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"