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Derek Cressman

@derekcressman

Sci-Fi author and satirist probing the nexus of advertising, brain implants, Citizens United, and post-truth reality. Organic olive farmer. Climate hawk. https://www.derekcressman.com/

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Latest posts by Derek Cressman @derekcressman

Love this

09.03.2026 21:38 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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A Big Night Light in the Sky? Start-Up Wants to Launch a Space Mirror.

Oh, hell no!

A Big Night Light in the Sky? Start-Up Wants to Launch a Space Mirror. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/c...

09.03.2026 21:36 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Billionaires Are Swaying Elections in All Corners of America

β€œ300 billionaires and their immediate family members donated more than $3 billion β€” 19 percent of all contributions β€” in federal elections in 2024”

It’s time to overturn Citizens United.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/09/u...

09.03.2026 14:02 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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β€œReady Player One meets Idiocracy meets 1984’s Oceania, this is a must-read for fans of thought-provoking science fictionβ€”one with the potential to become a dystopian classic.”—BlueInk Review of Virtuality

28.11.2025 14:35 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

The tech bros are watching you.

04.03.2026 03:51 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Did Elon Musk Cheat? Behind Boostergate & xAI’s 2026 Game Did Elon Musk cheat? From Boostergate to Grok 5, find out why Musk used boosters and how his AI studio will change gaming forever.

In a shift of strategy, Musk is hiring Video Game Tutors. Not low-level testers, but experts who play games with Grok as part of an elite team and label every action, narrative choice, and combat mechanic to teach the AI what humans actually find fun.
thephrasemaker.com/2026/02/23/c...

23.02.2026 18:54 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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China's BCI Industry Races Past US in Clinical Trials China accelerates brain-computer interface commercialization with policy push

China’s BrainCo is working on non-invasive BCI devices like focus-enhancing headbands for students or brain-controlled gaming interfaces.

www.techbuzz.ai/articles/chi...

22.02.2026 20:24 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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OpenAI and Sam Altman Back Merge Labs: A Non-Invasive BCI Startup Challenging Neuralink Sam Altman personally β€” announced a major investment in Merge Labs, a newly formed startup developing next-generation brain-computer interfaces (BCI)

Sam Altman is investing in BCI technology that delivers specially engineered proteins into the brain to integrate with neurons and amplify signals produced during neural firing. Ultrasound headbands then detect those amplified signals through the skull. quasa.io/media/openai...

19.02.2026 18:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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China's origami-inspired brain implant can 'float' on neural tissue This new Chinese kirigami-based design could be the solution to stable, long-term next-generation brain interfaces (BCIs).

Designed to move with the brain, rather than stay rigid, a new type of implant could improve brain-computer interface (BCI) technology.

interestingengineering.com/innovation/c...

15.02.2026 00:04 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses

β€œMeta considered adding facial recognition to the first version of its Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2021 but pulled back over technical challenges and ethical concerns. It has renewed its efforts as the Trump administration has aligned closely with big tech companies.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

13.02.2026 21:12 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Scott Galloway on why that Anthropic Super Bowl ad got under Sam Altman’s skin and exposed β€˜therapy’ as the AI use case | Fortune The marketing guru and host of Prof G Markets said the ad was a β€œseminal moment” in the AI wars and will lead to Anthropic being more valuable than OpenAI.

"Introducing ads in the middle of a therapy session creates a dystopian scenario that Anthropic is smart to exploit. If a user confesses to an AI that they are suffering from depression, the trust is broken if the platform immediately pivots to monetization."
fortune.com/2026/02/09/w...

11.02.2026 18:42 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
AI Advertising Doesn’t Have to Suck | MediaVillage

"despite widespread complaints about advertising, the economic reality remains that most consumers tolerate ads and prefer paying with their time and attention rather than their wallets."
www.mediavillage.com/article/ai-a...

06.02.2026 21:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Want more ads on your web pages? Try the AdBoost extension : 'If we don't feed the advertisers, then we'll be forced to pay artists for their creative work'

'If we don't feed the advertisers, then we'll be forced to pay artists for their creative work'

The horrors!
www.theregister.com/2026/02/02/a...

05.02.2026 21:54 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Exclusive: US Senators unveil bill to prevent scam ads on social media platforms U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego and Bernie Moreno have introduced anti-scam legislation requiring social media platforms to vet their advertisers.

"The SCAM Act, would require social media platforms to take β€œreasonable steps” to combat fraudulent advertising or face legal action by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general."
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

05.02.2026 21:34 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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It’s been 50 years since the Supreme Court declared money was free speech On January 30, 1976, the Supreme Court of the United States gutted most of a law passed by Congress that strictly limited big money in…

50 years ago today, the Supreme Court gutted campaign spending limits in a case known as Buckley v. Valeo. There's been movement every since to reverse that ruling.
medium.com/@DerekCressm...

30.01.2026 21:25 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

How many AI agents does it take to screw in a light bulb?

01.02.2026 02:07 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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It’s been 50 years since the Supreme Court declared money was free speech On January 30, 1976, the Supreme Court of the United States gutted most of a law passed by Congress that strictly limited big money in…

50 years ago today, the Supreme Court gutted campaign spending limits in a case known as Buckley v. Valeo. There's been movement every since to reverse that ruling.
medium.com/@DerekCressm...

