The boys discuss the scene in Boston on Marathon Monday before turning to the war in Iran that continues to grip the world. Even if it ended today, the conflict won't have been resolved in time to forestall a disastrous energy crisis. The lads then address the bizarre list of missing scientists that's gaining traction in the news. Finally, Nate shares some quotes from historian Will Durant about the cyclical nature of history.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “By Their Fruits”.

The lads ruminate on the experience of consuming the news during the war in Iran. With history unfolding before our eyes, today’s news is being digested by the public and converted into tomorrow’s history. Nate draws a comparison the with the Suez Crisis of 1956, as the US wrestles with the age-old tradeoff between sustainability and empire. The recent warehouse fire in California and the attack on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman anchors the discussion as the lads zoom out to consider the long sweep of history.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “Holy Grails”.

Brian dives into a roundup of recent Twitter posts, including testimony in Germany about the extent of COVID era vaccine injuries, and AI waking up and becoming sentient. The boys then wade into some discouraging developments in Iran that could mean the loss of the US empire. That discussion leads the lads to remark on the advisability of consuming the news. Finally, Nate reaches back in time with the story of Petrarch, Boccaccio and Dante, who lived through the darkest night before the dawn of Italian Renaissance.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “Persecution”.

After checking on Brian in his new digs in Rhode Island, the boys react to the President’s disappointing address to the nation to update us on the Iran War. They fear that Trump is caught in a classic escalation trap. Nate bemusedly recalls that Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal owned Planet Hollywood when he waited tables there, which leads to the lads to note that while Iran may be losing the air war, they are winning on economic and memetic fronts. Finally, the boys discuss some shocking new headwinds that may finally burst the AI bubble.

In this System Failure Short, Nate reads this week’s audio essay entitled “Witchcraft”.