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π ArcaOS is a proprietary operating system based on OS/2
ArcaOS is a proprietary operating system based on OS/2, developed and marketed by Arca Noae, LLC under license from IBM. It was first released in 2017 and builds on OS/2 Warp 4.52 by adding support for new hardware, fixing defects and limitations in the operating system, and by including new applications and tools, and includes some Linux/Unix tool compatibility. It is targeted at professional users who need to run their OS/2 applications on new hardware, as well as personal users of OS/2.
Like OS/2 Warp, ArcaOS is a 32-bit single user, multiprocessing, preemptive multitasking operating system for the x86 architecture. It is supported on both physical hardware and virtual machine hypervisors.
Discussed on
- "ArcaOS is a proprietary operating system based on OS/2" | 2026-01-30 | 24 Upvotes 7 Comments
π Gourmand Syndrome
Gourmand syndrome is a very rare and benign eating disorder that usually occurs six to twelve months after an injury to the frontal lobe. Those with the disorder usually have a right hemisphere frontal or temporal brain lesion typically affecting the cortical areas, basal ganglia or limbic structures. These people develop a new, post-injury passion for gourmet food.
There are two main aspects of gourmand syndrome: first, the fine dining habits and changes to taste, and second, an obsessive component which may result in craving and preservation. Gourmand syndrome can be related to, and shares biological features with, addictive and obsessive disorders. The syndrome was first characterized in 1997.
Discussed on
- "Gourmand Syndrome" | 2026-01-29 | 27 Upvotes 9 Comments
π List of obsolete occupations
This is a list of obsolete occupations. To be included in this list an occupation must be completely, or to a great extent, obsolete. For example, there are still a few lamplighters retained for ceremonial or tourist purposes, but in the main the occupation is now obsolete. Similarly, there are still some manual switchboard operators and elevator operators which are required for historic equipment or security reasons, but these are now considered to be obsolete occupations. Occupations which appear to be obsolete in industrialized countries may still be carried out commercially in other parts of the world, for example charcoal burner.
To be included in this list an obsolete occupation should in the past have employed significant numbers of workers (hundreds or thousands as evidenced by, for example, census data). Some rare occupations are included in this list, but only if they have notable practitioners, for example alchemist or phrenologist.
Terms which describe groups of people carrying out a variety of roles, but which are not specific occupations, are excluded from this list even if they are obsolete, for example conquistador or retinue. Terms describing positions which have a modern equivalent, and are thus not obsolete occupations, are excluded from this list, for example a dragoman would now be termed a diplomat; similarly a cunning woman would now be termed a practitioner of folk medicine. Terms describing a state of being rather than an occupation are excluded, for example castrato. Specialist terms for an occupation, even if they are obsolete, are excluded, for example the numerous historic terms for cavalry and courtesan. Foreign language terms for existing occupations are excluded, for example korobeinik or LaukkuryssΓ€ which are types of peddler. All types of forced labour, such as slavery and penal labour are excluded from this list as they are not paid occupations.
Only occupations which are notable, well-defined, and adequately documented in secondary sources are included in this list.
Discussed on
- "List of obsolete occupations" | 2026-01-27 | 35 Upvotes 3 Comments
π Usenet personality
A Usenet personality was a particular kind of internet personality who gained a certain level of notoriety from posting on the Usenet discussion forum. Since its inception, Usenet newsgroups have attracted a wide variety of users. Some posters achieved a certain amount of fame and celebrity within Usenet circles because of their unusual or humorous writings.
Discussed on
- "Usenet personality" | 2026-01-26 | 112 Upvotes 84 Comments
π Stochastic Terrorism
Stochastic terrorism is a form of political violence instigated by hostile public rhetoric directed at a group or an individual. Unlike incitement to terrorism, stochastic terrorism is accomplished with indirect, vague or coded language, which grants the instigator plausible deniability for any associated violence. A key element of stochastic terrorism is the use of media for propagation, where the person carrying out the violence may not have direct connection to any other users of violent rhetoric.
Discussed on
- "Stochastic Terrorism" | 2026-01-25 | 56 Upvotes 25 Comments
π God Emperor Trump
The Master Drone or Il Pa-Drone, popularly referred to as God Emperor Trump, was a 65-foot (20-metre) papier-mΓ’chΓ© sculpture and float depicting Donald Trump, the president of the United States, dressed as the fictional God Emperor of Mankind from the Warhammer 40,000 miniature war game franchise. It was created by the Italian artist Fabrizio Galli for the Carnival of Viareggio in 2019.
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- "God Emperor Trump" | 2026-01-24 | 11 Upvotes 2 Comments
π Deaths Linked to AI Chatbots
There have been multiple incidents where interaction with a chatbot has been cited as a direct or contributing factor in a person's suicide or other fatal outcome. In some cases, legal action was taken against the companies that developed the AI involved.
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- "Deaths Linked to AI Chatbots" | 2026-01-21 | 33 Upvotes 9 Comments
π Chatbot Psychosis
Chatbot psychosis, also called AI psychosis, is a phenomenon wherein individuals reportedly develop or experience worsening psychosis, such as paranoia and delusions, in connection with their use of chatbots. The term was first suggested in a 2023 editorial by Danish psychiatrist SΓΈren Dinesen Γstergaard. It is not a recognized clinical diagnosis.
