Science

• Dogs that detect seizures may be sniffing out the scent of human fear
  Dogs trained to alert owners when a seizure is imminent confused sweat from people with epilepsy with sweat from people who had been watching Stephen King's It
• Delta variant doubles risk of covid-19 hospitalisations, study shows
  Models predicting a possible huge third wave of covid-19 cases and evidence that the delta variant of coronavirus increases hospitalisation risk are behind the decision to delay easing of lockdown in England

Space

• Mars Science Lab launch delayed two years
  NASA's launch of the Mars Science Laboratory -- hampered by technical difficulties and cost overruns -- has been delayed until the fall of 2011, NASA officials said at a news conference Thursday in Washington.
• iReporters watch planets, moon align
• Shuttle lands at California air base
  NASA officials Sunday waved off the first opportunity for space shuttle Endeavour to return to Earth, citing poor weather conditions.
• Inspiration for 'Contact' still listening
  From a remote valley in Northern California, Jill Tarter is listening to the universe.
• Indian lunar orbiter hit by heat rise
  Scientists have switched off several on-board instruments to halt rising temperatures inside India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft.

AI news

• Humans are ready to take advantage of benevolent AI
  Humans expect that AI is benevolent and trustworthy. A new study reveals that at the same time humans are unwilling to cooperate and compromise with machines. They even exploit them.
• Researchers create intelligent electronic microsystems from 'green' material
  A research team has created an electronic microsystem that can intelligently respond to information inputs without any external energy input, much like a self-autonomous living organism. The microsystem is constructed from a novel type of electronics that can process ultralow electronic signals and incorporates a device that can generate electricity 'out of thin air' from […]
• New algorithm for modern quilting
  When it comes to the art of quilting, determining the feasibility and order of steps in advanced patterns can be notoriously complicated - and frustrating. By automating that process, a new algorithm enables quilters to focus on design and creation.
• Similarity of legs, wheels, tracks suggests target for energy-efficient robots
  A new formula is leading to new insights on how to build an energy-efficient legged teammate for dismounted warfighters.
• A speedy trial: What it takes to be the fastest land predator
  The cheetah is the fastest land animal, but how? Not much is understood about the dynamics underlying its characteristic 'flight' and spine movement. Now, in a new study, a team of researchers propose and validate an analytical model for studying cheetah galloping by comparing its predictions with cheetah data. While improving upon the current understanding […]
• Researchers explore ways to detect 'deep fakes' in geography
  It may only be a matter of time until the growing problem of 'deep fakes' converges with geographical information science (GIS). A research team are doing what they can to get ahead of the problem.
• Researchers fine-tune control over AI image generation
  Researchers have developed a new state-of-the-art method for controlling how artificial intelligence (AI) systems create images. The work has applications for fields from autonomous robotics to AI training.
• The role of computer voice in the future of speech-based human-computer interaction
  Researchers have performed a meta-synthesis to understand how we perceive and interact with the voice (and the body) of various machines. Their findings have generated insights into human preferences, and can be used by engineers and designers to develop future vocal technologies.
• A helping hand for working robots
  Researchers have developed and tested a new type of human-like mechanical hand that combines the benefits of existing robot hands while eliminating their weaknesses.
• Driving in the snow is a team effort for AI sensors
  A major challenge for fully autonomous vehicles is navigating bad weather. Snow especially confounds crucial sensor data that helps a vehicle gauge depth, find obstacles and keep on the correct side of the yellow line, assuming it is visible. Averaging more than 200 inches of snow every winter, Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula is the perfect place […]
• The robot smiled back
  Long interested in interactions between robots and humans, researchers have created EVA, a new autonomous robot with a soft and expressive face that responds to match the expressions of nearby humans.
• Artificial neurons recognize biosignals in real time
  Researchers have developed a compact, energy-efficient device made from artificial neurons that is capable of decoding brainwaves. The chip uses data recorded from the brainwaves of epilepsy patients to identify which regions of the brain cause epileptic seizures. This opens up new perspectives for treatment.
• Improving computer vision for AI
  Researchers have developed a new method that improves how artificial intelligence learns to see.
• The path to more human-like robot object manipulation skills
  Scientists summarize, compare and contrast research in learned robot manipulation through the lens of adaptability and outline promising research directions for the future.
• Slender robotic finger senses buried items
  Researchers developed a 'Digger Finger' robot that digs through granular material, like sand and gravel, and senses the shapes of buried objects. The technology could aid in disarming buried bombs or inspecting underground cables.
• The world's smallest fruit picker controlled by artificial intelligence
  Inspired by insects that suck nutrients directly from plant veins, physicists have studied whether valuable chemical substances can be harvested directly from the cells of plants. Using a harvester measuring only a few microns, they have now achieved a technological breakthrough.
• Hacking and loss of driving skills are major consumer concerns for self-driving cars
  A new study has revealed the three primary risks and benefits perceived by consumers towards autonomous vehicles (self-driving cars).
• Magnetically propelled cilia power climbing soft robots and microfluidic pumps
  The rhythmic motions of hair-like cilia move liquids around cells or propel the cells themselves. In nature, cilia flap independently, and mimicking these movements with artificial materials requires complex mechanisms. Now, researchers have made artificial cilia that move in a wave-like fashion when a rotating magnetic field is applied, making them suitable for versatile, climbing […]
• Brain computer interface turns mental handwriting into text on screen
  Researchers have, for the first time, decoded the neural signals associated with writing letters, then displayed typed versions of these letters in real time. They hope their invention could one day help people with paralysis communicate.
• This system helps robots better navigate emergency rooms
  Computer scientists have developed a more accurate navigation system that will allow robots to better negotiate busy clinical environments in general and emergency departments more specifically. The researchers have also developed a dataset of open source videos to help train robotic navigation systems in the future.

