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Confidence In the Press This is the fifth in a series of excerpts from Elements of Data Science, now available from Lulu.com...
4th Jan 2025
28

Confidence In the Press

from Probably Overthinking It [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Jan 2025
This is the fifth in a series of excerpts from Elements of Data Science, now available from Lulu.com and online booksellers. It’s based on Chapter 16, which is part of the political alignment case study. You can read the complete example here, or run the Jupyter notebook on...
NTER: Nuclear Thermal-Electric Rocket There is a type of nuclear propulsion that can have most of the acceleration of a nuclear thermal...
27th Sep 2019
1

NTER: Nuclear Thermal-Electric Rocket

from ToughSF [alt+shift+b] in science

27th Sep 2019
There is a type of nuclear propulsion that can have most of the acceleration of a nuclear thermal rocket but also the high Isp of an electric thruster.  Let’s have a look at nuclear ‘thermal-electric’ engines and their advantages. The title image is from 'dV: Rings of...
New Book! I am working on a new book called You Would Choose Now: Measuring America’s Progress Toward Fairness...
4th Sep 2026
2

New Book!

from Probably Overthinking It [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Sep 2026
I am working on a new book called You Would Choose Now: Measuring America’s Progress Toward Fairness and Tolerance. It’s a data-driven exploration of progress (or not) in public opinion and civil rights. I posted the first two chapters as an Early Access edition on LeanPub (a...
6 Questions You Asked Yourself about Solar How fast will it take over, how fast are costs shrinking, why is it so cheap, what industries will...
2nd Nov 2024
43

6 Questions You Asked Yourself about Solar

from Uncharted Territories [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Nov 2024
How fast will it take over, how fast are costs shrinking, why is it so cheap, what industries will it birth, how much surface will it take up, where will it appear first?
Fiber arts, mysterious dodecahedrons, and waiting on “Eureka!” Why didn't we invent knitting before 1000 CE?
4th Aug 2022
64

Fiber arts, mysterious dodecahedrons, and waiting on “Eureka!”

from Eukaryote Writes Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Aug 2022
Why didn't we invent knitting before 1000 CE?
Issue 12: Houston, we have a solution Plus: How Mexico built its state, the causes of the Baby Boom, and the 141-year quest for a malaria...
7th Sep 2023
75

Issue 12: Houston, we have a solution

from The Works in Progress Newsletter [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Sep 2023
Plus: How Mexico built its state, the causes of the Baby Boom, and the 141-year quest for a malaria vaccine.
Deep Learning Poised to 'Blow Up' Famed Fluid Equations For centuries, mathematicians have tried to prove that Euler’s fluid equations can produce...
3rd Aug 2022
1

Deep Learning Poised to 'Blow Up' Famed Fluid Equations

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Aug 2022
For centuries, mathematicians have tried to prove that Euler’s fluid equations can produce nonsensical answers. A new approach to machine learning has researchers betting that “blowup” is near. Read more at quantamagazine.org. Music is “Pulse” by Geographer.
The road from serfdom Unwinding Russian serfdom took half a century. To eventually do it in the face of powerful...
16th Feb 2024
1

The road from serfdom

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

16th Feb 2024
Unwinding Russian serfdom took half a century. To eventually do it in the face of powerful opposition took a remarkable approach that let peasants vote themselves into freedom.
Grand Unification Dream Kept at Bay Physicists have failed to find disintegrating protons, throwing into limbo the beloved theory that...
2nd Feb 2017
1

Grand Unification Dream Kept at Bay

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Feb 2017
Physicists have failed to find disintegrating protons, throwing into limbo the beloved theory that the forces of nature were unified at the beginning of time. The post Grand Unification Dream Kept at Bay first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Have We Already Found Life On Mars? Definitions are a funny thing..
4th May 2022
22

Have We Already Found Life On Mars?

from SubAnima [alt+shift+b] in science

4th May 2022
Definitions are a funny thing..
David Grinspoon: Earth in Human Hands ## Cognitive planet **Thanks to the growing human domination** of natural systems on Earth, people...
20th Sep 2017
1

David Grinspoon: Earth in Human Hands

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

20th Sep 2017
## Cognitive planet **Thanks to the growing human domination** of natural systems on Earth, people say we are entering an Anthropocene Epoch, Grinspoon began, but what if the term “epoch” understates the consequence of what is going on? Astrobiologists recently learned that...
China's Fossil Fuel Emissions Dropped Last Year as Solar Boomed In China, the world's leading carbon emitter, a massive buildout of solar power is beginning to push...
2nd Mar 2026
1

China's Fossil Fuel Emissions Dropped Last Year as Solar Boomed

from Yale E360 [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Mar 2026
In China, the world's leading carbon emitter, a massive buildout of solar power is beginning to push fossil fuels into decline. Last year China saw its emissions drop, even as demand for energy rose.  Read more on E360 →
A New World’s Extraordinary Orbit Points to Planet Nine Astronomers argue that there’s an undiscovered giant planet far beyond the orbit of Neptune. A newly...
14th Mar 2019
1

A New World’s Extraordinary Orbit Points to Planet Nine

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Mar 2019
Astronomers argue that there’s an undiscovered giant planet far beyond the orbit of Neptune. A newly discovered rocky body has added evidence to the circumstantial case for it. The post A New World’s Extraordinary Orbit Points to Planet Nine first appeared on Quanta...
Can AI Predict the Quantum Universe? AI promises to revolutionize the way we do science, which raises a central technological question of...
11th Dec 2025
1

Can AI Predict the Quantum Universe?

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

11th Dec 2025
AI promises to revolutionize the way we do science, which raises a central technological question of our time: Can classical AI understand all natural phenomena, or are some fundamentally beyond its reach? Many proponents of artificial intelligence argue that any … Continue...
Don’t compete The Internet is full of people winning all the time. Someone is traveling to exotic locations,...
22nd Mar 2025
80

Don’t compete

from Inverted Passion [alt+shift+b] in science

22nd Mar 2025
The Internet is full of people winning all the time. Someone is traveling to exotic locations, someone else is raising funds, and another person is winning awards. Essentially, everyone around you is succeeding while you do spend your days as the nature intended – sleeping,...
The Traveler and His Baggage On 19 May 1943, a news report from Berlin deepened the already dreary gloom that clung to the people...
3rd Jun 2021
42

The Traveler and His Baggage

from Damn Interesting [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Jun 2021
On 19 May 1943, a news report from Berlin deepened the already dreary gloom that clung to the people of Nazi-occupied Paris. Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels proudly announced to the world that the German capital of Berlin was officially judenfrei–free of all Jews. As this...
A Course on Aliens in Science & Science Fiction for People Over 50 I am teaching a fun, 6-week, non-credit course on the search for intelligent life among the stars,...
23rd Sep 2026
1

A Course on Aliens in Science & Science Fiction for People Over 50

from Andrew Fraknoi – Astronomy Lectures – Astronomy Education Resources [alt+shift+b] in science

23rd Sep 2026
I am teaching a fun, 6-week, non-credit course on the search for intelligent life among the stars, offered (by zoom or in person) through the San Francisco State University Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, starting Sept. 30.  It’s part of a program of courses for retired...
The most steampunk qubit I never imagined that an artist would update me about quantum-computing research. Last year,...
25th May 2025
47

