Things I Learnt in April and May 2021
More interesting
NeuraLink’s brain chips can now allow a monkey to play pong using only its thoughts/mind. Via NeuraLink youtube video.
Apple manufactures its phones in China not because of cheap labour but for their technical expertise. Via AstralCodexTen via this linkedin article via this interview of Apple CEO Tim Cook
A mistake regarding the cutoff size for whether a particles/virus can travel by ‘floating’ in the air explains why there was more focus on surfaces and washing hands for a long time, rather than face masks and good ventilation for Covid. Via wired.
Much of the progress in society in past few hundred years (less poverty, less hunger, less premature death, increased quality of life etc.) might largely be about increased use of energy per person, as opposed to say improved institutions or improvements in science/research. Via blogpost by Ben Polito
Prospera is going to be the first charter-city in the world! And it has many interesting governance structures and laws. Via AstralCodexTen
The photosynthesis in maize is more efficient (e.g. energy use, water use, etc.) than the photosynthesis in rice. And there is active research to modify rice to use the more efficient photosynthesis! Via phys.org
Aella has an extremely unusual life story, including strict Christian upbringing, physical and psychological abuse from father, having a minimum wage factory job, being a call girl, and experimenting heavily with LSD. Via interview on ClearerThinking podcast.
Steve Dean has an unusual living arrangements, filled with couch-surfing and a range of polyamorous relationships. Via interview of Steven Dean on ClearerThinking
If you have imposter syndrome, one tip is to imagine how somebody who is confident would behave if they have same past record of experience and achievements as you have. Via Jennifer Chayes interview on Women in Data Science podcast.
Less interesting
DeepMind created an algorithm which can learn to play football
Video gaming concepts (meta-strategies, tier lists, etc.) are a fun way to explain evolution. Via TierZoo
Somebody created Conway’s Game of Life within Conway’s Game of Life
DARPA created a 16-week digital teaching system whose participants out-performed experienced experts. Via lesswrong
The two generals problem is theoretically impossible to solve, and it has practical consequences. Via Tom Scott
In self-report questionnaires, questions which ought to be highly correlated often are not. E.g. ‘how often do you use the internet’ has only 0.191 correlation with ‘how many minutes per day do you use the internet’. Makes it very difficult to know how to interpret questionnaires! Via PhilosophyBear
To speed up the ripening of an avocado, store it in a paper bag with a banana. Bananas release a gas which increases rate of ripening. Via America’s Test Kitchen.
For many people, the term ‘plantation’ does not automatically have connotatations of slavery, but instead an idyllic vision of a farm in the countryside. Via sporkful podcast.
In Songdo, South Korea, there is no rubbish collection trucks. Instead, all bins are connected via underground pipes to centralised rubbish sorting facility. Via seequent.
A company has plans to create a space hotel. Via cnn.