My main newsletter, Complex Machinery, includes a section called "In Other News..." It's where I list one-liners about interesting articles that didn't fit into any segments.

You can think of this list as a version of In Other News, but with a wider remit than Complex Machinery's "risk, AI, and related topics."

Above the fold

1. Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief at The Verge, shares his thoughts on the "software brain" mindset that clouds tech teams' vision of their products and of the world at large. (The Verge)

2. In the previous Complex Machinery newsletter, I drew parallels between today's genAI mania and the 2008 US mortgage meltdown. As if on cue, I now see that major banks want to try "slicing and dicing large and concentrated data centre loans." Hmm. "Collateralized datacenter obligations," anyone? (FT)

3. Jeju Air flight 2216 crashed in 2024 following a bird strike. Some now question the timing of the pilots' corrective actions – perhaps they moved too quickly, when they should have paused? (New York Times)

4. OpenAI's Codex tool seems to love talking about … goblins. No, seriously. (Ars Technica, WSJ)

5. History repeats: genAI might trigger a new wave of anti-technology violence. (West Point CTC)

6. The city of Guadalajara has digitized much of its workflow for construction permits. This practical application of technology came with a number of benefits, from shortened timelines to eliminating costly middlemen. (The City)

7. Major banks learn that a genAI transformation isn't an instant win. (Banking Dive)

8. Narcotraffickers are a resourceful bunch, and keeping up with them has proven a challenge for law enforcement at major ports. Here's a look at how Antwerp authorities are scaling up. (The Guardian)

9. Every major conflict brings a new technology to bear. World War II gave us tanks. After some testing in Korea, the helicopter defined America's war in Vietnam. For the Russia/Ukraine conflict, drones have become the weapon of choice: small, cheap, and deadly. Here's an interview with the leader of one Ukrainian drone pilot. (FT)

10. OpenAI's CFO is asserting more control to prepare the company to go public. That means walking back some statements made by the CEO, which has hinted at potential friction in the exec team. (WSJ)

The rest of the best

• Companies are trying – and, from where I sit, failing – to meaningfully quantify and evaluate workers' efforts through activity trackers and such. (The Atlantic)

• It's settled: AI-generated "performers" and other such work are ineligible for Oscar awards. (Le Monde 🇫🇷)

• Residents are increasingly uncomfortable with Flock cameras in their towns. The latest reason? The company has been using live video feeds – some of which are in school gymnastics rooms – to demo the product. (404 Media)

• One prof at Duke's Fuqua school is taking the whole "genAI in the classroom" idea to new lows. (Duke Chronicle)

• State governments aim to rein in technology: Minnesota bans genAI nudify apps and Maryland axes dynamic pricing in grocery stores. (Ars Technica and Sherwood News, respectively)

• Autonomous taxi company Waymo is using technology to detect kids riding unaccompanied in its vehicles. (Wired)

• Various areas of the internet have been walled gardens. The latest version: an ostensibly Christian-themed virtual mobile phone operator that blocks what it deems "objectionable" content. (MIT Technology Review)

• Workers in America face wave after wave of AI-driven layoffs. In China? People may have more legal protections. (NPR)

• Those Uber rideshare cars are driving around all day anyway. Why not tack on some extra sensors to collect training data for self-driving vehicles? (TechCrunch)

• Criminals continue to use genAI to dangerous effect. (The Register, MIT Technology Review

• A new startup wants to build genAI-backed "juries" to evaluate journalists' work, penalizing articles they deem troublesome. (The Observer)

• Some states reconsider those massive genAI datacenter deals. (Politico)

• There's growing dissent within major genAI companies, as employees express discomfort with military contracts. (Les Echos 🇫🇷)

• Amazon has decided that each product should have a podcast. Because, I suppose, "podcast" didn't already have a bad name? (Business Insider)

Did I miss anything?

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