tingilinde

slow motion of colliding magnets

some tips if you fly with expensive and fragile kit

A photographer's bad experience with United and some tips if you fly with fragile gear.

 

it's just an association but

More work needs to be done to see if there's really aa risk from tatoos

snip'

...

https://scienceblog.com/544641/possible-association-between-tattoos-and-lymphoma-revealed/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

...

a tip of the hat to Sukie

 

 

 

gpts in search

Om on the subject

They're polluting the societal commons not to mention the physical environment.

 

 

gavin schmidt and sean carroll

Sean chats with Gavin Schmidt about modeling climate change.  audio and transcript (I went for the transcript as time and the fact that audio quality is a bit off on this one)

 

 

big drones

public financing of sports venues

They almost never lead big economic gains for the city - also there are many examples of privately financed venues.

 

on masks and masking

A metastudy.

snip

...

This narrative review and meta-analysis summarizes a broad evidence base on the benefits—and also the practicalities, disbenefits, harms and personal, sociocultural and environmental impacts—of masks and masking. Our synthesis of evidence from over 100 published reviews and selected primary studies, including re-analyzing contested meta-analyses of key clinical trials, produced seven key findings. First, there is strong and consistent evidence for airborne transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory pathogens. Second, masks are, if correctly and consistently worn, effective in reducing transmission of respiratory diseases and show a dose-response effect. Third, respirators are significantly more effective than medical or cloth masks. Fourth, mask mandates are, overall, effective in reducing community transmission of respiratory pathogens. Fifth, masks are important sociocultural symbols; non-adherence to masking is sometimes linked to political and ideological beliefs and to widely circulated mis- or disinformation. Sixth, while there is much evidence that masks are not generally harmful to the general population, masking may be relatively contraindicated in individuals with certain medical conditions, who may require exemption. Furthermore, certain groups (notably D/deaf people) are disadvantaged when others are masked. Finally, there are risks to the environment from single-use masks and respirators. We propose an agenda for future research, including improved characterization of the situations in which masking should be recommended or mandated; attention to comfort and acceptability; generalized and disability-focused communication support in settings where masks are worn; and development and testing of novel materials and designs for improved filtration, breathability, and environmental impact.

...

 

 

 

an llm for china..

Based on Xi Jinping's thoughts..

They can't be too serious .. but there are already religion-based LLMs.  I wouldn't be surprised to see a MAGA LLM being mandated in a Trump 2 term. 

 

trust

What Denmark is really good at.

snip

...

Over the years, Denmark has emerged as the good faith capital of the world. Nearly 74% of Danes believe “most people can be trusted” – more than any other nationality. On wider metrics, such as social trust (trusting a stranger) and civic trust (trusting authority), Denmark also scores highest in the world, with the other Nordic countries close behind.

The political scientist Gert Tinggaard Svendsen argues that trust accounts for 25% of Denmark’s otherwise inexplicable wealth. By his reckoning, a quarter of that wealth comes from physical capital (means of production and infrastructure), half comes from human capital (the population’s level of education and innovation), and the unexplained final quarter is trust: they don’t sue one another, they don’t waste money on burglar alarms, businesses often make binding verbal agreements without sweating the contract. People who hold power in Danish institutions – the government, police, judiciary, health services – are trusted to be acting in society’s best interests, and there is very little corruption.

...