Dr Alex Burns
dralexburns.bsky.social
Dr Alex Burns
@dralexburns.bsky.social
Australian political scientist and writer. www.alexburns.net & https://uow.academia.edu/AlexBurns #ActuallyAutistic. Own opinions.
It involves the cultivation of cognitive-emotional-embodied (the three major centres) metacognition; focused attention; and situational awareness.

In the clinical hypnosis literature this is the Hidden Observer phenomenon (Ernest Hilgard).

A recent update on this:

img3.reoveme.com/m/8805068959...
Orage says, in "How Not to Give Oneself Away," that there is the possibility of separability between the inner state and the external manifestation. Yet is this so? That is, is it so, as opposed to the usual hypnotic influence between centres? ...
February 8, 2026 at 4:53 AM
Useful:

sociology.stanford.edu/publications...

Neil Fligstein's work in the new institutionalism (what I focus on as strategic subcultures) is highly recommended.

sociology.berkeley.edu/faculty/neil...
February 8, 2026 at 4:49 AM
Reposted by Dr Alex Burns
10 Weekend Reads

-What happens when we admit we don’t know?
-Bubbles as a Feature Not a Bug
-Interstellar Space Travel Will Never, Ever Happen
-Federal Reserve 101
-Computers can’t surprise
-NFL & Fox: The $1.6B Deal That Changed Everything

ritholtz.com/2026/02/10-w...
10 Weekend Reads - The Big Picture
The weekend is here! Pour yourself a mug of Danish Blend coffee, grab a seat outside, and get ready for our longer-form weekend reads: • What happens when we admit we don’t know? Kelly Corrigan on why...
ritholtz.com
February 7, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Reposted by Dr Alex Burns
The Weekly Look at the Global Economy and Markets
The Context
mohamedelerian.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Today:

- Deepfake archival recovery of Classical Hollywood era films.
- Civil Affairs / PSYOP and the SOF-Cyber-Space triad.
- The film script for Christopher Nolan's Tenet (2020).
- Brief analysis of a recent political speech on Arnotts SPV investment.

www.alexburns.net/p/hollywood-...
Hollywood and the Deepfake Treatment
New opportunities in the entertainment industry and the information strategic environment.
www.alexburns.net
February 8, 2026 at 4:45 AM
The @cornellupress.bsky.social has published Age of Deception: Cybersecurity as Secret Statecraft by @jonrlindsay.bsky.social on Amazon Kindle. Congratulations!

www.amazon.com.au/Age-Deceptio...
Age of Deception: Cybersecurity as Secret Statecraft (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
Age of Deception: Cybersecurity as Secret Statecraft (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) eBook : Lindsay, Jon R.: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store
www.amazon.com.au
January 24, 2026 at 10:47 AM
Notes on Australian Neo-Nazis and Evading Hate Speech Laws

An ABC News article and a brief response from unpublished research.

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

www.alexburns.net/p/notes-on-a...
The subtle symbols Neo-Nazis may use to evade hate speech laws
Viking symbols and a Norwegian jacket have now become synonymous with Australia's Neo-Nazi groups, but what do they mean?
www.abc.net.au
January 24, 2026 at 9:03 AM
The flipside of having peak experiences (Abraham Maslow) is experiencing relative deprivation (Ted Robert Gurr). How and why the New Year period can fracture your personal relationships.

www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
Why the new year exposes relationship problems — and what to do about it
The fresh start of a new year causes us to reassess many parts of our lives, including relationships. Knowing whether it's time to call it quits or give things more time requires reflection — and supp...
www.abc.net.au
January 24, 2026 at 7:17 AM
Today part II:

- Richard D. James' creativity for recording Aphex Twin albums
- Keith Jarrett's bestselling Koln Concert improvised for ECM on 24th January 1975
- The US semi-hidden reading crisis
- The promise of AI education

www.alexburns.net/p/on-improvi...
On Improvisation
Strategies to cope with change, uncertainty, technology, and mundane experiences.
www.alexburns.net
January 24, 2026 at 4:58 AM
Two key BoJ books (the first an analytical study; the second a policymaker memoir of crisis management and implementing monetary policy):

www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...

yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...

Both are published by excellent US university presses.
The Bank of Japan held interest rates steady—save for one dissenter favoring a hike—while revising its inflation and growth forecasts upward.
Though markets took note, these weren't the primary driver of the Yen’s significant intraday volatility (chart). Instead, it was a rumor of FX intervention.
January 24, 2026 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Dr Alex Burns
10 Friday AM Reads:

-5 Reasons Gold Is Surging Toward $5,000 an Ounce
-Economic Legacy of DOGE
-Real AI Talent War: Plumbers & Electricians
-Gen X + Millennials Will Inherit Trillions in Real Estate
-Fracking Goes Global
-The Real Donald Trump Is a Character on TV

ritholtz.com/2026/01/10-f...
10 Friday AM Reads - The Big Picture
My end-of-week morning train WFH reads: • Five Reasons Gold Is Surging Toward $5,000 an Ounce: Buying the precious metal has become the antidote for market jitters (Wall Street Journal) • Rich America...
ritholtz.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:42 PM
Today:

