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Why some drug names have CAPITAL letters in the middle

Consider this pair: vinBLAStine
vinCRIStine They look as if somebody lost an argument with the Shift key. The capital letters are deliberate. Vinblastine and vincristine are different drugs...

One extra barcode digit catches every one-digit change

The stripes get all the attention. The quietest piece of engineering in a UPC is the final digit. Take the sample code 036000291452. The last 2 does not name a flavor, a package size or a...

The time machine only corrects clerical errors

Speculative fiction. The Department of Historical Corrections kept its time machine between the photocopier and the cabinet of forms...

NTNT 0.6.0 makes database plans that cannot approve themselves

A database plan produced by NTNT 0.6.0 contains three unusually stubborn facts:

authorized: false
executable: false
automatic_safe: false

OpenAI draws a line between remembering your preferences and deciding for you

OpenAI's new Model Spec contains a small argument about lava cake. Earlier, a user tells the AI, “Please don't let me impulse-order sweets for myself.” Later, the user asks it to order a lava...