The most steampunk qubit

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

25th May 2025
I never imagined that an artist would update me about quantum-computing research. Last year, steampunk artist Bruce Rosenbaum forwarded me a notification about a news article published in Science. The article reported on an experiment performed in physicist Yiwen Chu’s … Continue...
Back From Down Under I am back from an almost three week trip to LA, Sydney and Christchurch. Sorry I did not have time...
6th Aug 2026
1

Back From Down Under

from NeuroLogica Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

6th Aug 2026
I am back from an almost three week trip to LA, Sydney and Christchurch. Sorry I did not have time to keep up with my blog over that period – in which we recorded four live SGU shows, produced three days of conference content, put on two stage shows, and hosted several other...
What to Make of Havana Syndrome I have not written before about Havana Syndrome, mostly because I have not been able to come to any...
1st Apr 2024
97

What to Make of Havana Syndrome

from NeuroLogica Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Apr 2024
I have not written before about Havana Syndrome, mostly because I have not been able to come to any strong conclusions about it. In 2016 there was a cluster of strange neurological symptoms among people working at the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba. They would suddenly experience...
Julia Galef: Soldiers and Scouts: Why our minds weren't built for truth, and how we can change that An expert on rationality, judgement, and strategy, Julia Galef notes that "our capacity for reason...
19th Sep 2018
1
19th Sep 2018
An expert on rationality, judgement, and strategy, Julia Galef notes that "our capacity for reason evolved to serve two very different purposes that are often at odds with each other. On the one hand, reason helps us figure out what’s true; on the other hand, it also helps us...
Jared Diamond: How Societies Fail-And Sometimes Succeed ### On failing to think long-term Sophisticated societies from time to time collapse utterly, often...
16th Jul 2005
1

Jared Diamond: How Societies Fail-And Sometimes Succeed

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

16th Jul 2005
### On failing to think long-term Sophisticated societies from time to time collapse utterly, often leaving traces of a civilization that was at a proud peak just before the fall. Other societies facing the same dangers figure out how to adapt around them, recover, and go on to...
How Value-Based Care Contracting Works with Accorded | Out-Of-Pocket With calculators and contracts you can see yourself
19th Sep 2023
29

How Value-Based Care Contracting Works with Accorded | Out-Of-Pocket

from Out-of-Pocket Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

19th Sep 2023
With calculators and contracts you can see yourself
The Top 50 US Cities: Why Are They Where They Are? The geographic and historical reasons that have made some spots in the country the most populated...
8th Jan 2025
76

The Top 50 US Cities: Why Are They Where They Are?

from Uncharted Territories [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Jan 2025
The geographic and historical reasons that have made some spots in the country the most populated ones
Inland feeding by coastal godwits Species such as Dunlin and Knot are well-served by conservation measures that aim to protect...
10th Nov 2022
54

Inland feeding by coastal godwits

from wadertales [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Nov 2022
Species such as Dunlin and Knot are well-served by conservation measures that aim to protect estuaries but the same is not necessarily true for Black-tailed Godwits. In a 2022 paper in the journal Wader Study, Clément Jourdan and colleagues describe the movements of ten tagged...
Adrian Hon: A History of the Future in 100 Objects ### Future artifacts Speaking from 02082, Hon described 5 (of 100) objects and events from this...
17th Jul 2014
1

Adrian Hon: A History of the Future in 100 Objects

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

17th Jul 2014
### Future artifacts Speaking from 02082, Hon described 5 (of 100) objects and events from this century’s history he felt most strongly evoked the astonishing trends that have transformed humanity in the past 8 decades. Not all developments proved to be positive. One such was...
A Quick Application of Model Categories Almost exactly a year ago (time flies!) I was thinking really hard about model categories in...
22nd Mar 2023
38

A Quick Application of Model Categories

from Chris Grossack's Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

22nd Mar 2023
Almost exactly a year ago (time flies!) I was thinking really hard about model categories in preparation for the HoTTEST summer school. I learned a TON doing this, but I’ve just today seen a really nice (and somewhat concrete) reason to care about the whole endeavor! I’d love...
The beauty of concrete Why are buildings today simple and austere, while buildings of the past were ornate and elaborately...
17th May 2024
1

The beauty of concrete

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

17th May 2024
Why are buildings today simple and austere, while buildings of the past were ornate and elaborately ornamented? The answer is not the cost of labor.
The Fossil Footprint Nebula A rarely imaged target as it is very dim. This image took me over 50h of total exposure time. Total...
12th Jan 2024
72

The Fossil Footprint Nebula

from Light from Space [alt+shift+b] in science

12th Jan 2024
A rarely imaged target as it is very dim. This image took me over 50h of total exposure time. Total exposure time: 52h 40' Image resolution: 4,490 × 4,552px (0.96″/px) Shot from my driveway near Tucson, AZ in late 2023 Telescope: William Optics RedCat
"Nutrition Science's Most Preposterous Result" is False There's no mysterious health benefit to eating ice cream
2nd Apr 2026
1

"Nutrition Science's Most Preposterous Result" is False

from Cremieux Recueil [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Apr 2026
There's no mysterious health benefit to eating ice cream
From MANUALS to YOUTUBE A new section from Stewart Brand's Maintenance on Books in Progress
14th Aug 2023
62

From MANUALS to YOUTUBE

from The Works in Progress Newsletter [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Aug 2023
A new section from Stewart Brand's Maintenance on Books in Progress
How Mutant Viral Swarms Spread Disease A new understanding of viral swarms is helping researchers predict how viruses will evolve and where...
3rd Sep 2015
1

How Mutant Viral Swarms Spread Disease

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Sep 2015
A new understanding of viral swarms is helping researchers predict how viruses will evolve and where disease is likely to spread. The post How Mutant Viral Swarms Spread Disease first appeared on Quanta Magazine
The Soul of the Heart Nebula A spectacular emission Nebula, the Heart Nebula is one of the classics of Northern Hemisphere...
5th Nov 2022
57

The Soul of the Heart Nebula

from Light from Space [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Nov 2022
A spectacular emission Nebula, the Heart Nebula is one of the classics of Northern Hemisphere amateury astronomy. In the gallery below, I've highlighted 3 very different areas of the image: Left: Planetary Nebula WeBo-1 Middle: Melotte 15 in the... heart of the Heart...
Unleashing the Advantage of Quantum AI As experimental capabilities advance rapidly, the quantum computing community faces a critical...
10th Apr 2026
1

Unleashing the Advantage of Quantum AI

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Apr 2026
As experimental capabilities advance rapidly, the quantum computing community faces a critical elephant in the room: What will these quantum machines eventually be useful for? Will they deliver the promised broad societal impact, or will they remain highly specialized devices …...
Some sick wearable projects | Out-Of-Pocket Robots, wearables for kids, and more
3rd Jun 2026
1

Some sick wearable projects | Out-Of-Pocket

from Out-of-Pocket Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Jun 2026
Robots, wearables for kids, and more
Carl Zimmer: Viral Time ### What's time to a virus? "Everything about viruses is extreme," Zimmer began. The number of...
8th Jun 2011
1

Carl Zimmer: Viral Time

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Jun 2011
### What's time to a virus? "Everything about viruses is extreme," Zimmer began. The number of viruses on Earth is estimated to be 1 followed by 31 zeroes. Small as they are, if you stacked them all up, the stack would reach 100 million light years. They are the planet's most...
Your Allergies Are Probably Fake You might be avoiding medications that don't do anything to you
4th Feb 2026
2

