The New York Times Brings Immersive Advertising Experience to NYC Subway

The New York Times has taken over an entire shuttle train on the S line in New York City to advertise the breadth of offerings in a Times subscription. The exterior of each car highlights a different Times product like Games or Cooking, while the interior of each car has an interactive experience related to that product. It's a hyperlocal campaign aimed at reminding New Yorkers about everything beyond the front page in their hometown paper.

Key Facts & Points

  • The campaign covers one full shuttle train on the S line running between Times Square and Grand Central stations.
  • The exterior of each train car is branded with a different Times product - News, Games, Cooking etc.
  • The interior of each car has a related surprise/interactive experience for riders. E.g. Games car has a 90 second word game.
  • It's a local New York campaign aimed at existing and potential subscribers in the Times' home city.
  • Runs until September 10, with related one-day pop ups planned at Grand Central.
  • Creative local campaign to advertise full suite of offerings beyond just news. Remind New Yorkers the Times is more than the front page.

China's Lunar Rover Reveals Moon's Hidden Subsurface Geology

China's Chang'e-4 rover has used its Lunar Penetrating Radar to map the subsurface structure of the far side of the moon down to 1,000 feet deep. It detected layers of dust, soil, rock debris, a buried crater, and 5 distinct lava layers from past volcanic eruptions, revealing billions of years of lunar history.

Key Facts & Points

  • Chang'e-4 is the first spacecraft to land on the far side of the moon.
  • Its rover Yutu-2 has a Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) to map underground structures.
  • Mapped down to 1,000 feet deep, detecting dust, soil, debris, a crater, and 5 volcanic lava layers.
  • Lava layers got thinner nearer the surface, suggesting volcanic activity slowed over billions of years.
  • Provides new insights into the moon's geology and evolution, hidden beneath the surface.
  • Still potential for undiscovered formations and even deep reservoirs of magma.

Minimalist Weather App Mercury Provides At-a-Glance Forecasts for Apple Users

Mercury is a new, minimalist weather app for Apple devices that aims to provide useful forecast info at a glance. It displays current conditions plus hourly and daily forecasts without scrolling, using simple icons and colors instead of complex graphics. Extra features require a subscription.

Key Facts & Points

  • Developed by team behind productivity app Orbit
  • Minimalist design shows key weather data at a glance without scrolling
  • Uses icons and colors instead of complex weather graphics
  • Can view current conditions, hourly forecast, daily forecast on one screen
  • Additional info like sunrise/set times with scrolling
  • Multiple widget options for iPhone and iPad
  • Available for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac
  • Allows choice of weather data sources between Apple and OpenWeather
  • Free to download, subscription unlocks multiple locations and other features

The Hunter Method: Focus on One Important Daily Task

The "Hunter Method" suggests picking just one important, high-impact task per day instead of a long to-do list. Write it on a Post-It, stick to your computer, and use it as a focus point when distracted. Prioritizing one significant task provides a sense of fulfillment.

Key Facts & Points

  • Standard to-do lists can feed unhelpful brain impulses and make small tasks seem important
  • The Hunter Method involves picking just one significant, high-impact task per day
  • Write this one task on a Post-It note and stick it somewhere visible as a focus point
  • Refer back to it when distracted to stay on track
  • Prioritizing one meaningful task provides a greater sense of fulfillment
  • Avoids multitasking and lets you ignore mundane tasks in favor of something significant
  • Inspired by the need for hunters to focus on one key goal each day
  • Similar to "Eat That Frog" (do your least favorite task first) and Kanban methods

Karl Friston's Free Energy Principle Validated in Artificial Neural Networks

Karl Friston's free energy principle (FEP) has been proven in AI, showing how neural networks can self-organize. FEP unifies theories of perception, learning, and inference. This demonstrates how the brain could work as an inference machine to actively model the world.

Key Facts & Points

  • Karl Friston is the world's most cited neuroscientist
  • His free energy principle (FEP) unifies theories of perception, learning and inference
  • FEP suggests brains actively model the world by minimizing surprises and prediction errors
  • FEP has now been proven in AI, showing how neural networks self-organize via gradient descent
  • Demonstrates how the brain could function as an inference machine using predictive coding
  • Explains phenomena like perceptual learning and predictive processing in the brain
  • Provides a unifying theory for how neural networks could work in the brain
  • Significant because FEP was previously just a mathematical model lacking proof
  • Opens up possibilities for developing more brain-like AI based on predictive coding