Are we witnessing the death of expertise? | Tom Nichols talking to Meghna Chakrabarti

Are we witnessing the death of expertise? | On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti:

As seen online:

“CHAKRABARTI: And so we're going to spend the rest of the hour, Tom, talking about the consequences of this draining of expertise. But what do you think the consequence is first and foremost on the American people? 

 NICHOLS: The draining of expertise from the national government means people are going to die, whether they are in combat and being sent to try to spackle over the problems that Donald Trump left by waving away the consequences of a war of choice whether it's people who refuse to take vaccines because Robert F. Kennedy, I can't believe, in the same way that I have trouble saying Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. I almost can't get my head around Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 

The draining of expertise from the national government means people are going to die. But people are going to lose jobs. People are going to suffer economically. I think it's easy to dismiss expertise in the government because most of the time the effect of expertise on your life as an American citizen is more or less invisible. Things just work. Things just go, the lights go on, airplanes fly, oil gets delivered and so on. But I think what we're seeing now is the collapse of government, of expertise in the government is much Hemingway once said about going bankrupt. How do you go bankrupt? Gradually, and then all at once. ”

— from Are we witnessing the death of expertise? | On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti as of 24 March 2026

Has America’s Character Been Turned on a Dime? Trump and taking

As seen online:

““It’s a failed nation,” Trump said in the White House. “They have no money, they have no oil, they have no nothing. They have nice land.” The 79-year-old added, “I do believe I will be having the honor of taking Cuba.” He clarified, “Taking it in some form. I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it.””

So, "It’s a failed nation. They have no money, they have no oil, they have no nothing. They have nice land. I do believe I will be having the honor of taking Cuba. Taking it in some form. I mean, whether I free it, take it, I think I can do anything I want with it."

— from FAM 60: Has America’s Character Been Turned on a Dime? as of 24 March 2026

Anthropic's Claude Can Now Control Your Computer

Anthropic's Claude Can Now Control Your Computer - CNET 

WCPGW

 https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/claude-control-your-computer-to-perform-tasks/

Cotswold Blenheim Waterproof Ankle Boot - Black – TOG24

As seen online:

“Short Rubber Wellington in classic chelsea style Fully waterproof Front and rear pull loop Twin elasticated gusset with inside cover”

— from Cotswold Blenheim Waterproof Ankle Boot - Black – TOG24 as of 24 March 2026

Cotswold Blenheim Waterproof Ankle Boot - Black – TOG24

As seen online:

“Short Rubber Wellington in classic chelsea style Fully waterproof Front and rear pull loop Twin elasticated gusset with inside cover Heavily cleated sole for grip and durability Contrast Black toe cap Diamond Toe Cap and Foxing”

— from Cotswold Blenheim Waterproof Ankle Boot - Black – TOG24 as of 24 March 2026

Your account homepage - Driver and vehicles account - GOV.UK

Your account homepage - Driver and vehicles account - GOV.UK:

As seen online:

“Welcome, Named Driver”

— from Your account homepage - Driver and vehicles account - GOV.UK as of 22 March 2026

The Metaverse exits its Weekend-at-Bernie's phase

The Metaverse exits its Weekend-at-Bernie's phase  

https://davekarpf.beehiiv.com/p/the-metaverse-exits-its-weekend-at-bernie-s-phase 

Security, Privacy and Compliance Consultant (part time, highly flexible)

As seen online:

“Security, Privacy and Compliance Consultant (part time, highly flexible) United Kingdom · 4 days ago · Over 100 applicants Promoted by hirer · Actively reviewing applicants”

— from Security, Privacy and Compliance Consultant (part time, highly flexible) | Oxford Infosec Ltd | LinkedIn as of 21 March 2026

Ammar Younas & Yi Zeng, Towards Culture Driven Artificial Intelligence to Bridge the Cultural Cognition Gap - PhilArchive

Ammar Younas & Yi Zeng, Towards Culture Driven Artificial Intelligence to Bridge the Cultural Cognition Gap - PhilArchive:

As seen online:

“Intelligence, whether artificial or human, cannot be fully understood without recognizing its cultural foundations and adaptive contexts. This Perspective introduces two key contributions. First, it defines the Cultural Cognition Gap, the disconnect between AI’s static, pattern-based reasoning and the dynamic, culturally adaptive nature of human cognition, evident in real-world deployment failures. Second, it proposes Culture Driven AI, a conceptual and normative framework advocating for AI systems designed to engage with cultural plurality and fluidity as central features of intelligent behavior”

