Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
14
hours ago
OpenAI CEO reduces childhood to a power bill
On again off again OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who famously claimed he could not raise a child without AI, now sums up the meaning of life as the carbon footprint of training an LLM. Altman compared 20 years of growth, learning, scraped knees, and bedtime stories to the electricity bill for training a large language model, concluding that people are basically very slow, snack-powered neural networks. Read the rest The post OpenAI CEO reduces childhood to a power bill appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
15
hours ago
Psilocybin trial shows six months of depression relief from one dose
One or two doses of psilocybin provided six months of relief from depression that nothing else could touch, in two late-stage clinical trials of Comp360. British biotech Compass Pathways announced the findings on February 17th, according to The Economist. David Erritzoe at Imperial College called it "very good news for psychedelic therapies." Read the rest The post Psilocybin trial shows six months of depression relief from one dose appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
15
hours ago
Turn bulk buying into a budget flex with a $20 BJ's membership
TL;DR: New members can get a 1-year BJ's The Club Card membership for $20 (reg. $60) through May 2 at 11:59 p.m. PT. If you've ever stared at a grocery receipt and wondered where it all went, here's your chance to push back. Read the rest The post Turn bulk buying into a budget flex with a $20 BJ's membership appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
16
hours ago
This website tells you whether your food is still safe to eat
Ever stare at something in your fridge and try to decide whether it's worth the gamble? DoesItLast is a website that gives you the FDA/USDA guidelines on when food goes bad. Type in whatever you're suspicious of and it'll tell you how long it should last. Read the rest The post This website tells you whether your food is still safe to eat appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
16
hours ago
These intricate "phantom" leaves from 1864 look like delicate lace Cut-Outs Preserved in Time
These images of skeletonized leaves from 1864 are intricate masterpieces. They come from a treatise called Phantom Flowers, which described the art of stripping away a leaf's tissue to reveal only its vein structure producing something that looks like extremely detailed lace. Read the rest The post These intricate "phantom" leaves from 1864 look like delicate lace Cut-Outs Preserved in Time appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
17
hours ago
Celebrate Pokémon's anniversary by paying $40 for 22-year-old Game Boy games
Did you know that Pokémon's 30th anniversary is coming up? I'll give you a moment if learning that just made you feel ancient. Players all around the world were handed their first Pokémon and kicked out of their homes in 1996. Read the rest The post Celebrate Pokémon's anniversary by paying $40 for 22-year-old Game Boy games appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
17
hours ago
Michael Stipe returns to The Simpsons with "Everybody Kirks"
One of the best things I've seen this week is this parody of REM's 1992 hit "Everybody Hurts," which was featured on the finale of the 37th season of The Simpsons, on Sunday, February 15. REM frontman Michael Stipe returned to the iconic animated series to sing the mournful yet funny "Everybody Kirks," with new lyrics highlighting the plight of Simpsons character Kirk Van Houten, who is Bart's friend Millhouse's father. Read the rest The post Michael Stipe returns to The Simpsons with "Everybod...
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
17
hours ago
White House posts "Trump Right About Everything" report, peer-reviewed by the voices in his head
The White House has published a sweeping new economic analysis concluding that convicted felon Donald Trump is, as usual, correct about everything. This finding was rigorously validated through the administration's gold-standard peer-review process, in which senior aides repeatedly say "yes, absolutely" until a new problem arises. Read the rest The post White House posts "Trump Right About Everything" report, peer-reviewed by the voices in his head appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
18
hours ago
Elon Musk invents the mattress sale
Eleven-dimensional chess player Elon Musk has unveiled a bold new pricing innovation this week: the limited-time offer. Telling customers the price will go up if they don't buy right now is a breakthrough retail strategy long thought to be exclusive to Presidents' Day mattress sales and going-out-of-business sofa emporiums. Read the rest The post Elon Musk invents the mattress sale appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
18
hours ago
In civil rights reversal, Trump DOJ sides against desegregation
In another attempt to bolster old standards of racism, the Trump Administration has joined a lawsuit arguing the Los Angeles Unified School District's decades-old desegregation framework is reverse discrimination. Filed this week, the DOJ has sided with the 1776 Project Foundation, a Billings, Montana-based conservative "advocacy" group, arguing that LAUSD's policies designed to dismantle segregation and ensure fair funding are unconstitutional discrimination against white people. Read the rest...
