Guest Thinkers — February 16, 2011

Slide – Teachers and technology

Scott McLeod

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[from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach, Letter to My Colleagues]

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Map highlighting an area in Europe, centered on the Netherlands and surrounding countries, with a red overlay labeled "PDF.

Strange Maps

The world’s largest PDF is bigger than the Universe

Common knowledge says the maximum size of a PDF is as big as 40% of Germany — but that’s a gross underestimate.

A retro computer displays a ghost on the screen as pixelated chains drift across the foreground, reminiscent of a scene from a Ken Liu short story. This digital haunt unfolds against a vivid orange background.

High Culture

“The gods will not be chained”: A short story by Ken Liu

The first in a series of short stories by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author that inspired the cult hit “Pantheon.”

A person sits in darkness, frowning, partially obscured by a large yellow smiley face sticker covering part of their face.

Neuropsych

“Taking in the good”: A simple way to offset your brain’s negativity bias

Our brains cling to the bad. This method could help balance the scales.

A collage featuring close-up images of hands, faces, eyes, and text excerpts. The central focus is on various hand gestures performing actions with small objects and cards, evoking the mysterious art of mentalism.

Neuropsych

Unlock your potential with mentalism: An interview with Scott Barry Kaufman

Meet the scientist mixing mentalism with principles from positive psychology and the science of human potential.

A person lies in bed reading a book, wearing a white blouse, in a painting with soft, muted colors.

High Culture

ChatGPT is great at summarizing books. But will AI ever write a true work of literature?

With the right prompts, large language models can produce quality writing — and make us question the limits of human creativity.

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