Quick hits (part I)
July 8, 2023 3 Comments
I tried to put BingGPT to work again. I’m getting better at this. The formatting is not quite there and I had to manually fix some links, but, overall, not so bad. Maybe I can get it to work even better next time:
Noah Smith argues that elite colleges are not as important as they seem, and that most of the value they provide is in signaling rather than education.
But the truth is, the Ivy League doesn’t really matter that much. It’s not a big deal. It’s not a huge part of American society or the American economy. It’s just a bunch of colleges.
…The Ivy League is not where most of America’s leaders come from. It’s not where most of America’s talent comes from. It’s not where most of America’s economic activity comes from. It’s not even where most of America’s research comes from.
David Barno and Nora Bensahel warn that the U.S. military is facing a recruitment and retention problem that could undermine its readiness and effectiveness.
The all-volunteer force is now in its fifth decade, and it has been enormously successful. But it is also showing signs of serious strain. The military is having trouble attracting enough qualified volunteers, and keeping them once they join. The force is becoming less representative of the country it serves, which could erode civilian support and control. And the growing civil-military divide makes it harder for Americans to understand the sacrifices and challenges that service members and their families face.
Alexandra Witze reports on how extreme heat and humidity are creating dangerous conditions for human health and survival in some parts of the country.
Wet-bulb temperature is a measure of heat and humidity that reflects how much moisture the air can hold. When it reaches 35 °C, the air is so muggy that the human body can no longer cool itself by sweating. Prolonged exposure to such conditions can be fatal, even for healthy people.
…Researchers have found that wet-bulb temperatures of 35 °C have occurred at several locations along the Gulf Coast in recent years, including Houston, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Biloxi, Mississippi. They also found that wet-bulb temperatures above 31 °C — which can cause heat exhaustion or heat stroke — have become more frequent and widespread across the U.S. since the 1970s.
Cade Metz explores how artificial intelligence is being used to automate medical documentation, but also raises questions about its accuracy and oversight.
Doctors and nurses often dictate their notes into a phone or computer after seeing a patient, creating long and detailed accounts of each visit. These notes become part of a patient’s medical record, and are vital for health care providers and insurance companies alike.
But this process can be time-consuming and tedious, taking away from patient care. That’s why some hospitals and clinics are turning to artificial intelligence systems that can automatically transcribe and format these notes, using voice recognition software and natural language processing algorithms.
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- What’s the best font for you? Take this quiz to find out. (pretty cool to try, so gift link here)
The Washington Post has created an interactive tool that helps you choose a font based on your personality, preferences and purpose.
Fonts are more than just pretty letters. They can convey mood, tone and style. They can also affect readability, comprehension and retention. Choosing the right font for your project can make a big difference in how it is received and understood.
But with thousands of fonts available, how do you know which one to pick? That’s where this quiz comes in. Answer a few questions about yourself and your project, and we’ll suggest a font that suits you best.
Andrew Jacobs reveals how a global shortage of vincristine, a chemotherapy drug used to treat many childhood cancers, is affecting patients and doctors.
Vincristine is one of the oldest and most widely used chemotherapy drugs, effective against leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors and other cancers that afflict children and adults. It is also cheap, costing about $5 a dose.
But for the past year, the world has been running low on vincristine, forcing doctors to ration the drug, delay treatments or use alternative therapies that may be less effective or more toxic. The shortage has been especially acute in low- and middle-income countries, where vincristine is often the only option for treating many cancers.
Some more interesting links I came across recently:
Ankush Khardori (for some reason, Bing wrote this as Jesse Singal) explains how a recent Supreme Court ruling made it easier for some borrowers to discharge their student debt in bankruptcy.
The ruling, which came down on June 3, involved a case called United Student Aid Funds v. Espinosa. The plaintiff, Francisco Espinosa, had filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 1992 and had his student loans discharged as part of his repayment plan. The lender, United Student Aid Funds, did not object to the plan at the time, but later argued that it was invalid because Espinosa had not proven that repaying his loans would cause him “undue hardship,” as required by law.
The Supreme Court disagreed, and ruled that United Student Aid Funds had waived its right to challenge the plan by not raising any objections during the bankruptcy proceedings. The ruling effectively lowered the bar for discharging student debt in bankruptcy, by allowing borrowers to do so without having to prove undue hardship, as long as the lender does not object.
David Leonhardt interviews Francesca Gino, a Harvard Business School professor and the author of a new book on dishonesty.
Gino’s book, “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone — Especially Ourselves,” is based on her research on why people behave unethically, and how to prevent it. She argues that most of us are not completely honest or dishonest, but rather lie somewhere in between, depending on the situation and our rationalizations.
…One of her main findings is that dishonesty is contagious. When we see others cheat or lie, we are more likely to do the same. This can create a vicious cycle of corruption and mistrust in organizations and societies. But the opposite is also true: When we see others act with integrity, we are more likely to follow their example. This can create a virtuous cycle of honesty and trust.
Wrong! This is the article, “Harvard Scholar Who Studies Honesty Is Accused of Fabricating Findings”
Ryan Burge analyzes how income affects religious affiliation and attendance in the U.S.
Using data from the General Social Survey, Burge shows that higher-income Americans are more likely to identify with a religious group and attend religious services than lower-income Americans. He argues that this is because religion has become a luxury good, something that people consume when they have enough money and time to do so.
…Burge also notes that this trend has implications for the future of American religion. As income inequality grows, so does religious inequality. The rich will become more religious, while the poor will become more secular. This could create a gap in social capital and civic engagement between the haves and have-nots.
