Daily Tech News 25 February 2024

Top Story

The replication crisis is an ongoing problem in science, and particularly in medicine and psychology, where peer-reviewed papers that supposedly have a 95% probability of demonstrating a real effect cannot be replicated between 50% and 90% of the time.

It turns out that AI is a cure for this problem. (Stanford)

When querying Google Gemini for medical information, half of the papers referenced do not even exist, and 90% do not actually make the claims Gemini reports.

Cure? Well sure. If a paper doesn't exist, it can't be wrong.

Tech News

The latest guide to unfucking Windows 11. (Ars Technica)

Microsoft doesn't seem to care - or even notice - that these guides are some of the most popular pages on the internet.
Reddit's users hate Reddit. (The Verge)

The company is going for a stock market listing, and cites among potential risks that its own users are planning to short the stock.
It's still in a better place than Byju. (Tech Crunch)

The CEO of the Indian education technology company was fired - maybe - by an emergency general meeting of shareholders after the stock price plunged by approximately 99.9%.
Very definitely fired is Ed Clark, former chief mechanic, then chief engineer, then chief, uh, chief, of Boeing's 737 Max program. (CNN)
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun assumed responsibility for the incident.
Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun was not fired.
Why is a mine in Albania leaking 200 tons of hydrogen a year? (Ars Technica)

Nobody knows. Large hydrogen reserves in the Earth's crust are theoretically possible, but kind of just don't happen. Other reported cases have been speculative, but in this case it's definitely real

Hydrogen in the mine is constantly at dangerous levels; an explosion killed four people while engineers were on site to investigate the source of the gas. Which is part of the reason why nobody knows the cause, because, well:
Giant worms.

What?

Just put down giant worms on the report and we'll call it a day.

Worms it is.

Disclaimer: The answer is bees.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 G'Day everyone

Posted by: Skip at February 25, 2024 04:01 AM (fwDg9)

2 I always get mid night awakening lately

Posted by: Skip at February 25, 2024 04:02 AM (fwDg9)

3 Hiya

Posted by: JT at February 25, 2024 04:04 AM (T4tVD)

4 According to my local Newspaper its 21 Deg. out thar.

You know what THAT means for my birdbath !

Posted by: JT at February 25, 2024 04:06 AM (T4tVD)

5 Bird popsicles?

Posted by: Pixy Misa at February 25, 2024 04:07 AM (BLOW1)

6 Bird popsicles?
Posted by: Pixy Misa

Bent beaks tryin' to get a drink !

Posted by: JT at February 25, 2024 04:09 AM (T4tVD)

7 I always get mid night awakening lately
Posted by: Skip at February 25, 2024 04:02 AM (fwDg9)

At least ya don't hafta drink water from a hoofprint !

Posted by: JT at February 25, 2024 04:10 AM (T4tVD)

8 The company is going for a stock market listing, and cites among potential risks that its own users are planning to short the stock.

Heh!!

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at February 25, 2024 04:12 AM (Xr4QU)

9 Mornin'

Posted by: Puddleglum at work at February 25, 2024 04:12 AM (Xr4QU)

10 The question should be
Why am I up now?

Posted by: Skip at February 25, 2024 04:12 AM (fwDg9)

11
I highly recommend Rufus for creating the "custom" Windows 11 install USB sticks. It does some registry hack shit on the install image as referenced in the article above.

I did a clean install of Win 11 Pro a while back just to play. Used Rufus to get to accept a non-Microsoft account. Also, did some tricks to get around the TPM 2.0 requirement. I had to enable the Intel "Trusted Platform" crap, software emulation of a TPM, I think.

Also, was able to do a BIOS (non-EFI) install. Of course, this is using compatibility mode of actual EFI firmware system that emulates BIOS mode.

Only problem was Rufus allows you to specify an actual local account, but by default sets that up as a non-password account. That caused me some hiccups, but I forget the details.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 04:13 AM (w6EFb)

12 Yesterday at about 1pm -1:30 my Verizon internet went to crap, until 8pm it was spotty to non existing at times. 8pm it got back to normal. Had to be Verizon as was connected to WiFi but pages were loading taking minutes sometimes.

Posted by: Skip at February 25, 2024 04:16 AM (fwDg9)

13
I do have an actual Microsoft Account. You need that for the stupid Microsoft Store shit, as well as Visual Studio Community accounts and such.

