Notices by Kyle Montanio (fantasticaleconomics@geekdom.social)

"The paper clip problem" is a philosophical warning about how #AI could run amuck and destroy the world.

Imagine an AI programmed with the goal of maximizing paper clip production that gains super intelligence using its vast power to strip mine every ounce of iron and divert resources away from other activities, putting people and environment in existential threat.

Now replace "paper clip" with "profits" and "AI" with "CEO" or "billionaire" and you've found the true issue we face.

#economics

Exclusive: ICE decides who's linked to gangs, border czar says

"'People who are enemies of the United States don't have the same level [of] due process [as in] the normal process,' Homan said."

Love that ICE is able to (seemingly arbitrarily) determine who is entitled to rights in the US.

I see no parallels to the darkest times in history nor can I think of any way this will end poorly.

#USPol #Politics #ThisIsWhatFascismLooksLike

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/08/immigration-ice-gangs-deport-decisions

Harvard is joining other elite institutions (MIT, Pennsylvania and Caltech) who are responding to SCOTUS's ban on affirmative action by making tuition free for low-income students.

Harvard is providing free tuition to students whose family income is less than $200,000 per year, and are providing additional services (food, housing, etc.) for families making less than $100,000.

These do not directly target diversity, but help ensure equity.

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/17/harvard-financial-aid-expansion-tuition

#USPolitics @academicchatter

Want to see (or teach) how hard it is to get a US green card? This game does a good job showing why the green card acceptance rate is around 3%.

Today I learned we still ask if the applicant is, or ever was, a communist, and deny accordingly..

https://www.thegreencardgame.com/factor/3e099319-ce70-4cac-ba92-cca53b6e83c2

#politics #immigration

This is what fascism looks like.

As someone arrested at a campus protest last spring, I have major qualms with how the Biden administration handled campus dissent. But it was nothing compared to what we are in for now.

Our reaction to this statement will help decide if Trump's regeime is able to consolidate power to form the strong-man dictatorship he envisions. Our reaction should be to protest in force across every campus while wearing MASKS.

#politics @academicchatter #HigherEd

"It is the secret scandal of capitalism that at no point has it been organized primarily around free labor."

David Graeber in "Debt: the First 5000 Years"

#Capitalism is built around extraction. Those in power exploit the people and ecosystems who are unable to resist them.

Changing this system requires changing the power dynamics, which, so far, we have peons, plebians, and peasants have only made marginal improvements in.

#economics #BlackHistoryMonth

Looks like Kansas, which has rolled back public health powers, is experiencing one of the worst tuberculosis outbreaks in US history.

The death cult is wrecking havoc, as intended.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/06/kansas-tuberculosis-public-health

#USPolitics

I hear it's now "patriotic" to pay higher prices, according to the MAGA crowd.

This just shows it was never about the price of eggs, it was the racism, and misogyny, and xenophobia, agree hatred.

#USPolitics

A colleague of mine is overhauling a class she's taught many times - intermediate microeconomic theory - which is a ton of work, as we teachers know. She's doing it because "the class no longer fits with the anti-capitalist journey [she's] on."

This was so beautiful, I'm pretty sure a lone tear ran down me cheek when she told me.

#economics @academicchatter #capitalism

@duncan_blues

'How can we plan/prepare for societal collapse?' is a great question. It will likely be different for each of us, but some things that are probably consistent:

1. Build local communities and support networks.

2. Consume less - get used to relying on less to be content.

3. Learn to cook more season-appropriate meals from local ingredients. Bonus points for growing more of your own food, if possible.

@breadandcircuses

Can someone remind me the difference between a political donation and bribery? I keep getting confused.

"President-elect Trump is being inundated with so much money from corporations and wealthy donors that his team expects to raise about $500 million by this summer...

'The crypto guys are just blowing it out,' the Trump adviser said. 'It used to be $1 million was a big number. Now we're looking at some folks giving like $10 [million] or $20 million.'"

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/15/trump-windfall-fundraising-500-million

#Politics

There is evidence the #PalisadeFire ravaging LA is a re-ignition of a New Years fire caused by fireworks.

What may be the most damaging natural disaster in US history (measured in inflation-adjusted dollars, as if that's a true measure of damage) was likely caused by our desire to scare dogs with colorful sky-bombs.

It's long-past time we find more sustainable ways to celebrate than explosions that contribute to, and increase damage in, our ever-warming world.

#ClimateChange

Yes, an easily downloadable data set of all the Tesla fatalities would make a great addition to my intro to stats class, why do you ask?

https://www.tesladeaths.com/

#TeachEcon

I know most of us are utterly unshocked by Zuckerberg's hard right turn to suck up to Trump. Meta, nor anything his hand touches, are known for having moral fiber woven in.

But for those who are a tad surprised, it is worth revisiting the Behind the Bastards podcast on the creep that is Mark Zuckerberg.

Is he the worst person in the 21st century? I'm not so sure. The competition is stiff, but he's making a solid case for himself.

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/part-one-mark-zuckerberg-the-worst-30417725/

#politics

@mekkaokereke

Fully agree. One issue we need overcome with controlled burns is liability. When groups, including governments, engage in controlled burns, they are often financially responsible for any damages that occur.

Even though these damages are orders of magnitude less than what we see without action, the personal costs of this liability can be wildly prohibative.

I think this was discussed in Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Braiding Sweetgrass" but I may be misremembering.

In Kim Stanley Robinson's solarpunk-adjacent book "The Ministry for the Future," a major natural disaster in LA was a turning point for the world to take significant action against #ClimateChange.

Something about disaster striking the heart of Hollywood makes it real, and iconic, and shows it impacts even the most powerful.

I am truly saddened by the Palisades fires, and wish everyone affected the best for them and their loved ones.

I also hope we can use this as a wakeup call to take action.

Glad to see the billionaires agree...

"Never has it been easier to spread misinformation at scale — with less concern about media meaningfully policing it."

"Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are of one mind. The most powerful global information platforms should be governed by free speech — and the people — not by the platforms themselves.

Both concluded it's too hard, too inherently biased, and too restrictive to put limits on speech. It's also cheaper to stop trying..."

https://www.axios.com/2025/01/07/meta-x-misinformation-fact-checking-community-notes

Reasons to switch from GoodReads to The StoryGraph to track your reading journey:

1. Divest from the Amazon/Bezos monstrosity.
2. Support a Black-owned business.
3. Get better data about your reading (you can even rank books more precisely, like giving 4.25 stars!).
4. All your GoodRead info can be easily imported, so switching is painless.

Check it out for a better 2025! https://thestorygraph.com

#AmReading #Books #Reading

A common critique of communism, of socialism, of social saftey nets in general is a fear of disincentivize work, but what if that is exactly what we want?

We could design a society where we worked less, produced less, consumed less, which would be more sustainable with us living more satisfying lives.

#degrowth #economics

Some may disparage me for procrastinating when they hear I haven't bought a single Christmas gift yet. But it's not procrastination, it's anti-consumerism.

I'm proud to say this is the first Christmas where I've successfully bought nothing for everyone on my list.

My dog walks me by a mall most days, and the lines of cars and rushed, angry shoppers I see these days makes me appreciate this and experience glee to an almost indescribably high degree.

#degrowth