Mandatory Vacations

"What One Company Learned from Forcing Employees to Use Their Vacation Time"

Single-Molecule Transistors

"Single-Molecule Transistors Get Reproducibility and Room-Temperature Operation". (Via H.R.)

Humans Love Blankets

"Why Do We Sleep Under Blankets, Even on the Hottest Nights?"

Campus Postmodernism

Scientific American: "The Unfortunate Fallout of Campus Postmodernism".

Take-home point: "If you teach students to be warriors against all power asymmetries, don't be surprised when they turn on their professors and administrators."

Terminator Conundrum

"Earlier this month, the Russian weapons manufacturer Kalashnikov Group made a low-key announcement with frightening implications. The company revealed it had developed a range of combat robots that are fully automated and used artificial intelligence to identify targets and make independent decisions..."

"Known informally inside the corridors of the Pentagon as 'the Terminator conundrum,' the question being asked is whether stifling the development of these types of weapons would actually allow other less ethically minded countries to leap ahead? Or is it a greater danger to ultimately allow machines the ability to make life or death decisions?"

Secret Amazon Brands

"Amazon owns a whole collection of secret brands"

Old Fruitcake

"100-Year-Old Fruitcake Found in Antarctica Is 'Almost' Edible"

Historical Reactions To Solar Eclipses

"A history of solar eclipses and bizarre responses to them"

Goldfish and Alcohol

"During the winter, goldfish and their relatives can have a blood-alcohol concentration beyond the legal limit for drink driving."

Dr. Smartphone

"The airplane had just taken off when one of the passengers lost consciousness."

Eric Topol pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and immediately performed an electrocardiogram (EKG) on the passenger. He used the device to do an ultrasound scan of the man's heart and measured oxygen levels in his blood. He was then able to give the all-clear and the plane could continue its journey. The man had lost consciousness merely due to a temporarily slowed heart rhythm.

Recipe Videos In The Style Of Famous Directors

"Hilarious recipe videos in the style of famous directors"

My favorite: "What if Tarantino made Spaghetti & Meatballs?"

Free Old Music

"Philly company digitizes 25,000 old records and they're free to download"

Russian Casino Hacker

"Meet Alex, the Russian Casino Hacker Who Makes Millions Targeting Slot Machines":

Alex defends his enterprise as cunning but by no means criminal. “We, in fact, do not meddle with the machines — there is no actual hacking taking place,” he says. “My agents are just gamers, like the rest of them. Only they are capable of making better predictions in their betting. Yes, that capability is gained through my technology, it’s true. But why should it be against the law? On the basic level, it’s like using a calculator for counting faster and more accurately, rather than relying on one’s natural capacity.”

Eclipses Feel Weird

"A Total Solar Eclipse Feels Really, Really Weird"

Parenting As Viewed Through Cartoons

"Changing Parenting Attitudes, as Seen Through New Yorker Cartoons"

Malicious Code In DNA

"In a mind-boggling world first, a team of biologists and security researchers have successfully infected a computer with a malicious program coded into a strand of DNA"

Bad Password Rules

"The Guy Who Invented Those Annoying Password Rules Now Regrets Wasting Your Time"

Underwater Post Office

"Whale Mail Is the New Snail Mail at the World’s First Underwater Post Office"

Comeuppance In SF

"Rich SF residents get a shock: Someone bought their street"

AI-Generated Beer Names

"Artificial intelligence proves that craft beer names are total nonsense"

Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook

"Browse the British Library's online copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s 570-page notebook"

Fortune Cookie Math

"We Analyzed 1,000 Fortune Cookies To Unlock Their Secrets"

Ikea Capes

"Game of Thrones uses cheap IKEA rugs as capes"

Tesla Model 3 Review

"Driving Tesla's Model 3 Changes Everything"

SR-71 Speed Check Story

"An SR-71 Blackbird Pilot Recounts His Infamous LA Speed Check Story".

As friend JRW notes, "Interesting story about flying the SR-71 — but go all the way to the end.  The last 60 seconds is hilarious."

