Author: Geek Planet

The best computer programmers and engineers must be good at scheduling. This week’s Micro Softy tests this ability. Big Tony Mullins, known to his friends as Sisyphus Fats, exercises by pushing a giant bowling ball up a 100 foot hill. Every minute, he pushes the ball three feet closer to the top and then the bowling ball slides two feet back.  After regaining his breath, Sisyphus Fats pushes the ball another three feet up the hill and it slides back two. This happens every minute. How many minutes did it take for Sisyphus Fats to push the ball to the…

A full third of UK citizens have turned to artificial intelligence for emotional support, companionship, or social interaction, according to a new report from the government’s AI Security Institute (AISI). The data shows that nearly one in 10 people are using systems like chatbots for emotional purposes on a weekly basis, with 4% engaging with them every single day. Because of this shift, the AISI is calling for more research, pointing to the tragic death of US teenager Adam Raine, who took his own life this year after discussing suicide with ChatGPT. “People are increasingly turning to AI systems for…

It’s often preached that high school students struggle in places afflicted with poverty, family breakdown, and other social woes. However, it doesn’t necessarily follow that students from wealthier regions are demonstrating academic excellence. So argues a Substack writer known as Dissident Teacher, who writes on issues facing contemporary K-12 classrooms. Youth literacy is a widespread issue across demographics. Something else is going on here. Reflecting on his own interaction with students in a wealthy district, Dissident Teacher writes, Many kids were functionally illiterate and innumerate. The writing of 9th-12th graders in English was often incoherent, full of fragment sentences and…

Following the ubiquitous nature of short-form video, it’s no surprise that short stories, otherwise known as micro dramas, are now attracting attention.These mobile-first shows run just two to three minutes per episode and are shot vertically, but unlike typical short-form clips they trade quick dopamine hits for narrative tension. Each installment feels like a miniature TV episode complete with characters, arcs and cliffhangers that pull views into the next. Instead of doomscrolling, they bridge — one micro drama at a time. Small as they are, micro dramas are already generating a hefty amount of revenue and viewership. How much? Read…

This article, NIH Bans Funding of Fetal Tissue Research | National Review is republished from National Review with the permission of the author. After restricting funding for primate research for ethical reasons, the National Institutes of Health has followed up by banning funding of fetal tissue research. From the NIH press release: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today announced a new policy ending the use of human fetal tissue in NIH-supported research, marking a significant milestone in the Trump Administration’s efforts to modernize biomedical science and accelerate innovation. Effective immediately, NIH funds will no longer be used to support research involving human fetal tissue from elective…

Exceptional nerds are psychologists who see through surface actions. Such a skill is required to solve this week’s Micro Softy. We see them almost daily. People, purportedly homeless, stand at traffic lights panhandling from passing cars. I was in the car with my friend, Carl, driving home from work when we pulled up to an intersection with a red light. A shabbily dressed man with an unkept beard held up a cardboard sign saying, “Can you help? Please!” While the light was red, Carl told me, “That’s Freaky Bob. He’s a kilobyte short of a full download.  Watch. This is…

The humble gift guide is taking on even greater importance this holiday season. Beyond driving immediate sales, brands this year are angling to get into gift guides to help them with SEO and GEO, and build overall awareness in the long term. But, rather than taking a “spray and pray” approach, companies are getting more selective about who they pitch, and why, to increase the odds that they get into the most relevant gift guides for their brand. That includes pitching Substacks, developing relationships with human editors and finding the right niche audiences. Lauren Kleinman, founder at the public relations…

In October, OpenAI outlined plans for turning ChatGPT into a platform for apps. So far, the AI chatbot has answered your queries, done research on your behalf, made images, and even done a bit of autonomous work in the web browser. Now, it’s turning into a hub of apps that you push on a daily basis.  A few days ago, the ChatGPT app store finally went live, and the company has already invited developers to submit their apps. The whole idea behind the initiative is that instead of opening apps on your phone, you can simply turn to ChatGPT and…

Apple has changed trade-in rates for older iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches. While this is the first revision in 2026, it is the third since the iPhone 17 broke cover in September 2025. Exchange values for most of the products have taken a hit, especially the newer ones, while older models appear to be aging much better. In September 2025, the company offered up to $700 for an iPhone 16 Pro Max, but the maximum trade-in value dropped to $670 in November. Now, exchanging the handset would get you up to $650 (down 7% in a little over four…

More NFL games will be broadcast by creators.After hiring four creators to host alternative broadcasts on YouTube of this season’s opening game, the league is already determining who’s next, said Ian Trombetta, its svp of social, influencer and content marketing. That doesn’t mean creators like iShowSpeed — one of the four hired to air the opener — are replacing NBC or ESPN. The idea isn’t so much about reaching existing fans as it is to draw in those who might never otherwise have shown an interest. Few conduits work better than that than creators — the kind of personalities who sit at…