One Useful Thing
How to use AI to do practical stuff: A new guide
People often ask me how to use AI. Here's an overview with lots of links.
2 months ago
People often ask me how to use AI. Here's an overview with lots of links.
Quanta Magazine
Is It Real or Imagined? How Your Brain Tells the Difference.
New experiments show that the brain distinguishes between perceived and imagined mental images by...
a week ago
New experiments show that the brain distinguishes between perceived and imagined mental images by checking whether they cross a “reality threshold.”
The post Is It Real or Imagined? How Your Brain Tells the Difference. first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Tony Dinh's...
Making $22K in 7 days: the story
and other updates from me in Mar 2023
2 months ago
and other updates from me in Mar 2023
The Pragmatic...
Github Copilot and ChatGPT alternatives
There are a growing number of AI coding tools that are alternatives to Copilot. A list of other...
2 weeks ago
There are a growing number of AI coding tools that are alternatives to Copilot. A list of other popular, promising options.
Diaries of Note
God, living is enormous!
When she wrote the following entry in her journal and imagined fleeing college to venture into the...
a week ago
When she wrote the following entry in her journal and imagined fleeing college to venture into the unknown, Susan Sontag was a precocious sixteen-year-old studying English at the University of California, Berkeley. By the end of the year she had indeed left—not on a bus to an...
The Honest Broker
How Many New Songs Are Released Each Day?
It's a scary number—but here's what we do about it
2 months ago
It's a scary number—but here's what we do about it
Rest of World -...
19 books to read in 2023
Rest of World's staff favorites, from around the globe to add to your must-read pile.
3 weeks ago
Rest of World's staff favorites, from around the globe to add to your must-read pile.
CONTEMPORIST
This Cafe In Austria Has a Cycling Inspired Design
Architecture and interior design studio Archisphere collaborated with Carbone & Kacerovsky to design...
2 weeks ago
Architecture and interior design studio Archisphere collaborated with Carbone & Kacerovsky to design a ‘Cyclist’, a modern cafe at the Hotel Andaz am Belvedere Vienna. Archisphere drew inspiration from the movement, freedom, and enjoyment associated with cycling. In addition to...
brr
Polar Night
Surreal and otherworldly.
a week ago
Surreal and otherworldly.
McMansion Hell
dome sweet dome
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to...
2 weeks ago
As some of you may know, I have been going to language school for the last few months in order to learn the world’s most widely spoken and useful language: Slovenian. At this point, my Slovenian is about as coherent as, well, a McMansion. In order to feel better about myself, I...
A Smart Bear
You can have two Big Things, but not three
No you can't "have it all." You can have two things, but not three.
2 weeks ago
No you can't "have it all." You can have two things, but not three.
CONTEMPORIST
This Little Laneway House In Toronto Has An Upstairs Bedroom Overlooking The Street
Creative Union Network Inc. has designed a small laneway house in Toronto, Canada, that was...
a week ago
Creative Union Network Inc. has designed a small laneway house in Toronto, Canada, that was originally built as a garage. The building occupied a prominent location on the corner of the lane and main street. The original structure, although rundown, was a well-loved structure...
Common Edge
Ugly Buildings Are Not Simply a Matter of Aesthetics
Bad architecture must come from some underlying ethos.
4 days ago
Bad architecture must come from some underlying ethos.
One Useful Thing
A guide to prompting AI (for what it is worth)
A little bit of magic, but mostly just practice
a month ago
A little bit of magic, but mostly just practice
The Honest Broker
My Lifetime Reading Plan
I share some private details of how I educated myself through books
a month ago
I share some private details of how I educated myself through books
One Useful Thing
On-boarding your AI Intern
There's a somewhat weird alien who wants to work for free for you. You should probably get started.
a week ago
There's a somewhat weird alien who wants to work for free for you. You should probably get started.
Christopher Butler
object – Yoto
This is the best media player for children.
In the month before the pandemic shut everything...
2 weeks ago
This is the best media player for children.
In the month before the pandemic shut everything down, I was in the midst of some research on how designers — and other kinds of creative experts and consultants — can best communicate results. I was looking at a variety of case...
mtlynch.io
Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business
Jason Cohen’s 2013 Microconf talk, Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business with Jason Cohen, is...
2 months ago
Jason Cohen’s 2013 Microconf talk, Designing the Ideal Bootstrapped Business with Jason Cohen, is one of the most valuable resources I’ve found for bootstrapped founders. I watched it for the first time in 2020, and I’ve revisited it repeatedly since then.
If you’re new to the...
Identity Designed
The Grand Press
Designed by Dixon Baxi, London.
3 weeks ago
Designed by Dixon Baxi, London.
Stephen Wolfram...
Instant Plugins for ChatGPT: Introducing the Wolfram ChatGPT Plugin Kit
This is the first in a series of posts about new LLM-related technology associated with the...
a month ago
This is the first in a series of posts about new LLM-related technology associated with the Wolfram technology stack. "Color" with something like: When you set up a plugin, it can contain many endpoints, that do different things. And—in addition to sharing prompts—one reason this...
Noahpinion
All the arguments against EVs are wrong
EVs are just going to win.
2 weeks ago
EVs are just going to win.
Jim Nielsen’s Blog
A Well Known URL For Your Personal Avatar
Well-known URLs are pretty neat. I’ve even dared propose one before here on my blog.
And now I’m...
a week ago
Well-known URLs are pretty neat. I’ve even dared propose one before here on my blog.
And now I’m here to propose another:
.well-known/avatar
The idea is: anybody that owns a domain can put their avatar in a well-known location.
I’ve already implemented this for my own site[1]....
Tyler Cipriani: blog
Private-ish GitHub repos
This week, we discovered that GitHub.com’s RSA SSH private key was
briefly exposed in a public...
2 months ago
This week, we discovered that GitHub.com’s RSA SSH private key was
briefly exposed in a public GitHub repository.
– GitHub’s
“We updated our RSA SSH host key” blog, 2023-03-23
Once you git push, nothing is private.
Private info in git only stays private on your laptop. But once...
Classical Wisdom
Should We Follow Silly Laws?
And what happens when we don’t?
a week ago
And what happens when we don’t?
Noahpinion
Decoupling is just going to happen
Chinese policy and geopolitical risk are doing a lot of the work here.
a week ago
Chinese policy and geopolitical risk are doing a lot of the work here.
Seth's Blog
New decisions based on new information
More than ever, we’re pushed to have certainty. Strong opinions, tightly held and loudly proclaimed....
a month ago
More than ever, we’re pushed to have certainty. Strong opinions, tightly held and loudly proclaimed. And then, when reality intervenes, it can be stressful. The software stack, business model, career, candidate, policy, or even the social network habits that we had as part of our...
The Modern House
Five things to do and see this April
The clocks have sprung forward and the spring chicks are chirping: yes, April has arrived. But it’s...
2 months ago
The clocks have sprung forward and the spring chicks are chirping: yes, April has arrived. But it’s not only those longer, lighter evenings luring us out of the house; this month’s brilliant list of cultural and culinary must-dos and -sees is equally tempting – even […]
journal – Winnie Lim
co-existing with my broken mind
I’ve been feeling more down these days. I am not sure if it is pms, covid, both, or just responding...
a week ago
I’ve been feeling more down these days. I am not sure if it is pms, covid, both, or just responding to reality in general. I don’t really get why people are not...
swyx's site RSS Feed
My New Startup Checklist
some of you may know I've recently started a new company. I'm not ready to talk about -that- yet,...
3 weeks ago
some of you may know I've recently started a new company. I'm not ready to talk about -that- yet, but I did want to capture some notes on logistical stuff I have had to ramp up on as a first time founder. hopefully this helps somebody out there.
nanoscale views
Anyons, simulation, and "real" systems
Quanta magazine this week published an article about two very recent papers, in which different...
2 weeks ago
Quanta magazine this week published an article about two very recent papers, in which different groups performed quantum simulations of anyons, objects that do not follow Bose-Einstein or Fermi-Dirac statistics when they are exchanged. For so-called Abelian anyons (which I wrote...
Spoon & Tamago
Not a Hotel: A Unique Timeshare Concept Redefining Luxury Travel
All images © Kenta Hasegawa courtesy Suppose Design Office “Buy a vacation home that doubles as a...
2 weeks ago
All images © Kenta Hasegawa courtesy Suppose Design Office “Buy a vacation home that doubles as a hotel.” That’s the tagline for ‘Not A Hotel,’ a real estate start-up founded by Shinji Hamazu. The company challenges the traditional hotel model by treating it as a timeshare and...
Diaries of Note
I no longer love the sun or the flowers
It was only a year after first meeting, in 1895, that Marie and Pierre Curie became husband and...
2 weeks ago
It was only a year after first meeting, in 1895, that Marie and Pierre Curie became husband and wife. Together, they made groundbreaking contributions to science, not least the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium, and in 1903 they were jointly awarded the Nobel...
Musings on Maps
“He Could Easily Destroy Us”
Tucker Carlson's move to Twitter led him to celebrate it as the last preserve of free speech. But...
2 weeks ago
Tucker Carlson's move to Twitter led him to celebrate it as the last preserve of free speech. But his relation to speech was long slippery, best reflected on the heuristic display of the 2016 electoral map that was the logo of the pundit's nightly show's and its guiding...
