The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. In 1939, upon arriving late to his statistics course at UC Berkeley, George Dantzig—a first-year graduate student—copied two problems off the blackboard, thinking they were a homework assignment. He found the homework “harder to do than usual,” he would later recount, and apologized to the…
The idea of starting a book club came to Valeen Heinle late one night in July. She was having a particularly bad argument with her Trump-supporting dad over Israel’s war in Gaza and its devastating impacts on children. “I’m begging you to just try and learn something that isn’t from Facebook, Fox, or Newsmax,” Valeen,…
So, what extra care does your nonstick pan need? We interviewed manufacturers and consulted experts from our labs to determine what you should do to ensure that your pan’s coating remains safe to use and turns out flawless fried eggs for years to come. 1. Avoid metal utensils. Metal can scrape or otherwise mar the…
Aegean H. Chan, MD, dual board-certified dermatologist and dermatopathologist, practicing in Santa Barbara and Solvang, Calif., notes that pigmented contact cheilitis is underrepresented in medical literature, with only a handful of published case reports. This makes its true prevalence unclear, but it is likely more common than reported. She adds that delayed diagnosis is common…
That gives consumers a better idea of the cargo they can fit in the back, whether it’s a new dishwasher, two dozen bags of mulch, or a big-screen TV coming home from the electronics store. Our auto engineers also measure the luggage capacity behind the raised third-row seat, because automakers market three-row vehicles as capable…
Meta has paused all its work with the data contracting firm Mercor while it investigates a major security breach that impacted the startup, two sources confirmed to WIRED. The pause is indefinite, the sources said. Other major AI labs are also reevaluating their work with Mercor as they assess the scope of the incident, according…
Ideally, the composite decking you choose will look good, and remain solid and safe, for many years. Consumer Reports’ performance tests evaluate these factors. We use specialized instruments to test each decking sample for resistance to flexing. That ensures that boards won’t bow or bend if you’re entertaining a crowd or if you park a…
The most common complaints reported by owners of countertop and over-the-range microwaves were excessive noise, control panel buttons breaking, and uneven heating. Among countertop microwave manufacturers, KitchenAid’s microwaves were four times more likely than other brands to have problems with control panel buttons breaking (14 percent, while the median problem rate for all brands was…
When Chinese AI startup DeepSeek became a global sensation in January, it not only shocked Silicon Valley but also startled ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. The Chinese tech giant had already launched Doubao, its own flagship AI assistant app with tens of millions of users. But when DeepSeek became the best-known Chinese AI company overnight, no…
Photograph: Pete Cottell M-Audio has packaged everything this person would need in a tidy little box with its M Track Duo HD producer pack. It includes a two-channel class-compliant audio interface, an M100 condenser mic, a pair of HD41 headphones, a mic clip, a USB-C cable to connect the interface to your computer or mobile…