tech, startups, internet
Embeddings are underrated.
This is a fun nerdy explanation of embeddings, a sort of math function that’s behind our favorite new LLM technology. ~ learn more
Month: January 2025
tech, startups, internet
Finally, robots that can fold messy laundry.
“To paraphrase Moravec’s paradox, winning a game of chess or discovering a new drug represent “easy” problems for AI to solve, but folding a shirt or cleaning up a table requires solving some of the most difficult engineering problems ever […]
oh, chicago
Fake cop guy wins in court.
“Acting as his own lawyer, Robert Ellis persuaded a Cook County judge to throw out the evidence in his 2021 police-impersonation case that accused him of faking that he was a cop outside Sox park.” ~ learn more
fun facts
United States v. One Solid Gold Object in Form of a Rooster.
This was a federal court case in 1962. “As the rooster was made of solid gold, the United States Treasury seized it on the grounds that it was illegal under the Gold Reserve Act of 1934 which prohibited private ownership […]
fun facts
Why did humans keep mules around when they already had horses?
“Hi, cool question. It says there are 30 comments on here but for some reason I can’t see any of them, so I’ll answer because I’m a historian working on my PhD dissertation focused on the mule trains of colonial […]
fun facts
Europe faces an unusual problem: ultra-cheap energy.
Solar production peaks during the day, causing very low or even negative energy prices in some countries. It’d be best to send that energy elsewhere to meet demand, but the grid infrastructure is lacking. Building it takes time, and also […]
on the blockchain
The FBI secretly created a coin to investigate crypto pump-and-dump schemes.
“As a result of the investigation, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged three “market makers” and nine people for allegedly engaging in schemes to boost the prices of certain crypto assets. The Department of Justice charged 18 people and entities […]
big ideas
World’s largest onshore wind turbine has 430 ft blades.
“The lovingly named SI-270150 turbine features 430-ft-long blades (131 m), making for a maximum swept area of 616,298 sq ft (57,256 sq m). That’s equivalent to nearly 11 American football fields. According to Sany, it’s also set a record for […]
big ideas
It’s time to build the exoplanet telescope.
Physicist Casey Handmer strikes again with another big vision, this time presenting the Monster Telescope. “The full 1 km telescope will require about 20,000 mirrors. With a 30% learning rate, running the numbers gets us down to about $300,000 per […]
big ideas
Ultra-deep fracking for limitless geothermal power.
“As stated before, if these companies succeed, and manage to bring this kind of power plant to the market at scale, humanity’s ongoing energy needs simply cease to be a problem. Clean, grid-responsive, 24/7, virtually limitless… There’s a lot of […]