REAL-ID And US Airports

"REAL-ID FAQ: What will happen at US airports on May 7, 2025?" 

Author Edward Hasbrouck summarizes: "The key thing to know is that -- unless the TSA makes undisclosed changes to its procedures -- air travelers with 'noncompliant' ID on or after May 7, 2025, should be treated, and should be allowed to fly, the same way people with no ID fly today."

Surgical Robot Update

"Rice-Sized Robots Could Be the Key to Precision Neurosurgery"

More On FFT

A nice ode to a bit of progress that has led to much of modern technology!

60 years ago this month, the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was introduced by Cooley & Tukey (1965) - one of the most important algorithms in signal processing and data analysis.

In 1805, Gauss - studying the orbits of asteroids Pallas and Juno - came up with a method to… pic.twitter.com/zyFQPQLwPX

— Fermat's Library (@fermatslibrary) April 25, 2025

Do AIs Have "Rights"?

People now arguing whether AI should have "rights".  Seems that you first need a robust theory of what gives rise to the concept of "rights" and which entities this concept applies to. 

NYT: "If AI Systems Become Conscious, Should They Have Rights?

FFT Explained

MIT: "60 years ago this month, the Fast Fourier Transform was created, a powerful tool for image compression & data analysis. Watch a classic MIT breakdown of FFT"

Your Tech At The Border

"How to Protect Yourself From Phone Searches at the US Border"

Exotic Quantum States

"US scientists discover never-before-seen quantum 'species' in twisted material"

Douthat On AI

Ross Douthat: "An Age of Extinction Is Coming. Here's How to Survive."

I think he's too pessimistic. But his essay does make some good points.

AI Code Generation Update

"Making AI-generated code more accurate in any language"

A new technique automatically guides an LLM toward outputs that adhere to the rules of whatever programming language or other format is being used.

Lunar CPU

"The Moon Should Be a Computer"

Smell Friends?

Ars Technica: "Women rely partly on smell when choosing friends". (Via H.R.)

Hype On Alien Life

Nature: "Signs of life on a distant planet? Not so fast, say these astronomers"

Missing Matter

"A new analysis of the sky has finally confirmed where the missing half of the Universe's visible matter has been hiding." (Via H.R.)

My first guess was under the couch.

New Color?

"Scientists claim to have found colour no one has seen before"

Human Vs. AI Reading Medical Notes

This question was posed recently on social media -- basically, asking someone to interpret a near-indecipherable orthopedic clinic note.  

My own translation:

Ortho
===========
R(ight) knee pain
R(ight) knee: + effusion, +pain, decreased ROM (range of motion)
Xray right knee: moderate OA (osteoarthritis)
A/P (assessment/plan): Right knee osteoarthritis
Right knee injection
F/u (followup) 3 months.

I also asked Grok AI to attempt to translate the image, and I have to confess it did surprisingly well!

 

 

 

Wave Confinement

"Thought To Be Impossible: Scientists Break Century-Old Physics Barrier". (Via H.R.)

A research team from POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) and Jeonbuk National University has achieved a groundbreaking feat: the complete confinement of mechanical waves within a single resonator—something long considered theoretically impossible. Their study, published on April 3 in Physical Review Letters, represents a significant advance in solving the century-old puzzle of bound states in the continuum (BIC).

iPhone Tricks

"18 Things You Didn't Know Your iPhone Could Do"

Gifted Bird Caller

"Oklahoma boy astounds classmates with his ability to do 50 different bird calls"

Travel Hacks

"10 Travel Hacks Reddit Users Swear By"

TB Diagnostics

"New handheld device can diagnose TB without a lab in under an hour, its developers say"

Military AI Update

"Generative AI is learning to spy for the US military"

Breakfast Club Cast, 40 Years Later

"Breakfast Club" cast, 40 years later. Some have aged better than others.

Great SF Movies

"The 100 best sci-fi movies of all time, ranked"

More Jobs For AI

"Trump Wants Tariffs to Bring Back U.S. Jobs. They Might Speed Up AI Automation Instead"

Data Centers On The Moon

BBC: "The plans to put data centres in orbit and on the Moon"

Air Marshals

"Are There Air Marshals on Every Flight?"

AI Tutors

"Texas private school's use of new 'AI tutor' rockets student test scores to top 2% in the country"

AI And Radiology

Washington Post: "AI hasn't killed radiology, but it is changing it"

Drowning Children Thought Experiment

Scott Alexander: "More Drowning Children"

Hummingbird Camoflage

"Baby hummingbird with appearance of dangerous caterpillar discovered in Panama". (Via H&S R.)

CIA Books Operation

"A forgotten CIA programme that changed minds"

DARPA Atmospheric Sensing

"DARPA Unintentionally Invents New Rocket 'Radar' Thanks to SpaceX". (Via H.R.)

Speed Cubing

"Max Park is a longtime [Rubik's Cube] speedcubing world record holder -- for the 3x3x3 cube, his best official time is 3.13 seconds. Let's show you how he does it."

Gorilla Glass Upgrade

"Corning's new ceramic glass might save your next phone from disaster"

Optical Illusions And Professions

"People in this career are better at seeing through optical illusions". (Via H.R.)

Typewriters Still In Use

"In some parts of the US, the clack of typewriter keys can still be heard"

Treatment For Paralysis

Nature: "Paralysed man stands again after receiving 'reprogrammed' stem cells". (Via G.F.)