The Aperiodic Monotile, Stuxnet, Ukrainian Environmental Damage, and Training AI
By I am clearing tabs, so here is a potpourri.
The Aperiodic Monotile – Can a single shape cover a plane completely without repeating its patterns? This article describes how a hobbyist figured out that the answer is “yes,” and mathematicians proved it. Header graphic is from this article and shows that shape.
Stuxnet – A Dutch man infected Iran’s uranium centrifuge facilities with the Stuxnet virus in 2008, probably in a water pump he installed there. He did this without the knowledge of the Dutch government.
Environmental Consequences of Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam – Long article on the many effects of the draining of the Kakhovka reservoir on the Dnipro River, after the dam was deatroyed last June.
Training an AI – Kevin Drum lists all the human input that goes into the current LLMs. And more will be needed for later versions. And, of course, much of the labor is poorly paid.