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The attack on Rockport is one example in a rising tide of similar invasions of municipal systems across the U.S.—from major cities like Atlanta, which got hit in March, to counties, tiny towns and even a library system in St. Louis. Local governments are forced to spend money on frantic efforts to recover data, system upgrades, cybersecurity insurance and, in some cases, to pay their online extortionists if they can’t restore files some other way.


Hackers are targeting small towns’ computer systems, with public-sector attacks appearing to be rising faster than those in the private sector. Online extortionists demand bitcoin ransom in return for decryption keys.

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Space is the next frontier for war.


  • President Donald Trump’s proposed “Space Force” could help fuel the $1 trillion intergalactic economy, Morgan Stanley says.
  • The bank is tracking 100 private companies poised to profit from interstellar industries.

If President Donald Trump successfully organizes his so-called Space Force, it could speed up investment in what Morgan Stanley sees as the next trillion-dollar economy.

In a note to clients Friday, the bank doubled down on its intergalactic thesis from last October, saying the Space Force “could address critical vulnerabilities in national security, raising investor awareness in the formation of what we see as the next trillion-dollar economy.”

The famous psychologist Timothy Leary once referred to himself as a “surfer,” envisioning a future where, “[t]o study biology, you can press a button and make yourself part of the human body. You can become a white blood cell and learn about the circulatory system by traveling through an artery. You can call up the Prado Museum in Madrid and study Goya’s paintings.”


When I think about the future, I envision mass technological disruptions across the entire landscape. Artificial intelligence (AI) being embedded into the very fabric of our architecture and institutions, 3D printing transforming our socio-economic system from scarcity to abundance, and virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) unleashing infinite potential in shaping our perceptions of reality.

One could argue that we’ve already been experimenting with VR/AR via the use of psychedelic drugs, like psilopsybin, DMT, etc. But for many, the perception of these drugs tend to carry an unfortnate negative connotation. When people think of someone doing shrooms, a lot of them think of a person going mad in the middle of the woods. When people think of someone doing LSD, a lot of them think of a person believing they’re Peter Pan as they hoist themselves off the top of a skyscraper.

This is the Freethink Dispatch, our rundown of the stories that mattered from the frontiers of a changing world. This week, engineers created brain-surgery robots that can work inside an MRI, scientists found a way to use coffee to treat diabetes, and a startup is making fresh produce that lasts twice as long. All that and more, plus a new episode of Freethink’s original hit series Superhuman about how doctors are reprogramming the immune system to kill untreatable cancers.

These stories made us think and got us inspired. We hope they’ll do the same for you.

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