Researchers claiming to be from the University of Zurich used bots to post 1,783 comments in the 3.8-million-member subreddit over four months, and all they got was a non-peer reviewed paper claiming their bots were more “persuasive” than humans.
Reddit users are enraged for having been subject to “psychological manipulation.”
ProPublica zooms in on DOGE cuts’ destructive effect on the collection and distribution of critical data tracking fatal shootings, sexually transmitted infections, child welfare cases, greenhouse-gas emissions, and infinitely more, resulting in a “black hole of information.”
As one dataset after another falls by the wayside, the nation’s policymakers are losing their ability to make evidence-based decisions, and the public is losing the ability to hold them accountable for their results.
Today is the annual World Quantum Day. It is also the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology because the “initial development of quantum mechanics” is 100 years old.
And yet, we’re still waiting for quantum computers to actually do something useful.
Google recently showed off “a cinematic vision so surreal, so ahead of its time, that it proved impossible to produce.” Giraffes on Horseback Salad was originally conceived by Salvador Dalí for the Marx Brothers, but was too weird (and not funny enough) to be actually made. Using Veo 2 and Imagen 3, an ad agency and a museum were “finally capable of transforming surrealism into film.” (Unlike... Luis Buñuel? David Lynch?)
The result, so far, is just this trailer. It’s an eye-searing, sloppy montage of what this ArtNet breakdown by critic Ben Davis calls “chintzy sub-sub-Surrealist imagery has little to do with Dali’s original vision.”
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on schedule in its second attempt Friday night, sending the Crew-10 mission on its way to the International Space Station.
Researchers have observed large language models in hundreds of matches with an open-source chess engine. They found that the models often try to “hack” the game without being prompted to do so, even by overwriting the chessboard to “delete its opponent’s pieces.” Why? They don’t have to tell you.
[technologyreview.com]
The mostly free Flashes app launched today, integrating into the X expats’ favorite Bluesky and letting users publish up to four photos or a 1-minute-long video per post. Though off to a slightly bumpy start, it’s currently #9 in the Social Networking category on the Apple App Store. It even has vibrant filters, if you have no respect for your work.
[bsky.app]
According to the FDA, there is no longer a shortage of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the wildly popular Ozempic and Wegovy — a very bad omen for the countless telehealth and pharmacy businesses selling “compounded” versions of the diabetes and weight-loss drug. The FDA has clarified that state-licensed and out-sourcing operations have to cease production of the “compounded” medication by April 22nd and May 22nd, respectively.
[wired.com]
