Stories from Around the Web (Week Ending July 19, 2013)
10 Rules of Internet
The most brilliant thing I’ve read about the Internet in a long time, maybe ever.
—Brent Turner, Chief Digital Officer
You Are Being Tracked
Police docs reveal the extent of license plate scanning in the U.S.
—Tom Simonite, IT Editor
Do Clinical Trials Work?
The vast majority of new drugs fail in clinical trial, often at late stages. This article argues that the solution is to test many drugs within a single trial.
—Susan Young, Biomedical Editor
Crunching Literary Numbers
Interesting piece from the Sunday Times on using big data to study trends in literary novels through the centuries.
—Tim Maher, Managing Editor
The Pros and Cons of a Surveillance Society
Nick Bilton ties together seemingly disparate news events to mull how cameras everywhere can inhibit but also enhance freedom.
—Brian Bergstein, Deputy Editor
CIA Backs $630,000 Scientific Study on Controlling Global Climate
Mother Jones has an interesting news story about how the CIA is footing half the bill for a National Academy of Sciences-led investigation into certain proposed geo-engineering strategies.
—Mike Orcutt, Research Editor
The Tyranny of Traditional TV
As technology companies work to revolutionize the living room, the stranglehold of cable companies may finally be slipping.
—Will Knight, Online Editor
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Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch
Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.
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