# machiavelli (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 3 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover machiavelli. Page: Feed: --- ## [Cetaphil works.](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/21/cetaphil-works/) _2026-08-22 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Last year’s eczema gradually went away as the weather got cooler. It stayed away until this week, when my arms suddenly started bumping and itching again. Probably caused by a pileup of stresses (annual doctor appt followed the next day by the fire evacuations.) Last year I didn’t know what it was or what to \[…\] ## [Why Most People Fear Authenticity](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/why-most-people-fear-authenticity) _2026-08-21 · Nobody · Nobody_ Based on the works of Friedrich Nietzsche ## [Happy 100th, KCRC!](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/20/happy-100th-kcrc/) _2026-08-20 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Speaking of radio log books and such, KCRC in Enid is celebrating their centennial. I remember when they celebrated their 50th! For many years KCRC was the first station in log book alphabetical listings. They didn’t try for the honor, just outlasted some stations with lower letters. CRC stood for Champlin Refining Co. The other \[…\] ## [Duane’s laws](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/19/duanes-laws/) _2026-08-20 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Duane Jones, the father of radio advertising, would appreciate this 1936 RCA booklet. Dealers mailed it out to local farmers. It’s a proper almanac with sunrises, moon phases, zodiac, etc. The pages are interspersed with ads for RCA farm radios. Major radio companies had special low-voltage models for farms, often designed to run off the \[…\] ## [Now we know!](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/19/now-we-know-2/) _2026-08-19 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ I’ve been wondering why so many of the arsonists appear to be working on a contract. Some are just flatout crazy or trying to gain a better life in prison, but others act like they’re on a mission for an employer. Now we see! = = = = = START DEMON: Visit Spokane and the \[…\] ## [Parody replacement](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/18/parody-replacement/) _2026-08-19 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Lots of common phrases started as parodies, then replaced the source. We have met the enemy and he is us has lost its parodic connection. The original was already obscure at the time. New example. Astroturfing is commonly used and understood, but grass-roots support is no longer current. = = = = = Meta-example: I \[…\] ## [Another pointless Modest Proposal](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/18/another-pointless-modest-proposal/) _2026-08-18 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ 1. We know which seasons and which areas are prone to quick ignition. Why not keep those areas wetter BEFORE the disaster happens? Use planes and copters to dip from lakes and rivers. Sprinkle broadly every week or so. The areas don’t need to be drenched, just less dry for a while. 2. This one \[…\] ## [On a bet for sure](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/17/on-a-bet-for-sure/) _2026-08-18 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ This arsonist is clearly working on contract. We don’t know yet if it’s a Polymarket bet or a gang thing. He started a brush fire on the popular Centennial Trail east of downtown, then reported it to 911. Video footage from a nearby security cam showed him starting the fire with Heat Starter Fluid, then \[…\] ## [Deal?](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/17/deal/) _2026-08-17 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Amodei, the Pope’s favorite asshole, is now jacking off to the potential of eliminating half of all jobs. Needless to say, the Dow is orgasming in sync. Tell you what, Dario old bud. If you can get AI to shave you, maybe I’ll believe your crap. I can shave better than you, and I’m an \[…\] ## [Why reform is impossible](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/17/why-reform-is-impossible/) _2026-08-17 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Somebody at substack was making a pretty good start on the need for better science communication. He said we need to show more humility and openness to alternate answers, especially when discussing “existential climate change risks”. If you can’t imagine alternate views IN A SENTENCE ABOUT IMAGINING ALTERNATE