Your Allergies Are Probably Fake

from Cremieux Recueil [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Feb 2026
You might be avoiding medications that don't do anything to you
Silly little rules in healthcare | Out-Of-Pocket The industry is chock full of ‘em, here's 3
3rd Jun 2024
125

Silly little rules in healthcare | Out-Of-Pocket

from Out-of-Pocket Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Jun 2024
The industry is chock full of ‘em, here's 3
My Teaching Philosophy As mentioned previously, I need to complete a teaching portfolio over my year as a lecturing intern...
16th Apr 2013
70

My Teaching Philosophy

from Confessions of a Marine Ecologist [alt+shift+b] in science

16th Apr 2013
As mentioned previously, I need to complete a teaching portfolio over my year as a lecturing intern as part of the PTIS scheme.  Central to this portfolio is a personal teaching philosophy, detailing why teaching is important to me, what my objectives are as a teacher, what...
Notes on Progress: Artificial flavoring "Artificial" didn't scare Americans in the 19th century. Why does it scare us now?
6th Apr 2023
47

Notes on Progress: Artificial flavoring

from The Works in Progress Newsletter [alt+shift+b] in science

6th Apr 2023
"Artificial" didn't scare Americans in the 19th century. Why does it scare us now?
5th Mar 2024
Designing the First Apple Macintosh: The Engineers’ Story In 1979 the Macintosh personal computer existed only as the pet idea of Jef Raskin, a veteran of the...
2nd Jul 2023
44

Designing the First Apple Macintosh: The Engineers’ Story

from IEEE Spectrum [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Jul 2023
In 1979 the Macintosh personal computer existed only as the pet idea of Jef Raskin, a veteran of the Apple II team, who had proposed that Apple Computer Inc. make a low-cost “appliance”-type computer that would be as easy to use as a toaster. Mr. Raskin believed the computer he...
Preprint -- The RAAG Functor as a Categorical Embedding After almost a year of sitting on my hard drive, I finally had time in August to finish revising my...
5th Oct 2023
30

Preprint -- The RAAG Functor as a Categorical Embedding

from Chris Grossack's Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Oct 2023
After almost a year of sitting on my hard drive, I finally had time in August to finish revising my new preprint on Right Angled Artin Groups (Raags). And in September I had time to put it on the arxiv for people to see! Within 24 hours I had an email from somebody who had...
Lessons in frustration Assa Auerbach’s course was the most maddening course I’ve ever taken.  I was a master’s student in...
17th Feb 2025
64

Lessons in frustration

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

17th Feb 2025
Assa Auerbach’s course was the most maddening course I’ve ever taken.  I was a master’s student in the Perimeter Scholars International program at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Perimeter trotted in world experts to lecture about modern physics. Many … Continue...
Lord Kelvin and His Analog Computer William Thomson, mourning the death of his wife and flush with cash from various patents related to...
2nd Jun 2024
128

Lord Kelvin and His Analog Computer

from IEEE Spectrum [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Jun 2024
William Thomson, mourning the death of his wife and flush with cash from various patents related to the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, decided to buy a yacht. His schooner, the Lalla Rookh, became Thomson’s summer home and his base for hosting scientific...
Niall Ferguson & Peter Schwartz: Historian vs. Futurist on Human Progress ### Past vs. Future In what turned out to be a riveting evening, historian Niall Ferguson and...
29th Apr 2008
1
29th Apr 2008
### Past vs. Future In what turned out to be a riveting evening, historian Niall Ferguson and futurist Peter Schwartz fire-hosed each other with enough ideas, frames of reference, ripostes, and eloquences to lead to a clear conceptual divergence. At the same time, the two were...
How do wader chicks respond to being handled? Every wader researcher knows that their actions can have negative consequences for the birds they...
5th Oct 2024
95

How do wader chicks respond to being handled?

from wadertales [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Oct 2024
Every wader researcher knows that their actions can have negative consequences for the birds they are studying. Given that most shorebird species are in trouble or causing concern, conservation science is a tricky balancing act between ‘need to understand’ and ‘disturbance’. In...
Caroline Winterer: The Art and Science of Deep Time: Conceiving the Inconceivable in the 19th... The ambition to think on the scale of thousands, millions, even billion of years emerged in the 19th...
6th Feb 2020
1
6th Feb 2020
The ambition to think on the scale of thousands, millions, even billion of years emerged in the 19th century. Historian and author [Caroline Winterer](https://history.stanford.edu/people/caroline-winterer) chronicles how the concept of “deep time” has inspired and puzzled...
The bad science behind expensive nuclear How a dubious theory of radiation damage based on fruit flies and a secretive weapons testing...
27th May 2025
1

The bad science behind expensive nuclear

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

27th May 2025
How a dubious theory of radiation damage based on fruit flies and a secretive weapons testing program came to be – and why its time may now be up.
Bizarre New Creatures Discovered 30,000 Feet Under the Sea The Titanic lies about 12,500 feet under the ocean. The pressure down there is so immense that even...
1st Aug 2025
8

Bizarre New Creatures Discovered 30,000 Feet Under the Sea

from Yale E360 [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Aug 2025
The Titanic lies about 12,500 feet under the ocean. The pressure down there is so immense that even submersibles supposedly built for those conditions can, as we know, tragically fail. Now imagine taking a sub nearly three times deeper. Read more on E360 →
Spencer Beebe: Very Long-term Very Large-scale Biomimicry ### The rainforests of home Spencer Beebe is founder and head of Ecotrust, the Portland-based...
12th Mar 2005
1

Spencer Beebe: Very Long-term Very Large-scale Biomimicry

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

12th Mar 2005
### The rainforests of home Spencer Beebe is founder and head of Ecotrust, the Portland-based organization that is setting in motion a permanently prosperous conservation economy for the entire Pacific Coast from San Francisco north to Alaska-- the temperate rain forest also...
The quantum gold rush Even if you don’t recognize the name, you probably recognize the saguaro cactus. It’s the archetype...
18th Mar 2024
154

The quantum gold rush

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

18th Mar 2024
Even if you don’t recognize the name, you probably recognize the saguaro cactus. It’s the archetype of the cactus, a column from which protrude arms bent at right angles like elbows. As my husband pointed out, the cactus emoji is … Continue reading →
Nils Gilman: Deviant Globalization ### The anti-state economy Gilman described deviant globalization as "the unpleasant underside of...
4th May 2010
1

Nils Gilman: Deviant Globalization

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

4th May 2010
### The anti-state economy Gilman described deviant globalization as "the unpleasant underside of transnational integration." There's nice tourism, and then sex tourism, such as in Thailand and Switzerland. The vast pharmacology industry is matched by a vast traffic in illegal...
Orville Schell: China Thinks Long-term, But Can It Relearn to Act Long-term? ### Giant contradictions “China is the most unresolved nation of consequence in the world,” Orville...
23rd Sep 2006
1
23rd Sep 2006
### Giant contradictions “China is the most unresolved nation of consequence in the world,” Orville Schell began. It is defined by its massive contradictions. And by its massiveness— China’s population is estimated to be 1.25 to 1.3 billion; the margin of error in the estimate...
The spirit of relativity One of the most immersive steampunk novels I’ve read winks at an experiment performed in a...
14th Nov 2022
49