Rest of World -...
This renewable energy startup helps companies decarbonize across the Pacific
Bor Hung Chong from Nefin Group discusses green energy solutions beyond solar panels.
2 weeks ago
Bor Hung Chong from Nefin Group discusses green energy solutions beyond solar panels.
Computer Things
Repurposing Hotel Keycards
Hi everyone!
My April Cools piece is up! It’s about really weird stuff you can buy online. Now I...
2 months ago
Hi everyone!
My April Cools piece is up! It’s about really weird stuff you can buy online. Now I know that’s standard SEO farm stuff, but I promise I put a lot of time into researching why people actually want to buy these things. If you ever wanted to know where carnivals buy...
Max Countryman
Breaking Free from Results-Oriented Thinking
Magic: The Gathering, poker, and business strategy all have something in common: they're vulnerable...
2 months ago
Magic: The Gathering, poker, and business strategy all have something in common: they're vulnerable to a cognitive bias known as results-oriented thinking. But to optimize for success, we should avoid this bias and strive to replace it with sound strategy.
Farnam Street
The Winner’s Edge
A lot of otherwise talented people are too pessimistic to actually do anything. They are paralyzed...
a month ago
A lot of otherwise talented people are too pessimistic to actually do anything. They are paralyzed by risks that don’t exist and greatly exaggerate them where they do, preventing them from being one of the best. Consider this lightly edited excerpt from a conversation between...
Platformer
Why I'm having trouble covering AI
If you believe that the most serious risks from AI are real, should you write about anything else?
3 weeks ago
If you believe that the most serious risks from AI are real, should you write about anything else?
NeuroLogica Blog
The Fight over Education
There is an ongoing culture war, and not just in the US, over the content of childhood education,...
2 weeks ago
There is an ongoing culture war, and not just in the US, over the content of childhood education, both public and private. This seems to be flaring up recently, but is never truly gone. Republicans in the US have recently escalated this war by banning over 500 books in several...
Bartosz Ciechanowski
Bicycle
There is something delightful about riding a bicycle. Once mastered, the simple action of pedaling...
2 months ago
There is something delightful about riding a bicycle. Once mastered, the simple action of pedaling to move forward and turning the handlebars to steer makes bike riding an effortless activity. In the demonstration below, you can guide the rider with the slider, and you can also...
Flashbak
Selling Sex in Soho in the 1980s
You can buy sex by the minute. Which is why what are euphemistically called ‘adult’ videos sold so...
2 weeks ago
You can buy sex by the minute. Which is why what are euphemistically called ‘adult’ videos sold so well before the internet made them free to air. London’s Soho was once a centre of the trade in pornographic films on VHS, and Betamax for kinkier onanists. Seedy Soho has long been...
Common Edge
Consider the 15 mph City
It’s time to expand our vision to include slower, more human-scaled speeds of transportation.
2 weeks ago
It’s time to expand our vision to include slower, more human-scaled speeds of transportation.
Commoncog
Mental Strength in Judo; Mental Strength in Life
Results of a four month accelerated expertise experiment in Judo. Or: "I expected to learn about...
a month ago
Results of a four month accelerated expertise experiment in Judo. Or: "I expected to learn about deliberate practice but instead learnt a ton about my mental shortcomings."
Contemporist...
A Glass-Enclosed Library And Home Office Creates A Separate Space Inside This Apartment
Canadian design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a loft apartment located in a building that...
2 weeks ago
Canadian design firm Level Studio has shared photos of a loft apartment located in a building that was once home to offices but has been converted into residential apartments.
Spoon & Tamago
Cafe Fang: An Oasis of Books and Coffee in Kyoto
If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of touristy Kyoto, head to this newly opened oasis of...
2 weeks ago
If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of touristy Kyoto, head to this newly opened oasis of books and coffee. Located slightly north of central Kyoto is the Donkou Kissa Fang, a serene cafe and private book collection built inside immaculately crafted townhouse and garden....
Commoncog
Operational Excellence is the Pursuit of ‘Knowledge’
It turns out that operational excellence results from the pursuit of a certain form of knowledge....
2 months ago
It turns out that operational excellence results from the pursuit of a certain form of knowledge. This is Part 3 of the Becoming Data Driven series, and the result of a deep dive into the field of statistical process control.
AI Snake Oil
I set up a ChatGPT voice interface for my 3-year old. Here’s how it went.
Chatbots are likely to revive familiar debates about kids and apps
a month ago
Chatbots are likely to revive familiar debates about kids and apps
Stoic Simple
Stoicism Simplified: an Easy Overview of What Stoics Believe
by Enda Harte For me, there are six important first steps that I prioritized for practicing Stoicism...
3 weeks ago
by Enda Harte For me, there are six important first steps that I prioritized for practicing Stoicism (referenced in the diagram above), and I wanted to use this opportunity to go over each of these in a little more detail. Hopefully you’ll get an understanding of what they mean,...
The Convivial...
Why An Easier Life Is Not Necessarily Happier
Remembering Albert Borgmann (1937-2023)
3 weeks ago
Remembering Albert Borgmann (1937-2023)
The Marginalian
The Paradox of Free Will
The neuroscience, physics, and philosophy of freedom in a universe of fixed laws.
2 weeks ago
The neuroscience, physics, and philosophy of freedom in a universe of fixed laws.
Mark Manson
How to Make Friends as an Adult
Romantic relationships get all the attention, but I'd argue that friendships are just as...
3 weeks ago
Romantic relationships get all the attention, but I'd argue that friendships are just as important—if not more so—for our health and happiness.
Just like with romantic relationships, creating fulfilling, lasting friendships as an adult can be really hard.
But… Why?
I mean, sure,...
Stoic Simple
Using Stoicism to Live a Balanced Life
Maintaining balance and achieving personal contentment has been a pressing concern for people...
2 weeks ago
Maintaining balance and achieving personal contentment has been a pressing concern for people throughout history. From ancient Greek philosophers to modern-day wellness coaches, experts have offered diverse approaches to balance the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual...
Christopher Butler
How to Turn Good Design Direction into a Good System
The discipline of design is the commitment to structuring and systematizing good ideas.
Ideas...
3 weeks ago
The discipline of design is the commitment to structuring and systematizing good ideas.
Ideas don’t stand on their own. When a good idea turns into a good thing, it’s because structure and systems — ones that existed before the idea — made it happen.
There’s this myth in...
One Useful Thing
What happens when AI reads a book 🤖📖
And some prompts that might be useful when it does.
a week ago
And some prompts that might be useful when it does.
Spoon & Tamago
Gaku Yamazaki has Documented Thousands of Unusual Road Signs Across Japan
all images courtesy Gaku Yamazaki Gaku Yamazaki, a 21-year old college senior, spends his spare time...
a week ago
all images courtesy Gaku Yamazaki Gaku Yamazaki, a 21-year old college senior, spends his spare time traversing Japan in search of what he has dubbed ikei-yajirushi, or ‘unusual arrows.’ There are thousands of these abnormal road signs dotted across Japan and while drivers might...
The Works in...
Degrowth and the monkey's paw
Fifteen years ago, when I worked in the “social innovation” field, there was a world-view that was...
2 weeks ago
Fifteen years ago, when I worked in the “social innovation” field, there was a world-view that was very popular among my colleagues about what was wrong with society and how to fix it. The idea was that people and governments needed to stop seeing economic growth as a good thing,...
Quanta Magazine
Chatbots Don’t Know What Stuff Isn’t
Today’s language models are more sophisticated than ever, but they still struggle with the concept...
3 weeks ago
Today’s language models are more sophisticated than ever, but they still struggle with the concept of negation. That’s unlikely to change anytime soon.
The post Chatbots Don’t Know What Stuff Isn’t first appeared on Quanta Magazine
One Useful Thing
Catastrophe / Eucatastrophe
We have more agency over the future of AI than we think.
2 weeks ago
We have more agency over the future of AI than we think.
Computer Things
GPT4 should be part of your toolkit
On March 24 I wrote GPT is revolutionary. On March 27 I got access to GPT4.1 Now that I’ve used it...
a month ago
On March 24 I wrote GPT is revolutionary. On March 27 I got access to GPT4.1 Now that I’ve used it for a month, I’m firmly in the “this is the greatest thing ever” camp. And, much like my experience at Burning Man, I’m finding a not-insignificant number of my fellow campers run...
Stoic Simple
What Is Stoicism, Basically? A Comprehensive Overview
Stoicism is a philosophy that has been around for over two thousand years. The ancient Greeks...
2 weeks ago
Stoicism is a philosophy that has been around for over two thousand years. The ancient Greeks developed it as a way to live a good life, free from the distractions of emotions, desires, and material possessions. Stoicism has been embraced by many people throughout history,...
Platformer
How you want me to cover artificial intelligence
Seven principles for journalism in the age of AI
2 weeks ago
Seven principles for journalism in the age of AI
Seth's Blog
“But what if it doesn’t work?”
The best way to win a short-term game is to bet it all on one strategy. Someone is going to get...
a month ago
The best way to win a short-term game is to bet it all on one strategy. Someone is going to get lucky and it might be you. But we rarely thrive in the long run if we persist in playing a series of short-term games. Instead, organizations, individuals and teams do better when they...
