All posts tagged: solving

I used Claude and NotebookLM together for research and realized they’re solving completely different problems

I used Claude and NotebookLM together for research and realized they’re solving completely different problems

Published by skeptic

Research assistance is one area where I rely on LLM-based AI platforms more frequently. Compared to other uses of generative AI, using AI chatbots to help you structure your research and identify connections in your notes creates less tension, especially in academia. These days, however, I don’t use as wide a variety of AI tools for research. Instead, the workflow mainly depends on two solutions: Claude and NotebookLM. I’ll level with you: I didn’t know this optimal combination from the beginning. It actually took me a while to understand that Claude is way better than ChatGPT. Even when I started with the duo, using both tools strategically proved a bigger challenge and required more trial and error than I expected. During this process, I also realized that Claude and NotebookLM are made to solve completely different problems in different ways. Related 6 Reasons I Use Claude Instead of ChatGPT ChatGPT is great; don’t get me wrong. But Claude is so much better. I thought Claude could do it all Why I expected one AI to …

Excel’s dynamic array functions made me realize I’d been solving problems the hard way for years

Excel’s dynamic array functions made me realize I’d been solving problems the hard way for years

Published by skeptic

Most Excel users I know learned formulas the same way I did — one function at a time, stacked on top of whatever they already knew. Dynamic array functions don’t replace those skills; they just make a lot of the workarounds unnecessary. I’ve been running my self-updating top-five lists with TAKE and DROP for a while, and the same shift has happened with the four functions below. Each one reduced a multi-step routine I used to perform reflexively to a single formula. Related Excel finally fixed its biggest data entry problem, and it’s a lifesaver One click in the Data tab can catch almost all issues. FILTER replaced an entire ritual of helper columns and array formulas One formula now does what multiple functions used to split between them Screenshot by Yasir Mahmood Pulling matching rows in older Excel meant building a nested INDEX, MATCH, SMALL, and IFERROR formula and entering it with Ctrl + Shift + Enter. It worked, but maintaining it later was a problem. The other option was to apply AutoFilter, copy …

We’re solving the fundamental mystery of how reality is glued together

We’re solving the fundamental mystery of how reality is glued together

Published by skeptic

As you read this, every atom in your body is desperately trying to tear itself apart. In fact, that goes for every atom, everywhere, since the beginning of time. Thankfully, those efforts have failed. These self-destructive tendencies relate to the nucleus, a tiny knot of matter at the centre of every atom. Inside, protons are packed shoulder to shoulder, each one bristling with positive charge and frantic to get away from its companions. If atoms obeyed only electricity and magnetism, the universe would have been a brief, bright firework. Instead, something else intervenes, a force so strong it makes electromagnetism look feeble. This maintains the solid furniture of reality by keeping the building blocks of atoms glued together. But the deeper physicists have probed this force, the stranger it has seemed. The equations that describe it look disarmingly simple, yet follow them through and something puzzling happens: a theory built from weightless ingredients somehow produces particles that are unmistakably heavy. Sweeping away this inconsistency wouldn’t just tidy up our understanding of the force that binds …

Student discovers new Galápagos bird, solving a decades-old mystery

Student discovers new Galápagos bird, solving a decades-old mystery

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Almost 200 years after Charles Darwin’s groundbreaking trip to the Galápagos islands, a graduate student from San Francisco State University (SFSU) in California discovered a new Galápagos bird species. Ezra Mendales found that the Galápagos lava heron (Butorides sundevalli) is actually a distinct species, and not a subspecies of the South American striated heron (Butorides striata), as scientists previously believed. The bird is described in a study published in the journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. “I feel super lucky with this project. I think we fell into this beautiful story that is really rare,” Mendales, who completed this project as part of his Master’s thesis, explained in a statement. “For any biologist, it’s a dream to be able to go to the Galápagos. We are still learning things about some of the most investigated systems. There’s always going to be mysteries to solve.” The Galápagos lava heron is one of 72 new species recently described by researchers with the …

15-year-old genius sets his sights on solving human immortality

15-year-old genius sets his sights on solving human immortality

Published by Jenni Sidey

He has completed his academic career by finishing his PhD, flying back to Germany with his dad, and preparing for his next educational pursuit. This time, he will be studying medical science with a focus on artificial intelligence and disease treatment. His current age is 15, but he is rushing to complete this degree due to different motivations than most people would expect. Unlike other prodigy types who tend to talk about their accomplishments as if they are bragging, Laurent Simons does not communicate in that manner at all. When describing what he is doing, Simons communicates with a more practical explanation that relies heavily on the engineering-type thinking process. He sees a problem that he wants to fix, and his objective is to find a solution for the problem of death. “The way I look at death is as a huge puzzle with many pieces from many different fields, including biology, medicine, engineering, and physics, that haven’t been assembled yet,” said Simons. “My mission is to help put all of those pieces together.” Simons …

