Surveillance Log 005 - Noteworthy links for 2025-10-31
Hello! Welcome to this week’s list of five (or less) interesting links. If you want to revisit earlier weeks, all previous issues are available here.
I received several questions (thanks for writing in!) about the articles behind a paywall. I understand the frustration about this, especially considering that I link a lot to the Financial Times, which I rate highly. Unfortunately, behind a paywall is where the most valuable information is to be found these days. AI chatbots will only accelerate this trend, as advertising revenues across the web plummet.
Quality journalism is needed more than ever in our current environment, so if there is any news or journalism site that you get a lot of value out of, I would encourage you to support them financially as well.
And considering we’re a small audience, if you come across a paywalled link that you really need, drop me a note and I’ll see if I can send a gift link your way.
With that, on to the links.
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The Trump Supremacy — Edward Luce is the FT’s US commentator, and in my opinion he has correctly judged the Trump administration’s existential threat to America from the first day. Ten months in, he penned a chilling and worrying long read. (FT $)
Trump Admin’s Racist Halo Memes Are ‘A New Level of Dehumanization of Immigrants’ — As if to prove Luce’s point, ICE posted a disturbing recruitment ad inspired by the seminal videogame Halo. It compares immigrants to the US to the “Flood”, an invasive, parasitic alien life form that can only be stopped by killing it. We’ve become desensitised to stories like these, but that a government institution would post such a message is extraordinary. (404 Media $)
JPMorgan offers staff AI chatbot to help write performance reviews — Throughout my career I’ve always heard people managers complain about how much work the performance review process is. To me, this has always signalled something is wrong with the organisation. JPMorgan has found another solution though, they will let AI write the reviews. I’m sure nothing fosters employee engagement like having your performance appraised by a stochastic parrot. (FT $)
‘I realised I’d been ChatGPT-ed into bed’: how ‘Chatfishing’ made finding love on dating apps even weirder — And, after a deflating performance review, should you want to find some solace from a match on a dating app, you may have to consider that here too, you’re in fact talking to a chatbot. (The Guardian)
Why Nicholas Thompson Made a Custom GPT to Run Faster — I was familiar with Nicholas Thompson (through Mario Fraioli), and was always intrigued by how he balances a demanding job with intensive training. Unsurprisingly, the first order answer is discipline, but the conversation delves into the transcendental life experience that running is. Worth a listen! (Wired)
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