[Off Topic] Hsieh Forbes Column: The War On Meat

[Off topic] My final Forbes column of the year is now out: "In The War On Meat, Count Me In The Resistance".

I discuss the latest idea of a "tax on meat", and why that's bad from both a medical and public policy perspective.

To (mis)quote Firefly, "I don't care. I'm still free. You can't take my bacon from me."

Happy New Year, everyone!

Light Posting

Admin note: Posting may be lighter than usual next week because of the holiday. Happy New Year!

Anesthesia And Childbirth

"It Didn't Take Very Long For Anesthesia to Change Childbirth"

Quantum Computing Languages

"Quantum Computers Barely Exist -- Here's Why We're Writing Languages for Them Anyway".

As the article  notes: "There may soon be more quantum programming languages than there are quantum computers."

Chollet Vs Yudkowsky On Intelligence Explosion

François Chollet: "The impossibility of intelligence explosion".

And Eliezer Yudkowsky: "A reply to Francois Chollet on intelligence explosion".

Cashless Businesses

"What Happens When A Business Won't Accept Cash For Payment?"

Star Wars Nightmare

"From C-3PO's perspective, Star Wars is a prolonged nightmare".

A classic essay from 2015, so no Last Jedi spoilers.

More Surgical Robots

"New surgical robots are about to enter the operating theatre"

Blimp Vs Pyramid

"Robotic Blimp Could Explore Hidden Chambers of Great Pyramid of Giza":

French research institutes Inria and CNRS are working with ScanPyramids to develop an exploration robot that can squeeze through a tiny hole while still maximizing the amount of exploration that it can do once it’s through. The concept that they’ve come up with is a robotic blimp that can be stuffed through a 3.5-centimeter hole, unfold and inflate itself, and then explore large areas before deflating and escaping again.

Instant Pot History

NYT: "Inside the Home of Instant Pot, the Kitchen Gadget That Spawned a Religion".

I have the 6-quart model, and it is awesome.

Spoofing Windows Facial Recognition

"Specially prepared photos shown bypassing Windows Hello facial recognition"

Coffee Post SHTF

"The Apocalypse Preppers Who Think Coffee Will Save Them"

Einstein Viral Letter

"Albert Einstein and the high school geometry problem". (Via H.R.)

Andy Weir On Economics Of Sci-Fi And Space

"Before writing a single word of his new book Artemis, Andy Weir worked out the economics of a lunar colony."

Fun interview of Andy Weir by Tyler Cowen.  BTW, I was told that the interview contains some plot spoilers for Artemis, so don't read/listen to the interview until you've read the book. (I haven't read the book yet, so I'm also holding off on reading the interview.)

Preserved Embryo

"Woman gives birth to baby frozen as embryo for 24 years"

AI Can't Tell Desert From Porn

UK police new AI confuses desert photos with naked pictures.

Self-Healing Glass

"Scientists Have Developed Glass That Heals Itself When You Press It Together". (Via H.R.)

Traffic Jam Dynamics

"Math Says You're Driving Wrong and It's Slowing Us All Down"

CGP Grey On Machine Learning

CGP Grey: "How Do Machines Learn?"

Light Posting Notice

Admin note: Due to external obligations, posting may be lighter than usual the rest of this week.