2024-04-27
Readings
Entangling three photons on a chip: https://phys.org/news/2024-04-heralded-photon-entanglement-photonic-chip.amp
A fairly spicy (very much one-sided) take on how Google Search may have prioritised ad metrics over search quality and who at Google was allegedly responsible: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-men-who-killed-google/
While the line between an artificial cell and a “real” one may be arbitrary, this study records an effort to create artificial cells that seem pretty clearly on the artificial side, wherever that definitional line is drawn; interesting achievement: https://phys.org/news/2024-04-artificial-cells.amp
Skill-dependent brain activity during programming, using fMRI studies: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-56090-6
Explainer on a possible blood-based generic cancer detection method:
The history and end of the Zilog Z-80 chip: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/after-48-years-zilog-is-killing-the-classic-standalone-z80-microprocessor-chip/
Interesting moral and legal questions around internet worms: https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/04/zombie-worm-continues-to-infect-millions-of-ips-years-after-it-was-left-for-dead/
Unusually complex molecules (not seen on earth) believed to be found in space: https://phys.org/news/2024-04-molecule-space.amp
Queen bumblebees when hibernating can apparently survive a long time underwater when necessary: https://phys.org/news/2024-04-queen-bumblebees-scientists-surviving-underwater.amp
Advances in sodium-ion battery technology that may allow for a much faster charge for consumer devices: https://interestingengineering.com/science/sodium-battery-charged-in-seconds
Daniel Dennett, a philosopher who died recently, last wrote some AI-is-dangerous pieces; I take a more nervous-but-optimistic stance on the technologies, but I still think he’s worth reading on this topic (and many others): https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/daniel-dennetts-last-interview-ai-could-signal-the-end-of-human-civilisation/
A Japanese anime studio suggests that Anime/Manga should not be altered in the west to conform to western sensitivities (I agree): https://boundingintocomics.com/2024/04/22/naruto-and-bleach-anime-studio-president-rejects-idea-that-anime-should-conform-to-western-standards-if-you-make-animation-with-that-in-mind-it-will-become-increasingly-boring/
Microsoft released the sourcecode to MS-DOS 4.0: https://github.com/microsoft/MS-DOS
Thoughts
With the efforts to make LLMs only output “safe” things, I wonder if the main thing companies are worrying about is reputational damage if their product name is stuck next to some ugly output (akin to the weird advertisers whose desire for somewhat-similar control leads social media to censor), or if they actually think they’re preventing real harms to the world. The latter makes little sense; such content is generally available elsewhere on the internet.
Current Events
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, with Russia focusing on collapsing Ukraine’s power grid, and Ukraine beginning to use new weapons from Europe and the US (including the Patriot antimissle system) to defend itself. Ukraine’s use of mercenaries from other countries is increasingly visible, while political pressure is growing to stop such aid to Russia in its pointless and immoral war. Western seizure of Russian assets is increasing. I continue to be frustrated at the slow pace of western countries to directly enter the war against Russian aggression.
The Israeli invasion of Gaza also continues, without (yet) a date for the push into southern Gaza and with Israel increasingly isolated in its initially justified but now deeply excessive response to Hamas’s kidnappings (themselves part of a long chain of retribution). Israel is softening the area using airstrikes, although the resulting civilian deaths are increasing Israel’s PR problem. Israel has offered a temporary truce in exchange for 33 of Hamas’ captives, although Hamas appears to be holding out for a complete end to the invasion. Third-party journalists provide a useful counterbalance to untrustworthy official news sources from both Israel and Hamas. Israel’s claims of UNRWA involvement in terrorism have been significantly refuted by external journalists. Western protests to the Israeli excessive response, often college-based, continue to complicate the politics of western countries, as do the often excessive and sometimes racist nature of these protests and the threats they can pose to Jewish students (any time people attack Jewish people for what Israel does, I condemn it for the same reason that I see anti-Zionism not to be anti-Semitic; it is inappropriate to insist on a unity between a nation and an ethnicity)
Haiti has a foreign-supported Transitional Presidential Council currently (theoretically) leading the country, although the various gang leaders attempting to control the country have threatened to kill anyone associated with the council and it is unclear whether it will be able to pull the country back from its current effective anarchy
The illegitimate government of Burkina Faso has censored western news orgs for covering its slaughter of over 200 civilians in villages that housed rebels, drawing widespread external criticism
Severe floods have killed at least 70 people in Kenya and over 150 people in neighbouring Tanzania
Polls
A Pew Poll on American priorities in foreign policy ( https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2024/04/23/what-are-americans-top-foreign-policy-priorities/ ) - I have a tough time definitively ranking my priorities in the field, although I see solidifying and extending a norms-based international order that would make it very difficult for any country to invade its neighbour and take land as essential. It’s interesting to see the concerns listed; some of them I disagree with, most notably any of the form “Limiting the power and influence of some nation”; I see it as more important to shape other nations to conform to norms than to directly attempt to reduce them (except in this case Russia is so far beyond the pale that explicitly seeking to collapse the nation is in my view desirable).
