When ChatGPT Says it Knows it’s Wrong
When I asked ChatGPT to help me with research, it knowingly fabricated all its sources.
Think
Not a real math problem
The New York Times on mathematicians talking about their hatred for the the 8 ÷ 2(2+2) = ? “problem.”
Film Review: Who Will Write Our History?
My review of an exceptional documentary film that tells the story of resistance through documentation of daily life in the Warsaw Ghetto.
The kilogram is getting a makeover
The way we define a kilogram (and pounds too) is basically a high-tech refinement of a medieval technology. That’s about to change as the most influential bar in Paris is shutting down.
What would our planets look like if you flew by?
Artist Michael Benson has made some pretty fun and stunning images of celestial bodies in our solar system rendered in a manner that supposedly mimics the way our human eyes would perceive them if we were to fly by.
A NY Times crossword hint!
For those of you working on today’s (July 22, 2015) NY Times Crossword, I’ll give you this hint: my name appears somewhere on the board! Hope that wasn’t too much of a spoiler. This crossword is a pretty fun one. Give it a shot! > Go play the crossword! > Read about this puzzle on the …
Nick Hanauer: Inequality is bad for the rich
Check out this quite compelling TED talk from Nick Hanauer, an entrepreneur, investor, capitalist, and self-described plutocrat. Hanauer is a billionaire, but makes the case that trickle-down economics and rising inequality are especially bad for the rich. One claim he makes: Some inequality is necessary for a high-functioning capitalist democracy. The problem is that inequality is at …
Cheryl’s Birthday Problem and Information Filtering
I love seeing teasers about math and logic gain popular appeal! Here’s the math (specifically, logic) problem that the internet is talking about today: You can get the full problem nicely presented on either The Guardian or The New York Times websites. A number of other sites are talking about it today, too. Just Google “Cheryl …
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How much do you need to make in LA to afford the average apartment?
Answer: $33/hour, at least And a home? According to a new report from KPCC: The median home price in Los Angeles is $570,500, according to the real estate website, Trulia.com. But consider that the median income in Los Angeles is about half that: $49,497, according to census numbers from 2009-2013. So it’s no surprise that Los Angeles …
How much do you need to make in LA to afford the average apartment? Read More
Time flies, but what is it anyway?
As the end of 2014 approaches, so many of us wonder where the year behind went. Time, as they say, flies by. But ever stop to wonder, “what is time?” Is it a physical dimension like distance? How is this “4th” dimension different? Why don’t the laws of physics care which direction time runs? An episode …