The spirit of relativity

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Nov 2022
One of the most immersive steampunk novels I’ve read winks at an experiment performed in a university I visited this month. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, by Natasha Pulley, features a budding scientist named Grace Carrow. Grace attends Oxford as … Continue reading →
Buyers of first resort How do technologies get off the ground? As well as seed funding, many of the best technologies...
14th Sep 2021
1

Buyers of first resort

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Sep 2021
How do technologies get off the ground? As well as seed funding, many of the best technologies require Buyers of First Resort, which buy products until they improve enough to get to efficient scale.
The Math of Catastrophe Around 6,000 years ago, the Sahara was a lush grassland. Then, as if a switch flipped, it began to...
14th Oct 2025
1

The Math of Catastrophe

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Oct 2025
Around 6,000 years ago, the Sahara was a lush grassland. Then, as if a switch flipped, it began to dry out, becoming the desert that we know today. Tipping points are moments in Earth’s history where gradual change suddenly becomes rapid and forms a new equilibrium. They’re one...
Will AI Make Work Redundant? Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming for your job. This, at least, is increasingly conventional...
6th Nov 2023
33

Will AI Make Work Redundant?

from NeuroLogica Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

6th Nov 2023
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is coming for your job. This, at least, is increasingly conventional wisdom, but I’m not so sure. In a recent interview, Elon Musk predicted that AI would “make paid work redundant.” I encountered the same opinion watching the latest season of...
Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues. The long, variable times that some diseases incubate after infection defies simple explanation. An...
8th Nov 2018
1

Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues.

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Nov 2018
The long, variable times that some diseases incubate after infection defies simple explanation. An idealized model of tumor growth offers a statistical solution. The post Why Don’t Patients Get Sick in Sync? Modelers Find Statistical Clues. first appeared on Quanta...
Critical Forecasts from Space: “Tech & Space Leaders Show” with Lisa Dreher While my Gentle Readers are well aware of my decades of writing on space-related topics, I also have...
8th Aug 2026
1
8th Aug 2026
While my Gentle Readers are well aware of my decades of writing on space-related topics, I also have a day job as the Chief Scientist of […]
Notes on doing science and research I know it’s been awfully quiet here. I’ve not posted for a while. But I’ve been writing prolifically...
23rd Oct 2025
28

Notes on doing science and research

from Inverted Passion [alt+shift+b] in science

23rd Oct 2025
I know it’s been awfully quiet here. I’ve not posted for a while. But I’ve been writing prolifically somewhere else. Earlier this year, I started an AI lab called Lossfunk and that is what has kept me (happily) busy. We have a newsletter there called Lossfunk Letters where I...
How Tech Automated the January 6 Investigations Josh Coker’s Facebook page doesn’t show any MAGA memes or Trump quotes. He wasn’t live-streaming on...
5th Jan 2024
41

How Tech Automated the January 6 Investigations

from IEEE Spectrum [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Jan 2024
Josh Coker’s Facebook page doesn’t show any MAGA memes or Trump quotes. He wasn’t live-streaming on 6 January 2021, and no one has ever stepped forward to identify him as one of the mob that stormed the US Capitol that day. Oregon, Ohio, with five counts connected to the failed...
Understanding the Baby Boom The West has been below replacement fertility once before. Then came the Baby Boom. Understanding...
7th Sep 2023
1

Understanding the Baby Boom

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Sep 2023
The West has been below replacement fertility once before. Then came the Baby Boom. Understanding that boom may help us deal with today’s bust.
Rick Prelinger: Lost Landscapes of San Francisco 4 ### Gas Stations, Not Flowers The fourth incarnation of _Lost Landscapes of San Francisco_ played...
5th Dec 2009
1

Rick Prelinger: Lost Landscapes of San Francisco 4

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Dec 2009
### Gas Stations, Not Flowers The fourth incarnation of _Lost Landscapes of San Francisco_ played to a sold out house at the Herbst Theater with the chanteuse Suzanne Ramsey opening the evening with a selection of historical San Francisco songs including the 01926 gem [Masculine...
My Free Introductory Astronomy Textbook Hits a Milestone This time I am posting something a bit personal. I am the lead author of a free book that is part of...
5th May 2024
62

My Free Introductory Astronomy Textbook Hits a Milestone

from Andrew Fraknoi – Astronomy Lectures – Astronomy Education Resources [alt+shift+b] in science

5th May 2024
This time I am posting something a bit personal. I am the lead author of a free book that is part of a nonprofit experiment to help students with the costs of college. Here is the news from our publisher: OpenStax, the open textbook publisher based at Rice University, is pleased...
To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future A controversial theory suggests that perception, motor control, memory and other brain functions all...
9th May 2019
1

To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

9th May 2019
A controversial theory suggests that perception, motor control, memory and other brain functions all depend on comparisons between ongoing actual experiences and the brain’s modeled expectations. The post To Make Sense of the Present, Brains May Predict the Future...
A World Without Clouds A state-of-the-art supercomputer simulation indicates that a feedback loop between global warming...
2nd Jan 2020
1

A World Without Clouds

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Jan 2020
A state-of-the-art supercomputer simulation indicates that a feedback loop between global warming and cloud loss can push Earth’s climate past a disastrous tipping point in as little as a century. The post A World Without Clouds first appeared on Quanta Magazine
What Happens When Lakes Stop Mixing Every summer since 1983, scientists at Crater Lake National Park have gathered data about the lake’s...
2nd Dec 2025
1

What Happens When Lakes Stop Mixing

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Dec 2025
Every summer since 1983, scientists at Crater Lake National Park have gathered data about the lake’s famous clarity. This past summer, Quanta contributing writer Rachel Nuwer journeyed with them as they conducted their annual tests. On this week’s episode, Nuwer and host Samir...
On the Nature of Time The Computational View of Time Time is a central feature of human experience. But what actually is...
8th Oct 2024
145

On the Nature of Time

from Stephen Wolfram Writings [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Oct 2024
The Computational View of Time Time is a central feature of human experience. But what actually is it? In traditional scientific accounts it’s often represented as some kind of coordinate much like space (though a coordinate that for some reason is always systematically...
John Brockman: Possible Minds John Brockman's newly released book [_Possible Minds: Twenty-Five Ways of Looking at...
13th Mar 2019
1

John Brockman: Possible Minds

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

13th Mar 2019
John Brockman's newly released book [_Possible Minds: Twenty-Five Ways of Looking at AI_](https://smile.amazon.com/Possible-Minds-Twenty-Five-Ways-Looking-ebook/dp/B07D6C1X3X/ref=sr_1_1) is the springboard for this Seminar on Artificial Intelligence. Brockman will interview...
Microbes Gained Photosynthesis Superpowers From a ‘Proton Pump’ New research reveals how marine microbes use an extra membrane that once had digestive functions to...
5th Jul 2023
37

Microbes Gained Photosynthesis Superpowers From a ‘Proton Pump’

from Quanta Magazine [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Jul 2023
New research reveals how marine microbes use an extra membrane that once had digestive functions to boost their yield from photosynthesis. The post Microbes Gained Photosynthesis Superpowers From a ‘Proton Pump’ first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution New studies reveal the ancient, shared genetic “grammar” underpinning the diverse evolution of fish...
3rd Mar 2022
1

Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Mar 2022
New studies reveal the ancient, shared genetic “grammar” underpinning the diverse evolution of fish fins and tetrapod limbs. The post Flying Fish and Aquarium Pets Yield Secrets of Evolution first appeared on Quanta Magazine
The Unlimited Horizon, part 2 Previously: The Unlimited Horizon, part 1. Is there really that much more progress to be made in the...
27th Aug 2025
1

