Weekend Round-Up: Mysterious Fries, Diastematic Pranks, And Surprising A.I.

Each week, our editors gather their favorite finds from around the internet and recommend them to you right here. These are not articles about watches, but rather outstanding examples of journalism and storytelling covering topics from fashion and art to technology and travel. So go ahead, pour yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up, and settle in. Image via linked article Why Computers Won't Make Themselves Smarter – The New Yorker In this truly incredible think piece by Ted Chiang – one of my favorite authors and the mind behind amazing works like Exhalation and even the story that would become 2016's Arrival – the writer delves into the conventionally-held idea surrounding the inevitable formation of a recursively improving A.I. platform that could become "The Singularity" or similar. For Chiang, that inevitability is up for debate, or at least the consideration of a series of questions that help to simplify a rather complex and opaque concept. Through many such considerations, Chiang helps highlight the difference between individual intelligence, cascading innovation, and the disconnect between innate intelligence, technological innovation, and the resulting cognitive tools that can help share innovation with the rest of our species. It's a fascinating rebuttal to the commonly-held belief that A.I. will eventually outpace our collective intelligence and that it will happen as A.I. "learns" the ability to self-improve. Read this, or anything from Ted Chiang; it's all wonderful. – James Stacey, Senior Writer Image via linked article #SaveTheGap – @michaelstrahan – Instagram Full disclosure: I'm addicted to dentistry. As someone who is kind of terrified of the dentist, I'm not exactly sure how or when it happened, but at some point, the Instagram gods started packing my Explore Feed with images and reels of veneer applications, extreme calculus removal procedures, dental glow-ups, etc. And I have to say, I'm far from mad about it. Over the course of my pearly white Renaissance, I've become a huge diastema supporter, which is important to know about me for what comes next. (Diastema, by the way, is dentist-speak for the gap most commonly found between a person's two front teeth – shout out to my dentistry meme group for the knowledge drop). So anyway, I'm cruising Instagram earlier this week, minding my own business, and I come across this video of the effervescent Michael Strahan – who is arguably one of the most recognizable diastema cases – and I was absolutely shook. He closed his iconic gap!!! And covered his beautiful teeth with these gigantic veneers!!! Don't get me wrong, he looked amazing regardless, but this had me in a tailspin. How could he do this to the diastema community??? I'm freaking out, so I Google it. TMZ is reporting that Michael Strahan has closed his gap. I'm freaking out some more and about to start tweeting #SaveTheGap, and then BOOM: It's an April Fools' joke . Thank God, but also, that wasn't cool!!! Michael, if you're reading this, I was mad, but you're forgiven for keeping your exemplary gap intact. – Chelsea Beeler, Operations Specialist Image via linked article David Lynch's Dune Is A Beautiful Sci-fi Disaster – Vulture One of my favorite pieces of Hollywood lore is the time George Lucas called David Lynch and invited him to Skywalker Ranch for a meeting – though he didn't say what about. As the meeting began, Lucas made the pitch. He was making his next Star Wars movie, then called Revenge of the Jedi , and he wanted Lynch to direct. Long story short, Lynch politely declined and suggested Lucas direct it himself (he didn't). Fast forward a few years, and Lynch was at the helm of a vastly different Sci-Fi property, Dune. It would prove to be the last blockbuster he'd ever endeavor to make. The story of Lynch's Dune is an interesting one all its own, and Jill Krajewski of Vulture does a great job of capturing the essence of the film in her article. While not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, it's worth a watch, if only for curiosity's sake. – Danny Milton, Editor Image via linked article My Hunt For The Original Mcdonald’s French-Fry Recipe – Atlas Obscura It's practically gospel for fast food lovers: McDonald's has the best french fries – right? Well, what if I told you that the current McDonald's fry recipe is – according to a 1995 interview with Julia Child – but a "limp" imitation of the original? It's hard to believe the golden potato goodness of my youth could be improved in any way or form, but that's what Luke Fater has to say in this story for Atlas Obscura . It details – in fanatical detail, mind you – exactly what made McDonald's original french fry recipe so good, and why they disappeared. And yes, he includes a detailed how-to on recreating the best version of McDonald's fries at home. Just don't let the Hamburglar find out what you're up to. – Logan Baker, Editor, HODINKEE Shop Image via linked article Steer Through The Suez Canal – CNN Last week, I – alongside every other news outlet in the world – shared with you the story of the good ship Ever Given and its misadventures in the Suez Canal. Lest any of us think that navigating a ship through the Suez Canal is easy, CNN put together this helpful interactive game in which us landlubbers can take the controls of the Ever Given and try to steer the large vessel ourselves. I do realize that the point of this exercise is to demonstrate just how hard it is to traverse such a passage, particularly in inclement weather, but reader, let me say this: I aced this baby on my first try. Did I recklessly push the throttle to full and wing it like Han Solo? You betcha. Do I actually think I could have prevented this past week of maritime misfortune had I been at the helm? Never tell me the odds. – Dakota Gardner, Managing Editor Lead image by Lars KienleThe fastest hunk of junk in the Suez Canal.