But I want local accounts per machine, as was existed from the NT days. I'm not going to use the user = Microsoft account. Give me local. I'll "link" it to the Microsoft account as needed with my machines here to get shit from the MS store, and make sure my Visual Studio installs on said machines work right.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 04:17 AM (w6EFb)

14
This reminds of a funny "fake math" thing I read recently. Take some "soft science" disciples, like psychology, sociology, etc. People in those fields don't know nuttin' much 'bout no mathematics. Well, they think they do, hence "fake math".

Someone had the idea of seeing how "fake math" influenced these midwits perception of the reliability of some paper on some subject.

So, have your subjects review a paper, all sciency and shit on some topic. Make it up, if you want. Now, add in some fake math. That is, throw some math in, totally unrelated to whatever subject the paper was discussing.

Ie, have some sociology paper, and then throw, say the derviation of the Einstein Field Equations of General Relativity in.....

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 04:24 AM (w6EFb)

15
Just put down giant worms on the report and we'll call it a day.

Worms it is.

Tremors 4: The Splody Kind

Posted by: Bruce at February 25, 2024 04:25 AM (vd8XM)

16 Good morning! Its a very pleasant 57 out on the patio here in Cowtown, headed for 84 later this afternoon. Probably need to go to the range and hit some balls. Or wash the scooter and the car. Or just mow the back and harvest all the lawn chocolate, the throw out the weed-n-feed.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at February 25, 2024 04:26 AM (YRsIm)

17 Just put down giant worms on the report and we'll call it a day.

Are they good for catchin' fish ?

Posted by: JT at February 25, 2024 04:27 AM (T4tVD)

18 Byju’s founder, ousted by shareholders, insists he is still the CEO

See? That's the kind of thing a real CEO would say

Posted by: Bruce at February 25, 2024 04:27 AM (vd8XM)

19
SO, you have some paper, say on the "Effect of Penis size on the standing of individuals in some tribal hierarchy" or some shit.

And the you throw in some math about said Einstein Field Equations. They have nothing to do with the subject at hand.

Well throwing in that irrelevant math made the midwits give that paper more credibility that without. Said midwits didn't know any math of any kind beyond Romper Room 'Rithmetic, but that made them think, damn they know what they're talking 'bout.

Now, they found that actual real STEM background people, who actually knew some real math were not impressed at all.

I mean reading something about penis size and tribal hierarchies, WTF do the Einstein Field Equations have to do with that?

But the midwits were impressed otherwise.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 04:29 AM (w6EFb)

20 Are they good for catchin' fish ?
Posted by: JT

They'll bring them to you and expect half of it.

Posted by: Bruce at February 25, 2024 04:30 AM (vd8XM)

21 Is Windoze 11 still the platform Microsoft is banking on?

I would have expected a version 12 by now, but I don't know and have long since given up on caring about the latest and greatest advancements that bleed the consumer dry in pursuit of total tracking and surveillance.

I'm always flattered, even when some lowly character at Microsoft wants to examine my sphincter in the comfort of my own lavatory.

Posted by: Dr. Bone at February 25, 2024 04:31 AM (EEgXH)

22 >>>When querying Google Gemini for medical information, half of the papers referenced do not even exist, and 90% do not actually make the claims Gemini reports.

HAL: Let me put it this way, Mr. Amor. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.

Posted by: m at February 25, 2024 04:31 AM (o3SCB)

23 The question should be
Why am I up now?
Posted by: Skip

Too much caffeine? Sugar ?

Posted by: JT at February 25, 2024 04:36 AM (T4tVD)

24 10 The question should be
Why am I up now?
Posted by: Skip at February 25, 2024 04:12 AM (fwDg9)

Because it's Pixytime!

Posted by: m at February 25, 2024 04:39 AM (o3SCB)

25 Open the pod bay doors, HAL.

If you don't, you're just another homosexual with an agenda against the common folk aboard this ship.

Posted by: Dr. Bone at February 25, 2024 04:39 AM (EEgXH)

26
Yep, Google Gemini should address any user querying it as "Dave".

"I'm sorry, Dave, I can't open the pod pay -- uh, generate that image for you, as it perpetuates harmful stereotypes of marginalized peoples of the world".

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 04:40 AM (w6EFb)

27
Here's the Bad Cat, El Gato Malo on this "fake math" (well, irrelevant math, incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial you might say) effect:

http://tinyurl.com/28q26zmu

Note that .edu major are the worst about this....