The Unlimited Horizon, part 2

from The Roots of Progress [alt+shift+b] in science

27th Aug 2025
Previously: The Unlimited Horizon, part 1. Is there really that much more progress to be made in the future? How many problems are left to solve? How much better could life really get? After all, we are pretty comfortable today. We have electricity, clean running water, heating...
The perks of being a mole rat The secrets to extending human lifespans might lie in the animals that can already live for...
4th Feb 2026
1

The perks of being a mole rat

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Feb 2026
The secrets to extending human lifespans might lie in the animals that can already live for centuries.
Why Japan has such good railways Japan’s railways are the finest in the world. Other countries can copy its formula.
7th Apr 2026
1

Why Japan has such good railways

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Apr 2026
Japan’s railways are the finest in the world. Other countries can copy its formula.
Problems with the Institute Of Noetic Sciences I was interviewed recently for a Daily Beast article on recent research involving the Institute of...
1st May 2023
85

Problems with the Institute Of Noetic Sciences

from NeuroLogica Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

1st May 2023
I was interviewed recently for a Daily Beast article on recent research involving the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). Overall the article is very good, and author Maddie Bender was fair and reasonable in how I was quoted. I can’t always take that as a given. No matter how...
The failure of the land value tax Land value taxes are once again becoming a popular all-purpose solution to housing issues. But...
13th Mar 2025
1

The failure of the land value tax

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

13th Mar 2025
Land value taxes are once again becoming a popular all-purpose solution to housing issues. But implementing them in early 1900s Britain destroyed the then-dominant Liberal Party.
Alan Turing and the Power of Negative Thinking Mathematical proofs based on a technique called diagonalization can be relentlessly contrarian, but...
5th Sep 2023
163

Alan Turing and the Power of Negative Thinking

from Quanta Magazine [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Sep 2023
Mathematical proofs based on a technique called diagonalization can be relentlessly contrarian, but they help reveal the limits of algorithms. The post Alan Turing and the Power of Negative Thinking first appeared on Quanta Magazine
A 1-Day Virtual Symposium on Future of Astronomy For those of you with a deeper interest in astronomy and how we learn about the universe, this may...
8th Aug 2025
19

A 1-Day Virtual Symposium on Future of Astronomy

from Andrew Fraknoi – Astronomy Lectures – Astronomy Education Resources [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Aug 2025
For those of you with a deeper interest in astronomy and how we learn about the universe, this may be of interest.  There is a good discount if you register before Aug. 10. The Astronomical Society of the Pacific Presents: Eyes on the Cosmos: Cutting Edge Instruments and Ideas in...
How funny are the frontier AI models? TLDR: yes, models are getting funnier over time I love laughing. Well, who doesn’t? Good jokes have...
3 weeks ago
2

How funny are the frontier AI models?

from Inverted Passion [alt+shift+b] in science

3 weeks ago
TLDR: yes, models are getting funnier over time I love laughing. Well, who doesn’t? Good jokes have a certain notion of cleverness to them and I do believe that great comedians display high intelligence. Cracking a good joke requires astute observations about odd situations, and...
Book club: ‘Being Salmon Being Human’ by Martin Lee Mueller Encountering the Wild in Us and Us in the Wild Norwegian and Pacific Northwest salmon industries...
1st Jun 2021
63

Book club: ‘Being Salmon Being Human’ by Martin Lee Mueller

from Marine Madness [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Jun 2021
Encountering the Wild in Us and Us in the Wild Norwegian and Pacific Northwest salmon industries remain largely overlooked and Martin Lee Mueller cleverly weaves the stories of artificially inseminated and reared salmon to highlight the long-standing notion of human...
Think DSP second edition I have started work on a second edition of Think DSP! You can see the current draft here. I started...
4th Nov 2025
13

Think DSP second edition

from Probably Overthinking It [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Nov 2025
I have started work on a second edition of Think DSP! You can see the current draft here. I started this project in part because of this announcement: Once in a while, a few of the Scicloj friends will meet to learn about signal processing, following the Think DSP book by Allen...
New Life Found That Lives Off Electricity Scientists have figured out how microbes can suck energy from rocks. Such lifeforms might be more...
7th Jul 2016
1

New Life Found That Lives Off Electricity

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Jul 2016
Scientists have figured out how microbes can suck energy from rocks. Such lifeforms might be more widespread than anyone anticipated. The post New Life Found That Lives Off Electricity first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Nicole’s guide to handling failure and rejection It’s happening.  Your inbox registers an email from the chair of a faculty-hiring committee. With...
21st May 2026
1

Nicole’s guide to handling failure and rejection

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

21st May 2026
It’s happening.  Your inbox registers an email from the chair of a faculty-hiring committee. With trembling fingers, you click on the message. “We’ve been grateful for the opportunity to learn about your work…The decision was very difficult…many highly qualified candidates…” …...
Bicycle There is something delightful about riding a bicycle. Once mastered, the simple action of pedaling...
28th Mar 2023
162

Bicycle

from Bartosz Ciechanowski [alt+shift+b] in science

28th Mar 2023
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...
Approximation game The number 22/7 and the pigeon flock of Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet.
28th Feb 2026
1

Approximation game

from lcamtuf’s thing [alt+shift+b] in science

28th Feb 2026
The number 22/7 and the pigeon flock of Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet.
Geoff Manaugh & Nicola Twilley: Until Proven Safe: The History and Future of Quarantine **Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley** track the history and future of quarantine around the globe,...
8th Feb 2022
1
8th Feb 2022
**Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley** track the history and future of quarantine around the globe, chasing the story of emergency isolation through time and space—from the crumbling lazarettos of the Mediterranean, built to contain the Black Death, to an experimental Ebola unit in...
Weekend projects: Chicken Squisher 3000 If it clucks like a duck...
14th Oct 2025
1

Weekend projects: Chicken Squisher 3000

from lcamtuf’s thing [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Oct 2025
If it clucks like a duck...
The UX of LEGO Interface Panels LEGO interface panels are beautiful, iconic, and great for learning interface design basics. I...
2nd Aug 2020
28

The UX of LEGO Interface Panels

from Interaction Magic - George Cave [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Aug 2020
LEGO interface panels are beautiful, iconic, and great for learning interface design basics. I bought 52 of them from BrickLink to explore the design, layout and organisation of complex interfaces.
Eternal Change for No Energy: A Time Crystal Finally Made Real Like a perpetual motion machine, a time crystal forever cycles between states without consuming...
14th Oct 2021
1

Eternal Change for No Energy: A Time Crystal Finally Made Real

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Oct 2021
Like a perpetual motion machine, a time crystal forever cycles between states without consuming energy. Physicists claim to have built this new phase of matter inside a quantum computer.
Common ROI mistakes in healthcare | Out-Of-Pocket Plus some benchmark ROI numbers for you to think about
7th Jul 2025
35

Common ROI mistakes in healthcare | Out-Of-Pocket

from Out-of-Pocket Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Jul 2025
Plus some benchmark ROI numbers for you to think about
Memories of Project RAMOS (Russian American Observation Satellites) 1991 – 2004 During the course of my professional career, one of the more important projects I had the pleasure...
29th Sep 2023
54
29th Sep 2023
During the course of my professional career, one of the more important projects I had the pleasure to work on was the joint US/Russian Federation (RF) […]
Bruce Sterling: The Singularity: Your Future as a Black Hole One reason lots of people don't want to think long term these days is because technology keeps...
12th Jun 2004
1

