Pavel Sokolovsky

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fun facts · Jul 2025

Decibels are ridiculous.

“What’s a decibel? Well, the most common answer is “uhh". The second most common answer is that it’s “a way to measure loudness”. But it isn’t! A decibel is not a unit in any conventional sense: it’s more akin to a prefix such as mega- in megabyte. It describes a change in magnitude.” ~ learn more

fun facts · Jul 2025

DoggoGuessr.

If you like dogs and quizzes this is your link. ~ learn more

profiles of people · Jul 2025

Only the paranoid survive.

“Most people protect their identity. Andy Grove would rewrite it again and again. He started as a refugee, became a chemist, turned himself into an engineer, then a manager, and finally the CEO who built Intel into a global powerhouse. He didn’t cling to credentials or titles. When a challenge came up, he didn’t delegate; he learned.” ~ learn more

under the microscope · Jul 2025

New blood test can diagnose and track progression of Alzheimer’s with 92% accuracy.

“This blood test clearly identifies Alzheimer’s tau tangles [aka, neurofibrillary tangles], which is our best biomarker measure of Alzheimer’s symptoms and dementia,” said co-senior author Randall J. Bateman, MD, professor of neurology at WashU Medicine in the WashU news release.” ~ learn more

under the microscope · Jul 2025

Infrared contact lenses allow people to see in the dark.

Here’s something neat… they do not require a power source. “The contact lens technology uses nanoparticles that absorb infrared light and convert it into wavelengths that are visible to mammalian eyes (e.g., electromagnetic radiation in the 400–700 nm range). The nanoparticles specifically enable the detection of "near-infrared light," which is infrared light in the 800–1600 nm range, just beyond what humans can already see.” ~ learn more

under the microscope · Jul 2025

Superwood that’s 50% stronger than steel is coming this year.

“Maryland-based startup InventWood is set to mass-produce the first batches of 'Superwood,' a new material made of modified timber that's stronger than regular barky stems, and even stronger than steel. It's set to go on sale later this year.” ~ learn more

under the microscope · Jul 2025

Canine cancer drug fast-tracked for treating kids.

“New York-based biopharmaceutical company OS Therapies (OST) is focused on developing immunotherapies for osteosarcoma and other solid tumors. And it’s utilizing comparative oncology to achieve its goal. The company recently announced it had formed a subsidiary, OS Animal Health, to commercialize OST-HER2, its off-the-shelf canine osteosarcoma treatment, using clinical trial data to fast-track a treatment for kids with the same type of cancer.” ~ learn more

better doing · Jul 2025

They see through it all.

“But your kids? They’re not so easily impressed. They don’t appreciate the trappings of your success. They don’t care much for status or seniority. All they know is how it affects them.” ~ learn more

tech, startups, internet · Jul 2025

The agentic web and original sin.

From Ben Thompson at Stratechery. Since payments weren’t embedded in the original web, advertising has come to be the dominant business model on the internet. AI agents threaten to disrupt that. Maybe micropayments finally could have a role to play? ~ learn more