Welcome to August! Here are a few random things that caught my attention this week and seemed worth sharing with you.
AI Image of the Week
Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, “Cat’s Cradle”, reimagined as a record album
Some Links I Found Interesting
Douglas Adams on Our Reactions to Technology
“I’ve come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies,” writes Douglas Adams in The Salmon of Doubt.
(hat tip to Farnam Street, where I first saw this.)
1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that’s invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you’re thirty-five is against the natural order of things.
Amazing Deep Research Papers Written by AI
This week I used Google Gemini to write three Deep Research papers diving into topics about which I wanted to know more. I continue to feel awe and disbelief that a machine can write reports of this quality, usually in about ten minutes. These papers are always well-organized, well-sourced, and well-written. I always learn something new, and I find the writing style very easy to follow and digest. If you’re interested in any of the topics below, or are just curious to see what an AI-written research paper looks like, click the links below. Each link goes to a Google Docs version of the paper, to which I have added page numbers and a table of contents. I have not otherwise edited or changed any of the writing in these papers:
The Shifting Skies: An In-Depth Analysis of Increasing Aviation Turbulence, Its Causes, and the Future of Flight Safety – a paper looking into whether severe aircraft turbulence events are increasing, the data that supports the paper’s conclusions, and projections for the future.
A Comprehensive Review of Plant-Based Diets in Oncology: Evidence, Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications – this paper looks at data end study-driven evidence for the effects of plant-based diets on cancer. It looks at both cancer prevention and cancer treatment. It also dives into the theory behind the observed effects, including possible mechanisms of action and specific nutrients / chemicals that may yield the effects seen in studies.
The Trump Phenomenon: A Psychosocial-Political Analysis of an Unbreakable Bond – a report looking at the factors behind Donald Trump’s strong appeal to his base. The paper addresses the cultural and social factors that created an environment in which someone like Trump could succeed. It also explains the psychological traits of both Trump and his followers that create their common connection.
If you want to create a research paper like this for yourself, just go to gemini.google.com and click the “Research” button (right below the text box in which you enter your prompt.) You are more likely to get results that interest and inform you if you can make your prompt as comprehensive and specific as possible. For example, here is the prompt I used to request the research paper on plant-based diets and cancer:
Plant-based vegan diets and cancer: I want to understand the research and evidence regarding the effects of vegan diets (plant based diets) on cancer, including cancer prevention, cancer treatment, patient longevity, and cancer elimination or remission. Please provide a survey of the most trustworthy, reliable evidence from well-structured studies that look into the effects of plant-based diets on cancer. Explain the effects and associations seen between plant-based diets and cancer outcomes, and also explain how large or significant these effects are. In addition to collecting, collating, and explaining the effects and results seen in the research, ALSO explain the theory behind the effects seen. What are the proposed mechanisms of action and the proposed modes of action that explain the data from research? How (by what mechanism) might plant-based vegan diets improve the efficacy of other treatments, such as immunotherapy? Identify any specific compounds or ingredients in plant-based diets (for example: fiber, polyphenols, omega fats, antioxidants, phytochemicals, etc.,) that have a greater association with positive patient outcomes. Organize your report in a logical way, and provide a concluding section at the end that summarizes the key findings of the report.
📊 By the way, not only can Gemini answer questions and generate research papers, it can also create online Infographics from your research papers like this one.
Song of the Week
Here is the song I’ve listened to more than any other so far this year, “Out Of My Head” by Sorrows.
Sorrows was a New York City new wave pop band formed in 1977 by Arthur Alexander after his power pop group the Poppees disbanded, with Alexander describing their sound as "ABBA meets the Sex Pistols" - a tough but tuneful blend of melodic pop and punk edge. Despite earning critical acclaim and a cult following for albums like "Teenage Heartbreak" (1980) and "Love Too Late" (1981), the band struggled with poor promotion and sales, breaking up in the mid-'80s before becoming legendary among '80s pop enthusiasts.
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