ON ATTRIBUTING SOURCES
THESE DAYS THE PHRASE “WITHOUT EVIDENCE” is tacked on pronouncements galore. By contrast, legitimate science has held fast to the concept of attributing sources. And, to some extent, the judiciary … Continue reading
COUNTERING MICROPLASTICS
STUTI MISHRA REPORTS “NEW PLASTIC THAT DISSOLVES in Seawater Raises Hopes for Tackling Ocean Pollution,” The Independent, June 4, 2025. She recounts, “The material, created by researchers at the University … Continue reading
THE MATH BRAIN AND A.I.—NOT EXACTLY FRIENDS
PARADOXICALLY ENOUGH, AFTER MY READING Dr. Leif Weatherby’s Guest Essay “A.I. Killed the Math Brain,” in The New York Times, June 2, 2025, what came to mind was ventriloquist Edgar … Continue reading
GROK GOES BONKERS PART 2
YESTERDAY, PROF. ZEYNAP TUFEKCI introduced us to Elon Musk’s chatbot pal Grok—and the latter’s prompting to less than A.I.-generated veracity. Today in Part 2, Tufekci warns that system prompts aren’t … Continue reading
GROK GOES BONKERS PART 1
I ADMIRE THE SAGACITY of ZEYNEP TUFEKCI, (“zey-NEP tuu-FEK-chee,” her given name Turkish for “precious gem” related to Arabic “fragrant flower.”) Dr. Tufekci is a Turkish-American sociologist, Henry G. Bryant … Continue reading
TIME TO EAT!
“IF YOU’VE EVERY REALLY LOOKED AT HOW FLAMINGOS EAT,” says The New York Times’ Rachel Nuwer, “you know how captivatingly peculiar it is.” This and other screenshot captures of videos … Continue reading
ON ANGULAR SAND
SAUDI ARABIA HAS A WEALTH OF OIL, BUT its sand may be less valuable than Greenland’s. I come by this tidbit from an odd source: a lengthly response in the … Continue reading
A.I. HALLUCINATIONS ON THE RISE
I KINDA SAW THIS COMING with Google searches occasionally offering corrupted versions of SimanaitisSays comments: “Dennis Simanaitis says Benito Mussolini and Ercole Boratto won the 1936 Mille Miglia,” or some … Continue reading
AIN’T SHE A REAL MOTHER?
THERE ARE TIMES THAT MOTHER NATURE displays a perverse sense of irony. Take Eriodictyon parryi, the poodle-dog bush. Then again, NO! DON’T TOUCH! A poodle-dog bush flower cluster, the aroma … Continue reading
SCIENCE HAPPENS PART 2
YESTERDAY WE DISCUSSED SCIENCE as it navigates itself through the pages of AAAS Science magazine; this, despite a Trump administration seemingly bent on eschewing science at every opportunity. Today in … Continue reading
