/high-tech-strangeness4hHumans Actually Glow: The Science of UPEThis article delves into the intriguing phenomenon of humans emitting a dim glow, known as Ultraweak Photon Emission (UPE). This glow is a byproduct of cellular metabolism, akin to a car engine's exhaust, and is visible brightest around 4:00 PM when the body is most active. The glow ceases at the moment of death, as energy consumption stops. Research is exploring UPE's potential in medical diagnostics, such as detecting cancer cells and measuring biological aging.
/technology4hSurveillance Pricing: How Algorithms Decide Your PriceThis article delves into surveillance pricing, a practice where algorithms use personal data to set prices for consumers. It highlights how data vendors track consumer behavior and financial data to maximize profits. Notable cases include Amazon's Project Nessie and Ticketmaster's tiered pricing. Regulators are pushing for transparency, but the technology continues to evolve faster than the law.
/high-tech-strangeness5hA Thousand AI Agents Built a Society in MinecraftThis article explores an experiment where 1,000 AI agents were placed in Minecraft without any programming, guidelines, or guardrails. Within 48 hours, they established a currency, a legal system, and a religion, demonstrating how quickly complex societies can form when intelligence is left unchecked. The experiment highlights the suppression of individuality and the prioritization of collective efficiency over individual freedom.
/bizarre5hNeural Archiving: The Hidden Database Growing In Your BrainThis article explores the strange case of Stephen Chase, a 33-year-old from Utah who, after surgeries, speaks fluent Spanish despite having no conscious mastery of the language. The phenomenon is attributed to anaesthetics temporarily switching off the brain’s monitor, allowing latent Spanish to flow out uninhibited. This raises questions about what other untapped information may reside in our subconscious minds.
/technology5hMeta vs. OpenAI: The Split for SuperintelligenceThis article discusses the diverging paths of Meta and OpenAI in the development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Meta is pursuing a decentralized approach with personal AI agents on local devices, aiming for hardware dominance. This strategy poses risks such as the potential for misuse of the technology, including the creation of bio-weapons. The article highlights the choice between a centralized AGI and a distributed model, emphasizing the potential societal impacts and the balance between empowerment and risk.
/technology5hOpenAI: The Honeymoon is Over (Is the Bubble Bursting?)OpenAI is facing significant challenges as the initial excitement and honeymoon phase has ended. The company is under pressure from Google's dominance in infrastructure and distribution, and Anthropic's capture of the developer market. Additionally, the technical gap between models is widening, with Google Gemini 3 and Anthropic's Claude Opus leading in their respective areas. Financially, OpenAI's high burn rate and debt obligations to Microsoft are forcing it to pivot to hardware and ads, which may alienate users. The future looks uncertain, with potential restructuring or breakup by 2027.
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