BLOOD IN THE MACHINE is looking for a podcast producer Come help me make a podcast

Greetings all. I'm looking for a podcast producer to help do a (much) more regular BLOOD IN THE MACHINE show. I thought I'd start by reaching out here, and to the broader BITM community. If this sounds like it's up your alley, details are in the link below:

When the war in Iran comes home: Why the US isn’t ready for increasing hybrid threats Iran and more cyber-capable adversaries, like China and Russia, are likely looking to take advantage of the current moment.

"In addition to Iran, much more cyber-capable adversaries, namely China and Russia, are also likely looking to take advantage of the current moment," write Alex Noyes @alexhnoyes.bsky.social and Mike Nelson.

‘It’s just madness’: Trump administration to close three-quarters of Forest Service research stations Between funding cuts, facility closures, and the inevitable resignations that will follow, there’s virtually no way for the Forest Service to continue to do research at its current level or quality, w...

My big takeaway from reporting this story is that it's not JUST about the Forest Service.

The closure of these stations threatens to upend a delicate system of mutually beneficial collaboration and resource sharing, and the impacts will ripple out far beyond the Forest Service itself.

What this Norwegian 'close call' says about a world without New START The Andoya rocket launch incident is an important reminder of the value of pre-launch notifications, which is especially salient now that New START has expired.

The Andoya rocket launch incident is an important reminder of the value of pre-launch notifications, which is especially salient now that New START has expired, Jamie Withorne (@jamiewithorne.bsky.social) and Raven Witherspoon write in @thebulletin.org.

#NewSTART #nuclearweapons #nukesky

When the war in Iran comes home: Why the US isn’t ready for increasing hybrid threats Iran and more cyber-capable adversaries, like China and Russia, are likely looking to take advantage of the current moment.

"Iran’s recent hybrid attacks in the United States and Middle East should serve as a warning for how modern critical infrastructure actually fails..." alexhnoyes.bsky.social and Mike Nelson write in a piece for @thebulletin.org.

Artemis II Return NASA's Orion spacecraft carrying Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch from NASA, along with Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen from the CSA (Canadian Space Agency), splashes down in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, California, at 5:07 p.m. PDT, (8:07 p.m. EDT) on Friday, April 10, 2026. The Artemis II test flight launched on Wednesday, April 1, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin its 10-day journey around the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build on our foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars. NASA’s Landing and Recovery team and the U.S. military are coordinating efforts to extract the Artemis II crew from the Orion spacecraft. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

What a great photo just added on the NASA Johnson Flickr page www.flickr.com/photos/nasa2...

The capsule splashing down onto the water with the three red and white parachutes above it

Splashdown! Vehicle is stable and upright. “A perfect bulls-eye splash for Integrity and its four astronauts!” #Artemis

‘Radar holes’ leave one in five Americans vulnerable to surprise tornadoes “Radar holes” in the US meteorological system leave many people vulnerable to severe storms. Trump’s approach to climate change is making this problem worse.

If a tornado were about to hit your house, what would you do?

Most Americans have at least 15 to 20 minutes to decide before impact, thanks to technology that enables the National Weather Service to issue advance warnings, writes Ema West.

But what if you had no notice that a tornado was coming?

A conflict of attrition: Iran’s bet on asymmetric warfare The Iran war shows how weaker opponents can leverage asymmetric advantages to effect and how stronger opponents may still limit their tactics.

My latest in @thebulletin.org explores Iran's use of asymmetric warfare and disruptive technologies to counter a conventionally superior United States.

thebulletin.org/2026/04/a-co...

A conflict of attrition: Iran’s bet on asymmetric warfare The Iran war shows how weaker opponents can leverage asymmetric advantages to effect and how stronger opponents may still limit their tactics.

"Thus far, Iran's warfare has to some degree degraded American and Israeli capabilities, increased pressure on Washington, and hampered the global economy [...] But Tehran's strategy has serious limits," writes Spenser A. Warren @spenserawarren.bsky.social.

Trump's 'a whole civilization will die' threat against Iran exploits long-standing ambiguity over what Washington considers legal in war President Trump's latest ultimatum promising massive infrastructure strikes on Tuesday night confirms that the international community may face a stark, kinetic escalation in the war in Iran.

President Trump's latest ultimatum, promising massive infrastructure strikes tonight if Tehran does not make a deal amenable to Washington, confirms that the international community may face a stark, kinetic escalation in the war, Ali Alkis and Ludovica Castelli write.

#Iran #Bushehr #nukesky

A conflict of attrition: Iran’s bet on asymmetric warfare The Iran war shows how weaker opponents can leverage asymmetric advantages to effect and how stronger opponents may still limit their tactics.

