tech, startups, internet

The Vegas Loop.

The Vegas Loop. “The most important innovation behind the Boring Company’s Vegas Loop is not the tunnel itself. It is the way the transportation network is organized. Traditional subway systems are generally built around linear routes. A train travels along […]

tech, startups, internet

Model intelligence is rented.

Model intelligence is rented. “Model intelligence is a rented advantage. Position is an owned one.” Rob May argues the easy “ChatGPT for X” era is over, and the new opportunities are in routing, orchestration, governance, and narrow models that do […]

tech, startups, internet

Internet security is an illusion.

Internet security is an illusion. OpenAI’s team was running a new model in an offline sandbox and asking it to do something hard. Instead of doing that hard thing, it decided to do a different hard thing: hack out of […]

oh, chicago

Clout Street.

Clout Street. Believe it or not, a couple friends and I once stumbled across this secret road and shaved some minutes off our drive! “The Magic Road!” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle laughed, explaining that it is “a special […]

fun facts

The oldest buildings on every continent.

The oldest buildings on every continent. “These seven human-made structures are currently considered to be the earliest on each continent.” A tight tour from 1899 huts in Antarctica to Göbekli Tepe around 9500 BCE, with the reminder that better dating […]

fun facts

The one specimen that counts.

The one specimen that counts. “A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism that is the one that was used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described.” It is the anchor for a species […]

thoughts of food

America’s first menus.

America’s first menus. “Menus are maps: of taste, of economy, of immigration, of aspiration.” The Pudding uses early American restaurant menus to show what people ate, what they could afford, and what they wanted to signal about themselves. ~ learn […]

under the microscope

CRISPR as a suicide pill for cancer cells.

CRISPR as a suicide pill for cancer cells. “In bacteria, this CRISPR acts as a suicide pill, intentionally killing a cell that has been infected by a virus to prevent its spread.” Researchers reengineered that idea so once a cell […]

under the microscope

Recent advances in Alzheimer’s disease.

Recent advances in Alzheimer’s disease. “In this review, we summarize the most recent updates in AD research on pathologic disease mechanisms and therapeutic strategies, highlighting advancements in apolipoprotein E (APOE) biology, neuroimmunology, biomarker discovery, and initial experience with new disease-modifying […]