30.01.2026 21:25 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 11 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

26.01.2026 20:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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I used to like working in advertising – but now there's a new world order The advertising industry is in a death spiral, and it's all thanks to the modern era and the encroaching threat of AI.

" In 2025 the [advertising] industry’s own body released its All In census data to reveal 60% of practitioners disagree with the statement that advertising is a trustworthy business, and 56% disagreed that advertising has a positive impact on society."
www.bigissue.com/opinion/adve...

26.01.2026 19:46 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Attending Lakers Games In Apple Immersive Plays To VR's Strengths The Lakers in Apple Immersive points to the future of broadcasting.

www.uploadvr.com/the-lakers-g...

25.01.2026 17:20 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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OpenAI will put ads in ChatGPT. This opens a new door for dangerous influence History shows voluntary safeguards fade as profits rise, risking a more persuasive new era of online advertising.

β€œAdvertising models reward platforms for maximising engagement, yet the content that best sustains attention is often misleading, emotionally charged or harmful to health.

This is why voluntary restraint by online platforms has repeatedly failed.”

theconversation.com/openai-will-...

25.01.2026 17:14 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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OpenAI has a $25 billion opportunity in the ad business β€” but a lot to prove OpenAI has begun testing advertising in ChatGPT. Ad experts said OpenAI will need to prove a chatbot can actually sell.

β€œOpenAI can't risk users feeling squeamish that the app they used as their on-demand mental health therapist is now trying to sell them sneakers. And it must reassure users that ads won't bias the answers OpenAI responds with.”

www.businessinsider.com/how-openai-c...

24.01.2026 22:07 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Musk plans to sell Tesla Optimus robots next year and believes that eventually there will be more of them than people on Earth. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said heΒ plans toΒ release his Optimus robots for sale byΒ the end ofΒ 2027.

β€œWho wouldn’t want a robot, provided it’s very safe, to take care of your children, to take care of your pets. If you have elderly parents β€” a lot of my friends say that taking care of elderly parents is very difficult,” Musk believes.
dev.ua/en/news/opti...

23.01.2026 16:56 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Apple Supplier Hacked: Vision Pro Data Stolen by RansomHub The Apple supply chain has once again found itself in cybercriminals' crosshairs, and this time the stakes couldn't be higher. A critical manufacturing...

"A critical manufacturing partner responsible for some of Apple's most important products has fallen victim to a sophisticated ransomware attack, potentially exposing sensitive design files and future product plans."
apple.gadgethacks.com/news/apple-s...

22.01.2026 22:36 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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First Neuralink participant reveals: Brain-computer interface upgrades can be performed without surgery, similar to Tesla's OTA updates. Recently,Nolan Arbaugh, the world's first participant in Neuralink's invasive brain-computer interface trial, announced that his brain chip can undergo OTA upgrades, with the update process being simi...

"Neuralink’s brain chips run firmware that can be updated wirelessly, meaning patients can enhance the speed, accuracy, signal processing capability, and reliability of the brain-computer interface system without surgery, akin to Tesla’s OTA upgrades."
news.futunn.com/en/post/6754...

20.01.2026 17:08 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
The Arrival of Consumer-Grade Neuralink: NeuroDeep Debuts "Mind OS" at CES 2026 β€” Interview with Dr.Cui Beijing, China () January 19, 2026 -- NeuroDeep debuts at CES 2026, unveiling non-invasive BCI Mind OS that decodes neural signals for human-centered AI.

β€œWe are building the NeuroDeep Mind OS. It exists as a 'Virtual Brain,' empowering your health ecosystem throughout your entire life cycle. It understands you and complements you, but never replaces you."

newsroom.submitmypressrelease.com/2026/01/19/t...

20.01.2026 16:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Advertisers and brands need audiences to relax - AdNews Audiences more receptive to ads during "unwind" moments.

"Audiences are more receptive to advertising that reaches them during moments of relaxation, according to research by Samsung Ads and independent consumer research company, LongTerm CoLab."
www.adnews.com.au/news/adverti...

16.01.2026 23:36 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0
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Elon Musk’s xAI datacenter generating extra electricity illegally, regulator rules Win for Memphis activists who say β€˜Colossus’ facilities add extra pollution to already overburdened communities

The EPA ruled on Thursday that Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company had acted illegally by using dozens of methane gas turbines to power huge datacenters in Tennessee.

How long before Trump reverses this?

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

16.01.2026 21:34 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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Maria Machado's gift of Nobel medal to Trump slammed: 'As worthless as FIFA’s Peace Prize' Machado met President Trump at the White House and presented him with her Nobel Peace Prize medal

Maria Machado's gift of Nobel medal to Trump slammed: 'As worthless as FIFA’s Peace Prize'

SAD.

news.meaww.com/maria-machad...

16.01.2026 21:29 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1
Altman’s Merge raises $252 million to link brains and computers Merge Labs, a company co-founded by AI billionaire Sam Altman that is building devices to connect human brains to computers, raised $252 million.

"entrepreneurs and investors across Silicon Valley anticipate a future where artificial intelligence is so advanced that humans will be willing - and perhaps compelled - to augment their brains to take advantage of it."
www.detroitnews.com/story/busine...

16.01.2026 18:42 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0