I don't use chatGPT but "the goblins came back to haunt us" is such a funny (but hopefully not prescient) line. Interesting, accessible view into model training and rewards.
Where the goblins came from
How goblin outputs spread in AI models: timeline, root cause, and fixes behind personality-driven quirks in GPT-5 behavior.
openai.com
I dropped my Measure 120 analysis before all the major papers so that it didn't color my opinion and because with Mortlandia you get quality *and* timeliness.
May 2026 Endorsements: Gas Tax
To pay, or not to pay, more for your gas during an oil supply shock
mortlandia.com
A delightful look into Sears homes from the time they were on sale.
Vintage Mail Order Houses That Came from Sears Catalogs, 1910s-1940s - Rare Historical Photos
In the early 20th century, companies such as Sears, Roebuck and Co., sold tens of thousands of mail-order kit houses.
rarehistoricalphotos.com
Sunday parkway schedule, for my local Portland bike nerds.
2026 Portland Sunday Parkways Season
Portland Sunday Parkways Presented by Kaiser Permanente announces its 2026 season featuring four open street events in Southwest Portland, East Portland, Downtown Portland, and a brand-new event in North Portland.
portland.gov
I endorse this "shoplifting is bad, actually" take.
Why shoplifting is bad
It may feel like a small act of rebellion, but it hurts a lot of people who don't deserve it.
open.substack.com
Completing a 4 year degree in 8 weeks is really something.
Students are speeding through their online degrees in weeks, alarming educators
Some online colleges allow students to take unlimited courses on their own time, leading to quick degrees and worries about devaluing credentials.
washingtonpost.com
Sometimes I don't have commentary to add. It's just, like, the 2020s are deeply weird and will continue to get weirder.
Neukgu: South Korea police arrest man over AI image of runaway wolf
The widely circulated image had prompted authorities to move their search operation.
bbc.com
Unions are great, in that they advocate for their members! But that same dynamic can get interesting where public unions are concerned...
One of Oregon’s Most Powerful Unions Is Rebelling Against Democrats
Reporting from the Oregon Journalism Project reveals a portrait of an organization that has grown more aggressive at the same time it faces unprecedented financial and membership headwinds.
wweek.com
I'm only 30% through this piece (it's a long read) but so far I have found the plight of the Florida orange fascinating.
It Was on Your Table Every Morning Growing Up. It’s Dying Before Our Eyes. No One Wants to Face It.
The powerhouse of American citrus is suffering a brutal decline. Everyone has a theory about why.
slate.com
A fascinating look of the impacts of 100 year old legislation on today's implementation. (fun fact: Davis Bacon applies to Portland affordable housing projects)
An Inside View of the Davis-Bacon Act
In late 2023, the CHIPS Program Office was deep in negotiations with our leading-edge applicants — the multibillion-dollar deals that would form the core of the portfolio.
open.substack.com
Cue the Marvin Gaye soundtrack
Chinook salmon found naturally hatching in Upper Klamath River for first time in a century
The Klamath Tribes are celebrating evidence of Chinook salmon spawning in Klamath River tributary.
opb.org
Kelsey Piper is a gem and I'm glad she's working in journalism today.
Education research is weak and sloppy. Why?
The replication crisis changed the social sciences — except for ed research
open.substack.com
Private property and all but I dunno, fam. I feel like if taxpayer dollars continue to pay for arenas, we should have a say in the surveillance state there...
The Shocking Secrets of Madison Square Garden's Surveillance Machine
Famously vengeful Knicks owner Jim Dolan has long spied on people at his iconic arenas. WIRED goes deep inside the operation that allegedly tracked a trans woman, lawyers, protesters, and more.
wired.com
I'm not always a deregulation guy but tax day felt like a good one to flex that particular libertarian muscle.
Mortlandia wishes you a happy Tax Day
Musings on how to make a big state run a little better
open.substack.com
An FYI for my local folks. :/
Measles has reached a Portland school. Here’s why health officials think they can stop it
State health officials say that people who were at Centennial Middle School in early April may have been exposed to the virus.
opb.org
Holy moly, some welcome good news.
