Study: “A few weeks of X’s algorithm can make you more right‑wing – and it doesn’t wear off quickly.” People using the “For You” feed were more likely to favor GOP policies, less likely to want Trump prosecuted, and were more pro-Russia (vs Ukraine).
Longreads
• Peter Rubin
Wish You Were Her
“Aboard the celebrity impersonators’ cruise.”
Can You See the World When You Close Your Eyes?
Colossal
• Kate Mothes
Bubbles, Algae, and Plastics Go Haute Couture in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’
The show opening at the Brooklyn Museum this week reaffirms Iris van Herpen’s one-of-a-kind approach to sustainable, sculptural fashion.
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Bubbles, Algae, and Plastics Go Haute Couture in ‘Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses’ appeared first on Colossal.
We’re Diversifying the University by Hiring More...
We’re Diversifying the University by Hiring More Crackpots. “For too long, the university has ignored the wisdom of the donor class and hired based on academic excellence. Regrettably, this has led to the underrepresentation of discredited viewpoints…”
Longreads
• Carolyn Wells
I Work in Hollywood. Everyone Who Used to Make TV Is Now Secretly Training AI
"For screenwriters like me—and job seekers all over—AI gig work is the new waiting tables."
Digg has (sorta) relaunched (again) and instead of an...
Digg has (sorta) relaunched (again) and instead of an underwhelming Reddit clone, it’s now just scraping noted fascist cesspool “X” for AI news and telling us that Sam Altman is influential in AI? This is embarrassing. It’ll probably be a huge success.
How NASA Built Artemis II’s Fault-Tolerant...
How NASA Built Artemis II’s Fault-Tolerant Computer. “Every subsystem must be designed to survive cosmic-ray bit flips, radiation-induced latch-ups, and hardware faults without a single second of downtime.” (A: An extreme level of redundancy.)
Longreads
• Cheri Lucas Rowlands
The Clippening
"'Clippers' cut up podcasts, videos, and events into infinite shorter versions. How long can they ride the algorithms?"
Longreads
• Courtney E. Martin
‘This Was Our Life’: A Reading List on Multigenerational Caregiving

Pullback Drive
05.05.2026
The Atlas Obscura Podcast
• SiriusXM Podcasts & Atlas Obscura
The Paris Sewer Museum
We dive into the dirty history of the famed Paris sewer system, from its unorthodox cleaning methods, to a pneumatic postal service that ran via the sewer, to… a poop tax.
We always want to hear from you! If you have a question or a story for us, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, or send an email to hello@atlasobscura.com
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‘Tropic Thunder’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Van Lathan, and Joel Anderson
You never go full rewatch. The guys head to the jungles of Vietnam to revisit Ben Stiller’s 2008 action comedy, ‘Tropic Thunder,’ starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Brandon T. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Cruise.
Producers: Craig Horlbeck, Chia Hao Tat, Eduardo Ocampo, and Matt Pevic
Get more value with the McValue menu at McDonald’s https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/download-app.html
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Daring Fireball
• Daring Fireball Department of Commerce
[Sponsor] Drata
Leverage autonomous AI agents to automate compliance, manage internal and third-party risk, and continuously prove your security posture.
Link: drata.com/daring
Thoughts on GitLab's workforce reduction" and "structural and strategic decisions"
Daring Fireball
• John Gruber
iOS 26.5 Includes Beta Support for End-to-End Encrypted RCS Messaging
apple.com/newsroom/2026/05/end-to-end-encrypted-rcs-messaging-begins-rolling-out-today-in-beta/
Remember Desktop Tower Defense ? I played it for a bit...
Remember Desktop Tower Defense? I played it for a bit this weekend and it’s still great fun. One of the very best games from the Flash era.
The Secret Behind Toto’s “Africa” #guitarist #song #shorts
Taken : this is a web page that shows how much data your...
Taken: this is a web page that shows how much data your browser can collect that websites can use to “fingerprint” your device, even without cookies. “It identified your device with enough specificity to distinguish it from most others on the internet.”