— from Ammar Younas & Yi Zeng, Towards Culture Driven Artificial Intelligence to Bridge the Cultural Cognition Gap - PhilArchive as of 19 March 2026

Rural depopulation and the rural-urban gap in cognitive functioning among older adults - PMC

As seen online:

“Older adults living in rural counties had lower cognitive functioning than urban adults. The interaction between living in a rural and depopulated county was statistically significant (P < .001). The rural penalty in cognitive functioning was 40% larger for those who lived in counties that lost population between 1980 and 2010 compared to those who lived in stable or growing rural counties. These results were independent of race-ethnicity, gender, age, education, income, region, employment status, marital status, physical health, and depression as well as the county’s racial-ethnic composition, age structure, economic and educational disadvantage, and health care shortages.”

— from Rural depopulation and the rural-urban gap in cognitive functioning among older adults - PMC as of 19 March 2026

The Skills Gap will not close, it is the Cognition Gap we must tackle | Research Communities by Springer Nature

The Skills Gap will not close, it is the Cognition Gap we must tackle | Research Communities by Springer Nature:

As seen online:

“However, educational alignment with workforce gaps is only a short-term fix. These gaps will always persist because the fast-paced shifts in technology cannot be predicted far enough in advance to reskill workers. Just-in-time education will only get us to the next gap. Instead, we should be focusing our efforts on closing the cognition gap whereby youth and adult learners alike shift their mindset to constant learning, comfort with change, and adaptability to new environments.”

— from The Skills Gap will not close, it is the Cognition Gap we must tackle | Research Communities by Springer Nature as of 19 March 2026

Dr A Shehu, Neurology | Nuffield Health

As seen online:

“Dr. Shehu has been a Consultant Neurologist at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire for more than 25 years.  He is adept in both the diagnosis and management of neurological conditions and is dedicated to providing high quality care to his patients.”

— from Dr A Shehu, Neurology | Nuffield Health as of 18 March 2026

Computer History - 1952

IBM introduced the IBM 701 on May 21, 1952, the company's first production computer and a watershed in the computing industry. Designed primarily for scientific calculations, the 701 features the IBM-invented tape drive vacuum column, an innovation that paved the way for magnetic tape. The 701 was IBM's first electric computer and the first mass-produced computer. A total of 19,701 were produced and sold.

https://www.computerhope.com/history/1952.htm

The Politics of Apocalypse: The Rise of American Evangelical Zionism - LSE Undergraduate Political Review

To evangelicals, the return of Jesus to Earth necessitates the Jews to return and live in the Holy Land – a vision complicated by the estimated 5 million Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank and would necessitate their expulsion – to fulfil Armageddon and Jesus Christ's eventual return to Earth. However, one could argue such a theory is fundamentally anti-Semitic, as it essentially calls for the destruction of all non-believers of Christianity and allows Jewish people little agency or self-determination.

https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lseupr/2025/02/07/the-politics-of-apocalypse-the-rise-of-american-evangelical-zionism/

(3) REPUBLISHED: The British conspiracy guru building a sovereign micronation in Appalachia

As seen online:

“Years after the pandemic, messages like Stone’s are flourishing online. With a two-time president who’s built a political career out of spreading falsehoods and promoting conspiracy theorists, even hiring them to top cabinet posts, Trump’s second term has given new permission to wild, inflammatory ideas and the profiteers who push them. ”

— from (3) REPUBLISHED: The British conspiracy guru building a sovereign micronation in Appalachia as of 17 March 2026

The inspiring Coventry teenager who saved a life as parents say 'so proud' | Coventry Live

As seen online:

“Mrs Saund said: “We weren’t surprised whatsoever that Michael won this amazing award. He’s always been a supportive person, not just in these big ways but in small ways too. We see it in his daily actions, his empathy and kindness towards others.””

— from The inspiring Coventry teenager who saved a life as parents say 'so proud' | Coventry Live as of 17 March 2026

Andy Minter, my favourite Librivox reader – Melinda's Education Blog

As seen online:

“Today I learned that sadly, my favourite Librivox reader, Andy Minter, passed away in April of this year. His reading of The Prisoner of Zenda (by Anthony Hope) was one of the first things I listened to on Librivox, and it is an absolute delight. ”

— from Andy Minter, my favourite Librivox reader – Melinda's Education Blog as of 16 March 2026

Your Brain Is the Target — And You Don’t Even Know It – Robin Ayoub

As seen online:

“In this episode of Localization Fireside Chat, I sat down with three of the most compelling thinkers working at the intersection of technology and human cognition: Len Noe, the world’s first augmented ethical hacker with 11 pieces of technology implanted in his own body; Mike Elkins, Chief Human and Information Security Officer at Humanist Technologies; and Winn Schwartau, a cybersecurity pioneer who has been sounding the alarm on cognitive threats since 1983. What followed was one of the most unsettling and necessary conversations I have hosted on this podcast. The thesis is simple and the implications are enormous: the human brain has replaced the network as the most valuable attack surface in cyberspace.”