Classical Wisdom
Weekend Roundup
Sacred Flames and Divine Philosophers
2 weeks ago
Sacred Flames and Divine Philosophers
Castles in the Sky
Castles in the Sky 32
Weight Loss, Civilization, and Good Reading
2 weeks ago
Weight Loss, Civilization, and Good Reading
Tyler Cipriani: blog
Distraction-free writing: a failed experiment
This 2000-era word processor is the ultimate distraction-free writing
device.
Maybe that’s why I...
a month ago
This 2000-era word processor is the ultimate distraction-free writing
device.
Maybe that’s why I never use it.
AlphaSmart3000 in its Bondi-blue
glory
Before the term “distraction-free” made sense, there was AlphaSmart.
Oozing with early-aughts Apple aesthetics, the...
Saturday Morning...
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Efficient
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
If heroes would just check the betting markets...
3 weeks ago
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
If heroes would just check the betting markets before fighting they could make much better choices.
Today's News:
Commoncog
Process Behaviour Charts: More Than You Need To Know
The process behaviour chart is the easiest way to differentiate between routine and exceptional...
3 weeks ago
The process behaviour chart is the easiest way to differentiate between routine and exceptional variation. This is everything you need to know to use it well.
Noahpinion
Three more books about the technology wars
"The Wires of War", "Four Battlegrounds", and "The Digital Silk Road"
2 months ago
"The Wires of War", "Four Battlegrounds", and "The Digital Silk Road"
Build In Public...
How I Built This In Public: Louis Pereira
Lessons from building AudioPen to 600+ paid users to clinching #1 on Product Hunt
3 weeks ago
Lessons from building AudioPen to 600+ paid users to clinching #1 on Product Hunt
Andreessen Horowitz
A Personal Update
I was well into my career when I discovered the magical world of technology start-ups. This anecdote...
2 weeks ago
I was well into my career when I discovered the magical world of technology start-ups. This anecdote from Adam Lashinsky’s excellent book Inside Apple summarizes the point quite well:
I have been working in this tech start-up space for almost …
The post A Personal Update...
Quanta Magazine
A New Approach to Computation Reimagines Artificial Intelligence
By imbuing enormous vectors with semantic meaning, we can get machines to reason more abstractly —...
a month ago
By imbuing enormous vectors with semantic meaning, we can get machines to reason more abstractly — and efficiently — than before.
The post A New Approach to Computation Reimagines Artificial Intelligence first appeared on Quanta Magazine
alexwlchan
Creating a Python dictionary with multiple, equivalent keys
In my previous post, I was creating groups of students, and I wanted to track how many times...
3 months ago
In my previous post, I was creating groups of students, and I wanted to track how many times students had worked together.
I created a nested dictionary to track the pairs:
pairs = {
'Alice': {'Bryony': 3, 'Caroline': 1, 'Danielle': 0, …},
'Bryony': {'Alice': 3, 'Caroline':...
One Useful Thing
AI is not good software. It is pretty good people.
A pragmatic approach to thinking about AI
3 weeks ago
A pragmatic approach to thinking about AI
The Marginalian
The Remedy for Creative Block and Existential Stuckness
"Faithfulness to the moment and to the present circumstance entails continuous surrender... Only...
2 months ago
"Faithfulness to the moment and to the present circumstance entails continuous surrender... Only unconditional surrender leads to real emptiness, and from that place of emptiness I can be prolific and free."
A Smart Bear
Excuse me, is there a problem?
Many startups fail despite identifying a real problem and building a product that solves that...
a month ago
Many startups fail despite identifying a real problem and building a product that solves that problem. This explains why, so you can avoid their fate.
Noahpinion
Here...comes...INDIA!!!
The world has a new largest country, and it's on the move.
a month ago
The world has a new largest country, and it's on the move.
Common Edge
Why Mass Transit in America Disappeared
A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric...
a week ago
A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight.
Twelve Mile Circle –...
Asia-Pacific, Part 6 (South Korea: Seoul)
I didn’t get much time to wander around Seoul like I did in Tokyo. Every day was a work day and it...
2 weeks ago
I didn’t get much time to wander around Seoul like I did in Tokyo. Every day was a work day and it was a brief stop. So I was confined mostly to what I could see from the windshield as we drove through the city or from the hotel. However, this was my first trip […]
The post...
Mark Manson
Pain Is Part of the Process
https://youtu.be/c3uoyCNIa5c
You've probably never heard of Kazimierz Dąbrowski.
He was a...
a week ago
https://youtu.be/c3uoyCNIa5c
You've probably never heard of Kazimierz Dąbrowski.
He was a psychologist from the 1940s with a fascinating background. He studied with Freud's contemporaries in Vienna, worked with mentally ill patients, participated in the Polish resistance during...
The Marginalian
May Sarton on the Art of Living Alone
"The people we love are built into us."
2 weeks ago
"The people we love are built into us."
Trying to Understand...
The Rise of Extractive Politics
It's about having small expectations.
3 days ago
It's about having small expectations.
Noahpinion
Will there be a Millennial Big Chill?
Millennials are finally doing OK economically. Will their politics moderate?
a month ago
Millennials are finally doing OK economically. Will their politics moderate?
Transit Maps
Historical Map: Trams of Brisbane, Queensland, 1957
A simple but nicely drawn map of tram services in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1957. The lack...
3 weeks ago
A simple but nicely drawn map of tram services in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in 1957. The lack of any sort of key for the routes means that users need to have some familiarity with the city to decipher where trams might go. The pamphlet that the map is part of includes...
Construction Physics
The Birth of the Grid
The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of...
a week ago
The day must come when electricity will be for everyone, as the waters of the rivers and the wind of heaven. It should not merely be supplied, but lavished, that men may use it at their will, as the air they breathe. - Emile Zola, “Travail”, 1901
Build In Public...
How I Built This In Public: Peter Mick
Lessons from building and growing Copylime to 6 figures all in public
2 weeks ago
Lessons from building and growing Copylime to 6 figures all in public
Quanta Magazine
Are There Reasons to Believe in a Multiverse?
Several areas of physics suggest reasons to think that unobservable universes with different natural...
2 weeks ago
Several areas of physics suggest reasons to think that unobservable universes with different natural laws could lie beyond ours. The theoretical physicist David Kaplan talks with Steven Strogatz about the mysteries that a multiverse would solve.
The post Are There...
Dreams of Space -...
One, Two (1965)
The next few posts are some of my favorite picture books. The 1st from 1965 is a very basic counting...
3 weeks ago
The next few posts are some of my favorite picture books. The 1st from 1965 is a very basic counting book about spaceflight. I hope that you find it as charming as I do.
DeCaprio, Annie and David Krieger. Illustrated by Nydorf, Seymour. One, Two. New York: Wonder Books. (24 p.)...
Transit Maps
Official Map: Newark International Airport Regional Rail Connections, 2023
Every so often, I come across a transit map that is just so unfit for purpose that all I can do is...
3 weeks ago
Every so often, I come across a transit map that is just so unfit for purpose that all I can do is scratch my head and ponder, “Just why?” This is one of those maps. Produced by (or on behalf of) Newark International Airport, it purports to show regional rail services that you...
Irrational...
Poking around OpenAI.
I haven’t spent much time playing around with the latest LLMs,
and decided to spend some time doing...
a month ago
I haven’t spent much time playing around with the latest LLMs,
and decided to spend some time doing so. I was particularly curious
about the usecase of using embeddings to supplement user prompts
with additional, relevant data (e.g. supply the current status of their
recent...
Stoic Simple
Stoic Advice on Social Anxiety: Ask Marcus Aurelius
Previous Next Using Marcus Aurelius's writing in his Meditations and experiences inferred from...
a week ago
Previous Next Using Marcus Aurelius's writing in his Meditations and experiences inferred from historical records, we created an AI digital personality that spoke with us about how to practice Stoicism in our modern world. This AI persona literally thinks that it's Marcus...
Saturday Morning...
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Suffering
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
Please consult yesterday's comments (we have...
2 months ago
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
Please consult yesterday's comments (we have comments now) for the excellent post by Hans Rickheit.
Today's News:
We have them, like it's the 90s again! Please don't be a dick - I would like to keep moderation light. Also, if you...
The Pragmatic...
Layoffs push down scores on Glassdoor: this is how companies respond
Several tech companies face a fresh problem after cutting jobs: their rating on Glassdoor nosedives....
a week ago
Several tech companies face a fresh problem after cutting jobs: their rating on Glassdoor nosedives. But there’s a way they can fix this. I show what companies are doing - and why.
Seth's Blog
The rear view mirror
It’s almost impossible to safely drive a car while only looking in the rear view mirror. Only seeing...
a month ago
It’s almost impossible to safely drive a car while only looking in the rear view mirror. Only seeing where you’ve been is a terrible way to figure out where to go. But it’s really unsafe to go forward with no idea of what came before. AI plods along into the future, using machine...
abdz.do - Have you...
Thought-provoking series of 3D numbers for the Imperial Business School
Thought-provoking series of 3D numbers for the Imperial Business School
...
a month ago
Thought-provoking series of 3D numbers for the Imperial Business School
abduzeedo0428—23
OPX Studio recently created a series of 3D numbers for an education-focused publication, designed by Made Up Studio, that is both visually stunning and...