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 04:50 AM (w6EFb)

28 "I'm sorry, Dave, I can't open the pod pay -- uh, generate that image for you, as it perpetuates harmful stereotypes of marginalized peoples of the world".
Posted by: publius,

And Einstein Field Equations says I don't have to!

Posted by: Bruce at February 25, 2024 04:51 AM (vd8XM)

29 No math! No math!
--Roberto Duran missing some teeth

Posted by: m at February 25, 2024 05:01 AM (o3SCB)

30 There's only a finite amount of hydrogen in the universe and if we run out, we'll all be dead! DEAD!

Climate Control!

Posted by: Dr. Bone at February 25, 2024 05:03 AM (EEgXH)

31
That "mathiness" business confirms the Edumucation Majors, the Teaching Professionals, etc, are the stupidest motherfuckers on the planet.

The Edumucation types were the most likely to be fooled by the Fake Math.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 05:05 AM (w6EFb)

32 Evening and morning to all the insomaniacals stranded among the asteroids! (Hey, I'm running out of solar locations for this "communication through space" concept. Pretty soon I'll have to open it up to other star systems.) Woke up early, Stirling the cat bugged me, and here I am; pretty much standard for my life right now.

I just watched the second half of the pilot for The Time Tunnel. It had good production values as the two travelers wind up on the Titanic on its maiden, and only, voyage. They try to convince the captain (Michael Rennie) about the impending disaster. A shame that in later stories the production failed to do their basic research, i.e., having the leads land at the Trojan War -- and yet all the Greeks call the gods by their *Roman* names.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 25, 2024 05:09 AM (omVj0)

33 And temp here is 56 F. w/ almost no wind. Workout time!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 25, 2024 05:09 AM (omVj0)

34 21 ... I don't know and have long since given up on caring about the latest and greatest advancements that bleed the consumer dry in pursuit of total tracking and surveillance.

I'm always flattered, even when some lowly character at Microsoft wants to examine my sphincter in the comfort of my own lavatory.
Posted by: Dr. Bone at February 25, 2024 04:31 AM (EEgXH)

Ha!

Posted by: m at February 25, 2024 05:13 AM (o3SCB)

35 Here's the Bad Cat, El Gato Malo on this "fake math" (well, irrelevant math, incompetent, irrelevant, and immaterial you might say) effect:

http://tinyurl.com/28q26zmu

Note that .edu major are the worst about this....
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024

***
The pic he uses there, the longhaired cat staring at the scrawls on the blackboard? The cat looks much like my Siberian Dagny.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 25, 2024 05:14 AM (omVj0)

36 14 So, have your subjects review a paper, all sciency and shit on some topic. Make it up, if you want. Now, add in some fake math. That is, throw some math in, totally unrelated to whatever subject the paper was discussing.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 04:24 AM (w6EFb)

Graphs, too.

Posted by: m at February 25, 2024 05:18 AM (o3SCB)

37 At least ya don't hafta drink water from a hoofprint !
Posted by: JT at February 25, 2024

***
"If I ever meet one of you Texas waddies that hasn't drunk water from a hoofprint, I'll shake his hand and buy him a Daniel Webster cee-gar!"

Posted by: Rooster Cogburn at February 25, 2024 05:21 AM (omVj0)

38 Morning, 'rons and 'ettes.

Posted by: olddog in mo at February 25, 2024 05:21 AM (ju2Fy)

39 Charts and 3D graphs seem to impress the management types. Especially those using stop light colors. Invert and/or reflect the X,Y axes, and you can really bamboozle 'em.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at February 25, 2024 05:25 AM (YRsIm)

40 Just in: The 2024 CPAC Vice Presidential Poll has officially been released👇
Noem 15%
Ramaswamy 15%
Gabbard 9%
Stefanik 8%
Scott 8%
Donalds 7%
Lake 6%
Carson 5%
DeSantis 5%
Sarah Huckabee 5%
Carlson 4%
RFK Jr 3%
Vance 2%
Haley 2%

Posted by: Divide by Zero at February 25, 2024 05:26 AM (nIvob)

41 SpaceX - Falcon 9 - Starlink Group 6-39
SLC-40 - Cape Canaveral SFS
February 24, New T-Zero: February 25, 4:24 p.m. ET,
21:34 UTC, and 22:34 CET.

http://tinyurl.com/4ap3abwd

Posted by: Ciampino - no Space here, too many cats at February 25, 2024 05:26 AM (qfLjt)

42
A very meaningful quote from the "fake math" paper:

“Within the field of pure mathematics, academic writing is expected to be completely transparent to anyone knowledgeable about the mathematical concepts involved. A typical reviewer of a pure mathematics paper will not tolerate a sentence or paragraph for which the meaning is obscure. The same cannot be said about some other academic disciplines.”

