TechDirt is a democracy blog.
Have I cited TechDirt here before? I’m pretty sure I have. Anyway, in a sign of the weird times today, they’ve just come out and said that because they’re an outlet for … Read the rest “TechDirt is a democracy blog.”
sociology
How do you explain that your kid’s robot friend is dying?
Alas, poor Moxie. Aftermath is making me hope a lot of parents have found copies of The 10th Good Thing About Barney – because thanks to an AI company going under, a lot of autistic kids’… Read the rest “How do you explain that your kid’s robot friend is dying?”
Social media makes you weird.
Or at least, to be a little closer to what this Current Opinion in Psychology study is really saying, social media creates a false sense of what “normal” is, amplifying every… Read the rest “Social media makes you weird.”
Hurricanes are way deadlier than you might expect.
Heatmap reports on a study looking at the “long tail” of excess deaths in the wake of major hurricanes, and found that major storms are hundreds of times deadlier than anyone… Read the rest “Hurricanes are way deadlier than you might expect.”
Say it to me deeply.
Science Daily reports on research into the psychological effects of the pitch of people’s voices. It’s fairly well known that people find men’s voices more attractive,… Read the rest “Say it to me deeply.”
SETI talked for 20 minutes with a whale.
Mashable has an alien communication story with an aquatic twist. SETI and the Alaska Whale Foundation practiced for first contact by spending 20 minutes “conversing” with… Read the rest “SETI talked for 20 minutes with a whale.”
SONG: FAQs
SONG: “FAQs”. (available as .wav here)
ARTIST: grant.
SOURCE: Based on Popular Science, 14 Aug 2023, “School district uses ChatGPT to help remove library books,”… Read the rest “SONG: FAQs”
Wanna watch the watchers?
The Markup is making an offer to anyone with a Facebook account – even an inactive one. Previously, they mapped out how the Meta Pixel (formerly the Facebook Pixel) gathered people’s… Read the rest “Wanna watch the watchers?”
U.S. Marshals use Twitter partner to scope out abortion-rights protestors.
The Intercept has found that Dataminr, an “official partner” of Twitter, has been collecting information on abortion protests for federal law enforcement by paying close… Read the rest “U.S. Marshals use Twitter partner to scope out abortion-rights protestors.”
China makes first ChatGPT arrest – for manufacturing fake news.
Vice‘s Motherboard covers what is probably the first-ever AI-related arrest, by Chinese officials who accuse a man of using the software to mass-produce fake news:
… Read the rest “China makes first ChatGPT arrest – for manufacturing fake news.”The man, who
Americans die young – and are dying younger than ever, compared to the rest of the world.
NPR looks at a subtle, slow-motion health crisis facing America. Compared to every other industrialized nation, across every age group, Americans die younger … and we’re… Read the rest “Americans die young – and are dying younger than ever, compared to the rest of the world.”
Kids of same-sex parents are… pretty normal, according to an international study.
The Guardian reports on a geographically broad study – a study of studies from many different countries – that looked at same-sex couples and found that their children are … Read the rest “Kids of same-sex parents are… pretty normal, according to an international study.”
No sex, please. Not menopausal, just busy! (Research says.)
The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine looked (I’m tempted to say “longingly”) at the sex lives of middle-aged women, and found the main factor influencing… Read the rest “No sex, please. Not menopausal, just busy! (Research says.)”
Researchers: one police stop makes a person less likely to vote.
Bolts magazine has an article by one of the researchers published in American Political Science Review who found that police interactions directly correlate with lower voter turnout,… Read the rest “Researchers: one police stop makes a person less likely to vote.”
Study: ChatGPT could earn an MBA from Wharton
A professor at the prestigious Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania – probably America’s most highly regarded business school – has found … Read the rest “Study: ChatGPT could earn an MBA from Wharton”