Suggestions is New Scientist’s well-liked sideways have a look at the most recent science and expertise information. You’ll be able to submit gadgets you imagine might amuse readers to Suggestions by emailing suggestions@newscientist.com
Extra male than male
In frequent, we suspect, with most readers, Suggestions is casting round for explanations of how the world received into its present place. So we had been intrigued by journalist Michael Hobbes’s submit on the social media website Bluesky, highlighting a 2013 paper within the American Journal of Sociology known as “Overdoing Gender: A take a look at of the masculine overcompensation thesis”.
The speculation is that, when males’s maleness is threatened, they overcompensate with “excessive demonstrations of masculinity”. For instance, when males had been informed they had been female, they responded by expressing extra help for “dominance hierarchies”, and mentioned they wished extra private energy. Additionally they grew to become extra supportive of conflict and homophobia.
However the bit that received Hobbes’s consideration, as a result of it’s so completely ridiculous, is that they expressed curiosity in shopping for a sports activities utility car (SUV).
Studying all this, Suggestions was to be discovered staring into area whereas the faces of distinguished folks flashed previous. We remembered when singer James Blunt was interviewed on Jessie Ware’s podcast Desk Manners. He admitted that in faculty days he went on a meat-only food regimen to show his manliness and annoy vegan pals– solely to be recognized with scurvy.
We remembered the various situations of right-wing US males confessing on social media that they didn’t imagine within the existence of the feminine orgasm as a result of that they had by no means seen a girl expertise one.
We remembered Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg trash-talking one another over a proposed cage battle for a 12 months. And we thought these sociologists might need some extent.
Prepared and never prepared
Whereas we’re all nonetheless making an attempt to adapt to the rise of synthetic intelligence, the following expertise revolution is on its method: quantum computer systems. Common readers will know this already, due to concern 3530. However what about all of the poor souls that didn’t choose that up?
Thankfully, computing large and Netscape-killer Microsoft has the answer: a Quantum Prepared programme, to assist enterprise leaders put together their corporations for the approaching period.
What’s on supply? Why, educating that may assist leaders create “a transparent and complete quantum-ready technique for sturdy, aggressive differentiation”. Quantum computing, we’re promised, “will quickly clear up significant issues and unlock enterprise worth in numerous areas”. Regular with the hype, Microsoft.
Because of all this coming quantum computing energy, leaders should “perceive the organizational change required to steer within the quantum period by a structured method to enterprise transformation aligned together with your group targets”. They need to “assess quantum’s affect” on their corporations, and “execute a quantum software roadmap”. In different phrases: perform a little research, make a plan and carry it out. Really, you possibly can’t put a financial worth on recommendation that mixes high quality and originality to that extent.
In fact, the issue is that we don’t know if/when quantum computer systems will turn out to be helpful, or precisely what they are going to be helpful for. So an organization would possibly spend a variety of time making ready for the quantum future, solely to search out {that a} startlingly totally different quantum future really happens.
In a really actual sense, even when an organization is quantum-ready, it isn’t quantum-ready. If solely there was a thought experiment that might illustrate such a state of affairs.
The best way to go away the planet
Given the aforementioned state of issues, Suggestions often wonders if we’d depart planet Earth for pastures new. Admittedly, area journey is fraught with perils like meteorite strikes, intense radiation and the sheer mind-boggling scale of interstellar distances that make your loss of life inevitable lengthy earlier than your craft reaches one other star system.
However alternatively, possibly the grass is greener. In idle moments, we fantasise that the approaching asteroid 2024 YR4 is a disguised flying saucer, and we’d be capable of cadge a carry to Alpha Centauri.
So you possibly can think about our shock once we realized, by way of sustainability advisor Niki Rust on LinkedIn, of an uncommon job posting on Certainly.com. An organization known as Black E book Resourcing Ltd was looking for a “Pioneer Colonist – Mars Settlement Program”. Duties embody: “set up and preserve life-support methods”, “generate energy and handle assets for long-term survival” and (just a bit little bit of understatement right here) “work as a crew underneath excessive situations”.
The moderately lengthy “important necessities” record contains “peak bodily and psychological endurance” and a “background in engineering, medication, botany, geology, or survival expertise”. Confusingly, the record calls for each “adaptability and resilience in full isolation” and “sturdy teamwork and management expertise”. Lastly, you could have “no dependency on Earth’s luxuries–solely grit and dedication”. “Prior expertise in excessive environments” is optionally available.
Don’t all rush: the itemizing has expired, and we aren’t in any respect certain it was real. Apart from, given the frankly strenuous necessities, Suggestions was shocked to see the proposed wage was simply £60,000-£100,000 per 12 months. Nevertheless, the corporate deserves credit score for itemizing the job as “everlasting” – it most definitely can be. Bonus factors for the placement, which was described merely as “distant”.
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