Latest news with #VassarCollege
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The historical figures who inspired Nvidia's product names, from Grace Hopper to David Blackwell
Nvidia chips take their names from notable mathematicians and scientists. The company has a history of naming products after STEM pioneers. Here's a look at some of the historical figures whose work inspired Nvidia's chip names. Nvidia takes some inspiration from history when it comes to naming its AI chips. There are chips named for Grace Hopper, David Blackwell, Vera Rubin. While their nomenclature may be overshadowed by other features like their computing power or speed as Big Tech giants and AI startups alike clamor for these chips, their names are a nod to scientific pioneers. Here are some of the historical figures Nvidia has paid homage to for their groundbreaking work: Grace Hopper Hopper was a computer scientist and mathematician who worked on the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC I), one of the first all-electronic digital computers. She received a degree in mathematics from Vassar College, where she also taught, and her master's and doctorate degrees in mathematics from Yale University. In 1943, she enlisted in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service and eventually rose to become a rear admiral in the Navy. Hopper invented the first computer compiler, which turned programming instructions into code computers could read, and worked on the development of COBOL, a widely used computer language. She also predicted computers would one day become compact, widely-used devices, as they are today, and used the word "bug" to describe computer malfunctions, according to the Navy. In 1973, Hopper was named a distinguished fellow of the British Computer Society, making her the first woman to hold the title. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Hopper died in 1992 at the age of 85. Nvidia's Hopper chips powered much of the generative AI revolution of the ChatGPT era, costing roughly $40,000 and quickly becoming a a hot commodity among Big Tech giants and AI startups alike. David Blackwell Blackwell was a mathematician and statistician who made major contributions to topics like game theory, information theory, and probability theory. He began college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign at age 16. He taught at Howard University and UC Berkeley and was the first African American inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. One of his most notable contributions to the field is the Rao-Blackwell theorem for improving estimators. He died in 2010 at the age of 91. Nvidia's Blackwell chips are its most advanced to date. The company is readying the next-generation Blackwell Ultra chips. Ada Lovelace The daughter of the famous poet Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke Byron, Ada Lovelace is widely regarded as the mother of computer programming. She's best known for her translations and notes on her associate Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. An early programming language was also named after her, and the second Tuesday in October is designated Ada Lovelace Day, honoring women in STEM. She died in 1852 at the age of 36. Nvidia's Lovelace GPU architecture powers its 40-series graphics cards, which aren't as powerful as its data center chips but are used by gamers and programmers conducting on-device AI development. Vera Rubin Rubin was an astronomer best known for her work showing compelling evidence for the existence of dark matter. She received her bachelor's degree in astronomy from Vassar College, her master's from Cornell University, and her doctorate from Georgetown University. She studied many galaxies and their rotation rates. Her work was recognized with awards including the National Medal of Science and the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal. She died in 2016 at the age of 88. Nvidia's coming Rubin AI "superchip" platform is expected to debut in the second half of 2026. Richard Feynman Feynman got his undergraduate degree at MIT and his Ph.D. at Princeton University. He created Feynman diagrams, graphic representations that helped calculate the probability of particle interactions. He was recruited to work on the Manhattan Project, the US atomic bomb project in 1941, and later at the secret lab in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Feynman was later part of the committee that investigated the Challenger space shuttle explosion. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his work on quantum electrodynamics. He died in 1988 at the age of 69. Nvidia's Feynman architecture is an upcoming GPU series, expected to ship in 2028, that hasn't been fully detailed. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Scroll.in
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
‘Kitchen Confidential' at 25: Anthony Bourdain revealed high-end chefs as rock-star pirates
