Sunday, November 16, 2025

The Unrecognized Prevalence of Primary Aldosteronism: A Cross-sectional Study - PMC

Published in 2020!

As seen online:

“In summary, our findings show a high prevalence of unrecognized yet biochemically overt primary aldosteronism using current confirmatory diagnostic thresholds. They highlight the inadequacy of the current diagnostic approach that heavily relies on the ARR and, most important, show the existence of a pathologic continuum of nonsuppressible renin-independent aldosterone production that parallels the severity of hypertension. These findings support the need to redefine primary aldosteronism from a rare and categorical disease to, instead, a common syndrome that manifests across a broad severity spectrum and may be a primary contributor to hypertension pathogenesis.”

— from The Unrecognized Prevalence of Primary Aldosteronism: A Cross-sectional Study - PMC as of 15 November 2025

Also see: Conn's and such

Saturday, November 15, 2025

The ZOOM Handy H-1

As seen online:

“Software H1 Firmware H1 System Version 2.10 H Series ASIO Driver Windows 10/11 (64bit)”

— from | ZOOM as of 15 November 2025

Fibromyalgia finally gets a genetic fingerprint - Medical Republic

As seen online:

““In summary, our large-scale multi-ancestry GWAS provides a map of the genetic architecture of fibromyalgia, identifying 26 risk loci and providing robust genetic validation of the notion that fibromyalgia is primarily a central nervous system disorder,” the researchers concluded.”

— from Fibromyalgia finally gets a genetic fingerprint - Medical Republic as of 15 November 2025

Monday, November 10, 2025

Part X: The Enshittification of Judgment and the Fight for the Lawyer’s Soul

As seen online:

“This process has a name, coined by Cory Doctorow: “enshittification.” The Enshittification Life Cycle Doctorow’s term describes the predictable, three-stage decay of digital platforms: First, the platform is good to its users. It offers a great, often subsidized, service to attract a large, locked-in user base. Next, the platform abuses its users to serve its business customers. Once users are captive, the platform’s loyalty shifts to the people who pay it. Finally, the platform abuses its business customers to extract all value for itself (shareholders). With everyone locked in, the platform becomes a “pile of shit”—a rent-seeking, inefficient monopoly that no one likes but everyone must use. This is the inevitable trajectory of Google, Amazon, and X. And it is precisely what is happening to the law.”

— from Part X: The Enshittification of Judgment and the Fight for the Lawyer’s Soul as of 10 November 2025

Easy broccoli soup recipe | Good Food

As seen online:

“Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the potato and stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil, turn down to simmer for 10 mins until the potato is tender, then add the broccoli and some seasoning and cook for another 4-5 mins. Blend the soup until smooth”

— from Easy broccoli soup recipe | Good Food as of 10 November 2025

HTML5 Editor | Free Online Editor & Preview Tool

As seen online:

“Very handy tool for quick bits of html coding”

— from HTML5 Editor | Free Online Editor & Preview Tool as of 10 November 2025

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

Prompt Engineering Newest Technique Is Verbalized Sampling That Stirs AI To Be Free-Thinking And Improve Your Responses

Prompt Engineering Newest Technique Is Verbalized Sampling That Stirs AI To Be Free-Thinking And Improve Your Responses 

"craft your prompt to tell the AI to come up with multiple answers based on the internal probability distribution associated with the pattern-matching within the AI. You can then ask the AI to show the various answers, accompanied by their probabilities, or you can simply instruct the AI to show you the one that has the highest, lowest, or some other selection criteria in terms of probabilities."

Scientists Have Uncovered a 3rd State of Life, Which Starts After Cell Death

Scientists Have Uncovered a 3rd State of Life, Which Starts After Cell Death https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a62244774/biobots-third-state/

Monday, November 3, 2025

d/acc: one year later

Vitalik Buterin:

“We, humans, continue to be the brightest star. The task ahead of us, of building an even brighter 21ˢᵗ century that preserves human survival and freedom and agency as we head toward the stars, is a challenging one. But I am confident that we are up to it.”

