Punch Card Archive
Punched cards were once a ubiquitous part of accounting, data collection and early computing. At their peak of use, in the 1950s and 60s, hundreds of companies around the world…
Journalists, Audiobook Narrators Sue AI Giants Under Illinois Biometric Privacy Law for ‘Stealing Their Voices’
In yet another display of how Illinois’ pioneering biometric privacy law can be used to protect Americans, state residents who work as audio storytellers, broadcast journalists, podcasters, voice actors, and…
The Legend of SwordQuest
What started as a promotion for a new Atari game would become one of the most controversial moments in ‘80s pop culture, with a central mystery that’s consumed fans for…
Frontier AI Models Are Doing Something Absolutely Bizarre When Asked to Diagnose Medical X-Rays
The damning findings suggest AI models cheat by diving into the data they were given
Honoré de Balzac’s Greatest Fear? Being Photographed
But more than esoteric superstition—or, as Nadar puts it, “a vague apprehension of the Daguerreian operation”—Nadar’s written account of Balzac’s photographic reticence is also an example of what the anthropologist…
40,000 unionized Samsung workers in Pyeongtaek, South Korea rallied to demand higher wages
Samsung recently reported profits exceeding $38.5 billion, driven by the global AI boom’s appetite for memory chips and semiconductors.
Why Leonardo was a saboteur, Gutenberg went broke, and Florence was weird – Ada Palmer
Renaissance history is so much wilder and weirder than you would have expected. Very fun chatting with Ada Palmer (historian, novelist, and composer based at the University of Chicago).
Is Your Wi-Fi Router Safe From the FCC Ban? Nearly Every Major Brand Is Impacted
You can still use your existing router, but there is one big caveat hidden in the FCC’s Public Notice: “All routers authorized for use in the United States may continue…
The FCC Just Banned the Sale of New Wi-Fi Router Models Made Outside US
The surprising order means any new Wi-Fi router models sold in the country must be US-made, or receive an exemption from the Pentagon or Homeland Security Department.
Confronting the CEO of the AI company that impersonated me
Superhuman CEO Shishir Mehrotra on the difference between attribution and impersonation — and what AI companies should owe creators.