Seven quick links for Monday midday

In defence of traditional swearing. This came up during a discussion on Mastodon. Needless to say, I disagree with the author.

Surfaces Concave & Convex. Concave contexts are ones in which there is natural momentum toward a positive, desirable outcome. Convex contexts are ones in which there is natural momentum away from a positive, desirable outcome. It is critical to recognise which shape you are operating on and act accordingly.

ChatGPT is bullshit. We should describe LLMs as “bullshitting” (in the Frankfurtian sense) rather than “hallucinating” in that they convey a certain impression of themselves without being concerned whether anything at all is true.

Using AI at Work Makes Us Lonelier and Less Healthy. There is some research to suggest that employees who use AI as a core part of their jobs report feeling more isolated, drinking more, and suffering from insomnia compared to employees who don’t use AI as extensively.

Constant Change Is Rewriting the Psychological Contract with Employees. Employees’ willingness to support enterprise change has collapsed. While it’s fair to say that companies must focus on continuous reinvention, effort is required to support the workforce to adapt and thrive in this new world.

NASA’s ISS Spacesuit Situation Turns Grim. The spacesuits used by NASA on the ISS are over 40 years old with only 18 fully functional units remaining. There have been multiple incidents of water leaks inside astronauts’ helmets during spacewalks!

Cardiorespiratory fitness is a strong and consistent predictor of morbidity and mortality among adults. From the annals of no shit Sherlock: higher cardio-respiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with a 41-53% lower risk of all-cause mortality when comparing high vs low CRF.