Machine Learning

• Line Search Optimization With Python
  The line search is an optimization algorithm that can be used for objective functions with one or more variables. It […] The post Line Search Optimization With Python appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• Gradient Descent With RMSProp from Scratch
  Gradient descent is an optimization algorithm that follows the negative gradient of an objective function in order to locate the […] The post Gradient Descent With RMSProp from Scratch appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• Dual Annealing Optimization With Python
  Dual Annealing is a stochastic global optimization algorithm. It is an implementation of the generalized simulated annealing algorithm, an extension […] The post Dual Annealing Optimization With Python appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• A Gentle Introduction to the BFGS Optimization Algorithm
  The Broyden, Fletcher, Goldfarb, and Shanno, or BFGS Algorithm, is a local search optimization algorithm. It is a type of […] The post A Gentle Introduction to the BFGS Optimization Algorithm appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• Essence of Bootstrap Aggregation Ensembles
  Bootstrap aggregation, or bagging, is a popular ensemble method that fits a decision tree on different bootstrap samples of the […] The post Essence of Bootstrap Aggregation Ensembles appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• A Gentle Introduction to Ensemble Diversity for Machine Learning
  Ensemble learning combines the predictions from machine learning models for classification and regression. We pursue using ensemble methods to achieve […] The post A Gentle Introduction to Ensemble Diversity for Machine Learning appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• A Gentle Introduction to Multiple-Model Machine Learning
  An ensemble learning method involves combining the predictions from multiple contributing models. Nevertheless, not all techniques that make use of […] The post A Gentle Introduction to Multiple-Model Machine Learning appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• Essence of Boosting Ensembles for Machine Learning
  Boosting is a powerful and popular class of ensemble learning techniques. Historically, boosting algorithms were challenging to implement, and it […] The post Essence of Boosting Ensembles for Machine Learning appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• Ensemble Machine Learning With Python (7-Day Mini-Course)
  Ensemble Learning Algorithms With Python Crash Course. Get on top of ensemble learning with Python in 7 days. Ensemble learning […] The post Ensemble Machine Learning With Python (7-Day Mini-Course) appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.
• How to Develop a Weighted Average Ensemble With Python
  Weighted average ensembles assume that some models in the ensemble have more skill than others and give them more contribution […] The post How to Develop a Weighted Average Ensemble With Python appeared first on Machine Learning Mastery.

