AI Q+A - Fields, Minds & Machines
A Q&A; on Tesla Coils, UAPs, Neo‑Feudalism, AI, and the Quest to Upgrade the Human Mind Compiled for Interest Magazine from a live conversation on GPT‑5.
Photo by Paul Skorupskas
MiniDisc: The Comeback of a Forgotten Format
In 1992, Sony unveiled what it hoped would be the future of personal audio: the MiniDisc. Encased in a protective plastic shell, this tiny 2.5-inch magneto-optical disc combined the convenience of cassettes with the digital clarity of CDs. Sony envisioned a format that would replace tape, rival the CD, and capture a new generation of listeners.
It didn’t quite work out that way. While MiniDisc became popular in Japan and found a niche in broadcasting and among music enthusiasts, it never managed to conquer the global market. By the early 2000s, recordable CDs, MP3 players, and eventually the iPod left MD in the dust. Sony stopped making players in 2011, and by 2013, the format was effectively dead. Or so it seemed.
In 2025, MiniDisc is enjoying an unlikely revival—a second life as a retro collectible and a statement about ownership in a streaming-dominated world.
Short Videos, Long-Term Damage: Why You Need to Disconnect from TikTok, Reels, and Shorts
A Generation Glued to the Scroll: Whether it’s first thing in the morning or late at night, many 25–35 year-olds find themselves bleary-eyed, endlessly swiping through TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts. What starts as a quick dopamine rush from a funny clip often turns into an hour lost down the scroll. In fact, TikTok’s 1.5 billion users spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the app—hundreds of bite-sized videos consumed daily almost on autopilot. These platforms may masquerade as harmless entertainment, but they are engineered to hook our brains and rob us of time. It’s time to take a hard look at how this short-form content is manipulating our minds and why we urgently need to break free for the sake of our mental health and autonomy.
Photo by Teslariu Mihai
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire
Introduction: The story of the Roman Empire spans over two millennia, from a modest beginning on the banks of the Tiber to a vast dominion straddling Europe, Asia, and Africa. At its territorial peak in the 2nd century AD, Rome’s rule extended over most of Europe, the Mediterranean basin, and parts of the Near East and North Africa. Over this long history, Rome transitioned through multiple forms of government – kingdom, republic, and empire – and experienced dramatic shifts in politics, military fortunes, and culture. It bequeathed enduring contributions to language, law, architecture, engineering, religion, and art. Latin gave rise to the Romance languages still spoken today, the Roman alphabet and calendar became the Western standard, and Christianity, once a persecuted sect, emerged as a world religion under Roman auspices. The narrative of Rome encompasses legendary beginnings, Republican glory and strife, Imperial zenith and crisis, the split into Eastern and Western empires, and finally the fall of Constantinople in 1453, marking the end of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Throughout, we see the evolution of Roman political institutions, formidable military conquests, and remarkable cultural achievements, all woven into the fabric of an empire whose legacy remains deeply embedded in modern civilization.
Photo by Massimo Virgilio
Critique of LinkedIn: UX, Content, Privacy, and Job Search Effectiveness
LinkedIn’s user experience has evolved over the years, but it draws mixed reactions from users and experts. Design and Interface: A major redesign in recent years improved visual consistency between desktop and mobile, with a cleaner, more modern look. UX consultants noted that the interface became more intuitive, aligning desktop and mobile layouts and using a cleaner typography (less of the old “LinkedIn blue”). The messaging system was overhauled into a chat-style pop-up, making it easier to view and respond to messages without switching pages. These changes earned praise for making the site more unified and user-friendly across platforms. For example, profile pages now look nearly identical on mobile and desktop (circular profile photos, streamlined summary section), which provides a consistent experience when switching devices.
Comets and Asteroids: Near-Earth Encounters, Oort Cloud Origins, and Historic Impacts
In recent years, several newly discovered asteroids and comets have zoomed past Earth at relatively close (but safe) distances. Below are some of the latest known approaches, with details on their names, dates, sizes, and proximity to Earth:
Asteroid 2025 KF (May 21, 2025): A house-sized asteroid (~10–23 meters across) discovered on May 19, 2025, which passed within one-third the Earth–Moon distance. It came as close as about 115,000 km from Earth’s surface on May 21, 2025. Traveling ~41,650 km/h relative to Earth, 2025 KF posed no threat, missing even the Moon by over 226,000 km.
Asteroid 2023 BU (Jan 26–27, 2023): An SUV-sized near-Earth asteroid (~5–8 meters) that made one of the closest recorded flybys of Earth. On Jan 26, 2023 it skimmed just 3,600 km above Earth’s surface – well within the orbit of geosynchronous satellites. Had it entered the atmosphere, its small size means it would have disintegrated as a fireball with little to no ground damage.