Upgrading The Great Firewall

"China holds drill to shut down 'harmful' websites"

Melt-Proof Popsicles

"Japan has engineered an ice cream that 'doesn't melt'"

Light Posting Notice

Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual for the rest of this week and next week due to external obligations.

Gene Editing Update

NYT: "In Breakthrough, Scientists Edit a Dangerous Mutation From Genes in Human Embryos"

Cochlear Implant Upgrade For iOS

New cochlear sound processor allows users to directly stream music and voice from iOS device to the cochlear implant.

Robot Safecracking

"Watch a Homemade Robot Crack a Safe in Just 15 Minutes"

Can You "Rape" A Sex Robot?

NYT: "The Trouble With Sex Robots".

The NYT author appears to think so, consistently using the term "rape" for males interacting with robots programmed to "reject" their sexual advances.

In contrast, this NPR story gets it right ("What's New In The World Of Robot Sex?"):

Today's robots are not conscious and thus "rape" is not the correct descriptor.

I want to be very clear about what I am saying here: The robots' lack of consciousness is fundamentally different from the state of a person who has lost consciousness or for some reason suffers from diminished mental acuity. For a person who has passed out, who is in a coma, or who is mentally compromised for any reason and is violently sexually assaulted, "rape" is absolutely the correct term.

I recognize that there is a potential issue of people acting towards robots that would otherwise be impermissible towards other humans. For instance, if I knew my next door neighbor got his jollies by engaging in mock serial killings of life-like robots, I'd be more than a little nervous. And it might be grounds for asking law enforcement to take a closer look at him. But you can't "murder" a robot any more than you can "rape" one.

AI Creating Malware

"AI quickly cooks malware that anti-viral software can't spot"

Splitting Water

"Scientists produce robust catalyst to split water into hydrogen, oxygen". (Via H.R.)

The Case for Cursing

The NYT publishes "The Case for Cursing", doesn't use any actual profanity.

Challenges Of Zero-G Surgery

"Zero-G Blood and the Many Horrors of Space Surgery"

Mathematical Paintings Of Crockett Johnson

"Mathematical Paintings of Crockett Johnson"

Quantum Alternatives

"A brief history of quantum alternatives"

What You'll See On Eclipse Day

Cool app, just enter your zip code: "A solar eclipse is coming to America. Here's what you'll see where you live."

Subway-Style Map Of Roman Roads In Britain

"A subway-style map of the Roman roads of Britain"

AI With "Imagination"

"Google's DeepMind creates an AI with 'imagination'". (Via D.J.)

Real-Life Hypospray?

"Beyond The Nasty Needle: Trying To Make Vaccines More Comfy And Convenient"

Computer Checkers

"How Checkers Was Solved"

An Old Solution For New Crimes

"After a series of hacks, cryptocurrency issuers may turn to old-fashioned bank vaults for security"

Realistic Indiana Jones

Heh: "Realistic Indiana Jones Movies". (Click on image to see full size.)

Genghis Khan's Hidden Tomb

"Why Genghis Khan's tomb can't be found"

Don't Need To Routinely Force Quit Apps on iOS

"Public Service Announcement: You Should Not Force Quit Apps on iOS"

Finding Aliens

"The Next Step In The Search For Aliens Is A Huge Telescope And A Ton Of Math"

Genetic Drives And National Security

"National security community examines the risks and benefits of technology to quickly spread genetic modifications"

AI Generated British Town Names

"I trained an AI to generate British placenames"

Quantum Telepheresis

"Quantum teleportation is even weirder than you think"

Bogus Journals Publish Paper on Midi-Chrlorians

Bogus science journals publish spoof biology paper on "midi-chlorians" (from Star Wars).

When Pilots Can't Stand One Another

Do Not Pair: "The secret system that prevents pilots who hate each other from sharing a cockpit"

AIs Vs AIs

"AI Fight Club Could Help Save Us from a Future of Super-Smart Cyberattacks: The best defense against malicious AI is AI"

Sham Surgeries

Placebo effect and "sham surgeries".

