The Kill-And-Smear

Claude Cashier

I'm not sure how to feel about all this. On the one hand, my talents have never been more valuable, as AI has amplified my talents without (yet) subsuming them, but on the other hand I feel like I may have forever lost the permission to engage in a certain form of craftsmanship. To find a full multi-media version of this episode with interesting links and related content, go here [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/02/06/claude-cashier/]. To subscribe to the blog: https://blog.awgibbs.com/subscribe/ [https://blog.awgibbs.com/subscribe/] For additional reading and listening, please consider the following: * Farewell To Punch Cards [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/06/05/farewell-to-punch-cards/] * Waking Up To The Real Challenges Of AI [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/07/19/waking-up-to-the-real-challenges-of-ai-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-a-big-mess/] * The Perils Of Outsourced Thinking [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/12/18/the-perils-of-outsourced-thinking/] * Agency, Accountability, Architecture, Autarky, Alignment [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/01/06/agency-accountability-architecture-autarky-alignment/]

The Long Road To Tragedy

Ideally those charged with the safety, security, and efficacy of systems would proactively monitor and analyze leading indicators that hint of tragedy to come. Second best, then, is at least to have a framework, workforce, mandate, and will to diagnose the root cause of a tragedy once manifested, in the hopes of preventing not just similar ones but also understanding what other hazards lurk just below the surface. For a full multi-media version of this episode with interesting links and related content: https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/02/03/the-long-road-to-tragedy/ To subscribe to the blog: https://blog.awgibbs.com/subscribe/ [https://blog.awgibbs.com/subscribe/] For additional reading and listening, please consider the following: * Explain The Deep State To Me Like I'm Thirty Five [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/01/25/explain-the-deep-state-to-me-like-im-thirty-five/] * From Signal Pete To Deep Fake Rubio [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/07/13/from-signal-pete-to-deepfake-rubio-the-struggle-to-bootstrap-and-protect-trust/] * The Data Engineer's Struggle In a Fragmented And Politicized World [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/08/03/the-data-engineers-struggle-in-a-fragmented-and-politicized-world-or-confronting-a-crisis-of-credibility/] * The Hamfisted Hegemon [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/08/08/the-hamfisted-hegemon-or-how-to-irreversibly-squander-a-centurys-hard-won-privileges-for-fun-and-profit/] * To Kill A Democracy [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/09/11/to-kill-a-democracy/] * Path Dependent Perils [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/09/27/path-dependent-perils/] * This Is Not Fine [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/10/19/this-is-not-fine/] * Beyond Boats [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/12/07/beyond-boats/] * Guns, Germs, and Steel... And A Few Other Uncomfortable Topics [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2025/12/21/guns-germs-and-steel-and-a-few-other-uncomfortable-topics/] * Agency, Accountability, Architecture, Autarky, Alignment [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/01/06/agency-accountability-architecture-autarky-alignment/] * Put Your Amygdala On Ice [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/01/09/put-your-amygdala-on-ice/] * The Kill-And-Smear [https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/01/24/the-kill-and-smear/]

The Kill-And-Smear

The playbook takes shape. For a full multi-media version of this episode with interesting links and related content: https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/01/24/the-kill-and-smear/ To subscribe to the blog: https://blog.awgibbs.com/subscribe/ [https://blog.awgibbs.com/subscribe/]

Put Your Amygdala On Ice

I tried to beam some positive energy into the world on Wednesday with a video of Little Kitty reveling in a fresh feather attached to the wand. Having posted a clip to social media, I then headed out for an afternoon's skiing, but when I later pulled up Facebook in the lodge I was, alas, greeted not by happy reactions to feline frivolity but rather a clip from CNN of ICE fatally shooting Renee Nicole Good. This perspective seemed fairly damning in certain regards, to a degree I found myself tempted to react immediately, but instead I put my amygdala in jail to cool down, resolving to allow more of the story to clarify before sharing a take. For a full multi-media version of this episode with interesting links and related content: https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/01/09/put-your-amygdala-on-ice/

Agency, Accountability, Architecture, Autarky, Alignment

Three Years Of LLMs: The Run-Up, Realities, Risks, and Road Ahead For a full multi-media version of this episode with interesting links and related content: https://blog.awgibbs.com/2026/01/06/agency-accountability-architecture-autarky-alignment/