FORMULA 1 PROPULSION EXPERTISE
MODERN FORMULA 1 is anything but traditional Formula Libre. In 1934–1937, for instance, regulations did little more than limit car weight to a maximum 750 kg (roughly 1650 lb). By … Continue reading
ON PURE SCIENCE
WE USTA JOKE, SORTA, that applied mathematics was done only behind a locked office door. Pure mathematics reigned. Two recent findings suggest that pure science is still alive and well. … Continue reading
BALTO AND KENWOOD—HERO OF NOME, GODDOG OF INNES IRELAND, RESPECTIVELY
“IN 1925,” ELIZABETH PENNISI RECOUNTS IN AAAS Science, April 27, 2023, “a sled dog named Balto made headlines around the world when he braved fierce winds, a raging blizzard, and … Continue reading
ON CHATBOTS AND OTHER HALLUCINATORS
KNOWING JUST A TAD ABOUT LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS, I’m not surprised that they occasionally “hallucinate.” That is, spout out erroneous stuff. I’ve known other B.S. artists all my life. Here … Continue reading
PARROTS ZOOM VIRTUALLY
PARROTS LOVE TO FLOCK TOGETHER as part of their social, cognitive, and emotional needs. Yet, as reported by Sarah Kuta in Smithsonian Magazine, April 24, 2023, “… when kept as … Continue reading
HEADS—RED AND GRAY
TALK ABOUT KARMA (with no pun intended): I write about the Ferrari Testa Rossa and then read that “Redheaded People May Require More Anesthesia.” This in turn led to a … Continue reading
LET ME SLEEP ON IT—BIPHASICALLY
“5 Interesting Facts (and Myths) About Sleep,” at the Interesting Facts website described that medieval peasants slept better than we do. (Artificial light makes sleep less natural today.) In giving … Continue reading
IT USTA BE SANTA CLARA VALLEY PART 2
YESTERDAY, COMPUTER VACUUM TUBES FAILED every couple days and the valley had yet to be named Silicon. Today in Part 2, we continued gleaning insights from John Lanchester’s “Putting the … Continue reading
IT USTA BE SANTA CLARA VALLEY PART 1
John Lanchester’s “Putting the Silicon in Silicon Valley,” London Review of Books, March 16, 2023, offers information galore about our silicon chip age. At almost 6000 words, the article is … Continue reading
PRODUCTIVITY—THE DYNAMO, THE COMPUTER, AND A.I.
PAUL KRUGMAN’S “A.I. MAY CHANGE EVERYTHING, But Probably Not Too Quickly,” The New York Times, March 31, 2023, is a fascinating parable on technology and its effects on productivity. It … Continue reading
