Culture

Reader’s Warning: Like Tolkien’s own work, this analysis requires some time and determination to get through. Pour yourself a coffee (or second breakfast), settle in for the long haul, and prepare for a deep dive into how Silicon Valley’s most powerful defense companies turned Middle-earth mythology into modern reality. The tale is worth the journey—I promise. When Palantir Technologies and Anduril Industries announced their partnership in December 2024, most news outlets focused on the strategic implications for defense technology. But buried in The Register’s coverage was a line that made Tolkien fans do a double-take: “the irony that companies named after artifacts from The Lord of the Rings were joining forces in reality.” ...

In 1999, the National Security Agency banned a children’s toy from its facilities. Not some sophisticated surveillance device or military hardware—just a fuzzy, owl-like creature that spoke in baby talk and cost $35 at Toys"R"Us. That toy was Furby. And while the NSA’s fears proved unfounded, they accidentally highlighted something profound: this innocent-looking companion possessed an almost magnetic appeal to people who liked to take things apart and put them back together differently. ...