Foresight in geopolitics, global trends, and security affairs (with an eye on science fiction)

Washington, DC
Joined September 2009
Rest in Peace Walter Koenig. Thank you for navigating us through the final frontier, and bringing us such joy through your years of activism, writing, and memorable characters like the joyous Chekov and the sinister Bester. We're forever grateful that you lent your talents to our game. We'll see you again, in the stars.
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This Saturday night picture is probably the most Halloween image I will take this year. Lighting courtesy of emergency vehicles.
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Futurist at the movies microreview: "Dune," which came out 5 years ago today. It was one of the best futurist films in a strong year.
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"If the Trump administration launches an effort to manipulate the outcome of the midterms, the economic impact could be felt immediately, and it could last long after Mr. Trump’s presidency ends." nytimes.com/2026/10/21/opini…
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A hallmark of dysfunctional societies is that elites are fully insulated from the realities of ordinary life.
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Futurist at the movies microreview: "In Time," which came out 15 years ago today. It was one of the better futurist films of 2011, despite being more about an alt reality than our own future.
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Becoming a landlocked country at the mercy of much larger neighbors, with an economy centered on a resource of declining importance, doesn't sound like the best course of action. (But at least they'd have the no-rat claim to fame.) #Alberta
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Futurist at the movies microreview: "Needle in a Timestack," which came out 5 years ago today.
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"Anthropic warned Monday that within months, compact AI models could grow powerful enough to spread autonomously across commercial internet-of-things devices — including smart ovens and off-brand Android TV boxes — without any human involvement." qz.com/anthropic-self-replic…
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To pay for policies to help workers amidst AI-driven job losses, "the federal government should establish a payroll tax on companies’ equity compensation." foreignaffairs.com/guest-pas…
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"For at least the next decade, favorable trends in hypersonic weapons, drone systems, electronic warfare, and cyberwarfare put the United States and its allies and partners in a strong position to deter China from an attack on Taiwan." foreignaffairs.com/guest-pas…
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The path to bioterrorism outlined here is also one of the answers to the question "how would AI kill us acting on its own?" #AI #bioweapons foreignaffairs.com/guest-pas…
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Futurist at the movies microreview: "Night Raiders," which came out 5 years ago today.
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"Night Raiders" was apparently criticized for using standard YA tropes -- but Canadian First Nations endured a YA dystopia for much of the 20th century.
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