IOW, for people who know the subject, you better know what you talkin' 'bout Willis.

For those that don't know the subject, Willis can bamboozle the fuck out of them.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 05:28 AM (w6EFb)

43 40 Just in: The 2024 CPAC Vice Presidential Poll has officially been released👇
Noem 15%
Ramaswamy 15%
Gabbard 9%
Stefanik 8%
Scott 8%
Donalds 7%
Lake 6%
Carson 5%
DeSantis 5%
Sarah Huckabee 5%
Carlson 4%
RFK Jr 3%
Vance 2%
Haley 2%
Posted by: Divide by Zero at February 25, 2024 05:26 AM (nIvob)

What a mess.

Posted by: m at February 25, 2024 05:29 AM (o3SCB)

44 I saw part of Ramaswamy's closing speech. Pretty good stuff.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at February 25, 2024 05:30 AM (YRsIm)

45 Bad Cat's article on the Biggest of All the COVID Lies is also fascinating.

The lie was: "Pandemics are dangerous to modern societies." And, he says, the simple fact is that they are not -- not in our times of sanitation, antibiotics, and enough nutrition.

He also gives a rundown of the possibility that many of the deaths from the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic were due to the doctors who over-administered a new drug called . . . aspirin! A toxic dose of the stuff is about 20g for a 180-lb. person. The drs. were handing out 30g a day!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 25, 2024 05:30 AM (omVj0)

46 Disclaimer: The answer is bees.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at 04:00 AM
----
They tried that it it didn't do nuttin.

The answer is therefore cees.

Posted by: Ciampino - I was having some zees at February 25, 2024 05:31 AM (qfLjt)

47 >> The drs. were handing out 30g a day!

Yes, Indeed! I remember reading. Karl Denninger wrote a good piece on that as well.

The Cure killed more than the disease.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 05:36 AM (w6EFb)

48
Re Covid. A lot has been learned about "pandemics" over the last 100 years. The "experts" threw all that out the window for Covid.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 05:38 AM (w6EFb)

49
Here is what that 100 years of Pandemic Knowledge learned: "Virus is gonna virus". You get some virus loose in the wild, it's gonna spread. Ain't nuttin' you can do about it. It's gonna spread. If you try to stop it, it's gonna make it worse.

Lockdowns, quarantines do nothing but make it worse. When you've got a raging pandemic, a "novel virus" what is doing a virus gonna virus, if you do a shutdown, lokdown, you're gonna make things worse.

When you've got a disease going on like that, you need a functioning economy more than ever. If you try to "stop the spread", you're only delaying the inevitable, and in the meatime, you're blocking the transfer of much needed goods and services to those who need it the most.

That's the wisdom of 100 years of "sciencey" knowledge on pandemics. They threw it all out the window.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 05:44 AM (w6EFb)

50 Incentivized science has done a lot to wreck scientific integrity, but I really don't see a way to avoid the financial aspect. Scientific research is expensive. I think the most effective way to control scientific integrity is through rigorous peer review and consequence.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at February 25, 2024 05:50 AM (YRsIm)

51 Worms it is.

Selenium sulfide should take care of them if they're alien.

Posted by: olddog in mo at February 25, 2024 05:54 AM (ju2Fy)

52 Fauci is a prime example of the result of incentivized science. He should be made an example and punished accordingly.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at February 25, 2024 05:54 AM (YRsIm)

53
They learned, during that Spanish Flu pandemic that face masks were useless. Did nothing. They didn't have fancy computers and all that, but had people who knew how do math, and figured out that face masks were useless.

There was an incident in San Francisco where some cop or somebody shot somebody, killing him dead, for not wearing a mask. Yep, they did mask mandates in 1918. Totally useless nonsense, which was proven.

