Sex Robots Are Here… and It's OK
Calm down, Josh Hawley.
Science & Technology
I Listened to Over 7 Hours of Peter Thiel's Leaked Antichrist Lectures. They're Surprisingly Libertarian.
The PayPal and Palantir co-founder warns about the dangers of government overreach and a one-world state.
This Year's Nobel Winners for Economics Explained How Innovation Makes Us Rich
Joel Mokyr has long made the case against technophobia, including in the pages of Reason.
California Wants To Punish Social Platforms for Aiding and Abetting the First Amendment
Another entry into the "algorithms are magic" school of imposing liability on tech companies.
The U.S. Military Is Helping Arab Dictatorships Run Psyops
The Pentagon spends a lot of taxpayer money on propaganda worldwide. Some of it is coordinated with Middle Eastern dictators, The Washington Post revealed.
All 20 Surviving Hostages Freed
Plus: Luigi Mangione and the death penalty, LLMs and their gambling addictions, and more...
New York Doubles Down on Delivery Wage Disaster
After restaurant delivery drivers quit in droves and costs soared, the city is expanding minimum wage rules to grocery couriers.
Tennessee Man Arrested, Gets $2 Million Bond for Posting Facebook Meme
Larry Bushart posted a meme on a local Facebook page about Charlie Kirk. He now faces years in prison.
2 Controversies Over Political Rhetoric Illustrate the Perils of Blaming Gun Control Critics for Murder
That strategy, which rejects the possibility of sincere disagreement, is poisonous to rational debate.
Bari Weiss Is Powerful, Establishment Media Is Not
Media consolidations are not drying up the well of discourse; it's overflowing with takes.
Texas Court Blocks Execution of Robert Roberson in Landmark 'Shaken Baby' Case
Roberson has been saved again from becoming the first person to be executed based on disputed evidence of Abusive Head Trauma, formerly called "shaken baby syndrome."
Supreme Court Declines To Address Section 230 in Two Cases for This Term
Weakening or removing Section 230 would not fix the problems of social media, and in fact it could make things worse.
Democrats Are Proposing a 'Robot Tax' To Save Jobs From AI. Here's Why It Won't Work.
The policy would slow innovation, reduce competitiveness, and leave American workers unprepared for the future.
British Minister: 'Just Because You Have a Freedom Doesn't Mean You Have To Use It'
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is moving to ban protests that annoy the public.
Lawsuit Challenges Trump's $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
The case was filed yesterday by a broad coalition of different groups, including a health care provider, education groups, religious organizations, and labor unions.
Apple Removed ICEBlock From App Store Under DOJ Pressure
“This is protected speech,” said the app’s creator. “We are determined to fight this with everything we have."
Gavin Newsom Loves AI Satire Now!
Thank goodness that judge struck down the legislation he supported.
Josh Hawley and Democrat Allies Target AI With New Legal and Regulatory Regime
Two bills recently introduced by Hawley would set American AI and the economy back.
Young People Are Richer Than Boomers Were
Despite viral claims, a typical 25-year-old Gen Zer has annual household income that's 50 percent above Baby Boomers'.
Can We Please Stop Romanticizing Pre-Smartphone Life?
A lot of anti-tech—or anti-Gen Z—screeds only work by romanticizing the past while pathologizing the present and projecting damage on strangers.
Trump's 100 Percent Chip Tariff Could Make It More Expensive To Build More Semiconductors in the U.S.
Trump exempted imported chips from his reciprocal tariffs in April. Now he's threatening them with 100 percent rates.
First the U.K., Next the U.S.? Britain's Digital ID Plan Should Scare Americans.
Once created, a digital ID system will prove catnip to politicians who want to track where we go, online and off.
DHS Collected DNA from 2,000 U.S. Citizens Without Due Process. It's Now in a Law Enforcement Database.
By expanding federal agents' authority to collect the DNA of immigrant detainees, the government has risked violating Americans’ rights.
TikTok's (Sorta) American Owners
Plus: James Comey indicted, some New York schools stripped of funding, NATO being tested, and more...
Review: In Defense of Spotify
Liz Pelly's Mood Machine book bemoans the music giant but overlooks how useful it is for listeners.
Google Says Biden Admin Pressured Company To Remove Content
Plus: ICE helps arrest sex workers, the SIM farm "security threat," Waymo car crashes caused by human error, and more...
These 2 Terrible Tech Bills Are on Gavin Newsom's Desk
One limits children’s access to mental health services, the other mandates a black box warning, and both undermine users’ digital privacy.
Michigan Anti-Porn Bill Would Criminalize ASMR, Written Erotica, and Even Nonsexual Depictions of Trans People
Under the law, transgender people writing about their gender identity online could face 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
Photo: Artificial Intelligence Tattoos Are Here
The makers of this AI-powered robot promise greater precision and less pain.
Trump's Harmful and Illegal Plan to Gut H-1B Visas by Imposing $100,000 Fees
The plan violates the relevant visa law. If allowed to stand, it would significantly harm productivity and innovation.
The History of Minox Cameras, James Bond's Real-Life Spy Tool Used by the CIA
You can still get a secondhand Minox subminiature camera. Finding someone to process the film might be more difficult.
The Trump Administration Misses Key Deadlines for Imposing Restrictions on Gain-of-Function Research
Biosafety advocates worry the administration is backtracking on its promise to implement meaningful restrictions on the type of research that likely caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jonathan Haidt: Kids Should Put Down the Phones and Take More Risks
"We're too afraid they'll get abducted," says the author of The Anxious Generation. "That sets kids up to be weaker."
TikTok Isolationism
Plus: New Yorkers favor decriminalizing prostitution. An academic inquiry into "body counts." AI chatbots everywhere. And more...
Brendan Carr and Ted Cruz Don't Think Charlie Kirk's Murder Justifies Speech Restrictions
Rand Paul, who called for "a crackdown on people" who celebrated the assassination, was less careful in distinguishing between private and government action.
A Replacement for the Nation-State?
Two technologists argue that Web3 will allow new forms of organization to supplant traditional governments.
California's Tech Regulations Could Strangle AI Innovation for the Whole Country
Federalism works best when state-level policy experiments stay contained.
To Honor Charlie Kirk, Reject Cancel Culture
Plus: Trump and governors threaten social media regulations, activists push blacklists and firings, and how to resist apocalyptic politics.
Charlie Kirk Would Not Have Wanted This
A vast cancel culture campaign is a poor way to honor his legacy.
Social Media Didn't Kill Charlie Kirk
Plus: Trump says he "may let [TikTok] die," the SoHo Forum debates paying for sex, the administration calls birth control "abortifacients," and more...
AI Chatbots Might Already Be Better Than Humans at Debating
In a recent study, participants were paired with either a human or an AI debate opponent. The results confirm AI's power of persuasion.
This Protein Powder Is Made Out of Air and Uses 600 Times Less Water Than Beef
The Finnish startup Solar Foods has received a "Generally Recognized as Safe" designation from the FDA.
