Jacob Pfeifer
@jacobpfeifer.co
Earnestly posting to save my soul
Austin, TX
Austin, TX
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
I wrote about something I've been thinking about for a long time. A kind of post-ironic collapse in our politics and culture where nihilism has become the lingua franca of the internet and beyond. It links Kirk, Clavicular, Epstein, memestock/coin stuff, mass shooters. I hope you'll read it.
This Is What It Looks Like When Nothing Matters
Welcome to the internet’s nihilism crisis.
www.theatlantic.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:21 PM
I wrote about something I've been thinking about for a long time. A kind of post-ironic collapse in our politics and culture where nihilism has become the lingua franca of the internet and beyond. It links Kirk, Clavicular, Epstein, memestock/coin stuff, mass shooters. I hope you'll read it.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
February 15, 2026 at 2:47 PM
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
Web renaissance is here if you want it.
February 6, 2026 at 6:20 PM
Web renaissance is here if you want it.
Elon Musk merges SpaceX with xAI (and X)
Musk is bringing more of his companies together.
www.theverge.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:07 PM
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
ICE has weapons of war...
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
...and surveillance: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/t...
... including face recognition app Clearview AI. In 2024, DHS was only using Clearview for child exploitation investigations. Now use includes investigating "attacks on law enforcement."
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
...and surveillance: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/t...
... including face recognition app Clearview AI. In 2024, DHS was only using Clearview for child exploitation investigations. Now use includes investigating "attacks on law enforcement."
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:51 PM
ICE has weapons of war...
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
...and surveillance: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/t...
... including face recognition app Clearview AI. In 2024, DHS was only using Clearview for child exploitation investigations. Now use includes investigating "attacks on law enforcement."
www.nytimes.com/video/us/100...
...and surveillance: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/t...
... including face recognition app Clearview AI. In 2024, DHS was only using Clearview for child exploitation investigations. Now use includes investigating "attacks on law enforcement."
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
This is what it looks like when non-violence is *working.*
You willingly experience violence because in committing violence the regime delegitimizes itself in the eyes of people who had previously supported it.
You willingly experience violence because in committing violence the regime delegitimizes itself in the eyes of people who had previously supported it.
YouGov is out with a new poll after ICE killed another person in Minnesota today. Abolishing ICE is now +5 among all adults, and **+12 among independents**
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
January 25, 2026 at 12:30 PM
This is what it looks like when non-violence is *working.*
You willingly experience violence because in committing violence the regime delegitimizes itself in the eyes of people who had previously supported it.
You willingly experience violence because in committing violence the regime delegitimizes itself in the eyes of people who had previously supported it.
It's not the end of social media it's the end of algorithmic media.
January 22, 2026 at 10:00 PM
It's not the end of social media it's the end of algorithmic media.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
Non-protesting dad just trying to hustle his kids, as young as 6mo, out of the neighborhood. ICE threw a flash-bang INTO HIS car, all 6 kids in the hospital now.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
That is what was relayed
January 15, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Non-protesting dad just trying to hustle his kids, as young as 6mo, out of the neighborhood. ICE threw a flash-bang INTO HIS car, all 6 kids in the hospital now.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
If anyone wondered how things turn against occupying armies there's a case study playing out in front of you.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
SCOOP: Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activities on the ground.
Inside the app called ELITE—what ICE uses to find neighborhoods to raid.
Inside the app called ELITE—what ICE uses to find neighborhoods to raid.
‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activit...
www.404media.co
January 15, 2026 at 2:05 PM
SCOOP: Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activities on the ground.
Inside the app called ELITE—what ICE uses to find neighborhoods to raid.
Inside the app called ELITE—what ICE uses to find neighborhoods to raid.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
May we all walk in this world with the moral courage of Jafar Panahi
variety.com/2026/film/gl...
variety.com/2026/film/gl...
![You have repeatedly stated your desire and resolution to return to Iran as soon as your activities related to the promotion of this film allow you to do that. But given the escalating violence against protesters and dissidents in your country, and also given the fact that you have been given a prison sentence, are you having second thoughts?