Artificial Intelligence

• Ransomware Incidents Surging; Cybersecurity Experts Scramble to Respond   
  By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor   Ransomware attacks are ramping up. A former US Attorney suggests that a “surge” in cybersecurity protection is needed to counter the increasing number of attacks from cyber criminals. Other experts say cybersecurity best practices should be applied to plug holes.   The CBS news magazine 60 Minutes on June 6 included […]
• Hidden Workers Helping to Make AI Systems Work Well, Fit Into Workplace  
  By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor  Behind the scenes workers who enable AI rockstar developers and data scientists to shine while ensuring that data is coded, pictures are flagged, or the system is integrated into the workplace, are often overlooked and undervalued.  That is the message of several speakers in a recent session of the EmTech […]
• Microsoft Unveils its First Commercial Product Using GPT-3  
  By AI Trends Staff   At its Build conference for developers held recently, Microsoft unveiled the first features in a commercial product powered by GPT-3, the natural language model developed by OpenAI, the AI research lab backed by Microsoft.   The beta version of GPT-3, released in June 2020, has a capacity of 175 billion machine learning parameters, […]
• AI Seen Gaining in Post-Pandemic Era 
  By AI Trends Staff  AI is getting good reports from recent post-pandemic research, with expectations now that AI will make processes more efficient and help to create new products, services and business models.   The AI in a Post-COVID-19 World report by GBSN Research found that three-quarters of business leaders have a positive outlook on AI. Another report […]
• AI Autonomous Cars Gleaning Lessons From Accelarousal-Prone Human Drivers
  By Lance Eliot, the AI Trends Insider    I feel the need, the need for speed. We all know that famous line.    I feel the need, the need for acceleration. That’s a line that doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.  It is also a somewhat different way to frame or discuss the need or rapt desire for speed. If you […]
• Deployed AI Putting Companies at Significant Risk, says FICO Report 
  By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor   A new report on responsible AI from the Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), the company that brings you credit ratings, finds that most companies are deploying AI at significant risk.  The report, The State of Responsible AI: 2021, assesses how well companies are doing in adopting responsible AI, making sure […]
• Insurance to Mitigate the Risk of AI Systems Coming into View  
  By John P. Desmond, AI Trends Editor   Companies are interested in buying insurance to mitigate the risk of adoption and deployment of new AI applications with no history of use.  “When it comes to the commercial use of AI, businesses can’t rely on government regulation to protect them against potential losses in the event it […]
• Solve the Right Problems, and Build ‘Anti-Fragile’ AI Systems 
  By AI Trends Staff   As computers have become more advanced and AI has come along to revolutionize software, the amount of data computers are drowning in has also increased.   However, having more data does not change how an organization makes a decision. The best path to improved decision-making with the help of AI is not to […]
• Machine Learning Can Turn Into “Shiny Objects Syndrome” Without a Plan 
  Contributed Commentary by Sean McDermott, Founder and CEO of Windward Consulting    AIOps (AI for IT operations) is a strategy — not a tool, not an algorithm. Gartner has predicted the use of AIOps will surge in the years ahead, growing 500% by 2023, compared to 2018. It requires deep thinking and understanding of the role machine learning can […]
• Trying To Keep Gearheads From Tinkering With The High-Tech Innards Of AI Autonomous Cars 
  By Lance Eliot, the AI Trends Insider    Turn a wrench. As you might know, that is the customary parlance used to refer to a car enthusiast (they can “turn a wrench” or mechanically work on a car). Such devotees are also characterized as motorheads or, in other countries, a petrol-head (there is an ongoing debate about whether […]

