*It's pretty good stuff. I never knew that Norman Bel Geddes designed the casing for the Harvard Mark I computer. A Bel Geddes mainframe, what do you know.
*Say what you like about nuclear weapons, at least they never yet melted the polar icecaps.
The FTC Is Disappearing Blog Posts About AI Published During Lina Khan’s Tenure
The Federal Trade Commission removed several blog posts in recent months about open source and potential risks to consumers from the rapid spread of commercial AI tools.
Nancy Mace Curses, Berates Confused Cops in Airport Meltdown: Police Report
At an airport in South Carolina on Thursday, US representative Nancy Mace called police officers “fucking incompetent” and berated them repeatedly, according to an incident report.
No, ICE (Probably) Didn’t Buy Guided Missile Warheads
A federal contracting database lists an ICE payment for $61,218 with the payment code for “guided missile warheads and explosive components.” But it appears ICE simply entered the wrong code.
The Government Shutdown Is a Ticking Cybersecurity Time Bomb
Many critical systems are still being maintained, and the cloud provides some security cover. But experts say that any lapses in protections like patching and monitoring could expose government systems.
Physicists Create a Thermometer for Measuring ‘Quantumness’
“Anomalous” heat flow, which at first appears to violate the second law of thermodynamics, gives physicists a way to detect quantum entanglement without destroying it.
Climate Change Made Hurricane Melissa 4 Times More Likely, Study Suggests
Unusually warm ocean temperatures fueled one of the worst hurricanes on record. New research finds climate change increased the storm’s likelihood.
How to Hack a Poker Game
This week on Uncanny Valley, we break down how one of the most common card shufflers could be altered to cheat, and why that matters—even for those who don’t frequent the poker table.
In Orbit You Have to Slow Down to Speed Up
Driving a spacecraft around a planet isn’t anything like driving on a planet. A physicist explains orbital navigation.
Historians Don't Think a US Civil War Is Likely—but They're Still Nervous
“The fabric of what binds America together at this point is basically on its final thread,” one source tells WIRED.
Teachers Get Death Threats After MAGA Claims Their Halloween Costumes Mocked Charlie Kirk
A Turning Point USA official inaccurately claimed a high school's math department wore Halloween costumes that mocked Charlie Kirk. Those teachers are now facing a flood of online attacks and death threats.
How Genes Have Harnessed Physics to Grow Living Things
The same pulling force that causes “tears” in a glass of wine also shapes embryos. It’s another example of how genes exploit mechanical forces for growth and development.
Unpicking How to Measure the Complexity of Knots
Two mathematicians have proved that a straightforward question—how hard is it to untie a knot?—has a complicated answer.