reading

Longreads shares its weekly #5 story picks from 2023. Readers can expect essays on topics ranging from tofu and pandas to sumo wrestling and Florida Man. via Longreads

Researchers created 26 principles to improve prompting large language models and get better answers, which were tested on models like LLaMA and GPT - you can find out more about these principles and how they work in the paper "Principled Instructions Are All You Need for Questioning LLaMA-1/2, GPT-3.

Jason Kottke shares a link to a New York Times article highlighting 20 first-time occurrences in 2023, including milestones in science and discoveries about the presence of microplastics in the environment.

via kottke.org

Tyler Cowen responds to a reader wondering if a long-lived restaurant is a mark of quality, suggesting it points more toward consistency than excellence.

via Marginal REVOLUTION.

Tyler Cowen shares some assorted links on varied things like techno-optimism and cheating detection. via Marginal REVOLUTION

MetaFilter user 'taz' highlights a post with the latest developments in space exploration, including asteroid bits, fast spaceships, and even a space cat video. via MetaFilter