Number 236
== Seems to be a lot of articles on PFASs and AI these days. Sujets du jour?
These Angry Dutch Farmers Really Hate Microsoft
Tech giants want to build massive, “hyperscale” data centers in the Netherlands. A popular political movement wants them stopped.
== lengthy opinion, probably worth a look
Every day is April Fool’s Day now, requiring a low but constant effort
Deepfakes, Puffy Popes, AI-generated Trump arrest photos, articles written by GPT-4: We’re living in a world where fear of being fooled is constant.
Magnon-Based Computation Could Signal Computing Paradigm Shift
A magnon corresponds to the specific amount of energy required to change the magnetization of a material via a collective excitation called a spin wave.
In Praise of Top Down Programming
hese days, top-down modular programming is pushed aside by object-oriented programming when it comes to teaching how to program. But there is a place for both methodologies to co-exist and top-down programming solves the ever-present problem of how to begin.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation in conjunction with the University of Cambridge have launched Ada Computer Science, a free online learning platform for teachers, students, and anyone interested in learning about computer science.
Dumb Phones Are on the Rise in the US
Dumb phones may be falling out of fashion on a global scale, but it’s a different story in the U.S.
We’re inhaling, eating, and drinking toxic chemicals
High-profile chemical leaks highlight how important it is to measure the impact of everyday exposures to toxic substances. Exposomics is on the case.
== maybe someday we’ll have equipment that will let our garden
== plants let us know when to water them and how much
Stressed Plants Emit Sounds That Can Be Detected More Than a Meter Away
What does a stressed plant sound like? A bit like bubble-wrap being popped.
Ultramassive Black Hole Discovered To Be 33 Billion Times More Massive Than the Sun
The bending of light as its path veers around a giant, invisible mass has revealed the presence of one of the biggest black holes yet detected in the Universe.
== lengthy
‘Vulkan Files’ Leak Reveals Putin’s Global and Domestic Cyberwarfare Tactics
Documents leaked by whistleblower angry over Ukraine war.
Canadian researchers find new gene mutation that could be linked to increased breast cancer risk
Study is valuable because any information it provides can be used in prevention.
Tyrannosaurus rex and velociraptor may have had lips covering their teeth, new study finds
Canadian paleontologist helps crack million-year-old mystery.
== guess they don’t or can’t read
Missouri Reps Vote To Completely Defund State’s Public Libraries
The new budget sets funds for libraries to $0. Library groups say the move is retaliation for suing the state over its recent book ban law.
Michael Wallace uses published data by the coffee chain to figure out the best time to buy coffee and win.
More Pythonic PyTorch 2 Released
PyTorch is an optimized tensor library for deep learning using GPUs and CPUs that until now has mainly been developed by Meta AI.
== worth a read m’thinks, time ?$
Pausing AI Developments Isn’t Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down
I refrained from signing because I think the letter is understating the seriousness of the situation and asking for too little to solve it.
FTC Should Stop OpenAI From Launching New GPT Models, Says AI Policy Group
The Center for AI and Digital Policy filed a complaint arguing that GPT-4 violates the FTC’s rules against unfair and deceptive practices.
AI Image Generator Midjourney Stops Free Trials Citing ‘Abuse’
AI image generator Midjourney has stopped »free trials of its software. CEO David Holz told The Verge this is because of a flood of new users.
The Chemical Menace Inside Glaciers and Icebergs
Ice can trap pollutants and accelerate their breakdown, with troubling environmental consequences.
Sugar-Powered Implant Successfully Manages Type 1 Diabetes
This prototype fuel cell can be implanted beneath the skin and powered by excess glucose in the blood.
Compostable takeout bowls contain ‘forever chemicals,’ study finds
Bags for desserts such as donuts are also high in PFAS, which can be toxic.
== this sounds promising
Blood tests may spare cancer patients chemo
A blood test which can detect traces of cancer cells could spare thousands of patients unnecessary chemotherapy every year.
Battery-powered ‘shark’ cleans plastic-infested waters
A drone-like water vehicle is working on London’s Thames River to pick up junk and biomass as well as retrieve data about water quality.