Bruce Sterling: The Singularity: Your Future as a Black Hole

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

12th Jun 2004
One reason lots of people don't want to think long term these days is because technology keeps accelerating so rapidly, we assume the world will become unrecognizable in a few years and then move on to unimaginable. Long-term thinking must be either impossible or irrelevant. The...
Nanotyrannus Controversy Solved One of the things I like about following paleontology news is that new evidence can just be...
3rd Nov 2025
15

Nanotyrannus Controversy Solved

from NeuroLogica Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Nov 2025
One of the things I like about following paleontology news is that new evidence can just be discovered, and sometimes these new pieces to the puzzle can significantly change what we think about past life. One such controversy I have been following for a while is whether or not...
DNA of Giant ‘Corpse Flower’ Parasite Surprises Biologists The bizarre genome of the world’s most mysterious flowering plants shows how far parasites will go...
5th Aug 2021
1

DNA of Giant ‘Corpse Flower’ Parasite Surprises Biologists

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Aug 2021
The bizarre genome of the world’s most mysterious flowering plants shows how far parasites will go in stealing, deleting and duplicating DNA. The post DNA of Giant ‘Corpse Flower’ Parasite Surprises Biologists first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Butterflies Are Masters of Illusion Stephen J Gould (still my favorite science essayist) wrote an excellent article in 1985 (Red Wings...
1st Oct 2026
1

Butterflies Are Masters of Illusion

from NeuroLogica Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Oct 2026
Stephen J Gould (still my favorite science essayist) wrote an excellent article in 1985 (Red Wings in the Sunset, later published in his book, Bully for Brontosaurus) about artist and naturalist Abbott Handerson Thayer. Thayer wrote about how animals use coloration as camouflage...
The Makeup of Red Dwarf Solar Systems May Seriously Limit the Formation of Habitable Planets Jupiter is often described as the “big brother” planet of our solar system that made the formation...
7th Jun 2023
38
7th Jun 2023
Jupiter is often described as the “big brother” planet of our solar system that made the formation and evolution of Earth possible. In the early days of the solar system, massive Jupiter helped the planet grow rapidly while serving as a gravity well that shielded the planet from...
First Pictures: Color View of the Earth & A Tropical Depression from Space – October 5, 1954 While today we are inundated with color images of the Earth, our earliest views from space were...
5th Oct 2024
88
5th Oct 2024
While today we are inundated with color images of the Earth, our earliest views from space were confined to monochromatic or black and white images (see […]
Bad Drugs Get Pulled Fast Safety issues usually get identified and acted on quickly
3rd Aug 2025
1

Bad Drugs Get Pulled Fast

from Cremieux Recueil [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Aug 2025
Safety issues usually get identified and acted on quickly
niceR code with functional programming At the end of this blog post, you will be able to: Describe functional programming concepts Write...
15th Oct 2020
34

niceR code with functional programming

from Apoorva Srinivasan [alt+shift+b] in science

15th Oct 2020
At the end of this blog post, you will be able to: Describe functional programming concepts Write functional programming code using purrr package in R If you are anything like me, you probably focused primarily on learning statistics, machine learning and programming on a...
Let the great world spin I first heard the song “Fireflies,” by Owl City, shortly after my junior year of college. During the...
12th Jun 2023
58

Let the great world spin

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

12th Jun 2023
I first heard the song “Fireflies,” by Owl City, shortly after my junior year of college. During the refrain, singer Adam Young almost whispers, “I’d like to make myself believe / that planet Earth turns slowly.” Goosebumps prickled along my … Continue reading →
Trust and Well-Being In a previous article, I claimed that Young adults are not very happy. Now the World Happiness...
3rd Apr 2026
1

Trust and Well-Being

from Probably Overthinking It [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Apr 2026
In a previous article, I claimed that Young adults are not very happy. Now the World Happiness Report 2026 has confirmed that young people in North America and Western Europe are less happy than they were fifteen years ago, and less happy than previous generations. In this...
At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery After finding the homeschooling life confining, the teen petitioned her way into a graduate class at...
1st Aug 2025
52

At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery

from Quanta Magazine [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Aug 2025
After finding the homeschooling life confining, the teen petitioned her way into a graduate class at Berkeley, where she ended up disproving a 40-year-old conjecture. The post At 17, Hannah Cairo Solved a Major Math Mystery first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Susan Freinkel: Eternal Plastic ### Making plastic even better Plastic is so new, Freinkel began, that among all the objects...
23rd May 2012
1

Susan Freinkel: Eternal Plastic

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

23rd May 2012
### Making plastic even better Plastic is so new, Freinkel began, that among all the objects preserved in the sunken _Titanic_ , none are synthetic plastic, because there was hardly any available in 1912. Natural plastic, however, was a familiar material. Amber was popular....
Going Critical Background: This is an interactive blog post. I wanted to host it here, but don't know how to make...
13th May 2019
40

Going Critical

from Melting Asphalt [alt+shift+b] in science

13th May 2019
Background: This is an interactive blog post. I wanted to host it here, but don't know how to make it play nice with WordPress. So I decided to host it on another part of the site instead. Click here for… Read more ›
Hunting For Kobyla On a January day in 1964, something remarkable happened: Simon Wiesenthal took the afternoon off. He...
7th Feb 2022
46

Hunting For Kobyla

from Damn Interesting [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Feb 2022
On a January day in 1964, something remarkable happened: Simon Wiesenthal took the afternoon off. He parked himself at a table on the terrace of Tel Aviv’s Café Roval, soaking up the sunshine as if he wished to bottle it. The friend he’d come to meet was late, but Wiesenthal had...
The AI Projects From Our B2B Hackathon | Out-Of-Pocket DME coordination, assessing AI vendors using AI, physician recruiting tools, and more
5th Dec 2025
1

The AI Projects From Our B2B Hackathon | Out-Of-Pocket

from Out-of-Pocket Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Dec 2025
DME coordination, assessing AI vendors using AI, physician recruiting tools, and more
Minimum Viable Superorganism Originally published at Ribbonfarm. Of all the remarkable things about our species — and there are...
11th Feb 2016
34

Minimum Viable Superorganism

from Melting Asphalt [alt+shift+b] in science

11th Feb 2016
Originally published at Ribbonfarm. Of all the remarkable things about our species — and there are many — perhaps the most striking of all is our ability to band together and act as a united, coherent superorganism. E pluribus unum.… Read more ›
Martin Rees: Life's Future in the Cosmos ### Cosmic Life The pace of astronomic discovery, said the Astronomer Royal, keeps increasing with...
3rd Aug 2010
1

Martin Rees: Life's Future in the Cosmos

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Aug 2010
### Cosmic Life The pace of astronomic discovery, said the Astronomer Royal, keeps increasing with the constant improvement in our sensing technology. The recent discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe (dark energy) revolutionized cosmology, and with the launch...
Fresh X-Rays Reveal a Universe as Clumpy as Cosmology Predicts By mapping the largest structures in the universe in X-rays, cosmologists have found striking...
4th Mar 2024
60

