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Young programmers no longer know how to program. AI is now causing the same as the calculator caused half a century ago

February 19, 2025 by usatoday24

Myron Aub was a boiler man from the egg head, but all that did not matter. I had discovered how to do something that humanity had forgotten: I knew how to multiply without the help of a computer. After demonstrating it, the members of the new Pentagon were amazed: someone was able to multiply with a paper and a ball! All that imagined Isaac Asimov in his short novel ‘The feeling of power‘, originally published in February 1958. History, in just 3,700 words, is simply prodigious – I encourage you to read it – and raise a future in which human beings do not know how to perform mathematical operations and depend on computers for computers all. When AUB performs reverse engineering of this calculation process, it creates an extraordinary situation. One that leads to an equally surprising conclusion … and sadly predictable. I read that story about 30 years ago and then I found it fascinating – I am an absolute fan of the ‘Foundation’ saga of Asimov, but I hated the Apple TV+ series for betraying that legacy. The prolific author transmitted a clear message: perhaps it is not so good idea to depend too much on the machines. Or maybe yes? The programmers who did not know how to program It is what is certainly happening in the world of programming, which is undoubtedly the segment most affected by the arrival of artificial intelligence. The AI models have proven to be valuable attendees when programming, and just six months after the chatgpt launch nine out of ten professionals used AI to program. The de facto models have become increasingly capable in this type of task, and the popularity of Tools as cursor has shown that The conquest of “effortless programming” Tab-Tab-Tab is increasingly clear. Even those who did not know how to program or knew, but not in certain programming languages, they are now capable of creating surprising applications. AI is not perfect, of coursebut one thing is clear: it is getting better. That, of course, raises a risk: let’s forget how to program. It is just what a developer named Namanyay Goel denounces, which In his blog he explained How “New Junior developers are not able to program.” The AI allows developers to deliver more code than ever, but these young programmers do not know why that code works or if there would be another way to do things. According to their experience, the new generation of programmers use chatgpt or co -pilot or Claude at all hours. That, he says, allows them to deliver more code than ever, but according to this developer, These young programmers do not know why that code works or if there would be another way better to do it. “We are sacrificing deep understanding (of the code) by fast patches, and although that makes us feel good now, we will pay later.” Goel highlighted how not much places like Stack Overflow were a much better source of information for programmers. They asked things, but when they got answers they used to learn why those answers were valid. That knowledge was there for free, and also in many cases veteran developers and experienced people became involuntary teachers for new generations. “The AI gives you answers, but the knowledge you acquire is superficial. With Stackoverflow, you had to read multiple expert discussions to get a complete vision. It was slower, but you ended up understanding not only what worked, but why it worked.” Of course, not everyone thinks the same and a commentator in Slashdot He pointed out How “Stackoverflow has been a source of terrible programming tips and an overdependence of copying and hitting for much longer.” However, Essste developer believes that not yet everything is lost. AI can help you, without a doubt, but you can also continue learning with it. “When you give you an answer,” he advised, “Ask him for her. Ask why (he has given that solution). “He also recommends debating that code with your team of developers to discuss and be able to get new ideas, or perhaps do so with developers who go to platforms such as Reddit, Discord or Mastodon. The calculator teaches us the future The reflection of that developer is undoubtedly striking, but for many it is a useless debate. In Slashdot a user named Zak3056 He affirmed Take two decades interviewing Júnior developers. “A surprising percentage of them did not understand basic concepts (…). AI has nothing to do with this. It is the state in which education is, many schools are creating graduates that simply do not understand the field they have chosen “ Other comments coincided with him, and the situation reminds other industrial and technological revolutions in which a profession or discipline have ended up being completely conquered by machines. We continue learning to perform mathematical operations, but after school there are not many people who do operations at hand: It is much faster to use the calculator. The calculators may cause some workers who performed that task to be displaced at the beginning, but their impact in the long run has been greatly positive. The calculators may cause some workers who performed that task to be displaced at the beginning, but their impact in the long run has been greatly positive To begin with, there are still mathematicians, but they are dedicated to much more complex problems than the machines are not yet able to solve – of the moment either – and the calculators made them even more valuable: they could focus on those problems, and Not in the calculations that could also be wrong because we assume it, the margin of human error is there. In addition, the calculators productivity and efficiency improved significantlysaving all kinds of professionals those most repetitive tasks to focus on others that other non -substitutable capacities (at least, for the moment) by the machines. Will something like this happen with AI and programming? It is very likely. AI has … Read more

