Tag Archives: Creative Commons

03Apr/23

AI will soon become impossible for humans to comprehend – the story of neural networks tells us why

David Beer, University of York

In 1956, during a year-long trip to London and in his early 20s, the mathematician and theoretical biologist Jack D. Cowan visited Wilfred Taylor and his strange new “learning machine”. On his arrival he was baffled by the “huge bank of apparatus” that confronted him. Cowan could only stand by and watch “the machine doing its thing”. The thing it appeared to be doing was performing an “associative memory scheme” – it seemed to be able to learn how to find connections and retrieve data.

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28Mar/23

ChatGPT struggles with Wordle puzzles, which says a lot about how it works

Michael G. Madden, University of Galway

The AI chatbot known as ChatGPT, developed by the company OpenAI, has caught the public’s attention and imagination. Some applications of the technology are truly impressive, such as its ability to summarise complex topics or to engage in long conversations.

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27Mar/23

How Black children in England’s schools are made to feel like the way they speak is wrong

Ian Cushing, Edge Hill University

Whiteness is an invention of the modern, colonial age. It refers to the racialisation of white people and the disproportionate privilege – social, linguistic, economic, political – that comes with this. Crucially, as an invention, whiteness is not innate – it is taught.

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24Mar/23

Women only gained access to the London Stock Exchange in 1973 – why did it take so long?

James Taylor, Lancaster University

On March 26 1973, the London Stock Exchange admitted its first female members. This followed years of resistance, with London trailing behind other smaller exchanges around the UK.

That women had been excluded for so long was not only due to institutional misogyny. Research has shown how finance was imagined in sexist terms for centuries. And despite the extraordinary accomplishments of prominent female figures over the past 50 years, these biased beliefs persist to this day.

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23Mar/23

Management lessons from Ted Lasso: the importance of clear goals and positive feedback

Chidiebere Ogbonnaya, University of Kent

Apple TV’s wildly successful comedy, Ted Lasso, has returned for a third series. The show’s well-meaning, if bumbling, American coach of fictional English football team AFC Richmond is known for his motivational speeches. Take this example from the first series:

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22Mar/23

Casey review: key steps the Met police must take to address its institutional racism and sexism

John Fox, University of Portsmouth

Baroness Louise Casey has found that London’s Metropolitan police force is institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. We heard similar 24 years ago when, after the incompetent investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, Sir William MacPherson reported that the Met was institutionally racist.

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21Mar/23

Why are we so scared of clowns? Here’s what we’ve discovered

Sophie Scorey, University of South Wales; James Greville, University of South Wales; Philip Tyson, University of South Wales, and Shakiela Davies, University of South Wales

Are you scared of clowns? You are not alone. Coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns, is a widely acknowledged phenomenon. Studies indicate this fear is present among both adults and children in many different cultures. Yet it is not well understood due to a lack of focused research.

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20Mar/23

Seven tips for finding happiness at work

Cary Cooper, University of Manchester

Work, it’s something most of us do though it isn’t always enjoyable. Whether it’s long hours, gruelling tasks or just the repetitive nature of a day-to-day routine, work can sometimes be something we have to do rather than something we want to do.

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20Mar/23

Spring budget 2023: AI announcements hint at data grab behind the scenes

Eerke Boiten, De Montfort University

In the area of digital technologies including artificial intelligence (AI), the UK budget can be a barometer of technological development and hype. However, there is a worrying drive towards deregulation in the background – combined with an apparent desire to encourage the rights holders for data to share it with companies involved in AI.

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18Mar/23

Iraq 20 years on: researchers assess how US invasion shapes lives today – podcast

Mend Mariwany and Nehal El-Hadi, The Conversation

On March 19, 2003, the United States led an unlawful invasion into Iraq — at the time, the reason given was the search for weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. occupation of Iraq lasted over eight years, until the official withdrawal of troops throughout 2011.

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