the blog is dead, long live the substack
# tech

the blog is dead, long live the substack

Sometimes the only way forward is to try something new.


why neutron stars may be the coolest objects in the universe
# space

why neutron stars may be the coolest objects in the universe

Neutron stars’ thunder is usually stolen by black holes, but these bizarre objects living on the edge of physics create plenty of fascinating phenomena all on their own.


how social media ruined expertise and how to get it back
# tech

how social media ruined expertise and how to get it back

Thanks to social media, everybody can be a pundit today, and that’s ruining how we build a factual understanding of our world and what’s happening in it.


behold the (terrifyingly badly designed) cyborg of the 1960s
# science

behold the (terrifyingly badly designed) cyborg of the 1960s

Humans have been thinking about modifying themselves to survive the rigors of space flight for a long time now. Thankfully, out ideas for how to do it have vastly improved.


our magnetic north pole is moving a lot faster than we thought, but that’s perfectly normal
# science

our magnetic north pole is moving a lot faster than we thought, but that’s perfectly normal

Tracking the magnetic north pole has been a difficult task over the last few hundred years, and even today, in the age of computers and lasers, it hasn’t gotten any easier as scientists were surprised by its rapid migration towards Asia.

movies are getting more violent but crime rates continue to fall
# science

movies are getting more violent but crime rates continue to fall

Slowly but surely, violence in movies has been escalating, prompting recurring spasms of fear that a surge in violent crime will inevitably follow, yet violent crimes rates keep declining. Why?

why global warming is so cold: how climate change is breaking up the polar vortex
# science

why global warming is so cold: how climate change is breaking up the polar vortex

On average, winters are getting warmer and milder across the Northern Hemisphere. So what’s with all the sudden cold snaps hammering North America and Europe?

australia declares war on digital security, demands encryption backdoor
# tech

australia declares war on digital security, demands encryption backdoor

Australian lawmakers stunned the country’s techies by passing a law requiring them to help law enforcement snoop on encrypted data on request, and putting e-commerce and basic digital security at risk.

world of weird things podcast: the nerd rapture
# podcast

world of weird things podcast: the nerd rapture

The Singularity is the event in which humanity changes from sacks of meat to immortal AIs. It's also about as realistic as getting an admission letter to Hogwarts.

this weird star system is, literally, flipping awesome
# space

this weird star system is, literally, flipping awesome

A binary system observed by ALMA isn’t wonky, it’s the first example of an anomaly we only thought was possible until we saw it with our own eyes: a polar protoplanetary disk.

new chinese app recruits citizens to spy on “deadbeat debtors”
# tech

new chinese app recruits citizens to spy on “deadbeat debtors”

In a move straight of a Dickensian cyberpunk novel, a Chinese app alerts citizens if someone in debt is within 500 meters, and encourages spying on their spending habits.

why the hunt for planet nine is still underway
# space

why the hunt for planet nine is still underway

A recent paper imagines a new explanation for the strange motions of Trans-Neptunian Objects observed by astronomers for the last 200 years, but it doesn’t mean that we won’t still search for Planet Nine.

the five technologies we can use to prevent catastrophic earthquake damage
# tech

the five technologies we can use to prevent catastrophic earthquake damage

Earthquakes might be both powerful and inevitable. But we have the tools to soften their blows, save millions of lives, and save billions when cleaning up after them.

trickle down pseudoscience: why mlms jumped into the supplement game
# health

trickle down pseudoscience: why mlms jumped into the supplement game

MLMs prey on human vulnerabilities to hijack the health industry. And they have a lot of help in high places.

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