Selfie Risks

"Dear Selfie Taker: Please Don’t Break the Artwork or Kill Yourself"

The Myth of Drug Expiration Dates

"The Myth of Drug Expiration Dates"

Nausea and Self-Driving Cars

"Self-Driving Taxis Could Have a Vomit Problem"

Robotic Leak Detection

"New Inexpensive Robots Find Leaks from Inside Pipes". (Via H.R.)

IBM Neuromorphic Hardware

"Pocket brains: Neuromorphic hardware arrives for our brain-inspired algorithms"

Are The Aliens Sleeping?

"A New Theory on Why We Haven't Found Aliens Yet"

Husband Storage Pods

"[T]he Global Harbour mall in Shanghai has erected a number of glass pods for wives to leave any disgruntled husbands that don't want to be dragged around the shops. Inside each individual pod is a chair, monitor, computer and gamepad, and men can sit and play retro 1990s games."

Google Glass Enterprise

"Google Glass rises again -- at work"

Hypnotic Illustrations

"The hypnotic illustrations of Visoth Kakvei"

Star Wars Hotel

"At an upcoming Star Wars-themed hotel in Disney World in Orlando, Florida, employees will stay in costume and in character at all times."

Gecko Feet For Space

"NASA looked to gecko feet for its latest space innovation"

Musk On AI

"Elon Musk Says Artificial Intelligence Is the 'Greatest Risk We Face as a Civilization'". He made this latest warning in a speech to the National Governors Association on July 15, 2017.

Of course, if the US imposes unilateral restrictions on AI research, other countries will less regulation and/or less concern for AI safety will gladly take the lead: "China may match or beat America in AI".

History Of Boozing

"Ancient Humans Liked Getting Tipsy, Too"

Facial Recognition At Airports

"If You Get Your Face Scanned the Next Time You Fly, Here's What You Should Know"

Greatest Props

"The 100 Greatest Props in Movie History, and the Stories Behind Them".

I completely approve of their choice for #1.

Eclipse Chasers

 "How Eclipse Chasers Are Putting a Small Kentucky Town on the Map"

I know several friends who will be enjoying the eclipse! And I liked this quote from astronomer Tyler Nordgren:

Make no mistake. The difference between whether you're inside the path of totality or outside it is literally the difference between night and day. No other experience comes close to the multisensory strangeness of this most unnatural of natural events.

Insecure Two-Factor Systems

"Two-factor authentication is a mess"

Font Could Decide Corruption Case

A corruption case in Pakistan could hinge on a font.

One side is claiming a key document is a forgery because it was printed in the Calibri font, which wasn't available at the time.

Bought For 100 Euros, Sold For 45,000 Euros

"A 100 euros typewriter has sold for 45,000 euros ($51,500) at auction, after it was discovered it was actually a German Wehrmacht Enigma I":

Cristian Gavrila, the collectible consignment manager at Artmark, told Reuters: "The collector bought it from a flea market. He's a cryptography professor and... he knew very well what he was buying."

My Kind Of Startup

"This startup will fight your traffic ticket for you"

Sex Robot Update

Nature: "Let's talk about sex robots". (Via A.A.)

Great Red Spot

"The Closest-Ever Shot of the Great Red Spot"

New Raphael

"Unknown Raphael Paintings Discovered in the Vatican"

Internet Cat Simulator

"The Internet cat simulator (you can set parameters for meowing and purring)"

What Could Go Wrong?

Time sink of the day: "What Could Go Wrong?" 

BTW, some of these can be disturbing, as indicated by the NSFL tag. #OMG. #HoldMyBeer

More Robo-Journalism

"Google funds robot-written news":

The aim: to crank out up to 30,000 stories a month that will be distributed by the Press Association to hundreds of news outlets in the U.K. and Ireland. The stories will be automated with the help of artificial intelligence — and a handful of human journalists.

