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Giant Zombie Atoms of the Cosmos [Katia Moskvitch, Nautilus]

By William McClain
In [Nautilus]
February 27, 2023
264 views
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  • On Aug. 6, 1967, Jocelyn Bell discovered a series of sharp pulses coming from a distant galaxy every 1.3 seconds. This “scruff” was an unknown type of astronomical object, later named a pulsar.
  • A neutron star is the densest object made of ordinary matter, just a whisker away from a black hole. It is created when an ordinary star is sufficiently massive, eight to 15 times as massive as the sun, has exhausted all its nuclear fuel and collapses to extreme densities.
  • Physicists think a neutron star is sort of like an egg, with a crust, an outer core, and an inner core. The outer crust is made of iron nuclei, the outer core is a liquid consisting mainly of neutrons, and the inner core is an enigma with matter different to neutrons and protons.
  • To describe the squeezability of the inner core, physicists formulate a so-called equation of state. This equation of state relates density to pressure and predicts a certain relationship between the neutron star’s size and mass.
  • Astronomers have a battery of techniques to measure the mass and radius of neutron stars. These include pulsar timing, studying how deformable neutron stars are when they collide, and studying the aftermath of a neutron star collision.
  • The discoveries of neutron stars heavier than two solar masses indicate that the matter inside the inner core can’t be very jelly-like. Nuclear experiments and observations of gravitational waves, radio pulses, and X-rays are used to determine the equation of state.

Published February 24, 2023
Visit Nautilus to read Katia Moskvitch’s original post Giant Zombie Atoms of the Cosmos

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Issue 10: One word—plastics. [Sam Bowman, Works in Progress]

By William McClain
In [Works in Progress]
February 27, 2023
186 views
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  • The latest issue of Works in Progress—our tenth—is out today. Find it here.
    • Our lead essay explains how France’s fertility shift changed the face of European geopolitics—and explains what caused it.
    • The issue also includes pieces on: reducing reliance on diesel generators in Africa; building roads out of plastic; why we feel empathy for other species; rolling out green energy and other infrasturcture faster; why plutonium gets a bad rap; and using prediction markets to tax bullshit online.
    • Our cover art comes from Rav Rieck, an illustrator and story artist based in Tokyo. You can find more of his work here.
  • At the beginning of the eighteenth century, and for the previous thousand years, France was the China of Europe.
    • For much of that time, it had a quarter of the continent’s population, and even by 1700 had four times the population of England.
    • How differently world history would have panned out, historian *Guillaume Blanc *writes, if France hadn’t also experienced by far Europe’s earliest and most pervasive demographic transition, with first elites and then everyone else reducing their fertility towards just above replacement levels.
    • By the 20th century, France had only about as many people as England, and fewer than Germany.
    • But such a slowdown also meant France could keep pace with a newly-industrialising England, by having fewer mouths to feed.
    • If France’s birth rate had kept pace with England’s, there would be 250 million Frenchmen alive today.
  • Isn’t it weird that we love and care for animals, but also eat them?
    • Many people would struggle to hurt animals that they readily eat.
    • It turns out this isn’t a modern pathology: hunters around the world, whether in Western societies or living as hunter gatherers, express empathy for their prey.
    • This is no random coincidence, argues evolutionary biologist* Cody Moser*. Around the world, hunters use mimicry while hunting—something that sets humans apart from practically every other hunting species.
    • Getting into the heads of our prey made us better hunters. But we caught feelings in the process.
    • The art for this piece comes from Qianhui Yu, an illustrator based in the UK. You can find more of her work here.
  • The power is probably out now in Nigeria — according to one data source, the power is only on for about 7 hours every day.
    • And many sub-Saharan African countries face extremely unreliable power too.
    • The problem is simple, says Open Philanthropy’s *Lauren Gilbert*: African power suppliers are prevented from charging enough for power to break even.
    • Because they lose money when they supply power, they try to cut costs by reducing supply, keeping them bumping along until the next state bailout.
    • To tackle this, Western NGO efforts often focus on building mini-grids off the central network.
    • These efforts do not hurt, but it would be better to fix the underlying problem, and focus on making it possible to charge higher marginal prices and greater supply without hurting the people the caps are intended to help.
  • Proposals for major infrastructure projects in the UK require literally thousands of documents, totalling hundreds of thousands of pages.
    • The same is true across much of the developed world.
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New cracks emerge in Elon Musk’s Twitter [Casey Newton, Platformer]