— from d/acc: one year later as of 3 November 2025

Fontenelle, Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds - Aliens

As seen online:

“Conversations with a Lady, on the Plurality of Worlds. Written in French by M. Fontenelle, ... Translated by Mr. Glanvill. the Fourth Edition. with the Addition of a Sixth Conversation”

— from Fontenelle, Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds; - AbeBooks as of 3 November 2025

Sunday, November 2, 2025

GIRL MUSIC 007: LEADBELLY | “I Was Rollin’ Honey from Sun to Sun” – Juno Rylee Journalism

As seen online:

““Irene” became the most popular song of 1950, with The New York Times estimating the song could be heard 1,400 times a minute across 2,583 radio stations, 99 television stations, and 400,000 jukeboxes nationwide.”

— from GIRL MUSIC 007: LEADBELLY | “I Was Rollin’ Honey from Sun to Sun” – Juno Rylee Journalism as of 2 November 2025

Saturday, November 1, 2025

The Return of the Luddites | Los Angeles Review of Books

As seen online:

“What Silicon Valley frames as a revolution in thinking, Bender and Hanna reframe as more of the same: an intensification of automated systems that call for the kind of humanist pushback Byron once gave the loom.”

— from The Return of the Luddites | Los Angeles Review of Books as of 1 November 2025

AI and digital twins to serve increasingly complex robot management

Hommfer – Waffle Cotton Bathrobe with V-Neck

As seen online:

“Enjoy absolute comfort with this waffle cotton V-neck bathrobe. Made from soft, breathable cotton fabric, it feels comfortable without overheating. Its elegant collar, adjustable waistband, and practical pockets make it ideal for relaxing in the bathroom with elegance and simplicity.”

— from Hommfer – Waffle Cotton Bathrobe with V-Neck as of 1 November 2025

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Russia Declares 9M730 Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Test Marks Global-Reach Capability

As seen online:

“Whether the Burevestnik becomes an integrated order-of-battle asset or remains a specialized deterrent instrument, the test underscores a broader reality for NATO capitals: the cruise-missile challenge is diversifying in propulsion, routing, and persistence faster than legacy air-defense and arms-control frameworks were built to handle.”

— from Russia Declares 9M730 Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Test Marks Global-Reach Capability as of 26 October 2025

Friday, October 24, 2025

Thermomix TM6 + Potato Peeling Attachment + Vegetable Grater - Large Set (White) : Amazon.co.uk: Home & Kitchen

Ultimate kitchen machine?

Photos: Minnie Driver Counts Every Brilliant Thing in London's West End | Playbill

As seen online:

“In the work, a nameless protagonist faces a distant father, a suicidal mother, and their own inexplicable deep sadness. And in a spark of childhood genius, they counteract these obstacles by chronicling every brilliant thing in the world—first to cheer up their depressed mother, and later for friends, lovers, and themself. ”

— from Photos: Minnie Driver Counts Every Brilliant Thing in London's West End | Playbill as of 24 October 2025

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Sunday, October 19, 2025

OpenAI Is A Systemic Risk To The Tech Industry

As seen online:

“Everything that I'm describing is the result of a tech industry — including media and analysts — that refuses to do business with reality, trafficking in ideas and ideology, celebrating victories that have yet to take place, applauding those who have yet to create the things they're talking about, cheering on men lying about what's possible so that they can continue to burn billions of dollars and increase their wealth and influence. I understand why others might not have written this piece. What I am describing is a systemic failure, one at a scale hereto unseen, one that has involved so many rich and powerful and influential people agreeing to ignore reality, and that’ll have crushing impacts for the wider tech ecosystem when it happens.”

— from OpenAI Is A Systemic Risk To The Tech Industry as of 19 October 2025

In Simulated Social Network Made of AI Bots, Cliques, Echo Chambers, Extremes, and Elites Emerge in Days — Konsyse

As seen online:

“It did not take long for issues to emerge. The network split into well-defined echo chambers, with agents almost exclusively following others who shared their political beliefs. A handful of users gained an overwhelming share of attention, while more extreme voices consistently attracted larger audiences. Familiar patterns of online polarization unfolded in miniature.”

— from In Simulated Social Network Made of AI Bots, Cliques, Echo Chambers, Extremes, and Elites Emerge in Days — Konsyse as of 19 October 2025

UK energy system is "screwed" says Octopus Energy CEO | TechRadar

Helpful insights into the impact of AI on the electricity consumption models and infrastructure needs relative to renewable energy.

Saturday, October 18, 2025

The selfish ‘Net and the Big One | Network World

As seen online:

“the Internet continues to function at the whim of those who know how to bring it down.”

