Category: science

  • AI Probably Cannot Read Your Mind

    AI Probably Cannot Read Your Mind

    I was fascinated by the news story about the study regarding the ability of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to “read minds.” Different stories told slightly different versions, meaning they either did or did not include the authors’ caveats about the limitations of AI. Recently there has been a spate of news items warning about the dangers…

  • FDA Update on Covid-19 Annual Vaccine Strategy

    FDA Update on Covid-19 Annual Vaccine Strategy

    On April 18, 2023 the FDA posted an update on the Covid-19 updated bivalent vaccine and the upcoming immunization strategy for this fall. According to the announcement: “In June, the FDA will hold a meeting of its VRBPAC to discuss the strain composition of the COVID-19 vaccines for fall of 2023. Much like the FDA…

  • Beating My Head on The Shower Wall

    Beating My Head on The Shower Wall

    I’ve been practicing the shower juggling pattern. I’m combining at least a couple of different methods, which may or may not be helping me improve. I’m using JuggleMan’s advice about trying to get some extra space in between the balls so I feel less rushed. I’m also trying to use Taylor Glenn’s method of combining…

  • Where is Juggling and Foosball on the Homunculus?

    Where is Juggling and Foosball on the Homunculus?

    I saw an interesting article published in Nature about the homunculus being outdated because of a new brain MRI study indicating that there’s a mind-body connection between the motor cortex and neural networks controlling planning and thought. There’s a mouthful for you. It makes me wonder about a few things. For example, can I improve…

  • Thoughts on Gullibility and Artificial Intelligence

    Thoughts on Gullibility and Artificial Intelligence

    I watched an episode of Mysteries at the Museum the other night and attributed a clever prank that fooled thousands of people to a comedian named Buck Henry who persuaded thousands of people into believing that naked animals were destroying the morality of Americans. The show’s host rightly claimed that Buck Henry posed as a…

  • Ban Siphoning Ozone

    Ban Siphoning Ozone

    I don’t know much about roundabouts, auto emissions, and the ozone layers, but evidently, they’re connected. Sena and I were talking about the roundabouts in Iowa City and Coralville. The definition of them and the instructions about how to drive in and out of them is simple although some drivers can get confused about the…

  • Update to Chat with Bard

    Update to Chat with Bard

    My recent chat with Google Bard, about which I posted on April 11, 2023, contained an error by Bard on all those strikes by physicians. Today I asked some follow-up questions: How many physician strikes have occurred in the United States? “There have been a few physician strikes in the United States, but they are…

  • How’s It Hanging, Bard?

    How’s It Hanging, Bard?

    I read the experiences of Dr. Ron Pies and Dr. George Dawson with Google Bard (see my post Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence). So I had my own conversation with Google Bard yesterday. Hi, Bard; how’s it hanging? “I am doing well, thank you for asking! I am excited to be able to help people with…

  • Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence

    Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence

    Sena and I just read Dr. Ron Pies fascinating essay describing his interaction with Google Bard Artificial Intelligence (AI). As usual, this made me think of several movies with AI as a central theme. There are several: I, Robot (I wrote a post about this a couple of years ago), Blade Runner, The Matrix, 2001:…

  • “Stink, Stank, Stunk!”

    “Stink, Stank, Stunk!”

    I’m just puzzled lately over what seems like a contradiction between two ideas I’ve seen in the news and in TV commercials. It’s all about body odor. There is this study that was recently published about stinky armpit odor possibly making the practice of mindfulness meditation more effective. This contrasts with the usual meaning of…