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Technology

Some cool new aluminum batteries. Might be the way to go to avoid carbon and global warming.

Either way, Matt Ferrell is very enthusiastic, and will give you a positivity boost.

This is a reply to John Scalzi’s post on not using art AI:s.

I’m going to stick out my head to get it chopped off: I’m somewhat AI-positive myself.

Yes, that includes writing AI:s like GPT3, too, even though I’m a writer.

The reason for this is twofold:

First, I’m leaning against the lessons from the Bittorrent debacle in the late 90’s and early 00′. A lot of powerful people screaming how music piracy would destroy music, how no musician would be able to afford a living, and we’d all lose out.

What happened? (more…)

Some tech is just weirdly complex, and still works. Check out the ejection lug and the burst mode cogs…

Banner: Movie clickSo you’re browsing this on your phone. Or your WiFi. Or anything that isn’t connected to a metal cable.

So is everyone else around you. Which shouldn’t be possible, considering the amount of radio wave frequencies, and the amount of users.

That’s where the amazing division and mathematical twits come in – now we get to share the same radio, at the same time, and no one is the wiser!

Watch the whole documentary:

What do you do with your marijuana when you don’t want to smoke it?

Well, you could build houses from it. Like Hemp-crete. Which isn’t weed, but it’s association with drugs has caused us to miss out on some amazing features. Check out the movie:

Sometimes you see something that’s just too cool not to have, no matter how money and environmentally conscious you are.

This coded clock USB drive is such a thing. Also, the Lockpicking Lawyer shows why you should never trust an unknown computer device.

Banner: Movie clickIf you’ve ever wondered what the hype about NFT:s is based on, wonder no more.

This two-and-a-half-hour movie of a dude talking very fast will explain it all to you. And if you look beyond his politics, there’s the making of a giant bubble in there. Yes, it’s a stupid way to collect sports cards

Banner - Computer ChartsLet’s get the elephant out of the room. I think NFTs are overrated. Both in terms of money, and in terms of usability.

They are imaginary, resting on a social convention and people’s faulty understanding of technology. They have an outsized environmental impact (or rather the blockchains most NFTs rely on do, although that’s improving.)

And they add nothing, except a huge financial bubble, and yet another a way for organized crime to launder money.

But let’s explain NFTs so that we both know what we’re talking about. An NFT is a number. Nothing more, nothing less. (more…)

Banner: Movie clickIt rains. Streets overflow. Get rid of it as fast as possible, before everything floods, right?

Not so fast. Getting rid of rain isn’t quite that easy, and there’s an entire tech infrastructure dedicated to doing just that. Also, why you should never cross running water in your car… (more…)

Banner: Movie clickBatteries from air. Long term storage at 60% efficiency using off-the-shelf OEM components. So-long rare earth metals. So-long lithium. Welcome New Glorious Age of Eco-Aquarius. (more…)