This Space
Literature likes to hide
Last December I was fortunate enough to borrow a copy of The Unmediated Vision, Geoffrey Hartman's...
2 weeks ago
Last December I was fortunate enough to borrow a copy of The Unmediated Vision, Geoffrey Hartman's first book, published in 1954. It is difficult to find a copy now but you can download a digital version of the book via the link. The opening chapter is a 50-page study of "Tintern...
Computer Things
GPT is revolutionary
I don’t feel comfortable making predictions about the future. There’s just too much that goes into...
2 months ago
I don’t feel comfortable making predictions about the future. There’s just too much that goes into it and it’s way too easy to be wrong. But if I don’t occasionally write my riskiest thoughts, do I really deserve a newsletter?! If this ends up being wrong, I promise I’ll do a...
Dan Quach Blog
Data Engineering Low Code Tools
In the data engineering space we have seen quite a few low code and no code tools pass through our...
a month ago
In the data engineering space we have seen quite a few low code and no code tools pass through our radar. Low code tools have their own nuances as you will get to operationalize quicker, but the minute you need to customize something outside of the toolbox, you may run into...
The Roots of...
What if they gave an Industrial Revolution and nobody came?
Imagine you could go back in time to the ancient world to jump-start the Industrial Revolution. You...
2 weeks ago
Imagine you could go back in time to the ancient world to jump-start the Industrial Revolution. You carry with you plans for a steam engine, and you present them to the emperor, explaining how the machine could be used to drain water out of mines, pump bellows for blast furnaces,...
Passing Time
A Morning and Night in the Desert
These moments in time seem to have a higher density than usual.
a month ago
These moments in time seem to have a higher density than usual.
Contemporist...
This Park Design Was Inspired By A Volcano And Its Lava Flow
100 Architects has shared photos of one of their latest projects, a stimulating urban park in a...
a month ago
100 Architects has shared photos of one of their latest projects, a stimulating urban park in a newly built commercial and residential area in the port city of Ningbo, the second-most populous city in Zhejiang Province, China.
Flashbak
Vintage Japanese Boomboxes from the 1980s
Junichi Matsuzaki collects Japanese boomboxes from the 1980s. At Design Underground Shibuya-Base in...
2 weeks ago
Junichi Matsuzaki collects Japanese boomboxes from the 1980s. At Design Underground Shibuya-Base in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, he sells new and used cassette tapes. Matsuzaki sees cassettes as a retro fashion that produces great analog sound. Unlike downloads, you actually own the...
Max Countryman
Zero-Downtime Deployments with Docker Compose
With a little bash scripting, a modern reverse proxy like Traefik, and Docker Compose, we can put...
a month ago
With a little bash scripting, a modern reverse proxy like Traefik, and Docker Compose, we can put together a fairly robust and simple approach to zero-downtime deployment. Moreover, this approach is flexible and scalable, even for dynamic container backends.
Diaries of Note
Work under any circumstances
Benjamin Robert Haydon was a 19th-century British artist and writer whose career was plagued by...
a month ago
Benjamin Robert Haydon was a 19th-century British artist and writer whose career was plagued by financial hardship and legal troubles. Born in 1786, Haydon’s passion for historical painting led him down a tumultuous path, as mounting debts and controversial public statements...
Quanta Magazine
A Very Big Small Leap Forward in Graph Theory
Four mathematicians have found a new upper limit to the “Ramsey number,” a crucial property...
a month ago
Four mathematicians have found a new upper limit to the “Ramsey number,” a crucial property describing unavoidable structure in graphs.
The post A Very Big Small Leap Forward in Graph Theory first appeared on Quanta Magazine
The Convivial...
Waste Your Time, Your Life May Depend On It
The Convivial Society: Vol. 4, No. 8
3 weeks ago
The Convivial Society: Vol. 4, No. 8
The Pragmatic...
Behind the Scenes with Two New Salary Transparency Websites
On the back of US salary transparency regulations, two new salary transparency websites have...
a month ago
On the back of US salary transparency regulations, two new salary transparency websites have launched, built by the creators of Levels.fyi and Layoffs.fyi. I talked to both teams to learn how they were developed.
Saturday Morning...
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Partner
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
Humans are the only social animal that is creating...
2 weeks ago
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
Humans are the only social animal that is creating fake partners so they don't have to be social anymore.
Today's News:
Dan Quach Blog
State of Data Engineering 2023 Q2
When looking at data engineering for your projects, it is important to think about market...
3 weeks ago
When looking at data engineering for your projects, it is important to think about market segmentation. In particular, you might be able to think about it in four segments Small Data – This refers to scenarios where companies have data problems (organization, modeling,...
AVC
Fun Friday: Upside Pizza Club
This is the second post in a row where I am bringing back an old tradition. This time it is Fun...
2 weeks ago
This is the second post in a row where I am bringing back an old tradition. This time it is Fun Friday, something I haven’t done in about five years. Like last week, the catalyst is our portfolio company Blackbird Labs, which I posted about a few months ago. Blackbird is a...
African History...
A history of the Rozvi kingdom (1680-1830)
From Changamire's expulsion of the Portuguese to the ruined cities of Zimbabwe.
2 weeks ago
From Changamire's expulsion of the Portuguese to the ruined cities of Zimbabwe.
Farnam Street
Why Write
Why write an essay when you can type a few words and have AI generate one for you? Why write an...
2 months ago
Why write an essay when you can type a few words and have AI generate one for you? Why write an email when AI can auto-respond for you with all the typical pleasantries and talking-points? While AI doing these things for you is likely to happen, it’s not necessarily a good thing....
The Pragmatic...
Uber’s engineering level changes
Uber revamped its engineering levels in 2022. How did the levels evolve over time, why was it time...
a month ago
Uber revamped its engineering levels in 2022. How did the levels evolve over time, why was it time to change, and what were they? I’ve collected details.
Noahpinion
Some ideas for science fiction in the 2020s
The future ain't what it used to be.
2 months ago
The future ain't what it used to be.
Ferd.ca
The Demanding Work of Analyzing Incidents
2022/11/01
The Demanding Work of Analyzing Incidents
A few weeks ago, a coworker of mine was running...
7 months ago
2022/11/01
The Demanding Work of Analyzing Incidents
A few weeks ago, a coworker of mine was running an incident analysis in Jeli, and pointed out that the overall process was a big drag on their energy level, that it was hard to do, even if the final result was useful. They were...
Noahpinion
Putin is a rest stop on the road of post-Soviet collapse
The narrative of Russian revitalization is more hype than reality.
2 months ago
The narrative of Russian revitalization is more hype than reality.
The Modern House
A slender space-savvy home in Clerkenwell, inspired by the City’s skyscrapers
a month ago
Entrepreneur's Edge
Understanding the Importance of Operating Leverage in the Age of Efficiency
Amazon grew it's revenue per employee from $50K to $1M over its first fifteen years.
2 months ago
Amazon grew it's revenue per employee from $50K to $1M over its first fifteen years.
Irrational...
Slides for Measuring an engineering organization.
Last week, I gave a 30 minute talk to a group of CTOs and VP Engineerings in San Francisco
about...
a week ago
Last week, I gave a 30 minute talk to a group of CTOs and VP Engineerings in San Francisco
about measuring engineering organizations.
This talk was essentially this blog post,
and here are the slides.
A few topics worth highlighting:
Measurement educates you, and your audience,...
Stoic Simple
Stoic Quotes on Marriage: The Best Stoicism Sayings & Phrases
Previous Next What exactly did the ancient Stoics think about marriage? It's true, there isn't a...
2 weeks ago
Previous Next What exactly did the ancient Stoics think about marriage? It's true, there isn't a huge amount of quotes to find from them specifically about marriage, although there are plenty about love, relationships and caring for people in our lives. It's worth keeping in mind...
Seth's Blog
Unfettered
That’s unlikely. You’re rarely going to get the freedom and resources to do your best work...
a month ago
That’s unlikely. You’re rarely going to get the freedom and resources to do your best work unfettered. The hard part (and the opportunity) is to figure out how to get comfortable with fettered. Because fettered is what’s on offer. Boundaries and scarcity aren’t simply...
Nelson's Weblog
Noom is exploitative
I tried out Noom, the weight loss and cognitive behavioral therapy
program. The app is more like CBT...
a month ago
I tried out Noom, the weight loss and cognitive behavioral therapy
program. The app is more like CBT for upselling customers than CBT for
weight loss. Now I’m hoping they’ll delete my sensitive medical data and
refund the $3 they tricked me out of. (They did, quickly in...
Christopher Butler
The Rhythm of Your Screen
Length is not the problem; lack of rhythm is.
It’s 2023 and I’m still frequently asked by...
2 weeks ago
Length is not the problem; lack of rhythm is.
It’s 2023 and I’m still frequently asked by clients about scrolling. I understand why.
Every design comes with assumptions about how much content will be seen by people because the space in which people access our designs is...
Flashbak
14 Neglected Beatles’ Gems
Now that The Beatles catalogue has been re-mastered in mono and stereo, attention is once again...
