The Blindspot

John Parker Belasko

On this episode of The Blindspot, Jay dives back into the world of large language models—what they can do now, and where they’re headed. He breaks down how the chatbots you’re probably using are already smart enough to walk you through building a boat, and why the cutting-edge models are operating on a whole different level—reasoning through frontier science, math, even leukemia research. Jay wrestles with being a humanities guy in an age of machine-driven breakthroughs, then walks us through how he used OpenAI’s latest model to outline a nine-book series starring a character named John Parker Belasko. He ends with a blunt truth: today’s models are the worst they'll ever be. The future? It’s all about how many tokens it’ll cost to solve your next big problem. Enjoy

The Ramble and the Gamble

On today's episode of The Blindspot, I start by talking about the death of Pope Francis, and then note that Presidents Trump and Zelenski met at St. Peter’s Basilica before the funeral, which leads me into a broader conversation about Zelenski’s fashion choices and the state of the Russia-Ukraine war. From there, I get into the American economy after a series of highly unorthodox moves by Trump, and how he's placed a massive bet that will rise or fall on economic results. I point out how Trump's actions on both Ukraine and the economy don’t even make sense by the standards of their own stated logic. Then I move into how the Democrats are bungling their messaging around Kilmar Garcia, before closing with a brief lament about the Israel-Gaza situation. Enjoy!

Chasing the Infinite

The gap between what AI can’t do and what it can do is closing fast. Half the code out there isn’t even written by people anymore. Half the images aren't drawn by people. You can talk to a machine now—and it talks back. Ten years ago that was science fiction. Now it’s just a Tuesday. It’s getting easier to make all sorts of things, and the world is getting stranger.
On this episode of The Blindspot, I’m talking about what it’s like to actually live with generative AI—mostly through the lens of ChatGPT. I get into how I’ve used it, why I somehow am no more productive, despite using it constantly, and why it’s so damn hard to tell anyone else how to use it well but also why it's worth telling them to try.

Where the Hell Is Mr. Garcia?

A man named Kilmar Garcia was deported—illegally. The Supreme Court ordered him returned. The Trump administration said no. In this episode of The Blind Spot, I break down why that refusal matters more than the man himself. It’s not about immigration.  It’s about a presidency testing the limits of power by picking targets no one will defend. If you think the rule of law is just a talking point, this episode is your wake-up call.

Bad for Business

On today's episode of The Blind Spot, I'm talking tariffs, Trump, and how one wild decision sent markets worldwide spiraling into chaos. Look, when Trump first proposed reciprocal tariffs—matching whatever barriers other countries threw at us—it actually made sense, even to an anti-Trump guy like me. But then, as Trump tends to do, he took a solid idea and turned it into a global economic dumpster fire, crashing markets and trashing America's carefully built credibility. I'm breaking down why the real cost of this tariff tantrum isn't just lost dollars, but shattered trust and lost global standing. And if you're thinking, "Hey, he paused those tariffs, so isn't everything okay now?"—well, not exactly. Join me as I lay out why Trump's unpredictable flip-flops aren't just political theater; they're putting America's prosperity on the line. This isn't partisan whining—it's a raw, no-bullshit look at why risking it all to "own the libs" might leave us holding an empty bag. Buckle up, hit play, and let's get into it.

Liberation Day

On today’s episode of The Blind Spot, I’m tearing into the chaos that blew up when Trump slammed high tariffs on almost every country all at once, sending the stock market into a nosedive and rattling the global supply chain. I’m talking about why no one should’ve been surprised, how this sudden policy blindsided Wall Street anyway, and the scary ripple effects hitting our allies—who might just decide we’re no longer worth trusting. We’ll get into the real reasons manufacturing isn’t magically coming back, the hidden costs of alienating friend and foe alike, and why this could be the biggest gamble of Trump’s presidency. Tune in if you’re ready for some hard-hitting truth about how one decision could flip the entire global order on its head.

Politics, Policy and Perspectives in America

Got it. Here's your episode description rewritten in your voice—first person, punchy, raw, and totally in step with the style of The Blind Spot:
Hey. Jason Pilaski here, and on today’s episode of The Blind Spot, I’m joined by my buddy Rich, and we’re tearing into some grade-A political insanity. First up: the leaked Signal chat from inside the Trump administration where top officials are talking about bombing Yemen... in an unsecure group chat... where they accidentally invited a journalist. This is what I’m calling the first real scandal—and I want to know why no one’s losing their mind about it.
Then we pivot into a subject I never get tired of being furious about: government screwups. Rural broadband rollout? California high-speed rail? We’re talking billions vaporized into the air with nothing to show but bad press releases and bullet-pointed lies. And yeah, both parties are guilty—so we don’t spare either one.
Later, we dig into pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses, the case of green card holder Mimmude Khalil, and the larger Israeli-Palestinian mess. Rich and I don’t agree on all of it, and that’s the point. It’s not sanitized, it’s not pre-chewed. It’s just what we actually think.
And finally—because why not end with fireworks—we go headfirst into Trump’s idea of ditching income tax and funding the government with tariffs. Is it revolutionary or the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard? You’ll find out what we think.
If you’re exhausted by the scripted fake debates and want a podcast that sounds like actual people grappling with what the hell’s going on—this one is for you!

Bomb the Houthis and Open the Goddamn Shipping Lane

 
On the latest episode of The Blind Spot, I lay out why the U.S. should use force to reopen the Red Sea shipping lanes the Houthis are shutting down. They’re not freedom fighters—they’re a militant theocracy backed by Iran, firing missiles at global trade. I explain why this chokepoint matters, how it hits supply chains everywhere, and why it’s not just Europe’s problem—it’s ours. I push back on critics like J.D. Vance and make the case that keeping shipping lanes open is in America’s interest. When someone closes one, we open it. Simple.

Green Lights and Blank Checks

 
Today on The Blindspot, I dig into the collapse of strategic restraint in the Israel–Hamas war—how Biden’s political vulnerability gave Hamas unexpected leverage by pressuring Israel into ceasefire talks, and how Trump’s return to power snapped Israel’s leash entirely. I break down Hamas’s October 7th attack as a calculated, if doomed, attempt to shatter a decaying status quo and reignite global relevance, and I examine how moral outrage has replaced coherent strategy in much of the pro-Palestinian response. This episode is about power, consequence, and what happens when war is no longer managed but simply pursued—relentlessly, and without oversight.

The Khalil Situation

Is America a nation of laws, or just a nation of power plays?" In this episode of The Blindspot, I break down the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian green card holder and student activist who protested against Israeli actions while studying in the U.S. I’m strongly pro-Israel, but I take a hard stance against the Trump administration’s handling of Khalil’s case, asking why there are no charges, no due process, and no clear legal basis for his detention. Free speech isn’t just for people you agree with—constitutional protections apply to everyone on U.S. soil, like it or not. This episode is about principle over politics and why bending the law for political convenience always backfires. Tune in for a  no-bullshit, straight-shooting breakdown of what’s really at stake .