SCRAPINGS OF THE DAY – 03/31/23

Posted on by bobcabkings

Since someone who appears to have been trans-gendered killed six people last week, some Republicans are now describing all trans people and their allies as violent terrorists. The statistics on mass shootings tell a different story.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/28/2160727/-What-Republicans-aren-t-saying-At-least-95-of-mass-shootings-are-perpetrated-by-cisgender-men

The Hidden Brain takes on the meaning and consequences of “honor culture”.

Made of Honor

Looking at the entire collective mass of living things on Earth, all the animals and plants, the sizes of the organisms that make up most of it may surprise you.

Giants & Microbes Rule the World: Surprising Size Extremes Dominate Earth’s Biomass

I’ve never heard of this type of VD before, but apparently it is quite common, and until now, difficult to detect.

5-Minute Test Tackles the Silent STD Epidemic You’ve Never Heard Of

Anybody who has experienced depersonalization, even briefly, can, I think, attest to how weird it can feel. This study of the condition produced art of that experience.

Lost in Dreams: Depersonalization Study Inspires Haunting Artworks

SPECIAL SCRAPINGS – THE PROMISE AND PERIL OF THE AI CHAT BOTS

Posted on by bobcabkings

The stuff about CHATGTP and its cousins (or derivatives) has been piling up so fast that I decided to gather the recent crop together.

While not directly about the AIs, the question of our trust or otherwise of the tech giants does relate.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-accidentally-revealed-why-people-dont-trust-tech-companies/

This piece describes six key challenges in the human-AI relationship.

Researchers Identify 6 Challenges Humans Face With Artificial Intelligence

Like any other app or service on the internet, these tools can leak data or be hacked.

A bug revealed ChatGPT users’ chat history, personal and billing data

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) would like to investigate bias in a chat bot.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/30/23662101/ftc-openai-investigation-request-caidp-gpt-text-generation-bias

And this one is about that bias in the realm of politics.

AI’s Powers of Political Persuasion

A large number of people who know a lot about this stuff want the developers to take a pause.

Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter

And at least one such person didn’t sign that letter because he thinks what is needed is to shut the beasts down and kill them as dangerous to humanity, just simply not to be trusted at all.

https://time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-not-enough/

And Wired set out to do a product review of the chatbots already in use. While they can be handy and helpful, they also lie and make things up.

https://www.wired.com/story/review-ai-chatbots-bing-bard-chat-gpt/?bxid=5bd6730124c17c1048004ec8&cndid=31950619&esrc=AUTO_PRINT&source=Email_0_EDT_WIR_NEWSLETTER_0_DAILY_ZZ&utm_brand=wired&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_content=WIR_Daily_033023&utm_mailing=WIR_Daily_033023&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nl&utm_term=P2

SCRAPINGS OF THE DAY – 03/30/23

Posted on by bobcabkings

Not very surprisingly, kids are having second thoughts about going to colleges in state that are cracking down on abortion, LGBTQ rights, teaching real history, and more.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/3/27/2160521/-The-Red-State-brain-drain-accelerates-Liberal-students-refuse-to-attend-college-in-a-Red-state

Remember the Neoconservatives? Their influence is not gone.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/episodes/how-neoconservatism-led-us-iraq-on-the-media

Young people who have had a concussion have been told to take time off from school. That seems now to not be the best advice.

Contrary to Popular Belief: New Study Finds Early Return to School Can Accelerate Concussion Recovery

Researcher have found biomarkers specific to PTSD in blood, allowing a test to be developed.

PTSD Biomarkers Found in Blood

A big bird that hasn’t been seen in Bulgaria for a long tome is back with some human help.

Considered Extinct for 36 Years: Endangered Vulture Returns to Bulgaria