Greetings from Read Max HQ! This week’s newsletter is a video-slash-podcast-slash-Substack Live with my friend John Ganz. Among the topics discussed:

* The Epstein birthday book and the unbelievably creepy tone of the messages

* The “tech summit” between Silicon Valley executives and the Trump administration last week

* The “A.I. Bubble”: What it is, whether it might be bursting

* Why A.I. slop is bad for the soul and not art

* Why old Sony electronics from when we were adolescents are good for the soul in the same way that art is

You can watch above, or listen to the audio version on any of your favorite podcast platforms.

A reminder: Read Max is a reader-funded endeavor. Practically speaking, what that means is that producing Read Max newsletters and associated audiovisual products is my job, and in order to do my job well, I need to make money from it, so that I can exchange it for essential goods and services such as food and housing and vintage Sony electronics. If you like the job I do--if you find my writing (and recording) enlightening or entertaining, or even if it just helps you numbly pass the time such that you can put off the anxiety that accompanies awareness of mortality--please consider becoming a paying subscriber, for the bargain price of $5, or about a beer a month.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit maxread.substack.com/subscribe