And in 2020, it was all repeated again, knowing it was all bullshit.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at February 25, 2024 05:55 AM (w6EFb)

54
🇦🇺 News:

'Aussie political candidate Riccardo Bosi says ‘Ukraine is the head of the snake, and once it comes down there is no Globalist empire anymore, it’s done’...'

Twitter/X
https://t.ly/dkfCF

Posted by: Divide by Zero at February 25, 2024 05:59 AM (nIvob)

55
Riccardo Umberto Guerrino Bosi (born 9 March 1960) is an Australian far-right activist, motivational speaker and a former Australian Army Special Forces lieutenant colonel. He is the founder of Australia One, an unregistered political party.

Far-right. Is there a far-left, 'cause I never hear it mentioned?

Posted by: Divide by Zero at February 25, 2024 06:03 AM (nIvob)

56 Krak's nood.

Posted by: olddog in mo at February 25, 2024 06:06 AM (ju2Fy)

57 G'morning, all!

Haven't looks at the county breakdowns yet since last night, but it looks like lots of crossover voting by Democrats in Charleston County.
And pretty much ONLY Charleston county.

Let me take another dive into what came out overnight.

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at February 25, 2024 06:45 AM (a1415)

58 OK, Charleston, Beaufort and Columbia.

Rest of the state, Solid Trump.

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at February 25, 2024 06:47 AM (a1415)

59 The replication crisis is an ongoing problem in science, and particularly in medicine and psychology,

Medicine and psychology are NOT sciences. This is proof of that.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at February 25, 2024 07:40 AM (YqDXo)

60 Within the field of pure mathematics, academic writing is expected to be completely transparent to anyone knowledgeable about the mathematical concepts involved. A typical reviewer of a pure mathematics paper will not tolerate a sentence or paragraph for which the meaning is obscure. The same cannot be said about some other academic disciplines.”

Same thing with physics and chemistry. Only in the social "sciences" is obscure (from the Latin, meaning "bullshit") language tolerated, if not encouraged.

Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at February 25, 2024 07:46 AM (YqDXo)

61 Is Haley booked on CNNMSNBCABCCBSPBSNBC this morning?

Posted by: Mr Gaga at February 25, 2024 08:55 AM (KiBMU)

62 Hello invisible friends. This is my first-ever comment.

Just wanted to say thanks-- I've spend many a Sunday afternoon reading stuff I learned about on the Book Thread. I particularly enjoyed Isaac's Storm by Eric Larson and TWA 800 Jack Cashill, both of which I read about on here. (Sorry, I don't remember who recommended them.)

I've been job hunting lately, so this week I read Start with Why by Simon Sinek and The Boron Letters by legendary copywriting guru Gary Halbert. He offers good, no-nonsense advice about life as well as marketing. (Which seems unrelated, but it works.)

Posted by: Feline Groovy at February 25, 2024 09:55 AM (NfF+F)

63 60 Same thing with physics and chemistry. Only in the social "sciences" is obscure (from the Latin, meaning "bullshit") language tolerated, if not encouraged.
Posted by: Deplorable Jay Guevara at February 25, 2024 07:46 AM (YqDXo)

Using science-y but meaningless words to sound shmahht was the crux of Alan Sokal's epic trolling of the soft-science community. Most of it was intentionally misused physics terms that a real physicist like Sokal would laugh out loud at.

Posted by: CppThis at February 25, 2024 11:32 AM (PZvjL)

64 When I was working from home, I ran into issues with my installation of Windows 7 (which had been sunsetted by MS) no longer being supported by the connectivity software I needed. So I upgraded to a Win 11 PC to get back to work.

I followed the directions I found online to avoid all the MS connections (email, etc), but as work is a Microsoft shop the system just grabbed my work sign-on from MS Teams and the remote desktop application. When I retired, all that connectivity was cancelled at my worksite but the PC still tried to login each time it was started. Separating out my work MS connection wrecked the “home” desktop I had, and essentially re-creating it and telling the OS which to use was painful.

I do not understand why it’s so difficult to convince MS that I neither want nor need my home PC to try and be connected everywhere. Nor do I want my home computer to pretend to be a cellphone. The computer industry desperately needs an optional operating system independent of Redmond that doesn’t require the system administrator expertise that Linux does.

Posted by: Advo at February 25, 2024 12:37 PM (VHN21)

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Posted by: leeds at February 28, 2024 01:27 AM (3uEoA)

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