By William McClain
In [Platformer]
February 24, 2023
279 views
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  • Governing
    • The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Twitter v. Taamneh, and appears unlikely to hand down a sweeping ruling about liability for terrorist content on social media.
    • The US Copyright Office said AI-generated images that were created using Midjourney should not have been granted copyright protection.
    • The Department of Justice is inching toward a lawsuit challenging Google’s dominant position in the market for digital maps and location information.
    • The FTC won’t challenge Amazon’s $3.49 billion acquisition of One Medical parent company 1Life Healthcare, and the deal will close later this week.
    • Federal officials are charging FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried with bank fraud and operating an unlicensed money transmitter in addition to the eight counts he already faced.
    • The US Supreme Court declined to hear a bid from Wikipedia to resurrect its lawsuit against the National Security Agency challenging mass online surveillance.
    • For all his talk about transparency, Elon Musk hasn’t published a Twitter transparency report detailing government content removal demands.
    • The European Commission banned TikTok on government employee devices.
    • A shadowy cybersecurity company called S2T Unlocking Cyberspace is marketing its services, which include accessing someone’s phone and turning on their camera without their knowledge, for use against journalists and activists.
    • Chinese regulators told major Chinese tech companies they can’t offer ChatGPT services to the public.
  • Industry
    • Microsoft rolled out new safety measures for Bing that ends chats if prompted to talk about “feelings” or “Sydney.”
    • Microsoft just expanded access to the new Bing on Android, iOS, Edge mobile, and Skype.
    • Microsoft has been secretly testing its Bing chatbot “Sydney” for years.
    • Microsoft Edge is running an aggressive ad on the Chrome download page to dissuade people from switching.
    • TikTok stars are accusing Carter Agency, a talent agency for TikTok creators, of withholding money and concealing the rates of brand deals.
    • Elon Musk laid off dozens of Twitter employees across sales and engineering last week, after telling people repeatedly layoffs were done.
    • Russian propagandists are using Twitter’s new paid verification system to appear more prominently on the platform.
    • Meta is planning more layoffs and will push some leaders into lower-level roles to flatten the layers of management.
    • WhatsApp appears to be working on a “private newsletter tool.”
    • Meta, the personalized news reader built by Instagram’s co-founders, is officially open to the public.
    • Google is asking some employees to share desks and alternate days in the office, citing “real estate efficiency.”
    • YouTube Music released a new feature to allow users to create custom radio stations with up to 30 artists.
    • YouTube is rolling out access to multi-language audio tracks to more creators, allowing them to add dubbing to videos.
    • Spotify announced a new AI feature called “DJ” that will deliver a curated selection of music alongside AI-powered commentary using a “stunningly realistic voice.”
    • Social media is a major cause of depression and anxiety in teen girls, according to an analysis of major studies.
    • Ben Rubin, the founder of Meerkat and Houseparty, launched a new project called Towns — a protocol and decentralized chat app designed to facilitate self-owned, self-governed online communities.

Published February 24, 2023
Visit Platformer to read Casey Newton’s original post New cracks emerge in Elon Musk’s Twitter

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Is Earth Running Out of Freshwater? [Brian Gallagher, Nautilus]

By William McClain
In [Nautilus]
February 23, 2023
299 views
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  • Is Earth running out of freshwater? – Global demand for freshwater is expected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, and 2/3 of the world’s population will face water shortages.
  • How are icebergs going to solve the water crisis? – Icebergs contain a large amount of freshwater, and one 2,000 ft x 650 ft iceberg could supply all of Cape Town, South Africa with water for a year.
  • What technology is needed? – Satellites are needed to locate icebergs, and modeling has been done by Alan Condron at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to show that icebergs can be transported without melting.
  • What is the goal? – To convince people that icebergs can be a viable freshwater source, and to stop treating it as a joke.

Published February 22, 2023
Visit Nautilus to read Brian Gallagher’s original post Is Earth Running Out of Freshwater?

