I was with my kids at a middle eastern bakery picking up some Lebanese cheese pies and shawarma for lunch today and two older Iranian women came in. They were grabbing lunch before going downtown to lay flowers in front of the American Embassy (where I work, unbeknownst to them) in Ottawa. I told them I was American and that I was so happy for them and they both started weeping, hugging me and my kids, saying thank you over and over. They had fled Iran years ago after having family members murdered by the IRGC.
A colleague of mine here was at her Iranian manicurist, who got a call from her boyfriend in Iran. The internet was cut off early today and this was the first time she heard he was safe. He told her that the dictator was dead and people were dancing in the streets. After she hung up, she burst into tears and thanked my coworker profusely. She said 50 years they’ve lived in fear and while it’s not over yet, this is the first time she feels hope.
There is a huge Iranian diaspora here in Canada and they have been rallying in front of the US Embassy for the last two months, waving the old Iranian flag and American and Israeli flags and chanting “President Trump, act now!” They did this for hours, in the well below freezing cold and snow, with old people in wheelchairs and babies in strollers.
I won’t make any political commentary but just wanted to relay another side to the situation.
I thought Andrew Sullivan had a bad case of Israel Derangement Syndrome, but Ana Kasperian is completely bonkers. Surprised she's not screaming into a bullhorn on the corner of Pico and Robertson.
I know this point has been made ad nauseam but truly what does Ana Kasparian mean when she says the word genocide and what does she think about the fact that Iran and those aligned with Hamas openly advertise their desire for the genocide of Jews. This isn’t a comment for or against what is happening with Iran right now, but I am just continuously flummoxed by the asymmetry.
as a young rock & roll appreciator with the attendant pretentious viewpoints mandatory at the time my brethren & I regarded Neil Sedaka as King Dweeb to be disregarded with Manilow levels of distain. I was largely unfamiliar with him and any of the pro-Sedaka CV points laid out here but thanks to you Matt it's possible that I might begin to give him my miserly, grudging respect. Getting there anyway, it's bits like this along with a few other benefits that keep me a paying customer (just no more Ana K. episodes please)
Spent some time cleaning up my Instagram feed earlier. The political right has a substantial anti-Semite problem that is probably going to only get worse. I never thought I’d live to see so many Americans wishing for Iran to turn Tel Aviv into glass.
Ooh I second the recommendation for Under the Shadow. I saw it years ago knowing nothing beforehand, and it stuck with me. There’s one scene where you wish they had a better budget (you’ll know it when you see it) but the movie manages to build so much tension with so little. I’m going to take my own advice and watch it again.
[insert here necessary disclaimer that I am not unhappy a theocratic tyrant is now enjoying his virgins and that just maybe a nation can obtain some freedom] ... But ... So glad that the Iranians have, in Trump's words, a president giving them what they want. When does America get one of those? If he's taking orders, I'd like one that respects the constitution, doesn't spend us into oblivion, and has a rudimentary understanding of economics. Oh, and is at least superficially dignified? I guess, to paraphrase Bridget Fonda in Singles, I'll just take one who says Gesundheit when I sneeze.
Why do we continue to pay particular attention to the low-value outbursts from Ana Kasparian? She’s not especially interesting or insightful and is adding nothing of unique importance to any conversation I’m aware of.
I generally don’t, but considering that she has repeatedly made similar news since appearing on our podcast, I thought it was worth an acknowledgement.
Fair enough. Although, that said, "Person X again posted something lacking substance and nuance about something they don't seem to understand particularly well" is basically the default operating system of the internet so, if you're going to follow that logic, we’ll soon find ourselves following the latest utterances of any number of uninteresting people.
General chat has been aflame when she posts dumb shit, so it is appropriate (I think) for exceptionally stupid shit during a major historical event like this to be addressed so their stance on her is properly illustrated…
I just keep waiting for The Intertubes to start flowing. It’s going to be very difficult for the remnants of the IRGC to keep a lid on the info outflow.
I understand Sen. Paul’s statement, but sometimes it makes sense to STFU for a while. Chris Murphy had a very forceful video about how this was the worse thing ever….and four hours later after it’s confirmed The Ayatollah is dead, he looks like the goddamn fool he is. Timmah Kaine had something similar.
The Anthropic Supply Chain Risk designation is, it appears, a new scissor statement [0], [1]. I do not understand how anyone can believe that a private company's contract terms, no matter how over the top and ridiculous they could possibly be made, simply can't dictate operations or actions to the government, since, the last time I checked, the government is just free to not sign the contract. Yet there is a whole group who seemingly can't see it my way either. Sometimes it feels like political discourse has become nothing but an unending stream of scissor statements. I'm tired of it.
If the contract terms were unacceptable, the government could refuse to do business with Anthropic. The supply chain risk designation is gratuitous. It seems like an attempt to destroy Anthropic, not enact good defense policy.
