link.dump.5.19.2026
attention, datacenters, desert, and drones
I read a lot of random stuff. Link Dumps are the things I think are worth remembering. You can always check out my Link Dump Tag if you’re looking for even more to read and please forward to anyone else you think might find these interesting.
Jon Haidt’s commencement address to NYU graduates is a fucking must-read.
And as a chaser, because the message deserves to numbers, here’s Greg Lukianoff’s take on the speech and the “controversy”
Good smattering of facts from USAFacts about dropping crime rates and median income.
You can’t just plug in a datacenter. This is a great in-depth read on some of the complexities that go along with energy infrastructure. Fantastic read.
What is ignored by the media -- but studied by historians? Fascinating read and reminds me of The Black Swan.
Good read from Iglesias on some changes on how to address the Abundance Movement. I especially like the throughline of the “too cheap to meter” electricity. I obviously agree.
Some parts of Utah will pay folks to not have grass. It’s kinda neat.
Two year old story about storing energy using compressed air is still cool as shit.
The Sigmoids Won’t Save You. I was unaware of this particular phenomenon about exponential curves but it makes sense I do think, despite the leaps forward this year per the link directly before this one, that I lean more and more towards there will be a ceiling. But who knows, maybe I’ll be explaining this to our AI overlords in a year or two when we get AGI.
Just a gobsmacking security breach by a US government cybersecurity agency.
All warfare is drone warfare now? A compelling case made by Noah Smith at least.