Life-size holograms in a razor-thin display. These are pretty neat. There's a Salvador Dali video hologram in a museum where you can watch Dali talk to you like he was giving a lecture.
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Here's an interesting longevity study. Scientists Put Anti-Aging Treatments to the Test – These Ones Actually Changed Biological Age. Sounds exciting, right? Here's the paper. First of all, it's nice to see the latest panel of what is used to measure biological age. PhenoAge is one of the oldest, and has been validated in datasets like NHANES III. The more modern ones, which take into account DNA methylation haven't actually validated as well. But they take into account more recent research developments are likely to be relevant and have indirect reasons to be included. But I was surprised to see antiretroviral therapy as the treatments that made the most difference. When you look at Supplement 1, it was based on a study of HIV-positive patients. Treating them with ART made a big difference in their biomarkers. But it is important to note that the study did not talk about survival prolongation. The data that made anti-TNF therapy look good was based on drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. These drugs have hazards, such as tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections. There is little data of these treatments on healthy individuals. Even the metformin data was used in those with diabetes mellitus. We still don't have good data to support metformin therapy as a lifespan extender in a baseline healthy person.
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Crap, do I now have to worry about someone using a Flipper Zero from their Garmin watch? These devices are security hazards, and do things like card skimming and auto theft. But at least before you could tell when someone was using one of these devices. But now, they can hide it in a backpack and just pretend they are interacting with their watch.
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I didn't know Stephen Pinker and Scott Alexander were considering having a debate about AI doomerism. Two deep thinkers. Might be interesting to watch.
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Someone wrote a book to guide angel investors and startup founders about what to do when their company is struggling. As the author says: "It is the book you keep on the shelf and hope not to reach for." But they all have ups and downs. Even Google was rejected at first.
Speaking of Google, here's how their search engine started getting really weird. That's funny – a search engine pretending to be a mental health counselor.
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Did you see SNL's parody of Dario Amodei? Many young people start their sentences with "So..." But yeah, why are Musk, Amodei, Jaan Tallinn and Altman asking for the government to implement AI regulations? We all suspect it's just regulatory capture.
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PubMed is launching Linked Discoveries which is a way to see what other research is related to the one you are reading. They used to have a link with each search results where you could see what other papers were related, but that disappeared. So it's good to have this.
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Glucosamine, a popular joint supplement, linked to faster Alzheimer’s progression. This supplement is not very effective against joint pain anyway. Paper here. The danger is hyperglycosylation, just like from having high blood sugar levels. Glucosamine harms you just like glucose.
Also: How Fast You Age During 40s May Predict Memory Lapses in Your 50s. And in your 40s, you are probably working your hardest, not getting enough sleep and under a lot of stress. Things that make you age fast.
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CaptiVision is a handy tool for the profoundly hard of hearing. Not only can you tell what is being said, but also who is saying it. Unmet need.
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Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers. I used to get solicitations to be a member of National Dean's List and Who's Who in America. They'll list you for a fee. At first, I couldn't believe I was selected for this "honor" and then I realized it was a scam. This research society scam is the same thing, operated by this Chinese guy.
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Google tried to hide a breakthrough in quantum computing through releasing a zero-knowledge proof to conceal the details of their research. It just made others work harder and release better results. Sad trombone.
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I came across this article in the WSJ about the growing trend of young adults cutting off their parents. Apparently many adults are taking the stance that they don't have to put up with their parents perceived flaws anymore. Anything goes – political differences, opinion differences, whatever. And there is an industry of "estrangement influencers" who will support and even encourage this decision and make these young adults think they are doing the right thing. Then I came across this article: An Existential Guide to: Forgiving Your Parents. But I bet most won't have the insight or mental capacity to grasp this.
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NYT has an article about Washington State's contemplated millionaires tax. Unlike billionaires, millionaires aren't so mobile. They may not be business owners, and able to move it elsewhere. Wealth taxes are even crazier. This is going to make smart and productive people think twice about taking a job in Washington state. But the Democrats will have to learn the hard way. Things will have to get bad before they get better.
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