Week 2 • May 2025

Articles

• & life goes on.
• Ultra-Processed Minds: The End of Deep Reading and What It Costs Us
• your brain is rotting away, babe
• June Huh, High School Dropout, Wins the Fields Medal
• Field Notes for a Child’s Codex
• Accountability Sinks

Books

• The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare: I've been in a China rabbit hole lately. I have a number of yet-to-read books on the various prongs (chips, AI, high-tech warfare etc.) evincing China's rise as superpower. This book isn't as alarmist or propagandistic as some of the others I skimmed, and so far has been an enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to reading the perspective of the Chinese to see how the author's assumptions hold up.

Music

• Amukelani
• Promises (feat. Sipho Magudulela)
• Buya (feat. Ami Faku)
• Nguye Lo (feat. Ami Faku)
• Isisheli (feat. Kelvin Momo & Mthunzi)
• BL3551NG5
• Ngizojabula (feat. Cuba Beats)
• MAMAZALA (feat. Bassie & Faith Strings)
• Nqaba Nami Nkosi (feat. Masandi)
• Omama Bomthandazo
• 11:11 (Intro)
• Shayi'Zule
• Miracles
• Cry of War
• iFu (feat. Karyendasoul)
• Ubala (feat. Maline Aura & DR Thulz)
• Amandla
• Control (feat. Priscilla)
• Phakade
• Mabebuza (feat. Drega)
• iMpilo (feat. Nhlanhla Dube)
• Uzizwa Kanjan (feat. GL_Ceejay)
• Mali (feat. Sykes)

Videos

• AlphaGo - The Movie | Full award-winning documentary: This is quite a striking documentary. What is it about Go that makes the commentary (Fan Hui, Lee Sedol, etc.) so poetic/deep/serious? Lee Sedol's faceoff with AlphaGo is such a unnerving watch. I had to pause a few times to ponder the unravelling of Lee Sedol's psyche, and how other humans will have to do the same grappling as AIs "take over our jobs". The fact that AlphaGo was nowhere near current state of the art is both unsettling for human identity & work yet exciting from a technological perspective.