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) (Jan–Feb 2023): The “green comet” discovered in 2022 made a rare visit to the inner solar system after ~50,000 years. It reached perigee (closest point to Earth) on Feb 1, 2023, coming within 42 million km of Earth (about 28% of the Earth–Sun distance). Comet ZTF brightened enough to be barely visible to the naked eye, a treat for skywatchers.
Comet C/2021 A1 (Leonard) (Dec 2021): A long-period comet discovered in early 2021 that became one of the brightest comets of 2021. It flew by Earth in December 2021 at a distance of around 35–37 million km. Comet Leonard was a binocular-visible comet and provided a spectacle before heading back to the outer solar system (and eventually leaving for tens of thousands of years).
(Many small near-Earth asteroids are discovered each year – NASA’s survey has found nearly 40,000 NEOs to date – and close passes within a lunar distance happen multiple times per month. The examples above highlight some especially notable recent cases.)
The Nazi Bell UFO ("Die Glocke"): An Investigative Overview
During the final years of World War II, Nazi Germany was desperate for a Wunderwaffe (“wonder-weapon”) that could turn the tide of the war. The regime poured resources into advanced and esoteric weapons research – from rocket engines to jet aircraft – fueling later legends that they pursued even more fantastical technology. In this milieu arose the tale of Die Glocke (“The Bell”), a purported top-secret device developed in the Third Reich’s hidden laboratories in the 1940s. According to the legend, this project was conducted under the SS in Lower Silesia (then Germany, now Poland), at a facility called Der Riese (“The Giant”) near the Wenceslas Mine. SS General Hans Kammler – who oversaw many Nazi black projects – is often cited as the program’s head, and it was allegedly given the highest secrecy classification as Kriegsentscheidend (war decisive).
Accounts claim that renowned scientists like Wernher von Braun, Kurt Debus, and physicist Walther Gerlach were involved in Die Glocke’s development. By early 1944, experiments were supposedly underway in underground laboratories, using forced labor from nearby concentration camps. This secret research was said to have consumed enormous electrical power and to be of such importance that, if successful, it could change the outcome of the war. While Nazi Germany did produce advanced weapons (V-2 rockets, jet fighters, etc.), mainstream historians find no evidence that anything as exotic as Die Glocke ever existed in reality. Nonetheless, the legend situates the Bell at the center of Nazi occult science and secret weapon mythology.
Scanning the Pyramid of Khafre: 2025 “Khafre Project” Claims vs. Scientific Scrutiny
Previous scanning projects have yielded exciting, but far more modest, discoveries than what would constitute an “underground city.” The ScanPyramids mission – led by Cairo University and the French HIP Institute – combined multiple technologies (muography, thermography, photogrammetry) to non-destructively probe four pyramids (Khufu, Khafre, Bent, Red). Besides the Big Void, ScanPyramids found a smaller hidden cavity behind Khufu’s north face chevrons (now known to be a corridor) . No publicized voids were detected in Khafre’s pyramid by that effort. In fact, Khafre’s pyramid has been relatively quiet in terms of revelations; its known internal layout consists of a single main burial chamber and a couple of short tunnels, and earlier scans (like Alvarez’s muon experiment) reported no significant anomalies. This was the status quo until claims emerged in 2025 of something dramatically different under Khafre…
Photo by Simon Berger
Dolphin Intelligence: Deep Thinkers of the Sea
Dolphins have long captured our imagination as the geniuses of the ocean. These sleek marine mammals play in complex social groups, use curious tools, and even recognize themselves in mirrors. But what exactly makes a dolphin “intelligent,” and how do scientists know? In this feature, we dive into the world of dolphin cognition – from their remarkable brains and communication abilities to famous experiments (including one where a researcher lived with a dolphin in a flooded house!). We also explore real-world dolphin smarts in the wild and discuss how scientists today view the enigma of dolphin intelligence.
Photo by Freddy Jimenez
Aerogel: The Strange Solid That's Mostly Air
Imagine a material that’s almost lighter than a feather – so light it’s 99.8% air – yet solid enough to support a brick. It looks like a piece of ghostly blue smoke, but you can hold it in your hand. This isn’t science fiction; it’s aerogel, the world’s lightest solid. Aerogel earned the nickname “frozen smoke” for its wispy appearance, and for a time it even held the Guinness World Record for lowest-density solid. Despite being mostly air, aerogel can be remarkably strong and an excellent insulator. In fact, it can protect a flower from the heat of a flame – a visual demo that has captivated many observers. What started as a laboratory curiosity is now a material with out-of-this-world applications (literally – NASA has used it in space), as well as down-to-earth uses here at home.
Photo “Aerogel!” by jon collier, CC BY-SA 2.0
Farewell to the Prince of Darkness: Ozzy Osbourne’s Life in Glorious Chaos
At 76, heavy metal’s wildest icon takes his final bow, leaving behind a trailblazing musical legacy, decades of infamy and survival, and an unexpected turn as a beloved reality TV dad. We reflect on the extraordinary life of John “Ozzy” Osbourne – Black Sabbath frontman, solo superstar, and eternal Prince of Darkness.
