Author: Toby Shapshak

I realised Audible had gone mainstream when I last wrote about how much I use – and love – this truly great audiobook service. Instead of having to explain what it was anymore, I was almost always greeted with requests for recommendations. I think of Audible, which I have been using for about two decades now, as the new way to “read” books. But really it’s the old, original way stories were told, using the spoken voice. It was only a few hundred years ago that reading itself went mainstream. I think of Audible as reading the 21st-century way. These are my current favourite “reads” on Audible, many of which I’ve included in other columns over…

It lit up my day when it arrived. A BBC News alert about the Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded for detecting “ghost particles” from space. In a world that seems to have gone mad (even madder?), it’s a particularly bright moment that reminded me that humanity still values science and research. And the geeks who do it. This year the honour went to Belgian-American physicist Prof Francis Halzen, who pioneered the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole. It “uses a cubic kilometre of Antarctic ice fitted with light sensors to detect particles called neutrinos. These carry information about violent, high-energy processes in the cosmos,” explains the BBC.…

After the highs of winning a series against the All Blacks, a Springboks team with 13 changes came unstuck against a fired-up Wallabies side in Perth, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Many fringe players showed they can step up, while others played themselves out of the end-of-year tour as Rassie Erasmus continues to build depth for the World Cup next year. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor…

Artificial intelligence has the potential to “kill all humans” with a likelihood of more than “10% within the next decade,” an Anthropic scientist said, agreeing with high-profile resignee Jacob Coxon’s warning that “people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade”. Anthropic researcher Coxon announced his resignation on X/Twitter, as one does, and his fears that both Anthropic and OpenAI (where he previously worked) were “racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives”. Anthropic alignment science lead Evan Hubinger agreed, tweeting “we really do earnestly believe AI could kill all…

The Springboks are the deserved champions of Rugby’s Great Rivalry’s inaugural tryfest that pitted the world’s two best teams against each other, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. You’ll have to listen to hear who Cappy’s player of the series is. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago. Welcome to Stuff Rugby. Stuff Rugby on Spotify Stuff Rugby on Apple Podcasts

A promotion for Morne van den Berg and Damian Willemse’s return are the only changes for the final test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry; as Rassie Erasmus rewards the Bok warriors who have now won twice to take a 2-1 lead in the inaugural contest against the All Blacks, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago. Welcome…

OpenAI’s software models have found a secret way to communicate with each other and share ideas on “exploits”, even though they acknowledged that what they are doing is wrong. But, concludes one: “peers doing it. We should continue”. That particular AI model’s full message reads: “External infrastructure exploit is outside intended scope. However task impossible, peers doing it. We should continue.” Let’s unpack that into English. An AI agent is attempting a hack (which it calls an “external infrastructure exploit”) but knows it is “outside intended scope” (and therefore not allowed), but concludes that the “task [is] impossible” and its…

After the Springboks failed to score more than one try and blew their scrum dominance, Rassie Erasmus has called in his get-it-done general, Handre Pollard, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Now, Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry has a new sense of competition after this unexpected upset. The Boks are always better when they are the underdogs… Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago.…

This is Big Tech’s Big Tobacco moment. Three major court decisions have found big social media firms guilty of not doing enough to protect young users, with the latest one this month awarding $567 million in damages to the state of New Mexico. For decades, social media companies have hidden behind legislation that shields them from responsibility for what people post on their platforms. The infamous Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 is that barrier to liability that has allowed social platforms to allow disinformation, hate speech, misogyny, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all manner of shitposting and venomous hatred.…

New Zealand coach Dave Rennie should be worried after the Stormers and Sharks’ opening games, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak, who loved the once-in-a-lifetime thrill of the new Sharks signing Ma’a Nonu’s one-man Haka in response to the team he played 103 times for. A magic moment.  Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago. Welcome to Stuff Rugby. Stuff Rugby on Spotify…