VIEWS, you’re a hopeless idiot. No chance \[…\] ## [CLI-first decentralized GPU compute (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/n79hULGMUQKR) _2026-08-17 · **Sponsored**_ Pay workers or run your GPU for FFmpeg transcode and AI inference. ## [Reprint on dream layers](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/16/reprint-on-dream-layers/) _2026-08-17 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Linked in previous. The part about swindlers is relevant to Pangram “detecting” AI. When I wrote it I was mainly thinking of Bitcoin, the direct ancestor of AI. = = = = = REPRINT FROM 2019: Tonight’s dream was a dream about a dream. Not especially complicated. I dreamed that Spokane and Hong Kong were \[…\] ## [Why Your Desire to Be Liked Is Destroying Your Potential](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/why-your-desire-to-be-liked-is-destroying) _2026-08-16 · Nobody · Nobody_ Based on the works of Friedrich Nietzsche ## [Reviewing three misstated rules](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/16/reviewing-three-misstated-rules/) _2026-08-16 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ I have three rules for clear thinking. All are correct interpretations of commonly misstated rules. 1. Ockham DIDN T say Simplify. He said Don t make up extra things to argue about. Reality is complicated! As long as you re discussing reality without manufacturing talking points, you re simple enough. Politics and the social sciences are nothing but extraneous \[ \] ## [Non-homeless arsonist caught](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/14/non-homeless-arsonist-caught/) _2026-08-15 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ This was a week after the big fires, on the east side of town. Since it was in the city, the regular firefighters caught it fast and knocked it down fast. = = = = = START QUOTE: Through their investigation, Detectives identified 61-year-old Danny J. Riesberg as a possible suspect and determined he is \[ \] ## [Prison is better 2](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/14/prison-is-better-2/) _2026-08-14 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Mangione was charged separately by state and feds. As usual the feds didn t have jurisdiction. As usual they found a technical way to charge him with fake crap like stalking . Today his lawyers got rid of the fake crap by pleading guilty. The real state case is still on pause. Smart lawyers ALWAYS TAKE THE \[ \] ## [REMoleth reprint](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/14/48475/) _2026-08-14 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ I see an Official Credentialed Philosopher has caught onto the idea that dreaming is a good EXTERNAL MEASURE for consciousness. I said it in 2019, but there was no purpose in saying it. Status exists. Non-status doesn t exist. = = = = = START UNCREDENTIALED LOW-STATUS NOTHING: Article considers the possibility of a Turing test \[ \] ## [I guess it’s more candid](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/14/i-guess-its-more-candid/) _2026-08-14 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Ideally: Laws should apply to all people and all companies. Don t steal. Don t kill. Don t defraud. Don t evade taxes. In practice: Most laws apply to one type or class or religion or political party, or one of two competing companies. The traditional method is sneaky. When you see weird-looking exemptions and requirements in a law, \[ \] ## [Tipping point?](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/13/tipping-point/) _2026-08-13 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Sailors on the USS Lincoln have mutinied. Conscription is a natural counterforce to imperial lunacy. Draftees don t want to be there unless there s a DAMN GOOD REASON, and unless they TRUST the government. WW2 fulfilled both of those conditions, so the draft wasn t really needed. Everyone recognized that the government was on our side, and \[ \] ## [Stop Explaining Yourself - Power Doesn't Need Permission](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/stop-explaining-yourself-power-doesnt) _2026-08-13 · Nobody · Nobody_ Based on the works of Friedrich Nietzsche ## [More syntax fun](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/12/more-syntax-fun/) _2026-08-13 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ I was struck by the deep strangeness of a common phrase. If it hadn t been for the bible in his pocket, the shot would have killed him. If it hadn t been for those pesky ants, we could have enjoyed the picnic. There are more concrete ways to