Bookmarks 2026-01-27T18:44:49.317Z
by Owen Kibel
22 min read
Bookmarks for 2026-01-27T18:44:49.317Z
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Is Trump’s ‘madman act’ a negotiating ploy or the real deal? Added: Jan 27, 2026
Is Trump’s ‘madman act’ a negotiating ploy or the real deal?
Site: The Hill
In recent days, speculation about Trump’s motives — and his rationality — has intensified.
Frustrated by a seemingly endless war in Vietnam, President Nixon reportedly suggested a strategy to his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman: “I call it the Madman Theory, Bob. ... We’ll just slip the word” to the North Vietnamese that ‘[w]e can’t restrain him when he is angry — and he has his hand on the nuclear button’ — and Ho Chi Minh himself will be ... begging for peace.” In 2017, when America’s chief trade negotiator suggested setting a deadline for South Korean concessions, President Trump replied: “No, no, no. That’s not how you negotiate. You don’t tell them they’ve got 30 days. You tell them, ‘This guy’s so crazy he could pull out any minute.’” But the similarities end there. Nixon was a calculating leader who tried to persuade adversaries he might act recklessly to achieve a few narrowly focused strategic goals. Although his gambit to persuade communist leaders didn’t work, it also did little harm. Trump’s sweeping and outlandish demands, in contrast, are directed at friends and foes alike, driven more by personal pique and an apparently insatiable desire to dominate than by national interest or grand strategy. To date, Trump’s modest “madman” successes have come at the cost of enormous damage to international law, global stability and America’s long-term prosperity and national security. And his “act,” if it is indeed an act, seems to be wearing thin. In his first term, Trump warned North Korea that threats to the U.S. would be met with “fire” and “fury,” and that the U.S. could “totally destroy" it. That approach yielded little beyond photo ops, “love letters” from Kim Jong Un, and a brief pause in North Korean missile tests. Trump’s 2025 Liberation Day tariffs, imposed on some 90 adversaries and allies, set the agenda for his second term. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the chaos as “strategic uncertainty,” designed to give the U.S. the upper hand in trade negotiations. Although the threats did yield modest concessions from countries eager to avert an all-out trade war with the world’s wealthiest nation, they failed to move China, imposed steep costs on U.S. consumers and businesses, and prompted our closest trading partners to make deals that exclude us. Trump has also threatened to make Canada the 51st state, seize the Panama Canal, and intervene in Colombia, Mexico and Cuba. He has bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, seized Venezuela’s president and its oil, and fired missiles at militants in Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. Not surprisingly, leaders around the world are worried about what he might do next. Trump's latest fixation has been Greenland, which he insists should belong to the U.S., even though it has been a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark for more than 300 years. “We are going to do something in Greenland,” said Trump, “whether they like it or not,” warning baselessly that otherwise Russia or China might take over the island. For months, Trump refused to rule out using force, insisting he would get Greenland “the easy way” or “the hard way.” He continues to claim Greenland is essential to U.S. national security, even though a 1951 treaty allows the U.S. to expand its military presence, and Denmark is willing to grant access to Greenland’s mineral resources. “I have yet to hear from this administration a single thing we need from Greenland,” Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) observed, “that this sovereign people is not already willing to grant us.” Unwilling to take yes for an answer, Trump declared that “Complete and Total Control” over Greenland was “psychologically needed for success,” adding that because he did not receive the Nobel peace prize, he no longer “felt an obligation to think purely of peace.” After eight European states sent small contingents to Greenland to participate in military exercises, Trump accused them of playing “a very dangerous game.” He then imposed a 10 percent tariff, set to rise to 25 percent by June unless they supported U.S. annexation efforts. European leaders denounced Trump’s tactics as “blackmail,” warned that any use of force would destroy NATO, the cornerstone of Western security for over 75 years, and began considering substantial retaliatory tariffs. At Davos, on Jan. 21, Trump finally ruled out using force to take Greenland and dropped his tariff threats. But even then, he warned NATO countries that “we will remember” if they refuse his “very small ask.” When Trump first proposed buying Greenland, one Cabinet secretary reportedly deemed it delusional. In recent days, speculation about Trump’s motives — and his rationality — has intensified. Supporters insist Trump is just “trolling” his critics or seeking leverage over Arctic defense commitments. European leaders, however, have come to realize that whatever his motives, capitulation only invites more demands. Opposition in Congress has become increasingly bipartisan. As Republican Sen. Thom Tillis put it, “coercive action to seize territory of an ally is beyond stupid.” A large majority of voters in the U.S. agree. The leaders of Russia and China, as a former NATO spokeswoman observed, “must be ordering popcorn.” For Trump’s madman tactics to work, leaders have to believe he is so crazy he won’t back down, but also that he will honor whatever deal results. Few believe either proposition, given Trump’s record of tariff pauses and reversals, which has caused investors to talk about the TACO — "Trump Always Chickens Out" — bet in the market. Those who maintain that Trump is playing three-dimensional chess should consider whether, as one aide suggested, “more often than not he’s just eating the pieces.” Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Cornell University. David Wippman is emeritus president of Hamilton College.