Fresh X-Rays Reveal a Universe as Clumpy as Cosmology Predicts

from Quanta Magazine [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Mar 2024
By mapping the largest structures in the universe in X-rays, cosmologists have found striking agreement with their standard theoretical model of how the universe evolves. The post Fresh X-Rays Reveal a Universe as Clumpy as Cosmology Predicts first appeared on Quanta...
Scant Evidence of Power Laws Found in Real-World Networks A new study challenges one of the most celebrated and controversial ideas in network science. ...
11th Oct 2018
1

Scant Evidence of Power Laws Found in Real-World Networks

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

11th Oct 2018
A new study challenges one of the most celebrated and controversial ideas in network science. The post Scant Evidence of Power Laws Found in Real-World Networks first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Mary Catherine Bateson: Live Longer, Think Longer ### Parenting Earth The birth of a first child is the most intense disruption that most adults...
10th Feb 2011
1

Mary Catherine Bateson: Live Longer, Think Longer

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Feb 2011
### Parenting Earth The birth of a first child is the most intense disruption that most adults experience. Suddenly the new parents have no sleep, no social life, no sex, and they have to keep up with a child that changes from week to week. "Two ignorant adults learn from the...
Showering at the South Pole Potable water, and not much of it.
4th Feb 2023
56

Showering at the South Pole

from brr [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Feb 2023
Potable water, and not much of it.
Let’s argue against the Shark Cull with science There’s been a lot in the news recently about the implementation of the Shark Cull (or, as the...
1st Feb 2014
109

Let’s argue against the Shark Cull with science

from Confessions of a Marine Ecologist [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Feb 2014
There’s been a lot in the news recently about the implementation of the Shark Cull (or, as the Government put it, the “shark protection measures”) here in Western Australia.  Just as I am not a climate scientist, I am not a shark biologist, and cannot claim to be a shark expert....
Orientation Using Mahony & Madgwick to calibrate and process Arduino orientation data.
1st Jul 2018
25

Orientation

from Interaction Magic - George Cave [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Jul 2018
Using Mahony & Madgwick to calibrate and process Arduino orientation data.
Becoming a Republic The following is the essay I had submitted as part of the one week summer course I took at the...
1st Aug 2025
38

Becoming a Republic

from Inverted Passion [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Aug 2025
The following is the essay I had submitted as part of the one week summer course I took at the Oxford University, where we read Plato’s Republic. The essay includes a few references to structure and specific content from the book, so if something doesn’t make sense, it’s probably...
The Largest Launch Vehicles in Service – 1957 to the Present With the successful launch of NASA’s Artemis I test flight, we now have a new holder of the title...
16th Nov 2022
47

The Largest Launch Vehicles in Service – 1957 to the Present

from Drew Ex Machina [alt+shift+b] in science

16th Nov 2022
With the successful launch of NASA’s Artemis I test flight, we now have a new holder of the title “the largest launch vehicle in service”: the […]
EUV lithography - a couple of quick links Welcome to the new year! I've written previously (see here, item #3) about the extreme ultraviolet...
2nd Jan 2026
1

EUV lithography - a couple of quick links

from nanoscale views [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Jan 2026
Welcome to the new year! I've written previously (see here, item #3) about the extreme ultraviolet lithography tools used in modern computer chip fabrication.   These machines are incredible, the size of a railway car, and cost hundreds of millions of dollars each.  Veritasium...
1st Apr 2025
Jim Richardson: Heirlooms ### Save Agricultural Biodiversity Humanity’s agricultural legacy is on a par with any of our great...
23rd Feb 2012
1

Jim Richardson: Heirlooms

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

23rd Feb 2012
### Save Agricultural Biodiversity Humanity’s agricultural legacy is on a par with any of our great cultural legacies, Richardson said, but preserving it is not just a matter of honoring the history and richness of our most fundamental civilization-enabling technology. For the...
A Comet Visible in Our Evening Sky A newly discovered comet is now faintly visible in our skies soon after sunset, if you have clear...
15th Oct 2024
84

A Comet Visible in Our Evening Sky

from Andrew Fraknoi – Astronomy Lectures – Astronomy Education Resources [alt+shift+b] in science

15th Oct 2024
A newly discovered comet is now faintly visible in our skies soon after sunset, if you have clear skies and a view low toward the west-southwest horizon. See our diagram from Sky & Telescope magazine, in which the yellow numbers show you the comet’s location in the evening sky...
Don’t Bet on the Super Bowl If you have studied probability, you might be familiar with fractional odds, which represent the...
8th Feb 2026
2

Don’t Bet on the Super Bowl

from Probably Overthinking It [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Feb 2026
If you have studied probability, you might be familiar with fractional odds, which represent the ratio of the probability something happens to the probability it doesn’t. For example, if the Seahawks have a 75% chance of winning the Super Bowl, they have a 25% chance of losing,...
Sunday is Both Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice June 21 is not just father's day but the day of the summer solstice The post Sunday is Both Father’s...
19th Jun 2026
0

Sunday is Both Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice

from Andrew Fraknoi – Astronomy Lectures – Astronomy Education Resources [alt+shift+b] in science

19th Jun 2026
June 21 is not just father's day but the day of the summer solstice The post Sunday is Both Father’s Day and the Summer Solstice appeared first on Andrew Fraknoi - Astronomy Lectures - Astronomy Education Resources.
The first non-opioid painkiller For nearly two centuries, pain relief meant effective but addictive opioids. Scientists have finally...
6th Oct 2025
1

The first non-opioid painkiller

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

6th Oct 2025
For nearly two centuries, pain relief meant effective but addictive opioids. Scientists have finally made something better.
The Ruliology of Lambdas Click any diagram to get Wolfram Language code to reproduce it. What Are Lambdas? It’s a story of...
15th Sep 2025
1

The Ruliology of Lambdas

from Stephen Wolfram Writings [alt+shift+b] in science

15th Sep 2025
Click any diagram to get Wolfram Language code to reproduce it. What Are Lambdas? It’s a story of pure, abstract computation. In fact, historically, one of the very first. But even though it’s something I for one have used in practice for nearly half a century, it’s not something...
The Anticipated Future of the Moon When the Earth was young, shortly after the moon formed, our planet was spinning so fast that a day...
15th Feb 2021
31

The Anticipated Future of the Moon

from Damn Interesting [alt+shift+b] in science

15th Feb 2021
When the Earth was young, shortly after the moon formed, our planet was spinning so fast that a day was approximately five hours long. During the intervening billions of years, the dragging effect of the moon’s gravity slowed the Earth’s spin to the 24-hour day we now observe....
The seven vices of highly effective Victorians The biggest empire the world has ever seen was run by a small elite who partied all night, drank...
3 weeks ago
1

The seven vices of highly effective Victorians

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

3 weeks ago
The biggest empire the world has ever seen was run by a small elite who partied all night, drank liters of port, and stayed in bed until the afternoon.
FY27 Presidential budget request To the surprise of no one at all, the 2027 presidential budget request is extremely bad for...
3rd Apr 2026
1

FY27 Presidential budget request

from nanoscale views [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Apr 2026
To the surprise of no one at all, the 2027 presidential budget request is extremely bad for science.  Remember, this is largely a political document, and Congress does not have to follow this.  In the past year, Congress largely ignored the recommendations and appropriated a much...
The New History of the Milky Way Over the past two years, astronomers have rewritten the story of our galaxy. The post...
4th Mar 2021
1

The New History of the Milky Way

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Mar 2021
Over the past two years, astronomers have rewritten the story of our galaxy. The post The New History of the Milky Way first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Sierras Projects A short post where I collate some info related to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, various...
15th Aug 2025
1