Photo by Ted Van Pelt
Pokémon Card Frenzy: Nostalgia, Hype and Skyrocketing Prices
When YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul strode into a 2021 prizefight with a shiny Charizard Pokémon card dangling from a gold chain around his neck, it was a flashy sign of an unlikely boom. Paul claimed the rare card – one of only a few graded “gem mint” – was worth up to $1 million. In reality, that estimate wasn’t far-fetched. In the past few years, Pokémon trading cards have exploded in value and popularity, with some coveted cards fetching six and even seven figures at auction. It’s a frenzy fueled by pandemic-era nostalgia, social media influencers, speculative investors, and even supply shortages – a perfect storm that has turned a 1990s kids’ hobby into big business.
Photo by Giorgio Trovato
Orichalcum: Origins and History
Orichalcum is a legendary metal from antiquity, famously linked to the myth of Atlantis and long shrouded in mystery. Ancient writers described it as a gleaming, golden-colored metal second only to gold in value. The very name derives from Greek oreikhalkos meaning “mountain copper”, hinting at its coppery nature. For centuries its reality was uncertain – some thought it merely a myth – but modern discoveries have shed light on the truth. In 2015, divers off the coast of Sicily found dozens of metal ingots believed to be orichalcum, and scientific analysis revealed them to be a copper–zinc alloy similar to brass. This find helped confirm that orichalcum was a real historical material, albeit one elevated by legend.
Photo by Scott Webb
Bob Lazar and His UFO Claims: Examining the Legitimacy
Bob Lazar (born 1959) is an American businessman who rose to fame in the late 1980s with sensational claims about UFOs and government secrets. In 1989, Lazar came forward alleging he had worked as a physicist on a top-secret program involving alien technology at a site near Area 51 in. Prior to these claims, Lazar had a background as a self-styled engineer and hobbyist: he built jet engines for his bicycles and cars and even constructed a particle accelerator at home, demonstrating a fascination with science and. However, his academic credentials are dubious – Lazar has claimed master’s degrees from MIT and Caltech, but both institutions state they have no record of. Public records indicate he attended Pierce Junior College in Los Angeles, and investigators found that a supposed Caltech professor he cited actually taught at Pierce. Lazar’s later life has included running a scientific supply company (United Nuclear Scientific) and involvement in legal troubles: he was convicted in 1990 for aiding a prostitution ring (pleading guilty to pandering) and again in 2006 for illegally selling. These aspects of his background have often been raised in discussions of his credibility.
The Aztec UFO Crash of 1948: A Comprehensive Overview
In March 1948, an unidentified flying saucer allegedly crashed or landed in Hart Canyon, about 12 miles northeast of Aztec, New Mexico. Journalist Frank Scully, a Variety magazine columnist, first publicized this story in 1949 and later in his 1950 book Behind the Flying Saucers. Scully claimed that a 99-foot diameter metallic disk was recovered by the U.S. military, and that 16 small humanoid bodies were found at the site. According to Scully’s account (supplied by his sources), the military quickly removed the craft and bodies in secrecy, initiating one of the earliest UFO crash retrieval tales.
Photo by Michael Herren
Majestic 12 (MJ-12): The Alleged Secret UFO Committee
Majestic 12 (MJ-12) refers to a supposed top-secret U.S. government group of 12 experts formed in 1947 to investigate unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and alien encounters. The legend of MJ-12 originates from a set of mysterious documents that surfaced in the 1980s and purport to reveal an official cover-up of the Roswell UFO crash and subsequent alien technology studies. While these documents sparked decades of UFO conspiracy theories, they have been widely debunked by government agencies and researchers as likely forgeries.
Photo by Unknown Author
The Telomere Fusion Event in Human Evolution (Chromosome 2)
One of the most striking differences between human and great ape genomes is the number of chromosomes. All great apes (chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, orangutans) have 24 pairs of chromosomes (2n = 48), whereas modern humans (Homo sapiens) have 23 pairs (2n = 46)y raised a evolutionary puzzle: if humans and other apes share a common ancestor, how did humans “lose” a pair of chromosomes? The prevailing explanation is that two ancestral ape chromosomes fused end-to-end in an early human ancestor, producing a single composite chromosome (human chromosome 2). This telomere fusion event is supported by multiple lines of scientific evidence and is now considered a hallmark example of human evolutionary history. Below, we examine the evidence for this chromosomal fusion, compare human and ape karyotypes, review the historical studies that confirmed the event, discuss its evolutionary significance, and address alternative interpretations (including intelligent design and ancient intervention hypotheses).
Photo by National Cancer Institute