Ghost in the Machine (Documentary)

 

Ghost in the Machine (2026) , by PBS and Independent Lens, takes a hard look at artificial intelligence. The documentary looks at what the term means, how it originates, and where it may be leading.

The documentary suggests that AI developed from the Eugenics movement in the late 19th century. The founder, Francis Galton, and his protégé, Karl Pearson, were each obsessed with measuring intelligence. 

Charles Spearman, an eugenicist, tried to justify that some races are less intelligent. His theories led to race sterilization laws in Indiana and California at the turn of the century.

The documentary takes a hard look at the Silicon Valley, especially the role of William Shockley, a eugenicist, in building it.  

Ai hype is leading more companies to create what they call AGI (artificial general intelligence) and ASI (artificial superintelligence). More and more people, such as tech workers in 3rd world countries, are being used to train AI models. 

Construction of Ai data centers are causing havoc in communities. Worse, some want federal lands opened up for data centers.  

More dangerous still is possible use of Ai by the military.  

 If nothing else changes the public's mind about the dangers of Ai, this documentary will. 

Age of Microbes: A Blueprint for a Habitable Earth by Steven Allison

Unlike most books on climate change, Age of Microbes by ecologist Steven D. Allison casts a hopeful tone. Allison maintains that the smallest of Earth's inhabitants—its microbes—may be key to solving problems such as droughts, rising sea levels, food insecurity, and the energy crisis.

 Written for lay readers, the text does not dispute that dire climate changes are coming. Allison asserts, however, that new agricultural techniques can offset some of the upcoming climate disruptions. 

Plants and microbes in the soil capture 30% of the world’s greenhouse gases. By using better soil management practices, biofertilizers, cover and range planting, an additional 5% of greenhouse gases could be banked. To combat drought, soil microbes can be engineered to help plants thrive in higher temperatures with less chemical fertilizer.

 The most inspiring chapter, “From Jungle Rot to Jet Fuel,” explains how microbes can be used to generate an earth-friendly fuel. Allison explains that every solution must be well-examined. After all, some climate interventions, corn ethanol, have led to unintended consequences.

Everyone interested in the environment should read this book. Allison presents sound microbial solutions that are rarely addressed in other climate crisis literature.

Best quotation for someone grieving

A friend sent me this card to me after my daughter's death and its honestly one of the best comforts:

"In one of the stars

I shall be living

In one them

I shall be laughing

Ad so it will be

as if all the stars 

were laughing

when you look

at the sky at night."

--the Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupery 

I had forgotten this quotation. I'm so grateful for friends in this time of deep sorrow. 

Court of Thorns and Roses

 

In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre does more than save herself. She saves her beloved Tamlin, her family, and the Fae of the seven courts of Prythian.

Feyre undergoes an arc of epic proportions. In the beginning, she is the practical but least favorite child in a poor human family. She does the work her father and sisters will not do. After they became impoverished, she hunts with bow and arrow to provide them with food and clothing. 

After she kills a wolf, Feyre's world is turned upside down. Unlike in a typical hero-or-heroine story, she is not called to adventure. She is taken against her will by Tamlin, one of the Fae who, to her knowledge, have terrorized humans for generations. 

Feyre seeks adventure by leaving the protective borders of Tamlin's manor in the Spring Court. She faces and defeats enemies with the aid of mentors. In that respect, the heroine's path follows the typical plotline. But her story diverges from the typical plotline when she returns to Prythian.

In the typical plotline discussed by Joseph Campell and later by Christopher Vogel, the hero faces ordeals that transform him or her. They are rewarded and then return to the ordinary world. Feyre's story differs because she passes into the extraordinary world twice.

Not only does she go to the Fae's magical world but she also visits a version of the Underworld. Like classical heroes, Odysseus, Aeneas, and Orpheus she bravely enters the land of the undead, Amarantha's realm "Under the Mountain." She retrieves Tamlin, who, diminished at Amarantha's side, is spiritually dead. 

Like Psyche, Feyre faces three impossible tasks before she can triumph and become immortal. Feyre never expects to become immortal. She merely wants to liberate her beloved and others enslaved by Amarantha.

While Feyre's story can be seen as version of the hero's story discussed by Joseph Campbell, in some ways, her story is even more intriguing. She is a human who rescues immortals by going into two extraordinary worlds before returning "home."

      

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Shusterman takes would could be a depressing dystopia and turns it into a tour de force. Unwind, which was first published in 2009, sounds as fresh and relevant today as ever.  

After a civil war, known as the Heartland War, throwaway kids are being unwound. By signing an order, parents can doom their teenagers to a surgery that forcibly removes their organs.

Resisters, Conner, Risa, and Lev, are at the heart of the story. They come from different circumstances, and one is technically a tithe, but they are united by the belief that human life matters. 

Many characters learn this truth too late. Throughout the novel, the kids hear the urban legend about Humprey Dunfee. The story went that the boys' parents regretted the unwind and tried to stop it. The order, however, was carried out.

Connor learns that the legend is not a legend at all. Humprey Dunfee, real name Harlan Dunfee, was an actual person. He is the son of the Admiral who has been attempting to save him and the other Unwinds.