China’s Electrostate Is Poised to Win From War in the Middle East

One of several ways Trump's war on Iran is poised to benefit China -- www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/b...

Americans' Shifting Views on Energy Sources, Policy in 2026 | Pew Research Center A growing majority of Republicans prioritize the development of fossil fuel energy sources like oil and natural gas.

Americans are highly polarized on sources of energy, chiefly because Republicans have completely reversed their stance on renewables since 2020 -- www.pewresearch.org/science/2026...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Beyond Skyline" (2017)

@adamvgordon.bsky.social Found in a pile -- I guess I should write this one off ....

What we know about arson suspect in Ontario warehouse fire Prosecutors revealed new details about an arson suspect and the massive fire he is accused of starting at a sprawling warehouse in Ontario.

"Everyone was blaming the robots at first. We were almost 100% sure it was the robots until the action in the video of course." -- remarks from a 21st century crime scene (the arson in CA) abc7.com/post/ontario...

What Would an Abundance Foreign Policy Look Like? Turning a popular idea from the American left outward.

The outline of an abundance foreign policy -- foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/23/a...

Iran -- "In today’s chaotic environment, military leaders or scientists could also press ahead without a formal political decision on nuclear weapons—an outcome made more plausible by reported rifts between civilian and military leaders over strategy."

In Iran, "Khamenei was arguably one of the few people standing between Iran and nuclear weapons. Internal calls to build the bomb had grown within the regime over the past several years as Tehran’s strategic environment deteriorated." foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/07/i...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Voyagers," which came out 5 years ago today.

The Ark Builders Edition On deep time, global hiding places, and the case for forgetting.

With nuke waste that will be dangerous for 100,000 years, do you mark it with warnings, or hide any trace it's there? whyisthisinteresting.substack.com/p/the-ark-bu...

OpenAI on robot taxes, public wealth fund, AI jobs in policy The ChatGPT maker released a policy blueprint that also proposes a four-day workweek pilot, automatic safety net triggers, and universal AI access

Setting aside the source, this has some interesting ideas about how to deal with wealth and income if AI proves transformative -- qz.com/openai-robot...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "The Thing from Another World," which came out 75 years ago today. (My alternative school showed this when I was little, and it scared me.)

Earth being eclipsed as Artemis II flies behind the Moon

Futurist at the movies microreview: "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple." This is my least-favorite Alex Garland futurist movie.

Iran -- "If the objective is to take over some of the Persian Gulf islands, that is also easier said than done. The U.S. troops would be sitting ducks on these islands. If we end up putting boots on the ground, there will be a very high number of casualties."

Tehran Is Setting a Trap for Trump Iran’s new leaders are more radical and less risk-averse than their predecessors.

Iran's new leaders -- "Not only are they more hard-line and radicalized, they are less risk-averse than the previous leadership. One of the most important criticisms against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was that he was too cautious." foreignpolicy.com/2026/04/01/t...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "The Assessment." This is one of the strongest 2025 films about the future that I've seen so far. Note: it is not "the near future" -- probably late 22nd century or later.

Places that have disappeared in the future due to climate change, in a recent future-set "Simpsons"

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Source Code," which came out 15 years ago today.

Have you found a substitute, now that Dannon has discontinued it? (I subbed in coffee ice cream at times when I thought it was a temporary shortage, but that is a bad idea.)

Where Trump Has Installed 2020 Election Deniers in Government His administration is stocked with people who have questioned the legitimacy of elections, including some who have claimed that the 2020 presidential race was stolen.

Officials who could help destroy American democracy in 2026 or 2028 -- www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

IFTF Urgent Future Forecast Perspective: A Civilization Backup On The Moon

Backing up human civilization on the Moon -- www.iftf.org/projects/ift...

@themadstone.bsky.social Thanks for your newsletter. "Project Hail Mary" is worth seeing -- I thought it one of the best films from a futurist perspective in years. This was my microreview --

Three Scenarios for a Post-Trump World Ten years hence, the world will look very different.

Three scenarios for future global geopolitics -- foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/23/p...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "Just Imagine," a 1930 movie imagining the strange world of 1980.

The Iran war could sap American military power for years America's war in Iran strains military resources, depleting munitions and air defences needed for potential conflicts in Asia and Ukraine.

Trump's war of choice in Iran is undercutting US military strength in Asia and globally -- www.economist.com/briefing/202...

Futurist at the movies microreview: "World Without End," which came out 70 years ago today. For 1950s sci-fi, it's pretty good.

I Watched Project Hail Mary and Then Spent Days Doing the Math A PhD-Level Breakdown of Every Organism, Equation, Material, Scene, and Production Decision

An extensive review of the science of "Project Hail Mary." medium.com/@umartabbsum...

It All Comes Down to Who Controls the Strait of Hormuz: The “Final Battle" I have found that most wars are filled with big disagreements about what is likely to happen and big surprises.

Dalio gets 2 things wrong: America's rep would be damaged further by trying to control the Strait of Hormuz, as it lacks the capacity (means + will) to achieve this. And he exaggerates consequences: US never had control of the Strait, so we can't "lose" it raydalio.substack.com/p/it-all-com...

What Trump May Do if He Loses in Iran The president’s go-to playbook in the face of defeat would be especially dangerous in the context of war.

In Iran, "If Trump comes to feel trapped or desperate, he might resort to extreme measures that involve reckless deployments of ground troops or even the use of unconventional weapons, leading to a protracted conflict or a wider global war." foreignpolicy.com/2026/03/20/t...