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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron
@jjaron.bsky.social
4.9K followers 2.9K following 2.7K posts
News editor at New Scientist. I read a lot of books, and recommend the best ones to you
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · Nov 15
I used to share book recommendations on the other place but got out of the habit this year as engagement massively dropped off. Thinking about putting together my top 10 list for this year though, so as a test, like this, and for each like I'll recommend something great I read in the past 5 years
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 4h
My leader this week asks, if politicians believe climate change to be an issue, why aren't they acting like it? www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
We've hit a climate tipping point, but leaders seem unlikely to act
A report on the state of the climate has concluded coral reefs are on a knife-edge, even as the world shifts away from making good on net zero
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 40m
I love that The Big Dog Theory has left Stephen Fry essentially unkillable #CelebrityTraitors
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stevenperkins.bsky.social
Steven Perkins @stevenperkins.bsky.social · 1h
Celia Imrie farting on national television justifies the licence fee tbh #CelebrityTraitors
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katebevan.com
Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 1h
Celia has absolutely elevated herself to National Treasure status with that fart #CelebrityTraitors
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amandamull.bsky.social
Amanda Mull @amandamull.bsky.social · 1h
The problem of tech people not understanding why normal people do things is longstanding, but in this case: people who read long business stories do it *because* they want the stuff the company might not want to tell you. The audience for anything else is just the subject’s friends and employees
rmac.bsky.social
Ryan Mac 🙃 @rmac.bsky.social · 1h
this is the dumbest shit i have ever read
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rmac.bsky.social
Ryan Mac 🙃 @rmac.bsky.social · 1h
this is the dumbest shit i have ever read
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1h
Long-necked sauropods like diplodocus 🦕 are some of the most iconic dinosaurs, but how did those necks get so long? Thanks to a new fossil, we're getting a look at the evolutionary process www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
Dinosaur fossil rewrites the story of how sauropods got long necks
A 230-million-year-old fossil found in Argentina shows that the evolution of sauropod dinosaurs’ long necks began earlier than previously thought
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1h
Simply incredible biotech. We will reap the rewards of mRNA vaccines for a long time to come - and the US is setting itself up to fall behind the curve www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
Why the next generation of mRNA vaccines is set to be even better
Scientists are designing mRNA vaccines to produce virus-like nanoparticles, which should lead to a more robust immune response with even fewer side effects than either of these immunisation approaches...
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 4h
And here it is www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
We've hit a climate tipping point, but leaders seem unlikely to act
A report on the state of the climate has concluded coral reefs are on a knife-edge, even as the world shifts away from making good on net zero
www.newscientist.com
jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 4h
Many seem to have forgotten that signing a bit of paper is the easy bit - you actually have to *do* something afterwards
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 4h
My leader this week asks, if politicians believe climate change to be an issue, why aren't they acting like it? www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
We've hit a climate tipping point, but leaders seem unlikely to act
A report on the state of the climate has concluded coral reefs are on a knife-edge, even as the world shifts away from making good on net zero
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 4h
How many fundamental constants are there? Turns out that's a tricky question! Great feature from @jacklinkwan.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2498...
The 30-year fight over how many numbers we need to describe reality
In 1992, three physicists began an argument about how many numbers we need to fully describe the universe. Their surprisingly long-running quarrel takes us to the heart of what’s truly real
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 14h
Great column from @kpc.bsky.social on the current state of the quantum computing industry www.newscientist.com/article/2499...
What makes a quantum computer good?
Claims that one quantum computer is better than another rest on terms like quantum advantage or quantum supremacy, fault-tolerance or qubits with better coherence – what does it all mean? Karmela Pada...
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 9h
Here's @sparkes.bsky.social on what happens if/when the AI bubble bursts. If you're expecting it to all go away, you're probably wrong www.newscientist.com/article/2499...
The AI bubble is heading towards a burst but it won't be the end of AI
Economists, bankers and even the boss of OpenAI are warning of a rapidly inflating AI bubble. If and when it bursts, what will happen to the technological breakthroughs of the past few years?
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 5h
I get it, it's just not the model. It's like saying you want to pay $10 to watch a specific show on Netflix - that's not going to be on offer!
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 5h
Big Eel doesn't want you to know
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 5h
The suggestion was $10 per *article*
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 5h
Sure, $10 an article might start to work for publishers, but at that point I don't think you'd get many people purchasing! At one point we (New Scientist) sold individual issue access through our app but I think we stopped, presumably because there wasn't much demand.
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 5h
Sorry!
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georgeosborn.bsky.social
George E. Osborn @georgeosborn.bsky.social · 6h
The AI economy is like trying to tell that mate of yours who never buys a pint that it's their turn to buy a round, except that when they say they don't have their card on them the entire economy crashes
edzitron.com
Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 6h
This isn’t even close to a plan! Why is this being reported as a “five year plan” when it’s a series of vague ideas?
OpenAI is working on new revenue lines, debt partnerships and further fundraising as part of a five-year plan to make good on the more than $1tn in spending it has pledged to create world-leading artificial intelligence. OpenAI is planning on deals to serve governments and businesses with more bespoke products, creating more income from new shopping tools, and new sales from its video creation service Sora and AI agents, said multiple people familiar with the start-up’s efforts. These people said it is exploring “creative” plans to raise new debt that can help it build out its AI infrastructure, while considering becoming a supplier of computing resources via its data centre initiative Stargate. It is also weighing ways to cash in on its intellectual property by developing new AI infrastructure, making forays into online advertising and plans to launch consumer hardware products, including a new AI-powered personal assistant device, with former Apple star designer Jony Ive.
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 6h
I always share this definitive piece by @jamesball.bsky.social - while the ability to buy individual articles is desirable for readers, the economics don't work for publishers. It's better to have one person take out a $100 subscription than sell 100 articles for $1 www.cjr.org/opinion/micr...
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 8h
Just make it up in volume
paulduane.bsky.social
Paul Duane 🥔 @paulduane.bsky.social · 1d
'Sora cost $20 a month & subscribers can generate an unlimited number of AI videos... this costs (Sora owners) OpenAI "at least $5 per 10-second video"'.

Journalists, please ask more questions about how this tech could ever in a million years make a profit?
britthates.bsky.social
britt hayes @britthates.bsky.social · 1d
studio execs & major outlets claim AI is "inevitable" and poised to take over Hollywood. the reality is much different. i spoke with filmmakers, producers, and editors about how AI is actually showing up in productions – and what it still can't do:
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newscientist.com
New Scientist @newscientist.com · 8h
What's the best gift for a science lover you've ever given or received?

Let us know below, or for the chance to be included in New Scientist’s gift guide, email [email protected] telling us about the gift, and why it was so great.
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 8h
Ok but why does it look like David Cameron
nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 8h
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

“In financial markets, a bubble occurs when the level of investment in an asset becomes persistently detached from the amount of profit that asset could plausibly generate,” Jared Bernstein and Ryan Cummings write in a guest essay. “A.I. investment fits that pattern.”
Opinion | The A.I. Bubble Looks Real
The A.I. boom is likely a speculative bubble. Like the dot-com bust and the housing crisis, its pop is going to hurt.
nyti.ms
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 9h
Here's @sparkes.bsky.social on what happens if/when the AI bubble bursts. If you're expecting it to all go away, you're probably wrong www.newscientist.com/article/2499...
The AI bubble is heading towards a burst but it won't be the end of AI
Economists, bankers and even the boss of OpenAI are warning of a rapidly inflating AI bubble. If and when it bursts, what will happen to the technological breakthroughs of the past few years?
www.newscientist.com
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