Russ Ted Fugal

YouTube video by Netflix A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE | Official Trailer | Netflix

We appreciate storytellers like Kathryn Bigelow and the House of Dynamite team for spotlighting today’s urgent nuclear threats. For the first time in 40 years, the number of nuclear weapons in the world may go up, not down. It doesn’t have to be this way though, change is possible. #AHouseOfDynamite

My thread-ception (thread-in-a-thread) response to @gbrumfiel.bsky.social’s take on #AHouseOfDynamite

Thank you, Kathryn, Noah, and @thebulletin.org. thebulletin.org/2025/10/a-co... (Contains spoilers).

I don’t think the ending of Oppenheimer hit audiences hard enough; as far as I could tell, I was the only one trying not to stumble as I walked out of the theater. A House of Dynamite helps to drive this gut punch home—three times—which, again, is being lost on audiences looking for entertainment.

YouTube video by Like Stories of Old Why Oppenheimer’s Ending Felt So Devastating

A House of Dynamite is a film like Oppenheimer, which also ended with missiles in the air and showed no destruction of cities on screen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuHE...

Imagine the end of the story where the president did wait (the DNSA pushed for it), and it’s a dud or a dummy/sick joke. The movie ends. The world lives on another day… in a house of dynamite. You're going to quote Oppenheim but not Bigelow? I mean, come on…
thebulletin.org/2025/10/a-co....

Leaving the ending unresolved, while dissatisfying those looking for entertainment, is exactly what this movie needed. And it goes to option/flaw number three — the President could wait.

a black and white photo of a man wearing sunglasses and a suit ALT: a black and white photo of a man wearing sunglasses and a suit

Bigelow and Oppenheim don’t need the caricature of madness in Dr. Strangelove because the madness pre-exists in the structures that have already been put into place. Both the madness and the insanity are on film, regardless of how straightjacketed and unentertaining it comes across as.

a cartoon dog is sitting at a table in front of a fire ALT: a cartoon dog is sitting at a table in front of a fire

Bigelow and Oppenheim challenge the notion that there are rational reasons.
I listened to this podcast, and the guy said, “It’s like we all built a house filled with dynamite — making all these bombs
and all these plans, and the walls are just ready to blow — but we kept on living in it.”

“I always thought having you follow me around with that book of plans for weapons like that... Just being ready is the point, right? Keeps people in check. Keeps the world straight. If they see how prepared we are, no one starts a nuclear war, right?”
Like you said before, it's insanity.

First, the setup is the least of my worries, but the “flaw” you’re able to hit the hardest. It’s actually addressed in the movie, with characters discussing why a single missile would be launched. It doesn’t matter; it’s not central to the subject matter. The Zoom call of doom happens either way.

two men in suits are talking and the words we need to go deeper are on the screen ALT: two men in suits are talking and the words we need to go deeper are on the screen

Read both threads, your article, and listened to the Weekend Edition. Overall, I’ve been disappointed with the initial takes online; the movie hit me hard and was well done. Yours is one of the better takes, but I still have some issues.

When Environmental Idealism Meets Eugenic Thinking A Climate Activist’s Warning About RFK Jr.

I feel like I’m the only one making this connection, yet it seems so obvious. Kennedy isn’t trying to save lives.

rfugal.medium.com/when-environ...

MIT study: 95% of GenAI implementations fail because they try to eliminate friction. The successful 5%? They design FOR it.

When integration is hard, when workflows clash, when people resist—that’s where learning happens.

Blog: www.smart-knowledge-systems.com/blog/friction

Crossing the GenAI Divide The recently released State of AI in Business 2025 report has been making waves with its stark conclusion: despite billions of dollars invested, 95% of organizations are realizing little to no measura...

Despite $30–40B invested, 95% of GenAI pilots deliver no ROI. Fortune

The real barrier isn’t model quality — it’s the learning gap. Systems that don’t adapt, remember, or integrate stay stuck.

Crossing the #GenAIDivide = building knowledge systems, not just tools.

