The last thing I need right now is hope in the Cubs chancesâŠ
the official linkblog of the interwebs covering culture, politics, sports, and tech since 2012.
The Independent Variable
Posts on page 29
đ€ As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts
The device had already been on the market for about three years. Until then, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had received unconfirmed reports of seven instances in which the device malfunctioned and another report of a patient injury. Since AI was added to the device, the FDA has received unconfirmed reports of at least 100 malfunctions and adverse events.
Medical devices, including those used in surgeries and critical monitoring should never have AI because we know AI hallucinates and will always make avoidable mistakes. It may be useful for research and diagnosis (or secondary monitoring) where a human has time to review and confirm, but when someoneâs life is on the line, we donât need to add additional variables that might ignore critical information or take circuitous routes for no good reason, compounding the potential risk of human error that already existsâwhich AI is not reducing.
đ€ From Chatbots to Dice Rolls: Researchers Use D&D to Test AIâs Long-term Decision-making Abilities
Of course theyâre using bots to play D&D. Who wants to have fun with their own imagination? Weâre only on this rock to track metrics, increase productivity, and shape our blobby flesh into copyrighted bionic cogs.
Key phrase in the article: âThe simulations focused on combat: players battling monsters as part of their D&D campaign.â
So, you just made a âDiabloâ simulator?
Why not just scrape âTomb of Horrorsâ and call it a day? Or, better yet, base an entire campaign on that âSacred Geometryâ feat from Pathfinder.
Dollars to princess doughnuts, whoever designed this simulation is no fun to play D&D with.
Remember âTuckerâs Koboldsâ? Clearly you missed the point.
D&D mean many things to many people. Not all of itâs optimizing glass cannons and exploiting corner cases. For the love of Carl, please stop trying to make everything I love part of The Matrix!
Even those bots realized you need to spice things up with roleplay. Thatâs the, you know, play part of the word.
Week 06â2026
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 Bunnyâor 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 firstâalthough 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 PDF and/or in print, delivered straight to your mailbox.
Kevin Kortum
We also launched a new subscriber-only monthly column, Semi-Sequitur, from my friend Nick. It's a really fun take on sharing links, as he annotates public domain works with links to all sorts of things.
Walden: Annotated
Directed by Nicholas De Marino
Nicholas De Marino
When it came to actual linkage, we of course focused on the only thing that really matters right now and thatâs what ICE is doing in Minnesota. Luckily, they are pulling agents from MN, but the job isn't doneâwe still need to keep making our voices heard. Just because they vacate one place, doesn't mean it won't continue elsewhere.
This first link, featuring Aliya Rahmanâs testimony, is heartbreaking. To think any human being is being treated like this should terrify all Americans.
đïž The testimony of Aliya Rahman
0:00 /6:45 1Ă Itâs absolutely devastating to watch this. Iâd love to echo the sentiment Iâve seen on social media and say, âhow could anyone watch this and not be devastated?â But Iâve become too jaded. The people doing and celebrating this terrible shit
Kevin Kortum
đ§ââïž Top Minnesota prosecutor says ICE cases are sidelining âpressing prioritiesâ
Politico Actual criminals are absolutely loving whatâs happening right now. ICE isnât 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
Kevin Kortum
đ« Mexican Cartels Overwhelm Police With Ammunition Made for the U.S. Military
NY Times Government doesnât want undocumented immigrants in the country, but they are more than happy to sell non-citizen cartel members high caliber ammunition.
Kevin Kortum
â Resist and Unsubscribe
Link Good list/resource for things you can do around various giant conglomerates who have influence over the administration and/or are enablers of ICE. I think my Apple One subscription is the only place Iâm still subscribedâand I had a lifelong vendetta against FedExâbut Spotify is
Kevin Kortum
And to end things on a lighter note, the trailer for the latest show from Steve Conrad, who made two of the most underrated shows of the last decade in Patriot and, my personal favorite, Perpetual Grace Ltd.
đș DTF St. Louis (Trailer)
This is one to keep an eye on when it premiers March 1 on HBO. It stars Jason Bateman, David Harbour, and Linda Cardellini, but more importantly, it comes from writer and creator, Steve Conrad who is also the mind behind the fantastic Patriot as well as my favorite Perpetual
Kevin Kortum
đ« Mexican Cartels Overwhelm Police With Ammunition Made for the U.S. Military
Government doesnât want undocumented immigrants in the country, but they are more than happy to sell non-citizen cartel members high caliber ammunition.
Walden: Annotated
