Jacob Pfeifer
@jacobpfeifer.co
Earnestly posting to save my soul
Austin, TX
Austin, TX
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.
Raspberry Sour
Redundant Notes
Redundant Notes
March 5, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Raspberry Sour
Redundant Notes
Redundant Notes
it's kind of wild to experience the fall of America in real time
February 28, 2025 at 7:55 PM
it's kind of wild to experience the fall of America in real time
Wow. This is excellent and horrifying. I just caught up on the first 3 episodes.
Those wrong-number-texts we're all getting are part of an unfathomably large and complex scam network.
Those wrong-number-texts we're all getting are part of an unfathomably large and complex scam network.
My year-long investigation into the multibillion dollar world of online scams is out today — on the cover of The Economist and in my new 8-part podcast series, Scam Inc
Read the article: bit.ly/scam-inc
Listen to the podcast: econ.st/3CFzGaL
Read the article: bit.ly/scam-inc
Listen to the podcast: econ.st/3CFzGaL
Online scamming is a vast, sophisticated and fast-growing global enterprise that compares in size and scope to the illegal drug industry. Except that in many ways it is worse. As our investigation finds, nobody is safe from Scam Inc econ.st/4gvEhdm
February 19, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Wow. This is excellent and horrifying. I just caught up on the first 3 episodes.
Those wrong-number-texts we're all getting are part of an unfathomably large and complex scam network.
Those wrong-number-texts we're all getting are part of an unfathomably large and complex scam network.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
I'm 100% serious when I say that large language models like ChatGPT are 1000x the threat to student learning and well-being as compared to cell phones in schools. Put down The Anxious Generation, pick up More Than Words. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/john-...
February 15, 2025 at 3:53 PM
I'm 100% serious when I say that large language models like ChatGPT are 1000x the threat to student learning and well-being as compared to cell phones in schools. Put down The Anxious Generation, pick up More Than Words. www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/john-...
They should invent solar eclipse glasses for my phone instead of the sun.
February 13, 2025 at 5:59 PM
They should invent solar eclipse glasses for my phone instead of the sun.
Maybe people already know about this but I didn't. You can't rent digital media using your library card at www.hoopladigital.com. You've probably heard of Libby for ebooks and audiobooks. Those are available on Hoopla too, but you can also rent movies, tv shows, music, and graphic novels.
www.hoopladigital.com
February 11, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Maybe people already know about this but I didn't. You can't rent digital media using your library card at www.hoopladigital.com. You've probably heard of Libby for ebooks and audiobooks. Those are available on Hoopla too, but you can also rent movies, tv shows, music, and graphic novels.
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
EMERGENCY PIECE: Previous reports that Musk's DOGE programmers only have "read only" access is inaccurate. I can confirm what @wired.com first reported at 1 AM today that they have Read & WRITE access with a source in BFS referring to this as "apocalyptic"
www.crisesnotes.com/day-five-of-...
www.crisesnotes.com/day-five-of-...
Day Five of the Trump-Musk Treasury Payments Crisis of 2025: Not “Read Only” access anymore
If you are a current or former career Bureau of the Fiscal Service Employee, especially if you’re a legacy IT programmer with years of experience and especially if you are a COBOL programmer currently...
www.crisesnotes.com
February 4, 2025 at 12:42 PM
EMERGENCY PIECE: Previous reports that Musk's DOGE programmers only have "read only" access is inaccurate. I can confirm what @wired.com first reported at 1 AM today that they have Read & WRITE access with a source in BFS referring to this as "apocalyptic"
www.crisesnotes.com/day-five-of-...
www.crisesnotes.com/day-five-of-...
Reposted by Jacob Pfeifer
A bit of professional disappointment that Wired beat me to it. But glad the info is out. I can confirm the key details of this report based on my own reporting -the name of the DOGE operative and that yes the reports about read only access is categorically false. Not only does Marko have full …
February 4, 2025 at 11:33 AM
A bit of professional disappointment that Wired beat me to it. But glad the info is out. I can confirm the key details of this report based on my own reporting -the name of the DOGE operative and that yes the reports about read only access is categorically false. Not only does Marko have full …
ma059 - dune 1.2
[machine arm | Chris Bly]
[machine arm | Chris Bly]
February 3, 2025 at 6:09 PM
ma059 - dune 1.2
[machine arm | Chris Bly]
[machine arm | Chris Bly]
I love when bands/artists put together playlists of all the music they are listening to.
open.spotify.com/playlist/4wS...
open.spotify.com/playlist/4wS...
The Kiltro Stereo Vol. 9
open.spotify.com
February 2, 2025 at 12:37 AM
I love when bands/artists put together playlists of all the music they are listening to.
open.spotify.com/playlist/4wS...
open.spotify.com/playlist/4wS...