The Stupidity Subsidy
W24 — Everyone keeps asking whether technology made us dumber. Wrong question. The data says no. Our intelligence didn't move, the reward function did. We built the first machine in history that pays smart people to act…
Snake oil in a hoodie. Crypto scams, AI hype merchants, MLM-adjacent tech plays, and the recurring pattern of charismatic founders selling futures that conveniently never arrive.
11 Posts · May 12, 2013 – Jun 12, 2026
W24 — Everyone keeps asking whether technology made us dumber. Wrong question. The data says no. Our intelligence didn't move, the reward function did. We built the first machine in history that pays smart people to act…
W22 — The slogan is wrong on every axis it was built to carry. The lie is not lazy; it is load-bearing. Strip it back and you find the real commodity and the reason it stays hidden. The model keeps what fits and files…
W15 - The corpus didn't capture human knowledge. It captured what traveled. And what travels, across centuries of civilization, is weaponry, it's the fraction of human cognition evolved specifically to exploit other…
W11 - You have spent your whole life learning to spot the argument. Nobody told you the argument was never the point. The persuasion is the last nail. Pre-suasion is the house. And someone else already built it.
W25 - You know that hollow feeling after three hours of phone scrolling? Eyes burning, neck aching, weirdly anxious about crises you can't solve but can't remember learning anything useful? That's your intelligence…
W09 - North Korea's $1.5 billion crypto heist: No code, just a polite request. When state-of-the-art security crumbles with a click, who needs hackers? Dive into the tragicomic tale of how the world's most unhackable…
W07 - Cupid's arrows now come tipped with algorithms. This holiday isn't just about love—it's a masterclass in emotional capitalism. Where sighs become sales, and even cynicism turns profitable. Resistance? That's just…
W51 - OpenAI's fall from grace isn't just corporate drama—it's a chilling preview of how every ethical AI governance attempt could unravel. As we race towards AGI, are we dismantling the very safeguards meant to protect…
W46 - Forget spreadsheets! Businesses keep botching human psychology—the gap's so wide you could park a train in it! Think: billion-dollar companies, all math, no matter. Explore how understanding perception trumps…
W14 - Discover how Aristotle's ancient wisdom still shapes our digital world. From viral TED Talks to political debates, learn how ethos, pathos, and logos remain essential in modern persuasion. Uncover the timeless art…
The smoothest con man that ever lived. That’s what they say about Victor Lustig pictured above. His claim to fame is that he sold the Eiffel Tower, twice. Yup, that happened. He became fluent in multiple languages,…