We Are Not Saved

The podcast delves into the rising tide of gerontocracy in politics, questioning the health and effectiveness of aging leaders like Donald Trump. It critically examines the implications of electing older individuals, suggesting that this trend may be a supernormal stimulus that challenges governance. The discussion highlights the societal risks linked to having a significant population of elderly in power and raises important concerns about the future of leadership and its impact on society.

Everything you know about WWI is wrong! Okay... maybe not everything, but some things definitely. Forgotten Victory: The First World War: Myths and Realities By: Gary Sheffield Published: 2001 318 Pages Briefly, what is this book about? An apologetic work directed at British leadership during WWI. It refutes the claim that the British Army was composed of "lions led by donkeys", and instead lays out a case for increasing competence, the necessity of offensives, and a string of victories in 1918. What's the author's angle? Sheffield is a noted member of the revisionist school. He wants to revise the vision of futility most commonly associated with the British participation in WWI. Who should read this book? Someone who wants a more complete view of WWI, and who is wary of simplistic tales of strategic idiocy. Specific thoughts: WWI was horrible for the British, but it couldn't have been won any other way

Forbes magazine, the bastion of conservative American business journalism, called it "a filth-spattered lens of depravity and dysfunction". Crisis Zone By: Simon Hanselmann Published: 2021 296 Pages Briefly, what is this book about? A very non-traditional household navigates the pandemic using violence and porn production. Who should read this book? I would not recommend this book to anyone. It is without a doubt the grossest, crudest work I have ever read. Though Forbes reviewed it and said: In the deluxe and beautifully designed Fantagraphics edition, Crisis Zone ends up looking like a children's book produced in an institution for the criminally insane. Assuming we have a future ahead of us, Crisis Zone will be the keepsake to remind us what we became in [2020]. But even they had to admit that it was "a filth-spattered lens of depravity and dysfunction". Specific thoughts: A strong case against a certain lifestyle.

Noticing: An Essential Reader (1973-2023) By: Steve Sailer Published: 2024 458 Pages Briefly, what is this book about? A collection of essays from Steve Sailer covering immigration, culture war stuff, and human biodiversity. What's the author's angle? For some, Sailer is a horrible right-wing racist. For others he's a data-driven contrarian. I mostly fall in the latter camp. Also whatever you think of his opinions, his tone is exceptionally mild. He's not a fire-breather. Who should read this book? If you've been following Sailer forever there's nothing especially new here. Even if you haven't previously read all of the included essays (and I believe I was at probably 90%), he's covering territory which is very well-trod by him in general. On the other hand if you're only vaguely familiar with Sailer—perhaps you've come across his name once or twice, then this is a great summation of his opinions and writings. Specific thoughts: How important is tone?

Collapse of Complex Societies By: Joseph A. Tainter Published: 1988 262 Pages Briefly, what is this book about? A new (at the time) theory for the collapse of societies based on declining marginal returns to complexity. What's the author's angle? This is a book definitely written in opposition to previous theories (think Spengler, Toynbee, etc.) many of which Tainter rejects as overly moralistic. Who should read this book? If you're interested in how the United States will end (and I can't imagine how you're not) this is a great book. Specific thoughts: Okay so this is how collapse happens. Can it be stopped?

By: Patrick McGee Published: 2025 448 Pages Briefly, what is this book about? How Apple went all in on China, not merely moving manufacturing there, but also educating their companies in, and co-developing with them, numerous advanced manufacturing techniques. These techniques then spread all throughout China. As such, Apple, far more than any other company, enabled China's rise to be the world's most sophisticated manufacturer. In effect they imported a super-charged industrial policy for China. This was bad enough, but the eventual result was that Apple is now utterly dependent on a capricious one-party state. What's the author's angle? McGee is not entirely unsympathetic to Apple, but it's also clear that he finds the consequences of their actions to be damaging, and, most of all, dumb. Who should read this book? If you're interested in China, technology, the future, or competition then you should read this book.

In which I start by using my massive intellect to predicte a timeline for the end of the world and end with admitting that I couldn't remember whether I'd read a specific book or not.

In which I engage in an extended, and somewhat clunky Star Wars metaphor. And eventually conclude that clunkiness is sort of the point.

Hamlet by: William Shakespeare Gods and Generals (The Civil War Trilogy, #1) by: Jeff Shaara We Solve Murders by: Richard Osman Stop All the Clocks: A Novel by: Noah Kumin Pyrebound by Brayton Cole Grunge (Monster Hunter Memoirs, #1) by: John Ringo and Larry Correia Sinners (Monster Hunter Memoirs, #2) by: John Ringo and Larry Correia Saints (Monster Hunter Memoirs, #3) by: John Ringo and Larry Correia Fever (Monster Hunter Memoirs, #4) by: Larry Correia and Jason Córdova Target Rich Environment (Volume 1) by: Larry Correia Target Rich Environment (Volume 2) by: Larry Correia Monster Hunter: Siege by: Larry Correia Monster Hunter: Guardian by: Larry Correia Monster Hunter: Bloodlines by: Larry Correia The Monster Hunter Files by: Various

A review of Douglas Murray's "On Democracies and Death Cults" with broad discursions into Sam Kriss' article "Douglas Murray, gruesome toady" and the entire Israel-Hamas-Gaza Mess.