Number 289
Have scientists finally made sense of Hawking’s famous formula for disorder in a black hole?
Theorists claim to derive the landmark equation from the bare definition of entropy, but not everyone is convinced.
Is Microsoft Working on ‘Performant Sound Recognition’ AI Technologies?
It is working on performant sound recognition AI technologies that would see AI models capable of detecting upcoming natural disasters, such as earthquakes, and storms.
== yjc, we used to produce a menu for the meals to which we invited Barbara’s parents
== the museum didn’t ask for any of our menus
From bear chops to borscht, how menus helped shape world politics
New exhibit in Rome lays out some 400 historic menus
== yjc, we make our own version on a pretty regular basis
Poutine celebrates 60 years of culinary significance
Poutine, that deliciously indulgent combination of cheese curds, fries, and gravy.
AI’s Impact on CS Education Likened to Calculator’s Impact on Math Education
Increased knowledge sharing is helping CS educators and researchers accelerate change in computing education.
== Ontario perspective, but expect applies to all of North America
A smoky summer is expected in parts of Canada as wildfire season begins. Here’s how to prepare now.
With mild spring expected, a lot will depend on precipitation levels, University of Waterloo researcher says.
NASA Figured Out Why Its Voyager 1 Probe Has Been Glitching for Months
Corrupted memory hardware is causing the mission to transmit gibberish, but there may be a way to fix it.
Heat-Trapping CO2, Methane Levels In the Air Last Year Spiked To Record Highs
Levels of the three most important human-caused greenhouse gases continued their steady climb during 2023.
AI seen cutting worker numbers, survey by staffing company Adecco shows
Some 41% of senior executives expect to have smaller workforces because of AI technology.
Google rolls out a new JPEG coding library
Jpegli reduces noise and improves image quality, which could lead to a faster, more beautiful Internet.
Mars May Not Have Had Liquid Water Long Enough For Life To Form
Lab experiments suggest gullies on Mars might form when carbon dioxide heats up.
Amazon Still Has a Serious Plastic Waste Problem in the US
Amazon’s global plastic footprint might be shrinking, but the US is a different story.
New 3D Cosmic Map Raises Questions Over Future of Universe, Scientists Say
Researchers say findings from map with three times more galaxies than previous efforts could challenge standard idea of dark energy.
An old SEO scam has a new AI-generated face
Bad actors are using AI tools to lend legitimacy to link-building scams.
These giant batteries store energy, but not as electricity
Thermal energy storage could boost wind and solar generation, electrify industries.
Is milk safe to drink? Can you catch bird flu from beef? What to know about H5N1 cattle outbreaks
U.S. officials have identified H5N1 bird flu in roughly a dozen dairy cattle herds across 6 states.
Asthma: Scientists find new cause of lung damage
UK scientists say they have found a new cause behind much of the damage asthma causes.
Feds Finally Decide To Do Something About Years-Old SS7 Spy Holes In Phone Networks
SS7, which was developed in the mid-1970s, can be potentially abused to track people’s phones’ locations; redirect calls and text messages so that info can be intercepted; and spy on users.
Only 57 companies produced 80 percent of global carbon dioxide
The report looks at the seven years following the Paris Agreement.
Canada’s wildfires blamed for rise in global loss of tree cover
Brazil, Columbia see gains but Canada’s wildfires were ‘off the scale’.
Now that bird flu is spreading among cows, scientists worry where H5N1 will jump next
Possibly of H5N1 appearing in more livestock, including pigs, could help it adapt to better infect humans.
Anthropic Researchers Wear Down AI Ethics With Repeated Questions
An unexpected extension of “in-context learning” is the models also get “better” at replying to inappropriate questions.
US, EU To Use AI To Seek Alternate Chemicals for Making Chips
The European Union and the US plan to enlist AI in the search for replacements to so-called forever chemicals that are prevalent in semiconductor manufacturing.
Microsoft may have finally made quantum computing useful
Microsoft and Quantinuum demonstrate the most reliable logical qubits on record with an error rate 800x better than physical qubits.
UK and US Sign Landmark Agreement On AI Safety
The UK and US have signed a landmark deal to work together on testing advanced artificial intelligence (AI).
Taiwan Quake Puts World’s Most Advanced Chips at Risk
TSMC makes most high-end chips for Apple, Nvidia, AMD, and others.
No water, no oil: How the parched western provinces could hamper the oilpatch
Water shortages could have devastating effect on oil and gas sector, says new report.
Orpheopolis: France’s unique orphanage for police children
Squeezed between a hospital and a busy dual carriageway heading to France’s Mediterranean coast is a discreet, sprawling walled compound that serves as a remarkable haven.
England’s NHS will provide artificial pancreas to thousands of diabetes patients
The system combines a sensor beneath the skin with an external pump (and limited user input).
== yjc
Why b’y isn’t just a N.L. term, and how this TikToker from Northern Ireland found out
Whitney McCullough found Newfoundlanders have no trouble understanding her after posting about it on TikTok.
Shrinking Arctic Ice Redraws the Map For Internet Cable Connections
A new 14,500-km subsea cable in the Arctic could reroute data traffic away from vulnerable choke points.
Researchers Unlock Fiber Optic Connection 1.2 Million Times Faster Than Broadband
Fastest speed ever sent via specific wavelength bands which are not yet used in fibre optic systems.
Trash From the ISS May Have Hit a House In Florida
NASA collected the item to confirm whether it came from the International Space Station.
== I should probably stop including these, but…
== paywall??
Record Heat in Europe, Asia Closes Another Extremely Warm Month For Planet
March will probably mark Earth’s 10th straight record-setting month.
== I have thought about giving Rust a try, but I don’t really have a suitable project worth the time required
Rust Developers at Google Twice as Productive as C++ Teams
Code shines up nicely in production, says Chocolate Factory’s Bergstrom.
== opinion piece
‘Smart Devices Are Turning Out To Be a Poor Investment’
The sci-fi future we anticipated feels further off than ever.
Why there’s a revolution on the way in glass making
Making glass bottles is an energy intensive business.
Deepfakes of well-known figures like Queen Elizabeth describe math concepts.
‘CSI on the ocean’: Whale researchers comb B.C. waters for eDNA
Data gathered using non-invasive technique could expedite future conservation efforts, say researchers.
== yjc
Meta Used Spyware to Access Its Users’ Activities on Rival Platforms
Meta used a spyware to access user activities on rival platforms, including Snapchat and YouTube, according to newly unsealed documents from a class action suit.
== yjc
Inside the A&W test kitchen, a battlefield in the fast food wars
Amid rising competition, fast food brands evolve their menus to reel in new customers.
== I reckon all the provinces should be doing something like this
Province moves to pay farmers who set aside land for conservation
Farms urged to put aside land for pollinators and buffer zones along rivers.
Can Apps Turning Us Into Unpaid Lobbyists?
Technology companies enlist you as unpaid lobbyists. Is that fair?
They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
For trying to change the system from within