Why did it take until the toilet paper shortage of March 2020 for Americans to consider buying a bidet? Bidets were historically associated with promiscuity and sex workers, who used the device frequently because they believed it could prevent sexually transmitted illnesses and pregnancy. Its spread was slow across Europe, and even slower across North America due to its association with sex, in addition to a puritanical discomfort with the body. Read full article here
Societal Issues
AI Predicts Crime A Week In Advance With 90 Per Cent Accuracy
An artificial intelligence model built by Ishanu Chattopadhyay and his colleagues analysed crime data in Chicago from 2014 to 2016 and managed to predict future levels of crime down to the nearest 300 metres, a week before they actually happened. While extremely useful, this artificial intelligence has been shown to expose racial prejudice in law enforcement. Hopefully, as the study’s data and methodology have been made available for others to evaluate, these prejudices can be avoided in the next iteration. Read full article here
Merv
August 15, 2022
