Monthly Archives: September 2026

Back!

September 22, 2026 – 8:15 pm

Well, our long weekend of music is over. It was exhausting — we had over a hundred tunes to work on — but it all went very well indeed, and we had a blast. Fun fact: as some of you may know, one of the core members of our Shoal Survivors collective is Ray Castoldi, […]

By Malcolm | Posted in General | Comments (0)

Service Notice

September 15, 2026 – 11:07 pm

It might be a little quiet here for a few days: the musical collective I belong to, the Shoal Survivors, is gathering this week for our annual extravaganza. I’m in Westchester for two days of rehearsals, after which we head up to Massachusetts for three nights of performances. (Why the name? It’s because we started […]

By Malcolm | Posted in Music and Recording | Comments (0)

It’s All Too Much

September 14, 2026 – 8:23 pm

A society that accepts everything collapses under the weight of what it should have rejected.” -Karl Popper

By Malcolm | Posted in Society and Culture, Jihad | Comments (0)

25 Years On

September 11, 2026 – 5:22 pm

Here we are: a quarter of a century has gone by since 9/11. On the tenth anniversary of the attack, back in 2011, I had this to say: On that black day ten years ago, Nina and I stood on the roof of our Brooklyn home and watched the towers burn, and fall. Our daughter, […]

By Malcolm | Posted in Jihad | Comments (2)

Christopher Caldwell On The AfD

September 8, 2026 – 3:02 pm

You’ve probably heard that the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) won bigly in last weekend’s election in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, and is now poised for further gains throughout the country. This accelerating political insurgency, by what the German “Cathedral” considers a party of far-right extremists, has sent progressives all over the West to […]

By Malcolm | Posted in Foreign Affairs | Comments (0)

If You Have To Ask…

September 7, 2026 – 10:40 pm

Our friend Bill Vallicella catches Claude in a fundamental error regarding its own self-awareness. Here.

By Malcolm | Posted in Mind and Brain, Reason and Philosophy | Comments (2)

AI And Intentionality

September 5, 2026 – 7:26 pm

I’ve been having a lively exchange with a reader, Susan James, in the comment-thread from a recent post about artificial intelligence. Ms. James has been pushing back on my use of what Daniel Dennett called “the intentional stance” in my discussion of how these systems will affect human life. (The comment-thread is here.) I have […]

By Malcolm | Posted in Mind and Brain, Reason and Philosophy, Technology | Comments (0)

Know Your Place

September 5, 2026 – 6:46 pm

Here is a website that figures out where you’re from in America by analyzing your word choices and pronunciations. (All I can say about how well it works is that it correctly identified my own point of origin: New Jersey.)

By Malcolm | Posted in Curiosities | Comments (2)

Get A Life!

September 3, 2026 – 8:04 pm

Here’s a fun little AI toy: Any Human Ever.

By Malcolm | Posted in Technology, Curiosities | Comments (0)

Is Voting A Civic Duty?

September 1, 2026 – 11:47 pm

Today was Primary Day here in Massachusetts. Primary Day in a midterm year is, for most people, fairly far down the psephological priority-list, and after looking over what was on the ballot, I didn’t even bother. (The urgency is deflated in my case anyway, because I live in one of the bluest parts of America, […]

By Malcolm | Posted in Politics | Comments (6)