Hungary Has Ousted an Autocrat
Viktor Orbán had support from Moscow and Washington, but not from his own people.
theatlantic.com
On Project Mythos, and compression, and our collective shrugs? Or something like that. This is a short piece, and worth it. So just read it already.
Milk and Cereal
It turns out that a certain company possesses a technology that can detonate the internet. We should probably all get familiar with how that technology works.
open.substack.com
Get thee to the nunnery!
Nuns who broke back into their Austrian convent ‘are step closer to being able to stay’
Plan for three nuns who escaped from care home last year to go to Rome thought to be positive sign of Vatican’s decision
theguardian.com
Not only did they discontinue the OJ, they also discontinued the frozen limeade concentrate. A little part of my childhood just died.
I Just Hoarded Away Some of the Last Cans of an Essential American Cooking Staple. Here’s Why You’d Better Do the Same.
Make some room in your freezer.
slate.com
For my Oregon peeps, a very useful tool this time of year.
Pacific Northwest Wildflowers: Bloom Status Map
Map of wildflower hot spots in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California — and when they
nwwildflowers.com
A #slatepitch in techdirt. Not sure I agree with it but it is a plausible path forward.
AI Might Be Our Best Shot At Taking Back The Open Web
I remember, pretty clearly, my excitement over the early World Wide Web. I had been on the internet for a year or two at that point, mostly using IRC, Usenet, and Gopher (along with email, naturall…
techdirt.com
The (invasive) fungus among us
An unstoppable mushroom is tearing through North American forests. Fungi enthusiasts are doing damage control
A rogue mushroom is ripping through North American forests, after escaping from cultivation. As it runs riot, mushroom enthusiasts are rescuing the native fungi in its path.
bbc.com
Submitted without comment.
Kill Chain
On the automated bureaucratic machinery that killed 175 children
open.substack.com
Been nerding out on both data models and roads recently, so I found this interesting. (But I'll admit the audience for it is pretty small -- recommended if you like both urban planning and graph/algorithm design.)
The Data Structures of Roads
What is the data structure of procedural roads?
sandboxspirit.com
Have I shared this before? It's a silly side project I launched a month or so ago, tracking the lineal championship across a bunch of basketball and hockey leagues. Sportsball! Whimsy!!
Championship Belt Tracker | WNBA, NBA, NHL & PWHL
The lineal championship belt - every game is a title defense. Track WNBA, NBA, NHL, and PWHL belts.
whohasthebelt.com
I don't normally recommend taking personal advice from Matt Y. but this is genuinely very good advice.
Worry less, do more
Paralyzing anguish isn’t how you help people or solve problems.
slowboring.com
It's good to read pieces that challenge your priors and worldview. Case in point.
The US-Israeli strategy against Iran is working. Here is why
Every aspect of Iran’s ability to project regional power is being successfully degraded.
aljazeera.com
Building state capacity is pretty badass.
Water and Sanitation in the Developing world
Why trillions in aid have failed to bring adequate water and sanitation to much of the developing world.
open.substack.com
Developing a custom mRNA immunotherapy for your cancer-riddled dog is a flex (and the future?)
theaustralian.com.au
Excellent read. It's really a shame that, per Greater New Orleans Broadcasting Association, Inc. v. United States (1999), we can make gambling illegal but not gambling ads.
My Year as a Degenerate Sports Gambler
Practically overnight, America made wagering on a game as frictionless as checking the weather. I was determined to understand the consequences—for my country, and for myself.
theatlantic.com
Learned about this neat urban planning tool today, for understanding streetscapes before and after changes. Check it out!
Streetmix
A collaborative civic engagement platform for urban design. Design, remix, and share your neighborhood street with Streetmix.
streetmix.net
Their beer sucks and their service is worse but I, for one, am excited that McMenamins is opening another hotel downtown. They do well with their spaces and, in general, it's a good investment in the city.
oregonlive.com
Pretty good rundown of what happened in the short session if you care about Oregon politics.