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly was released 25 years ago into a culinary world vastly different to today's. With his signature semi-gonzo style, all sarcasm, wit and profanity, Anthony Bourdain lifted the pot lid on the world of the professional restaurant kitchen. That world, if we were to believe Bourdain, was full of ne'er-do-well line cooks, shady produce purveyors, drug-fuelled hijinks and ego. Lots of ego. It was also full of people who loved food, who recognised, as Bourdain put it, that 'food had power'. Smash-hit show The Bear is set in a kitchen universe resembling this very world. Bourdain's book is part memoir, part journalistic tell-all. Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh has written the introduction to the anniversary edition. Food writer AA Gill once called the book 'Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino'. In its pages, Bourdain unfolds the story of a contrary young man who enters the culinary world because food made him feel something. A kitchen fever dream By the time he published Kitchen Confidential, Bourdain was contentedly installed as executive chef of the Manhattan branch of Brasserie Les Halles, the culmination of years of experience in the professional kitchen. The catalyst for his love of food, we're told, was an oyster, shucked fresh from the bed by a French oyster-fisher, sampled in defiance, his horrified family looking on. In his usual economically descriptive style, Bourdain tells us that 'it tasted of seawater … of brine and flesh … and somehow … of the future'. He recounts his journey from pretentious teenager, smoking pilfered cigarettes and failing out of Vassar College, to arrogant kitchen hand thrust into learning classic techniques at the Culinary Institute of America, and finally to his substance-addled climb up the professional ladder. In between this personal narrative, Bourdain offers his readers insights and opinions: why you shouldn't order fish on a Monday, the set-up of a diligent line cook's mise-en-place (the cook's prepared ingredients and essential tools), the best knife to buy if you wanted to try this at home. Bourdain wasn't the first culinary 'bad boy' to write their memoir. Marco Pierre White's White Heat, published a decade prior, portrayed White as a chain-smoking culinary savant. However, Bourdain's book went further and deeper, and his innate storytelling skill made Kitchen Confidential stand out. Reading it, it's easy to imagine the bone-deep exhaustion, feel the exhilarating rush of service, hear the patois of the kitchen. Kitchen Confidential made the work of a professional kitchen seem like a fever dream. To Bourdain, chefs were anti-authoritarians. Rockstars. Pirates. Being a chef was cool. Of course, that patina of cool hid systemic problems: drug addictions, misogyny, racism, stress and exploitation. Dark restaurant underbelly Kitchen Confidential was certainly a response to the emergent trend of food as entertainment at the time. The Food Network started programming in 1993 and turned chefs, previously known only in the depths of the culinary world, into superstars on television sets across the world. Of course, there had been cooking shows around for a long time: Julia Child's The French Chef was first broadcast in 1963. But those programs were for housewives, lacking the commercial glamour with which the Food Network gilded their stable of chefs, including American chefs and restaurateurs Emeril Lagasse and Bobby Flay. Bourdain was hypercritical of this 'credulous' approach to food, an attitude which suffuses Kitchen Confidential. Rather than embracing what he saw as the sterility of those television chefs, he revelled in the 'dark recesses of the restaurant underbelly'. He wanted us to, as well. Bourdain set out to shock the establishment. He succeeded. Kitchen Confidential is also a reflection of the state of masculinity at the turn of the 21st century. When Bourdain describes the restaurant kitchen, it is hyper-masculine. He points out those rare women who could 'cut it' in the machismo-heavy atmosphere. He claimed he had worked 'with some really studly women line cooks'. What made them so good? They 'refused to behave any differently than her male co-workers'. In order to succeed, women had to behave like men. While Bourdain may have tempered these views in his later career, men are still the dominant gender in the professional kitchen. It is not friendly to women, as non-binary Australian chef Jess Ho pointed out in their recent kitchen memoir, which has been compared to Bourdain's. You can imagine a slew of young men would have been encouraged to try their hands at the culinary arts after reading Bourdain's macho, swashbuckling stories of life on the line. Passion, isolation, abuse Kitchen Confidential also sheds light on the overwhelming amount of mental health issues at play in the professional kitchen. He detailed his own ongoing struggles, as well as those of colleagues. He recounted the story of his friend, who fired a 'cocaine-stoked and deranged employee' who then went home and took his own life. Bourdain is chillingly cold-blooded about the story, stating 'the guy had to go', acknowledging the kitchen is a cut-throat ecosystem – only the fittest survive. The stress of the kitchen and toxic workplace culture contribute to chefs currently being more likely than the general population to die by suicide, so it seems these issues have not been addressed even 25 years later. While Bourdain may have been one-dimensionally critical of those who couldn't cut it, Kitchen Confidential also provided searing commentary about equality. He illuminated the ironic divide between the haves (those enjoying high-class meals) and the have-nots (those cooking them). He was particularly keen on showing the diligence of immigrant staff, often illegal, often 'downtrodden' and 'underpaid' by unscrupulous restaurant owners who exploited their work ethic. Bourdain felt these cooks, who 'come up through the ranks', were 'more valuable […] than some bed-wetting white boy whose mom brought him