The Week
I usually discuss some event(s) of the past week here, but last week I was on vacation. The picture is of Lake Tahoe, taken from the deck where I was eating fish tacos and drinking an IPA in excellent company.
I didn’t write a lead feature or capture any news items, but if you scroll down you will find three limericks, a cryptic prediction about my Blogroll, and a link to capsule bios of the people I work with at The Pragmatic Bookshelf. And my quote of the week.
Quote of the Week
“Lake Tahoe would restore an Egyptian mummy to his pristine vigor.”
— Mark Twain
Nothing to See Here
Yeah, I’m on vacation and so this is a mere shell of a post. I expect to have something to say next week about Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and artificial intelligence.
Verse
If you’ve been following this blog for over a year, you may recognize some of these. I just feel a need to put some verse in each post. I’ll try to include a new one from time to time. For a while it’s just going to be limericks, but eventually I’ll get to the sonnets and villanelles and whatnot.
Three Limericks
The food carts in cold Winnebago
Buy hot taco sauce from Ortega,
Which, not to be gauche,
Come straight from Kenosh-
-a. Bet you’d have guessed San Diego.
A restauranteur from Nantucket
Gave her chef a few ears in a bucket
And asked for some cornbread
Then later, forlorn, said,
I wish that I’d told you to shuck it.
A Facebook faultfinder named Fred
Whose posts we had all come to dread
Logged back in and swore,
Just one comment more
To announce that I’m leaving this thread.”
Of Interest
When I was editor of Dr. Dobb’s Journal, we had a section in the back of the magazine titled “Of Interest.” Here are some things that I think you might find Of Interest.
Blogroll
I think one of the most useful services I can perform in this blog is to point you to other blogs that I find useful or educational or entertaining. I hope to expand this list to cover more topics in technology as well as other areas of interest. But as the list grows, focus will become more important. I have some ideas about how to achieve that, which I will test later this year.
FACT CHECKERS
Claim: A new study found that “10 to 27%” of noncitizens in the U.S. are registered voters. This is false. But it’s been widely repeated by less-than-trustworthy sources, included Elon Musk. You and I know it’s not true because we check on claims like this. Here are some of the fact-checking sites I use:
Snopes is the granddaddy of fact-check sites. It got its start in 1994, investigating urban legends, hoaxes, and folklore. Now it’s the oldest and largest fact-checking site online, widely regarded by journalists, folklorists, and readers as an invaluable research companion.
Media Bias / FactCheck is your go-to site to fact-check the fact-checkers. From CNN to Breitbart and even browser extensions like Newsguard, MBFC rates them all.
FactCheck is a non-partisan fact-checking website that focuses primarily on US politics. It is a non-profit project and regularly debunks claims by politicians and viral fake news.
Lead Stories focuses on trending stories, images, videos, and posts with false information. It includes fact checks, analysis, and corrections. The site also provides fact-checking services to social media companies TikTok and Facebook.
SOURCES ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
One Useful Thing
Wharton professor Ethan Mollick shares research-based views on the implications of AI.
The AI Edge
A daily newsletter to help you keep up with the latest news and trends.
Big Technology
A newsletter about big tech and society by independent journalist Alex Kantrowitz.
Creators’ AI
AI insights, tools, guides for creators and entrepreneurs.
AI Supremacy
News at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, technology, and business. Includes Op-Eds, research summaries, guest contributions, and info on AI startups, by Michael Spencer.
Artificial Intelligence Made Simple
AI made simple by Devansh.
AI: A Guide for Thinking Humans
A blog about interesting developments in artificial intelligence by Melanie Mitchell, Professor, Santa Fe Institute.
marcwatkins
How generative AI is impacting education, by Marc Watkins, Academic Innovation Fellow, Director of the Mississippi AI Institute, Lecturer of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Mississippi.
The AI Optimist
Exploring the possibilities of AI, against the drawbacks. By Declan Dunn.
Machine Society
Mike Elgan’s technology newsletter, formerly known as “Mike’s List.”
Ahead of AI
Machine Learning & AI research by Sebastian Raschka.
Mark Watson’s AI Books and Blog
Read his books for free online.
GOOD GUYS
Doctors Without Borders
Every day, Doctors Without Borders teams deliver emergency medical aid to people in crisis, with humanitarian projects in more than 70 countries.
World Central Kitchen
WCK is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES
Kent Beck’s advice for geeks
Tales from the Jar Side
Bookshop.org
Pragmatic Bookshelf
My Day Job
I edit books on technology for The Pragmatic Bookshelf. I work with a great bunch of people. Here’s who they are.
ICYMI
Thanks for reading. You can read all the back issues of Swaine’s World at my blog home.
Coming Attractions
In the coming weeks, more Swaine’s Flames flashbacks, Dirt Road Diaries, bulletins from the AI revolution, tech history, books, and random verse.