“Skilled human journalists will still be vital in the process, but Radar allows us to harness artificial intelligence to scale up to a volume of local stories that would be impossible to provide manually,” Peter Clifton, editor-in-chief of the Press Association, told the Guardian. Radar stands for Reporters and Data and Robots.

History Of Equals Sign

"The strange and righteous history of the equals sign". (Via H.R.)

Asteroid Panic

"Would you kill to stop an asteroid panic?"

My own opinions:

1) This sounds like a great premise for a TV show.

2) This sort of truth should absolutely be told to the public. Hiding it (and killing people who know) goes against core principles of openness and respect for truth. Governments should tell the people and let them decide the consequences.

Emergency Alerts Explained

"Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) explained: AMBER alerts and what the heck is a Severe Alert vs. an Extreme Alert and how do I turn them off?!?"

Computer-Generated Art

"Machine Creativity Beats Some Modern Art".

The link includes an art version of the "Turing Test", where you can guess which artwork was generated by a computer and which by a human.

You Can Now Drink Coffee From A Horn

"Your greatest dream of drinking coffee from a horn has come true"

[Off Topic] Charlie Gard Case In 30 Words

[Off topic]: My latest in Forbes: "Charlie Gard Case, Summarized In 30 Words".

Plus a glimmer of hope for the family.

Defining Blackmail

Eugene Volokh: "Blackmail is surprisingly hard to define"

Light-Fuelled Wave Machine

Via "Stat News": "A crawling caterpillar made of polymers"

Scientists have created a new material that can dance better than most of us. They created a polymer strip that’s about as big as a paperclip and moves about as fast as a caterpillar. The material — which contracts in reaction to light — works by casting a shadow on itself.

Researchers shine a light on one side of the strip, which starts to curl up and casts a shadow onto the next part of the strip. That section comes into light and starts to change shape, creating a continual wave that propels the paper forward. Study author Anne Helene Gelebart tells me the material might one day be used to transport small devices to tricky-to-reach places during surgery.  

Name The Missing Word

Quiz: "Name the Missing Word in Each Book Title"

John Urschel Profile

"From the NFL to MIT: The Double Life of John Urschel".

Nice profile of Urschel, who is both a PhD student in math at MIT and an active NFL offensive lineman.

Pentagonal Tilings

"There Are Only 15 Pentagonal Tilings (Probably)"

Neural Repair With Carbon Nanotubules

"Carbon Nanotubes Found to Be a Safe Bet For Reconnecting Neurons". (Via H.R.)

Why You Should Nap At Work

NYT: "Take Naps at Work. Apologize to No One." The science is settled.

Frogs Aided By Dinosaur Killer

"Frog evolution linked to dinosaur asteroid strike"

AI Vs. Kangaroo

"Volvo admits its self-driving cars are confused by kangaroos".

Volvo’s detection system was designed in Sweden, where it was tested in areas populated with moose, before trials at a nature reserve in Canberra revealed the problem with kangaroos. Kangaroos cause more accidents than any other animal in Australia – the marsupials are responsible for about 90% of collisions between vehicles and animals...

(Via Dave Jilk.)

Independence Day Hiatus

Admin note: In honor of the US Independence Day, there will be no posts today. Regular posting will resume tomorrow. Happy July 4th!

NYT On SETI/METI

NYT: "Greetings, E.T. (Please Don't Murder Us)". Lengthy discussion of SETI/METI, including technical issues and the should-we-even-be-broadcasting issue.

The article also quotes Seth Shostak, "No, if we want to broadcast a message from Earth, I propose that we just feed the Google servers into the transmitter. Send the aliens the World Wide Web."

Sure, if you want to get endless unsolicited promotional e-mails from friggn' alien spammers as well. Tailored to your personal shopping habits, of course.

Nanotube Transistors

"Carbon Nanotubes Reduce Transistor Footprint to Forty Nanometers". (Via H.R.)

Giant Black Holes

"Watching The Dance Of Giant Black Holes"