Blog - Page 5 of 151 - thickcookie

Jan

2026

Brain curiosities: why we forget proper names

The Curious Case of Forgetting Names: Brain Insights

Forgetting a person’s name at an awkward moment is nearly universal. Proper names feel different from other words: they slip away while common nouns and facts remain accessible. Understanding why this happens requires looking at how names are stored and retrieved in the brain, how attention and emotion affect encoding, and how age, stress, and language experience change retrieval dynamics.What makes proper names specialProper names are labels with low semantic redundancy. Unlike the word “dog,” which connects to traits, actions, and contexts, a name like “Sarah” has few intrinsic clues linking it to meaning. That sparsity produces several predictable effects:Weak…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

The International Debate on AI Governance

International

Artificial intelligence has moved from academic labs into every sector of the global economy, creating a rapidly shifting policy landscape. International AI governance debates focus on how to balance innovation and safety, protect rights while enabling economic opportunity, and prevent harms that cross borders. The arguments center on definitions and scope, safety and alignment, trade controls, rights and civil liberties, legal liability, standards and certification, and the geopolitical and development dimensions of regulation.Definitions, scope, and jurisdictionWhat counts as “AI”? Policymakers wrestle with whether to regulate systems by capability, application, or technique. A narrow, technical definition risks loopholes; a broad one…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

How to protect essential infrastructure from digital attacks

How to Secure Critical Infrastructure from Digital Threats

International

Essential infrastructure—power grids, water treatment, transportation systems, healthcare networks, and telecommunications—underpins modern life. Digital attacks on these systems can disrupt services, endanger lives, and cause massive economic damage. Effective protection requires a mix of technical controls, governance, people, and public-private collaboration tailored to both IT and operational technology (OT) environments.Threat Landscape and ImpactDigital threats to infrastructure include ransomware, destructive malware, supply chain compromise, insider misuse, and targeted intrusions against control systems. High-profile incidents illustrate the stakes:Colonial Pipeline (May 2021): A ransomware attack disrupted fuel deliveries across the U.S. East Coast; the company reportedly paid a $4.4 million ransom and faced…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

The Essence of Grunge: Defining the Style

Culture and Entertainment

The grunge style is a distinctive aesthetic that emerged in the early 1990s, strongly influenced by the grunge music scene in Seattle. Characterized by its emphasis on a raw, unpolished look, this style expresses a rejection of mainstream fashion norms and embodies an anti-consumerist attitude. This cultural phenomenon has deeply influenced fashion, music, and even broader cultural movements, making it a compelling subject of study for those interested in the intersections of style and subculture.Origins of Grunge StyleThe origins of grunge style are closely linked to the Seattle music scene of the late 1980s. Bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam,…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

San José, in Costa Rica: What makes service exports scalable beyond a single market

San José, Costa Rica: Unlocking Global Service Export Potential

Economy

San José functions as the economic and institutional heart of Costa Rica and a springboard for service exports that reach global markets. A combination of human capital, institutional stability, digital infrastructure, targeted incentives, and industry clustering creates an environment where services — from software and business process outsourcing to professional and creative services — can be packaged, delivered, and scaled to many markets beyond Costa Rica’s borders.Primary strategic strengths that drive scalable growthConcentrated talent and education pipeline. San José is home to the nation’s top universities and technical institutes, which consistently turn out professionals in engineering, computer science, business administration,…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

Primer plano de un profesional médico sosteniendo un catéter con precisión en un entorno estéril.

Value-Based Care: Enhancing Quality, Reducing Procedures

Science and Technology

Value-based care redirects health systems from counting how many services are provided to concentrating on the outcomes that genuinely matter to patients, built on a straightforward idea: compensation should reward value rather than volume, a shift that influences clinical choices, payment structures, evaluation methods, and patient involvement while helping curb unnecessary procedures and enhance quality, equity, and affordability.What value-based care meansValue-based care aims to maximize health outcomes per dollar spent by:Measuring outcomes: clinical results, functional status, patient-reported outcomes (PROMs), and experience rather than counting visits or procedures.Aligning payment: incentives that reward prevention, coordination, and outcomes (shared savings, bundled payments, capitation,…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

Protecting Long-Term Contracts in Mexico from Currency & Inflation

Economy

Mexico offers deep trade and investment linkages with global partners and a diversified domestic market. That makes long-term contracts — infrastructure concessions, multi-year supply agreements, project finance loans, and energy offtake deals — commercially attractive. At the same time, such contracts are exposed to two related macro risks:Currency risk: shifts in the Mexican peso (MXN) relative to major billing currencies, most often the US dollar, can alter the actual worth of both payments and returns.Inflation risk: sustained increases in overall price levels gradually diminish fixed-rate income streams while pushing up local expenses tied to labor, materials, utilities, and taxes.The Bank…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

‘Sell America’ returns to Wall Street after Trump ups the ante against Jerome Powell and the Fed

“Sell America” Gains Traction on Wall Street as Trump Challenges Fed

Economy

Investors reacted swiftly after news of a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, reigniting concerns over US financial stability. The announcement triggered modest sell-offs across stocks, bonds, and the dollar, highlighting fears over the independence of the Fed.US equity markets began the session in negative territory after reports surfaced that federal prosecutors were examining Powell. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 159 points, or 0.32%, while the broader S&P 500 eased 0.14% and the tech-focused Nasdaq edged down 0.1%. The US dollar lost ground against major global currencies, with the dollar index slipping 0.35%, reflecting a cautious stance…

Jan

2026

By Scarlet Cardona

Michael B. Jordan said watching ‘Sinners’ made him cry

Michael B. Jordan Cried Watching ‘Sinners’: A Must-See Film

Culture and Entertainment

Few roles require such raw emotional vulnerability as embodying two lives simultaneously, and “Sinners” emerged as one of those uncommon productions whose influence reached well beyond the film itself.For Michael B. Jordan, the project evolved into a profoundly affecting journey, both in performance and later as a spectator, revealing just how deeply its narrative struck him.From the outside, “Sinners” can be viewed as another bold collaboration between Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler, a creative alliance that has already yielded some of the most widely discussed films of the last ten years. Still, beneath the polished final version rests…