— from Your Brain Is the Target — And You Don’t Even Know It – Robin Ayoub as of 16 March 2026

Inner Visions: A Review of A.V. Marraccini’s ‘We the Parasites’ – Verdigris

As seen online:

“One finds themselves tricked into a conversation with that one aunt you are always trying to avoid because she tells you stories that do not have a clear beginning or end, and which go on and on until you decide the only way to end the conversation is to end it all.”

— from Inner Visions: A Review of A.V. Marraccini’s ‘We the Parasites’ – Verdigris as of 16 March 2026

Chronic Kidney Disease Severity Linked With Cognitive Impairment Risk

 See UTI?

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2846270?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=content-shareicons&utm_content=article_engagement&utm_medium=social&utm_term=031526

The Cognitive Gap | Issue 156 | Philosophy Now

As seen online:

“On the one side, we have the cognitivists, and on the other the non-cognitivists. These two factions of metaethicists are sitting on either side of what we could call the cognitive gap. 

Cognitivists ... all agree that moral judgments express cognitive (that is, intellectual) states which track mind-independent moral properties such as rightness and wrongness. These moral properties are thought by the speakers to be part of objective reality. 

... Non-cognitivists argue, conversely, that emotional and expressive (that is, non-intellectual) mental states must be underlying moral language. By the non-cognitivist interpretation, we are not picking up on any moral facts of the situation when we make moral assertions ... we are simply expressing our personal emotions or convictions about moral issues. Non-cognitivists claim that by saying ‘Killing is wrong’, we in fact mean something like ‘Boo to killing!’ or ‘Don’t kill!’ ”

— from The Cognitive Gap | Issue 156 | Philosophy Now as of 15 March 2026

Companies House vulnerability enabled company hijacking

Pretty darn dumb…

https://taxpolicy.org.uk/2026/03/13/companies-house-security-vulnerability-directors-addresses/

Over 160 people arrested in major crackdown in Coventry and the Midlands | Coventry Live

As seen online:

“More than 160 people have been arrested in a major crackdown on criminal gangs in Coventry and the West Midlands. Police targeted groups exploiting children and vulnerable adults to supply drugs.”

— from Over 160 people arrested in major crackdown in Coventry and the Midlands | Coventry Live as of 14 March 2026

The Secret to a Better City Is a Two-Wheeler – Mother Jones

As seen online:

“a couple of years ago, she heard Denver was offering $400 vouchers to help residents purchase an e-bike—or up to $900 toward a hefty “cargo” model that can haul heavier loads, including children. She’d considered an e-bike, but the city’s offer provided “an extra kick in the derriere to make me do it.””

Make the Starley Coventry connection

— from The Secret to a Better City Is a Two-Wheeler – Mother Jones as of 10 March 2026

Google’s Smart Glasses Can Create Fake Photos on the Fly

Google's Smart Glasses Can Create Fake Photos on the Fly https://gizmodo.com/googles-smart-glasses-can-create-fake-photos-on-the-fly-2000733254

Navy's Avenger Class Mine Hunters Have Left The Middle East For Good

As seen online:

“The ships themselves have fiberglass-coated wooden hulls to reduce their own vulnerability, particularly to mines that detect targets by their magnetic signature.”

— from Navy's Avenger Class Mine Hunters Have Left The Middle East For Good as of 12 March 2026

Black achievement

As seen online:

“𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨. A gifted, brilliant, high achieving Black woman who deserves to take up space without shrinking.”

— from (12) Facebook as of 12 March 2026

I connected Claude with these 5 apps, and it's productivity on steroids

https://www.xda-developers.com/connect-claude-with-these-apps-for-better-productivity/

How Elon Musk’s Sci-Fi Hyperloop Failed

As seen online:

“We want to believe that we ourselves are not the problem, that there aren’t too many cars on the road. We want to believe that we are masters of this universe, unconstrained by physics. We want to believe that progress—in all its forms—is born from audacity alone and does not also require collective action, patience, and occasional sacrifice. We want to believe that big things can be easy instead of hard and that belief itself can make them so.”