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The CEO of Black Girls CODE on the Importance of Self-Belief [Carlee Ingersoll, Nautilus]

By William McClain
In [Nautilus]
February 23, 2023
259 views
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  • For the month of February, Nautilus’ Marketing Team will feature interviews with organizations and institutions working to increase opportunities for young Black people to imagine and succeed in STEM career paths—and donate 10 percent of all new member subscriptions toward their initiatives.
  • Black representation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields totaled only 9 percent in 2021, as reported by The National Science Foundation.
  • The mission of Black Girls CODE is to increase the number of Black women and women of color in digital technology by introducing them to computer science, education, and STEM skills at a young age.
  • Black Girls CODE works to shape the narrative that Black girls and women belong in STEM spaces and builds self-belief, perseverance, and a sense of belonging through mentorship, leading by example, and skill building.
  • Black Girls CODE partners with schools and local organizations to facilitate relationships with girls and their families, and recently launched CODE Along, a free video-based coding academy.
  • When Black girls and women win, everyone wins, as it increases financial equity and economic freedom, and allows for more diversity of thought when solving some of the world’s biggest problems.

Published February 22, 2023
Visit Nautilus to read Carlee Ingersoll’s original post The CEO of Black Girls CODE on the Importance of Self-Belief

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Diamond Sports Misses Interest Payment, Bally’s Dire Situation, Negotiating Bankruptcy [Ben Thompson, Stratechery]

By William McClain
In Ben Thompson [Stratechery]
February 22, 2023
292 views
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  • Diamond Sports is on the verge of bankruptcy, due to its crippling debt, and the leagues must come to an agreement with the company’s creditors in order to prevent a free-fall bankruptcy.
  • Cord-cutting and virtual bundles such as YouTube TV have caused a decrease in the number of people paying carriage fees, leading to a decline in revenue for Diamond Sports.
  • The company has not made an operating profit since 2019, and its operating cash flow has been negative for over a year.
  • The negotiations are centered around Diamond Sports entering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a reorganization plan, in which Sinclair would give up most of its ownership stake in exchange for restructuring or forgiving up to $8 billion of its debt.
  • Sports leagues would grant additional rights to Diamond Sports, particularly digital rights, to help put the regional sports network on stronger footing.
  • In the event that the parties cannot come to an agreement, the leagues and creditors would be in greater danger of not being paid at all.
  • The NBA may seize the opportunity to prioritize their national TV deals and have fewer games, enhancing the value of those that are nationally televised.

Published February 22, 2023
Visit Stratechery to read Ben Thompson’s original post Diamond Sports Misses Interest Payment, Bally’s Dire Situation, Negotiating Bankruptcy

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Section 230 in the Supreme Court, Reach and Speech, The First Amendment and U.S. Speech Controls [Ben Thompson, Stratechery]

By William McClain
In Ben Thompson [Stratechery]
February 22, 2023
271 views
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  • Section 230 is going before the Supreme Court: This case will determine whether platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are liable for the content that their recommendation algorithms promote.
  • A loss for Google would be an opportunity for Congress to protect essential rights: If Google loses the case, Congressional action around content moderation could focus on protecting links and the infrastructure that enables access to the internet.
  • The top of the stack is about broadcasting: Social media platforms have the right to moderate any content they want, but this should be done with a focus on attracting the broadest customer base.
  • Internet service providers have different obligations: ISPs should provide content neutral access, which is essential for the right to be heard and the right to speak.
  • The crux of the case goes to the second paragraph: Whether platforms are liable for their recommendations is the key question in this case; a win for Gonzalez could mean more “censorship” of posts.
  • The First Amendment and US speech control: Much of the discussion around content moderation forgets that the First Amendment explicitly denies Congress any role in determining what is moderated; Section 230 was essential for the internet in order to protect speech.