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
18
hours ago
Your beach cruiser just got a bureaucrat
A new idea to limit injuries and hooning on e-bikes in California has been introduced to the state's assembly: register e-bikes like they are cars. Apparently, e-bikes are too convenient, and their owners need to spend time at the DMV. Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who represents Orinda, a community far, far away from the beaches and bike paths enjoyed by the better-known parts of the state, proposes that all Class 2 and Class 3 get the DMV treatment. Read the rest The post Your beach cr...
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
20
hours ago
Archive.today links banned at Wikipedia after operator edits archived URLs
Archive.today, also found at archive.li and other URLs, is a popular tool for snapshotting web pages and reading paywalled articles. The anonymity of its operators upsets the FBI and makes it an interesting alternative to the Internet Archive, which it has nothing to do with. Read the rest The post Archive.today links banned at Wikipedia after operator edits archived URLs appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
20
hours ago
Microsoft blogger suggests you train AI on pirated Harry Potter
Following a "backlash," Microsoft has removed a blog post [archive.is] suggesting that you train an AI on Harry Potter, which it helpfully explained can be found online free of charge. Alas, it is once again impossible to write your own Harry Potter fan fiction. Read the rest The post Microsoft blogger suggests you train AI on pirated Harry Potter appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
21
hours ago
This Macbook Air is now 80% off
TL;DR: Snag yourself this 13-inch 2017 MacBook Air for just $199.97 (reg. $999). When it comes to finding a reliable laptop, no one does it better than Apple. While some of its other devices may leave something to be desired, the MacBook line consistently delivers peak performance and long-lasting durability. Read the rest The post This Macbook Air is now 80% off appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Reese's heir accuses Hershey of cutting corners
The grandson of the man who invented the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup has a message for Hershey: that's not milk chocolate, and it's definitely not peanut butter. Brad Reese, 70, said in a Feb. 14 letter to Hershey's corporate brand manager that for multiple Reese's products, the company replaced milk chocolate with compound coatings and peanut butter with peanut crème. Read the rest The post Reese's heir accuses Hershey of cutting corners appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Get MS Office 2019 Pro for just $20
TL;DR: Take back your ownership with this Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows Lifetime License—now just $19.97 (reg. $229). The thing about older products is that they're built to last. The same applies to software too. This is why Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2019 for Windows has stood the test of time. Read the rest The post Get MS Office 2019 Pro for just $20 appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
A nose for justice: the FBI's tech-sniffing dog
When the FBI needed proof in the 2016 Chelsea bombing case, it didn't turn to a new algorithm or a breakthrough surveillance tool. It turned to a black Lab named Iris. We met Iris and Calandra on a rare visit to the FBI's Newark, New Jersey, headquarters. Read the rest The post A nose for justice: the FBI's tech-sniffing dog appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Saudi cash fuels Musk's next frontier
Elon Musk's crap factory xAI has secured a $3 billion investment from Saudi-backed HUMAIN, converting the stake into shares of the soon-to-be combined xAI–SpaceX entity. A kingdom-supported investor is now a significant minority owner in the same company that launches U.S. Read the rest The post Saudi cash fuels Musk's next frontier appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
A nasal spray that fights all viruses, bacteria, and even allergies
For more than 200 years, vaccines have worked the same way: teach your immune system to recognize a specific invader, then wait. Stanford researchers are trying something fundamentally different a nasal spray that skips the teaching and just puts your lungs on permanent high alert. Read the rest The post A nasal spray that fights all viruses, bacteria, and even allergies appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Moderate exercise works about as well as therapy for depression
Moderate-intensity exercise has "a similar effect on depressive symptoms" as psychotherapy, according to Medical Xpress. Not high-intensity, gut-busting workouts moderate stuff, like brisk walks, swimming laps, or riding a bike without pretending you're in the Tour de France. A Cochrane Review of 73 randomized controlled trials involving about 5,000 patients, led by Andrew Clegg at the University of Lancashire, found exercise had a "moderate impact" on depressive symptoms when measured against ...