Oregon lawmakers end 2026 legislative session: what you need to know
State legislators started the session Feb. 2 and gaveled out after a flurry of major policy and funding moves.
opb.org
When process kills progress. Perhaps it's malice or perhaps it's incompetence but either way, don't let your electeds off the hook.
Red states get Waymos. Blue states get studies.
How to kill progress with a study
open.substack.com
Wait, what the fuck? The depths of their depravity never cease to amaze me.
The Most Chilling Detail in the U.S. Attack on an Iranian Naval Ship
The Iranian warship was taking part in an international exercise with many other countries—including the United States.
newrepublic.com
A reminder that security is important. This story is wild.
Man accidentally gains control of 7,000 robot vacuums
Sammy Azdoufal just wanted to steer his DJI Romo with a gaming controller.
popsci.com
AI-based EdTech: doomed to fail for all the same reasons previous forms of EdTech has failed.
Why schools keep losing the technology bet
A computer in every classroom was supposed to revolutionize education. Now AI is making the same promise.
open.substack.com
New avenues in accessibility! 🦾
npr.org
A fascinating interaction of natural and manmade emissions and the impact to warming.
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2Fdd%2F7a%2Fdd7ac852-5468-480d-bbab-3831fb8c352c%2Funtitled-040d9813-2700-4d89-b7bf-6aeac2d57472.jpg)
When Human Activity Dropped During Covid-19, Methane Emissions Surprisingly Spiked. Now, a Study Points to Two Reasons Why
In a paradox of air pollution, a decrease in man-made pollutants led to more methane in our atmosphere. And natural wetlands released more of the planet-warming gas at the same time
smithsonianmag.com
This makes me legitimately proud of my ex-employer, who wasn't always awesome about accessibility.
npr.org
Color me intrigued! Especially since my Ioniq5 lease is up soon...
Can China’s No. 2 automaker make it in America?
Geely would face strict cybersecurity obstacles.
theverge.com
Great pics; several birds, very few of them seaworthy.
16 astonishing images from the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards
Playful bear cubs and a swirling superpod of dolphins compete for People's Choice honors.
popsci.com
Been a complicated last month or so for me. If you're curious why I've been a bit quiet lately, this is why. RIP pops. (First obit on Seabird of someone we know? Perhaps!)
Obituary information for Evan E. Mortimer
View Evan E. Mortimer's obituary, contribute to their memorial, see their funeral service details, and more.
chapmanfuneral.com
The Oregon legislature is considering a bill to legalize autonomous cars (e.g. Waymo). Public testimony will occur on Monday! Is this a good idea? A bad one? Somewhere in between? I went DEEP on it. Come nerd out with me.
Autonomous Autos and Vision Zero
A look ahead to the future of transportation, if we let it happen.
mortlandia.com
In this dark time: some light.
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze’ Set for Weeklong 35th Anniversary Theatrical Return in New 4K Restoration (EXCLUSIVE)
'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze' returns to theaters March 13–19 for its 35th anniversary in a new 4K restoration.
variety.com
Love this and do think it helps explain why software people are the first broad group to really embrace AI as a part of their every day.
🌻 claude code psychosis
are your problems software-shaped?
open.substack.com
Intriguing demand shifting / battery use case.
This Brooklyn bagel shop is saving money with plug-in batteries
Startup David Energy is giving batteries to its New York City customers to help them reduce hefty demand charges on their monthly utility bills.
canarymedia.com
For your consideration
I wish the states' rights people had meant it
It's hard to argue for federalism under Trump, but we still have to try
open.substack.com
I learned something unsettling today.
Fatberg the size of four buses likely birthed poo balls that closed Sydney beaches – and it can’t be cleared
Exclusive: Secret report suggests fats, oils and grease accumulate in ‘inaccessible dead zone’ at Malabar plant, then dislodge when pumping pressure ‘rapidly increases’
theguardian.com
On combatting the existential with the absurd.
I Was Having a Millennial Midlife Crisis. Until I Picked Up the Most Unhinged Hobby Imaginable.
Desperate times called for farcical measures.
slate.com
