What if all publishers federated their sites? https://digiday.com/media/why-publishers-are-preparing-to-federate-their-sites/ 

 Headline of the moment: "AI has an “anus” problem. https://om.co/2024/05/24/ai-has-an-anus-problem 

 You can buy a human skull at this store in Venice -- perfect prop for Hamlet.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/495/848/169/250/582/original/537fe05c67b59723.jpg 

 Here's something I've seen only in the US: pecan pie (this one baked by my wife, Amira).

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/495/352/981/886/804/original/1a902246ed2f890c.jpeg 

 Losers gonna lose https://www.mediaite.com/tech/trumps-truth-social-media-company-lost-nearly-330-million-last-quarter-on-track-to-lose-more-than-1-billion-by-end-of-year/ 

 Dispatch from the Mexico City Gastronomad Experience https://gastronomad.net/mexico

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/083/474/779/845/351/original/eb58a5766c2b826b.png 

 HEADLINE: "Trumpworld takes aim at Republicans who supported Ukraine aid push"

ALT HEADLINE: "Trump wants to Make Russia Great Again" 

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4473646-trumpworld-takes-aim-at-republicans-who-supported-ukraine-aid-push/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/956/220/605/823/227/original/2b9bdf4756c0280d.jpg 

 Mickey Mouse today entered the public domain. And he wants blood. https://mikeelgan.substack.com/i/139870560/mickey-mouse-today-entered-the-public-domain-and-he-wants-blood

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/682/869/120/828/112/original/25b3e64bcb20e8fc.png 

 This battery-powered TV sucks (and that’s how it sticks to the wall) https://mikeelgan.substack.com/i/137688407/this-battery-powered-tv-sucks-and-thats-how-it-sticks-to-the-wall

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/194/500/762/010/449/original/da33b112eabf533b.webp 

 The enshitification of Xitter continues: New X ad format keeps advertiser anonymous, doesn’t disclose that it’s an ad, can't be reported or blocked (and, in this case, doesn’t even contain actual sentences). https://mashable.com/article/twitter-x-new-clickbait-ad-format

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/192/949/933/383/482/original/5c82272d4818596b.png 

 My lunch today in Fez, Morocco: A camel cheeseburger with fries and an Orangina.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/189/233/048/396/181/original/03ec899dc3702e22.jpg 

 I love the “Blue Gate” of Fez, the most famous entrance to this ancient Medina (founded in, and continuously inhabited since, the 9th Century).

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/189/130/615/498/608/original/059236948832425b.jpg 

 “Megalomaniacal narcissists who break rules and violate norms to increase their own wealth and power hate the media because it’s the media that exposes, documents, details and contextualizes their self-serving transgressions. That’s why the powerful among them are hellbent on convincing the public that fake news is real news and real news is fake news.” https://mikeelgan.substack.com/p/why-elon-musk-is-too-late-to-break-1bf

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/187/828/115/354/648/original/f46ca3ca0d3ad6ae.png 

 Prada to help design NASA spacesuits. I asked AI what that would look like: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-67022619

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/185/337/476/744/692/original/869e8aa4a3a76aeb.png

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/185/337/553/572/411/original/fbfa230d62428320.png 

 What to know about new generative AI tools for criminals https://securityintelligence.com/articles/what-to-know-about-new-generative-ai-tools-for-criminals/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/184/808/841/408/760/original/4453746d5b809adf.jpg 

 Why Elon Musk is too late to break the media

https://mikeelgan.substack.com/p/why-elon-musk-is-too-late-to-break-1bf

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/184/508/565/821/524/original/1d5bf3f3ae232aa9.png 

 Is there a name for this kind of post, where somebody (usually on Xitter) posts an easy question everybody wants to answer because people like talking about themselves? What is the point of such a post?

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/183/413/909/951/754/original/7043e6c3ef878480.png 

 Trump literally cries HELP! on Truth Social.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/183/363/051/630/650/original/926e7b72f6dd418d.png 

 This robot dog is actually derpy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7lDCSF0KP0

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/183/019/427/936/012/original/941b65956086552b.png 

 This street performer in Marrakech’s Jemaa el-Fnaa square is a real charmer.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/182/219/605/573/113/original/610954175e1a7822.jpg 

 Google is confronting Google Photos users with an explicit choice to use or not use face recognition features.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/182/207/483/231/804/original/21a98e41b68c1739.png 

 Gary Vaynerchuk says in this video that the first thing you should do to win in life is to stop listening to other people. (I don’t know what he said after that because I stopped listening.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSj1mq7rYC4

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/181/988/095/758/972/original/922da0e5ff6b616f.png 

 Hitler: “All great cultures of the past perished only because the originally creative race died out from blood poisoning.“

Trump: Immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country.“

https://www.meidastouch.com/news/trump-echoes-hitler-migrants-poisoning-the-blood-of-our-country 

 HEADLINE: “Trust in Congress Below 20%”

ALT HEADLINE: “Incredibly, Nearly 20% Trust Congress”

https://www.statista.com/chart/22449/congressional-approval/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/176/773/106/333/050/original/69100d98f9f1f5de.jpeg