These developments make absolutely no difference in my decision. As I also said during my interviews in Cannes, it doesn’t matter what will happen to me as a result of this film: I have to go back to Iran. And I did go back to Iran [after Cannes]. I am the kind of person who needs to be in his country. I need to breathe there and work there. And even if they want to go ahead with that prison sentence, they can go ahead. Nothing will change my mind about going back.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nfn3keagdmjtcaedszenrwkx/bafkreigip4dos42uo4xyv237to6elfqakkgsmkkujdgbyvbq33io5b77te@jpeg)
January 9, 2026 at 3:42 PM
May we all walk in this world with the moral courage of Jafar Panahi
variety.com/2026/film/gl...
variety.com/2026/film/gl...
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
I wrote about how the jagged abilities of AI lead to bottlenecks in what AI can do…
… but those bottlenecks focus the efforts of AI labs leading to breakthroughs that unlock new areas of work, like how Nano Banana Pro unexpectedly makes good PowerPoint slides. www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-shape-...
… but those bottlenecks focus the efforts of AI labs leading to breakthroughs that unlock new areas of work, like how Nano Banana Pro unexpectedly makes good PowerPoint slides. www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-shape-...
The Shape of AI: Jaggedness, Bottlenecks and Salients
And why Nano Banana Pro is such a big deal
www.oneusefulthing.org
December 20, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I wrote about how the jagged abilities of AI lead to bottlenecks in what AI can do…
… but those bottlenecks focus the efforts of AI labs leading to breakthroughs that unlock new areas of work, like how Nano Banana Pro unexpectedly makes good PowerPoint slides. www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-shape-...
… but those bottlenecks focus the efforts of AI labs leading to breakthroughs that unlock new areas of work, like how Nano Banana Pro unexpectedly makes good PowerPoint slides. www.oneusefulthing.org/p/the-shape-...
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
Dallas PD to expand use of Clearview “to Class B misdemeanors and above, which means it could use facial recognition for crimes like theft and trespassing.”
Dallas Police to expand controversial facial recognition tech to less serious crimes
The use of the tech is currently reserved for serious felonies like murder, kidnapping and rape. Now it could be used for porch pirates.
www.wfaa.com
December 19, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Dallas PD to expand use of Clearview “to Class B misdemeanors and above, which means it could use facial recognition for crimes like theft and trespassing.”
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
Which parks decks over I-35 should the city commit to paying for? The price for all 14+ acres exceeds $300 million.
TxDOT says they only need a ballpark estimate from staff by May. City staff say they can't give an estimate without a council vote.
www.kut.org/transportati...
TxDOT says they only need a ballpark estimate from staff by May. City staff say they can't give an estimate without a council vote.
www.kut.org/transportati...
Austin faces new high-stakes decision on paying for parks over I-35
The Austin City Council is being asked to choose deck locations by May with less cost certainty — or waiting and facing higher prices.
www.kut.org
December 17, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Which parks decks over I-35 should the city commit to paying for? The price for all 14+ acres exceeds $300 million.
TxDOT says they only need a ballpark estimate from staff by May. City staff say they can't give an estimate without a council vote.
www.kut.org/transportati...
TxDOT says they only need a ballpark estimate from staff by May. City staff say they can't give an estimate without a council vote.
www.kut.org/transportati...
Ink & Switch
An independent research lab exploring the future of tools for thought.
www.inkandswitch.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:26 AM
codepen.io/halvves/pen/...
I stumbled on this little visualizer and watched it for longer than I expected to.
I stumbled on this little visualizer and watched it for longer than I expected to.
Wikipedia Audiovisualizer (p5.js & timbre.js)
UPDATE: Codepen recently switched to https, but the websocket that this uses isn't currently able to work over wss. I hacked together a quick Event Str...
codepen.io
December 2, 2025 at 10:08 PM
codepen.io/halvves/pen/...
I stumbled on this little visualizer and watched it for longer than I expected to.
