Tag Archives: Reviews

Covers: Science Magazine November 10, 2023 Preview

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Science Magazine – November 10, 2023: The new issue features Mode-locked “chip lasers” generating intense ultrashort pulses of light have been the backbone of ultrafast sciences and technologies. 

AI’s challenge of understanding the world

By MELANIE MITCHELL

In thinking about the challenge of getting artificial intelligence (AI) to understand our complex world, I recalled a Twitter post from a user of Tesla’s self-driving system. The user tweeted that his car kept stopping abruptly at a particular location for no apparent reason. Then he noticed a billboard advertisement on the side of the road, featuring a sheriff holding up a stop sign. The car’s vision system had interpreted this as an actual stop sign, and slammed on the brakes.

The Scottish wildcat has been wiped out by breeding with domestic cats

three captive Scottish wildcats
This trio of captive Scottish wildcats is part of the Royal Zoological Society’s Saving Wildcats Project.

After 2000 years of isolation, a few decades of interbreeding have rendered the animal “genomically extinct”

BY DAVID GRIMM

Though it lies in ruins on the northeast coast of England, Kilton Castle was once an imposing stone fortress, home to several noble families, and—it appears—at least eight cats. Archaeological excavations in the 1960s uncovered a well, at the bottom of which lay the bones of several felines dating back to the 14th century. The animals were an odd mix: Some were domestic cats, but other, larger specimens appeared to be European wildcats, a fierce, burly species that has inhabited the continent for hundreds of thousands of years.

Previews: The Economist Magazine – Nov 11, 2023

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The Economist Magazine (November 11, 2023): The latest issue features How Scary is China? – America must understand China’s weaknesses as well as its strengths; The Omnistar is born – How artificial intelligence will transform fame; Giorgia Meloni’s “mother of all reforms” is a power grab – Italians should reject their prime minister’s demagogic proposal, and more….

How artificial intelligence will transform fame

The omnistar is born – Those complaining the loudest about the new technology stand to benefit the most

How scary is China?

Superpower politics – America must understand China’s weaknesses as well as its strengths

Giorgia Meloni’s “mother of all reforms” is a power grab

Constitutional chicanery – Italians should reject their prime minister’s demagogic proposal

Preview: London Review Of Books – Nov 16, 2023

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London Review of Books (LRB) – November 16, 2023: The latest issue feature The Inside Story of the NHS Infected Blood Scandal; Elizabeth Taylor’s Magic; The UK government has become increasingly hostile to Freedom of Information requests on arms, and more…

Bad Blood – ‘We’ve messed up, boys’

‘In the UK between 1970 and 1991, about 1250 people with bleeding disorders were infected with HIV (and many of them with Hepatitis C, too); by the time the Infected Blood Inquiry began, about three-quarters had died, the majority of them from HIV-related causes.

By Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaite

The Poison Line: A True Story of Death, Deception and Infected Blood 
by Cara McGoogan.

Death in the Blood: The Inside Story of the NHS Infected Blood Scandal 
by Caroline Wheeler.

Elizabeth Taylor’s Magic

‘Nearly eighty years after she first starred in a film, Taylor is famous for two things: her intense screen beauty and her many marriages (eight of them, two to Richard Burton). But at least as central to her life were her close and enduring friendships with men.’

By Bee Wilson

Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Nov 9, 2023

Volume 623 Issue 7986

nature Magazine – November 9, 2023: The latest issue cover features the changes in dopamine signals in male zebra finches (depicted on the cover), as they engage in activities such as drinking, song evaluation and courting. The researchers found that dopamine responses are dynamically adjusted based on the birds’ current priorities. 

Brain and body are more intertwined than we knew

Gut bacteria. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of various bacteria found in a sample from a human small intestine.

A host of disorders once thought to be nothing to do with the brain are, in fact, tightly coupled to nervous-system activity.

A robot performs heart surgery with a strong but delicate touch

Device can wield tools inside one of the heart’s chambers while bracing itself against a stabilizer fitted into a major cardiac vein.

The Solar System’s biggest moon is spattered with salt

Dried brine from a subsurface ocean speckles the surface of Ganymede, which orbits Jupiter.

Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – Nov 10, 2023

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Times Literary Supplement (November 10, 2023): The new issue features The day everything changed – The war in Israel and Gaza; Russia at war; Animal liberation revisited; Publisher to the world; Maison Gainsbourg in Paris; and more…

World’s Finest Cars: 1938 Delage D8-120 S Cabriolet

ClassicDriver Magazine (November 7, 2023) – The Pearl Collection recently stole the show and won Peninsula Classics’ Best of the Best award with their fabulous Delage D8-120 S De Villars. We sat down with Fritz Burkard to understand what separates the best from the rest in the Concours world.

“It has a breathtaking presence. It looks good from every angle, it’s spectacular in design, and it’s unique. It has features from the period, like those riveted fins, which incorporate a bit of the Bugatti Atlantic. It has a bit of Saoutchik, a bit of Figoni et Falaschi, there’s everything in there, but it stands out and becomes something unique, it’s not a mix match.”

There’s a book called ‘From Passion to Perfection’ by Richard Adatto – it’s the bible for pre-war swooping lines and aerodynamics, it covers all the teardrops. It reaches out towards the Atlantic, to other streamlined cars, and it also has a chapter about the Delage. It’s not only my bible, but it also seems to be my shopping catalogue. There’s also the Delahaye 165, Merle Mullin has one and I have the other, there are only two made. She just drove hers to Pebble Beach and finished in the top four. Anyway, the the Delage got offered to me, and it took me maybe 15 seconds to say yes! 