4 days ago
Now that The Beatles catalogue has been re-mastered in mono and stereo, attention is once again focussed on The Beatles' masterpieces...
The post 14 Neglected Beatles’ Gems appeared first on Flashbak.
Rest of World -...
Africa fell in love with crypto. Now… it’s complicated
Trust is fading, startups are shutting down, and Web3 workers are reconsidering their career...
a month ago
Trust is fading, startups are shutting down, and Web3 workers are reconsidering their career choices.
AVC
AI Art
There has been a lot of discussion about how AIs can make art and possibly replace artists, but I...
3 weeks ago
There has been a lot of discussion about how AIs can make art and possibly replace artists, but I think the opposite is more likely to happen. Artists have been using AI to make art for a while now and the pace has picked up a lot in recent years. I have always loved the […]
One Useful Thing
Superhuman: What can AI do in 30 minutes?
AI multiplies your efforts. I found out by how much...
2 months ago
AI multiplies your efforts. I found out by how much...
Commoncog
Lesley Sim on Skill Acceleration in Ultimate
Cedric talks to Lesley Sim about her experience coaching the Singaporean Ultimate Women's World...
2 weeks ago
Cedric talks to Lesley Sim about her experience coaching the Singaporean Ultimate Women's World Championship Team in 2020, her approach to skill acceleration, and why a teaching technique designed for dogs and dolphins works just as well on humans!
Platformer
Bluesky's big moment
A new Twitter clone is surging in popularity. Could it have legs?
a month ago
A new Twitter clone is surging in popularity. Could it have legs?
Classical Wisdom
Do You Listen Well?
Lessons on Listening from Plutarch
5 days ago
Lessons on Listening from Plutarch
Beautiful Public...
Mapping Volcano Eruptions With Drones
Drones have become an essential tool to map, measure and observe the extremely dangerous...
a week ago
Drones have become an essential tool to map, measure and observe the extremely dangerous environments surrounding volcanic eruptions.
Trying to Understand...
Into the Waste Land
Nothing connects.
2 weeks ago
Irrational...
How to plan as an engineering executive.
Some years back, I interviewed a senior leader for an engineering role, and asked them a question...
a month ago
Some years back, I interviewed a senior leader for an engineering role, and asked them a question about planning. I enjoyed their response, “Ah yes, the ‘P’ word, planning.” That answer captured an oft heard perspective that planning is some sort of business curse word. Even when...
The Honest Broker
Can Songs Really Replace Philosophy?
Nobody has told you this before, but our rationalistic STEM worldview originated in magical songs
3 weeks ago
Nobody has told you this before, but our rationalistic STEM worldview originated in magical songs
The Roots of...
Who regulates the regulators?
IRBs
Scott Alexander reviews a book about institutional review boards (IRBs), the panels that review...
4 weeks ago
IRBs
Scott Alexander reviews a book about institutional review boards (IRBs), the panels that review the ethics of medical trials: From Oversight to Overkill, by Dr. Simon Whitney. From the title alone, you can see where this is going.
IRBs are supposed to (among other things)...
The Honest Broker
How an IBM Computer Learned to Sing (1961)
The IBM 7094 anticipated the future of music—and also sounded like the Auto-Tuned pop stars of today
2 months ago
The IBM 7094 anticipated the future of music—and also sounded like the Auto-Tuned pop stars of today
Patterns in Humanity
When few do great harm
Power laws in criminal behavior
a month ago
Power laws in criminal behavior
The Marginalian
What We Look for When We Are Looking: John Steinbeck on Wonder and the Relational Nature of the...
Searching for "that principle which keys us deeply into the pattern of all life."
2 weeks ago
Searching for "that principle which keys us deeply into the pattern of all life."
Ink & Switch
Potluck: Dynamic documents as personal software
Gradually enriching text documents into interactive applications
7 months ago
Gradually enriching text documents into interactive applications
Joel Gascoigne
My morning routine as a remote CEO and why it’s always changing
Note: this was originally posted on the Buffer blog.
Working remotely and having the opportunity to...
over a year ago
Note: this was originally posted on the Buffer blog.
Working remotely and having the opportunity to work from home, coffee shops, coworking spaces, or wherever else I might feel the most productive, means that I can design my own mornings because they don’t necessarily need to be...
Seth's Blog
On to the next thing
Vitally important, rarely taught, easily messed up. In order to go onto the next thing, which we all...
a month ago
Vitally important, rarely taught, easily messed up. In order to go onto the next thing, which we all do (unless you’re still wearing pajamas with feet and taking ballet lessons), we need to walk away from the last thing. Wrap it up, learn from it, leave it in good hands. And we...
Ralph Ammer
David Hume — Why we change our mind
How do we know which food is best for us? We might start a low-carb diet. Then we switch to whole...
a month ago
How do we know which food is best for us? We might start a low-carb diet. Then we switch to whole grains, or even go fully vegan—only to return to a low-carb diet yet again. We constantly change our minds. Even scientists keep revising their perspectives. Why is it so difficult...
Seth's Blog
Foibles
Our habits, preferences and idiosyncrasies make perfect sense. We each know that we have great...
2 months ago
Our habits, preferences and idiosyncrasies make perfect sense. We each know that we have great reasons to embrace our ways and stick with them. Other people’s habits, though, show that they are simply picky, weird or too sensitive. The difference between a preference and a foible...
The Marginalian
What It Takes to Grow: Pioneering Psychoanalyst Karen Horney on the Key to Self-Realization
"Self-knowledge... is not an aim in itself, but a means of liberating the forces of spontaneous...
2 weeks ago
"Self-knowledge... is not an aim in itself, but a means of liberating the forces of spontaneous growth. In this sense, to work at ourselves becomes not only the prime moral obligation, but... the prime moral privilege."
Mark Manson
Why I Quit Drinking Alcohol
After more than two decades of drinking, last summer, I decided to stop drinking alcohol for good....
a week ago
After more than two decades of drinking, last summer, I decided to stop drinking alcohol for good. There were a lot of reasons for this, and obviously, there were benefits—I lost some weight, slept better at night, and no more ungodly hangovers.
But also some life changes...
Rozado’s Visual...
Northern Awokening: Social-justice and prejudice-signifying language in Canadian news media
I have recently published a report with Aaron Wudrick from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute about...
2 months ago
I have recently published a report with Aaron Wudrick from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute about changes in the language that the news media in Canada use. I have documented previously how in American news media mentions of terms that signify distinct forms of prejudice have...
Irrational...
Who runs Engineering processes?
Uber ran a tech spec review process called the DUCK Review. “DUCK” didn’t stand for anything–it was...
2 months ago
Uber ran a tech spec review process called the DUCK Review. “DUCK” didn’t stand for anything–it was created as a deliberate non-acronym–but was otherwise a fairly typical review process. When I first joined, we’d review one or two specs each week.
The volume of requested reviews...
Seth's Blog
When the sun is shining
Our job as professionals is to show up and do the work. Not simply respond to incoming or do the...
2 weeks ago
Our job as professionals is to show up and do the work. Not simply respond to incoming or do the chores, but to create and innovate. And yet, some days feel more conducive than others. There are moments when it simply flows. When the surf’s up, cancel everything else. Don’t waste...
Rest of World -...
Online extremism linked to rise in school shootings in Brazil, researchers find
After a rise in shootings, an all-woman group is advising the new Brazilian government on how to...
2 weeks ago
After a rise in shootings, an all-woman group is advising the new Brazilian government on how to deal with radicalization online.
symmetry magazine
A different way of thinking
Neurodivergent physicists face barriers in STEM, but there are also benefits to being who they are.
4 days ago
Neurodivergent physicists face barriers in STEM, but there are also benefits to being who they are.
The Works in...
Notes on Progress: Artificial flavoring
"Artificial" didn't scare Americans in the 19th century. Why does it scare us now?
a month ago
"Artificial" didn't scare Americans in the 19th century. Why does it scare us now?
NeuroLogica Blog
Unifying Cognitive Biases
Are you familiar with the “lumper vs splitter” debate? This refers to any situation in which there...
2 months ago
Are you familiar with the “lumper vs splitter” debate? This refers to any situation in which there is some controversy over exactly how to categorize complex phenomena, specifically whether or not to favor the fewest categories based on similarities, or the greatest number of...
abdz.do - Have you...
Letters and ligatures creating intricate logo designs
Letters and ligatures creating intricate logo designs
abduzeedo0428—23
...
a month ago
Letters and ligatures creating intricate logo designs
abduzeedo0428—23
Hungarian graphic designer KissMiklós has created a stunning series of typography compositions that showcase the beauty of serif fonts, letters and ligatures. While they may...
Quanta Magazine
How a Human Smell Receptor Works Is Finally Revealed
After decades of frustration, researchers have finally determined how an airborne scent molecule...
a month ago
After decades of frustration, researchers have finally determined how an airborne scent molecule links to a human smell receptor.
The post How a Human Smell Receptor Works Is Finally Revealed first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Seldo.com
There's no such thing as the fundamentals of web development
2 months ago
Andreessen Horowitz
How to build in web3: New talks from Crypto Startup School ’23
…
The post How to build in web3: New talks from Crypto Startup School ’23 appeared first on...
