AI Weirdness: the strange side of machine learning
Janelle Shane

Janelle Shane

Total 842 Posts
Saturday July 19, 2014

Saturday July 19, 2014

This is a nanotorch, which is an ultra-sensitive chemical detector, thanks to its ability to concentrate light. In the intense light fields at the torch’s top, a normally-weak light-based chemical fingerprinting technique (Raman spectroscopy) becomes millions of times stronger. More-sensitive Raman fingerprinting can allow us to detect trace contaminants
(Untitled)

(Untitled)

This is a nanotorch, which is an ultra-sensitive chemical detector, thanks to its ability to concentrate light.  In the intense light fields at the torch’s top, a normally-weak light-based chemical fingerprinting technique (Raman spectroscopy) becomes millions of times stronger.  More-sensitive Raman fingerprinting can allow us to detect trace contaminants
Wednesday July 16, 2014

Wednesday July 16, 2014

When a nanolaser casts a shadow, the grad student gets 6 more weeks of fabrication. The pillar in the middle is one of the nanolasers our lab makes. It’s supposed to be a single column all by itself, roughly cylindrical with a bit of a funky coke bottle shape,
(Untitled)

(Untitled)

When a nanolaser casts a shadow, the grad student gets 6 more weeks of fabrication. The pillar in the middle is one of the nanolasers our lab makes.  It’s supposed to be a single column all by itself, roughly cylindrical with a bit of a funky coke bottle shape,
Tuesday July 15, 2014

Tuesday July 15, 2014

Oops. When we’re making nano-devices, chaos is usually bad. I named this spot “The Barrens”. It’s supposed to be a single straight waveguide (basically, a pipe for light) stretching off into infinity. Instead, this spot got scratched partway through the fabrication process, leaving behind a chaotic landscape that
(Untitled)

(Untitled)

Oops.  When we’re making nano-devices, chaos is usually bad.  I named this spot “The Barrens”. It’s supposed to be a single straight waveguide (basically, a pipe for light) stretching off into infinity.  Instead, this spot got scratched partway through the fabrication process, leaving behind a chaotic landscape that
Tuesday July 01, 2014

Tuesday July 01, 2014

The cliffs of insanity? Rising an awe-inspiring 1.5 microns above the wave-lashed sea (about 1/100 the thickness of a sheet of printer paper), these cliffs were formed when high-energy plasma ate away a layer of semiconductor. All that was left behind was this island, protected by a glassy
(Untitled)

(Untitled)

The cliffs of insanity?  Rising an awe-inspiring 1.5 microns above the wave-lashed sea (about 1/100 the thickness of a sheet of printer paper), these cliffs were formed when high-energy plasma ate away a layer of semiconductor.  All that was left behind was this island, protected by a glassy
Friday June 20, 2014

Friday June 20, 2014

Like a tiny shiny mountain, this nanolaser and the area around it is coated in a layer of blobby silver. The silver serves as a mirror that keeps the laser light bouncing around inside the laser’s light-amplifying interior, generating more and more copies of itself. A tiny percentage of
(Untitled)

(Untitled)

Like a tiny shiny mountain, this nanolaser and the area around it is coated in a layer of blobby silver.  The silver serves as a mirror that keeps the laser light bouncing around inside the laser’s light-amplifying interior, generating more and more copies of itself.  A tiny percentage of
You've successfully subscribed to AI Weirdness
Great! Next, complete checkout for full access to AI Weirdness
Welcome back! You've successfully signed in.
Unable to sign you in. Please try again.
Success! Your account is fully activated, you now have access to all content.
Error! Stripe checkout failed.
Success! Your billing info is updated.
Error! Billing info update failed.