Link Log 30
2026-08-30
Article from TechCrunch on the US government letting private firms do offensive cybersec. This has been happening under the table and off the record for some time now, so at least we're finally getting somewhat more above board with it. Clearly, Karp and Thiel are cracking the champagne open about this, but seeing increased privatization from this neo-Reaganite administration isn't really anything to write home about. Hopefully this privatization won't affect my SSDI case; while some folks have been whispering about cuts on the psychiatric front, I'm confident I'll get by okay. Thankfully this silly website doesn't count as Substantial Gainful Activity, right? Right?
Article from Orthodox Ethos highlighting a passage from Archbishop Averky of Syracuse on contemporary demonic possession. This passage dates back to 1980, and yet here we are, still struggling with the same problems—timeless and timely as they are. I find that it's more important than ever to avoid a holier-than-thou disposition; the same sins everyone else struggles with, I do as well. That classic saying "hate the sin, not the sinner" comes to mind. The problem, as pointed out in this passage, is that even if I hold that disposition, those who revel in their sin will come to hate me regardless of my compassionate ethos. The only thing I can do is pray—not for their repentance, but for my own. As much as I can claim to hate evil, I know I love it just as much as they do. That's why I have to meet them with open arms and a gracious heart, even if they hurt me, even if they kill me. I'm fine with that.
Throwback to 2004 with a long forum post on Tony Soprano's Vicarious Patricide. Nowadays we have dummies trying to make these kinds of effortposts on Substack and the like, but back in the day, the real kings did that shit for clout on the forums. Seeing how Tony killed Christopher as a vicarious act of patricide is an interesting position, and the subtlety of Tony's father problems was a beautiful piece of writing from the show's writing team. Looking at it today, it's clear that it's a study on the now-loaded term "toxic masculinity," but it was easier for the writers to shove that mirror in our faces given the characters they were studying. Still, I think it was a timely display because, in the early 2000s, we had a lot more optimism about the future, and shows like The Sopranos helped sober that mentality quite a bit. Now that we're in the aftermath of that era, it's become clear that people feel more lost than ever, but I hope we can try to make fewer diagnostic psychological observations—and instead figure out a way forward with the hand we've been dealt.
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