Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Sinkholes and Site Seizures
This week, we discuss a ransomware gang, book bans, and infrastructure.
The Abstract
Humanity’s Toxic Wreckage Is Teeming With Life, Scientists Discover
Though they leach toxic chemicals, submerged explosives from World War II attract algae, mussels, and fish in high numbers.
Behind The Blog
Behind the Blog: Behind 404 Media's ICE Lawsuit
This week, we discuss being journalism dorks, our new lawsuit against ICE, and working on bullshit.
The Abstract
Earth Was Mysteriously Thrown Off-Kilter In 2015. Now, Scientists Think They Know Why.
The sudden reduction in the Chandler wobble, a deviation between Earth’s axis and crust, may primarily originate in a powerful La Niña event, reports a new study.
david lynch
Pissed-off Fans Flooded the Twin Peaks Reddit With AI Slop To Protest Its AI Policies
Moderators reversed course on its open door AI policy after fans filled the subreddit with AI-generated Dale Cooper slop.
SIM Farm
The SIM Farm Hardware Seized by the Secret Service Is Also Popular With Ticket Scalpers
The tech the Secret Service claims can be used to "disable cell phone towers" is very commonly used by ticket scalpers to game Ticketmaster.
News
How Surveillance Firms Use ‘Democracy’ As a Cover for Serving ICE and Trump
Multiple Palantir and Flock sources say the companies are spinning a commitment to "democracy" to absolve them of responsibility. "In my eyes, it is the classic double speak," one said.
‘Find My Parking Cops’ Tracks Officers Handing Out Tickets All Around San Francisco
"Find My Parking Cops" pins the near-realtime locations of parking officers all over the city, and shows what they're issuing fines for, and how much.
The Abstract
A Vast ‘Cosmic Web’ Connects the Universe—Really. Now, We Can Emulate It.
An emulator called Effort.jl can drastically reduce computational time without sacrificing accuracy, which could help solve longstanding mysteries about the cosmos.
Podcast
Podcast: We're Suing ICE. Here's Why
Our lawsuit against ICE; the rise of AI 'workslop'; Steam's malicious game problem; and Silk Song.
AI Slop
AI ‘Workslop’ Is Killing Productivity and Making Workers Miserable
AI slop is taking over workplaces. Workers said that they thought of their colleagues who filed low-quality AI work as "less creative, capable, and reliable than they did before receiving the output."
age verification
Florida Sues Hentai Site and High-Risk Payment Processor for Not Verifying Ages
Florida's attorney general claims Nutaku, Spicevids, and Segpay are in violation of the state's age verification law.
FOIA
CBP Flew Drones to Help ICE 50 Times in Last Year
The drone flight log data, which stretches from March 2024 to March 2025, shows CBP flying its drones to support ICE and other agencies. CBP maintains multiple Predator drones and flew them over the recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.