LET’S CELEBRATE THE FROGS OF CALAVERAS—AND A.I.
REGULAR READERS, BLESS ’EM, ARE FAMILIAR with my rantings about Artificial Intelligence, its immense energy gobbling, its vast data scrapings, and its hallucinations. Today let’s celebrate another aspect of this complex … Continue reading
CABLING ELECTRICITY UNDERSEA
“ELECTRIC POWER IS NO LONGER THE HUMDRUM INDUSTRY IT USED TO BE,” writes Stanley Reed in “How The Deep Sea Cables That Power The World Are Made,” The New York … Continue reading
LEIBNITZ’S BOWLING PINS AND INFINITY
STEVEN STROGATZ WRITES ABOUT “BOWLING FOR NOBELS,” The New York Times, June 30, 2025. One of his topics: triangular numbers as exemplified by objects arranged in perfect equilateral triangles. Familiar … Continue reading
NATURE’S DYNAMIC COLORATION, TRANPARENCY, AND THERMAL MANAGEMENT
MATTHEW D. SHAWKEY OFFERS A PROVOCATIVE TITLE “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t,” in AAAS Science magazine, June 26, 2025: “Some squids,” Shawkey recounts, “are masters of disguise. They … Continue reading
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
Simanaitis Says 