TRC #696: Did Sakana AI Change Its Own Code? + Who is Margaret Hello?

The Reality Check

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hace un año 32:11

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Could an AI rewrite its own code? Has it perhaps already done so? Darren looks at the story which suggests that an AI Scientist, developed by Sakana AI, was able to change its own source code. What exactly happened and are you worried enough about it? Then Adam investigates the truth behind a viral claim that we say “hello” on the telephone because of Graham Bell’s fiancée and assistant, Margaret Hello.

402 episodios

TRC #696: Did Sakana AI Change Its Own Code? + Who is Margaret Hello?

The Reality Check

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published hace un año

MP3•Episodio en casa

402 episodios

#Society #Canada #Comedy #Entertainmentone #Pat Roach #Natural Sciences #Science #Skeptic #Reality Check

Todos los episodios

1
TRC #708: The Telepathy Tapes + AI Cheating At Chess? 30:09

hace 7 días30:09

30:09

The Telepathy Tapes is a popular podcast that tells the story of non verbal people showing evidence of psychic abilities and logging on to a psychic virtual chat room called The Hill. Adam looks into how realistic these claims are given what we know about Facilitated Communication. Darren looks into some AI programs that seem to have been cheating at chess! What are they doing and what could this mean for the future of Artificial Intelligence?…

1
TRC #707: Is Tim Hortons Canadian? + Mysterious Structures Under The Great Pyramid 29:05

hace 22 días29:05

29:05

Is Tim Hortons Canadian? Darren takes a look at the history of the popular coffee and donut chain to see just how Canadian it is and what it even means to be a Canadian company. Adam dives into some recent news which suggests that there are massive structures underneath the Great Pyramid of Giza. Is this even possible? Could that structure be a Tim Hortons restaurant?…

1
TRC #706: An AI Generated Podcast by NotebookLM 20:15

hace 5 weeks20:15

20:15

Could Artificial Intelligence do a better job of recording a podcast than Darren and Adam? For this bonus episode we try something a little different. Darren gave Google’s NotebookLM the introduction Uncontrollable, his book on AI safety, and asked it to generate a podcast based on the content. Listen to what it produced! A somewhat convincing exchange between two virtual podcast hosts talking about concerns about the looming threat of AI. Following this simulated episode the real human hosts of The Reality Check podcast will share what we thought of it.…

1
TRC #705: Book Round Up: Family Unfriendly and One Billion Americans + Is The 401 The Busiest Highway In The World? 40:36

hace 6 weeks40:36

40:36

After reading two books touching on the theme of birth rates Adam gives us an overview and discussion on Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Raising Kids Much Harder Than It Needs to Be by Timothy Carney and One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger by Matthew Yglesias. Then Darren looks into whether or not Highway 401 in Toronto is the busiest highway in the world.…

1
TRC #704: Remembering Joe Nickell 32:38

hace 8 weeks32:38

32:38

Joe Nickell, the world renowned paranormal investigator, died earlier this week at the age of 80. He was a great inspiration to us here at The Reality Check and it was a great pleasure for some of us to have met him back in 2009 at The Amazing Meeting. At that time we recorded this interview, originally used in episode 53 of the show, where we talk with Joe Nickell about his fascinating career.…

1
TRC #703: Jevons’ Paradox + American vs. Canadian ingredients in food 34:13

hace 9 weeks34:13

34:13

Darren revisits a topical segment from the past looking at Jevons’ Paradox which suggests that as a resource becomes more efficient, it may paradoxically be consumed more. Then Adam looks at some recent controversies about artificial colouring in Froot Loops cereal, how those are labeled in the US and Canada and what that means.…

1
TRC #702: Talking Close Relationships with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk 39:37

hace 12 weeks39:37

39:37

With Valentines Day coming up we are taking this opportunity to revisit a romantic segment we did five years ago with Dr. Cheryl Harasymchuk. In this interview she discusses the work she does in the Positive Activities in Intimate Relationships (PAIR) Lab at Carleton University in which they study factors that promote and hinder positive activities in intimate relationships.…

1
TRC #701: How Many Birds Do Cats Kill? + Book Review Roundup 42:44

hace 15 weeks42:44

42:44

It is often said that cats are responsible for the death of countless birds. Adam looks at where these numbers come from and wonders whether they are all that accurate. Darren gives a review of four books which he recently read. He’ll share an AI and human summary of “My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel” by Ari Shavit, Enemies and Neighbors: Arabs and Jews in Palestine and Israel, 1917-2017″ by Ian Black, “Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War” by Raj M. Shah and Christopher Kirchhoff, and “On Freedom” by Timothy Snyder.…