up thinking the world owed him a living'. It's clear Bourdain was critiquing himself as well. Twenty-five years ago, Bourdain's work was revolutionary. Now, we see reflections of the kitchen culture exposed in Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential everywhere. A forum on Reddit for food service professionals is titled r/KitchenConfidential. Television shows such as reality show Hell's Kitchen, hosted by Gordon Ramsay, and recent smash-hit drama The Bear, reinforce that in the kitchen, passion is still the tool that gets you through the inevitable isolation, abuse and suffering. Food for everyday people Kitchen Confidential became a bestseller, arriving as popular interest in food and the restaurant industry began to take off. It launched Bourdain's further career. Despite his disdain for sanitised food television, Bourdain himself went on to become a television host. His first series, A Cook's Tour, was accompanied by a book of the same title and appeared on the same Food Network he disparaged in Kitchen Confidential. With his shows filmed in far-off places, Bourdain could have easily become a 'food adventurer', making a spectacle of and exoticising ethnic cuisines. He wasn't perfect, but his genuine enthusiasm and curiosity connected his audience not only to the food he ate on screen, but also with the social and cultural context of the people who made that food. It fostered in many, including myself, a similar curiosity about food: about why we eat what we do, with whom and how. Bourdain died by suicide in 2018 in France, while filming Parts Unknown, his final and most successful series: it had 12 seasons. There was an immediate outpouring of grief, with mourners adding to a memorial at the then-closed Brasserie Les Halles in Manhattan. Bourdain could talk and write about food for everyday people, making them think about where our food comes from, who is cooking for us, and the connections that food forms between us all. In light of his death, his final lines from Kitchen Confidential strike tragically differently 25 years on. He reflected: I'll be right here. Until they drag me off the line. I'm not going anywhere. I hope. It's been an adventure. We took some casualties over the years. Things got broken. Things got lost. But I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Lauren Samuelsson, Associate Lecturer in History, University of Wollongong. This article first appeared on The Conversation.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The White Lotus' is over — but new vacation shows like 'The Four Seasons' and 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' are just getting started.
So many of us turn to television to escape from the everyday grind. That may be why shows like HBO's White Lotus — which, following Hawaii- and Italy-set seasons, took its wealthy and morally questionable characters to Thailand for its third go — scratch such an itch. Not only do vacation-vibes shows like The White Lotus dive into juicy, scandalous drama, they also take audiences to a place with gorgeous backdrops and luxe vibes. Sure, White Lotus fans were eager to learn who died in the finale, but they just as much enjoyed watching resort guests sunbathe by the pool, cocktails in hand. Of course, not everyone's idea of a perfect vacation is the same. For everyone who dreams of lounging on a Sicilian beach, there's someone who prefers cozying up by the fire in a ski lodge, or leaning into the R&R at a high-end spa. And others just want to look at the foliage in New England. No matter what your speed, there's a vacation-worthy show for you to watch. Some offer brand-new 'out of office' vibes — while others are returning to provide that same escapism we know and love. Here's what to check out: Group trips: Love 'em or loathe 'em, they're great for drama — and The Four Seasons, based on the 1981 film of the same name, has it in spades. The series follows a group of longtime pals (which includes comedy icons like Steve Carell and Tina Fey, as well as Oscar nominee Colman Domingo) as they navigate the ups and downs of midlife while on their multiple yearly vacations together. What could go wrong? Well, a lot, as it turns out — like a divorce announcement upending a surprise wedding renewal ceremony. Drama aside, there's a little something for every type of vacationer in The Four Seasons. Filming locations for the series include a Hudson Valley lake house, an eco-resort in Puerto Rico and a ski resort in upstate New York. For those who love leaves, the gang also takes an autumnal trip to their alma mater, which is filmed at the real Vassar College. Nicole Kidman, who is literally everywhere all the time, somehow managed to squeeze in a second season of her culty Hulu series, which premiered in 2021. Now, the show is coming back with a brand-new star-studded cast that includes Henry Golding, Annie Murphy, Christine Baranski and even The White Lotus's Murray Bartlett. Just don't expect a sun-soaked retreat this year — per the show's trailer, the sophomore season of Kidman's psychedelics-loving guru Masha is bringing a crop of 'broken people' on a snowy retreat, where they'll dive into their core memories. ('This is not a spa?!' one of the guests asks in the trailer.) While there will certainly be some dark shenanigans afoot, Bartlett's white cable-knit sweater certainly evokes luxe ski lodge vibes. Sirens stars White Lotus alum Meghann Fahy as Devon, a woman who grows concerned about her sister Simone (played by House of the Dragon's