Published February 21, 2023
Visit Stratechery to read Ben Thompson’s original post Section 230 in the Supreme Court, Reach and Speech, The First Amendment and U.S. Speech Controls

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Where Are the Black Female Doctors? [Kristen French, Nautilus]

By William McClain
In [Nautilus]
February 20, 2023
300 views
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  • Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first Black woman to earn a medical degree in the United States in 1864, providing medical care to former slaves in Virginia and later tending to the sick in her own private practice in Boston. She published a book of medical advice, the only known medical book written by a 19th century Black woman.
  • Jasmine Brown wrote Twice as Hard: The Stories of Black Women Who Fought to Become Physicians from the Civil War to the 21st Century to bring the hidden lives and contributions of outstanding Black female physicians to light.
  • When Brown began to pursue a pre-med track, she realized she had never met a Black female physician nor learned about any in school.
  • The book profiles nine Black female physicians and their stunning achievements amidst overwhelming obstacles—scarce mentors and financial resources, discrimination in schools, and even for those who graduated at the tops of their classes, few employment opportunities.
  • Brown chose the women she wrote about based on having lived at different points over the past 150 years, having retired and having enough information in the archives to give more depth to the story telling.
  • Having personal details about the women’s lives, their marriages and children, their emotional struggles was important to Brown to show the full arcs of their careers.
  • The connection between the book and the present political moment is the threat that affirmative action will be overturned by the Supreme Court, a decision that could lead to another significant dip in representation in the field of medicine.
  • Brown believes that if academic institutions taught more about the history of outstanding Black physicians who have been leaders in the field it could make a difference.
  • Brown hopes that her book will inspire more Black people to go into medicine, and will give people within academia insight into barriers to better representation in medicine.
  • Black History Month is seen by Brown as a catalyst for broader discussion, and if the book gets into more readers’ hands during this month, it can affect the way they think throughout the rest of the year.

Published February 18, 2023
Visit Nautilus to read Kristen French’s original post Where Are the Black Female Doctors?

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Behind the Scenes with React.js: the Documentary [Gergely Orosz, The Pragmatic Engineer]

By William McClain
In Gergely Orosz [The Pragmatic Engineer]
February 17, 2023
234 views
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  • A brief history of React – React is the most popular web framework in use today. It was created by Jordan Walke, a software engineer at Facebook, and open sourced in 2013 at JSConf US. In the issue The State of Frontend 2022, React is noted as having 76% of respondents using and liking React the past year. Stack Overflow Trends also shows React having more questions than other similar frameworks since 2018.
  • The idea of making the documentary – The documentary was funded by Honeypot, a developer-focused job platform. The idea was proposed by filmmaker Ida Lærke Bechtle, with the hope of inspiring people and remembering Honeypot when looking for new job opportunities. Ida did research on React, contacted the first React core team members, and interviewed them to create the story.
  • Behind the scenes of the making of React.js: the Documentary – Ida traveled to Dublin, London, San Diego, San Francisco, Boston, and NYC to interview React team members, with help from Christopher Chedeau to convince the others. At Meta, they had a “chaperone” but otherwise were not restricted in what they could ask or film.
  • Premiere and reception – The documentary premiered in Amsterdam to an audience at the JSWorld conference. Afterward, there were a few more premieres in Berlin, Barcelona, and Vienna. The movie quickly passed 250,000 views on YouTube within its first week of release, with mostly positive feedback. Ida learned that people will watch longer movies on YouTube, as long as the topic is on point and the storytelling is good.

Published February 16, 2023
Visit The Pragmatic Engineer to read Gergely Orosz’s original post Behind the Scenes with React.js: the Documentary

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Neuroscience Has a Race Problem [Jackie Rocheleau, Nautilus]

By Spencer Chen
In [Nautilus]
February 15, 2023
269 views
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• Jasmine Kwasa, a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon University, noticed that EEG technology had limited functionality with thick curly, kinky, and textured hair types, leading to potential exclusion from research.
• Biases against physical characteristics like dark skin and thick curly hair are baked into all major neuroimaging technologies, including EEG, fNIRS, and MRI.
• Neurobiological datasets are overwhelmingly white, with 95% of the data collected by the UK Biobank corresponding to white study subjects and the Human Connectome Project (HCP) being 76% white.
• Carla Bailey, a neurophysiologist at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, says she only encounters issues with EEG and Black hair when people don’t remove hair extensions that obscure the scalp.
• Precision Neuroscopics is perfecting the Sevo clip, which holds electrodes against the scalp between cornrows braided to accommodate electrode placement, and collecting evidence that it improves the quality of EEG data.
• A 2022 study found that machine learning algorithms trained on large neuroimaging datasets that favor white populations inaccurately predicted the behavior of Black Americans.

Published February 15, 2023
Visit Nautilus to read Jackie Rocheleau’s original post Neuroscience Has a Race Problem

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