Wed Apr 29 15:24:38 EDT 2026

Items of Interest

Various web links I found to be of interest recently.

  • SONY AI table tennis robot can beat elite players

    For the first time, an AI-powered machine has bested elite-level athletes at a physical sport. 'Ace' is a table tennis-playing robot. It can calculate the position of a ball in space, measure its spin while it's flying over the table at 30mph and react in a tenth of the time a human player would need.

    Film describing in more detail how they did it: Sony AI Project Ace.

  • The Abstraction Fallacy: Why AI Can Simulate But Not Instantiate Consciousness

    ... The framework proposed here explicitly separates simulation (behavioral mimicry driven by vehicle causality) from instantiation (intrinsic physical constitution driven by content causality). Establishing this ontological boundary shows why algorithmic symbol manipulation is structurally incapable of instantiating experience. Crucially, this argument does not rely on biological exclusivity. If an artificial system were ever conscious, it would be because of its specific physical constitution, never its syntactic architecture. Ultimately, this framework offers a physically grounded refutation of computational functionalism to resolve the current uncertainty surrounding AI consciousness.

  • Engramme

    Engramme developing AI system to augment human memory

    Engramme is a technology company developing an artificial intelligence (AI) system designed to augment human memory. The company was publicly announced on April 10, 2026, with the stated mission of helping users remember personal, professional, and factual information by creating a queryable digital record of their lives. The project is led by co-founder and Harvard neuroscientist Gabriel Kreiman and is based on scientific principles of memory formation and recall.
    ...
    The company's technology is designed to function as a "memory prosthesis" or a "search engine for your own life." The system works by ingesting a user's personal data, which can include text, audio, and images. This information is then processed and organized into a "personal memory graph," which creates contextual links between different pieces of data. Users can then query this graph using natural language through an AI assistant to retrieve specific memories, facts, or experiences they have encountered.
    ...
    The project's research is grounded in the concept of the "dark matter of memory." This theory posits that many memories are not permanently lost but are simply inaccessible through voluntary, unassisted recall (free recall). These memories can often be retrieved when the brain is presented with a specific prompt, a process known as cued recall, which is significantly easier. Engramme's primary technological goal is to digitally generate these cues to "illuminate" this dark matter and make a user's stored memories accessible on demand.

  • Scientists stunned as chimpanzees turn on friends in killing spree
    • Chimpanzees observed at Kibale National Park in Uganda
    • After years of stability, a large group split into two
    • Since 2018, one group has killed 28 members of the other
    • Coordinated attacks target adult males and infants
  • New Report Highlights Fructose as a Key Driver of Metabolic Disease

    Researchers emphasize fructose's unique role in obesity, metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases

  • EFF is Leaving X

    To put it bluntly, an X post today receives less than 3% of the views a single tweet delivered seven years ago.

  • My Quest to Solve Bitcoin's Great Mystery

    Bitcoin's creator has hidden behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto for 17 years. But a trail of clues buried deep in crypto lore led to a 55-year-old computer scientist named Adam Back.

  • Lincoln Center Summer for the City: Jun 10 - Aug 8 2026

    Calendar

    Silent Disco

  • Miami Is The New, New York
    • Florida's domestic migration boom has ended
    • Miami's growth is now driven by natural increase and immigration, not new domestic arrivals
    • NYC's recovery and housing adaptation stand out

Posted by mjm | Permanent link | Comments
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