New from me: AI Ethics is a Casualty of the Gaza War Would love your thoughts. www.jellomenorah.com/p/ai-ethics-...

With great trepidation, I’m excited to launch Sabbath Mode, a YouTube channel about religion and tech. This is a vulnerable step for me, a perpetual podcaster. More videos coming later this summer. youtu.be/Or0KqnwTpEU?...

Last week I attended a conference at Harvard Law School on religion and psychedelics. I left feeling energized about the state of Jewish psychedelic culture. Here's my write-up.

The guy who went to jail for using CRISPR to genetically edit babies is just regularly tweeting that he wishes he could do it all the time.

When you ask the wrong OpenAI model to give you a picture

I think about this video at least once a week.

TIL that the Camp Khitomer peace accords were signed at American Jewish University

I wrote up the state of the Jewish AI conversation—which is picking up speed! Lots of goodies here.

Two weeks in, the clear media pattern appears to be that international insanity is treated as Big News while domestic government-breaking is treated as a series of minor stories. This despite the fact that the former is more likely to be bluster/negotiation tactics while the latter is well underway.

Where I’m at today.

Ai Weiwei —>

It’s fascinating that a certain segment of the Orthodox world has identified Orthodox podcasts as a dangerous subversion of authority (and of course they’re correct). yated.com/beware/?fbcl...

This is literally the premise of Ken Liu's short story "Byzantine empathy." gizmodo.com/florida-judg...

The One Jasons is better, this was a cash grab pure and simple

This is the way Hanukkah ends. This is the way Hanukkah ends. This is the way Hanukkah ends. Not with a bang but a whimper.

I'd like an AI that will tell me if the work I'm doing could be done more efficiently with the help of AI.

If you're not hanging on every twist and turn of AI development, this is a great rundown of the last year. It's technical but within reason—and of course you can always ask an LLM for help if you don't understand something! simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/31/...

Predictions about the future of AI could not be any further apart.

A reminder that Christmas is much more like Shabbat than it is like Hanukkah, and if that seems absurd maybe consider that Americans have an unhealthy relationship to work. www.jellomenorah.com/p/the-jewish...

Honored to be among such excellent company!

On this Christmas Eve, a new episode for you: the story of why people keep making AI models of Jesus, and why they may be more than a novelty. I spoke with Marco Schmid, who made the AI confessional booth in Lucerne that received an avalanche of media attention. open.spotify.com/episode/5h26...

This is such a beautiful thought from Flannery O'Connor.

I have institutional library access but I end up seeking out "other" sources for PDFs because this is just so annoying.

He's correct, and there's only one solution: go outside.

This academic detective story is incredibly well written—and the payoff is unbelievably beautiful.

As Hanukkah approaches, I continue to be tickled by the fact that I am one of the only people in the world who actually makes money off dreidels.

Hanukkah is never late, nor is it early; it arrives precisely when it means to.

Yes, but who is appropriating who

what I would give

The only time it works for me is while driving through Appalachia.

I'll sell this to you for less than $6 million

messiah lookalike contest in flatbush this weekend

In terms of Jews: Americans think we’re heavy cream, but actually (appropriately?) we’re more like skim milk.

I thought this platform wasn’t going to hurt me

The long 21st century

1. It’s great to be here and not the other place 2. Why wasn’t the lesson that we actually just need to go outside? 3. The irony of going to a virtual place called “Blue Sky”

If you wanted evidence that academic illustration is the future, this is it.

I’m on this friendly platform to tell you that the Goya building lots like a Goya can

Look at this photograph of bagel peddlers from 1938 by Roman Vishniac. Look at those bagels! At what point does shmear even make sense??

Today’s bit of self-care: finally watched La Jetée. What a movie. There’s something about the photo-film format that feels adjacent to text. A+

I think of Shabbat as Book Day and I’m sure I’m not the only one

lowkey my favorite government account

That محمد (Muhammad) is taking some real liberties.

In another universe HHS really does have a undersecretary for loneliness mitigation

As a small publisher myself, I am so proud to see other publishers demonstrate that their ultimate desire is not money but to see good ideas in the hands of people who want it. Kudos to Haymarket. www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/517-te...

a incredibly important article about our missing middle institutions www.thenation.com/article/poli...

A huge problem we face is Americans’ complete lack of familiarity with actual authoritarian regimes. It leaves people both fearing imaginary dangers (“there will be no more elections!”) and, for that exact reason, unable to see the actual threats (cronyism, authoritarian consolidation, etc.).

Not diminishing this but wish they had also asked Jews

All these starter packs make me feel like a kid in a candy shop. Keep them coming!