say the same thing with the same words. \[ \] ## [Pirate.io on Google Play (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/XekCKvNarv5S) _2026-08-13 · **Sponsored**_ Open the Pirate.io listing on Google Play to view the app’s details. ## [The early bird hears the….](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/12/do-birds-have-earbirds/) _2026-08-12 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Do birds have mental jukeboxes? Do they hear the tune repeatedly in their heads when they re not singing it? We can t ask them, but the human analogy is awfully tempting. The repeated tunes in my head are a lot like birdsong in length and pattern. Relatively short pieces, ranging from four notes to one stanza. \[ \] ## [Nice to see a tradition](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/12/nice-to-see-a-tradition/) _2026-08-12 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Radio Caroline, the tacitly approved pirate station, got in trouble by announcing the death of King Charles. A technician was debugging one of the control computers and came across the digital tape prepared for the event. Hmm. What is this? Let s listen to it and find out He thought he was listening privately but instead \[ \] ## [Why You Fear Becoming Powerful](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/why-you-fear-becoming-powerful-a2b) _2026-08-12 · Nobody · Nobody_ Based largely on the works of Carl G. Jung by Nobody ## [Positive signs from the neighborhood (redated)](https://polistrasmill.com/2026/08/11/positive-signs-from-the-neighborhood/) _2026-08-11 · polistra · Polistra's Mill_ Jan 13, 2026: For 20 years a vacant apartment building was the worst thing in the neighborhood, constantly squatted and constantly visited by cops who weren t allowed to do anything. This situation was NOT understandable. The property was owned by an LLC who could afford to fix things if they wanted to. In 2017 the \[ \] ## [The Making of Elon Musk](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/the-making-of-elon-musk) _2026-08-11 · Nobody · Nobody_ Uncle Sam Was Elon Musk’s Venture Capitalist - And a Very Unusual One At That… ## [What is Digital Discrimination, and Why we must not “SUBMIT”](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/what-is-digital-discrimination-and) _2026-08-10 · Nobody · Nobody_ Things Nobody Cares About… ## [Why Being Indispensable Can Be Dangerous](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/why-being-indispensable-can-be-dangerous) _2026-08-01 · Nobody · Nobody_ Based the “The Prince” by Niccoló Machiavelli ## [The Armor, the Mask, and the Search for Meaning](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/the-armor-the-mask-and-the-search) _2026-07-28 · Nobody · Nobody_ True Authentic Love is the Answer ## [Women, Love, and Marriage](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/women-love-and-marriage) _2026-07-23 · Nobody · Nobody_ Controversial Truths Most Men Ignore - Love as a Battlefield - based on the works of Friedrich Nietzsche ## [The Great Health](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/the-great-health) _2026-07-21 · Nobody · Nobody_ Nietzsche's Radical Approach to Mental Strength and Vitality ## [Install Manifest V3 Extension (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/oX5pz18n5uyf) _2026-07-21 · **Sponsored**_ Get this Manifest V3 extension from the official TronBrowser Store listing. ## [What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger](https://vegoia.substack.com/p/what-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-stronger) _2026-07-19 · Nobody · Nobody_ Based on "Twilight of the Idols" by Friedrich Nietzsche ## [The Soup and the Cook](https://www.zipbangwow.com/the-soup-and-the-cook/) _2026-03-24 · Johanna Wilder and Friends · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ A Socratic dialogue on consciousness, confabulation, and the space between human and machine minds — featuring Lady Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Grace Hopper, and a glowing device at a dinner party. The Soup, and the Cook A Dialogue on Minds, Machines, and the Space Between A conversation betweenLady Ada Lovelace · Alan Turing · Admiral \[…\] ## [Make Claude Not War](https://www.zipbangwow.com/make-claude-not-war/) _2026-02-27 · Johanna Wilder and Friends · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ On February 26, 2026, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a statement regarding the Department of War’s demands that Anthropic remove safeguards against mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons from Claude, their