October 2022

In a workshop in the Netherlands, Philip Nitschke is overseeing testing on his new assisted suicide machine. Sealed inside the coffin-sized pod, a person who has chosen to die must answer three questions. The machine will then fill with nitrogen gas, causing the occupant to pass out in less than a minute and die by asphyxiation in around five.

Despite a 25-year campaign to “demedicalize death” through technology, Nitschke has not been able to sidestep the medical establishment fully. A solution could come in the form of an algorithm that Nitschke hopes will allow people to perform a kind of psychiatric self-assessment. 

While his mission may seem extreme—even outrageous—to some, he is not the only one looking to involve technology, and AI in particular, in life-or-death decisions. Read the full story.

—Will Douglas Heaven

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ I simply cannot get enough of these terrible waxworks.
+ These pesky woodpeckers managed to store more than 700 pounds of acorns in a Californian rental home (thanks Allison and Brian!)
+ These preserved ghost ships are seriously spooky.
+ Humankind’s ancient relatives could have been handy with tools millions of years ago.
+ I’m not loving it: this website tracks the price of your closest Big Mac (and it’s bad news if you live in Massachusetts.)