4 weeks ago
…
The post How to build in web3: New talks from Crypto Startup School ’23 appeared first on Andreessen Horowitz.
Jim Nielsen’s Blog
Get You Some Practical Accessibility
Sara has been working on a new course titled Practical Accessibility and it is available for...
2 weeks ago
Sara has been working on a new course titled Practical Accessibility and it is available for pre-order right now.
I’ve never met Sara in person, but have been an online follower for some time. She is one of those people who has the discipline and eye to make everything they...
The Convivial...
Dots Will Be Connected
The Convivial Society: Vol. 4, No. 3
3 months ago
The Convivial Society: Vol. 4, No. 3
Seth's Blog
Our homunculus is showing
The little person at the control panel, the one who sees what the retina produces, the one who...
2 weeks ago
The little person at the control panel, the one who sees what the retina produces, the one who decides, the one who speaks up… (This is the dualist solution to the free will problem–yes, I have a physical body, they say, but I also have a little human inside of me that gets to...
NeuroLogica Blog
Some Battery News
I have been following battery technology pretty closely, as this is a key technology for the...
a month ago
I have been following battery technology pretty closely, as this is a key technology for the transition to green energy. The most obvious application is in battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The second most obvious application is in grid storage. But also there are all the...
Quanta Magazine
Memories Help Brains Recognize New Events Worth Remembering
Memories may affect how well the brain will learn about future events by shifting our perceptions of...
2 weeks ago
Memories may affect how well the brain will learn about future events by shifting our perceptions of the world.
The post Memories Help Brains Recognize New Events Worth Remembering first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Platformer
Why you can't trust Twitter's encrypted DMs
A promised audit hasn't actually happened, sources say. PLUS: Twitter's Turkey problem, and a new...
2 weeks ago
A promised audit hasn't actually happened, sources say. PLUS: Twitter's Turkey problem, and a new CEO
David Perell
Ambitious People Need Each Other
Ambitious people don’t just need peers. They need mentors. They need people who will encourage them...
a month ago
Ambitious people don’t just need peers. They need mentors. They need people who will encourage them to pursue hard and meaningful projects.
The post Ambitious People Need Each Other appeared first on David Perell.
The Honest Broker
The Decline and Fall of the Hit Instrumental Song
Nowadays vocalists control popular music—but that wasn't always true
a month ago
Nowadays vocalists control popular music—but that wasn't always true
Seth's Blog
The good china
Once you use your plates every day, they cease to be the good china. Of course, the plates didn’t...
2 weeks ago
Once you use your plates every day, they cease to be the good china. Of course, the plates didn’t change. Your story did. The way you treat them did. The same goes for the red carpet. If you roll it out for every visitor or every customer, it ceases to be red.
Tyler Cipriani: blog
Chartjunk: What I've learned about data visualization
For many people the first word that comes to mind when they think
about statistical charts is...
2 weeks ago
For many people the first word that comes to mind when they think
about statistical charts is “lie.”
– Edward R. Tufte, The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
I wish we could all agree: pie charts should die.
I know this is unreasonable. And pie charts are only part of...
Elad Blog
Transcript & Video: Claire Hughes Johnson Fireside Chat on Scaling People
I interview Claire about her new book "Scaling People". Thanks to Stripe for hosting.
a week ago
I interview Claire about her new book "Scaling People". Thanks to Stripe for hosting.
AI Snake Oil
GPT-4 and professional benchmarks: the wrong answer to the wrong question
OpenAI may have tested on the training data. Besides, human benchmarks are meaningless for bots.
2 months ago
OpenAI may have tested on the training data. Besides, human benchmarks are meaningless for bots.
The Marginalian
Practical Mysticism: Evelyn Underhill’s Stunning Century-Old Manifesto for Secular Transcendence and...
"Because mystery is horrible to us, we have agreed for the most part to live in a world of labels;...
a month ago
"Because mystery is horrible to us, we have agreed for the most part to live in a world of labels; to make of them the current coin of experience, and ignore their merely symbolic character, the infinite gradation of values which they misrepresent."
Andrew Fraknoi –...
A Star Blows Up in Nearby Galaxy
Astronomers have seen a star explode in a nearby galaxy. Such explosions are part of the recycling...
6 days ago
Astronomers have seen a star explode in a nearby galaxy. Such explosions are part of the recycling scheme of the universe.
The post A Star Blows Up in Nearby Galaxy appeared first on Andrew Fraknoi - Astronomy Lectures - Astronomy Education Resources.
Saturday Morning...
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Cosmo
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
Also, in this model, everything is flat and it's...
2 months ago
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
Also, in this model, everything is flat and it's the same everywhere and eventually all the stars are dead!
Today's News:
macwright.com
The one about AI
Like everyone, I’ve been thinking about AI. It’s already useful, in a way that the previous big...
a month ago
Like everyone, I’ve been thinking about AI. It’s already useful, in a way that the previous big thing, crypto, wasn’t. I don’t think it’ll become generalized AI - I think the AI winter cycle is the base case and human-like intelligence is qualitatively different than LLM, no...
Seth's Blog
Choosing your problems
Perhaps you only acknowledge and focus on problems where you know and are comfortable with the...
3 months ago
Perhaps you only acknowledge and focus on problems where you know and are comfortable with the appropriate response. Denying the existence of the other ones is easier than dealing with them. Or it might be that you only choose to see the problems that are actually situations,...
NeuroLogica Blog
New Platform for Timed Drug Release
This is one of those technologies that most people probably never think about, but could potentially...
3 weeks ago
This is one of those technologies that most people probably never think about, but could potentially have a significant impact on our lives – timed drug release. The concept is nothing new, but there is a lot of room for improvement on current technologies. We already have...
The Works in...
Issue 11: Nuclear sandboxes
Plus: Why Britain can’t seem to fix its housing market, gene-edited super-rice, and one weird trick...
a week ago
Plus: Why Britain can’t seem to fix its housing market, gene-edited super-rice, and one weird trick to reverse climate change.
Rest of World -...
India’s plan to export its wildly successful digital payments system
After starting cross-border payments with Singapore, India is now setting up more international...
a month ago
After starting cross-border payments with Singapore, India is now setting up more international partnerships.
Noahpinion
Conceiving the 2000s
It was the worst of times, it was the best of times
3 months ago
It was the worst of times, it was the best of times
The Marginalian
The Challenge of Closeness: Alain de Botton on Love, Vulnerability, and the Paradox of Avoidance
The psychological machinery of our commonest coping mechanism for the terror of hurt, rejection, and...
a week ago
The psychological machinery of our commonest coping mechanism for the terror of hurt, rejection, and abandonment.
detreville
The IBM 701
"IBM's first computer"
3 months ago
African History...
A history of the west African diaspora in Arabia and Jerusalem before 1900
The legacy of west African travel to Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
a month ago
The legacy of west African travel to Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.
Passing Time
Alpine Starts
You need all the hours you can get— you better start early (or go very late).
3 weeks ago
You need all the hours you can get— you better start early (or go very late).
Rest of World -...
Crime victims, ignored by Venezuela’s broken justice system, turn to influencers
To get the authorities’ attention, victims get help from influencers specialized in niches like...
3 weeks ago
To get the authorities’ attention, victims get help from influencers specialized in niches like corruption and pet justice.
Diaries of Note
Nothing can be less beautiful than the first sight of London
Emily Shore was just nineteen when she died of tuberculosis—a short life, but one brimming with...
a week ago
Emily Shore was just nineteen when she died of tuberculosis—a short life, but one brimming with intellectual curiosity. Born in Suffolk, England in 1819, her now-celebrated journal contains not just her intricate observations of the natural world, but also thoughtful reflections...
Saturday Morning...
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Twin
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
The cape cost three dollars, but it's an...
a week ago
Click here to go see the bonus panel!
Hovertext:
The cape cost three dollars, but it's an investment.
Today's News:
Internal Tech Emails
Steve Jobs emails Bill Gates
They are really going out of their way to say that they intend to kill QuickTime, and are being...
a month ago
They are really going out of their way to say that they intend to kill QuickTime, and are being quite threatening and rude about it.
Blog - Guerrilla...
Blocking Sediment Migration
Blocking Sediment Migration from Colorado River Basin to Gulf of California
I didn’t intend to map...
over a year ago
Blocking Sediment Migration from Colorado River Basin to Gulf of California
I didn’t intend to map human migration for the Atlas in a Day project. My plans for a map of the migration of sediment in rivers raised some eyebrows at home, mostly wondering how the subject would fit in...
Wuthering...
Middle period Plato - He’s garbage, he cares about nothing but the truth.
Assembling yesterday’s post I saw that I was only missing one dialogue from Plato’s early period, so...
2 months ago
Assembling yesterday’s post I saw that I was only missing one dialogue from Plato’s early period, so I knocked off Greater Hippiaslast night. The early dialogues are generally short; the three in the “death of Socrates” group are only fifty pages total, for example.
Hippias is...
A Beautiful Site
Converting a URL Object to a Plain Object in JavaScript
I needed to convert a URL object to a plain object yesterday. You might have used it before. It's...
2 months ago
I needed to convert a URL object to a plain object yesterday. You might have used it before. It's pretty handy for working with URLs!
const url = new URL('https://example.com/');
console.log(url);
// URL {origin: 'https://example.com', protocol: 'https:', username: '',...