- What links Prime Minister Mark Carney; Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel; and the influential philosopher Alain Badiou
- Why slow transport in Australia is an historical failure to use systems thinking (such as causal loop diagrams)
www.alexburns.net/p/when-the-p...
January 24, 2026 at 3:23 AM
Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman has a new collection out on 25th May 2026 called On Strategy and Strategists: Collected Essays 2014-2024 (OUP USA, 2026).

www.amazon.com.au/Strategists-...

www.global.oup.com/academic/pro...

www.kcl.ac.uk/people/profe...
On Strategists and Strategy Collected Essays, 2014-2024
On Strategists and Strategy Collected Essays, 2014-2024 : Freedman: Amazon.com.au: Books
www.amazon.com.au
January 8, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Reposted by Dr Alex Burns
10 Thursday AM Reads

-The Great Credit Convergence
-The Emperor’s New Oil Wealth
-On the Legality of the Venezuela Invasion
-A tale of 2 Ralphs — and the reality of a K-shaped economy
-America Is Falling Out of Love With Pizza
-The Worst Shot Ever Taken

ritholtz.com/2026/01/10-t...
10 Thursday AM Reads - The Big Picture
My morning train WFH reads: • The Great Credit Convergence: How public and private credit are now one market (Paul Kedrosky) • The Emperor’s New Oil Wealth: You may have heard that Venezuela has the w...
ritholtz.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Why did the Clinton administration fail to prevent North Korea from "going nuclear"? A new book from US diplomat Joel S. Wit & @yalepress.bsky.social:

yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...

www.amazon.com.au/Fallout-Insi...

www.stimson.org/ppl/joel-wit/
Fallout
A behind-the-scenes look into why U.S. efforts to contain North Korea’s nuclear capabilities have not worked   For almost four decades, the United States ...
yalebooks.yale.edu
January 8, 2026 at 12:00 PM
A key article by MIT Professor Vipin Narang on nuclear proliferation (tonight's re-reading):

dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/ha...

Professor Narang's latest book:

www.amazon.com.au/Seeking-Bomb...
dspace.mit.edu
January 8, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Charles Perrow (normal accidents); Scott N. Sagan (the limits of safety); & Eric Schlosser (nuclear C3 failure: command, control & communications) have all written field-defining books on risks.

www.amazon.com.au/Normal-Accid...

www.amazon.com.au/Limits-Safet...

www.amazon.com.au/Command-Cont...
January 8, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by Dr Alex Burns
This thorough and substantive handbook on apocalypticism and millennialism is now available from Bloomsbury.

Includes a chapter by me on conspiracism and millennialism.

One to recommend to your library.

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/bloomsbur...
The Bloomsbury Handbook of Apocalypticism and Millennialism
In an age shadowed by pandemics, climate catastrophe, authoritarian resurgence, and existential technological threats, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Apocalypticism…
www.bloomsbury.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM
I'm yet to read Anthony King's recent book @quinnslobodian.com & @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social: thanks for your insightful analysis. Dr Armin Krishnan (East Carolina University) wrote a book on this for Routledge in 2009.

www.amazon.com.au/Killer-Robot...

politicalscience.ecu.edu/about/facult...
January 8, 2026 at 8:34 AM
I sat in on a Bloomberg sales presentation whilst at Victoria University - in which I first learned how its trade execution engine works. Most Technical Analysis is thus apophenia (Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Fooled By Randomness). I later learned the basics of a Bloomberg Terminal at Bond University.
How did a layoff lead to a revolution in financial data?

Mike Bloomberg shares the story behind the Bloomberg Terminal, lessons from serving as NYC Mayor, and his philosophy on risk-taking and leadership:

YouTube: lnkd.in/eq3WSBee
Spotify: lnkd.in/eiM9SKvd
Apple: lnkd.in/e9zQqDP7
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
January 8, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Anything involving TEQSA & universities @beneltham.bsky.social will involve a dance (at times improvised, and at other times, scripted or well known - as per Yes Minister / Yes Prime Minister episodes) around regulation. Witholding funds requires stronger powers - and probably Ministerial guidance.
January 8, 2026 at 8:28 AM
This is not unexpected @beneltham.bsky.social given who lobbied for the RC. If possible, I will provide a submission based on as yet unpublished research on antisemitism and ideological indoctrinability (a different research program to social cohesion - I approach it as social stratification).
Baking the IHRA definition of antisemitism into the terms of the Royal Commission. Cool, cool www.ag.gov.au/sites/defaul...
www.ag.gov.au
January 8, 2026 at 8:25 AM
Today's update:

- Compellance based brinkmanship on #Greenland & #Venezuela.
- Investor-state dispute settlement.
- Australia's new Royal Commission on countering antisemitism & strengthening social cohesion.
- Quentin Tarantino & Martin Shkreli give advice.

www.alexburns.net/p/compellanc...
January 8, 2026 at 8:23 AM