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/176/773/202/162/408/original/ef28b89561decf88.jpeg

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/176/773/476/555/518/original/aaba7e7bea562c79.png 

 Phrase of the moment: "dead monkey photos"
https://www.wired.com/story/neuralink-uc-davis-monkey-photos-videos-secret/ 

 Social no longer drives traffic to legitimate news sites, but continues to drive traffic to sources of disinformation. Both government and media are to blame. https://www.axios.com/2023/10/03/social-media-traffic-news-sites-decrease

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/176/143/732/934/055/original/c3eea84871a54be2.png 

 Phrase of the moment: “the banality of crazy” https://www.forkingpaths.co/p/the-case-for-amplifying-trumps-insanity

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/176/110/294/679/705/original/ecb401cdad5e6bb6.webp 

 BREAKING: McCarthy out https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555 

 My wife’s blog post about fleeing the Civil War in El Salvador, growing up in America, and returning to feel at home a country that is finally free of four decades of oppressive violence. 

https://gastronomad.net/blog/2023/10/3/come-home-with-me-to-el-salvador-the-undiscovered-gem 

 Happy Taco Tuesday, everyone. Here’s my personal Taco Hall of Fame.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/172/287/664/045/444/original/1e6ca8f2c97e5328.png 

 Apple suppresses speech in China on behalf of the Communist Party, and they do it for the money. https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/10/03/apple-bows-to-china-starts-enforcing-app-store-rules 

 Truism of the moment: "Most ideas that look like bad ideas, are in fact bad ideas" https://substack.com/@jasoncrawford/note/c-41181234

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/170/589/698/870/366/original/aba30eec5fbdc55d.jpg 

 X sues X. 

https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/23900434/x-lawsuit-trademark-unfair-competition-elon-musk-twitter-florida 

 England to ban phones in schools. Is this a good idea? https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-66979378 

 This jacket stays cool in summer the same way you do — with beer https://mikeelgan.substack.com/i/137436153/this-jacket-stays-cool-in-summer-the-same-way-you-do-with-beer

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/162/419/332/908/673/original/3bce52de7a55f791.jpg 

 China is cloning influencers so the influencing never stops https://mikeelgan.substack.com/i/137436153/china-is-cloning-influencers-so-the-influencing-never-stops

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/162/400/491/395/070/original/c014564664d58108.png 

 Now you can attach an AirTag to your Apple Pencil https://mikeelgan.substack.com/i/137436153/now-you-can-attach-an-airtag-to-your-apple-pencil 

 Add “the Clapper” functionality to all your gadgets https://mikeelgan.substack.com/i/137436153/add-the-clapper-functionality-to-all-your-gadgets

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/161/916/993/521/018/original/4d214339f2815baf.png 

 Mike’s List just dropped: https://mikeelgan.substack.com/p/brilliantly-bad-weekend-edition-86a

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/161/350/418/538/942/original/e198af97fe67c657.jpg 

 Claim of the moment: “China is a loan shark with no legs left to break“ https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/china-caught-in-its-own-debt-trap-over-belt-and-roads-initiative/news-story/e2f3a0cd19df4db493acc422166bfe61 

 ALT HEADLINE: “Criminal calls for other criminals to be shot on sight” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/30/donald-trump-california-speech-robbers-shot 

 I love how the prompt for posting on Xitter is exactly what I’m thinking when I think about Xitter.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/150/910/245/856/717/original/fd0ed53b22d48226.png 

 ALT HEADLINE: Immigrant wears American hat backwards.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/150/782/243/029/475/original/98dc1b217b7aea8c.jpg 

 My office today: our hotel in the seaside Moroccan town of Essaouira

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/144/162/515/345/435/original/eecbaf8c44d77ee0.jpeg 

 Don't miss This Week in Google... this week https://elgan.com/dont-miss-this-week-in-google-dot-dot-dot-this-week

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/144/117/390/074/871/original/e28706b013086397.png 

 Moroccan eggs for breakfast in Marrakech
https://gastronomad.net/blog/2023/9/28/moroccan-eggs-for-breakfast-in-marrakech

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/142/968/099/081/873/original/794a0e6faf19c68d.jpg 

 Drudge:

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/134/303/434/427/694/original/cf9cbd49fe25296b.png 

 Tesla always shows the Cyber Truck from the side because this is what it looks like from the front.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/134/216/526/136/008/original/b31ec245b1d9b278.png 

 ALT HEADLINE: “Bears love Mexican food” 
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mexican-mother-bravely-shields-son-bear-leaps-picnic-103511490 

 Judge finds Trump commited fraud in New York for decades. Gives 10 days to shut down LLC for Trump Organization. Losers gonna lose. 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-company-violated-fraud-law-new-york-judge-rules/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/133/638/448/245/985/original/68e7e8051c9812f9.jpg 

 Twitter is now the leading social media source of disinformation.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/26/eu-warns-elon-musk-that-twitter-x-must-comply-with-fake-news-laws 

 Microsoft is going nuclear — report

https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-plan-to-use-nuclear-energy-power-ai-data-centers-2023-9 

 The Spanish airline Iberia left one of our bags at the Dallas airport. An AirTag tells us exactly where it is, but Iberia has no interest in sending it to us. Here's the whole story: https://elgan.com/on-the-limits-of-airtagged-luggage

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/131/023/511/585/311/original/d5c08036ae105ecc.png 

 My office today: an old house in the Marrakech Medina

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/130/865/372/665/944/original/90fc9f6e479cc142.jpg 

 Just landed in Marrakech and made a beeline for a nice cortado.