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Global Warming Answers: Underground Cooling System In Seville, Spain

Tomorrow’s Build (November 7, 2023) – The city of Seville in Spain is implementing measures to mitigate the scorching heat. Called the CartujaQanat, it is a €5 million pilot project that aims to reduce average temperatures by around 10°C in a region of the city.

These systems, developed over 1,000 years ago, consist of the construction of underground channels that transport water across a large area that needs to be cooled. Vertical shafts drilled along the channel bring underground air to the surface, lowering above-ground temperatures.

In summer, people don’t leave their house until 8pm and festivals usually start at 10pm. Built on the banks of the Guadalquivir River during the Middle Ages, the Spanish city regularly records temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during July and August. And scientists expecting temperatures above 50°C in the near future.

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Previews: Country Life Magazine – Nov 8, 2023

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Country Life Magazine – November 8, 2023: The latest issue features The King’s milestone celebration, Amie Elizabeth White reveals 75 fascinating things you may not know about Charles III; Exclusive access to St James’s Palace in London; the British passion for country-house portraits; the astonishing hidden gardens of bohemian Tangier in Morocco and more….

We can be rural heroes

Julie Harding meets a model, a comedian, a farmer, a hedge-layer and a former retail boss, all united in their praise for The King’s Royal Countryside Fund

A nursery palace

Simon Thurley chronicles the remarkable story of the modern home of the Court, as Country Life is afforded exclusive access to St James’s Palace in London

Elegy in a country churchyard

War memorials on British soil are a poignant means of ‘bringing home’ those who fell in foreign fields, reveals Andrew Green

A right royal ruff

The regal King Charles spaniel once won favour with the nobility — and owners are still falling for this loving and loyal breed, as Katy Birchall discovers

Martha Lytton Cobbold’s favourite painting

The Historic Houses president chooses a captivating work that proved to be an inspiration for her love of art and structure

Native breeds

Sheep are an instrinsic feature of the Welsh landscape — Kate Green introduces the breeds that populate the principality

Home is where the art is

Michael Prodger investigates the British passion for country-house portraits, a craze that started back in the 16th century and shows little sign of abating

Interiors

Arabella Youens marvels at the transformation of an Edwardian sitting room, as Giles Kime revels in the luxury of a daybed

Tangerine dreams

Kirsty Fergusson explores the astonishing hidden gardens of bohemian Tangier in Morocco

It’s only natural

Turning woodland finds into art is a labour of love for Jane Bevan, discovers Natasha Goodfellow

Still standing after all these years

A 188-year-old avenue of beech trees forms a guard of honour for Fiona Reynolds in Dorset

Turbot-charged

Nothing less than perfection will do for Tom Parker Bowles as he savours the most regal of fish

A bundle of energy

Could hydrogen-powered cars be the future? Jane Wheatley motors to Wales to investigate

The good stuff

Hetty Lintell seeks a bit of fluff from some feathery confections

Dare to be square

Mary Miers meets the talented craftspeople reinventing the ancient art of mosaic making

And much more

Previews: The New Yorker Magazine – Nov 13, 2023

Two people under a red umbrella walking in the rain near the Brooklyn Bridge.

The New Yorker – November 13, 2023 issue: The new issues cover features Kadir Nelson’s “Dumbo” – The artist discusses the seasonal energy of the city, and his sources of inspiration.

Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” Complex

Ridley Scott photographed by Christopher Anderson.

Does the director of “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” and “Gladiator” see himself in the hero of his epic new film?

By Michael Schulman

On the morning of the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was full of catastrophic confidence. His seventy-three thousand troops were camped on a ridge near a tavern called La Belle Alliance. His nemesis, the Duke of Wellington, occupied a slope across the fields, with a mere sixty-seven thousand troops. Over breakfast, Napoleon predicted, “If my orders are well executed, we will sleep in Brussels this evening.” When his chief of staff offered a word of caution, Napoleon snapped, “Wellington is a bad general and the English are bad troops. The whole affair will not be more serious than swallowing one’s breakfast.”

How Can Determinists Believe in Free Will?

By Nikhil Krishnan

Some people think that we can’t be held responsible for what we do, given that our actions are the inevitable consequence of the laws of nature. They’re only half right.

Eclipsed in his Era, Bayard Rustin Gets to Shine in Ours

The civil-rights mastermind was sidelined by his own movement. Now he’s back in the spotlight. What can we learn from his strategies of resistance?

By Adam Gopnik

Reinventing the Dinosaur

Life on Our Planet,” a new Netflix nature documentary, renews our fascination with our most feared and loved precursors.

By Rivka Galchen

Finance Preview: Barron’s Magazine – Nov 6, 2023

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BARRON’S MAGAZINE – November 6, 2023 ISSUE:

PC Sales Are Ready to Take Off Again. It’s All About AI.

PC Sales Are Ready to Take Off Again. It's All About AI.

AI’s big opportunity goes beyond the cloud. How to play the future of PCs.

This Uniform Maker Is Finally Going Solo. Its Stock Is a Buy.

This Uniform Maker Is Finally Going Solo. Its Stock Is a Buy.

Vestis was just spun out from Aramark, and now looks poised to compete with industry leader Cintas.

Chevron Is a Buy. It’s Been Punished Enough.

Chevron Is a Buy. It's Been Punished Enough.

The oil titan has disappointed investors, but shares look attractive after the recent selloff.

6 Picks and Pans From a Long/Short Fund Pro

6 Picks and Pans From a Long/Short Fund Pro

Charles Kantor, manager of Neuberger Berman Long Short fund, aims to make more by losing less. Why Kantor and his team like Dollar Tree, Match Group.

Kyla Scanlon Is Gen Z’s Savviest Financial Influencer

Kyla Scanlon Is Gen Z's Savviest Financial Influencer

Her social media videos explain the markets, the economy, and the Fed to the next generation.