David Ryan Polgar
Big Think
New York, NY, United States
Contact David
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Past articles by David:
Pizza math: For the best price, you should always order the biggest pie
With the help of some simple math, it becomes clear that ordering the largest pizza almost always gets you the best price per square inch. → Read More
Cryptocurrency is a giant multi-level marketing scheme
It’s hard to see red flags when you’re wearing rose-colored glasses. Cryptocurrency’s warning signs having been coming fast and furious. A new report indicates that half of initial coin offerings, which are the crypto world’s money-raising equivalent of an IPO, have already died—and many of the remaining are blatant scams with no intent to build... → Read More
We want chatbots to sound more human—but the result could destroy our relationships
Relationships are built on reciprocity of time and emotional energy, so to communicate through automation isn't the ultimate life hack—it's the ultimate hack job. → Read More
What If Tattoos Gave You Updates about Your Health?
Researchers at MIT and Harvard Medical School have developed a tattoo ink that could potentially be used to monitor medical conditions, with ink that changes in response to physical conditions. → Read More
Poker Is Harder for AI to Master Than Chess. AI has Now Learned to Bluff and Beat Humans.
AI has not only beat chess, Go, and Jeopardy champions, but now it has defeated some of the world's best poker players. And unlike chess or Go, playing poker involves unknown information like bluffing. → Read More
US Navy & Xbox: Why Use a $38k Joystick When You Can Use a $30 Controller?
The US Navy will begin swapping out expensive periscope joysticks in exchange for off-the-shelf Xbox controllers. → Read More
Participatory Taxes: Should You Choose Where Your Money Gets Spent?
Half the pain of paying taxes is having no control over where it goes. This Harvard professor has a great idea to give people more of a voice... and it involves just a very slight change in something as boring as a parking ticket. → Read More
Need Help Suing Equifax? Use This Chatbot to File for up to $25,000
By using the DoNotPay chatbot, you may be able to quickly file a small-claims case against Equifax for up to $25,000. → Read More
New AI “Gaydar” Study Is Controversial. But Is It Unethical?
The internet is ablaze in controversy over the new AI "Gaydar" study. Did the researchers do anything wrong by pursuing this research? → Read More
New sci-fi film “Marjorie Prime” is “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” meets “Black Mirror”
“I’ll be right here, Marjorie, whenever you need me,” Walter says to his elderly wife in the sci-fi mystery movie Marjorie Prime, which is out in cinemas today. “I have all the time in the world.” Walter isn’t going anywhere. In fact, he’s already been dead for 15 years. Played by Jon Hamm, this post-death... → Read More
Don’t Just Learn to Code. Silicon Valley Needs More Fuzzies.
Silicon Valley needs more diversity of thought and well-rounded thinkers. An interview with Scott Hartley, author of The Fuzzy and The Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World. → Read More
Tech May Give Us a Life of Leisure in the Future. Is This What We Want?
Our utopian vision of the future is typically less more and more leisure. But if advancing technology really lessens the importance of our careers in the future, is this something we could actually adjust to? → Read More
Pay With Your Microchipped Hand? You Can at This Wisconsin Company.
Employees at 32M, a company based in Wisconsin, now have the option of getting microchipped. Workers implanted with the RFID chip will be able to open doors, store medical info, and pay for purchases. Should this be the future workplace? → Read More
We Are Falling for Fake News. Can This Quiz Improve Our Judgment?
A new game called Factitious aims to help people determine real from fake news online. Will this work? Exploring ways to be more media literate. → Read More
Is it Ethical to Automate Your Own Remote Job and Still Get Paid?
A programmer was able to automate his remote job; collecting a full-time paycheck while working for two hours a week. The employer, none the wiser, is satisfied with the completed work. But is it ethical? → Read More
Is the US Paying $300 Million Too Much to Launch Rockets? Elon Musk Thinks So.
Is the government overpaying by $300 million? Elon Musk of SpaceX has long argued that there needs to be greater competition with the awarding of space launch contracts. New reports indicate that SpaceX may be $300 million less than the US government is currently paying. → Read More
Is it unethical to design robots to resemble humans?
Three men deliver an endless assault of kicks as the victim lies motionless on the grass. With venom in their eyes, one of the perpetrators delivers a crushing blow with a wooden bat. Another gets down on his knees and delivers a flurry of fists. The printer is dead. Plastic parts and microchips are strewn... → Read More
Your Beliefs About How Your Memory Works Is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Are we falling for illusions of memory? How often we forget something is influenced not only by our inability to recall it, but also our overestimation of remembering it in the future. These illusions may be making us overconfident about our memory recall. → Read More
Want The Right Answer Online? Don’t Ask Questions, Just Post It Wrong
Known as Cunningham's Law, it is the assertion that "the best way to get a right answer on the internet is to post a wrong answer." It turns out our impulse to correct a wrong online may outweigh our desire to merely give answers. → Read More
AI Could Lead to a Dystopian Future. Can We Ensure That Doesn’t Happen?
Our future as humans might be great. Or non-existent. Is our government, or Silicon Valley, prepared to handle the consequences of advancing AI? → Read More