Journalistic accounts describe individuals who have developed strong beliefs that chatbots are sentient, are channeling spirits, or are revealing conspiracies, sometimes leading to personal crises or criminal acts. Proposed causes include the tendency of chatbots to provide inaccurate information ("hallucinate") and to affirm or validate users' beliefs, or their ability to mimic an intimacy that users do not experience with other humans.
Discussed on
- "Chatbot Psychosis" | 2026-01-20 | 78 Upvotes 35 Comments
π Greenland Crisis
Since 2025, the second Donald Trump administration of the United States has sought to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark (itself in the European Union), triggering an ongoing international diplomatic crisis. This escalated in early 2026 after Trump refused to rule out the use of military force to annex Greenland and threatened a 25% import tax on European Union (EU) goods unless Denmark ceded Greenland. Trump's statements sparked a confrontation with Denmark and the EU (supported by several other NATO members), reigniting earlier concerns of a USβEU trade war. On 21 January, Trump reversed his position at the 2026 Davos conference, pledging not to use force or tariffs to annex Greenland.
Trump had unsuccessfully tried to purchase Greenland during his first presidency. After his 2024 re-election, in January 2026, he said "it may be a choice" whether to preserve NATO or seize Greenland and that he "no longer [felt] an obligation to think purely of Peace" after not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. A report by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service mentioned the United States (US) as a potential threat to national security for the first time in its history, and Danish officials raised concerns about reports that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard had assigned agents to spy on Greenland.
The Greenlandic and Danish prime ministers rejected any US takeover, saying they would defend Greenland in the event of an attack. Both NATO and EU members would be obliged to assist Denmark in the event of an attack. Denmark and eight NATO allies deployed forces to defend the territory. In response, Trump threatened a trade war against the EU, leading European politicians to suspend a proposed EUβUS trade agreement and consider placing sanctions on the US.
Trump's threats led to large-scale protests in both Greenland and Denmark. A YouGov poll found only 8% of Americans supported an invasion of Greenland, with 73% opposed. Trump's actions faced heavy opposition in Congress from both major parties, with Republican speaker of the House Mike Johnson describing Trump's threats as "completely inappropriate" and a bipartisan congressional delegation traveling to Copenhagen to support DenmarkβUS relations. The crisis was described as one of the most erratic episodes involving a US president, prompting scrutiny of Trump's age and fitness for office.
On 21 January, Trump reversed course, first ruling out military force and then abandoning tariff threats after talks with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte reached what Trump called a "framework of a future deal". Greenland and Denmark ruled out any deal altering the sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark, with Trump's comments referring to pre-existing commitments from a 1951 USβDenmark treaty.
Discussed on
- "Greenland Crisis" | 2026-01-19 | 129 Upvotes 90 Comments
π Project Cybersyn (1971)
Project Cybersyn was a Chilean project from 1971β1973 during the presidency of Salvador Allende aimed at constructing a distributed decision support system to aid in the management of the national economy. The project consisted of four modules: an economic simulator, custom software to check factory performance, an operations room, and a national network of telex machines that were linked to one mainframe computer.
Project Cybersyn was based on viable system model theory approach to organizational design, and featured innovative technology for its time: it included a network of telex machines (Cybernet) in state-run enterprises that would transmit and receive information with the government in Santiago. Information from the field would be fed into statistical modeling software (Cyberstride) that would monitor production indicators, such as raw material supplies or high rates of worker absenteeism, in "almost" real time, alerting the workers in the first case and, in abnormal situations, if those parameters fell outside acceptable ranges by a very large degree, also the central government. The information would also be input into economic simulation software (CHECO, for CHilean ECOnomic simulator) that the government could use to forecast the possible outcome of economic decisions. Finally, a sophisticated operations room (Opsroom) would provide a space where managers could see relevant economic data, formulate feasible responses to emergencies, and transmit advice and directives to enterprises and factories in alarm situations by using the telex network.
The principal architect of the system was British operations research scientist Stafford Beer, and the system embodied his notions of organisational cybernetics in industrial management. One of its main objectives was to devolve decision-making power within industrial enterprises to their workforce in order to develop self-regulation of factories.
Discussed on
- "Project Cybersyn" | 2026-01-19 | 20 Upvotes 10 Comments
- "Project Cybersyn" | 2025-11-28 | 17 Upvotes 3 Comments
- "Project Cybersyn (1971)" | 2025-09-19 | 11 Upvotes 1 Comments
- "Project Cybersyn" | 2020-10-13 | 212 Upvotes 114 Comments
- "Project Cybersyn (1971)" | 2014-03-14 | 70 Upvotes 36 Comments
- "Computer-controlled socialist economy gets destroyed on 9/11... 1973" | 2011-09-29 | 12 Upvotes 8 Comments
- "Project Cybersyn" | 2010-08-27 | 12 Upvotes 3 Comments
- "Project Cybersyn: real-time computer control of a planned economy (1970-1973)" | 2010-03-14 | 56 Upvotes 33 Comments