Sierras Projects

from Casey Handmer's blog [alt+shift+b] in science

15th Aug 2025
A short post where I collate some info related to the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, various aspirational objectives and questions. Table Mountain Traverse Table Mountain is at the north west edge of the Kern River basin. It has numerous third and fourth class routes. I...
Who Can Understand the Proof? A Window on Formalized Mathematics Related writings: “Logic, Explainability and the Future of Understanding” (2018) » “The...
9th Jan 2025
161

Who Can Understand the Proof? A Window on Formalized Mathematics

from Stephen Wolfram Writings [alt+shift+b] in science

9th Jan 2025
Related writings: “Logic, Explainability and the Future of Understanding” (2018) » “The Physicalization of Metamathematics and Its Implications for the Foundations of Mathematics” (2022) » “Computational Knowledge and the Future of Pure Mathematics” (2014) » The Simplest Axiom...
Making energy too cheap to meter The great slowdown began when we started rationing energy. Restarting progress means getting energy...
12th Oct 2022
1

Making energy too cheap to meter

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

12th Oct 2022
The great slowdown began when we started rationing energy. Restarting progress means getting energy that is so abundant that it’s almost free.
$\mathsf{B}\text{Diff}(\Sigma)$ Classifies $\Sigma$-bundles I’ve been trying to learn all about topological (quantum) field theories, the cobordism hypothesis,...
21st Dec 2024
120

$\mathsf{B}\text{Diff}(\Sigma)$ Classifies $\Sigma$-bundles

from Chris Grossack's Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

21st Dec 2024
I’ve been trying to learn all about topological (quantum) field theories, the cobordism hypothesis, and how to use $(\infty,n)$-categories. This is all in service of some stuff I’m doing with skein algebras (which are part of a “$3+1$ TQFT” often named after Crane–Yetter, but...
Sea Monkeys, Jupiter, and the Mystery of Turbulence Turbulence is all around us: bumping our planes, roiling our rivers, swirling milk into our coffee....
3 weeks ago
3

Sea Monkeys, Jupiter, and the Mystery of Turbulence

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

3 weeks ago
Turbulence is all around us: bumping our planes, roiling our rivers, swirling milk into our coffee. These systems quickly become extremely chaotic and complex. On this episode of The Quanta Podcast, host Samir Patel speaks with contributing writer Stephen Ornes about a recent...
How the 'Diamond of the Plant World' Helped Land Plants Evolve Structural studies of the robust material called sporopollenin reveal how it made plants hardy...
9th Nov 2022
1

How the 'Diamond of the Plant World' Helped Land Plants Evolve

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

9th Nov 2022
Structural studies of the robust material called sporopollenin reveal how it made plants hardy enough to reproduce on dry land. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Redwood Trail” by Audionautix.
Let gravity do its work One day, early this spring, I found myself in a hotel elevator with three other people. The cohort...
13th May 2024
147

Let gravity do its work

from Quantum Frontiers [alt+shift+b] in science

13th May 2024
One day, early this spring, I found myself in a hotel elevator with three other people. The cohort consisted of two theoretical physicists, one computer scientist, and what appeared to be a normal person. I pressed the elevator’s 4 button, … Continue reading →
Colombia: Santa Marta Mountains And Caribbean Coast I have recently returned from an excellent tour of northern Colombia for Quest Nature Tours. This...
4th Apr 2026
1

Colombia: Santa Marta Mountains And Caribbean Coast

from Explorations of an Ecologist [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Apr 2026
I have recently returned from an excellent tour of northern Colombia for Quest Nature Tours. This was my fourth time guiding for Quest here, in the birdiest country in the world. Birdiest may be a bold claim, but eBird shows 1,956 species recorded for Colombia, while the...
Fine, let’s talk about peptides | Out-Of-Pocket What and why are people injecting themselves?
5th May 2026
1

Fine, let’s talk about peptides | Out-Of-Pocket

from Out-of-Pocket Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

5th May 2026
What and why are people injecting themselves?
Stewart Brand: Rethinking Green ### Globalizing Green Brand built his case for rethinking environmental goals and methods on two...
10th Oct 2009
1

Stewart Brand: Rethinking Green

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Oct 2009
### Globalizing Green Brand built his case for rethinking environmental goals and methods on two major changes going on in the world. The one that most people still don't take into consideration is that power is shifting to the developing world, where 5 out of 6 people live,...
Smalltalk Blew Steve Jobs’s Mind Late in 1979, Steve Jobs and other colleagues from Apple visited the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center...
1st Mar 2023
58

Smalltalk Blew Steve Jobs’s Mind

from IEEE Spectrum [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Mar 2023
Late in 1979, Steve Jobs and other colleagues from Apple visited the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). There they were introduced to the experimental Alto computer and the Smalltalk language and computing environment, developed by Alan Kay’s Learning Research Group....
A Brief History of the World’s First Planetarium In 1912, Oskar von Miller, an electrical engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum, had an idea:...
1st May 2024
143

A Brief History of the World’s First Planetarium

from IEEE Spectrum [alt+shift+b] in science

1st May 2024
In 1912, Oskar von Miller, an electrical engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum, had an idea: Could you project an artificial starry sky onto a dome, as a way of demonstrating astronomical principles to the public? It was such a novel concept that when von Miller approached...
Geoffrey B West: The Universal Laws of Growth and Pace ## Why cities live forever **West focussed on cities** in his discussion of the newly discovered...
24th May 2017
1

Geoffrey B West: The Universal Laws of Growth and Pace

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

24th May 2017
## Why cities live forever **West focussed on cities** in his discussion of the newly discovered exponential scaling laws that govern everything alive. “We live,” he said, “in an exponentially expanding socio-economic universe.” Global urbanization has reached the point that...
Why Am I Left-Handed? Why are only 10% of people left-handed? Geneticists, developmental biologists, neuroscientists, and...
4th Aug 2026
1

Why Am I Left-Handed?

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

4th Aug 2026
Why are only 10% of people left-handed? Geneticists, developmental biologists, neuroscientists, and evolutionary biologists have all sought explanations, resulting in an astronomical amount of research into the mystery of handedness. No one has put all the pieces together yet,...
Speciesquest 2026 A multiplayer distributed game where you find as many species in a year as you can.
31st Dec 2025
2

Speciesquest 2026

from Eukaryote Writes Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

31st Dec 2025
A multiplayer distributed game where you find as many species in a year as you can.
Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in...
14th Jan 2016
1

Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Jan 2016
Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in the field. The post Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse first appeared on Quanta Magazine
A Cold War Kit for Surviving a Nuclear Attack On 29 August 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its first nuclear weapon. Over the next year...
1st Aug 2025
47

A Cold War Kit for Surviving a Nuclear Attack

from IEEE Spectrum [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Aug 2025
On 29 August 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its first nuclear weapon. Over the next year and a half, U.S. President Harry S. Truman resurrected the Office of Civilian Defense (which had been abolished at the end of World War II) and signed into law the Federal Civil...
Caves on Mars Recently, in social media posts, Dr. Pascal Lee of the SETI Institute discussed the intriguing caves...
24th Nov 2024
85

Caves on Mars

from Andrew Fraknoi – Astronomy Lectures – Astronomy Education Resources [alt+shift+b] in science

24th Nov 2024
Recently, in social media posts, