Links for 2023-08-28
Digital brains beat biological ones because diffusion is too slow https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/MR7vY4ztw5L2pcDuj/ai-wins-because-biology-is-limited-by-the-speed-of-diffusion
“Maybe in 2055 someone will train an improved GPT-4 on their personal computing device in ~1 min as an irrelevant fun weekend project.” https://karpathy.github.io/2022/03/14/lecun1989/
AI Can Now Design Proteins That Behave Like Biological ‘Transistors’ https://singularityhub.com/2023/08/22/ai-can-now-design-proteins-that-behave-like-biological-transistors/
MIT engineers use kirigami to make ultrastrong, lightweight structures https://news.mit.edu/2023/using-kirigami-ultrastrong-lightweight-structures-0822
Nano-thin 'liquid-like' coatings may pave the way for a 'self-cleaning' world https://phys.org/news/2023-08-nano-thin-liquid-like-coatings-pave-self-cleaning.amp
"NeuroRights Foundation. Among its goals: a globally enshrined right to mental privacy and free will that would forbid anyone from ever using brain-imaging technology to force open a rear window onto your theater of consciousness." https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/08/mind-reading-brain-data-interrogation-mri-machines/675059/ [https://archive.is/h4fdA]
Monitoring for wasteful public spending: “Every dollar Medicare spent on monitoring generated $24–29 in government savings. The majority of savings stem from the deterrence of future care, rather than reclaimed payments from prior care.” https://www.nber.org/papers/w31559
“On being ready to die, and yet also now being able to swallow slurries—including ice cream” https://jakeseliger.com/2023/08/27/on-being-ready-to-die-and-yet-also-now-being-able-to-swallow-slurries-including-ice-cream/
SpaceX has now deployed over 5000 Starlink satellites. https://planet4589.org/space/con/star/stats.html
Ukraine links:
“The Ukrainian offensive in the Robotyne sector has progressed, and the first Russian main defence line has been reached. In this thread we’ll take a closer look at the main defensive line and what might happen next. This thread includes high resolution satellite imagery.” https://twitter.com/emilkastehelmi/status/1695879651158052910
Inside Ukraine’s drone war against Putin https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/08/27/inside-ukraines-drone-war-against-putin [https://archive.is/txXSf]
Republican isolationism: Abandoning Ukraine is no way to make America great again https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/aug/22/republican-isolationism-abandoning-ukraine-is-no-w/
Twenty years of ruthlessness: how Russia has silenced Putin’s opponents https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/27/history-killing-how-russia-has-silenced-putins-opponents
“Credible sources within the Ukrainian army and russian sources, are reporting the displacement of units of the 76th Guards Air Assault Division from the Kreminna/Svatove area to the harbor city of Berdyansk. Indications are at least 2 regiments have moved.” https://twitter.com/NLwartracker/status/1695707766759751997
“If Ukraine is to hold a candle to Russia, the Western coalition must re-industrialize its military supply chains on a mass scale. Whether it has the capability or will to do so is far from certain.” https://nationalinterest.org/feature/time-and-logistics-are-working-against-ukraine-206740
“The starting point in this assessment is that Ukrainian forces aren’t likely to reach the Black Sea and cut off Russia’s land route to Crimea before winter sets in, as they had hoped. U.S. officials still think the Ukrainians can significantly breach Russian positions this year” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/08/27/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-us-support-holds/ [https://archive.is/BxFi8]