First Derivative [30]
A Physicist Who Models ISIS and the Alt-Right
The rise of new extremist groups has served as both an impetus and test-case for Neil Johnson's models of terrorism and insurgency. Neil Johnson used to study electrons as a buttoned-up professor of physics at the University of Oxford. Then, a…
NFL ratings are down because teams have no incentive to be good
This is a very boring, simple explanation as to why the NFL's ratings are declining. It is not an opportunity for you to shoehorn in your feelings about Colin Kaepernick protesting the game. No one really cares about your feelings about Colin…
Taking Risks to Move the Culture Forward
Claire Lehmann is the founder and editor of Quillette, an online magazine that publishes essays on a range of topics related to politics, social life, science, and academia. The magazine is quickly becoming a highly respected outlet for open…
I'd like to offer you two models of human development. The first is what you might call The Four Kinds of Happiness. The lowest kind of happiness is material pleasure, having nice food and clothing and a nice house. Then there is achievement, the…
China's Bitmain dominates bitcoin mining. Now it wants to cash in on artificial intelligence
Two years ago, a Chinese chip-design expert named Micree Zhan was reading China's seminal science-fiction novel, The Three-Body Problem, by Liu Cixin, while wrestling with how to create a new processor. He had already designed custom chips for the…
Facebook Enabled Advertisers to Reach 'Jew Haters'
Want to market Nazi memorabilia, or recruit marchers for a far-right rally? Facebook's self-service ad-buying platform had the right audience for you. Until this week, when we asked Facebook about it, the world's largest social network enabled…