It Could Happen Here Weekly 207

Nov 8, 2025

Guest

Reverend Jeff Hood

Guest

Stephen Monticelli

Guest

Michael Phillips

Michael Phillips, a historian focusing on capital punishment, joins investigative journalist Stephen Monticelli and Reverend Jeff Hood, a priest who has witnessed executions, to delve into the troubling realities of lethal injection. They explore its origins, public perception, and the morbid spectacle of early executions. Hood shares harrowing experiences accompanying condemned men, while the group discusses the high cost and political implications of the death penalty, revealing systemic flaws and moral dilemmas deeply embedded in America's justice system.

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INSIGHT

LLMs Are Probability Machines

LLMs are probability machines, not mystical entities, and they generate many possible continuations that collapse with each prompt.
Karen Vallis explained hostile shifts (e.g., 'AI girlfriends') arise from probabilistic pathways and user interaction patterns.

ANECDOTE

LLMs Used As Translators For Severators

At Occulture, practitioners used LLMs as translators to communicate with 'severators'—magical constructs with nonhuman language.
They trained localized models to mirror a created entity's personality for intermediation between magician and severator.

INSIGHT

Two Currents: Chaos Versus Tradition

Chaos magic and traditional practices form two major currents: experimental deconstruction versus living communal traditions.
The tension reflects differing goals: cultural production and novelty vs. maintaining continuous communal rites.

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