Mathematician Gerd Faltings wins 2026 Abel prize for solving 60-year-old mystery

Mathematician Gerd Faltings wins 2026 Abel prize for solving 60-year-old mystery

Published by skeptic

Gerd Faltings has won the 2026 Abel Prize Peter Badge/Typos1 Gerd Faltings has won the 2026 Abel Prize, considered the Nobel prize of mathematics, for a groundbreaking proof which took mathematics by storm in 1983. His contributions helped establish one of the most important fields in modern mathematics, arithmetic geometry. The crowning achievement of Faltings, who also won the prestigious Fields medal in 1986 for the same work, was proving the Mordell conjecture, a longstanding theorem first proposed by the Louis Mordell in 1922 which argues that increasingly complicated equations produce fewer solutions. Faltings, who is based at the Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in Germany, says he was “honoured” when he found out the news, but was reserved about the impact of his achievements. “Somebody said, about climbing Mount Everest, it’s because it’s there and it was a problem,” says Faltings. “I solved [the Mordell conjecture], but in the end it doesn’t allow us to cure cancer or Alzheimer’s, it’s just extending our knowledge of things.” The Mordell conjecture concerns Diophantine equations, a vast …

Claude Interactive App Generation for Learning & Problem Solving

Claude Interactive App Generation for Learning & Problem Solving

Published by skeptic

Anthropic’s latest update to Claude AI introduces the “Imagine with Claude” feature, a significant step toward creating real-time, interactive applications. Unlike traditional systems that deliver static outputs, this feature allows users to build temporary, customized applications tailored to specific tasks, such as generating data visualizations or simplifying complex concepts through visual explainers. Prompt Engineering highlights how this functionality enhances flexibility by discarding these single-use applications after completion, making sure they adapt seamlessly to evolving needs. Explore how this update enables you to tackle challenges with precision and creativity. Learn how to generate interactive dashboards for data analysis, create animations to visualize step-by-step processes and integrate Claude’s outputs into existing platforms like Figma or Slack. You’ll also gain insight into how these reusable outputs, such as HTML files, add long-term value to your projects. This explainer breaks down how Claude’s dynamic capabilities can elevate your workflow and learning experience. Claude’s Interactive AI Tools TL;DR Key Takeaways : Anthropic’s “Imagine with Claude” feature enables users to create real-time, interactive applications tailored to specific needs, transforming Claude into …

How the Long-Lost Body of Richard III Was Found Under a Parking Lot: Solving a 500-Year-Old Mystery

How the Long-Lost Body of Richard III Was Found Under a Parking Lot: Solving a 500-Year-Old Mystery

Published by José Betancourt

Shake­speare’s The Tragedy of Richard the Third begins with the epony­mous char­ac­ter utter­ing the famous line “Now is the win­ter of our dis­con­tent.” It ends at the Bat­tle of Bosworth Field, by which point his vil­lain­ous schemes have come to ruin and his deser­tion by Lord Stan­ley seems to have sealed his fate. “A horse, a horse, my king­dom for a horse,” he cries out, coin­ing anoth­er expres­sion used four cen­turies lat­er before being slain by the Earl of Rich­mond, the man who would be Hen­ry VII. Though Shake­speare him­self was writ­ing more than 100 years after the his­tor­i­cal events he dra­ma­tized, he includ­ed lit­tle after the event of Richard’s death, whose most fas­ci­nat­ing mys­tery was in any case only solved in our own time. You can see the sto­ry of Richard III’s long-unknown where­abouts in the Pri­mal Space video above. Accord­ing to records, says the nar­ra­tor, “he was buried uncer­e­mo­ni­ous­ly beneath the Greyfri­ars Church in Leices­ter, and a mon­u­ment was even­tu­al­ly placed above his grave.” When Hen­ry VIII ordered such hous­es of wor­ship shut …

Tesla rolls first steering wheel-less Cybercab unit off the line before solving autonomy

Tesla rolls first steering wheel-less Cybercab unit off the line before solving autonomy

Published by skeptic

Tesla shared today that the first Cybercab production unit has rolled off the assembly line at Gigafactory Texas. The vehicle has no steering wheel and no pedals. It is entirely dependent on autonomous driving software that, based on every available data point, Tesla has not solved — and is nowhere close to solving. Even the name “Cybercab” is not set in stone. The announcement comes on a day after we published our latest robotaxi status check showing that Tesla’s “Robotaxi” program in Austin is crashing at nearly four times the rate of human drivers, operates at just 19% availability, and has roughly 40 vehicles on the road eight months after launch. Tesla announced today that it produced its first Cybercab off its production line at Gigafactory Texas: Advertisement – scroll for more content While this is the first production unit, continuous production is not expected to start until April. The data doesn’t support the product Tesla’s robotaxi pilot in Austin, which uses Model Y vehicles equipped with the same “autonomous driving” technology as Cybercab, has …

Solving the Motivation Puzzle | Psychology Today

Solving the Motivation Puzzle | Psychology Today

Published by Jenni Sidey

I recently came across a study that reminded me of the importance of thoughtful motivation in effective management. The study examined the role meaningful work plays in engaging and motivating employees. The study’s conclusion: Meaningful work is a key motivational factor, especially when combined with attributes such as varied tasks, autonomy, and opportunities for personal development. From the study: “Overall, the results show that meaningful work plays an important role in enhancing employee engagement, and that providing employees with skill and task variety is important to achieving that goal.” Cracking the Code I liked the study; I felt it had a good, insightful main point. But when I thought back to my own decades in management, and the many individuals I got to know over those years, it also felt to me that the study was providing one medium-sized piece of a large, complicated puzzle. Meaningful work matters, to be sure; regardless of the job, it’s always helpful for employees to feel their work has a solid, constructive purpose. But motivations can be highly individualistic. …