"For Iran—in overall military terms far weaker than the United States—an asymmetry strategy attempts to counter expensive, often exquisite US capabilities with cheaper, lower-tech weapons and tactics designed to target critical American vulnerabilities," writes @spenserawarren.bsky.social.

💕

The Almond in the Apricot Check out The Almond in the Apricot - <p>Emma had the perfect trifecta: a long-term job as an engineer designing sewers; a steady relationship with her reliable boyfriend; and an adoring and creative ...

bookshop.org/p/books/the-...

Thanks for doing this!

🤦🏻‍♀️

NASA just dropped this image of Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch looking back at us. The first woman to ever see our planet in its entirety. I’m not crying you’re crying 🥹🔭🧪 📸: NASA

🤦🏻‍♀️

If anyone on here works at one of the 57 forest service research stations that are going to be closed and you want to tell me about your work there and why it's important, reach out: jmckenzie@thebulletin.org

Outdated language obscures the risks of autonomous weapons To better describe the role of people in autonomous weapons, leaders should swap "meaningful human control" with "mindful human control."

Arthur Holland Michel @writearthur.bsky.social writes that to better define the role of people in the usage of autonomous weapons, leaders need to change the way they talk about them.

Outdated language obscures the risks of autonomous weapons To better describe the role of people in autonomous weapons, leaders should swap "meaningful human control" with "mindful human control."

"...if leaders want to preserve humanity in warfare, they need a better term [than meaningful human control”]—one that activates a vision of human control grounded in deliberate, conscious judgment. How about “mindful”?" writes @writearthur.bsky.social in a piece for @thebulletin.org.

Artemis II launch live updates: Fueling begins as NASA aims to send 1st crew to the moon in 53 years Launch preparations have begun for Artemis II, NASA’s planned lunar fly-around by four astronauts. It would be the first moon trip in 53 years.

BREAKING: NASA launches Artemis II astronauts to the moon on humanity's first lunar voyage in 53 years.

👏

Does the Trump administration understand how ‘enriched’ uranium is made into weapons? | CNN For the US to reach a deal or end its war with Iran, President Trump has said he wants the country to surrender its “enriched” uranium. But as CNN explores in “Word of the Week,” nuclear arms experts ...

I am extensively quoted in this @cnn.com story about whether the Trump administration understands what "enriched" uranium means.

Thanks, Harmeet Kaur.

From medicine to ambulances, how the Iran war is exposing US health care vulnerabilities With tactics ranging from choking off trade in drug ingredients in and around the Strait of Hormuz to launching a cyber attack on a company making systems for ambulances, Iran and its allies are…

With tactics ranging from choking off trade in drug ingredients in and around the Strait of Hormuz to launching a cyber attack on a company making systems for ambulances, Iran and its allies are exposing how vulnerable the US health care system is.

A stealth bomber aircraft flies with landing gear extended, with snow-capped mountains and a blue sky in the background.

Nordic countries have generally welcomed France's proposed new concept of ‘forward deterrence.’ They appear willing to participate in joint nuclear exercises, potentially allowing French nuclear weapons on their territories. (1/4)

#nuclearweapons #deterrence #nukesky

A clarinetist, a high school student, and four climate deniers write a science paper, with a little help from AI… Papers like this are like kindling for anyone 'just asking questions' about climate change, or 'doing their own research,' stoking the flames of climate denial.

For better or worse, I dug into that paper that claimed to upend everything we know about the oceans taking up most of the heat from global warming.

It's a perfect example of how AI makes it easy to produce science-y papers that amount to climate disinformation.

The Iran conflict edges the world closer to a new drone arms race The Iran war shows that lethal long-range drones are rapidly becoming the newest frontier in an ongoing arms race.

"Countries need to clarify terminology surrounding lethal drones, update end-use and end-user risk assessment procedures to prevent their misuse, and recommit to arms trade transparency before these systems spread faster than the rules meant to govern them," writes Dominika Kunertova.

Toxic Pollution From Iran War Will Spread and Last for Decades Exploding fuel infrastructure and missiles have released contaminants that put the health of millions of people at risk.

NEW: Fossil fuel pollution and other toxic chemicals from the war in Iran will spread across the region and last for decades just as smoke from burning oil wells went as far as the Himalayas following the Gulf War 35 years ago

FREE read on @bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

The war on Iran will speed the transition away from fossil fuels and toward nuclear energy, creating strategic challenges for the United States The energy bottlenecks caused by the war on Iran will likely accelerate a global energy transition, as countries seek to diversify energy imports and broaden supply chains. Perhaps surprisingly, given...

"The war has highlighted the vulnerability of relying on gas and oil exports from a conflict-prone part of the world. It will further compel leaders to invest in new sources of energy including renewables and nuclear power," writes @rb312.bsky.social in a new piece for @thebulletin.org.

😂