I remain deeply hopeful that other AI vendors will take Anthropic’s experience working with the government to heart when considering bidding on new work. One would hope that this little tantrum would make it just a little bit harder the next time the feds put out a bid for services.
But then I remember we’re in the worst timeline and something something Peter Thiel.
Yes, that's how I see it, and I don't comprehend how anyone could see it any other way....and yet the other side seemingly feels the same way (in the opposite direction). That's what makes it s scissor statement.
The supply chain bit is excessive, but it’s the mechanism for them to force the expiration of contracts across the US government.
It’s ironic that Anthropic applied for a contract to develop a swarm of drones with the potential to be murderbots (which was stated as a possible use), but then having lost that contract and low on the user base and up for a round of funding just so happened to find their moral compass. 😂😂😂
These people are playing the ideological populace…
This was by no means the only option. From Dean Ball (former Trump Admin member specifically on AI):
The Department of War’s rational response here would have been to cancel Anthropic’s contract and make clear, in public, that such policy limitations are unacceptable. They could also have dealt with the above-mentioned subcontractor problem using a variety of tools, such as:
Issuing guidance advising contractors to avoid agreeing to terms with subcontractors that constitute policy/operational constraints as opposed to technical or IP constraints;
A new DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement) clause pertaining specifically to the procurement of AI systems in classified settings that prevents both primes from imposing such constraints directly and accepting such constraints from their subcontractors, along with a procedure for requiring subcontractors with non-compliant terms to waive such terms within a prescribed time period.
These are the least-restrictive means to accomplishing the end in question. If Anthropic refused to compromise on its red lines for the military’s use of AI, the execution of these policies would mean that Anthropic would be restricted from business with DoW or any of its contractors in those contractors’ fulfillment of their classified DoW work.
Oh, I agree. Cancel the contracts. Publish an EO directing agencies to not renew contracts when they expire… etc.
This is childish, but still it’s just a mechanism. They wanted it to hurt, either because they saw what he was doing or because they are petty (or both).
"The Ayatollah of Rock N Roll-A? You know the free press has an option to Read their articles to subscribers..... just saying .... I mean what if I am dating a Handsy Bobart type? I could kill 2 birds one stone yeah?
I was with my kids at a middle eastern bakery picking up some Lebanese cheese pies and shawarma for lunch today and two older Iranian women came in. They were grabbing lunch before going downtown to lay flowers in front of the American Embassy (where I work, unbeknownst to them) in Ottawa. I told them I was American and that I was so happy for them and they both started weeping, hugging me and my kids, saying thank you over and over. They had fled Iran years ago after having family members murdered by the IRGC.
A colleague of mine here was at her Iranian manicurist, who got a call from her boyfriend in Iran. The internet was cut off early today and this was the first time she heard he was safe. He told her that the dictator was dead and people were dancing in the streets. After she hung up, she burst into tears and thanked my coworker profusely. She said 50 years they’ve lived in fear and while it’s not over yet, this is the first time she feels hope.
There is a huge Iranian diaspora here in Canada and they have been rallying in front of the US Embassy for the last two months, waving the old Iranian flag and American and Israeli flags and chanting “President Trump, act now!” They did this for hours, in the well below freezing cold and snow, with old people in wheelchairs and babies in strollers.
I won’t make any political commentary but just wanted to relay another side to the situation.
Amazing, thank you!
I thought Andrew Sullivan had a bad case of Israel Derangement Syndrome, but Ana Kasperian is completely bonkers. Surprised she's not screaming into a bullhorn on the corner of Pico and Robertson.
I know this point has been made ad nauseam but truly what does Ana Kasparian mean when she says the word genocide and what does she think about the fact that Iran and those aligned with Hamas openly advertise their desire for the genocide of Jews. This isn’t a comment for or against what is happening with Iran right now, but I am just continuously flummoxed by the asymmetry.
as a young rock & roll appreciator with the attendant pretentious viewpoints mandatory at the time my brethren & I regarded Neil Sedaka as King Dweeb to be disregarded with Manilow levels of distain. I was largely unfamiliar with him and any of the pro-Sedaka CV points laid out here but thanks to you Matt it's possible that I might begin to give him my miserly, grudging respect. Getting there anyway, it's bits like this along with a few other benefits that keep me a paying customer (just no more Ana K. episodes please)
Spent some time cleaning up my Instagram feed earlier. The political right has a substantial anti-Semite problem that is probably going to only get worse. I never thought I’d live to see so many Americans wishing for Iran to turn Tel Aviv into glass.
Ooh I second the recommendation for Under the Shadow. I saw it years ago knowing nothing beforehand, and it stuck with me. There’s one scene where you wish they had a better budget (you’ll know it when you see it) but the movie manages to build so much tension with so little. I’m going to take my own advice and watch it again.
