book review
Wikipedia's Pyrrhic Victory
The wonder of the online world was built by a community of eccentric volunteers. Can it survive the A.I. models it helped train? In a world where state policy is shaped by A.I. hallucination, it's cute to remember that consulting Wikipedia was once seen as irresponsible. Schools banned its use, and journalists were shamed for credulously repeating its hoaxes. "Reads like Wikipedia" was a literary insult.
Your Next Great Read Might Be Certified 'Organic'
Your Next Great Read Might Be Certified'Organic' Amid a sea of AI writing slop, a new stamp for "organic literature" will help readers to pick out books authored by real, corn-fed, free-range humans. As scandals involving the use of artificial intelligence by professional authors pile up, a British startup has established a way for publishers to certify their books as "organic"--written by real people, no machines in sight. On Wednesday, Books by People confirmed it had received approval from the UK's Intellectual Property Office to begin distributing a mark that indicates a published book has been authored by a human. The stamp, which looks like a thumbprint, will be displayed on the cover. "If people are going to be writing AI books or seeking it out for their own enjoyment, that's their prerogative," Esme Dennys, cofounder of Books by People, tells WIRED.
How Test Engineers Decide What Counts as Good Enough
Test engineers stage reality, sometimes by extreme means, to make sure airplanes don't fall apart, children can't open pill bottles, and bears won't break into coolers. Even the best models are little match for the incomprehensibly dynamic complexity of the universe. A run-in with human snacks transformed Kobuk the Destroyer's mother into a "problem bear." A native of the Alaskan wilderness, the grizzly was possibly ruined by a dumpster or a cache of campsite refuse, teaching her that food was simply there for the taking--a rewarding hack for the perennial dinnertime problem. This never ends well, and it was only a matter of time before her taste for free-range chickens got her killed by a rancher. If she was the problem, the two cubs she left behind were recruited to help with the solution. The bear-resistant container was invented to arrest the inadvertent cultivation of problem bears. A new cooler or compost bin cannot be marketed as bear-resistant until bears have been given a fair chance to break into it and fail. The gold standard is set by a consortium called the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, or I.G.B.C.
The Curious Power of Punctuation
Commas, dashes, semicolons, and spaces have shaped how we read for centuries. What happens when machines start crafting the sentences? Her editors may have applied the commas we now think of as unmistakably Austenian. Do you know the first sentence of " Pride and Prejudice "? You probably think you do, but I bet you don't. The answer is "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Did you remember to put in the commas?
Pentagon releases stunning new UFO files showing 'flying saucers' and mysterious formations that baffled the military for decades
You're viewing the US edition You can switch to the UK or AU homepage at any time using this menu. Trump claims Denmark has handed over permanent control of Greenland's security Couple desperate to conceive through IVF were delighted when wife got pregnant... only to get a VERY nasty surprise when she gave birth, lawsuit alleges In part two of the must-read book that has ignited a war of words with the King, EARL SPENCER criticises the royals' 'lack of obvious care' for Prince Harry on the day of his mother Diana's funeral Yet again, Harry and Meghan have humiliated themselves in a mess of their own making. Trump boots CNN, MSNOW and Politico from White House in unprecedented purge of press corps ... and warns MORE outlets are next Which midterm races should YOU be watching? Enter your zip code in Daily Mail's exclusive election calculator Inside Kim Zolciak and husband Kroy Biermann's house of horrors: As son KJ, 15, faces sex abuse allegations involving classmate, watch the shock bodycam footage from before teenager's arrest and read the devastating claims of home violence The very catty battle to replace Karoline Leavitt as next press secretary: Why Trump allies have turned on CNN star frontrunner... Disney actress'auditioning' against MAGA mouthpieces... and'flamed out' loyalist who has ZERO chance Seven Ivy League fraternity brothers accused of drugging and gang-raping student for four hours: Read sick messages sent to'summon' group upstairs... and during attack Earl Spencer insists'I'm telling the truth' about Charles saying Diana would be'forgotten' and calls it'monstrous' in BBC interview'Pimp and prostitute' convicted after death of NFL reporter in New Orleans... as grim details of case emerge Dark side of melatonin: How popular sleep aid taken by millions triggers terrifying side effects - and dosage that actually wrecks your sleep... but there are cheap alternatives How the midterms will prove experts WRONG: The House race defying predictions... and the young MAGA star with a $1.5BILLION secret that it all hinges on, revealed by MARK HALPERIN Duncan Sheik dead at 56: Grammy-winning singer passes away being rushed to hospital... as cause of death is revealed'Time travel' claims erupt after family spots shocking detail in Disneyland photo from the 1960s Insiders reveal the blunder over class finishing times that helped spark Harry and Meghan's school switch. 'On the night Diana died Charles sounded giddily elated like a lottery winner': Read every searing detail in bombshell book by princess's brother - as he recalls King's behavior in the days after her death Pentagon releases stunning new UFO files showing'flying saucers' and mysterious formations that baffled the military for decades The sixth batch of UFO files has been released by the Pentagon, showing clusters of alleged spacecraft flying through the sky for decades.
We Are Living in the Fantasy World of 13-Year-Old Boys
Many of the tech billionaires who built our world have taken the wrong lessons from their favorite science fiction. A fter reading Jill Lepore's The Rise and Fall of the Artificial State, I have a new destination for a time machine, should I ever finally get my hands on one. I'd set the dial to some night in the late 1970s or '80s and visit the boyhood rooms of the Silicon Valley titans Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Sam Altman. Then I'd confiscate all of their science fiction. As young people, the future billionaires were spending hours (under their covers with flashlights, I imagine) consuming stories about killer robots or Mars colonies. What they seemed not to get--maybe couldn't get--was that these were cautionary tales, stories that projected deep societal worries into space or onto a future many millennia away.
Long-lost letter reveals bitter struggle between two rival popes
Pope Alexander II may have punished the English king for siding with his rival during the Norman invasion of 1066. More information Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Pope Alexander II is consecrating a banner for William the Conqueror's service in his descent upon England and granting a ring containing a hair of St. Peter. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy .
The role of the astronaut is in flux
Human spaceflight has been racking up new milestones. But we're still grappling with a fundamental question: Why go in the first place? When the four astronauts on board NASA's Artemis II swung around the moon earlier this year, they set a new record for the farthest humans have ever ventured from Earth, surpassing the distance set by Apollo 13 in 1972 by some 4,000 miles. While no space mission can live up to the historic touchdown of Apollo 11--a spectacle that 20% of the world population watched live--Artemis II still attracted massive public interest. It drew tens of millions of viewers and inspired outpourings of "moon joy," a term coined spontaneously during the mission that became a viral sensation. The expedition is only the first in a planned series of ambitious missions.
The Key to Understanding the Disturbing Relationship Between Silicon Valley and the Trump Administration
Gil Durán's new book,, catalogs how tech oligarchs like Peter Thiel took over America. Enter your email to receive alerts for this author. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. You're already subscribed to the aa_Laura_Miller newsletter. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
I am on holiday later this month, so I'm pleased to find there's a really wide range of intriguing new science fiction to take with me. I'm particularly keen to get cracking on a tale by Sheila Armstrong about strange ancient things found in a bog, but I'm also excited to read a new book by one of my favourite authors, Paul Tremblay (even if it does sound very disturbing). And I'm looking forward to the high-concept thrillers and classic space-set sci-fi on offer, too - not forgetting the first new novel released in 30 years. This sounds a little -like and ideal summer reading for those of us who enjoy a good high-concept thriller. It's set in a near future where you can outsource your emotional pain thanks to a biotech company, Eudaimonia.