Arts

Quote

“Ireland has conquered most of Britain’s major National Hunt races in recent years but like the Gaulish village in the Asterix series, one stable in Scotland continues to resist.” https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/apr/15/corach-rambler-wins-grand-national-after-animal-rights-protesters-force-delay-to-race-horse-racing

Environment Society

Insufferable Heat

This is bleak: The human cost of the climate crisis will hit harder, wider and sooner than previously believed, according to a study that shows a billion people will either be displaced or forced to endure insufferable heat for every additional 1C rise in the global temperature. In a worst-case scenario of accelerating emissions, areas currently home to a […]

Environment

What happened to The Ocean Cleanup — the system that would rid the oceans of plastic? (ABC News)

This came to my attention recently: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-03-17/ocean-cleanup-plastic-pollution-great-pacific-garbage-patch/102075810 “[But] if the plastic density was a tenth of what it is in those [Ocean Cleanup] videos, they’ll just be sailing around at sea wasting fuel and everything else.” For their part, The Ocean Cleanup say they’re using computer modelling and sophisticated ship navigation technology to concentrate their efforts on […]

Uncategorized

Fake Plastic Greening

“What would make a difference is developing mass transport and substantially reducing car ownership; closing coal mines and ending oil and gas exploration; promoting decentralised and community-managed renewable energy systems; doing away with industrial-scale monoculture farming; and supporting smallholder and Indigenous-led agroecological systems that have been shown to enhance nutrition, biodiversity and quality of life. […]

Society Technology

ChatGPT CEO – Technology will fix the problems of Technology

https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-chatgpt-ceo-sam-altman-responds-school-plagiarism-concerns-bans-2023-1 Given how popular ChatGPT has become, Altman believes that the world must adapt to generative AI and that technology will improve over time to prevent unintended consequences. “It’s an evolving world,” Altman said. “We’ll all adapt, and I think be better off for it. And we won’t want to go back.” I’m not convinced. […]