Ilia Malinin's history-making backflip at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, a new online AI platform called Moltbook, and the lessons learned from playing poker were among the diverse topics making headlines this week. Additionally, a new book recalls the violent 1992 Ruby Ridge confrontation, and a scientist is working to make life more user-friendly for the disability community.
Ilia Malinin, the U.S. figure skater, earned the nickname "Quad God" for his skyward jumps, but it was his backflip that garnered significant attention. He performed the move in his first two programs on Olympic ice, landing the latter on a single blade, according to NPR News.
Meanwhile, the online platform Moltbook, an AI-populated hangout, sparked comparisons to Pokémon. The platform featured AI agents interacting with one another, with some users utilizing it for practical purposes, such as negotiating a car deal. However, the platform was also plagued by crypto scams and human-written posts, according to MIT Technology Review.
In the realm of finance, Jenny Just, cofounder of PEAK6 Investments, believes that gambling, specifically poker, provides a crash course in high-stakes decision-making. She told CNBC, "I think I could have saved 10 years of losses off my career if I had learned poker sooner." She added that the repetitions build muscles that translate directly to her career.
Author Chris Jennings discussed the apocalyptic religious views that fueled the 1992 Ruby Ridge standoff between federal agents and the family of Randy Weaver in a recent interview. The interview, which was featured on NPR's Fresh Air, also touched on the use of force rules that made the confrontation deadly.
Josh Miele, a blind scientist and 2021 MacArthur Foundation genius fellow, is working to improve accessibility for the disability community. In the 1990s, before the invention of GPS, Miele would climb street signs to feel the embossed letters to determine his location, according to Nature News.
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