#54: New Color Discovered, MP3, Planet 9, Soviets, Klarna Hires Again, AI Pollution, Thorium Reactor, Fluoride, and More!
Hi everyone!
I'm getting married in a little over 2 weeks time, and over the past few weeks, I've been looking for the last piece of my outfit: a nice watch. I went deep into the world of watches. I binged Teddy Baldassarre, discovered a YouTube channel of a dude servicing watches (it's more exciting than it sounds), and bookmarked 28 potential candidates on Chrono24.
Then suddenly, my girlfriend was bombarded with ads for watches on Instagram and Facebook. Wow. How did Meta know to target her with ads for watches? Do they listen to our private conversations disagreements about watches?
Then I remembered an article I read a while ago. The answer is, of course, no. Constantly recording and processing our conversation would require a ton of computing power. The answer is simpler: Meta or Google don’t have to listen to our private conversations because they already know everything! They’ve got our search history, location, IP address, etc. It’s not rocket science to connect the dots...
Enjoy this edition of the newsletter!
Xavier
🤓 Cool Stuff I Found on the Internet
Crashing Windows with a song
A weird bug in Windows XP caused PCs to crash when playing Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation.” The song’s frequencies matched the resonant frequency of certain 5400rpm hard drives, causing hardware damage. Microsoft has to create a custom audio filter to block the problematic frequency and has been present until Windows 7!
Scientists Create New Color
Want to see a new color? Beam a laser into specific cells of your retina and you will see the color “olo”. It’s described as an incredibly saturated blue-green. The scientists used a technique called Oz vision to stimulate medium wavelength cones in the retina, creating a visual experience that natural light can not replicate. The team believes this technology could lead to better treatment for vision-related disorders.
Sound to ease motion sickness
Researchers at Nagoya University have discovered a novel approach to reducing motion sickness using sound! By exposing participants to a unique 100 Hz sound for just one minute, they observed a significant reduction in symptoms, such as nausea and dizziness. Potentially a non-invasive and practical solution for millions of people suffering from motion sickness.
The Song That Shaped MP3
Suzanne Vega, best known for her hits “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner,” played a role in the development of the MP3 format. German scientist Karl-Heinz Brandenburg used the a cappella version of “Tom’s Diner” as a test track to perfect the MP3 algorithm. The song’s simplicity and clarity made it ideal for fine-tuning the compression process.
⏳ On this day...
1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer. This artifact showcases early technological ingenuity and continues to fascinate scientists and historians.
1969 - Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
2006 - The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk to create an artificial reef. It's known as the "Great Carrier Reef", a reference to the Great Barrier Reef.
👽 Space
Did we find Planet Nine?
A new study has potentially identified a promising candidate for the long-theorized Planet Nine. Using far-infrared data from IRAS and AKARI all-sky surveys, the team searched for slow-moving objects beyond Neptune. They applied strict criteria to cross-match sources between the two surveys, narrowing down to one strong candidate. We need more observations, but I’m already super excited. This could be the first new planet discovered in our solar system during my lifetime!
Failed Venus lander crashes to Earth after 53 years
The Soviet Venus probe Kosmos 482, launched in 1972, has finally reentered Earth’s atmosphere after 53 years in orbit. The spacecraft, originally intended for Venus, was stranded in Earth orbit because of a rocket malfunction.
🧠🤖 Artificial intelligence
Unauthorized AI persuasion experiment
Users of the subreddit ChangeMyView were unknowingly part of an AI-powered experiment. Researchers at the University of Zurich used an AI bot to try to change people’s views by posting over 1700 comments. This has sparked outrage among Reddit users and academics who argue the study was unethical.
Third of Microsoft's code is AI written
Microsoft claims up to 30% of its code is AI-generated. This is similar to what Google and Meta have reported. The big idea? AI can help write code, which means companies can create more software at a faster pace.
Klarna's AI U-Turn
Klarna is revising its customer service strategy by reintroducing human representatives alongside its AI chatbot. This shift comes a year after claiming AI could replace 700 human workers. The company now aims to offer customers the option to speak with a human, recognizing the importance of empathy in complex interactions.
Colossus Controversy
Elon Musk’s AI company, xAI, is facing controversy in Memphis, Tennessee, where it has built the AI supercomputer Colossus. The problem? The company powers its datacenter with 35 portable methane gas turbines which it has built without permits.
Self-hosting Gemini
Google is now offering customers the ability to self-host Gemini, one of the best large language models at this time. The move could be a hit with data-sensitive sectors such as government, education, and regulated industries.
⚡ Energy & Environment
China's Thorium Reactor
China has successfully reloaded fuel in a running thorium molten salt reactor. This breakthrough marks a crucial step in developing safer, cleaner, and more efficient nuclear power. Thorium reactors offer many advantages over traditional uranium-based reactors, including reduced waste, lower risk of meltdowns, and no weapons-grade byproducts.
Range anxiety solved?
Battery giant CATL announced new battery technologies that could change EV's forever. They showed a new battery with a range of 1500km, challenging hybrid vehicles. Their new charger can add 520km of range in just 5 minutes. And finally, the company showed a sodium-ion battery that is much safer and has exceptional cold-weather performance.
🏥 Health & Medicine
Effect of fluoride on dental health
Fluoride is added to tap water to help prevent tooth decay. It strengthens tooth enamel and makes it more resistant to the acids produced by bacteria in the mouth. Some people don’t believe this, and 2 cities in the US actually stopped adding fluoride. The result? In Calgary, children requiring general anesthesia for tooth decay treatment nearly doubled.
Bite me snake one more time
Timothy Friede has been self-administered snake venom for 18 years. His blood holds the key to better anti-venom. Researchers isolated antibodies from Friede's blood that effectively neutralized toxins from 19 of the world's deadliest snakes. This breakthrough could lead to a more effective and safer treatment for snakebite victims worldwide, potentially saving thousands of lives annually.