GeekPress

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Bogus "Fun" Vs. Genuine "Fun" At The Workplace

"The death of 'mandatory fun' in the office". An unexpected positive side-effect of the pandemic on workplace culture:

"On the flip side, the pandemic also led to the rise of more employee-led initiatives... Team-building events and 'fun' ceased to be top-down. Employees would lead a Zoom yoga class, or a cooking class for their colleagues. It's an interesting shift, away from 'you have to do this,' and toward, ‘what do you guys really want to do?'"

Burner Browser

Wirecutter: "How a Burner Browser Hides My Most Embarrassing Internet Searches"

Monday, May 30, 2022

Brief Hiatus

GeekPress will take a short holiday hiatus for US Memorial Day.

Friday, May 27, 2022

Chimpanzee Language

"Chimpanzees have their own language -- and scientists just learned how they put 'words' together"

Shake Your Booty

"Vibrating pill counters constipation"

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Musical Chills

"This 715-song playlist is scientifically verified to give you the chills, thanks to 'frisson'"

Better Cooling

"A computer cooling breakthrough uses a common material to boost power 740 percent". (Via H.R.)

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

Best Interview Question

Tyler Cowen: "The Best Question to Ask a Job Applicant".

Cowen's recommendation: "What are the open tabs in your browser right now?"

First, the question measures what a person does with his or her spare time as well as work time. If you leave a browser tab open, it probably has some importance to you and you expect to return to the page. It is one metric of what you are interested in and what your work flow looks like.
It’s not just cheap talk. Some job candidates might say they are interested in C++ as a programming language, but if you actually have an open page to the Reddit and Subreddits on that topic, that is a demonstrated preference...
The question also tests for enthusiasm. If the person doesn’t seem excited about any of those open browser tabs, that may be a sign that they are blasé about other things as well. But if you get a heated pitch about why a particular website is the best guide to “Lord of the Rings” lore, you may have found a true nerd with a love of detail. That will be a plus for many jobs and avocations, though not all.

2.5-Dimensional Materials

"2.5D materials promise new applications for electronics, AI"

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Apple And China

"Apple is reportedly looking ramp up manufacturing outside China":

Apple has long relied on China for the vast majority—more than 90%, writes the [Wall Street Journal] -- of its manufacturing. A small percentage of its products are produced in India and Vietnam. Now the Journal’s sources, identified only as people familiar with the talks, say that both countries have been named as potential destinations for added manufacturing.

To The Moon

"These six countries are about to go to the Moon -- here's why"

Monday, May 23, 2022

Inspiring A Young Scientist

Great story about how a friendly scientist changed a 4-year old girl's life!: "Scientist finds professor who supported her love for bugs when she was 4".

According to the article, Dr. Rebecca Varney earned "her PhD in 2021 from the University of Alabama in biological sciences and now working with aquatic invertebrates such as crustaceans as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California at Santa Barbara."

But my favorite sentence: "Varney, in addition to keeping walking sticks in her room growing up, had millipedes and a corn snake named Beverly Crusher."