Years ago Mexico opted to offer longer school days for children. Caused an increase in divorces

February 9, 2025 by usatoday24

A time ago a group of economists from the University of Tennessee It was done A peculiar questionfor the concepts and ideas that combines and also its implications: does the school’s school day influence The divorce rate parental? If the time children spend at school clearly affects To the dynamics of the families, conditioning as basic aspects as the hours of adults for other tasks, does that factor interfere with the couple’s breakdown? And if so, how? And why? After crossing school data and separations recorded for several years in Mexico, the experts reached A curious conclusion: The expansion of school days or have greater access to schools with extended schedules does seem to affect divorce rates. It increases them. School Conference (and something else). Over the years articles (many) have been published on how the different school day models They affect To students, their performancehe school abandonment or the “Child Wellness”. The debate It is old and root in a dilemma on which they have run ink rivers: Continuous school day or departure? There are those who ensure that this response has implications that go far beyond the classrooms, such as The gender gapthe Differences of opportunities or family poverty. Click on the image to go to Tweet. A new factor: divorces. María Padilla-Romo, Cecilia Peluffo and Marian Its derivatives: The separations. And they have done it based on a very specific question: how does the expansion of the schooling work affect divorce rates? To find out they basically handle two sources, the statistical records of marriage ruptures and school data on the expansion of the school day in the public primary schools. In Mexico they found databases for both fronts, so the country ended up becoming its particular (and huge) laboratory. The data they obtained and interpretation have just reflected them in An essay Posted in Journal of Public Economics. But what did they analyze? The researchers took advantage of a phenomenon that played in their favor: the “Large -scale expansion” of the model of Full -time school (Full-Time Schools, or etc, with a “Extended Day” of Between six and eight hours) In Mexican municipalities from 2007 to 2016. To be more precise, economists resorted to census data from the monitoring of the monitoring Program etc. of the Secretary of Public Education that corresponded to the 2007/2008 academic year, in which It began to applyand 2015/2016. Then they compared the degree of implementation of that program of school day expanded by municipalities and were fixed in women in divorce procedures in each of those locations. In short, they crossed data. The information on marriage ruptures was obtained from the National Institute of Mexican Statistics and Geography (INEGI), where the cases processed between 2000 and 2016 consulted. And the surprise came. After working with the different records, the researchers discovered that there seems to be A marked relationship between the extension of the school day in the primary centers and the ruptures. At least in Mexico. “We found that the expansion of the school day in 3.5 hours causes a significant increase in divorce rates,” explain economists in Your article. “In addition, the effect is increased with each year of exposure from municipalities to full -time schooling.” A well calibrated trend. The experts They go further and share their calculations on the relationship between both factors, broad teaching days and ruptures. “We found that, as a result of an average increase in the availability of etc. of 24 percentage points, the divorce rate increased by 0.041 divorces per 1,000 individuals (an increase of 12.6 in relation to divorces in the municipalities treated in the year prior to the opening of the first etc) “. Moreover, researchers even appreciate that “the effect increases over time” and the increase in the divorce rate is higher when families enjoy the longest teaching days for seven years. “Our main estimates suggest that the availability of ETC It gave rise to 23,119 additional divorces between 2009 and 2016, or approximately 4.7% of the total number of divorces presented during that period of time, ” The study abounds. Its authors also detected another key trend: the longest school days gave rise to greater divorce rates in areas where less traditional social norms overwhelmed on marriage, divorces and female work. Click on the image to go to Tweet. The question: Why? Extend a few hours the time that primary school The article From Padilla-Romo and his companions suggests that it is not. Maybe it’s a few hours, but influence classrooms. And the reason is that this extension of school days is in its own way “an implicit subsidy for children’s care.” Having their children during a broad period in schools – on its website the Mexican government points out that in etc From 8.00 to 16.00 h– Parents have more time. Especially women, in which It regularly falls The care of the offspring. And those hours can use them in working outside their homes, in exchange for a salary that reinforces their economic independence. Although the researchers recognize that the greatest job among women can have other consequences, such as generating “conflicts”, that mothers with an “abusive couple” remain less exposed to it or simply increase the flow of money that enters home, what That facilitates to face the expenses involved in divorce and separation, the researchers suggest that the economic factor is essential to understand the phenomenon. “A disproportionate fraction”. “Mothers and other female members of the family dedicate a disproportionate fraction of their time to the care of children. The longest school days provide them with an increase in their effective time provision, which translates in better opportunities to acquire individual income “, Zanjan The three authors of the study. “As a result, the negotiation positions at home are probable.” “Our results show that the extension of the school day gave rise to higher divorce rates in areas with less traditional social norms on marriage, divorce and the priority of women in jobs, … Read more

