reading.

Books on the shelf, and things I’m reading around the web.

./from-the-web

things i’m reading, not necessarily endorsing.

September 2026

  1. A Severe Misalignment of AI in Mathematics ↗ (opens in new tab)

    Terence Tao · What's new

    I am proud to be among the list of 25 initial signatories — all Fields Medallists — to the declaration below, which grew out of discussions between ourselves over the last week. We have…

August 2026

  1. Sangita Myska: Is Jason Arday a fantasist or a victim of racism? Actually, he’s both ↗ (opens in new tab)

    Sangita Myska · The Nerve

    The former professor’s claims about his extraordinary life do not bear scrutiny. But the frenzied and vicious reporting about him is impugning the good name of every black academic

July 2026

  1. All the Cool Kids Are Birding ↗ (opens in new tab)

    Rachel Gutman-Wei · The Atlantic

    A younger crowd is flocking to a hobby once dominated by retirees—and transforming it along the way.

  2. I Hate The Way We Talk Online ↗ (opens in new tab)

    Jason Toney

    Jason Toney on algorithm-speak, main character energy, and why a simple question about music charts revealed how badly we've forgotten how to talk to each other online."

  3. The organizational cost of low taste ↗ (opens in new tab)

    Aurélie Radom · Medium

    When organizations lose a clear sense of quality, decisions become slow and complicated. Without strong standards, too many options stay open, causing confusion and more meetings. AI creates many possibilities but does not help choose well, making good judgment the key challenge for success.

  4. Zuckerberg's increasingly bizarre war on whistleblowers (permalink) ↗ (opens in new tab)

    pluralistic.net

    Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are aggressively trying to silence whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams, who exposed serious misconduct at Facebook in her bestselling book. Meta uses strict legal tactics to prevent her from speaking about her experiences, even punishing her for staying silent on stage. This harsh treatment aims to intimidate other former employees and hide the company’s ongoing problems.

  5. The last astronomers ↗ (opens in new tab)

    Joshua Sokol · Science Advances

    Astrophysicists are worried that AI might take over many parts of their work, risking the loss of human skills and creativity. They fear a future where machines produce most research, making it hard to trust and value human scientists. Despite this, some believe AI can help explore the universe if used carefully.