Tootfinder

NATO boss Rutte (fmr Dutch PM) sends app to Trump, who promptly publishes it.
"Wow, your bombing of Iran was great; it makes the world a safer place!"
Straight from The Hague, formerly known as the International City of Peace and Justice. Awkward.

Soviet-era An-24 plane crashes in Russia's Amur Oblast, all 49 on board feared dead: https://benborges.xyz/2025/07/24/sovietera-an-plane-crashes-in.html

Tailoring Magnetic Properties of Zigzag Structured Thin Films via Interface Engineering and Columnar Nano-structuring
Sharanjeet Singh, Manisha Priyadarsini, Anup Kumar Bera, Smritiparna Ghosh, Varimalla R. Reddy, Sarathlal Koyiloth Vayalil, Benedikt Sochor, Dileep Kumar
https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.19577

Tailoring Magnetic Properties of Zigzag Structured Thin Films via Interface Engineering and Columnar Nano-structuring
We report the emergence of a novel interface-induced shape anisotropy component in zigzag-structured thin films fabricated via Sequential Oblique Angle Deposition (S-OAD). In this study, we systematically investigate cobalt (Co) and Co2FeAl (CFA) thin films by varying column length, number of bilayers, and magneto-crystalline anisotropy (MCA) to explore how structural modulation affects magnetic behavior. Using magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurements in conjunction with synchrotron-base…

A look at micro dramas, like those on China's ReelShort: a whole season typically films in two weeks and features tired tropes and actors from ad backgrounds (Zeyi Yang/Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/china-reel-short-dramas-video-social-media/
…

Americans Are Obsessed With Watching Short Video Dramas From China
How did steamy, short soap operas that originated in China become the hottest thing in Hollywood, seemingly overnight?

Checklists Are Better Than Reward Models For Aligning Language Models
Vijay Viswanathan, Yanchao Sun, Shuang Ma, Xiang Kong, Meng Cao, Graham Neubig, Tongshuang Wu
https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.18624

Checklists Are Better Than Reward Models For Aligning Language Models
Language models must be adapted to understand and follow user instructions. Reinforcement learning is widely used to facilitate this -- typically using fixed criteria such as "helpfulness" and "harmfulness". In our work, we instead propose using flexible, instruction-specific criteria as a means of broadening the impact that reinforcement learning can have in eliciting instruction following. We propose "Reinforcement Learning from Checklist Feedback" (RLCF). From instructions, we extract checkl…

Sittich-Strolch mittels mobiler Gewahrsamszelle verhaftet
https://www.polizei.bremerhaven.de/blog-leser/sittich-strolch-in-geestemuende-polizei-nimmt-schraegen-vogel-in-gewahrsam-2.html

Sittich-Strolch in Geestemünde: Polizei nimmt schrägen Vogel in Gewahrsam
Mit viel Freude und einem Sinn für leichte Prosa hat unser Kontaktpolizist aus Bremerhaven-Geestemünde einen Einsatzbericht verfasst, der zeigt: Polizeiarbeit macht Spaß – auch wenn man es bisweilen mit schrägen Vögeln zu tun hat.

Peru seizes record 4-ton mercury shipment in fight against illegal gold mining https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/07/peru-seizes-record-4-ton-mercury-shipment-in-fight-against-illegal-gold-mining/

Peru seizes record 4-ton mercury shipment in fight against illegal gold mining
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Peruvian customs officials have seized a record-breaking shipment of illegal mercury, exposing a cross-border smuggling network fueling illicit gold mining in the Amazon. The 4-ton haul, discovered in June at the port of Callao, was hidden in gravel bags and bound for Bolivia, officials said on Thursday. Experts say it could […]

Some recent popular books “explaining” music are actually awful. They commit the naturalistic fallacy with flair - as if the sweep of nature had quietly handed us a tidy little musical rulebook. I come away not with understanding but with a feeling of aesthetic conscription. Or constipation.

International Court of Justice says countries failing to tackle climate change risk breaking international law
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-24/icj-climate-change-advisory-opinion-handed-down/105561282

International Court of Justice says countries failing to tackle climate change risk breaking international law
The opinion of the International Court of Justice is seen by some as a turning point in international climate law, with judges finding that states affected by global warming could be eligible for reparations.