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The 1-in-a-Million Breakthrough Behind Genyro’s Vision for a Post-Darwinian Age
Added: Jan 27, 2026**The 1-in-a-Million Breakthrough Behind Genyro’s Vision for a Post-Darwinian Age **
It has never been easier to design new biology. Building it into DNA is still the bottleneck. Ahead of their appearance at SynBioBeta 2026 this May in San Jose, we spoke with Genyro co-founders Caltech Professor Kaihang Wang (Chief Scientific Advisor) and Adrian Woolfson (President and CEO) about the Wang Lab’s new Nature publication introducing Sidewinder, a major advance in DNA synthesis, and its role in Genyro’s broader vision for artificial biological intelligence.
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SpaceX eyes mid-March for first test of upgraded Starship rocket | TechCrunch
Added: Jan 27, 2026SpaceX eyes mid-March for first test of upgraded Starship rocket | TechCrunch
Site: TechCrunch
The launch date had been up in the air after the rocket's booster stage suffered an explosion during testing in November.
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Artificial metacognition: Giving an AI the ability to ‘think’ about its ‘thinking’ Added: Jan 27, 2026
Artificial metacognition: Giving an AI the ability to ‘think’ about its ‘thinking’
Site: The Conversation
What if an AI system could recognize when it’s confused or when to think more carefully? Researchers are working to give large language models these metacognitive abilities.
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Elon Musk on X: "How to add speech to your Grok Imagine videos" / X Added: Jan 27, 2026
Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Quote of the Day by Stephen Hawking: 'I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by...' - 19FortyFive
Added: Jan 27, 2026Quote of the Day by Stephen Hawking: ‘I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by…’
Site: 19FortyFive
Stephen Hawking’s remark that the universe follows scientific laws—possibly “decreed by God,” yet not interrupted by divine intervention—still provokes argument because it sits on a fault line. Believers hear an opening for a creator; skeptics hear a rhetorical nod that changes nothing about a law-governed cosmos. The dispute is less about physics than definitions: what “God” means, whether miracles are required, and whether a first cause is philosophy rather than science. Hawking’s life story amplifies the attention—an iconic scientist who endured ALS, produced landmark work such as Hawking radiation, and became a public symbol of cosmology—so even a single sentence becomes a cultural flashpoint.
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Trump Is Demolishing the Global Order. Here’s What Might Come Next. - POLITICO Added: Jan 27, 2026
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Zotac claims the 'very survival of graphics card manufacturers' is at risk thanks to the state of the market right now | PC Gamer Added: Jan 27, 2026
Zotac claims the 'very survival of graphics card manufacturers' is at risk
Site: PC Gamer
The market is in dire straits.
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Professor Avi Loeb Has an Official YouTube Channel | by Avi Loeb | Jan, 2026 | Medium Added: Jan 27, 2026
Professor Avi Loeb Has an Official YouTube Channel
Site: Medium
Wonderful news! I have just launched my official YouTube channel at the link:
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Why I Need to Make This Announcement - YouTube Added: Jan 27, 2026
Why I Need to Make This Announcement
Site: YouTube
Subscribe to my official channel for authentic videos based on my real research, writing, and scientific work. Avi Loeb is the Baird Professor of Science and...
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Google's more affordable AI Plus plan rolls out to all markets, including the U.S. | TechCrunch
Added: Jan 27, 2026
Google's more affordable AI Plus plan rolls out to all markets, including the US | TechCrunch
Site: TechCrunch
Gemini 3 Pro and other AI tools are now available globally through the Google AI Plus plan, which is $7.99 per month in the United States.
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I switched to Linux and I can't imagine going back to Windows in 2026
Added: Jan 27, 2026I switched to Linux and I can't imagine going back to Windows in 2026
Site: XDA
You can't make me go back.
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Trump says Iran wants deal amid US military buildup | Fox News Added: Jan 27, 2026
Trump says Iran wants deal amid US military buildup | Fox News
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'Black tumor' cancer diagnoses predicted to increase by 11% Added: Jan 27, 2026
Deadly ‘black tumor’ cancer diagnoses are predicted to increase by 11% this year
Site: New York Post
The American Cancer Society estimates 8,510 people will die from the disease in 2026.
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What is peri-orgasmic phenomena? Why some people laugh, cry and even get nosebleeds while climaxing
Site: New York Post
“Women need to know that if they have uncontrollable peals of laughter every time they orgasm (and nothing was funny), they are not alone,” the study author said.
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Reda Wigle – Astrology Writer | New York Post Added: Jan 27, 2026
Reda Wigle – Astrology Writer
Site: New York Post
<p>Reda routinely researches the birth charts of celebrities and other strangers. A Taurus, middle child and graduate of the University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop, she believes in ghosts, butter and redemption Reda’s knowledge of pop culture is largely owed to an adolescence spent feigning mono and mainlining VH1’S “Behind the Music.”</p>
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About — REDA WIGLE Added: Jan 27, 2026
About — REDA WIGLE
Site: REDA WIGLE
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President Trump Delivers Remarks, Jan. 27, 2026
Site: YouTube
Clive, IA
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Netanyahu: Israel 'needs stability,' not an early election | The Times of Israel Added: Jan 27, 2026
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Alex Pretti Shooting: Second Amendment Supporters, Gun Control Advocates Switch Roles | National Review Added: Jan 27, 2026
Alex Pretti Shooting: Second Amendment Supporters, Gun Control Advocates Switch Roles | National Review
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Allegro ma non troppo | YouTube Music Added: Jan 27, 2026
Flute Concerto in G Minor, Op. 3: I. Allegro ma non troppo - YouTube Music
Site: YouTube Music
Provided to YouTube by Naxos Digital Services Flute Concerto in G Minor, Op. 3: I. Allegro ma non troppo · Anne Pustlauk · Korneel Bernolet · L'arpa festant...
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If Music Be the Food of Love, Z. 379 - YouTube Music
Site: YouTube Music
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises If Music Be the Food of Love, Z. 379 · Grace Davidson · Julian Perkins · Henry Purcell A Thousand Charms ℗ ...
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Google UNLOCKs a NEW frontier!
Site: YouTube
Agentic Vision in Gemini 3 Flash converts image understanding from a static act into an agentic process. It treats vision as an active investigation. By comb...
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The Most Underrated Gemini 3 Flash use-case!
Site: YouTube
🔗 Links 🔗https://blog.google/products/gemini/gemini-3-flash/❤️ If you want to support the channel ❤️Support here:Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/1littlec...
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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youtube-subtitles-ts - npm Added: Jan 27, 2026
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yaytt - npm Added: Jan 27, 2026
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Werner Herzog on Chickens
Site: YouTube
During a Reddit AMA with Errol Morris and Joshua Oppenheimer, legendary film director Werner Herzog revealed that his biggest fear...is chickens."Look into t...
