Google Gatekeeping

"Leaked Documents Reveal How Google Search Gatekeeps the Internet"

Light Posting Notice

Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual for a few days due to external obligations.

Unreliable ChatGPT For Programming

"Study Finds That 52 Percent of ChatGPT Answers to Programming Questions Are Wrong"

Hsieh Forbes Column On Mandatory Reporting By Physicians Of Patient Dementia

My latest Forbes column is now out: "Should Doctors Be Required To Tell The DMV If You Have Dementia?"

This is another example in which a well-intended law may create perverse unintended consequences. As a friend noted, "Mandatory reporting laws of any kind are fraught with danger. One reason is that, from the patient's point of view, they can blur the lines between talking to your doctor/nurse and talking to a cop."

CRISPR Primer

"CRISPR gene editing: Moving closer to home"

Turing And Animal Patterns

"Spots, stripes and more: Working out the logic of animal patterns"

Nice Robot Doggies

"Rifle-Armed Robot Dogs Now Being Tested By Marine Special Operators"

 

Eigenvectors And Eigenvalues

Grant Sanderson: "Eigenvectors and eigenvalues"

Bad Physics

"A wave of retractions is shaking physics"

Oil Droplets, Pilot Waves, And QM

Veritasium: "Silicone oil droplets provide a physical realization of pilot wave theories"

French Baguette Stamps

"French post office releases scratch-and-sniff baguette stamp"

Decoding "Internal Speech"

"Brain-reading device is best yet at decoding 'internal speech'"

Misusing AI In Legislative Tactics?

Canadian legislators accused of proposing 19,600 AI generated amendments to a bill in an attempt to delay passage.

M4 iPad Pros

Daring Fireball: "The M4 iPad Pros"

AI Assistants Update

"OpenAI and Google are launching supercharged AI assistants. Here's how you can try them out."

Literal Reframing

How changing the frame changes the look of a picture. (Via Tyler Cowen.)

Smart Home Warning

"How I upgraded my water heater and discovered how bad smart home security can be"

Tabarrok Family And AI

Alex Tabarrok: "A Conversation on AI with my Son"

Laser Weapon Update

Forbes: "U.S. Military Is Using Laser Weapons In Battle"

Constantin on Normativity

Sarah Constantin: "Normativity and Anti-Normativity"

Deceptive AI

"AI Has Already Become a Master of Lies And Deception, Scientists Warn"

Rings Of Power Season 2 Trailer

"The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power -- Official Teaser Trailer" (for upcoming Season 2)

Caplan On Protests

Bryan Caplain: "The Protest: A Socratic Dialogue"

New Tolkien Movie

"Peter Jackson Working on New Lord of the Rings Films for Warner Bros., Targeting 2026 Debut"

VPN Vulnerability

"Novel attack against virtually all VPN apps neuters their entire purpose"

Gene Therapy Restores Hearing

"After gene therapy, two congenitally deaf children hear for the first time". (Via H.R.)

Light Posting Notice

Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual this week due to external obligations.

Moral Dilemmas On Reddit

"Philosophers are studying Reddit's 'Am I the Asshole?'"

Questionable AI "Safety" Law

"California's Effort to Strangle AI: On SB 1047, a dangerous attempt at safety". (Via Jason Crawford.)

Bright Laser

"The Tiny Ultrabright Laser That Can Melt Steel"

Today's Unintended Consequence

"Laws requiring doctors to report a dementia diagnosis to the DMV may backfire"

Autonomous Racing Update

"The first-ever driverless car race didn't go so well"

Don't Swallow Magnets

My latest Forbes column is out: "Why You Shouldn't Swallow Magnets".

I discuss who should (or shouldn't) swallow magnets. Hint: If you are reading this, it's not you.

Auto-Brewery Syndrome

"A Brewery Worker's Drunken Driving Defense: His Stomach Made the Alcohol"