— from How Elon Musk’s Sci-Fi Hyperloop Failed as of 9 March 2026

Tired of Dystopian Sci-Fi? You Might Like Solarpunk. – Mother Jones

As seen online:

“Many solarpunk thinkers told me their first encounter with the idea, though he didn’t coin the term, was a 2014 essay by Adam Flynn, an American writer and public health strategist, titled “Solarpunk: Notes toward a manifesto”—his contribution to the Arizona State University sci-fi collaboration Project Hieroglyph.”

— from Tired of Dystopian Sci-Fi? You Might Like Solarpunk. – Mother Jones as of 9 March 2026

(19) The Most Important UI Problem Nobody Talks About: Cognitive Load | LinkedIn

As seen online:

“Now we’re building a startup at the intersection of GenAI and Stable Diffusion, where his vision of accessible creativity meets cutting-edge capability. ”

— from (19) The Most Important UI Problem Nobody Talks About: Cognitive Load | LinkedIn as of 9 March 2026

Cognitive load - Wikipedia

As seen online:

“The fundamental tenet of cognitive load theory is that the quality of instructional design will be raised if greater consideration is given to the role and limitations of working memory. With increased distractions, particularly from the rise in digital technology and smartphones, students are more prone to experiencing high cognitive load, which can reduce academic success.”

— from Cognitive load - Wikipedia as of 9 March 2026

Single Cutaway Left Handed Acoustic Guitar by Gear4music, Black at Gear4music

As seen online:

“The Single Cutaway Left Handed Acoustic Guitar by Gear4music, Black is a full sized acoustic guitar which provides a comfortable playing experience ideal for budding left handed guitarists. ”

— from Single Cutaway Left Handed Acoustic Guitar by Gear4music, Black at Gear4music as of 8 March 2026

Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ App-Enabled Reflector Telescope | Wex Photo Video

As seen online:

“The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ App-Enabled Reflector Telescope allows you to explore the night sky, even if you have no previous telescope experience.”

— from Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ App-Enabled Reflector Telescope | Wex Photo Video as of 7 March 2026

Remarks at the Middle East Peace Summit, October 13, 2025

As seen online:

“Together, we've achieved what everybody said was impossible. At long last, we have peace in the Middle East. And it's a very simple expression: peace in the Middle East. And we've heard it for many years, but nobody thought it could ever get there, and now we're there.”

— from Remarks at the Middle East Peace Summit With Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, President Abdelfattah Said Elsisi of Egypt, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt | The American Presidency Project as of 3 March 2026

Lens Selection | Glasses Direct

As seen online:

You mostly need glasses to see things in the distance, e.g. whilst driving. Bifocal & Varifocal You need glasses to see things up close and in the distance. KODAK Easy2 Max Progressive Lens £149 The KODAK Easy2 Max Lens uses patented Vision First Design Technology to prioritise wearer clarity at all distances.

— from Lens Selection | Glasses Direct as of 5 March 2026

Skydio Bulletin : A warning, not an exception – sUAS News

As seen online:

“The recent service bulletin from Skydio, warning operators not to use handheld radios within a foot of its X10 and X10D controllers, looks like a narrow technical advisory. In truth, it reveals an epidemic problem that runs far deeper than one manufacturer. The wider drone industry. DIU “trusted” providers have a systemic blind spot: survivability in contested electromagnetic environments.”

— from Skydio Bulletin : A warning, not an exception – sUAS News as of 4 March 2026

Are New Police Drone Programs A Big Help Or Big Brother? - Law360

As seen online:

“"Should we be okay with our police departments having the ability to type in your license plate and find out everywhere you've ever driven in the last two months? Should the police departments be able to put cameras over communities 24/7?" the ACLU's Stanley asked.”

— from Are New Police Drone Programs A Big Help Or Big Brother? - Law360 as of 4 March 2026

I would have been better off working in a restaurant than getting my 2:1 degree | The Independent

As seen online:

“With ghosting from prospective employers and rising unemployment, the jobs market for Britain's university graduates has changed beyond all recognition, writes Izzy Combi”

— from I would have been better off working in a restaurant than getting my 2:1 degree | The Independent as of 2 March 2026

The health condition people now fear more than cancer | The Independent

As seen online:

“Around 31 per cent of family carers fear dementia, a 4 per cent increase from last year, while concerns around cancer dropped from 30 per cent to 21 per cent in the same amount of time, according to Home Instead. 

