This is a fascinating interview about AI but this is the quote that stands out to me:
“To be an optimist you have to have the courage to be a fearsome critic. … The critic is the one who says this can be better and that means optimism.” — Jaron Lanier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8vU9QtcMZw

In the spring of 2021, Sarper Ozharar—a physicist at NEC Laboratories, which operates the Princeton test bed—noticed a strange signal in the DAS data. “We realized there were some weird things happening,” says Ozharar. “Something that shouldn’t be there. There was a distinct frequency buzzing everywhere.”
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/12/roar-of-cicadas-was-so-loud-it-was-picked-up-by-fiber-optic-cables/

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”—Joseph Campbell

"Some have argued that the Little House series should continue to be read, but critically." https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/little-house-prairie-was-built-native-american-land-180962020/

Beaded moccasins confiscated from a Pa. school 100 years ago return to Native tribe
https://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2023/11/24/carlisle-indian-industrial-school-beaded-moccasins-sisseton-wahpeyton-oyate/stories/202311220102

"So many indignities are involved in aging, and yet so many graces, too. The perfectionism that had run me ragged and has kept me scared and wired my whole life has abated."--Anne Lamott, who as usual captures my feelings. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/30/aging-health-strength-mind-heart/

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced that the state is making a $27.2 million investment in devices as part of an effort to ensure residents have the technology to access reliable, high-speed internet. https://statescoop.com/maryland-will-hand-out-133000-chromebooks-to-the-public/

The drug reduces a growth-promoting hormone that is believed to be the reason larger dogs have much shorter life spans than smaller breeds. The fast-tracked approval will make the drug available on the market by 2026. https://themessenger.com/news/dogs-expanded-life-span-drug-fda-approval-large-breeds

TIL about cupcake ipsum
https://cupcakeipsum.com/

Lunch today, using "stuff we have in the house." Yummy, though the instructions sure could use an editor.
https://rouxbe.com/recipes/1562-pork-with-morel-calvados-sauce

RIP Shane MacGowan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8

While well-intentioned, asking ‘Can I pick your brain?’is overused, vague and way too open-ended. When conversations start this way, there’s no telling where it’ll go or how long it’ll take. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/09/stop-asking-can-i-pick-your-brain-harvard-says-this-is-how-successful-people-ask-for-advice.html

We all nod along with this https://slate.com/human-interest/2023/06/life-before-cell-phones-internet-after-work.html

This One Weird Trick For Writing Clickbait Headlines Will Leave You Speechless

Hundreds attend church service generated by ChatGPT to find out if AI can preach
https://www.themirror.com/news/world-news/hundreds-attend-church-service-generated-203151

Investigating the origins of two early-20th-century Italian “flap anatomy” books.
https://www.sciencehistory.org/collections/blog/a-pigeon-a-cow-and-a-book-detective/

I have been turned to the Travelpro side of The Force https://amzn.to/3N5hbP0

Everyone needs an editor. Or a translator.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mistranslation-of-newtons-first-law-discovered-after-nearly-300-years1/