Gray Mirror $10 / month

Gray Mirror explores the intersection of technology, politics, and culture, providing analysis on global conflicts, governance, financial systems, and the influence of media on society. It challenges mainstream narratives, proposing unconventional reforms and deeply examining the ethical dimensions of current geopolitical and social issues.

Geopolitical Conflicts Governance and Political Theory Financial Systems Technology and Society Science and Research Ethics Culture and Media

The hottest Substack posts of Gray Mirror

And their main takeaways

A conversation about monarchy

89 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🌍 World Politics Monarchy Revolution Regime Change American Revolution Sovereignty
  1. The article discusses the importance of understanding historical events beyond myths and legends, pointing out the need to delve deeper into actual history to gain a more accurate perspective.
  2. It emphasizes the significance of moving beyond ideological narratives and recognizing the complexities of past revolutions and political structures to learn valuable lessons.
  3. There's a call for a deeper understanding of the nuances in historical events to avoid getting caught up in superficial or false representations of the past and to make informed decisions for the future.

You will probably die of a cold

134 implied HN points • 17 Jan 24
🌍 World Politics Global Health Government Response Research Ethics
  1. Scientists are focused on collecting viruses for their resumes, even if it means creating deadly ones in labs.
  2. The broken infrastructure of science leads to useless and dangerous research being funded and conducted.
  3. The threat of a lethal pandemic virus being created deliberately is a real concern that governments need to address with strict measures.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Hanania v. Yarvin, Feb 9

42 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🎭️ Culture Debate Event
  1. Event venue for Hanania v. Yarvin debate moved to a larger location in Glendale.
  2. Debate will be held in the round with a circular stage and VIP dinner is already full.
  3. Additional good and cheap seats available, but cheap seats may have monkeys biting feet.

Three questions for Richard Hanania

143 implied HN points • 10 Aug 23
📖 Philosophy Ethics Politics Power Ideologies Leadership
  1. Richard Hanania reflects on his past beliefs and evolution, acknowledging his mistakes and growth.
  2. The text questions the sincerity of Hanania's views, discussing his goals and potential impact.
  3. The idea of classical liberalism explored in the text is challenged, as well as the effectiveness of proposed reforms and the role of a monarchy.

Salvador as a startup state

57 implied HN points • 02 Sep 23
🌍 World Politics Government Sovereignty Economy Technology Development
  1. Creating a startup state in El Salvador involves rebooting the government with a new executive authority to transform the country efficiently.
  2. A maximal state model, like classical monarchism, is proposed for poorly governed countries to centralize and nationalize reforms.
  3. Utilizing concepts like turbocapitalism and microacceleration can rapidly advance sectors like coffee, tourism, pest control, and medical research in El Salvador.

GPT-4 invalidates the Turing test

110 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Computing Intelligence Models Algorithms
  1. Large language models like GPT-4 are not AI, but they are powerful tools that connect patterns and rely on intuition.
  2. The Turing test is not a valid test for AGI, as machines like LLMs can invalidate it by excelling in certain tasks while lacking in others.
  3. Understanding the difference between general and special intelligence is key to not overestimating the capabilities of tools like GPT-4.

Acorns for the culture war

92 implied HN points • 27 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Art Literature Politics Philanthropy History
  1. To win the culture war, support initiatives like Governor DeSantis' efforts to reform education.
  2. Consider the impact of your support – choose art and projects that can influence a broader social network.
  3. Invest in uncontaminated art that isn't politically narrow, to have a wider impact on society.

Seeming to refer to Democrats

61 implied HN points • 20 Jun 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics History World Politics Culture
  1. The statement 'Either the Communists win and destroy America, or we destroy the Communists' seems to reference Democrats.
  2. There's a connection between the terms 'communist' and 'progressive'.
  3. American progressivism is deeply rooted in the country, not an external influence.

Bitvana or the bitcaust

51 implied HN points • 22 Mar 23
🔮 Crypto Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Financial system Monetary Policy
  1. Belief in financial systems is crucial for their stability - don't always trust the doomsayers predicting collapse.
  2. Understanding the true nature of inflation and the power of the Fed in the financial system provides insight into market dynamics.
  3. Capital flight to assets like Bitcoin can occur due to factors like dilution, destruction, and compression - but the end game must be stability to be effective.

Israel's two futures

42 implied HN points • 29 Mar 23
🌍 World Politics Israel Conflict Oligarchy Democracy Civil War
  1. There is a conflict in Israel between oligarchy and democracy.
  2. The civil war in Israel reflects a struggle between a local rebellion and a world empire.
  3. There are significant differences between different groups in Israel, making peaceful coexistence unlikely unless one group submits to the other.

The power of crowds

40 implied HN points • 02 Mar 23
🎭️ Culture Crowdfunding Film Music Literature Art
  1. The power of crowds is demonstrated through the community funding of projects.
  2. Support for art and culture projects, like films and magazines, is essential for new cultural movements.
  3. Encouragement to pre-order and support new creative publications and projects.

Crypto; location

22 implied HN points • 04 Apr 23
🔮 Crypto Location
  1. Be aware of potential impact on crypto markets if key figures are arrested.
  2. Consider the implications of civil suits without criminal charges as a warning.
  3. Subscription for further insights into crypto trends and implications.

Office hours, New Haven

16 implied HN points • 18 Apr 23
🚌 Education
  1. Office hours in New Haven are on Thursday 4/20.
  2. Hitler and weed jokes are not allowed.
  3. The event is for one day only.

Streaming with Lev Polyakov

11 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Streaming
  1. Lev Polyakov is streaming live on YouTube at 4pm PDT on April 14, 2023.
  2. The streaming event is happening on https://www.youtube.com/live/nrBIjEn5iWU.
  3. The post can be shared through various platforms like Facebook and Email.