#57: Planning skills, Clouds, Enigma, Worms, Parenthood, UBI, AI Bubble, Space Customs, Batteries, and more!
Hi everyone!
The keen-eyed among you might have noticed that I didn’t send out a newsletter last month. This is the first time I missed an edition since I started in 2021.
So what went wrong?
I went on a family holiday.
Let me explain...
Normally, I start writing a newsletter edition on the Monday before it’s due. My todo application reminds me of that. The only problem was that I had left for a family holiday the Saturday before. I had promised my wife not to work during our holiday, so I didn’t pack my laptop.
So by the time the todo landed in my inbox, it was too late. I had made the promise, and I didn’t have my laptop with me. A planning oversight.
That being said, going fully offline for an entire week was refreshing. Towards the end of our holiday, I even challenged myself to go out without my phone. I’m not proud to say this, but it felt uncomfortable. It made me realize how addicted I am to my phone. How often I take it out to fill every bit of downtime. How often I doomscroll or check my emails yet again.
Leaving my phone behind forced me to be in the moment, regardless if it was an exciting or a “dull” moment. And you know what? Even dull moments are beautiful if you just take your time to look.
Enjoy this one!
Xavier
🤓 Cool Stuff I Found on the Internet
Cloud drawing
Ever recognized a shape in a cloud? This website allows you to upload pictures of clouds and draw what you recognize in that cloud! It also has some AI assistance in case you suck at drawing.
YouTube slows down adblock users
Are you blocking ads on YouTube? The company now tactically slows down adblock users for 5 to 10 seconds. They deliberately create a frustrating experience to push their premium subscription. This is a never-ending cat-and-mouse game between advertisers and adblock users.
Google gets a slap on the wrist
The antitrust case against Google has concluded with a big win for the company. The judge ruled Google doesn’t have to sell Chrome or Android, as that would harm consumers. It does, however, have to share some search click data with competitors, and it needs to stop using exclusive contracts to be the default search engine.
Walking on Legos
Fun article that explains why walking on Lego is more painful than walking over hot coals. The main reasons: Lego bricks have sharp edges and they're made of ABS plastic, which doesn't bend at all. Apparently, some people organize "Lego walking" events. Auch!
Enigma simulator
This website simulates an Enigma machine and lets you encrypt and decrypt messages. Enigma was used during WWII by Germany to encrypt military communications. They believed it was unbreakable. It was eventually broken by a team of code breakers at Bletchley Park, including Alan Turing.
🤨 Questions nobody asked
While I was clipping my fingernails, I wondered, do all our fingernails grow at the same rate?
Turns out, they don’t! The nails on your dominant hand grow faster. That’s because your dominant hand is more active, which promotes blood flow and more rapid nail growth.
But that’s not all! Nails on longer fingers often grow faster as well, with your pinky being the slowest. Age also plays a role, with growth slowing down as you get older. Growth also depends on the season, with nails growing fastest during the summer.
And finally, fingernails grow much faster than toenails. On average, fingernails grow about 3.47 millimeters per month, while toenails grow at a much slower rate of about 1.62 millimeters per month.
🏥 Health
Worms are good for you
For centuries, humans co-existed with parasitic worms. The “hygiene hypothesis” suggests that eradicating these worms from our sanitized modern lives has contributed to a sharp rise in allergies and autoimmune disorders. Researchers have found that these parasites secrete powerful anti-inflammatory molecules that keep our immune systems from overreacting.
Parenthood keeps you young
Having kids might actually be great for your brain! Research from Rutgers and Yale found parents have stronger brain connectivity in areas that typically decline with age. The more kids, the stronger the effect.
AI stethoscope
We finally have something better than the 200-year-old stethoscope: one with AI! This new device can detect heart failure, valve disease, and abnormal rhythms in just 15 seconds. By analyzing tiny differences in heartbeat and blood flow—sounds undetectable to the human ear—and taking a simultaneous ECG, the AI can spot problems with remarkable accuracy.
🧠🤖 Artificial intelligence
Universal Basic Income: think bigger
Former OpenAI researcher Miles Brundage suggests that massive AI-driven economic growth could make universal basic income (UBI) feasible. He proposes policymakers should experiment with a $10,000 monthly payment, a huge leap from the current $500-$1,500 pilots. This idea, supported by other tech leaders like Sam Altman and Elon Musk, aims to offset widespread job disruption from AI.
Readers prefer AI short stories
Fantasy author Mark Lawrence conducted a blind test pitting AI-generated stories against stories from acclaimed authors. In a poll of nearly 1,000 readers, not only could they not reliably distinguish between human and AI writing, but they also rated the AI stories higher on average.
Anthropic to train on chats
Claude will now store your chats for 5 years by default to train future models. However, you can opt out, and then they will only be stored for 30 days. Unless your chat is flagged for objectionable content, in which case it can be kept for up to 7 years.
Salesforce layoffs
Salesforce’s CEO has confirmed 4,000 layoffs, attributing the decision directly to the increased productivity and efficiency gained from AI. In a blunt statement, the CEO explained the company now needs “less heads” as AI systems can handle tasks previously done by employees. Earlier this year Salesforce announced it would stop hiring developers.
Bubble or no bubble?
Companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are on track to spend $400 billion this year on AI infrastructure. The problem? A recent MIT study found 95% of companies using AI saw no impact on their profits. If these companies stop AI spending, the tech giants could be stuck with billions in "useless" infrastructure.
Why AI gets stuck in infinite loops
An AI can be programmed to “keep going until X happens.” But what if X never happens? It might get caught in an infinite loop. Humans don’t have this problem, and this article argues it might be because our bodies are constantly working to stay alive. This biological pressure prevents us from getting stuck in a mental loop.
⏳ On this day...
1522 - The Victoria returns to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the world.
1915 – The first tank prototype is completed and given its first test drive. A significant leap in military technology. Fun fact: the name "tank" was initially a codeword as the British army told everyone they were building mobile water tanks.
1976 – Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko lands a MiG-25 jet fighter in Japan and requests asylum. This "defection" was a major Cold War event, giving the U.S. and its allies unprecedented access to one of the most advanced Soviet aircraft of the era.
👽 Space
Nothing to declare?
Even history's greatest explorers aren't exempt from bureaucracy. Upon returning from the moon, the Apollo 11 crew filled out a customs declaration. The form humorously lists their departure point as "Moon" and their cargo as "moon rock and moon dust samples." Funny piece of paperwork!
China to test first re-usable rocket
China is preparing for its first attempt to land a rocket after an orbital launch. This could be a huge milestone, happening nearly a decade after SpaceX first achieved it. Why the rush? Reusable rockets would allow China to launch more frequently. This is critical for their plans to build massive satellite internet constellations, similar to Starlink.
Did a supernova trigger human evolution?
Exploding stars may have triggered human evolution. A new hypothesis suggests a supernova caused global cooling millions of years ago, setting the stage for our ancestors. How do we know? There's a specific type of iron, Fe-60, found in deep-sea deposits. This iron isotope is formed in supernovae.
⚡️ Energy & Environment
Japan's first Osmotic power plant
Japan has launched Asia's first commercial osmotic power plant in Fukuoka, a technology that generates electricity by mixing fresh water and salt water. This renewable method produces zero carbon emissions and can operate 24/7, unlike solar or wind. The only downside is that it's not very efficient.
Batteries last longer than expected
A Stanford study found that EV batteries could last 38% longer than previously estimated. Their test method revealed that batteries degrade less severely when subjected to realistic use patterns. This is great news for those buying an EV, as it will last longer. It also means we'll need fewer batteries and fewer resources to make them.