New blog posts up, but also a new blog homepage. Filter by (multiple) tags! Built this in minutes with Claude Code then spent an hour tweaking design.

www.smart-knowledge-systems.com/blog?sort=desc

The Library of Congress belongs to Congress and the American people. [Logos: Show up for our libraries - American Library Association]

For 225 years, the Library of Congress has collected America’s stories and kept Congress informed. The American Library Association stands with America’s library.

Reading Help That Really Works Countless children struggle with reading. Our innovative EAR method delivers real results through interactive word support.

The Read-by-EAR Library codebase.

#SoloDev rewrite of my reading help that really works. #ReactJS ⚛️ #BuildInPublic #EdTech

I’m a Star Wars fan (full disclosure), but I am so impressed by Andor. I believe it stands on its own, like it would be worth watching even if the rest of the Star Wars universe didn’t exist. It doesn’t need it, yet it enriches it.

I’ve been writing in my notes that AI doesn’t communicate through language, it navigates through it, like a GPS, following the paths and grades that we’ve constructed with social labor.

... but more broadly, my model is mostly a response to and extension of David Share's Combinatorial Model.

I can send you more details about it if you're interested, and we can compare notes if you are looking at writing on the topic. Here are the key papers I've been looking at for the visual percepts angle... www.researchrabbitapp.com/collection/p...

My model of reading fluency (and language generally) situates it as an extension of perception. I've been developing a framework that positions languaging as perceiving and navigating a higher-dimensional sociocognitively constructed space through embodied cognition and perceptual simulations.

Thanks for putting these papers side by side, I’m learning a lot from both.

Sorry, an interdisciplinary interloper/interlocutor here, so I’m not as fluent in the discourse. I’m looking for the nuance in what your distinction is between qualia and perceptual integration? I’m working on a model of reading fluency that leans into perception and embodied cognition.

Russ holding Borghi and Binkofski’s book, Words as Social Tools: An Embodied View on Abstract Concepts

Thanks for following me back, @annaborghi.bsky.social !

Hopefully we can have some productive conversations in the future.

My AI Research Assistant Generative AI is transforming the workplace, but its impact on knowledge management is often misunderstood. Learn how AI can help organize your “academic dinner party” by identifying relevant literatu...

New blog post

Over the past year, I’ve been experimenting with AI tools to help me navigate my nearly 1,000-reference collection of research, using them as research assistants while maintaining my human judgment and scholarly approach.

#AcademicSky #AI

Is Your Child a Reluctant Reader? Our interactive e-reader helps struggling readers become confident through an innovative approach supported by research.

I’m so excited to be working with @gingersue.bsky.social on this project!

If your child dreads reading time, they may need a new approach. My interactive e-reader uses research-backed practice to build reading confidence. Try Chapter One of the award-winning “Sara and the Pooka” free today! #kidlit

Knowledge Emerges Through Conversation Organizations invest millions in sophisticated information systems yet struggle to leverage what they collectively know. Discover why knowledge emerges through conversation and how to create environme...

New blog.

True knowledge isn't just stored—it's co-created through conversation. I explore why dialogue, not just data, drives innovation and insight. A must-read for anyone rethinking knowledge management in the age of AI.

#KnowledgeManagement #OrganizationalLearning #AI

Teachers: New Literacy Tool for Your Classroom Supplement your reading instruction with our research-based e-reader that helps all students succeed.

Teachers! Looking for innovative literacy tools for your diverse learners? My e-reader provides reading support using the research-based EAR method. Perfect for classroom or distance learning! #TeacherTools #LiteracyInstruction #ElementaryTeachers #EduSky #TlSky

When Traditional Reading Methods Aren't Working Try our alternative approach to reading that builds confidence through word recognition rather than decoding.

When traditional reading methods don't work, try something different. My e-reader focuses on fluency and word recognition, not just phonics. Free chapter available now! #EduSky #EveryChildCanRead #ElementaryTeachers