A Marist poll of New York State residents on Marijuana stores ( https://maristpoll.marist.edu/polls/new-yorks-shaky-legal-marijuana-rollout/ ) suggests that there’s support for legalisation of marijuana but concerns about the form it has taken here. I disagree wholeheartedly in the restorative justice approach that has entered licensing, and so I don’t worry about unlicensed stores; I would if the licensing were done in a neutral and purely technical capability-based way, but I refuse to support the system built this way.
Policy Focus
The FTC announced a rule that would ban most noncompetes in the US, which I see as a great thing; I think these have been bad for workers, and the terrible arguments brought by the (immediate) lawsuits from some commerce groups illustrate the concerns nicely. The limits to worker mobility weighed most heavily on the poor, who most often lacked the legal knowledge or funds to hire a lawyer to fight them. If the US had a system like mandatory garden leave that would cover an exclusivity period, as some parts of Europe do, the system would be less abusive and it may not be necessary to entirely ban them
It is refreshing to see efforts to limit DEI programs in universities across the US; while such bills need to be drafted carefully to withstand scrutiny and limit damage to academic free speech, DEI as a cultural movement should be extinguished. I disagree with the casting of this article as seeing it as a conservative quest; DEI is more a product of a certain branch of the Left, not even the entire Left, and opposition to it is widespread. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna149163
The Wall of Shame
Fraudster VR Sanal Kumar has filed suit against journal editors for retracting poor papers from their journals. Some years ago he filed a number of lawsuits after having been dismissed from the ISRO (rocket institute in India); he’s no stranger to misuse of the legal system. https://retractionwatch.com/2024/04/24/controversial-rocket-scientist-in-india-threatens-legal-action-after-journals-pull-papers/
I am not a fan of fertility clinics (people should adopt if they are infertile, IMO), but Ovation Fertility Newport Beach is accused of a really ugly coverup (that started with a mistake but the necessary honesty didn’t happen afterwards). If true, it’s horrific. https://ktla.com/news/local-news/orange-county-ivf-clinic-accused-of-killing-embryos-implanting-them-anyway/amp/
Reviewlets
Biomorph (video game) - A lot like hollow knight (and I like Hollow Knight); this is a metroidlike game with a town area, quests, and lots of upgrades. It’s easy, as per the genre, to become unsure what one should be doing next, but the map provides at least gentle hints by marking unexplored connections from areas one has visited. Good art style too (although here it differs from Hollow Knight moderately)
Witchlord and the Weaponmaster (Hugh Cook fantasy novel, Book 10 of 10) - With sadness, finally starting on the very thick last book in the series. I’m about a tenth of the way through so far, and it seems to be exploring ideas of fate and family dynasty, centering the story on an analogue to the horse-based Khan empires. Illness and filth are challenges in this kind of series, with a major character being immobile out in the wild due to a severe illness and that being a plot driver. Not eager to be done with the series, but hooked.
Amusements
Performance is everything in comedy; Lewis Black reading rants written by others really tickles my sense of humour:
Very much niche humour, but this is a presentation of worst practices for the Postgres database: https://www.postgresql.eu/events/pgdayparis2024/sessions/session/5333/slides/497/pwp.pdf
A humourly-stupid idea to possibly let people bring dogs to school for emotional support in the Las Vegas school system (in my view, emotional support animals should not be permitted anywhere people can’t normally bring pets): https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/ccsd-considering-allowing-service-emotional-support-animals-for-students-staff/amp/
Recording nightmares of birds: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/scientists-translate-sleeping-birds-silent-songs-into-sound-and-they-may-have-recorded-a-nightmare-180984205/
Recent Music
Four Chords - Axis of Awesome - I’m surprised I didn’t encounter this until recently, this is a medley of sorts that demonstrates how fundamental chords are to our perception of song identity (several of my favourite songs are in the mix)
The Kids Aren’t Alright - Offspring - Worth watching with the video the first time, although the Offspring have produced so many great songs that it’s hard to pick one
Lost in Space Intro (1998 movie) - Hammy, and from a film that wasn’t good (despite some great casting) and which should not have happened, but still a great interpretation of the second theme from the original TV show.