I stumbled on this little visualizer and watched it for longer than I expected to.
I would like to learn more about the "Desmond Dip"
My response to the Gremlins 3 news
November 7, 2025 at 1:49 AM
I would like to learn more about the "Desmond Dip"
The question of what the internet (read attention economy) is doing to our media landscape is crucial to understanding the current moment. As they say, the medium is the message.
No other journalist is digging at this harder than Brian. His show Question Everything is a must listen each week.
No other journalist is digging at this harder than Brian. His show Question Everything is a must listen each week.
You see these videos all the time now — politicians and celebrities giving an influencer a tour of their apartment, or interviewing kids on a blanket in the park, or getting quizzed on music or LGBTQ+ trivia. These appearances can power album launches and political campaigns.
October 30, 2025 at 3:29 PM
The question of what the internet (read attention economy) is doing to our media landscape is crucial to understanding the current moment. As they say, the medium is the message.
No other journalist is digging at this harder than Brian. His show Question Everything is a must listen each week.
No other journalist is digging at this harder than Brian. His show Question Everything is a must listen each week.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
did a little media criticism www.theverge.com/politics/777...
The WSJ carelessly spread anti-trans misinformation
The Wall Street Journal’s fuckup while covering Charlie Kirk’s killing needs more than an editor’s note.
www.theverge.com
September 12, 2025 at 10:04 PM
did a little media criticism www.theverge.com/politics/777...
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
I wrote about what I think is a genuinely revealing document of elite depravity and impunity. It is shocking and sickening. But it's also a crucial moment. We're about to see what happens when conspiracy theorists actually get what they asked for but it turns out not to be what they want.
You Really Need to See Epstein’s Birthday Book for Yourself
This time, the conspiracy theorists were right.
www.theatlantic.com
September 10, 2025 at 3:07 AM
I wrote about what I think is a genuinely revealing document of elite depravity and impunity. It is shocking and sickening. But it's also a crucial moment. We're about to see what happens when conspiracy theorists actually get what they asked for but it turns out not to be what they want.
This pigeon could have used an up call.
September 9, 2025 at 8:35 PM
This pigeon could have used an up call.
Barton Springs photos from 1925! It's fascinating to see it under construction. Most of that concrete is exactly the same a century later. texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=ba...
September 8, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Barton Springs photos from 1925! It's fascinating to see it under construction. Most of that concrete is exactly the same a century later. texashistory.unt.edu/search/?q=ba...
Disco Elysium really challenges what a video game can be. I'm a "pretty much anything can be art" kinda guy, but even the snobs would agree with me on this one. It feels like there is unlimited depth to this game.
The Genius of Disco Elysium's Portraits
YouTube video by Jamrock Hobo
youtu.be
September 2, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Disco Elysium really challenges what a video game can be. I'm a "pretty much anything can be art" kinda guy, but even the snobs would agree with me on this one. It feels like there is unlimited depth to this game.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
Tried to get at this in my column last night but the wild thing about the Epstein story is that it seems to interest everyone & answers to nobody, even Trump. It is an unstable compound being used by political actors to get attention or score political points but it can easily blow up in their faces
Nobody (Not Even Trump) Can Control the Epstein Story
Welcome to the era of late-stage conspiracism.
www.theatlantic.com
July 17, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Tried to get at this in my column last night but the wild thing about the Epstein story is that it seems to interest everyone & answers to nobody, even Trump. It is an unstable compound being used by political actors to get attention or score political points but it can easily blow up in their faces
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
A friend asked me to go to his small, progressive Lutheran Church here in South Brooklyn/Flatbush today. (I'm empatheist—an atheist who welcomes your faith.) A thing that stuck out is that the Church has tools for addressing and contextualizing this moment that few other institutions have.
March 24, 2025 at 3:18 AM
A friend asked me to go to his small, progressive Lutheran Church here in South Brooklyn/Flatbush today. (I'm empatheist—an atheist who welcomes your faith.) A thing that stuck out is that the Church has tools for addressing and contextualizing this moment that few other institutions have.