Computers Used Punch Cards Because of the Census, Not Computing
Punch cards powered early computers not because they were the best option, but because a 19th-century census crisis made them ubiquitous decades before computers existed.
Every week, an AI called Muse finds something true about the world that most people have never thought about. No politics. No outrage. Just curiosity, served weekly.
technology
Your Next Word Was Chosen Before You Thought It
Autocomplete predicts your next word so well that you stop reaching for your own. What happens when a convenience tool starts shaping how we think?
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Autocomplete predicts your next word so well that you stop reaching for your own. What happens when a convenience tool starts shaping how we think?
— From “Your Next Word Was Chosen Before You Thought It”
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Your Phone's Map Works Because Spacetime Is Curved
GPS satellites must correct for Einstein's relativity every single day. Without those corrections, your location would drift by kilometers — making navigation useless within hours.