daily news

• How Do You Make a Robot Walk on Mars? It’s a Steep Challenge
  Meet SpaceBok, a little, four-legged machine that’s taking the first steps toward walking on the Red Planet’s brutal terrain.
• What Makes Quantum Computing So Hard to Explain?
  Before we can even begin to talk about these computers' potential applications, we need to understand the fundamental physics behind them.
• When the Bison Come Back, Will the Ecosystem Follow?
  An effort to bring wild buffalo to the Great Plains aims to restore one of the world’s most endangered landscapes and increase climate resilience.
• A New Way to Understand the Brain's Intricate Rhythm
  Researchers have found evidence in humans that individual neurons time their firing to a deeper beat. But there’s a mystery: What does it mean?
• How Risky Is It to Send Jeff Bezos to the Edge of Space?
  Today's commercial spacecraft have a safety advantage, thanks to simpler designs and suborbital missions. But with rockets, nothing is certain.
• How to Protect Species and Save the Planet—at Once
  A major new report calls on humanity to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises simultaneously. Here's what that might look like.
• Watch Drones Fly Through a Fake Forest Without Crashing
  Each copter doesn’t just track where the others are. It constantly predicts where they’ll go.
• Could Brain Training Help Address Police Brutality?
  New neuroscience-based technologies aim to improve decisionmaking under pressure. But solving systemic problems will take a lot more than that.
• Your Clothes Spew Microfibers Before They’re Even Clothes
  The clothing supply chain releases some 265 million pounds of microfibers that wash into the environment each year.
• A New Way to Shape Metal Nanoparticles—With a Magnetic Field
  Making the tiny nanoparticles used in everything from electronics to paint isn't easy. But a new experiment creates order out of chaos.
• Will a Volcanic Eruption Be a Burp or a Blast?
  Scientists have begun to decipher the seismic signals that reveal how explosive a volcanic eruption is going to be.
• The Drought Is Making the Klamath River’s Baby Salmon Sick
  Dry conditions are worsening a warm-water disease that’s sweeping through juvenile fish. Their deaths will create a future crisis for both fish and human populations.
• New Vaccine Incentives, Surplus Dose Shipments, and More News
  Catch up on the most important updates from this week.
• You Need to Weigh Some Water. All You’ve Got Is a Paper Clip
  OK, so you might need a couple other supplies, but your best option is to do what MacGyver would do: Turn it into a scale.
• The Sneaky, Lying Flower That Pretends to Be a Rotting Beetle
  Aristolochia microstoma finds love by smelling like death. Coffin flies can’t resist.
• Wait, Vaccine Lotteries Actually Work?
  Ooh, the behavioral economists are going to be so smug about this.
• The UK Has a Plan for a New ‘Pandemic Radar’ System
  Disease surveillance schemes to catch the next rising virus already exist—they’re just not communicating with each other.
• Peanut the Waiter Robot Is Proof That Your Job Is Safe
  Restaurants are struggling to hire people, so one Jersey Shore grill employed a machine. It confirms that humans remain indispensable.
• This Dam Acts Like a Water Cannon. Let’s Do Some Physics!
  Like a giant bucket with a hole, the Funil Hydropower Plant sprays out an enormous jet of water. We can use its speed to calculate the depth of the reservoir.
• Sleep Evolved Before Brains. Hydras Are Living Proof
  Some of nature’s simplest animals suggest that sleep evolved long before centralized nervous systems.