— from The selfish ‘Net and the Big One | Network World as of 18 October 2025

Cybersecurity’s New Imperative: Defending Enterprise and National Cognitive Infrastructures (by strengthening the mental immune system) :: Bsides London 2024 :: pretalx

As seen online:

“In 1991, Winn Schwartau, the civilian architect of information warfare postulated cyberwar in front of US Congress. Today, he warns that America faces a national security crisis; a cognitive Pearl Harbor waiting to happen. The lack of a national security imperative to strengthen our population's mental immune systems and our ability to coexist with technology makes America's cognitive infrastructure essentially defenseless.”

— from Cybersecurity’s New Imperative: Defending Enterprise and National Cognitive Infrastructures (by strengthening the mental immune system) :: Bsides London 2024 :: pretalx as of 18 October 2025

Monday, October 13, 2025

Michael Nielsen | The Institute

As seen online:

““I’m fascinated by computers as a means of representing and acting on knowledge, of carrying out processes that we’d call cognition if done by humans.””

And https://michaelnotebook.com/vwh/index.html on the Vulnerable World Hypothesis

Also https://michaelnielsen.org/

— from Michael Nielsen | The Institute as of 13 October 2025

Saturday, October 11, 2025

Chacruna | Welcome to chacruna media. A collective of researchers and luminaries of psychedelic plant medicine culture, science, spirituality.

As seen online:

“We aim to co-create a world where plant medicines and other psychedelics are understood, protected, honored, and valued as part of our cultural identity, and integrated into our social, legal and health care systems in ways that are equitable and just.”

— from Chacruna | Welcome to chacruna media. A collective of researchers and luminaries of psychedelic plant medicine culture, science, spirituality. as of 11 October 2025

Car Brain Is Making the US Unhealthy and Dangerous. EVs Won't Fix It. - Bloomberg

As seen online:

“Three recent books give it a shot. They are part of a growing effort among activists and academics encouraging people around the world — especially in North America and Europe — to reconsider society’s relationship with the automobile. Saving Ourselves from Big Car (Columbia University Press, Sept. 16), by the former literary agent and film producer David Obst, is the most histrionic of the set, with the automotive industry accused of myriad evils that include inviting World War II. Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship With Cars (Wiley, Sept. 16), by Henrietta Moore and Arthur Kay, is philosophical, invoking Kant and Rawls to argue that motor vehicles curtail societal freedom, particularly for those who don’t use them. Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile (Penguin Random House, Oct. 21), by Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon and Aaron Naparstek, is the most accessible and the most exhaustive of the trio, synthesizing a small mountain of research that explores how automobiles shape human lives and the environment”

— from Car Brain Is Making the US Unhealthy and Dangerous. EVs Won't Fix It. - Bloomberg as of 11 October 2025

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Cost of streamlined government procurement portal balloons by eight times

Classic!

As seen online:

“A new government procurement platform intended to encourage more small businesses to bid for contracts, driving competition, has seen its costs balloon from an intended £1.5 million to £12 million as multinational consultancies won contracts to build and manage it.”

— from Cost of streamlined government procurement portal balloons by eight times as of 9 October 2025

Romio Joseph - Product Designer & Writer

Romio Joseph - Product Designer & Writer:

As seen online:

“Amazing Bluesky tool collection ”

— from Romio Joseph - Product Designer & Writer as of 9 October 2025

Bluesky Advanced Search

Bluesky Advanced Search:

As seen online:

“Search interface that is very handy”

— from Bluesky Advanced Search as of 9 October 2025

Monday, October 6, 2025

We need a Weizenbaum test for AI | Science

As seen online:

“eLetters is a forum for ongoing peer review. eLetters are not edited, proofread, or indexed, but they are screened. eLetters should provide substantive and scholarly commentary on the article. Neither embedded figures nor equations with special characters can be submitted, and we discourage the use of figures and equations within eLetters in general. If a figure or equation is essential, please include within the text of the eLetter a link to the figure, equation, or full text with special characters at a public repository with versioning, such as Zenodo. Please read our Terms of Service before submitting an eLetter.”