Almost two-thirds of those surveyed (63 per cent) called for the government to declare dementia a health emergency as the disease takes a growing toll on families, according to the research. Almost 90 per cent of carers called for a dedicated dementia allowance to help fund care.”

— from The health condition people now fear more than cancer | The Independent as of 1 March 2026

Google Calendar - 5 days, starting Sunday, 1 March 2026

As seen online:

“The aim of the study is to investigate if three ‘geroprotector’ drugs can change the biological processes associated with ageing. The drugs are: fisetin, spermidine and metformin. These drugs have been chosen for two reasons.”

— from Google Calendar - 5 days, starting Sunday, 1 March 2026 as of 1 March 2026

More people are moving out of the U.S. than moving in for the first time since the Great Depression—a bad omen for the $38.8 trillion national debt

More people are moving out of the U.S. than moving in for the first time since the Great Depression—a bad omen for the $38.8 trillion national debt | Fortune https://fortune.com/2026/02/27/trump-immigration-crackdown-worsen-national-debt/

small round rimless glasses

As seen online:

“ Although it's optional, we highly suggest you uploading the prescription paper for double-checking.”

— from Select Lenses | TendaGlasses.com as of 26 February 2026

Legacies of Eugenics and How We are Wrong about AI

No, this book is not a Luddite treatise—if, by Luddite, you mean a consummate techno-pessimist that believes all technological advancement is an anathema to human flourishing. But if by Luddite you mean a conscientious objection to top-down dictatorial automation of human thought and skill as a capitalist ploy for the devaluation of labor and therefore the devaluation of laborers and human life in general … Then, yes. This is a Luddite treatise.

Williams, Rua M.. Disabling Intelligences: Legacies of Eugenics and How We are Wrong about AI (p. 3). (Function). Kindle Edition. 

Decades of feminism paved the road to Andrew’s arrest | Rebecca Solnit | The Guardian

As seen online:

“The definition of trafficking is dealing in illegal goods, and sex trafficking turns human beings into goods. Feminism could be described as a long campaign to reclaim rights, freedoms, and dignity lost under patriarchy. This week it had an impact. The work continues.”

— from Decades of feminism paved the road to Andrew’s arrest | Rebecca Solnit | The Guardian as of 24 February 2026

Thousands of men with prostate cancer are being denied 'a quality of life-preserving' treatment by the NHS | Daily Mail Online

As seen online:

“It is also much cheaper than other treatments, with patients usually in and out of hospital in a day and less likely to need follow-up care. But it is still rarely available on the NHS despite around 15,000 men who could benefit. Only a few specialist centres, mostly in London, carry out the focal therapy, as doctors warn that most patients are not told about the treatment and face life-changing side effects. Around 60,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year but a mere 600 to 700 are thought to be offered it, although it is widely available privately for an average £16,000. David Cameron paid to be privately treated with focal therapy after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.”

— from Thousands of men with prostate cancer are being denied 'a quality of life-preserving' treatment by the NHS | Daily Mail Online as of 23 February 2026

How Fast Is Warp Speed In Star Trek?

As seen online:

“Warp travel is the primary method of travel for almost all interstellar species in the Star Trek universe, and has no true viable replacement. Given how it's how almost all travel is carried out, the question arises of whether it's safe or not. In the year 2370, it was discovered that Warp engines were damaging the fabric of spacetime, causing subspace rifts. Captain Picard compared it to how walking over a carpet repeatedly will eventually cause enough gradual damage to wear it down. The temporary solution to this was for Starfleet to impose a speed limit of Warp 5 outside of emergencies, to try and reduce the damage caused to subspace. It was believed that lower speeds would cause less damage.”

— from How Fast Is Warp Speed In Star Trek? as of 23 February 2026

Why The Enterprise Warp Speed Might Be Possible — A New Era Of Space Travel | by Amelia Settembre | Medium

As seen online:

“So What’s The Verdict? Can We Enter Hyperspace And Light Speed? It’s pretty much impossible, for both. For the Enterprise: if the exotic matter turns up, then a form of the Alcubierre drive could be used to create a “warp drive”. For right now, it’s not happening. For the Falcon: if we find hyperspace to exist, and we find a way to safely enter it, then it could exist. Right now, our best bet is to look at a string theory which could suggest if we could enter hyperspace.”

— from Why The Enterprise Warp Speed Might Be Possible — A New Era Of Space Travel | by Amelia Settembre | Medium as of 23 February 2026