Leben (Life aka misc)
Congestion Pricing in Manhattan is a Predictable Success
Manhattan’s congestion pricing program has reduced traffic by 10% and cut car-noise complaints by 70% in its first six months of operation, according to city data. The $9 daily toll for vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street began January 5, generating approximately $50 million monthly for subway and public transit Read more…
Leben (Life aka misc)
Applebee’s and IHOP Plan To Introduce AI in Restaurants
The company behind Applebee’s and IHOP plans to use AI in its restaurants and behind the scenes to streamline operations and encourage repeat customers. Dine Brands is adding AI-infused tech support for all of its franchisees, as well as an AI-powered “personalization engine” that helps restaurants offer customized deals to Read more…
Leben (Life aka misc) Technology
Reasoning LLMs Deliver Value Today, So AGI Hype Doesn’t Matter
Simon Willison, commenting on the recent paper from Apple researchers that found state-of-the-art large language models face complete performance collapse beyond certain complexity thresholds: I thought this paper got way more attention than it warranted — the title “The Illusion of Thinking” captured the attention of the “LLMs are over-hyped Read more…
Leben (Life aka misc) The Planet (on, and off)
Major Oil Companies Face First ‘Climate Death’ Lawsuit
The daughter of a Seattle woman who died during the 2021 Pacific Northwest heatwave has filed the first wrongful death lawsuit directly linking fossil fuel companies to an individual’s climate-related death. Misti Leon is suing seven oil and gas companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP, claiming they caused her Read more…
Leben (Life aka misc)
Iran Tells Citizens To Delete WhatsApp
Iranian state television has instructed residents to delete WhatsApp from their smartphones, claiming the messaging platform gathers user information to share with Israel. The local media provided no evidence supporting these allegations but additionally encouraged residents to avoid other “location-based” apps. WhatsApp has disputed the claims, with a spokesperson telling Read more…
Leben (Life aka misc)
MIT Experiment Finds ChatGPT-Assisted Writing Weakens Student Brain Connectivity and Memory
ChatGPT-assisted writing dampened brain activity and recall in a controlled MIT study [PDF] of 54 college volunteers divided into AI-only, search-engine, and no-tool groups. Electroencephalography recorded during three essay-writing sessions found the AI group consistently showed the weakest neural connectivity across all measured frequency bands; the tool-free group showed the Read more…