Jonathan Jarry's short video on the problems with anaecdotal evidence for "alternative medicine" is a powerful, easy-to-digest primer on the ways that confounding variables, survivor bias and regression to the mean can make stuff like reiki seem like it works, and how double-blind tests can uncover these problems and help us figure out what works and what doesn't -- especially important is the idea that "dead men tell no tales"; that is, no one who died because alternative medicine failed to help them will ever tell you how great it worked. (via Motherboard)
/
/
10:04 am Tue
Jul 19, 2016
Explainer: how anecdotal evidence about alternative medicine can lead you astray
"Softbody Tetris": what if tetronimoes were made of jello?
C4D4U's SOFTBODY TETRIS V16 is (as the name implies), the latest in a series of "softbody" simulations of Tetris, in which the tetronimoes are rubbery, jelly-like solids that glisten as they wobble into place. It's an incredibly soothing thing to watch (C4D4U calls them "ASMR for my eyes") and part of a wider genre of […]
READ THE REST
"OK Boomer" comes to the NZ Parliament and makes all the right people angry
NZ Green Party MP Chlöe Swarbrick was giving a speech in favour of stricter carbon emissions standards when the 50-year-old National Party Climate Critic Todd Muller heckled her; without missing a beat, she fired back "OK Boomer" and moved on to making a rather good and eloquent point about need for intense action on climate.
READ THE REST
How to reengineer our systems to address climate change's refugee crisis and create new, high-density cities on demand
Vinay Gupta (previously) is a polymath engineer/inventor, whose Buckminster Fuller-inspired "hexayurts" can be found all over Burning Man (and my novel Walkaway).
READ THE REST
These wireless earbuds pack a week's worth of battery life for 75% off
For all that tech that gets squeezed into them, the best wireless earbuds are ones we barely have to think about. That’s the whole point, right? We get wireless because we just want to hit play and have a hands-free, cordless soundtrack for the rest of the commute. If that’s your philosophy, definitely give these […]
READ THE REST
Grow your skills before the year ends with these eBook collections
Need a boost on that resume? Get a valuable tech education on your own time with these eBook bundles. They contain guides from Packt Publishing that cover everything from game development to machine learning. The Complete Mobile App Developer eBook Bundle It’s a veritable gold rush in the App Store these days. Get in on […]
READ THE REST
This hi-tech turntable brings your vinyl into the modern age
Vinyl is officially back. People are hearing the proof behind the initial “retro” excitement: that records really do have a richer sound. And if you haven’t switched to old-school records for serious listening, it’s a new golden age. Why? Because quality turntables like the Altec Lansing ALT-500 are finally available to a market other than […]