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Cat owner spends $20,000 and wears a helmet to feed their cat
Somewhere in Illinois, a person puts on a helmet and shin guards every day just to feed their cat. Not as a bit. Because the cat will latch onto their leg and claw its way up to their neck if they don't. Read the rest The post Cat owner spends $20,000 and wears a helmet to feed their cat appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Scared deer trusts firefighter
A deer became stuck on the slippery ice at Loon Lake, Washington. A firefighter was able to calmly walk out, hug the deer, and rescue it. I am not sure I'd want to hug any wild animal. The ticks and the chance of a kick are pretty high. Read the rest The post Scared deer trusts firefighter appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
HUD wants to evict 37,000 citizen kids over their parents' papers
Undocumented immigrants in federally subsidized housing already get zero rental assistance. Their citizen family members receive the aid, and mixed-status households pay higher rent to offset the ineligible members. HUD wants to evict them all anyway. A proposed rule from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would bar any household that includes an undocumented person from receiving federal housing assistance, even if every other household member is a U.S. Read the rest The post HUD ...
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Apparently, women are just assets with title issues
Women are now just like a used car. If a woman wants to vote, Republican Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin says they should just change their title registration at the DMV, because everyone loves going to the DMV. Reducing women to paperwork is an interesting way to make his voting rights point. Read the rest The post Apparently, women are just assets with title issues appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Measles spreading in Utah, Oregon and California
Utah has hundreds of cases, Oregon and California are reporting cases in the single digits, but RFK JR's MAHA movement is certainly sweeping the nation in one way. It didn't have to be this way. Measles is a totally preventable disease; the vaccine is safe and effective. Read the rest The post Measles spreading in Utah, Oregon and California appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Dead mosquito beaks make surprisingly good 3D printing nozzles
A dead mosquito's feeding tube costs about 80 cents. A commercial glass nozzle for high-resolution 3D printing runs around $80. Researchers at McGill University and Drexel University went with the mosquito. Their technique, published in Science Advances in January 2026, is called "3D necroprinting" using the proboscis from a deceased female mosquito as the nozzle on a 3D printer. Read the rest The post Dead mosquito beaks make surprisingly good 3D printing nozzles appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Another skateboarding history of Venice, CA video
Skateboarding is as much a means of transportation in Venice, CA, as it is a sport. If only our city would repair the sidewalks. Seems there are quite a few of these skateboarding-in-Venice, California, videos coming out. The boardwalk and skatepark are always packed with folks on skates or skateboards. Read the rest The post Another skateboarding history of Venice, CA video appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
Google Maps now with less maps
Google has created a "logged out" mode for Google Maps, which did not require you to be logged in previously. The new mode is a very light version of the navigation tool, and you'll feel the difference immediately. The biggest limitation is that you can no longer see user reviews without signing in. Read the rest The post Google Maps now with less maps appeared first on Boing Boing.
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
The Pentagon is copying narco-sub design, but cartels are already ahead
The Pentagon wants its own narco sub. The US Marine Corps and defense contractor Leidos have been testing a stealthy uncrewed surface vessel they call the Sea Specter openly crediting cartel-built semisubmersibles as the design inspiration. Colombian authorities got a look at the genuine article last April, when a coast guard boarding party cracked open a 40-foot fiberglass vessel off Tayrona National Park expecting the usual haul: exhausted crew, diesel fumes, tons of cocaine. Read the rest Th...
Alt
-
Boing Boing
-
1
day ago
$150k in homophobic vandalism defaces Buffalo's new stadium
Buffalo's brand-new Highmark Stadium isn't even open yet, but someone has already christened the place with pornographic graffiti and anti-LGBTQ slurs. According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, vandals tagged multiple areas, including the tony new suites, causing six-figure damage and leaving a message that required exactly zero interpretation. Read the rest The post $150k in homophobic vandalism defaces Buffalo's new stadium appeared first on Boing Boing.