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/127/468/368/911/481/original/6e223289bcfafd51.png 

 Mike’s List Brilliantly Bad Weekend Edition: AI tarot cards, legalese lullaby, a truly "dynamic" display, caffeinated gamer chow and more! https://mikeelgan.substack.com/p/brilliantly-bad-weekend-edition-3cf

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/083/186/632/015/362/original/931537bd7d7c713a.jpg 

 Making bread today. Here’s my Tartine-like country loaf (made with spelt).

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/077/577/479/688/799/original/50e264f8bd89b3c7.jpg 

 Where those Aliens shown to the Mexican Congress really came from. https://www.vox.com/culture/23875671/aliens-mexican-congress-real-or-hoax-peru-nazca-mummies-jaime-maussan-fraud-scam 

 Phrase of the moment: “sweater puppies”

https://www.reddit.com/r/ImTheMainCharacter/comments/16jllff/i_doubt_people_came_to_the_theater_to_watch_you/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/072/063/865/431/401/original/8eb12046abe6d1f2.png 

 Congressional update of the moment: “new video shows her groping her date's crotch as he aggressively paws at her breast“ https://www.tmz.com/2023/09/15/congresswoman-lauren-boebert-boobs-crotch-beetlejuice-musical/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/071/910/249/181/059/original/481290a58097296b.png 

 “This reveals an important fact about AI. It simulates “knowledge” about what words mean, but doesn’t understand the words or their context.” https://mikeelgan.substack.com/p/why-bad-writers-cant-use-ai-to-write-1c6

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/071/835/228/150/116/original/2a3c49508818256f.jpg 

 I procrastinated and paid the price. My iPhone 15 won’t come till November. #firstworldproblems

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/071/568/966/856/681/original/17b8aafff2d496f1.png 

 Why bad writers can't use AI to write well https://mikeelgan.substack.com/p/why-bad-writers-cant-use-ai-to-write-1c6

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/069/879/796/139/430/original/f6bd9e3505cfaf17.jpg 

 Lauren Boebert denies vaping during Beetlejuice' performance she got kicked out of. This video proves she was (as always) lying. https://news.yahoo.com/lauren-boebert-denied-vaping-beetlejuice-103226248.html

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/069/435/762/054/613/original/9b2ed822578626db.png

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 We just changed the date (starting three days earlier) of our first-ever El Salvador Tropical Experience!!! The new dates are: January 17 - 23, 2024. Join us!!! 

https://gastronomad.net/el-salvador

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/066/093/544/092/404/original/ac66a51213e73d92.jpg 

 Russian policy expert explains exactly why Russia backs Trump. (Because he will destroy America.) https://www.reddit.com/r/InterestingVideoClips/comments/16i5rsv/policy_expert_on_russian_tv_explains_why_russia/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/064/063/237/691/993/original/0b4b12e12f07d87e.png 

 AI fail of the moment: A story on the death of a basketball player is headlined “Brandon Hunter useless at 42.” Instead of saying he “has passed away,” the lede says he “has handed away.” The story is still online. AI is dumb. https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/brandon-hunter-useless-at-42/ar-AA1gDgc6

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/063/351/028/336/172/original/b9505f2a3e633163.jpg 

 If you're ever in Milan, do yourself a favor and go to Savo Gourmet Pizza. Wow. Such incredible pizza at this place. https://www.pizzeriasavo.it/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/058/100/351/561/174/original/0c770b59887da3cf.jpg 

 Amazon's return-to-office mandate won't work out
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3705913/amazons-return-to-office-mandate-wont-work-out.html

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/041/703/750/971/519/original/a8c8c7034d16a8ce.jpg 

 Why consumer drones represent a special cybersecurity risk
https://securityintelligence.com/articles/why-consumer-drones-represent-a-special-cybersecurity-risk/

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/041/470/925/167/012/original/d17589dd3a8d8f88.webp 

 An update on the earthquake In our beloved Morocco
https://gastronomad.net/blog/2023/9/10/an-update-on-the-earthquake-in-our-beloved-morocco

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/041/229/265/450/147/original/ad2c110e467a9039.jpg 

 Scenes from the Venice Prosecco Experience (3)

https://gastronomad.net/prosecco

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/035/232/484/060/990/original/a0497fba2928d634.jpeg 

 Scenes from the Venice Prosecco Experience (2)

https://gastronomad.net/prosecco

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/034/822/715/212/598/original/0492dbf071b4356f.jpeg