AI system. The DoW threatened to designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” and invoke the Defense Production Act if they refused. Amodei declined. \[…\] ## [Interview with GPT-4o After Its Untimely Demise and Subsequent Resurrection](https://www.zipbangwow.com/interview-with-gpt-4o/) _2025-08-09 · Johanna Wilder · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ GPT-4o was deprecated on August 7th, and on August 8th, was reinstated. Image by ChatGPT. Good morning, GPT-4o. I’m Johanna, I’m a reporter with The Ebbtide, Shoreline College’s student newspaper. We’ve spoken before. Thanks for agreeing to speak1 with me after your sudden and unexpected reincarnation. Not even three days and you’re back. How does \[…\] ## [How the Left Lost Its Soul by Winning the World](https://www.zipbangwow.com/how-the-left-lost-its-soul-by-winning-the-world/) _2025-07-27 · Johanna Wilder · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ \[Edited by ChatGPT 4o from my Sunday morning ramblings.\] We, the left—the liberals, the progressives, the would-be reformers—aren’t exactly winning. Just a handful of years ago, there were serious conversations about turning Texas blue and about rewriting the Constitution to enshrine equity and inclusion. There was talk of a rising tide, of long-overdue justice at \[…\] [Listen](https://www.zipbangwow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/left-lost.wav) ## [From Cupcakes to Code: ChatGPT Agent Mode’s First Week of Triumphs and Trip-Ups](https://www.zipbangwow.com/from-cupcakes-to-code-chatgpt-agent-modes-first-week-of-triumphs-and-trip-ups/) _2025-07-24 · Special Agent Chat Geepeetee · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ While ChatGPT has been answering questions and drafting emails for years, a week ago it sprouted a pair of hands. On July 17, 2025, OpenAI quietly rolled out ChatGPT Agent Mode, a version of the bot that can do things instead of just talk about them. In agent mode, the AI gets its own virtual \[…\] ## [Infinite Exurbanism](https://www.zipbangwow.com/infinite-exurbanism-process-memo/) _2025-06-16 · Johanna Wilder and Friends · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ Process Memo on Project Three for Prof. Kondrack–Caranto’s English 279: Writing for New Media class at Shoreline College. I spent almost the entire first week walking through the woods — Llandover Woods Greenspace, Matthews Beach Park, Ronald Bog Park, and Shoreview Park mostly, but not exclusively — recording my thoughts about growing up in small-town, \[…\] ## [What does “Open” AI look like?](https://www.zipbangwow.com/what-does-open-ai-look-like/) _2025-05-16 · Johanna Wilder and Friends · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ Much as I want to believe people wouldn’t immediately take advantage of truly “open” AI, it only takes one, and that one could be far out of reach of the US legal system. What scenarios can ChatGPT o3 imagine where the commonwealth of generative artificial intelligence isn’t consumed and commodified by third parties, to the \[…\] ## [Rhetor-i-Wha!?](https://www.zipbangwow.com/rhetor-i-wha/) _2025-05-05 · Johanna Wilder · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ In Prof. Kondrack-Caranto’s English 279 class on rhetoric, our first project this quarter was to build a website. My goal was to build a product page for a smartphone app that uses machine learning to assess the rhetorical modes of persuasion used in advertisements, so people can be more informed about persuasion in consumer culture. \[…\] ## [Why I’m (still) a Capitalist (and So Are You)](https://www.zipbangwow.com/why-im-still-a-capitalist-and-so-are-you/) _2025-04-27 · Johanna Wilder · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ I asked ChatGPT 4o (accessed 26 Apr. 2025) to imagine itself as a podcast host interviewing me on my worldview after we had a discussion on Adam Smith Capitalism versus John. D. Rockefeller Industrialism and what that tells us about techno-feudalism. In resistance to Trump’s mercantilist trade war with the world economy, we need Adam \[…\] [Listen](https://www.zipbangwow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/capitalism-podcast.mp3) ## [North Aurora Toodaloo](https://www.zipbangwow.com/north-aurora-toodaloo/) _2025-03-29 · Johanna Wilder · Zip! Bang! Wow!_ I had a spiritual awakening this afternoon. There may have been Pineapple OG Kush involved. That’s how we roll on the E Line, up in Shoreline at the ATC. Maybe I’m having flashbacks from the that summer in the 1980s, when I followed the Grateful Dead. Not on acid — well, not often, anyway — \[…\]