Milly Alcock) after Simone gets a little too invested in her job with Julianne Moore's socialite Michaela. It turns out that Simone's job is to tend to Michaela's every need — as well as help her throw lavish parties — at her luxury beach estate. Of course, it's not all fun and games — Michaela's definitely got a few dark secrets — but the scenery? A+. Need one more example of why beach houses spell trouble? Enter We Were Liars, an upcoming series based on the popular E. Lockhart YA novel of the same name. The show follows the ultra-wealthy Sinclair family, who summer every year on their private Beechwood Island — until something goes terribly wrong. The less said about that, the better — the book's well known for its jaw-dropping twist. But before everything goes to hell, there's lots of summer fun to be had: Think boat trips, tennis matches and lounging in the sand. If you're shell-shocked by the ending of We Were Liars, allow another summer-fun show to bring back the fun. The Summer I Turned Pretty is back for a third and final season, and with it, an answer to the question dividing fans: Will Belly (Lola Tung) end up with longtime crush Conrad (Christopher Briney) or new boyfriend Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno)? Oh, and did I mention that Conrad and Jeremiah happen to be brothers?! The third season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which thus far has spent most of its time in the fictional beach town of Cousins, will explore outside of its seasonal home for the final season, with Belly attending college with her probably-not-forever love Jeremiah. But they'll always have summer ... and the only thing harder than keeping Belly away from the Fisher boys is keeping the characters away from their beloved beach house.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
College women die in gas explosion in coal mine in 1887
Minnie M. Keiter invited a college friend, Verlista Shaul, home to Saint Clair on Easter break in 1887. Both were students at Vassar College, a prestigious institution of higher education for women — only the second in the U.S. to grant degrees to women at the time. They were seniors, scheduled to graduate in six weeks. Miss Shaul was the valedictorian of the Class of 1887. Miss Shaul had heard stories about the anthracite coal mines in her classmate's hometown. The natural curiosity of an intelligent young woman demanded that she visit one. It was not unusual in the day for women to tour a coal mine. Indeed, Minnie had been in mines, and was anxious to show one to her friend. Arranging a tour was no problem. Mr. Hiatt, a principal in the mining firm of Thompson, Hiatt and Co., lived next door and was glad to oblige the request. Harry Short, a popular young man, considered it his duty to accept when asked to escort the young women. Edwin Thompson, brother of the company's senior partner, agreed to act as guide during a visit to the mine. A new mine on the Chamberlain tract, it had not been worked for four days. It was not in operation on April 16, the day chosen for the tour, and there was no danger from mining operations. 'Down the street they walked, gay and smiling,' Walter S. Farquhar, a Pottsville Republican columnist, wrote in his Musings column. On the way, the party met a friend of Mr. Short who had wanted to be taken into a mine. The friend declined an invitation to join the party, however, saying he had no protective clothing. It was about 3:30 p.m. when the party entered the mine. 'Miss Shaul smiled when she saw the dinky little cars, and laughed when she was bundled into one,' Farquhar wrote. 'She may have felt a tremor as the car was lowered down the incline and darkness closed in all about.' At the bottom of the slope was the Little Tracy vein, and the party disembarked to walk a short distance into the tunnel. They were met by Edwin Thompson, who led them through the tunnel to the Big Tracy vein. Thompson walked ahead, about 150 yards or so, to a door about 150 yards from the mine's face. 'It was then that Miss Shaul saw a strange sight,' Farquhar wrote. 'It seemed to be a ball of fire coming from in front, just as the rising sun comes up, but red and angry like the setting sun.' Look, what's that light coming up, Miss Shaul asked. 'Quick,' shouted an experienced miner accompanying the party. 'Fall on your faces in the gutter.' Daniel Thompson, a senior partner working in another part of the mine, felt a strong rush of air and immediately recognized what had happened — there had been a gas explosion. With others, he rushed to the area where the party had been, well aware that rescue work had to be done before the setting in of deadly afterdamp, a mixture of gases that follows an explosion. Miss Keiter was found, bleeding but conscious. Harry Short was unconscious. Miss Shaul was found next, alive but badly injured. Edwin Thompson was alive, but lapsed into unconsciousness. Dr. A. P. Carr was called to the scene. Miss Keiter died that night. Mr. Short died three days later. A disfigured Miss Shaul hovered between life and death for two months. Only Mr. Thompson survived. 'Strong men wept whenever they recalled the accident,' Farquhar wrote. 'There have been mine disasters in which many more persons lost their lives, but none was more unique or more fearfully recalled.' The Saint Clair Splinter, a weekly newspaper, called the accident the most distressing and intensely sad item of local news the paper had ever published. Walter Farquhar simply called it the 'Chamberlain horror.'