Global study reaffirms health damage caused by sugary drinks

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025 by usatoday24

According to a study, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease worldwide could be linked to consumption of soda, energy drinks, and other sugar-sweetened beverages in 2020. This is what an international research group reports in the magazine Nature Medicine. Sugary drinks: not suitable for quenching thirst A glass of Cola (250 ml) contains almost 27 grams of sugar: this is equivalent to almost 9 sugar cubes. Energy drinks, fruit drinks, and other soft drinks can also be sugar bombs. However, according to the study, more and more people are turning to these drinks, especially in Latin America and Africa. It is known that sugar-sweetened drinks are not good for your health. The German Nutrition Society writes that these are not suitable as thirst-quenching drinks: “They contain a lot of sugar (approximately 80-100 g per liter) and therefore provide a lot of calories.” The research group led by Laura Lara-Castor at Tufts University in the US has now calculated the health consequences of consuming sugary drinks in relation to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Lots of advertising in low and middle income countries To do this, the team analyzed data from the Global Dietary Database: this database contains estimates on the consumption of sugary drinks based on nutritional surveys, as well as data on obesity and diabetes rates. The scientists used figures from the years 1990 to 2020 and combined data sets from 184 countries to calculate the probability of a connection between both factors. According to this, in 2020, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease worldwide were attributable to sugary drinks. This would represent one in 10 new cases of type 2 diabetes and one in 30 new cases of cardiovascular disease. The study found the highest proportion in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. As for individual countries, Colombia, Mexico and South Africa were particularly affected. According to the study, the more countries develop and incomes increase, the more accessible and desirable sugary drinks become. More thirst for sweet drinks For Germany, the study shows only a slight increase in diabetes deaths per million inhabitants between 1990 and 2020 attributable to the consumption of sugary drinks, compared to other countries. Regarding deaths from cardiovascular diseases, a decrease is even observed, as in the US and Great Britain. According to the researchers’ data, almost 650 milliliters – or two large glasses – of these drinks were consumed weekly in Germany in 2020. This places Germany in the middle of the list of the 30 most populous countries among those studied. However, figures from the Economic Association of Non-Alcoholic Beverages (wafg) for 2023 suggest that soft drink consumption has increased again in the country. Demand for a “soda tax” As the authors themselves write, although their estimates are based on the best available data and educated guesses, they cannot provide evidence of cause and effect. Additionally, data for some countries is incomplete. The research team also emphasizes that sugary drinks are digested quickly and raise blood sugar levels without having nutritional value. Regular consumption leads to weight gain, insulin resistance and various metabolic problems related to type 2 diabetes and heart disease, two of the most common causes of death in the world. Scientists demand, among other things, health campaigns, stricter rules for advertising such drinks and tax measures. A “soft drinks tax” already exists in many countries, including Great Britain since 2018: this applies at the threshold of five grams of sugar per 100 milliliters. Manufacturers must then pay 18 pence (21 cents) per liter, and for 8 grams of sugar or more per 100 milliliters, 24 pence (28 cents) per liter applies. Since then, not only has consumption decreased, but manufacturers have also reduced the sugar content. Also in Germany, consumer advocates and health experts regularly demand such a tax, although so far without success. FEW (dpa, Nature Medicine) Keep reading: * More affordable insulin in New York starting in 2025 * How much fruit can a person with diabetes eat? * 3 Harvard recommendations for diabetics who want to lose weight

