Trill News
Philosophy · Ideology · Essays · Macro Thinking · Intellectual History
From Polybius's cyclical theory of civilizational collapse and the enduring logic of Stoicism to the economic philosophy of Henry George and the satirical genius of Jonathan Swift, Trill News publishes essays and opinion pieces that take ideas seriously. We explore the philosophical frameworks, ideological currents, and macro thinking that explain why the world works the way it does.
The national conversation about AI in the US is full of fear: fear about AI’s potential to end humanity, fear of data centers moving in, fear that government officials will do absolutely nothing even as the industry p...
Read article →An offensive in the Tigray region followed months of aerial strikes by the Ethiopian government. The situation could spark a wider regional conflict.
Read article →The vulnerability of our shipping routes remains underdiscussed, perhaps that is in some ways a good thing: We study the macroeconomic and trade-policy implications of disruptions to U.S.-bound shipping routes. Standa...
Read article →The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that Missouri may not use a newly drawn Republican gerrymander during the 2026 congressional election. This decision should surprise no one because, about two weeks ago, the Supreme C...
Read article →Human beings have always turned to oracles and divination for answers to difficult questions. Today, AI might be fulfilling that role.
Read article →1. Comment section arbitrage. This is what the AIs do too, right? 2. Claims about New Zealand. 3. Good Bryan Caplan post on Effective Altruism. 4. Reported female bisexuality is in retreat? 5. Sadly, now a fringey vie...
Read article →If you haven’t heard of “live shopping,” you might soon. Livestream shopping is already a staple of e-commerce in China, where consumers log onto apps like Douyin and Taobao to buy products from a livestreamer — think...
Read article →Any work to ease current shortages and price hikes while the Strait of Hormuz remains closed will take years and billions of dollars.
Read article →Communities almost never see a boost in job or income growth after taxpayers subsidize a new sports facility.
Read article →This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: Donald Trump...
Read article →A regional permafrost map can’t tell a builder if a particular foundation or road will survive as temperatures rise. Engineers need to see beneath the surface to find the weaknesses.
Read article →Also known as Why I Do Not Believe in the Housing Theory of Everything: Development accounting is the search for proximate sources of cross-country income differences. This article describes how knowledge in this fiel...
Read article →This story appeared in Today, Explained, a daily newsletter that helps you understand the most compelling news and stories of the day. Subscribe here. I have good news and bad news for the holiday shoppers in the audi...
Read article →There is research showing that there are numerous benefits for a low-income child to attend a Head Start program, though these effects are less clear as the child ages.
Read article →We measure how artificial intelligence (AI) affects the economy through its impact on software engineering productivity. We use information from financial markets to develop a forward-looking measure that is available...
Read article →Vegan and vegetarian dining options might be more common than ever, but around the country, vegan restaurants are closing at a quicker rate than their non-vegan peers. In this month’s Highlight cover story, Marina Bol...
Read article →A new application for a religious charter school is stirring up far-reaching questions about the constitutionality of public aid to faith-based institutions.
Read article →When it comes to bear encounters in or near the wild, dogs are the aggressors in 54 percent of incidents, according to a recent study conducted by bear experts at Brigham Young University and other institutions, and p...
Read article →To no small extent, Americans have grown accustomed to being watched. For more than a decade, CCTV cameras have recorded a hefty portion of many people’s public movements, while ubiquitous smartphones have made us all...
Read article →Cybercrime is getting increasingly sophisticated, and scammers target senior citizens.
Read article →1. Should more men move to Alaska? 2. The world’s oldest known peace treaty found. 3. In praise of Joyce, Whitman, and Crane. 4. Background explainer on the Chinese AI ecosystem. 5. YIMBY working in Portland (WSJ). 6....
Read article →Recently, while taking the metro to work, I encountered something that shocked me. The train was pulling up, just as the man in front of me tapped to pay to go through the gate, and a woman pushed past me to cut me in...
Read article →Slasher films have notoriously played into homophobic and transphobic tropes. But queer and trans fans love them anyway, and ‘Camp Miasma’ addresses that tension head-on.
Read article →There’s not much diesel fuel lying around, and lots of people want to buy what is available, as well as what little is produced each day. It’s all a matter of supply and demand.
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