Category: Backchannel

What If the Robots Were Very Nice While They Took Over the World?

First it was chess and Go. Now AI can beat us at Diplomacy, the most human of board games. The way it wins offers hope that maybe AI will be a delight. Source

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My Balls-Out Quest to Achieve the Perfect Scrotum

A new breed of self-care companies has a salve for fragile masculinity: lavender- and tapioca-scented deodorants and moisturizers for the nutsack. Source

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When a Vintage RV Is Your Home, Repair Is a Way of Life

Six years ago, I moved my family into a 50-year-old RV—not just to see America, but to test my belief that anything worth fixing can be fixed. Source

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The Secret Origins of Amazon’s Alexa

In 2011, Jeff Bezos dreamt up a talking device. But making the virtual assistant sound intelligent proved far more difficult than anyone could have imagined. Source

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How Audio Pros ‘Upmix’ Vintage Tracks and Give Them New Life

Experts are using AI to pick apart classic recordings from the 50s and 60s, isolate the instruments, and stitch them back together in crisp, bold ways. Source

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One Woman’s High-Touch Bid to Upend the Sex-Toy Industry

Lora DiCarlo said her company’s robotic vibrator, the Osé, would redefine the market. But her hyped-up personal brand would be the real master stroke. Source

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