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Scientists once thought the brain couldn’t be changed. Now we know different
Site: The Conversation
Lifelong plasticity is a core principle of neuroscience, yet it operates within real limits shaped by effort, stress and ageing.
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AI Overviews gets upgraded to Gemini 3 with a dash of AI Mode - Ars Technica
Added: Jan 27, 2026AI Overviews gets upgraded to Gemini 3 with a dash of AI Mode
Site: Ars Technica
AI Overviews may get it right more often with the move to Gemini 3.
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CBS News chief Bari Weiss tells staff ‘we’re toast’ if they continue on current path | The Seattle Times Added: Jan 27, 2026
CBS News chief Bari Weiss tells staff ‘we’re toast’ if they continue on current path
Site: The Seattle Times
CBS News chief Bari Weiss told her staff that “we're toast” if the network continues with its current business strategy and invoked Walter Cronkite as a symbol of old thinking.
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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Site: X (formerly Twitter)
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At Davos, CEOs said AI isn't coming for jobs as fast as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks | Fortune Added: Jan 27, 2026
At Davos, CEOs said AI isn't coming for jobs as fast as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks | Fortune
Site: Fortune
The Anthropic CEO warns 50% of entry-level white collar jobs will be gone in five years. Other tech CEOs see that as unlikely.
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Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s proposed remedies matter more than warnings about AI’s risks | Fortune
Site: Fortune
Anthropic CEO Amodei calls for AI companies to do more to address AI’s economic impacts, including a wealth tax and more philanthropy.
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Megyn Kelly's Out-of-the-Box Solution To Minnesota: ALL Illegal Migrants Get To Live Freely in MN
Site: YouTube
Megyn Kelly on the need for an out-of-the-box solution to the Minnesota - let all illegal migrants live freely in Minneosta.LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for new videos e...
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The Untold Truth Of British Colonisation | Baron Nigel Biggar
Site: YouTube
In this historical clip, Baron Nigel Biggar explains why Australia’s settlement must be understood in its global context, noting how British egalitarian cult...
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Bertrand Russell on Christianity | 1959 #shorts
Site: YouTube
Bertrand Russell DESTROYS Christianity#shorts #christian #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #atheism #bertrandrussellThank you for watching!Please LIKE & SUBS...
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A Major Blow for Unified Physics
Site: YouTube
Learn faster and retain more with Recall. Use my code "Sabine25" and go to https://www.getrecall.ai/?t=sabine for 25% off a Recall subscription that is valid...
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Action at a Distance Can Explain Dark Matter, Physicists Show
Site: YouTube
Start off your new year with a course on Brilliant! Start learning for free at https://brilliant.org/sabine/ and get a 30-day free trial plus 20% off a premi...
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AI Is Coming For Scientists’ Jobs. Seriously. - YouTube Added: Jan 27, 2026
AI Is Coming For Scientists’ Jobs. Seriously.
Site: YouTube
👉 Grab your free seat to the 2-Day AI Mastermind: https://link.outskill.com/SABINEJAN2🔐 100% Discount for the first 1000 people💥 Dive deep into AI and Lea...
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This Experiment Could Change Physics Forever
Site: YouTube
Go to https://ground.news/sabine to get 40% off the Vantage plan and see through sensationalized reporting. Stay fully informed on events around the world wi...
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Ilhan Omar ATTACKED, Man Rushes Stage & Sprays Her With Unknown Liquid
Site: YouTube
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THIS HAS GONE TOO FAR | Timcast IRL #1436 w/ Tony Ortiz #1436
Site: YouTube
Join CrowdHealth to get started today for $99 for your first three months using code TIM at http://joincrowdhealth.com - CrowdHealth is not insurance. Opt ou...
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President Trump Delivers Remarks on Trump Accounts
Site: YouTube
Washington, DC
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Democrat Vows To K*LL TRUMP In Insane Campaign Ad, Civil War
Site: YouTube
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