[insert here necessary disclaimer that I am not unhappy a theocratic tyrant is now enjoying his virgins and that just maybe a nation can obtain some freedom] ... But ... So glad that the Iranians have, in Trump's words, a president giving them what they want. When does America get one of those? If he's taking orders, I'd like one that respects the constitution, doesn't spend us into oblivion, and has a rudimentary understanding of economics. Oh, and is at least superficially dignified? I guess, to paraphrase Bridget Fonda in Singles, I'll just take one who says Gesundheit when I sneeze.
Why do we continue to pay particular attention to the low-value outbursts from Ana Kasparian? She’s not especially interesting or insightful and is adding nothing of unique importance to any conversation I’m aware of.
I generally don’t, but considering that she has repeatedly made similar news since appearing on our podcast, I thought it was worth an acknowledgement.
Fair enough. Although, that said, "Person X again posted something lacking substance and nuance about something they don't seem to understand particularly well" is basically the default operating system of the internet so, if you're going to follow that logic, we’ll soon find ourselves following the latest utterances of any number of uninteresting people.
General chat has been aflame when she posts dumb shit, so it is appropriate (I think) for exceptionally stupid shit during a major historical event like this to be addressed so their stance on her is properly illustrated…
I think I just came up with an idea for a podcast.
I just keep waiting for The Intertubes to start flowing. It’s going to be very difficult for the remnants of the IRGC to keep a lid on the info outflow.
I understand Sen. Paul’s statement, but sometimes it makes sense to STFU for a while. Chris Murphy had a very forceful video about how this was the worse thing ever….and four hours later after it’s confirmed The Ayatollah is dead, he looks like the goddamn fool he is. Timmah Kaine had something similar.
The Anthropic Supply Chain Risk designation is, it appears, a new scissor statement [0], [1]. I do not understand how anyone can believe that a private company's contract terms, no matter how over the top and ridiculous they could possibly be made, simply can't dictate operations or actions to the government, since, the last time I checked, the government is just free to not sign the contract. Yet there is a whole group who seemingly can't see it my way either. Sometimes it feels like political discourse has become nothing but an unending stream of scissor statements. I'm tired of it.
[0] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scissor_statement
[1] https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/10/30/sort-by-controversial/
If the contract terms were unacceptable, the government could refuse to do business with Anthropic. The supply chain risk designation is gratuitous. It seems like an attempt to destroy Anthropic, not enact good defense policy.
I remain deeply hopeful that other AI vendors will take Anthropic’s experience working with the government to heart when considering bidding on new work. One would hope that this little tantrum would make it just a little bit harder the next time the feds put out a bid for services.
But then I remember we’re in the worst timeline and something something Peter Thiel.
Yes, that's how I see it, and I don't comprehend how anyone could see it any other way....and yet the other side seemingly feels the same way (in the opposite direction). That's what makes it s scissor statement.
The supply chain bit is excessive, but it’s the mechanism for them to force the expiration of contracts across the US government.
It’s ironic that Anthropic applied for a contract to develop a swarm of drones with the potential to be murderbots (which was stated as a possible use), but then having lost that contract and low on the user base and up for a round of funding just so happened to find their moral compass. 😂😂😂
These people are playing the ideological populace…
This was by no means the only option. From Dean Ball (former Trump Admin member specifically on AI):
The Department of War’s rational response here would have been to cancel Anthropic’s contract and make clear, in public, that such policy limitations are unacceptable. They could also have dealt with the above-mentioned subcontractor problem using a variety of tools, such as:
Issuing guidance advising contractors to avoid agreeing to terms with subcontractors that constitute policy/operational constraints as opposed to technical or IP constraints;
A new DFARS (Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement) clause pertaining specifically to the procurement of AI systems in classified settings that prevents both primes from imposing such constraints directly and accepting such constraints from their subcontractors, along with a procedure for requiring subcontractors with non-compliant terms to waive such terms within a prescribed time period.
These are the least-restrictive means to accomplishing the end in question. If Anthropic refused to compromise on its red lines for the military’s use of AI, the execution of these policies would mean that Anthropic would be restricted from business with DoW or any of its contractors in those contractors’ fulfillment of their classified DoW work.
Full article here: https://www.hyperdimensional.co/p/clawed
Oh, I agree. Cancel the contracts. Publish an EO directing agencies to not renew contracts when they expire… etc.
This is childish, but still it’s just a mechanism. They wanted it to hurt, either because they saw what he was doing or because they are petty (or both).
I appreciate the article. 🫡
"You just know there’s a One-Hitter in the near future for paying subscribers."
Thank you!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Well, we’ve had a co-host illness, so cross fingers for tomorrow.
I hardly think that you can call a hangover an "illness".
"The Ayatollah of Rock N Roll-A? You know the free press has an option to Read their articles to subscribers..... just saying .... I mean what if I am dating a Handsy Bobart type? I could kill 2 birds one stone yeah?