jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron
@jjaron.bsky.social
4.9K followers 2.9K following 2.6K 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 · 34m
Brexit benefit - veggie burgers!
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 3h
Another for the "this is fine" files news.sky.com/story/bank-o...
Bank of England warns of 'sharp correction' for markets if AI bubble bursts
In its latest update on the state of the financial system, the Bank adds its voice to concerns about US issues that will have knock-on effects for us, if realised.
news.sky.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 3h
Metal-organic frameworks - for once, the chemistry Nobel actually goes to hardcore chemistry!
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 4h
There's a reddit dedicated to this! www.reddit.com/r/TheApparat...
TheApparatus
If you’re good we will use the Apparatus.
www.reddit.com
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Reposted by Jacob Aron
mariafarrell.bsky.social
Maria Farrell @mariafarrell.bsky.social · 6h
5 times I've been through the 'break / ban encryption' debate.

1st time was late 90s, trying to get encryption to use AT ALL.

Imagine what progressive tech could have built if we didn't have to drop everything to fight this BS off every few years.

Support your local digital rights org. Please.
komadori.bsky.social
Robin Wilton 🇱🇧 @komadori.bsky.social · 16h
At some point, you'd think they ought to conclude that *there isn't an acceptable, mandatory alternative*, and put the resources into other, more practical ways of addressing the *societal* problem of child abuse instead. But they'd rather have the means of mass surveillance and censorship. 🤷‍♂️
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 6h
Honestly, when the financial press starts printing diagrams like this, isn't it time for a regulator to step in?
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 6h
It survived!
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 6h
The fans on this laptop have turned into a jetplane in a way that I have never experienced, which is not really what I'd expect from a BIOS update. Let's hope it's not borked!
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alexhanna.bsky.social
Alex Hanna-ween @alexhanna.bsky.social · 12h
I'm not an economist but seems worrying that the whole US economy is seven companies in a trenchcoat, passing the same $20 up and down
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 14h
NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 19h
Doesn't seem great arstechnica.com/ai/2025/10/d...
Dead celebrities are apparently fair game for Sora 2 video manipulation
OpenAI’s likeness protections for living “public figures” don’t apply to “historical figures.”…
arstechnica.com
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Reposted by Jacob Aron
lcgordon.bsky.social
lindsey ✨ @lcgordon.bsky.social · 22h
how to win a nobel physics prize 🔭✨☄️
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
Idle speculation: could John Martinis one day win a second Nobel for the first demonstration of quantum supremacy (in 2019)? I suspect not, given that demonstration turned out to not be definitive...
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
But why? The thinking is that it is too early for a QC Nobel? Despite this very clearly being one...
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
Kind of odd, right?
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
The 2025 Nobel prize in physics has gone to John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis for their work on superconducting quantum chips, which has helped inform the creation of today's quantum computers www.newscientist.com/article/2499...
Nobel prize for physics goes to trio behind quantum computing chips
The 2025 Nobel prize in physics has gone to three researchers, John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis, whose work has lead to the development of today's quantum computers.
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
Sorry what
paulhaine.bsky.social
Paul Haine @paulhaine.bsky.social · 1d
Kemi Badenoch claiming Terry Pratchett as her favourite author is wild
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 7d
It's time for another list of book recommendations, including possibly the best book I've read all year! First up:

The Cut Throat Trial by S. J. Fleet/The Secret Barrister

I'm not sure why they need two pseudonyms but the Barrister has turned their hand to fiction and it's great
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 2d
Nvidia owning OpenAI owning AMD is all totally fine right, this definitely doesn't remind anyone of the interconnectedness that was the downfall of the banks in 2008, it's all going to be fine
financialtimes.com
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d
OpenAI targets 10% AMD stake via multibillion-dollar chip deal on.ft.com/48NWSkH
OpenAI targets 10% AMD stake via multibillion-dollar chip deal
Latest circular transaction aims to make ChatGPT maker central to the effort to build a huge AI infrastructure
on.ft.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
Tapping the sign www.newscientist.com/article/mg23...
Virtual reality: No one is actually buying 2016's hottest tech
PlayStation VR has joined the wave of new virtual reality gear, but will it ever have mainstream appeal? Hal Hodson investigates
www.newscientist.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
I have been saying that VR is a niche product ever since the Oculus Rift. If you find yourself developing a mass-market VR headset, I'm very happy to tell you to stop, and my consultancy fees run to a mere six figures
jeremywired.bsky.social
Jeremy White @jeremywired.bsky.social · 2d
ABOUT FACE: In a move that comes as no surprise at all, Apple is ditching Vision Pro and racing to try and catch up with Meta and its Ray-Ban success. It's a very costly mistake, running into billions. Tim Cook's vision was wrong. By @boone.bsky.social on @wired.com www.wired.com/story/the-vi...
The Vision Pro Was An Expensive Misstep. Now Apple Has to Catch Up With Smart Glasses
Having reportedly shelved work on a cheaper Vision Pro, Apple is apparently pivoting its focus to smart glasses—and hoping it's not too late.
www.wired.com
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chibdm.bsky.social
Chibdm @chibdm.bsky.social · 1d
Robin Williams' daughter has some quality thoughts on AI slop
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
Such a cool story by @astrojonny.bsky.social

Aliens living on a planet might find it easier to discover general relativity, because of the warp of space-time is all that stands between them and oblivion
newscientist.com
New Scientist @newscientist.com · 1d
Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity
General relativity might save some planets from death
Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity
www.newscientist.com
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bcmerchant.bsky.social
Brian Merchant @bcmerchant.bsky.social · 1d
OpenAI's Sora gambit is somehow even more reckless and arrogant than we've grown accustomed to with the company. OpenAI is betting that it can spit in the face of creatives, workers, and the largest media companies on the planet—and bend copyright law to its whims.
The incredible arrogance of OpenAI
With Sora 2, OpenAI is betting it can spit in the face of workers, creators, and the biggest media conglomerates on the planet — and win
www.bloodinthemachine.com
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jjaron.bsky.social
Jacob Aron @jjaron.bsky.social · 1d
This isn't a business plan, it's a bender
crushbort.bsky.social
bort @crushbort.bsky.social · 1d
i think we are going to find out at some point these guys invented cocaine 2 and have been on it all along
Buried in Altman's post is the real story: "People are generating much more than we expected per user," using massive compute resources on content that's often being generated for very small audiences (it is, after all, a social media app). OpenAl will "have to somehow make money for video generation," Altman wrote. Translation: Sora is burning through compute costs with no offsetting revenue. Altman floated a potential solution: "We are going to try sharing some of this revenue with rightsholders who want their characters generated by users." The idea-perhaps similar to You Tube's ad-monetization program for videos that include copyrighted material -would give studios a financial incentive to opt in. "The exact model will take some trial and error to figure out," Altman acknowledged, "but we plan to start very soon."
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fiveminutemacro.bsky.social
Five Minute Macro @fiveminutemacro.bsky.social · 4d
"a company for carrying out an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is"
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