Top all-time · #3969
James Fallows
Personal blog · fallows.substack.compoliticsculturewriting
James Fallows writes Breaking the News, a personal blog at fallows.substack.com about politics, culture and writing. Since 2021, 19 different Hacker News readers have linked it 30 times, most often “Gas-powered leaf blowers: the most polluting machinery still in legal use”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-10-18, and you can follow it by feed.
Dispatches from a veteran reporter. Click to read Breaking the News, by James Fallows, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
Most-linked posts?
- Gas-powered leaf blowers: the most polluting machinery still in legal use2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2021-10-03
- Why the Austin airport situation was so dangerous2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-02-08
- The 5G Airline Controversy: What Is It About?2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2022-01-24
- On That ProPublica ‘Chinese Lab Leak’ Story2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2022-12-08
What Hacker News says?
Just learned about it here: https://fallows.substack.com/p/it-had-been-16-years-since-a-... Likely more affected are learning about the aftermath via investigation, but I am not sure. Edit: No wait, that article mentioned the disbanding of Aviation Security Advisory Committee a week ago.
Comment linking /p/it-had-been-16-years-since-a-fatal
on “Commercial jet collides with Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan airport”Submitted Gas-powered leaf blowers: the most polluting machinery still in legal use as a story · 47 points
HN discussionI used to think so, but they badly embarrassed themselves on a COVID origin story a few months ago. They relied on a single source who claimed to have unique expertise in translating ambiguous Chinese Communist Party language. Most commentators with knowledge of Chinese language and politics criticized his interpretations heavily. A decent review of the events is here: https://www.semafor.com/article/10/31/2022/pro-…
Comment linking /p/on-that-propublica-chinese-lab-leak
on “It Will Cost More Than Total Future Production to Clean Up California Oil Sites”Submitted There are only five media stories as a story · 44 points
HN discussionPossibly a reference to the recent event described here: https://fallows.substack.com/p/a-positive-sign-for-flying-in... tl/dr: The aircraft detected pilot incapacitation and landed on its own initiative.
Comment linking /p/a-positive-sign-for-flying-in-the
on “Ask HN: How long before the first civilian cargo flights are AI piloted?”Submitted The Arrogance of Ignorance. – By James Fallows as a story · 2 points
HN discussionHere is a similar deep dive into such an incident. https://fallows.substack.com/p/as-bad-as-it-gets-without-bod... These happen pretty often, and go unreported. So there's not much benefit in people finding out, on the downside there's bad PR.
Comment linking /p/as-bad-as-it-gets-without-body-bags
on “Lofi air traffic control – LAX”Submitted What Happened in El Paso? – By James Fallows as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted In the Time of the Mad King as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted 'Blind into Caracas' – By James Fallows as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted About That Sonic Boom over Washington as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted About That Sonic Boom over Washington as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers: The End Is Nigh as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Jimmy Carter: Unlucky President, Lucky Man as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Why the Austin airport situation was so dangerous as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted The 5G Airline Controversy: What Is It About? as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted The 5G Airline Controversy: What Is It About? as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted A New Search Engine Worth Trying: Neeva as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Scorecard for US Military aircraft over Iran as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted The Central Valley's 'Wonderful Schools': An Our Towns Report as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted A Positive Sign for Flying in the Future as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted In the air, on thin ice? as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted (2) an Early Casualty in the AI Wars as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted When the Golden Record Went to Space as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted The Cirrus Has Landed – By James Fallows as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted On That ProPublica ‘Chinese Lab Leak’ Story as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted James Fallows on Interesting Software for Writers and Researchers as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted ‘Fools, Drunks, and the United States of America’ as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted They Promised Us Flying Cars as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted The Debt Limit Chronicles, Sept. 26 – By James Fallows as a story · 1 points
HN discussion