1
TRC #700: The Rise of Podcasts + Are False Beliefs More Common? 38:39

hace 19 weeks38:39

38:39

It’s the 700th episode of The Reality Check podcast! On this special show we look back at the last 16 years to see how much things have changed since way back in 2008. Darren looks at the history of podcasts and how far we’ve come and then Adam looks at which false beliefs have become more or less over time since the show started.…

1
TRC #699: Was Lamarck That Wrong? + What Do Animals See On A TV? 41:24

hace 25 weeks41:24

41:24

When it comes to evolution many focus on what Jean-Baptiste Lamarck got wrong with his model of inheritance. Darren looks at what he got right and considers his discoveries in light of the scientific understanding of the world of his time. Adam, based on first hand anecdotal evidence of many cats and dogs, wonders what pets see when they looking at various types of TVs and computer monitors.…

1
TRC #698: Converting Office Space to Housing + Book Review: The Singularity is Nearer 27:39

hace 27 weeks27:39

27:39

Why don't they just convert all of the unused office space to housing? Adam looks at the challenges involved in converting office buildings to residential space. Then Darren gives us a review of Ray Kurzweil's recent book The Singularity Is Nearer.

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TRC #697: Did Hedy Lamarr Invent Wi-Fi? + Name That: Spot the Fake 31:25

hace 30 weeks31:25

31:25

We have some very special guests on this week's episode as TRC alumni Pat and Cristina join us with some great segments. Cristina looks at the truth behind a viral meme that says that famous actress Hedy Lamarr invented Wi-Fi, and gives us some background on this fascinating woman's life. Then Pat delights us with everyone's favourite mostly guessing game Name That: Spot The Fake.…

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TRC #696: Did Sakana AI Change Its Own Code? + Who is Margaret Hello? 32:11

hace 33 weeks32:11

32:11

1
TRC #695: The Science of Sharknado + Book Review: Invisible Rulers by Renée DiResta 38:08

hace 35 weeks38:08

38:08

After having watched all six Sharknado films Adam decides to do some research into the science of these not at all ridiculous films, uncovering the truth about the plausibility and historical precedent for a tornado filled with living sharks. Darren gives us a book review of Renée DiResta’s Invisible Rulers: The People Who Turn Lies into Reality, which explores how powerful influencers are able to affect what people believe.…

1
TRC #694: Can Meditation Be Harmful? + Did Cavemen Live in Caves? 33:42

hace 37 weeks33:42

33:42

Could meditation ever be harmful? Darren examines the evidence to determine if meditation, which can have many benefits, might sometimes have a negative impact on people’s lives. Adam looks at the idea of cavemen and wonders if, as their name suggests, that they really spent all that much time in caves.…

The Reality Check

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TRC #693: When Is Soap Not Really Soap? + Book Review: Determined 30:49

hace 41 weeks30:49

30:49

What’s the difference between a bar of soap and the stuff we use to clean dishes, laundry and cars, and can you just use any of those in the shower? Adam tries to find out whether the stuff that’s fit for baby ducks if good enough for you skin. Darren gives us a review of Determined: The Science of Life Without Free Will by Robert Sapolsky, which asks interesting questions about free will, whether we have it and what the implications are.…

The Reality Check

1
TRC #692: Cultivating Critical Thinking + Letting Food Cool Before Refrigerating It 37:50

hace 43 weeks37:50

37:50

We look at some fundamental ways of cultivating critical thinking on the latest show. Darren looks at some common cognitive biases and logical fallacies and how to use these in order to have a better more accurate understanding of the truth of the things we face every day. Then Adam looks at the science behind the belief that you should let your leftovers cool down at room temperature before putting them in the fridge.…

The Reality Check

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TRC #691: Why Can’t AI Do Laundry and Dishes? 19:20

hace 45 weeks19:20

19:20

Can we say that AI is going in the wrong direction, as it does our art and writing while we suffer doing laundry and dishes? It’s just Adam on the show this week as he overanalyzes a viral tweet by looking at how much the time and way we do chores has changed for the better over the centuries, while looking at what AI could do to improve the situation.…

The Reality Check

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TRC #690: Early Mammals + Would You Rather Encounter a Man or a Bear in the Woods? 32:25

hace 47 weeks32:25

32:25

What were the first mammals like? Darren examines what characterizes a mammal and explores the world of early mammals, who coexisted with the dinosaurs. Adam investigates the discourse around a viral question which asks “Would you rather be stuck in a forest with a man or a bear?”, using some simple statistics to inform the issue.…

