A Critical View

The Omni-Game Economy

When work disappears, what comes next?

Jun 5 • James F. O'Brien

March 2026

The SPORE Threshold

Have we reached the point where self-improving machines that spread from star to star are no longer pure science fiction?

Mar 25 • James F. O'Brien

February 2026

Student loans and irresponsible spending

Students are borrowing money to pay for college. Are university administrators spending their students’ borrowed money responsibly?

Feb 24 • James F. O'Brien

The Real Reason to Put Servers in Orbit

It’s about building launch capacity and building the road to space.

Feb 17 • James F. O'Brien

November 2025

Artificial Intelligence and the future of work and living

Navigating between utopian dreams and dystopian fears

Nov 17, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

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October 2025

Grid Gentrification

The problem with AI data center power demands isn’t the amount, it’s the location.

Oct 14, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

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The End of Required Work: Universal Basic Income and AI-Driven Prosperity

How a tax on AI work might let everyone share the imminent bounty from AI automation.

Oct 8, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

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September 2025

The Next Stage of the AI Job Takeover

Why credit defaults among the safest borrowers may be one of the signs that AI is already moving beyond entry-level jobs.

Sep 25, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

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The Matrix Revisited: Challenging Morpheus’s Red-Pill narrative

What if the tyrannical machines were actually benevolent protectors of humanity?

Sep 1, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

August 2025

The Westworld Blunder

Why AI Shouldn’t Suffer — Even If It Acts Like It Does

Aug 30, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

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July 2025

Fair Use or Foul Theft? Copyright and AI Training

Does the use of society’s resources come with an enforceable obligation to give back to society?

Jul 25, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

Can something be literally impossible to understand?

Not just hard or complex, but utterly beyond comprehension.

Jul 8, 2025 • James F. O'Brien

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