Rice feeds more than half the world—but also fuels diabetes and climate change.
Wikipedia says it has found the ‘sound of all human knowledge’ with new audio logo
The Wikimedia Foundation announced the winner of its global Sound of All Human Knowledge contest, ending the search for a sound logo for Wikipedia and Wikimedia projects.
Lockheed Martin Is Building a Moon-To-Earth Satellite Communications Network
Crescent Space to deliver critical services to a growing lunar economy.
Meatball From Long-Extinct Mammoth Created By Food Firm
Australian company resurrects flesh of lost species to demonstrate potential of meat grown from cells.
Fast Radio Burst Linked With Gravitational Waves For the First Time
For the first time, astronomers have linked a mysterious fast radio burst with gravitational waves.
== maybe if you trust Nest products enough
Google and ADT team up for new Nest-integrated security tools
New ADT Self Setup system integrates trusted ADT security with Google’s Nest products.
Space scientists reveal brightest gamma explosion ever
Scientists have revealed how Nasa satellites detected the brightest gamma ray explosion in space.
== I use conda for my python project virtual environments
Anaconda Releases PyScript Coding Platform
Anaconda has released PyScript.com, a free coding platform for creating web applications with data interactivity and computation based on Python.
== yjc
Why are the objects around us the color they are?
Bob Hambly is an artist, writer and founding partner of the Toronto-based design firm Hambly & Woolley. This blog explores his fascinations, observations and insights around the subject of colour.
Clearview AI Used Nearly 1 Million Times By US Police
Facial recognition firm Clearview has run nearly a million searches for US police, its founder has told the BBC.
Black Holes May Be Swallowing Invisible Matter That Slows the Movement of Stars
Scientists watched as two stars slowed in their orbits around black holes, concluding it was the result of “drag” generated by dark matter.
Google’s Claims of Super-Human AI Chip Layout Back Under the Microscope
Nature probes published research as it emerges journal paper allegedly used to entice $120m cloud deal.
== yjc, thought it was an interesting insight to a world I will never experience
Nazare — Love and pain on the world’s biggest wave
As he looks out from his balcony, over slumped, drying wetsuits, Andrew Cotton can see it all. The stretch of sand, the salt haze, a spike of cliff and a scarlet lighthouse.
== does the world really need more street cameras?
The tech helping driverless cars see round corners
“A bit like X-ray vision” is how engineer James Long describes the effect of the technology he’s working on.
Water trapped in tiny glass beads on the Moon could hydrate future settlements
Glass beads on the surface of the Moon could provide a readily accessible source of water for future missions, a new study suggests.
== yjc, opinion piece, likely one many people would agree with
For the sake of our children, the global carbon budget is the most important one to balance
We must stop stealing from the future, at our kids’ expense.
Europol Sounds Alarm About Criminal Use of ChatGPT, Sees Grim Outlook
EU police force Europol on Monday warned about the potential misuse of artificial intelligence-powered chatbot ChatGPT in phishing attempts, disinformation and cybercrime, adding to the chorus of concerns ranging from legal to ethical issues.
== yjc, I expect a lot of my generation has never heard of this poem
John Cooper Clarke on penning possibly the world’s favourite poem
I Wanna Be Yours, a love poem that rhymes Ford Cortina with vacuum cleaner, has been a school text and a wedding staple. But now, thanks to TikTok and Arctic Monkeys, it has gone spectacularly global. So who was it written for?
Falling Lithium Prices are Making Electric Cars More Affordable
Since January, the price of lithium has dropped nearly 20%, according to Benchmark Minerals, while sales of electric vehicles have soared.
Germany Urges Loophole for EU Ban on Fossil-Fuel Cars: Synthetic Carbon-Captured Fuels
In a reversal that stunned many EU insiders, the German government decided to push for a loophole that would allow the sale of combustion engine cars beyond the 2035 deadline — as long as they run on synthetic fuels.
How Greenland Solved the Daylight Saving Time Debate
he 56,000 people in Greenland will soon be acclimating to a new time zone, and depending on which side of the hot daylight saving debate you’re on in the US, you might be envious.
It's coming from the sorrow in the street, the holy places where the races meet;