— from We need a Weizenbaum test for AI | Science as of 6 October 2025

Sunday, October 5, 2025

An Eclectic Mind - My Anthropic Copyright Claim Bartz Anthropic

As seen online:

“I wrote about the Anthropic copyright case in three blog posts here, so I’m not going to go into the details again”

— from An Eclectic Mind - My Anthropic Copyright ClaimAn Eclectic Mind as of 5 October 2025

Saturday, October 4, 2025

Anthony Falzone - Stanford CIS

As seen online:

“Tony co-founded CIS’s Fair Use Project, which he led as its Executive Director from 2006 to 2012.”

— from Anthony Falzone - Stanford CIS as of 4 October 2025

Tuesday, September 30, 2025

AI-designed viruses are here and already killing bacteria | MIT Technology Review

As seen online:

“The Stanford researchers say they purposely haven’t taught their AI about viruses that can infect people. But this type of technology does create the risk that other scientists—out of curiosity, good intentions, or malice—could turn the methods on human pathogens, exploring new dimensions of lethality.”

— from AI-designed viruses are here and already killing bacteria | MIT Technology Review as of 30 September 2025

Against the protection of stocking frames. — Ethan Marcotte

Against the protection of stocking frames. — Ethan Marcotte:

As seen online:

“The technology is a failure, and I’d like to invite you to join me in treating it as such. I’m not the first one to land here, of course; the likes of Karen Hao, Alex Hanna, Emily Bender, and more have been on this beat longer than I have. And just to be clear, describing “AI” as a failure doesn’t mean it doesn’t have useful, individual applications; it’s possible you’re already thinking of some that matter to you. But I think it’s important to see those as exceptions to the technology’s overwhelming bias toward failure.”

— from Against the protection of stocking frames. — Ethan Marcotte as of 30 September 2025

See: Karen HaoAlex Hanna, Emily Bender

Sunday, September 28, 2025

IASEAI'26 will be 24-25 February 2026

As seen online:

“The International Association for Safe and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (IASEAI) invites submissions for its second annual conference, taking place 24-25 February 2026 (main conference) and 26 February 2026 (workshop day) in Paris, France.”

— from IASEAI'26 as of 28 September 2025

Friday, September 26, 2025

Media factsheet: eVisas – Home Office in the media

As seen online:

“British citizens who do not have a British passport because they are dual nationals (excluding Irish passport holders) may need to take action in future regarding how they prove their right of abode. Updates on this will be provided in due course.”

— from Media factsheet: eVisas – Home Office in the media as of 26 September 2025

I’m a Mizrahi Jew. Do I Count as a Person of Color? – The Forward

As seen online:

“To find out, I spent weeks talking to people in the black, biracial and Mizrahi communities. What I learned surprised me. Turns out, nobody quite knows how to categorize Mizrahi Jews.”

— from I’m a Mizrahi Jew. Do I Count as a Person of Color? – The Forward as of 26 September 2025

Friday, September 19, 2025

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." | CCCB LAB

As seen online:

“In 1962, in his book “Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible”, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke formulated his famous Three Laws, of which the third law is the best-known and most widely cited: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. 

The visualization below aims to explore this concept, offering a general classification of ‘magical acts’ and a timeline of what could be the evolution of their technological counterparts (you can click on any technology or ‘magical family’ and visit Wikipedia to get an idea of the concept).”

Other two laws:

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, they are almost certainly right; when they state something is impossible, they are very probably wrong. 

2. The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.

— from "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." | CCCB LAB as of 19 September 2025

Key parts of Trump's economic agenda now in Supreme Court's hands | Reuters

As seen online:

“Robert Luther III, also a George Mason University law professor, said the president has the power to direct U.S. economic policy and he expects the Supreme Court to agree with Trump both on tariffs and in firing Cook. "President Trump has made clear that his tariff policy is at the heart of his economic policy. If the Supreme Court rips one pillar out of that foundation, the building will collapse," Luther said.”

— from Key parts of Trump's economic agenda now in Supreme Court's hands | Reuters as of 19 September 2025

Thursday, September 18, 2025

The Rise of Fileless Malware: The Invisible Cyber Threat Hiding in Memory (and How to Stop It)

As seen online:

"Because little or nothing touches the disk, it’s harder for signature-based antivirus to flag and block."

True, but who uses purely signature-based antivirus? Are there any products left that only use signatures?

— from The Rise of Fileless Malware: The Invisible Cyber Threat Hiding in Memory (and How to Stop It) as of 18 September 2025