Wildfires, heat waves and hurricanes broke all kinds of records in 2020

2020 was a year of unremitting extreme climate events, from heat waves to wildfires to hurricanes, many of which scientists have directly linked to human-caused climate change (SN: 8/27/20). Each event has taken a huge toll in lives lost and damages incurred. As of early October, the United States alone had weathered at least 16 climate- or weather-related disasters each costing more than $1 billion.
Read more: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/climate-change-wildfires-heat-waves-hurricanes-records-2020/amp?__twitter_impression=true?source=Snapzu

My Hackintosh days are over, it's time to rejoin the Apple fold

One of my favorite nerd toys is about to turn into a relic, and it's Apple's fault. Back in 2016, I was frustrated Apple hadn't updated its Mac Mini, iMac or Mac Pro computers in at least a year. The company was pumping out new iPhones, iPads, AirPods and MacBooks at a regular pace, and I had at least one of each. The desktop Macs weren't getting the same attention.
Read more: https://www.cnet.com/news/apples-mac-mini-is-killing-my-hackintosh/?source=Snapzu

Amazon still hasn’t fixed its problem with bait-and-switch reviews

Like thousands of other parents, I decided to get my kids a cheap drone for Christmas. I spent $24 for a plastic flying machine with rudimentary collision-avoidance capabilities. A plastic cage mostly kept small fingers away from the four propellers. The kids were delighted for the first couple of hours.
Read more: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/12/amazon-still-hasnt-fixed-its-problem-with-bait-and-switch-reviews/?source=Snapzu

The Turing Test is obsolete. It’s time to build a new barometer for AI

This year marks 70 years since Alan Turing published his paper introducing the concept of the Turing Test in response to the question, “Can machines think?” The test’s goal was to determine if a machine can exhibit conversational behavior indistinguishable from a human. Turing predicted that by the year 2000, an average human would have less than a 70% chance of distinguishing an AI from a human in an imitation game where who is responding—a human or an AI—is hidden from the evaluator.
Read more: https://www.fastcompany.com/90590042/turing-test-obsolete-ai-benchmark-amazon-alexa?source=Snapzu

U.S. to approve $1.9 billion to replace telecom equipment made in China due to security reasons

US lawmakers are set to approve $1.9 billion aimed to fund a program to remove telecom network equipment manufactured in China, which the U.S. government says poses national security risks. The fund is expected to be drawn from the $900 billion COVID-19 relief aid.
Read more: https://mazech.com/2020/12/u-s-to-approve-1-9-billion-to-replace-telecom-equipment-made-in-china-due-to-security-reasons/?source=Snapzu

Banksy's Disturbing Stuffed Animals Truck Roams New York

Leave it to Banksy to mix the cute and the cuddly with the totally disturbing. In the 11th work of his Better Out Than In exhibit happening on the streets
Read more: https://mymodernmet.com/banksy-stuffed-animals-truck/?source=Snapzu

The best thing about 'The Queen’s Gambit'? There’s no sexual violence in it.

About fifteen minutes into the first episode of The Queen’s Gambit—the wildly popular Netflix series about the ascent of a prodigy through the world of 1960s competitive chess—eight-year old Beth Harmon opens the door to the basement in the orphanage where she lives, and disappears down the stairs.
Read more: https://www.macleans.ca/culture/the-best-thing-about-the-queens-gambit-theres-no-rape/?source=Snapzu