Irrational...
Good hypergrowth/curator manager.
In 2016, I wrote Productivity in the age of hypergrowth to discuss the challenges of engineering...
a month ago
In 2016, I wrote Productivity in the age of hypergrowth to discuss the challenges of engineering management during periods of hypergrowth. Managers in such periods spend much of their time on hiring and onboarding, with the remainder devoted to organizational structure and...
Max Countryman
Value Modes and Mud Balls
In developing software products, we're often accustomed to prioritizing incremental delivery. This...
2 months ago
In developing software products, we're often accustomed to prioritizing incremental delivery. This is usually a good way to mitigate the risk of working on the wrong thing. However, sometimes our problems don't fit neatly into accretive methodologies and we need to consider other...
Build In Public...
How I Built This In Public: Michelle Marcelline
Immigrating from Indonesia to the US and building Typedream in public
2 months ago
Immigrating from Indonesia to the US and building Typedream in public
Noahpinion
2023 is when the empires strike back
Cold War 2 won't be decided by the opening moves.
a month ago
Cold War 2 won't be decided by the opening moves.
The Roots of...
Quote quiz: “drifting into dependence”
Quote quiz: who said this? (No fair looking it up). I have modified the original quotation slightly,...
a month ago
Quote quiz: who said this? (No fair looking it up). I have modified the original quotation slightly, by making a handful of word substitutions to bring it up to date:
It might be argued that the human race would never be foolish enough to hand over all power to AI. But we are...
Platformer
How two insurgents are taking on Twitter
Artifact's Kevin Systrom on the disruptive power of good comments. PLUS: Substack's naïveté around...
a month ago
Artifact's Kevin Systrom on the disruptive power of good comments. PLUS: Substack's naïveté around Notes
Spoon & Tamago
Intricate and Organic Sculptures by Ceramicist Eriko Inazaki
These white and intricate forms appear to be the work of mother nature, sculpted over hundreds and...
2 weeks ago
These white and intricate forms appear to be the work of mother nature, sculpted over hundreds and thousands of years. Instead, they’re the work of Japanese ceramicist Eriko Inazaki, who painstakingly shapes and assembles each prick and piece by hand. And in doing so, she’s...
99% Invisible
For Amusement Only (Free Replay) [EPISODE]
Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it...
a month ago
Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it wasn’t officially legalized until the summer of 2014. Finally, after more than 80 years of illegitimacy, the City of Oakland has legalized…pinball machines. Today, we travel back to...
bt.ht
Converting My X201 ThinkPad into a Slabtop
Converting My X201 ThinkPad into a Slabtop
2023-05-01
I recently wrote about physically disabling...
a month ago
Converting My X201 ThinkPad into a Slabtop
2023-05-01
I recently wrote about physically disabling the WiFi toggle switch on my X201 which was a fun "hack" to an annoying issue I was running into. Since then, the laptop has been running flawlessly.
The only other minor issue I had...
NeuroLogica Blog
Will Hydrogen BEV Hybrids Be A Thing?
I recently recorded a YouTube video on the notion of hydrogen fuel cell cars (it will be posted...
3 weeks ago
I recently recorded a YouTube video on the notion of hydrogen fuel cell cars (it will be posted soon, and I will add the link when it’s up). One question I did not get into in the video, but which is an interesting thought experiment, is hydrogen – plug-in battery hybrid...
Letters of Note
Diaries of Note
Dear all, On 1st January of this year, after what feels like centuries of preparation, I launched...
3 months ago
Dear all, On 1st January of this year, after what feels like centuries of preparation, I launched Diaries of Note, and though incredibly difficult to plan, the premise is simple: every single day, on the Diaries of Note website, I am featuring a single diary entry from history,...
African History...
Join me on Notes
"On the Zanzibari envoy to 11th century china and the recent Swahili-Persian DNA study"
a month ago
"On the Zanzibari envoy to 11th century china and the recent Swahili-Persian DNA study"
Jim Nielsen’s Blog
Browser Defaults We Throw Away
Stefan Judis on Twitter:
I'm diving into @remix_run and I strongly agree with the sentiment that a...
4 days ago
Stefan Judis on Twitter:
I'm diving into @remix_run and I strongly agree with the sentiment that a JS approach that includes writing event.preventDefault all the time is kinda off.
The browser defaults are great, and yet we're rollin' our own for years now. 🤔
I’ve been thinking...
devonzuegel.com
OWD #2: Vanished in Guadalajara
Alain and Marie-Agnes raised three children while living their nomadic lifestyle. So in this...
over a year ago
Alain and Marie-Agnes raised three children while living their nomadic lifestyle. So in this episode, we dug into how their role as parents shaped how they experience cities. Join us as we roam Bangkok, Guadalajara, Sana'a, Paris, Port-au-Prince, NYC and beyond!
RSS · Apple...
The Modern House
Furniture designer James Stickley’s cleverly zoned live/work loft in east London
2 weeks ago
Left To Write
What A Bottle of Coke In A Luxury Five Star Resort Taught Me About Selling
Where Is Just As Important As What
a week ago
Where Is Just As Important As What
Matt Mazur
Full Time Indie Hacking: Month 5 Update
At the beginning of the year I quit consulting to focus full time on Preceden, my SaaS timeline...
a week ago
At the beginning of the year I quit consulting to focus full time on Preceden, my SaaS timeline maker tool. I also started working on a new side project, Emergent Mind, an AI-powered AI news site. My last update on how things were going was after 3 months which provides more...
The Pragmatic...
Lyft in Trouble
Financials paint a worrying picture of the US’s #2 ridesharing company. The founders have just...
2 months ago
Financials paint a worrying picture of the US’s #2 ridesharing company. The founders have just stepped down and a former Amazon executive is the new CEO. What does this major change mean?
One Useful Thing
One sentence.
Prompting for maximum impact (and why that is a bad idea)
a month ago
Prompting for maximum impact (and why that is a bad idea)
The Honest Broker
A Conversation with Jason Moran
The celebrated pianist, composer, and Artistic Director for Jazz at the Kennedy Center talks with...
2 weeks ago
The celebrated pianist, composer, and Artistic Director for Jazz at the Kennedy Center talks with Ted Panken
Quanta Magazine
A Plan to Address the World’s Challenges With Math
Minhyong Kim is leading a new initiative called Mathematics for Humanity that encourages...
3 weeks ago
Minhyong Kim is leading a new initiative called Mathematics for Humanity that encourages mathematicians to apply their skills to solving social problems.
The post A Plan to Address the World’s Challenges With Math first appeared on Quanta Magazine
macwright.com
Recently
The weather is starting to get better.
Listening
Gift from the Trees by Mammal Hands
I am still...
2 months ago
The weather is starting to get better.
Listening
Gift from the Trees by Mammal Hands
I am still really loving the constellation of bands around
Mammal Hands. They just released
a new album, “Gift from the Trees”, and it’s really excellent.
RETURN by tAKX
Their guitarist,...
Max Countryman
People-First Leadership
Investment in people is absolutely essential to building a business that's not just getting by but...
a month ago
Investment in people is absolutely essential to building a business that's not just getting by but actively thriving. People-first leadership offers an approach which consistently cultivates an environment where folks can show up and do their best work, propelling the business...
Build In Public...
How I Built This In Public: Khe Hy
Lessons from building RadReads and helping over 40,000 professionals in public
a month ago
Lessons from building RadReads and helping over 40,000 professionals in public
Seth's Blog
Digital prepwork
It’s so tempting to simply begin painting a wall. After all, it’s pretty easy to lay down paint. But...
a month ago
It’s so tempting to simply begin painting a wall. After all, it’s pretty easy to lay down paint. But it turns out that masking and dropcloths, painstakingly put into place, save many hours compared to cleaning up a mess afterward. The same is true for what happens when we have a...
Rest of World -...
Japan’s sleepy tech scene is ready for a comeback
After decades of slumber, the country that brought us bullet trains and Nintendo has mustered some...
2 weeks ago
After decades of slumber, the country that brought us bullet trains and Nintendo has mustered some momentum.
Commoncog
What To Think When Looking at a Chart
In a business context, what should you think when presented with a time series? Or: a really dumb...
a week ago
In a business context, what should you think when presented with a time series? Or: a really dumb question that nobody seems to talk about.
The Modern House
Best Buds: the most beautiful garden centres in London
a month ago
A Weekly Dose of...
Learning from the 2023 Book Fair
This year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is my third, following the 2022 book...
a month ago
This year's New York International Antiquarian Book Fair is my third, following the 2022 book fair and, just days before lockdown, the 2020 book fair. Three hardly makes me an expert, even in my specialization of architecture books, but it does help with gauging the value given...
Handprinted - Blog
Meet the Maker: Caroline Fearn
Hello, I’m Caroline. I live in London. Two years ago I picked up a carving tool and a block of lino....
2 weeks ago
Hello, I’m Caroline. I live in London. Two years ago I picked up a carving tool and a block of lino. I quite liked it.
Describe your printmaking process
My process is an intuitive one, so I typically just start, and I will see what develops through doing. Experimenting with...
Computer Things
Predicate Logic for Programmers: Status Report
Two years ago I started a new book: Predicate Logic for Programmers. In it I said
People often ask...