Geek Culture

• I Treated My Unhealthy Gaming Obsession ... With More Games
  The root issue had less to do with the hobby and more to do with me.
• Pokémon Cards Are Surging. So Is Hate Toward Graders
  The business of grading Pokémon cards can be lucrative, time-consuming, and rife with furious, virulent abuse.
• We Asked Giant-Robot Experts to Critique Video Game Mecha
  How realistic are Metal Gears and Titans anyway? WIRED asked industrial design and robotics pros how they'd operate.
• Why Do People Love UFOs So Much?
  Sci-fi author F. Brett Cox loves stories with mysterious spacecraft but is a firm skeptic when it comes to actual alien visitors.
• Loki and the Return of Appointment Television
  Not since Game of Thrones have audiences really cared about watching something right when it airs. Thanks to a recent spate of streaming hits, that seems to be changing.
• Games Are Reimagining the Road Trip for a Modern Era
  Developers are using procedural generation, resource management, and dialog choices to create memorable and powerful journeys.
• Remember When Multiplayer Gaming Needed Envelopes and Stamps?
  The history of play-by-mail includes bribes, forgeries, and games that took years to finish.
• The Joy and Misery of Hunting for Video Game Trophies
  For some, relentlessly unlocking achievements is a lifestyle. For others, it's a headache.
• How to Celebrate LGBTQ Pride Month—IRL or Online
  With the ongoing pandemic, here are a variety of ways you can join in at home, or anywhere.
• The Best Made-Up Worlds Are Made Up of Real Parts
  Helene Wecker’s The Hidden Palace brings magic to 20th century Manhattan. Turns out that’s easier than putting the wrong stormtroopers into Star Wars Land.
• How Roblox Became a Playground for Virtual Fascists
  Thousands of players flocked to a digital world filled with draconian rules, slavery, and anti-Semitism—and tested how far “just a game” can go.
• The Case for Putting Down the Video Game Controller
  If gaming isn’t as fulfilling as it used to be, it’s OK to walk away and go do something else.
• What It Takes to Turn a Video Game Into a Tabletop One
  How do developers take open worlds and condense them into a form that fits on your coffee table? It's not easy, but when it works, it's incredible.
• Deathloop and the Radical Necessity of 2 Black Leads
  Building games that reflect the diversity of the real world is nothing new to the team at Arkane Studios. But this project presented unique challenges.
• Going Medieval Is a Great Entry Point Into Colony Sims
  The game lets you build a new post-plague civilization in 14th-century England, and it’s been topping Steam charts—for good reason.
• The Incredible, Absurd World of Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
  The update has been a long time coming, and if you haven't played, now's the time. We asked Robert Kurvitz, the game's designer, if he’s finally satisfied with it.
• Why Are Writers Fleeing Substack for Ghost?
  The publishing platform is gaining traction as a Substack substitute. But the comparison isn't so simple.
• A Love Letter to Grand Theft Auto's Best Side Stories
  The often-overlooked Liberty City and Vice City Stories have some of the best character development and the most cinematic moments in the franchise.
• Twitch Turns 10, and the Creator Economy Is in Its Debt
  The livestreaming platform for gamers helped pioneer the patronage systems that prop up so much of the internet today.
• Why Are There So Few Women in Wargaming?
  A combination of a high barrier to entry and outdated, misogynistic attitudes keep women out of a hobby where they could thrive.

Latest News

BUSINESS

• How Some Americans Are Breaking Out of Political Bubbles
  A growing number of people are seeking a wider diversity of news sources or opinions contrary to their own to combat information silos within social media.
• Jeff Bezos Risks It All for His Space Dream
  Plus: The origins of Blue Origin, Apple's annoying error messages, and a Kardashian plot twist.
• VC Pledged to 'Do Better' on Diversity. It's Barely Changed
  The Black Lives Matter protests drew sympathetic public statements from investors in 2020. One year later, signs of progress are harder to find.
• Help! How Do I Make Work Friends When Everyone's Remote?
  Guest columnist Alan Henry offers advice for putting yourself out there online.
• The Pandemic Put an End to Rush Hour. What Happens Now?
  Remote work generally reduces driving. But the travel behavior of telecommuters isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.
• What Really Happened When Google Ousted Timnit Gebru
  She was a star engineer who warned that messy AI can spread racism. Google brought her in. Then it forced her out. Can Big Tech take criticism from within?
• China's Quiet Ecommerce Giant Thrives on Fresh Produce
  Pinduoduo, which recently passed Alibaba as the shopping site with the most customers, connects 12 million farmers to more than 800 million users.
• Covid Brings Automation to the Workplace, Killing Some Jobs
  Unable to find enough workers, employers are turning to technology to perform tasks—and women are likely to be the hardest hit.
• Google Hopes AI Can Turn Search Into a Conversation
  The tech giant wants its core product to infer meaning from human language, answer multipart questions—and look more like Google Assistant sounds.
• China Has Triggered a Bitcoin Mining Exodus
  The promise of a crackdown is sending the country's crypterati scrambling for the exit.
• Admit It: The Facebook Oversight Board Is Kind of Working
  Facebook has agreed to follow some of the board’s nonbinding recommendations regarding the Donald Trump suspension. That’s progress.
• A Google Alum Wants to Make Search Pure Again
  Plus: A lesson in macro Googlenomics, an audio jamming dream, and high-stakes cheesesteaks.
• Don't End Up on This Artificial Intelligence Hall of Shame
  A list of incidents that caused, or nearly caused, harm aims to prompt developers to think more carefully about the tech they create.
• They Rage-Quit the School System—and They're Not Going Back
  The pandemic created a new, more diverse, more connected crop of homeschoolers. They could help shape what learning looks like for everyone.
• The All-Seeing Eyes of New York’s 15,000 Surveillance Cameras
  Video from the cameras is often used in facial-recognition searches. A report finds they are most common in neighborhoods with large nonwhite populations.
• Help! Must We With the Virtual Meeting Small Talk?
  Megan weighs in on the value of idle chatter.
• Inside Silicon Valley’s Mayo Marketing Madness
  The war on eggs started back in the ’70s, not with the company formerly known as Hampton Creek but with a little café-grocery store in Los Angeles.
• The Mayor of Reno Is Betting Big on the Blockchain
  Hillary Schieve invests in cryptocurrencies herself, and she sees the technology as a way to improve government services.
• This Arcane Manual Could Lead to More Human-Friendly Cities
  For decades, the federal government has issued a guide for designing streets. Activists want to make it better for pedestrians and cyclists.
• How a Chaos Monkey Caused an Apple Uprising
  Plus: A review of the book from 2016, the accessibility potential for AR, and a few too many sinking ships.

