Thursday links, assorted

Tim Bradshaw and Cristina Criddle for the FT: ‘Close to the Terminator narrative’: the dawn of self-improving AI. On one hand I want to pat myself on the back for writing that this would happen more than 3 years ago — be vague enough and give it some time and you too may become a futurologist — on the other, how much of the narrative is bubble self-inflation? Jason at mybricklog: Bricks & Minifigs Corporate Stole a Man’s $200,000 LEGO Collection and Told Him to Get Bent. I saw a “Brick & Minifigs case” being referenced in several places without knowing what that meant. This is the best description of the case I could find, and it is quite the saga. Jordan Michelman for Taste: I Want to Live Like Costco People. {{< marginnote “via-defiant-sloth-taste” >}}ᔥPaul Williams{{< /marginnote >}} I, too, love Costco and appreciate anyone willing to share their own enthusiasm for that shining beacon on the liberal capitalism hill. Still, isn’t it weird seeing what other people buy there? Trays of cocktail shrimp? Turkey and Swiss cheese pinwheels? Why, I never… Daniel Frank: the Bill Frisell problem: why we fail to recognize things we ought to love. Because the love is messily intertwined with signaling? But never mind me, I am being too cynical. Greg Wilson: Late Merge. Mathematical proof for what should be obvious: in the case of a disappearing lane, zipper merge is superior to getting into the opposite lane early. Note that this does not apply when one of the lanes have a big honking YIELD sign on it, something many DMV area drivers do not appreciate.