The Independent Variable

🤖 From Chatbots to Dice Rolls: Researchers Use D&D to Test AI’s Long-term Decision-making Abilities

ai

Of course they’re using bots to play D&D. Who wants to have fun with their own imagination? We’re only on this rock to track metrics, increase productivity, and shape our blobby flesh into copyrighted bionic cogs.

Key phrase in the article: “The simulations focused on combat: players battling monsters as part of their D&D campaign.”

So, you just made a “Diablo” simulator?

Why not just scrape “Tomb of Horrors” and call it a day? Or, better yet, base an entire campaign on that “Sacred Geometry” feat from Pathfinder.

Dollars to princess doughnuts, whoever

Week 06—2026

last week

When you're reading this, you may already know what has happened at the Super Bowl on Sunday. Hopefully, the Patriots lose and ICE doesn't do anything idiotic like try to detain Bad Bunny—or anyone at the game... but they are just crazy enough to try some stupid shit like that...

February's LLoN went out right on time on the first—although we will probably shift to the first Saturday of every month moving forward. It's a depressing one, but an important one.

February 2026

Here is the Little Letter of Nonsense for February! Available to paid subscribers as a

🔫 Mexican Cartels Overwhelm Police With Ammunition Made for the U.S. Military

politics

NY Times

Government doesn’t want undocumented immigrants in the country, but they are more than happy to sell non-citizen cartel members high caliber ammunition.

Walden: Annotated Featured Post Paid Post

semi-sequitur

Directed by Nicholas De Marino

⚽️ Ronaldo to boycott 2nd Al Nassr game in protest of PIF

soccer

ESPN

Sources told ESPN that Ronaldo tried to block the transfer of French star Karim Benzema from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal on Monday because he felt the move was unfair and indicated that PIF wanted to pave the way for Al Hilal to win the title.

Who would’ve thought the fake soccer league that controls the purse strings of every team and overpaid a bunch of old players would do things “unfairly?” Not to mention Ronaldo’s team is stacked still with João Felix, Kingsley Coman, and Sadio Mané—plus a couple young Brazilians.

🧑‍⚖️ Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’

politics

Politico

Actual criminals are absolutely loving what’s happening right now. ICE isn’t going after the (extremely small population of) undocumented immigrants that are in gangs because those people would actually fight back and have criminal attorneys on retainer and the idiot goons of ICE want nothing to do with that. Instead they go after people with disabilities, children, and people at court houses “doing it the right way” so they can hit their outrageous quotas. Not only that, local police and prosecutors are now jammed up with all of this nonsense and dedicating less time to going after

🤖 From Chatbots to Dice Rolls: Researchers Use D&D to Test AI’s Long-term Decision-making Abilities

Week 06—2026

🔫 Mexican Cartels Overwhelm Police With Ammunition Made for the U.S. Military

Walden: Annotated Featured Post Paid Post

⚽️ Ronaldo to boycott 2nd Al Nassr game in protest of PIF

🧑‍⚖️ Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining ‘pressing priorities’

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Walden: Annotated

February 2026

January 2026

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