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why colleges like Harvard can't use endowments to replace federal funding
So why can't Harvard just dip further into its famously steep endowment? As the Trump administration announced a $2.2 billion freeze in grants to the university this week after the school rejected its demands, some critics have questioned why the Ivy League institution and other wealthy schools like it can't just make up for federal funding that way. Finance and higher education experts say endowments aren't a simple replacement for government funding because of restrictions related to donor earmarking, legality and research priorities. 'If there's a major source of revenue that has disappeared, which is the threat from the administration, it's like any family with a shock to their income stream,' said Catharine Bond Hill, former president of Vassar College. 'You'd have to decide how you were going to allocate your spending priorities.' The Trump administration said in a statement Monday that it would cut the $2.2 billion in multiyear grants and $60 million 'in multi-year contract value' to Harvard because of what it considers the university's 'troubling entitlement mindset.' The freeze was announced hours after the school said it wouldn't concede to the administration's demands, which include auditing viewpoints of the student body and restricting the acceptance of international students who are 'hostile to the American values and institutions. 'The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,' the university's X account said in a statement Monday. 'Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government.' Harvard has the largest endowment among U.S. universities, at $53.2 billion in 2024. That is higher than the gross domestic products of almost 100 countries. Yale University has the second-highest endowment, hovering around $41.4 billion. But those elite schools don't represent the norm. A 2024 National Association of College and University Business Officers study of 658 U.S. colleges and universities found that the median endowment was $243 million. And 30% of the participating universities had endowments of $100 million or less. While Harvard no doubt has substantial funding, it doesn't mean it can rely on its endowment to make up for loss, experts say. Hill, managing director of the research and consulting organization Ithaka S+R, compared the endowment to a pot of financial assets that are invested in a variety of things, from stocks and bonds to real estate. Much of that pot of money, Hill said, comes from donors, including alumni, foundations, local community members or anyone else looking to support the institutions' spending. And it's not to be used immediately. 'They don't give it as a pot of money to be spent this year,' Hill said. 'They give it as an endowment, so that the earnings can be used over time to support the thing that the donor is interested in the university doing in perpetuity.' There are also other restrictions. Liz Clark, vice president of policy at the college business officers group, said that essentially, endowments can be seen as a 'collection of contracts' with donors. 'Donors may have given to support scholarships, they may have given to support faculty positions, perhaps they donated to support a specific area of scientific inquiry or medical research,' Clark said. 'The university has a legal responsibility to uphold that contract and agreement.' At Harvard, for example, donor terms direct 70% of the annual distribution of its endowment to specific programs or departments or other purposes. That leaves around 25%, Hill said, for discretionary spending approved by the board. It's still a large amount; however, Hill said that 'you can burn through that pretty quickly.' And the school may have to make financial trade-offs. 'That board-designated money may have been earmarked to support need-based financial aid for undergraduates,' Hill said. 'If they spend it down on covering this research shortfall, they can certainly do it for a while, but when it's gone, it's gone. It may mean that they have to reduce spending in some other areas where that money was being used.' Federal funding has also historically played a critical role in research, experts said. Cecilia Orphan, an associate professor of higher education at the University of Denver, said the funding often comes from the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Arts and other major agencies. And those sources often come with national strategic priorities attached to them, Orphan said. The National Science Foundation, for example, has been making concerted efforts to increase the country's competitiveness in STEM, she said. When a university receives a grant, Orphan said, it is usually broken up in a variety of ways to support things like materials for research, staffing costs or construction of physical spaces to conduct research. 'It is very difficult for a university like Harvard or Columbia to conduct that kind of cutting-edge research without that kind of infrastructural support that is separate from the actual research itself,' Orphan said. Experts say it remains to be seen how universities will adapt to such federal funding freezes. But, Orphan said, the impact on research could be devastating. 'The larger implication here is a university like Harvard is doing research that has global benefit across a variety of areas, including cancer research and weapons development and other strategic concerns that we might have as a country and the world has,' Orphan said. 'When you cut the research funding, that means that research will cease or it will be greatly diminished.' This article was originally published on
