“Today, I see a psychological version of Jevons Paradox reshaping our relationship with time itself. As our tools amplify each hour's potential yield, our internal expectations don't just keep pace, they outrun our capabilities like shadows lengthening at sunset. There’s an exquisite tension between what we can theoretically accomplish and the stubborn limitations of being human. When every hour holds tenfold possibility, rest feels like surrender, like watching gold-threaded potential slip through your fingers into a river.” - FakePixels
People: Jevons paradox - being more of oneself. Canada-US flights plumetting. The purge of Enola Gay. Stoop coffees.
NASA, and women astronauts. What’s improper ideology? Inmates as private labor.Tech: Tracking cars. Capturing street traffic, DIY. Anti-orbit laser submarines. Pair of transistors as a spiking neuron. Gov data under Palantir? Excess hydro power to get into bitcoins (zambia). Glass as insulation.
Futures: of students. Institute of sustainable futures. Stories from the future.
Planet: NASA imagery and .. the oceans? New ecosystems under icebergs. Parrots in cities. Breaking PFAS with piezos.
Security: Preparing quantum cyberattacks. UK permanent facial recog cameras in London. War plans on the Internet (bis). CIA and Signal.
AI: China’s open source approach, inc Deepseek. SSA codebase. Ore deposits. The cybernetic teammate. H&M with digital twins of models.
Parrots and Paranoia: A Chaotic Symphony
The city hummed with the sporadic cries of wild parrots, streaks of green and yellow flitting through the gray urban landscape. This wasn’t a nature documentary, but a reality since the rose-ringed parakeets had decided that the warm corners of London were simply too tempting to resist. Every morning, people stared slack-jawed at these avian anomalies, baffled that misfit pets had gone rogue, forming their own raucous society. Much like Matt Zajack's quirky Traffic Monitor that counted cyclists and pedestrians with the same zeal they displayed when attempting to cross the street *while arguing about the existence of God and bus timetables*, these parrots seemed determined to define the traffic patterns of the sky.
Beneath all this avian splendor, a much darker narrative was unfolding. Jeffrey, a tech-savvy journalist whose phone screen glowed as if warning him of pending doom, had just received sensitive military communications via a distressed Signal group chat. “Is this a joke?” he mumbled, unsure if he was watching a dystopian film or living in it. The chat included an astounding variety of characters; members of the U.S. administration discussing strikes against Houthi targets—somehow his smartphone had transformed into little more than an electronic version of a cheap gossip column—alarming and absurd. His ensuing disbelief morphed into a rush to publish, bringing ethics into question faster than the parakeets could outsmart checkered cabs.
Meanwhile, overlooking Jeffrey's frantic typing, a Swiss startup called Oxyle was resolutely dismantling the very chemicals that were slowly poisoning Europe. The piezoelectric catalyst they showcased could eliminate 99% of PFAS from wastewater streams. “We can clean the world!” their press release proclaimed, like a medieval squire boasting of dragon-slaying prowess. But with national security on the near horizon, who could afford to be that optimistic?
Back at the bustling plaza, where one could see the Traffic Monitor and its crowd of enthusiasts preaching the virtues of biking before 10 AM, an alarming rise of hidden cameras were catching them mid-speech. They were flanked by law enforcement more interested in facial recognition stats than improving the community. “It's like being on reality TV, except all you get is a raise in paranoia,” laughed an unlikely, but determined, participant who claimed to communicate telepathically with the parrots, forming mental alliances that would take over the traffic system—one chirp at a time.
And just when life felt overwhelming and too intertwined with the absurd, the oceans—mysterious and alarmingly expansive—were beckoning. The newly minted SWOT satellite was promising to reveal wonders and disasters lurking beneath the waves, from thriving coral ecosystems nestled under melting glaciers to the lost treasure of environmental significance. Jeffrey thought, perhaps, it would be safer to stay underwater, amidst the octopuses and icefish, where military chats and government surveillance could do no harm.
As the sun dipped below the city skyline, casting an illusion of tranquility, Jeffrey sent the signal: a thumbs-up emoji, a neutralizing agent in his chaotic existence, hinting at a shift—where might and mischief couldn’t drown out the inevitable collective drive for understanding. Little did he know, while he was merely reacting to echoes from his phone, wild parrots outside were crafting their own intricate social networks, spawning deeper meanings of community amidst an absurdly chaotic world.
*Footnote: One could argue that if they were like the parrots—adoringly loud but rather clueless—maybe humanity would have less to worry about; after all, ignorance must be bliss, especially if your only concern is finding the best breadcrumb in town.*