Lessons from a cognitive studies professor-turned-poker player.
Wrap your arms around the uncertainty. Accept it. Know that the way things turn out has a lot of luck involved so don’t be so hard on yourself when things go badly and don’t be so proud of yourself when they go well. Focus on process instead.
DeepMind taught itself to play chess and then went on to beat all other chess bots. What’s interesting about this AI is that it’s willing to give up material advantage for positional advantage ten moves down the line.
Fresh from science fiction land, today’s scientists give you thegene drive, a gene editing technology. And boy is it scary:
Because gene drives rapidly spread genetic modifications through animal populations, they have the potential to alter entire species and wipe out diseases such as malaria. Unlike conventional genetically modified crops or animals, organisms carrying gene drives are designed to move across international borders.
JPL has built an AI-controlled autonomous quadcopter drone. They put it through its paces on a racing course against a pro pilot. The human opponent still came out three minutes ahead, but it’s still impressive considering the drone generated the map entirely by itself.
Einstein’s formula for happiness, written as a tip to a bellboy:
“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”
Study compares the number of neurons among carnivorans. Verdict: dogs have more neurons, and this means “…dogs have the biological capability of doing much more complex and flexible things with their lives than cats can.”
New discovery today: jetpens.com, selling Japanese stationery and art supplies.
A whirlwind tour of analog computers, including some of which use fluids for computation.
Tails is a security-oriented live Linux distribution with built-in Tor client and encryption tools.
‘Surprisingly accurate’ models of political leanings based on cars in a neighborhood. This bothers me a lot. A whole lot.