glitch" for the wealth it will bring Tesla and urges his shareholders to hold on to their Tesla stock.
One way or the other, we'll likely revisit this quote in the future.
One way or the other, we'll likely revisit this quote in the future.
Reposted by Sam Biddle
YouTube publicly decries Biden pressuring it to censor, then quietly does this at Trump's behest: theintercept.com/2025/11/04/y...
YouTube Quietly Erased More Than 700 Videos Documenting Israeli Human Rights Violations
The tech giant deleted the accounts of three prominent Palestinian human rights groups — a capitulation to Trump sanctions.
theintercept.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:26 PM
YouTube publicly decries Biden pressuring it to censor, then quietly does this at Trump's behest: theintercept.com/2025/11/04/y...
Reposted by Sam Biddle
caffeine free diet soda the night after everyone tried mexican coke for the first time
Last night was a thumping from coast to coast. Across the country, voters rejected chaos and cynicism – and chose leaders who are focused on the cost of everyday life.
November 5, 2025 at 5:37 PM
caffeine free diet soda the night after everyone tried mexican coke for the first time
Reposted by Sam Biddle
The great @attackerman.bsky.social on Dick Cheney www.thenation.com/article/poli...
His Works Completed, Dick Cheney, Mass Murderer of Iraqis and American Democracy, Dies
As much as the Trumpists claim to disavow the War on Terror, they walk a path paved by the most powerful vice president in U.S. history.
www.thenation.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:58 PM
The great @attackerman.bsky.social on Dick Cheney www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Reposted by Sam Biddle
Are You on Trump’s List of Domestic Terrorists? There’s No Way to Know.
The Trump administration is using NSPM-7 to compile the names of alleged domestic terror groups. It won’t tell us who’s on the list.
theintercept.com/2025/11/04/t...
The Trump administration is using NSPM-7 to compile the names of alleged domestic terror groups. It won’t tell us who’s on the list.
theintercept.com/2025/11/04/t...
Are You on Trump’s List of Domestic Terrorists? There’s No Way to Know.
The Trump administration is using NSPM-7 to compile the names of alleged domestic terror groups. It won’t tell us who’s on the list.
theintercept.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Are You on Trump’s List of Domestic Terrorists? There’s No Way to Know.
The Trump administration is using NSPM-7 to compile the names of alleged domestic terror groups. It won’t tell us who’s on the list.
theintercept.com/2025/11/04/t...
The Trump administration is using NSPM-7 to compile the names of alleged domestic terror groups. It won’t tell us who’s on the list.
theintercept.com/2025/11/04/t...
Reposted by Sam Biddle
Reposted by Sam Biddle
Nvidia is helping facilitate ICE investigations, federal procurement records show theintercept.com/2025/11/01/i...
ICE Investigations, Powered by Nvidia
ICE’s investigative division, increasingly involved in street-level immigration enforcement, struck a software deal with Nvidia.
theintercept.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Nvidia is helping facilitate ICE investigations, federal procurement records show theintercept.com/2025/11/01/i...
Reposted by Sam Biddle
ICE is planning to offer private sector bounty hunters cash bonuses for quickly tracking down the home addresses of immigrants across the US, according to a DHS document I reviewed. ICE encourages potential contractors to use "all technology systems available.” theintercept.com/2025/10/31/i...
ICE Plans Cash Rewards for Private Bounty Hunters to Locate and Track Immigrants
Companies hired by ICE would be given bundles of information on 10,000 immigrants at a time to locate.
theintercept.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:06 AM
ICE is planning to offer private sector bounty hunters cash bonuses for quickly tracking down the home addresses of immigrants across the US, according to a DHS document I reviewed. ICE encourages potential contractors to use "all technology systems available.” theintercept.com/2025/10/31/i...
Reposted by Sam Biddle
in early 2016 facebook came to the conclusion that everyone with a facebook account at the time was connected to everyone else on facebook by an average of about 3.5 hops research.facebook.com/blog/2016/2/...
November 2, 2025 at 2:53 AM
in early 2016 facebook came to the conclusion that everyone with a facebook account at the time was connected to everyone else on facebook by an average of about 3.5 hops research.facebook.com/blog/2016/2/...
Nvidia is helping facilitate ICE investigations, federal procurement records show theintercept.com/2025/11/01/i...
ICE Investigations, Powered by Nvidia
ICE’s investigative division, increasingly involved in street-level immigration enforcement, struck a software deal with Nvidia.
theintercept.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Nvidia is helping facilitate ICE investigations, federal procurement records show theintercept.com/2025/11/01/i...