Jon Pareles interviews John Williams, the legendary composer who has created the music for all five Indiana Jones movies.
Williams, who is 91 years old, says he is looking forward to working on “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” the fifth and final installment of the franchise, which is scheduled for release in 2024. He says he enjoys collaborating with Steven Spielberg, the director, and Harrison Ford, the star, who have been his friends for decades.
…Williams says he tries to capture the spirit of adventure, humor and romance that characterize the Indiana Jones movies. He says he uses a variety of musical styles and instruments, from classical orchestration to ethnic percussion, to evoke different settings and moods. He says he also tries to create memorable themes and motifs that can be associated with the characters and the story.
Abha Bhattarai reports on how some people are reluctant to give up their landline phones, despite the ubiquity of cellphones and the Internet.
According to a survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, about 37 percent of U.S. households still had a landline phone in 2020, down from 92 percent in 2004. But some people say they prefer to keep their landlines for various reasons, such as reliability, security, nostalgia or habit.
…Some landline users say they like the sound quality and comfort of a landline phone, especially for long conversations. Others say they worry about cellphone reception, battery life or privacy. Some say they keep their landlines as a backup in case of emergencies or power outages. And some say they have sentimental attachments to their landline numbers, which they have had for years or inherited from their parents.
Jonathan Martin and Annie Karni examine how President Biden is advancing his agenda on social issues, despite facing opposition from conservatives and some moderate Democrats.
Biden, who is a devout Catholic and a longtime supporter of abortion rights, has taken several steps to undo the policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump, who had restricted access to abortion and contraception at home and abroad. Biden has also appointed a number of L.G.B.T.Q. officials to his administration, and has pledged to protect their rights and dignity.
…Biden’s approach to these issues has been largely low-key and pragmatic, avoiding direct confrontations with his opponents or grand gestures that could alienate some voters. He has focused on reversing executive orders, nominating judges and using his budget proposals to signal his priorities. He has also relied on his allies in Congress and civil society to push for legislation and litigation that could advance his goals.
Lindsay Crouse argues that women’s sports are facing an unprecedented attack from lawmakers who want to ban transgender athletes from competing in female categories.
So far this year, more than 30 states have introduced bills that would prevent transgender girls and women from participating in school sports that match their gender identity. Some of these bills have already become law, while others are pending or have been vetoed. The proponents of these bills claim that they are protecting fairness and safety in women’s sports, but the opponents say that they are discriminating against a vulnerable group and undermining the spirit of inclusion and diversity that sports should foster.
…Crouse says that these bills are part of a broader backlash against the progress and visibility that women’s sports have achieved in recent years. She says that instead of excluding transgender athletes, who are often marginalized and harassed, we should celebrate them as part of the diverse spectrum of female athleticism. She says that we should also focus on addressing the real challenges that women’s sports face, such as lack of funding, media coverage and sponsorship.
Damn. That was supposed to be David French, “The Legal Foundation of Women’s Sports Is Under Fire”
This is frustrating. I’m literally providing the links and sometimes it just summarizes a related, but different article. Or gets the author wrong!
Onto the fully human portion. And since BingGPT didn’t number, I won’t either.
I quite liked the new Indiana Jones movie. I thought the de-aging was especially impressive. I was immersed in the scene and spent almost no time thinking it didn’t look real. Same experience for my three kids I saw it with. Nice Wired article on how they did this (and the larger implications)
Instead, ILM did what it calls a “face swap.” Like the the purpose-built tech ILM developed to let Martin Scorsese de-age actors for The Irishman, Dial of Destiny utilized a proprietary system called Flux that used two infrared cameras perched on either side of the one filming Ford to gather information from his performance. Unlike The Irishman, it also involved what the actor called “dots on my face” that captured even more data. All of that info was then combined to create a “CG mask” that could be placed on Indy in every frame.
To ensure Ford looked like his younger self, the ILM team used artificial intelligence to root through years of footage of the actor that Lucasfilm had in its archives. The team also worked with VFX tools from Disney Research and a “smattering” of other sources to fine-tune the de-aged shots. “Each of these things is a pencil; now we have another pencil,” says Whitehurst. “So it’s just enabling us to make better choices.”
If Indy looked creepy, it was usually a problem with his eyes; that’s where our gaze tends to settle, says Weaver. “There are idiosyncratic characteristics that each individual has with the way that they blink, the number of times they blink, how the eyes sit at rest, and those types of nuances lead to a perception,” he says. “Many times, we weren’t quite getting the right balance of the eye-opening and the shape of the overall eyes, and were continually having to reference both older footage and what was shot in camera.”Despite the complexities, Weaver and Whitehurst argue the potential for their de-aging tech is limitless. “From my perspective, there’s nothing that we can’t do,” says Weaver. “Given enough time and resources, we can accomplish anything.”
This is fun, “About half of U.S. pet owners say their pets are as much a part of their family as a human member”
And a bunch of cool tweets:
About Steve Greene
Fully Myelinated 
Sadly, Harvard is a very big deal along with Yale on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Women’s Sports Under Fire – Women’s sports were created to give women a chance to excel in athletics and encouragement to strengthen their bodies. Women could not excel in some sports with men because of the difference in the physical structures of men’s bodies. Not only could they not win but the women were at risk for serious injury if they competed against men. It’s almost like a blind person attempting to play tennis against a sighted competitor. It is very sad but science is not yet able to transform a person who was born with a male body structure into a person like one who was born with a female body structure.
Women must not made to pay for Nature’s errors.
Agreed