The Reality Check

1
TRC #689: The Science of Dune's Sandworms + AI Personal Assistants 37:05

hace 49 weeks37:05

37:05

Could the huge Sandworms in Frank Herbert's Dune really exist? Adam looks at how scientifically plausible these odd creatures might be. In light of recent news about Open AI's GPT-4o and Google's Project Astra, Darren look at the latest advances in AI personal assistants, speculates where this could be leading and shares a passage from his book Uncontrollable on the topic.…

The Reality Check

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TRC #688: Interview with Spencer Greenberg 32:50

hace 51 weeks32:50

32:50

Spencer Greenberg is the founder Clearer Thinking, a web site which provides tools for critical thinking, as well as Transparent Replications, which does rapid replications of papers in psychology and behavioural studies. In this interview he discusses the replication crisis in scientific studies, what’s causing it and what can be done to reduce these problems.…

The Reality Check

1
TRC #687: Remembering Daniel Dennett 14:37

hace 1 year14:37

14:37

This past Friday, April 19th, philosopher Daniel Dennett passed away at the age of 82. Throughout his life he has impacted many people through his work. On this week's show Darren shares some of his thoughts on this great man and gives an overview of a few of his books. Thank you Daniel Dennett.

The Reality Check

1
TRC #686: The Stanford Prison Experiment + Is AI Taking Over Creative Jobs? 33:08

hace 1 year33:08

33:08

Adam looks at evidence that the popular Stanford Prison Experiment was not as well run as we've heard which raises concerns about the conclusions we make from it. Darren considers some recent events in the world of AI and wonders whether or not AI could soon be taking over some creative jobs.

The Reality Check

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TRC #685: AI More Creative Than Humans? + Safe Solar Eclipse Viewing 34:57

hace 1 year34:57

34:57

Artificial Intelligence or Artificial Creativity? Can an AI be more creative than a human? Darren looks at a study which attempts to answer this question. With the upcoming solar eclipse occurring in North America on April 8th, Adam examines the risk of staring at the sun and gives some tips on how to view an eclipse safely.…

The Reality Check

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TRC #684: Aliens in Mexican Congress? + Book Review: Outlive by Peter Attia 33:11

hace 1 year33:11

33:11

I’m not saying they’re aliens but … they’re aliens. Adam uses hard hitting science to evaluate the validity of these allegedly non human mummified remains which were presented to the Mexican Congress in the fall. A shocking discovery which puts into question everything we know about our world or a hoax? Darren gives us a review of Peter Attia’s book Outlive, an exploration of the science behind living a longer and better life.…

The Reality Check

1
TRC #683: AI News: Sora, Gemini 1.5 and Implications + Jailbreaks by Hiding Files in Cakes 35:00

hace 1 year35:00

35:00

Darren gives us a news roundup of some recent things happening in the world of AI including OpenAI's text to video tool Sora, Google Deepmind's Gemini 1.5, as well as what implications this and other upcoming technologies could have on our lives. Adam tries to find out if there was ever anyone who really baked a file into a cake to break out of jail as many children's cartoons have lead us to believe.…

The Reality Check

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TRC #682: Oppenheimer Movie Discussion 27:57

hace 1 year27:57

27:57

We try something a little different on the latest episode of The Reality Check. Having recently seen the movie Oppenheimer Darren and Adam have a discussion about this great film. If you haven’t seen the movie already it might be a good idea to check it out before listening to the show!

The Reality Check

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TRC #681: Are Poinsettias Poisonous? + Mickey Mouse and the Public Domain 26:03

hace 1 year26:03

26:03

Put down that poinsettia salad, checkers. Darren looks into a popular myth that poinsettia plants are poisonous to animals, including people. Then Adam looks into what's been going on with Mickey Mouse and Steamboat Willie as he explores trademark, copyright and what it means to enter the public domain.…

The Reality Check

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TRC #680: Annual Predictions: 2024 Edition + Down Syndrome Strength + A Special Message From Pat and Cristina 37:56

hace 1 year37:56

37:56

This year we retire our annual prediction segment with a final look back at how accurate, or rather how innacurate, we were in our predictions of what would happen in 2023. Darren examines the validity of a popular claim that people with Down syndrome are stronger. Finally we end the show with a special announcement from Pat and Cristina.…

The Reality Check

1
TRC #679: A Chat With Author Darren McKee: Uncontrollable 30:33

hace 1 year30:33