Michael Moore Q & A
There's a new translation of Alessandro Manzoni's The Betrothed out, by Michael F. Moore, and in America James T. Keane has a Q & A on Translating ‘the greatest novel in the Italian language’: Michael Moore on restoring ‘The Betrothed’ to its rightful place in world literature.
I haven't seen this one yet but very much hope to; meanwhile, see the Modern Library publicity page, or get your copy at Amazon.com, Bookshop.org or Amazon.co.uk.
Thomas Sargent on the origins of AI and machine learning, including Galileo and Darwin
The Dangers of Elite Projection
Public transit consultant Jarrett Walker:
Elite projection is the belief, among relatively fortunate and influential people, that what those people find convenient or attractive is good for the society as a whole. Once you learn to recognize this simple mistake, you see it everywhere. It is perhaps the single most comprehensive barrier to prosperous, just, and liberating cities.
This is not a call to bash elites. I am making no claim about the proper distribution of wealth and opportunity, or about anyone’s entitlement to influence. But I am pointing out a mistake that elites are constantly at risk of making. The mistake is to forget that elites are always a minority, and that planning a city or transport network around the preferences of a minority routinely yields an outcome that doesn’t work for the majority. Even the elite minority won’t like the result in the end.
Using ChatGPT to scrape websites. And publicly announced ChatGPT variants and alternatives. And Alpa.
The culture that is Finland? Just don’t be proud of it!
Claims about Russia (speculative)
Under current U.S. patent law, including some 2022 cases, AI cannot count as an “inventor” and receive IP protection
Ali Ahmed Aslam RIP, credited with inventing chicken tikka masala (NYT)
The excellent Alec Stapp points us to an absolute classic in the law of unintended consequences:
APNews: A new federal law requiring that sesame be listed as an allergen on food labels is having unintended consequences — increasing the number of products with the ingredient.
Food industry experts said the requirements are so stringent that many manufacturers, especially bakers, find it simpler and less expensive to add sesame to a product — and to label it — than to try to keep it away from other foods or equipment with sesame.
As a result, several companies — including national restaurant chains like Olive Garden, Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A and bread makers that stock grocery shelves and serve schools — are adding sesame to products that didn’t have it before. While the practice is legal, consumers and advocates say it violates the spirit of the law aimed at making foods safer for people with allergies.
