on the blockchain

Unlimited counterfeit coins.

Unlimited counterfeit coins. Privacy coin Zcash’s price crashed 57% in 24 hours thanks to a newly disclosed bug. “The vulnerability could have been exploited to undetectably create an unlimited amount of counterfeit ZEC within Orchard,” Shielded Labs said. The scary […]

teaching the kids

The cost of safetyism.

The cost of safetyism. “What we lost when we stopped letting kids leave the front yard. … The world didn’t get more dangerous. We got more afraid.” Steve Magness argues that the big shift is a perception-reality gap, and the […]

under the microscope

Rods that run cone software.

Rods that run cone software. Despite my comment above about humanity taking control over biology, it’s also true that we still know very little about biology. “For more than 150 years, vertebrate vision has been understood as a two-part system: […]

under the microscope

Functional human sperm in a lab.

Functional human sperm in a lab. “Growing functional human sperm entirely outside the body.” Little by little we’re living in an era where humans are taking control over biology. In this example, they were able to coax stem cells into […]

under the microscope

One-shot gene editing for LDL.

One-shot gene editing for LDL. “One dose of VERVE-102 led to dose-dependent, substantial, and sustained reductions in PCSK9 and LDL cholesterol levels.” It is a phase 1 study in 35 people, with LDL reductions up to 62% at the highest […]

retail therapy

Ford’s IPO was a circus.

Ford’s IPO was a circus. “The syndicate will include just about everybody who’s in the business and who isn’t, or hasn’t been, in jail,” a Blyth vice-president told John Brooks. In 1956, Ford’s IPO needed a 722 firm syndicate, mailed […]

better doing

Can we have Friday off?

Can we have Friday off? Alas, probably not, because the human competitive game is relative not absolute. “If AI is going to 10x our productivity across the board, that means that I should be able to produce the same amount […]