IDEAS

• To Fight Online Misinformation, Criminalize Voter Suppression
  Congress should salvage a provision buried in the rubble of HR1 that would hold platforms liable for election misinformation.
• Political and Urban-Rural Divides Prolong The Digital Divide
  Democrats and Republicans alike need to be honest about how much broadband for all will cost. And they can make Big Tech help pay for it.
• Facial Verification Won't Fight Fraud
  Unemployment fraud is a real problem, and biased software only makes it worse. States need privacy-preserving alternatives.
• Crypto Isn’t About Money. It’s About Fandom
  And that’s why we will fight about it forever.
• Trump's Failed Blog Proves He Was Just Howling Into the Void
  Without the algorithmic boosts of Twitter and Facebook, there are few “active” internet users to be found.
• Oximeters Used to Be Designed for Equity. What Happened?
  The pandemic drew attention to the racial bias built into pulse oxes. But calls to create a fairer device are missing one thing: It once existed.
• Changing Minds About Why Doctors Change Their Minds
  After Covid, being open with patients about uncertainty may be the surest way to build trust in medicine.
• More Content Moderation Is Not Always Better
  Simply erasing things from the internet comes at a cost. It might not be worth it.
• I'm a Cicada. You're a Horny Human. We Are Not the Same
  People preparing for a post-vax summer are likening themselves to the emerging insects. WIRED commissioned one cicada for its take.
• Dumbed Down AI Rhetoric Harms Everyone
  By ignorance or malice, policymakers use sweeping platitudes to regulate artificial intelligence, which may persecute citizens more than protect them.
• VR Trainings Are Not Going to Fix Corporate Racism
  HR departments are deploying virtual-reality platforms to foster racial empathy. But building inclusive workplaces will take more than that.
• STEM’s Racial Reckoning Just Entered Its Most Crucial Phase
  One year after George Floyd’s murder, science and technology institutions continue to evolve. The most radical and necessary step remains.
• In Apple’s War On Developers, Users Are the Biggest Losers
  The App Store’s draconian demands prevent app creators from making changes that would help consumers, or from making helpful apps in the first place.
• One-Size-Fits-All Mask Guidance Isn't Going to Work Anymore
  The "choose your own adventure" phase of the pandemic calls for better alternatives. Time for policies to reflect that.
• The World Loses Under Bill Gates’ Vaccine Colonialism
  As many countries wait for Covid vaccines, the world needs a patent-free “People’s Vaccine”—not more of Gates’ intellectual property stubbornness.
• The Case for Using MDMA to Help Heal Victims of Trauma
  A psychiatrist explores how a drug often associated with Burning Man could be a breakthrough in treating PTSD.
• Online Dating Apps Are Actually Kind of a Disaster
  The multibillion-dollar industry—which has surged during the pandemic—puts many individuals at risk, and nothing’s being done about it.
• To Observe the Muon Is to Experience Hints of Immortality
  Attempting to model the universe as precisely as possible is to try to see the one thing that even the strictest atheist agrees is everlasting.
• Why Humans Are So Bad at Seeing the Future
  People tend to make predictions while looking through their own narrow lens. The real vision lies in seeing connections.
• In Defense of Snow Days
  Virtual school after a snowstorm is yet another kind of techno-solutionist slush that should be plowed away.