2 months ago
Two years ago I started a new book: Predicate Logic for Programmers. In it I said
People often ask me what’s the best math to learn for formal methods, and my answer is always “predicate logic”. 1 It’s super useful to specifying properties, understanding requirements, and just...
Adventures In...
The Bounding Box Podcast
The one where I chat with Rene Rubalcava about the importance of unstructured data-play, the risk of...
4 months ago
The one where I chat with Rene Rubalcava about the importance of unstructured data-play, the risk of metrics becoming the goal, where to find inspiration, brewing chaos into professional development, and loving our neighbors!
nanoscale views
What is a glass?
I want to write about a recently published paper, but to do so on an accessible level, I should...
a week ago
I want to write about a recently published paper, but to do so on an accessible level, I should really lay some ground work first.
At the primary school level, typically people are taught that there are three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. (Plasma may be introduced...
Computer Things
Mostly announcements and plans but also some fun floating point trivia
This is a really busy week for me, so light newsletter this time. Let’s start with obligatory stuff...
2 weeks ago
This is a really busy week for me, so light newsletter this time. Let’s start with obligatory stuff and then get into fun newsletter stuff.
Announcements
So first off, I just finished the May TLA+ workshop. This is the first time I felt really happy with the material and that I...
AI Snake Oil
Artists can now opt out of generative AI. It’s not enough.
Opting out is the latest example of generative AI developers externalizing costs.
2 months ago
Opting out is the latest example of generative AI developers externalizing costs.
Diaries of Note
My oldest Friend is at last going to leave me
Born in 1741 in Caernarvonshire, Wales, Hester Thrale belonged to the esteemed Salusbury family....
a month ago
Born in 1741 in Caernarvonshire, Wales, Hester Thrale belonged to the esteemed Salusbury family. Famous for her friendships with such luminaries as Samuel Johnson, Joshua Reynolds, and David Garrick, Thrale was a prominent figure of the period, and her writings, particularly the...
somethingaboutmaps
Conventional Cartographic Wisdom that I have Failed to Grasp
When I teach cartography, I am deliberate about not presenting my students with any rules. I do not...
2 months ago
When I teach cartography, I am deliberate about not presenting my students with any rules. I do not want obedience to memorized maxims — instead, I simply tell them about practices that I think are good ideas, and then I offer an explanation of my reasoning. The students can...
Beautiful Public...
1,000 Photos of Dolphin Fins
Scars, scratches and wounds abound in these photos as encounters with unknown creatures and boat...
a month ago
Scars, scratches and wounds abound in these photos as encounters with unknown creatures and boat propellers leave their marks, imprinting a story of close escapes and cheating death.
Rest of World -...
How Indians are watching Succession after HBO ditched Disney
With HBO walking away from Disney+ Hotstar, shows like Succession, The Last of Us, and Game of...
a month ago
With HBO walking away from Disney+ Hotstar, shows like Succession, The Last of Us, and Game of Thrones can no longer be streamed in the country.
A Smart Bear
How repositioning a product allows you to 8x its price
You can charge much more than you think, if you reposition your value-proposition. Here's how.
a month ago
You can charge much more than you think, if you reposition your value-proposition. Here's how.
One Useful Thing
How to... use AI to unstick yourself
We often lose momentum because of something small. AI can help.
2 months ago
We often lose momentum because of something small. AI can help.
NeuroLogica Blog
Moon Spacesuit Prototype Unveiled
Good spacesuits are deceptively difficult to design, even with today’s technology. NASA is planning...
2 months ago
Good spacesuits are deceptively difficult to design, even with today’s technology. NASA is planning to return to the moon in 2025 (if all goes well) but the spacesuit the astronauts will wear is one piece to the puzzle they have not completed yet (the other being the lunar...
Platformer
How BeReal missed its moment
To become the next big social app, competitors have to move faster
a month ago
To become the next big social app, competitors have to move faster
Jim Nielsen’s Blog
The Power of Fast Feedback Cycles
I was hyperlinked to this comment where Rich Harris stopped by Hacker News to clarify his position...
2 weeks ago
I was hyperlinked to this comment where Rich Harris stopped by Hacker News to clarify his position on the (controversial?) steps Svelte is taking to move off Typescript in favor of types-via-JSDoc comments.
First off, I love how Rich prefaces his comments by basically saying,...
CONTEMPORIST
Overhanging Plants Wrap Around The Second Floor Of This Home
Strang Design has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Miami, Florida, that’s designed...
2 weeks ago
Strang Design has shared photos of a modern home they completed in Miami, Florida, that’s designed to wrap around a swimming pool. The home has been organized into an “H-shape,” allowing the interiors to be flooded with natural light and to showcase views of the natural...
Left To Write
Soul In The Game
Going all in on life
2 months ago
Diaries of Note
A veritable organ concert
It was May of 1967, and Che Guevara, the Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, was in Bolivia,...
3 weeks ago
It was May of 1967, and Che Guevara, the Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, was in Bolivia, leading a small band of guerrillas in an attempt to spread socialism across Latin America. Facing harsh environmental conditions and the pressure of the Bolivian military backed by US...
CONTEMPORIST
Before & After – A Kitchen And Bathroom Remodel For This 1970s Home
SHED Architecture & Design has shared their latest project, the contemporary interior remodel of a...
a month ago
SHED Architecture & Design has shared their latest project, the contemporary interior remodel of a 1970s home on Seattle’s Mercer Island that was originally designed by William Rutledge. The house met the functional needs of its new owners but did not quite suit their...
Commoncog
There Is No Truth in Business, Only Knowledge
'Knowledge' here is defined as 'theories or models that help you predict better'. How an idea from...
a month ago
'Knowledge' here is defined as 'theories or models that help you predict better'. How an idea from W. Edwards Deming may well be a working philosophy of business.
Computer Things
In Defense of No-code('s potential)
No-code/low-code is the new hypename for tools that help you Do Computer Stuff without needing...
a month ago
No-code/low-code is the new hypename for tools that help you Do Computer Stuff without needing (much) programming skills. There are lots of tools in this space, most targeted at businesses, many selling themselves with “you won’t need a software developer”. I think the first use...
Spoon & Tamago
Japanese Aqarium’s Flowchart Illustrates the Complex Relationships of Their Penguins
the Kyoto Aqarium’s 2020 Penguin Relationship Flowchart Penguins, the way they waddle around and...
2 weeks ago
the Kyoto Aqarium’s 2020 Penguin Relationship Flowchart Penguins, the way they waddle around and protect their eggs, are often thought of as cute, cuddly and romantic. But those who observe them for extended periods know they have a dark side. Two aquariums in Japan, Kyoto...
Adventures In...
How to make this map of a melting glacier
I’ve been to Columbia Glacier, just west of Valdez, Alaska, three times. The first was as a...
4 weeks ago
I’ve been to Columbia Glacier, just west of Valdez, Alaska, three times. The first was as a youngster in 1984, the second in 1987, and the final time in 2000. Each time, the ride by boat to the terminal edge of the ice where it calves into Prince William Sound, took a bit longer....
Blog - Guerrilla...
TRANSitar Lima
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t?
Map of...
2 weeks ago
THE RIGHT TO THE CITY: Who has the right to move freely through the city and who doesn’t?
Map of Lima, Peru
About the project
TRANSitar Lima is a project that seeks to create a visual record of transphobic violence, based on collective mapping sessions. Trans, transvestites, and...
CONTEMPORIST
A Round House Design Inspired By A Tree Trunk
Mobius Architekci has sent us photos of a home they designed in Izabelin, Poland, that has a round...
3 months ago
Mobius Architekci has sent us photos of a home they designed in Izabelin, Poland, that has a round design. The vast, sandy plot densely covered with a pine forest created a unique setting for the house, with the architect drawing inspiration from a tree trunk. The home has been...
Computer Things
What can you code up in an hour?
We’re just one week from the TLA+ workshop! Thanks to everyone who signed up, and if you’re...
2 months ago
We’re just one week from the TLA+ workshop! Thanks to everyone who signed up, and if you’re interested, there’s still two slots left!
I also published a new blog post, A Neovim Task Runner in 30 lines of Lua. It’s about a little Neovim script I wrote that can handle tasks like...
Construction Physics
Which city builds skyscrapers the fastest?
Last week we looked at trends in skyscraper construction speed for New York and Chicago, finding...
2 months ago
Last week we looked at trends in skyscraper construction speed for New York and Chicago, finding that New York has gotten significantly slower at building skyscrapers over time. Chicago, on the other hand, has declined in speed less steadily, and currently builds skyscrapers much...
Trying to Understand...
War Is Complicated.
And not just the fighting bit.
a month ago
And not just the fighting bit.
Build In Public...
How I Built This In Public: Joshua Xu
Lessons from building HeyGen from 0 to $1m ARR in 7 months
4 weeks ago
Lessons from building HeyGen from 0 to $1m ARR in 7 months
The Convivial...
The One Best Way Is a Trap
The Convivial Society: Vol. 4, No. 9
a week ago
The Convivial Society: Vol. 4, No. 9
The Marginalian
Some Thoughts about the Ocean and the Universe
How to bear the gravity of being.
a week ago
How to bear the gravity of being.
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