Alex Panetta

it's probably nothing...

Just found out there’s a kerfuffle here because of a 12-year-old post from Zohran Mamdani about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk — reinforcing the truth that there is no place on Earth that offers refuge from news about a New York mayoral race.

Waking up early enough in Turkey to catch the Montreal Canadiens winning in OT: Priceless

A few weeks ago, he was dangling tariffs because of Canada‘s Middle East policy. Before it was fentanyl. And migration. And now it’s a TV ad. Maybe… stay with me here but…

Maybe… he just really likes tariffs.

The food in Turkey is amazing. Translated menus amazing in a different way.

I killed my doomscrolling habit with AI. You can too Here’s how to code yourself a healthier media diet

/ A link to my first blog post. On using AI for something good.

open.substack.com/pub/alexpane...

I started a blog about my current studies with a first post about a topic dear to my heart: Saving the news.

On how I turned AI against itself. Used it to avoid algorithms; kill my doomscrolling habit; reduce screen time; and focus on what matters.

Anyone can do it. Here's how.

/ Incidentally — he was a strong believer NHL players had outgrown 5-on-5, and that they should switch to 4-on-4 to make the game more creative and exciting. Enjoyed talking hockey with him (and child care policy)

7 full seasons. 6 Stanley Cups. The one year he returned to school, the Habs lost; after he retired, they kept losing. Lawyer. Federal cabinet member. Author. And nice guy - the kind who, after he was voted out of office, stood on a sidewalk the morning after the election to thank constituents. RIP.

Time to get to work. After two months of touring ancient ruins, and beaches, and in a couple of cases ruins *on* beaches, I’m going back to school today for the first time in 26 years. Only this time, my classroom is a laptop. The program is Georgetown’s AI master’s. Very excited to dig into this.

Opinion | Students Hate Them. Universities Need Them. The Only Real Solution to the A.I. Cheating Crisis.

A call for colleges to return to their past, in response to AI cheating — to use oral exams and real-time assignments in class.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...

Canada created a foreign agent registry to track foreign influence. Except: “Funding (hasn’t been approved). Civil servants haven’t drafted the regulations. And the government hasn’t yet chosen the person who will head the registry.” www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/opi...

….more on 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇮🇱 🇵🇸

Based on a variety of factors, including the divisions within Trump’s base, plus the vague language of his tweet, I’m smelling limited shelf life on this one

/ and if he’s really speaking like this behind closed doors, I don’t think I’m wrong:

My two cents: Trump doesn’t sound especially exercised about this. Sounds more like someone complained to him about Canada and Israel, he realized he could use it to create some 11th-hour panic in Ottawa, and is squeezing Canada a little harder. I could be wrong, but that’s my take on his post.

Counterpoint: Trump is very capable of drawing a hard line — if he cares about something. He did this for the digital services tax: “Do X or no deal.”

Interesting he chose not to here. “..,very hard for us to make a deal….”

Organized crime. It’s embedded deep in the roots of our evolutionary tree

www.wsj.com/lifestyle/mo...

An entertaining insider account of life at Facebook, Careless People, starts with an awkward meeting between Mark Zuckerberg and Canadian PM Stephen Harper at a 2015 international summit in the Panamanian jungle.

Multiple generations of Roman life, in one snapshot

👍 Non è solo stata importante nell’antichità—è bellissima anche nel 2025. Un gioiello. Seconda volta che ci vado, e la adoro.

A couple of blocks away: one of the oldest Jewish neighbourhoods in the world, dating back to antiquity. Which birthed a unique culinary and linguistic culture. And during the inquisition became a centuries-long ghetto and site of countless unimaginable cruelties.

/ One colourful aside on the Roman inspiration for the American republic.

The Romans built their Senate at the *bottom* of the Capitoline Hill. The Americans built theirs, of course, atop Capitol Hill

A research project. Fortified by pasta, fried artichokes and wine.

A stone’s throw away, the temple of Saturn. Key site of the Saturnalian solstice festival, where Romans exchanged presents and partied. Then became the Sun festival of December 25. Finally, when Rome Christianized, they succeeded at extending the life of this popular holiday for thousands more years

/ With a notable caveat: By the time this specific Senate building was complete, the Roman republic had spiralled into win-at-any-cost factionalism. It became paralyzed by dysfunction. A dictator took over. And republican government disappeared from the face of the Earth for over 1000 years. 😬

Today’s Rome 101: Where do Christmas and Congress come from? Turns out: From the same neighborhood. Two buildings, 100 yards apart

To the left: the Temple of Saturn that hosted the Dec 25 holiday later refashioned as Christmas. To the right: the Roman Senate, inspiration for the American republic

The Pantheon. 10:30 am and 11:30 am. Showing the effect of the light descending to floor level — positioned perfectly to illuminate the doorway every year at noon on Rome’s birthday. Every April 21, the emperor entered as if illuminated by a celestial spotlight. Heck of a visual effect.

The superhighway of the ancient world. The beginning, middle, and end of the old Appian Way. As seen in Rome, Puglia, and by the port of Brindisi which connected the trading routes of Rome to Greece and lots of other places. 🍷 🫒 🥖 🌶️

A definitive history of marketing hype in the AI field, with Artificial General Intelligence as the current pot at the end of the rainbow used to assuage to antsy venture capitalists that their hundreds of billions in investments will, eventually, totally, pay off

ainowinstitute.org/publications...