Fairer Chess?

I think my chess-playing friends will hate this idea: "Chess isn't fair -- so rearrange the pieces"

Encryption Update

EFF: "End-to-End Encrypted RCS Comes to Apple and Android Chats"

Now, those conversations can also benefit from the increased privacy and security that end-to-end encryption offers, making it so neither Google, Apple, nor the cellular carriers have access to the contents of messages. This feature comes courtesy of both Apple and Google supporting the GSMA RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which implements the Messaging Layer Security protocol for encryption. Metadata will likely still be collected and stored for these conversations, making alternatives like Signal still a better option for many conversations. Likewise, if you back up those conversations to the cloud, they may be stored unencrypted unless you enable Advanced Data Protection on iOS (Google Messages end-to-end encrypts the text of messages in backups, but not the media, so we’d like to see a similar offering as ADP on Android). Still, this is a significant step forward for the privacy of millions of conversations worldwide.

Rubber Band Magic

Danny Urbanus: "Penn & Teller FOOLED by a simple rubber band!" (Video, via Studio Neat.)

Two Beers And A Puppy

"2 Beers and a Puppy: A Helpful Test for Figuring Out Someone's Value in Your Life"

AI And Unit Distance Problem

"An OpenAI model has disproved a central conjecture in discrete geometry"

Fabricated AI Quotes in Book Perils Of AI Fabrications

Oops. Per the NYT: "Book on Truth in the Age of AI Contains Quotes Made Up by AI"

More Coffee Benefits

"Science Has Found Even More Ways Coffee Is Good for You"

Pringles Geometry

"The Geometry Behind Pringles"

A Pringle is a hyperbolic paraboloid. This is not a coincidence or a marketing flourish. It is a load-bearing geometric fact — and it explains everything: the stack, the snap, the can, and why the bottom chip doesn't crumble. 

Logarithmic Representation Of Observable Universe

"Logarithmic representation of the observable universe. Notable astronomical objects are annotated. Distance from Earth increases exponentially from center to edge. Celestial bodies were enlarged to appreciate their shapes."