An anonymous reader quotes a report from PCMag: Four new features are coming to Google Maps, including a way to hide your identity in reviews. Maps will soon let you use a nickname and select an alternative profile picture for online reviews, so you can rate a business without linking it to full name and Google profile photo. Google says it will monitor for "suspicious and fake reviews," and every review is still associated with an account on Google's backend, which it believes will discourage bad actors.
Look for a new option under Your Profile that says Use a custom name & picture for posting. You'll then be able to pick an illustration to represent you and add a nickname. Google didn't explain why it is introducing anonymous reviews; it pitched the idea as a way to be a business's "Secret Santa." Some users are nervous to publicly post reviews for local businesses as it may be used to track their location or movements. It may encourage more people to contribute honest feedback to its platform, for better or worse. Further reading: Gemini AI To Transform Google Maps Into a More Conversational Experience
In an essay published in The Verge, Benjamin Riley argues that today's AI boom is built on a fundamental misunderstanding: language modeling is not the same as intelligence. "The problem is that according to current neuroscience, human thinking is largely independent of human language -- and we have little reason to believe ever more sophisticated modeling of language will create a form of intelligence that meets or surpasses our own," writes Riley. Slashdot reader RossCWilliams shares the report, writing: The article goes on to point out that we use language to communicate. We use it to create metaphors to describe our reasoning. That people who have lost their language ability can still show reasoning. That human beings create knowledge when they become dissatisfied with the current metaphor. Einstein's theory of relativity was not based on scientific research. He developed it as thought experiment because he was dissatisfied with the existing metaphor. It quotes someone who said, "common sense is a collection of dead metaphors." And that AI, at best, can rearrange those dead metaphors in interesting ways. But it will never be dissatisfied with the data it has or an existing metaphor.
A different critique (PDF) has pointed out that even as a language model AI is flawed by its reliance on the internet. The languages used on the internet are unrepresentative of the languages in the world. And other languages contain unique descriptions/metaphors that are not found on the internet. My metaphor for what was discussed was the descriptions of the kinds of snow that exist in Inuit languages that describe qualities nowhere found in European languages. If those metaphors aren't found on the internet, AI will never be able create them.
This does not mean that AI isn't useful. But it is not remotely human intelligence. That is just a poor metaphor. We need a better one. Benjamin Riley is the founder of Cognitive Resonance, a new venture to improve understanding of human cognition and generative AI.
Experience design firm Murmur Ring, in partnership with Empathy and the Institute of Design, invites artists, designers, makers, and creatives of all kinds to join the Reclaiming Value: Sacred Valley Design Immersion from June 15 to 19, 2026, in Peru’s Sacred Valley. The Colossal team previously joined Murmur Ring for a transformative week-long immersion in Oaxaca, Mexico, and looks forward to joining this excursion, as well.
This is not a tourist program. Mumur Ring’s Immersions are creative exchanges born from years of research and relationship-building. Intimate site visits with Peruvian makers and innovators offer rare, behind-the-scenes access to the perspectives, techniques, and community-centered models shaping the region’s most visionary work. Participants will find new inspiration, forge collaborative relationships, and leave with ideas that will transform their practices.
In the coming weeks, Colossal will highlight several of the Peruvian makers whom participants will meet during the immersion, including Awamaki and Cerámicas Seminario.
Awamaki—named for the Quechua word meaning “made by hand”—helps women weavers of the Andes access global markets, develop business skills, and build financial independence to sustain their communities for generations. Murmur Ring’s immersion will venture into the mountains to see this social enterprise model in action and:
Meet the women weavers in their home communities
Learn how raw fibers are harvested and naturally dyed using plants, minerals, and methods perfected for centuries
Receive hands-on instruction in ancient weaving techniques, guided directly by master artists
Share a home-cooked meal prepared by the artisans
Purchase textiles directly from the cooperatives, ensuring 100% of payments go to the makers
Since it began as an individual arts practice over 30 years ago, Cerámicas Seminario has evolved into a thriving studio blending ancient artistic language with a bold, contemporary visual style. The family-run business stands not only as a celebrated center of innovation in Peruvian ceramics but also as a powerful economic engine for its surrounding community. The immersion will allow participants to:
Meet founders Pablo Seminario and MarilĂş Behar for a studio tour and Q&A
Learn about their path to success from early explorations in clay to their commitment to building a community-centric enterprise
See artisans at work, shaping, carving, and firing ceramic pieces
Experience a hands-on ceramics workshop, where they’ll learn ancient techniques that inspired the studio’s signature style
A place where food, land, art, and ancestral knowledge converge, MIL Centro is far more than a restaurant. It is an innovative research lab dedicated to preserving traditional Peruvian crops, restoring endangered agricultural practices, and sustaining the communities who have lived on and worked with this land for centuries. Theirs is a model that honors tradition, empowers community, and pushes the boundaries of what food, and art, can be. During a visit to MIL Centro, participants will:
Forage for native plants alongside local land stewards, learning how each species functions as food, medicine, and craft
Discover how Andean communities protect their local ecologies
Use foraged plants to hand-dye and weave natural fibers
Enjoy a multi-course meal, inspired by eight distinct Andean microclimates
Early bird reservations are available through November 30, 2025. Apply now to secure your spot at the exclusive rate, and join us for an unforgettable journey into the creative soul of the Sacred Valley.
WASHINGTON (ANP) - De Amerikaanse regering probeert nog onder president Joe Biden vastgestelde limieten voor fijnstof terug te draaien. Milieubeschermingsdienst EPA, nu onder leiding van een door president Donald Trump benoemde directeur, heeft een rechtbank verzocht de norm ongedaan te maken. Het zou te duur zijn voor fabrikanten om eraan te voldoen.
Fijnstof, zoals roet, is een van de meest wijdverspreide dodelijke luchtverontreinigende stoffen. Deze stof kan leiden tot gezondheidsproblemen zoals beroertes, hartaanvallen en astma-aanvallen. De EPA had in 2024 de limieten nog aangescherpt. Blootstelling aan de deeltjes heeft een onevenredig grote impact op gemeenschappen van kleur, aldus de EPA destijds.
Het is niet voor het eerst dat de regering-Trump milieubeschermende regels terugdraait of afzwakt. In juli kregen kolencentrales en andere faciliteiten van Trump twee jaar ontheffing van milieuregels van de EPA. De ontheffingen zouden nodig zijn voor de nationale veiligheid, stelde het Witte Huis.
PARAMARIBO (ANP) - Suriname en Nederland willen nauwer gaan samenwerken op het gebied van onderwijs. Dat zei demissionair premier Dick Schoof dinsdag in Paramaribo, waar hij aanwezig was bij de viering van vijftig jaar onafhankelijkheid.
Tegen media zei hij met president Jennifer Geerlings-Simons te hebben gesproken over versterkte samenwerking op onderwijsgebied. Omdat beide landen door de taal verbonden zijn "is het ook logisch om te kijken, met name in het onderwijs, of we elkaar daarin kunnen bijstaan", zei Schoof.
"Het is goed als Nederlandse onderwijsinstellingen en Surinaamse onderwijsinstellingen intensief met elkaar samenwerken", aldus de premier. Hij denkt dan aan onderwijs op het gebied van toerisme, landbouw en techniek.
Schoof was op uitnodiging van de president bij de viering. "Vijftig jaar onafhankelijkheid markeert een belangrijk punt in de geschiedenis tussen Suriname en Nederland en daarom vond ik het belangrijk om hier ook zelf aanwezig te zijn om daarmee ook duidelijk te maken dat Nederland dit ook een belangrijk moment vindt", zei Schoof.
