Hi everyone!
Before we begin, here’s a random thought I had recently...
Last summer, we bought our first EV, and we’ve been loving it. The acceleration, the quietness, and the convenience are top-notch. I wouldn’t go back to an internal combustion engine.
And yet, a few weeks ago I was driving on the highway and couldn’t shake a strange thought. I somehow appreciated the technology in my EV less than in my old gas car.
See, an internal combustion engine is a masterpiece of synchronized chaos. Piston moves down, fuel and air are mixed, piston goes up, spark plug ignites the mixture, the explosion pushes the piston back down, and you get forward motion. We’ve perfected this technology to no end. It’s an engineering marvel.
And my EV? It feels simple in comparison. Pull energy from a battery, convert it to AC, send to the motor, done. Far less complicated, far less challenging.
It’s a bizarre paradox. I marvel at the engineering behind the internal combustion engine, and yet I prefer driving my EV. It’s quieter, it’s more efficient, simpler, and more reliable.
I looked it up online, and this feeling is called “mechanical sympathy”, an appreciation for physical ingenuity. I have a similar feeling about watches. Somehow I appreciate a mechanical watch more than a smartwatch.
Am I the only one feeling this way, or am I just a weirdo? Let me know!
Enjoy this newsletter,
Xavier
🤓 Cool Stuff I Found on the Internet
Banning 3D printers
California wants to censor 3D printers to prevent users from printing firearm parts. A new bill proposes to install software on every printer that prevents users from printing “illegal” design files.
Sperm whale language
Scientists have discovered that sperm whale communication has an “alphabet” and “vowels” that are very similar to ours. Whales communicate with a series of clicks and by altering the length and tone of these clicks, they create different sounds. Of all other animal communication systems studied so far, this appears to be the most advanced and most similar to human language.
The Nappa Latte
Need an energy boost? Dr. Michael Breus shared a tip on a recent episode of Diary of a CEO. Drink black coffee as fast as you can (without burning yourself) and immediately take a 25-minute nap. The adenosine built up in your brain will be released and caffeine will take its place, giving you 4 hours of additional energy.
👽 Space
Artemis ll returns
the four-person crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission successfully returned to Earth after spending 10 days in space and flying around the moon. This mission marked the first time humans had traveled to the moon. NASA proved its new rocket and spacecraft can safely carry people into deep space. The next step? One more test before landing astronauts on the moon by 2030.
Nuclear reactor on Moon
What's next for the Artemis program? Well, NASA wants to put a nuclear reactor on the moon to power a future lunar base. Current space missions rely on solar power, but it's intermittent and requires heavy batteries. Nuclear reactors would provide continuous energy, allowing for longer missions.
Space toilets
How do you go to the bathroom in space? This blog post goes into all the nitty-gritty details of doing your business in space.
TikTok Brain Rot
Doomscrolling really rots your brain. A new study let two groups of people watch videos. One group watches a single 10-minute video, while the other watched short clips. Afterward, they took a memory test. The continuous video group answered 66% of the questions correctly. The short video group? Only 43%.
⏳ On this day...
1506 - The cornerstone of St. Peter's Basilica was laid in Rome. This marked the beginning of a construction project that lasted over a century, resulting in one of the world's most famous examples of Renaissance architecture and a central landmark for global history and art.
1938 - Superman made his first appearance in Action Comics #1, launching the Golden Age of comic books.
1946 - The International Court of Justice held its inaugural meeting in The Hague, Netherlands. It created a permanent global forum for settling legal disputes between nations and upholding international law.
🧠🤖 Artificial intelligence
AI gives bad medical advice
Thinking of using chatbots for medical advice? A new study found half of the answers from popular AIs are problematic or downright wrong. Researchers tested five major chatbots and found them all to be lacking. Grok generated the most problematic responses, while Gemini produced the fewest.
Even Microsoft doesn't trust Copilot
Here's a fun fact: the terms of service for Microsoft Copilot state it's "for entertainment purposes only." A surprising warning for a tool that is marketed for use at work!
AI is drowning workers
There's a huge disconnect when it comes to AI productivity numbers. 92% of executives believe AI makes them more productive. But 40% of their employees say AI saves them no time at all. A new study found workers are spending over 3 hours a month fixing AI slop.
Project Glasswing
There's been a lot of fear around Anthropic's latest model, Claude Mythos. It's exceptionally good at finding and exploiting weaknesses in software. So much so that Anthropic decided not to release it to the public and instead work with major tech companies to secure their software first. Sounds very scary, but perhaps also a bit exaggerated.
🏥 Health & Medicine
Reverse brain aging
As we age, our brains develop inflammation hot spots that cause brain fog and memory issues. To reverse this brain aging, scientists have developed a nasal spray that can fight this inflammation. In lab studies, just two doses significantly reduced brain inflammation and restored memory within weeks!
Fluoride's impact on IQ
A new US study found no link between water fluoridation and deteriorating brain function. It used data from a long-term study that followed over 10,000 people since 1957, testing cognition from their teens into older adulthood. What has been proven is that fluoridation reduces tooth decay by 25%.
⚡️ Energy & Environment
Nordic countries and free energy
Nordic countries like Sweden, Finland, and Denmark have gone all-in on wind and hydropower. This created so much energy that the grid is often flooded with excess supply, resulting in negative prices. While cheap power is great for consumers, it’s also a challenge for energy producers, as ultra-low prices could stop them from investing in renewables.
Google goes full gas
Google, once a clean energy leader, is partnering on a massive natural gas power plant in Texas. The plant could emit more CO2 per year than the entire city of San Francisco and will power new datacenters. Why is Google changing course on its climate ambitions? Because AI needs immense amounts of energy, and this is a fast way to get more of it. And it’s not just Google. Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are making similar moves.