Two deaths reported in Houston caused by the historic winter storm

January 22, 2025 by usatoday24

Houston authorities reported that Two deaths have been recorded that may have been caused by low temperatures caused by the historic winter storm hitting the southeastern United States. Ed Gonzalez, Harris County Sheriff, reported through his count of that on the morning of January 20 A man was found dead behind an apartment complex from 12355, Antoine Drive, northwest of the county. According to the sheriff, there were no signs that it was an intentional death, so we believe that the frost could have contributed to this death. Later, González reported that andThey found another deceased person in the parking lot of a restaurant at 307 South Fry Rd. It is another man, possibly a homeless person. It is believed that he could have died due to the low temperatures. A historic snowstorm has been sweeping across the Gulf Coast, moving from the east through the south, since early this week. More than 2,000 flights were canceled Tuesday across the United States and Autoports remained closed in Houston due to the storm, that produced debilitating travel conditions and power outages across the region, officials warned Near Beaumont, Texas, more than 5 inches of snow was recorded Tuesday, the most that city has seen in more than 100 years. One hypothermia-related death was reported in Georgia, according to James Stallings, director of the Georgia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. Keep reading:• Winter storm causes historic snowfall in Florida Panhandle• More than 2,000 flights canceled due to historic snowstorm that hits the southern US• Winter storms hit Northeast, delaying holiday weekend travel

CDC and Alabama investigate ‘adverse events’ caused by antibiotic

January 22, 2025 by usatoday24

In Alabama, many doctors have decided to pause the use of ceftriaxone, an antibiotic widely used to treat bacterial infections, following a warning issued by the state Department of Public Health. The decision came after the appearance of eleven reports of possible adverse events related to this medication, known commercially as Rocephin, in different parts of the state in recent months. Ceftriaxone is one of the most widely used antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections such as pneumonia, meningitis and E. coli. Additionally, it is administered preventively in patients undergoing certain types of surgery. However, recent adverse events have raised concern among healthcare professionals, who seek to ensure the safety of their patients while continuing to use alternative treatments. According to the official statement from the Department of Health, some of the patients who experienced adverse reactions showed signs of anaphylaxis, a severe type of allergic reaction. Among the reported symptoms are hives, itching, hypotension and hypoxia, that is, dangerously low levels of oxygen in the blood. Fortunately, all affected people have received timely treatment and have recovered, as confirmed by the authorities. Although a direct connection between ceftriaxone and these reactions has not been established, the Department of Public Health has emphasized that the primary goal is to investigate any possible epidemiological link. This investigation includes the evaluation of factors such as the use of diluent substances, steroid medications administered in conjunction with the antibiotic, and other elements that could have contributed to the reported adverse events. “The people investigated had a variety of pre-existing medical conditions, and so far no specific causal link between ceftriaxone and these reactions has been identified,” the official statement says. Authorities have insisted that this pause in the use of the drug is a preventive approach, and that they will continue to work closely with health care providers to resolve any concerns. Although no specific information has been released about the locations where the incidents occurred, several clinics in northern Alabama have warned about the possibility of temporarily suspending use of the drug while the investigation is ongoing. The Department of Public Health stressed that, as with any injectable antibiotic, there is always a risk of allergic reactions, and emphasized the importance of monitoring patients and responding appropriately if complications occur. According to data from the department, cephalosporins, a category of antibiotics to which ceftriaxone belongs, can cause allergic reactions in between 0.5% and 2.5% of patients who receive them. While this percentage may seem low, the potential consequences of a severe reaction justify the implementation of precautionary measures and prompt medical attention in the event of an emergency. As part of preventive actions, the Department of Health has urged healthcare providers to report any adverse events associated with the administration of ceftriaxone to the Adverse Reaction Reporting System. This system allows essential data to be collected that could help clarify the causes of these incidents and ensure the safety of future treatments. The case highlights the challenges inherent in using medications, even those with a strong track record of effectiveness. In a medical environment where every decision can have critical implications for patients’ health, professionals continue to take rigorous measures to balance the benefits of treatments with managing the associated risks. Meanwhile, patients requiring treatment for bacterial infections are being redirected to therapeutic alternatives, as authorities advance research. Although this episode has raised concerns, it also highlights the commitment of health systems to proactively address any situation that may compromise patient safety. Keep reading:

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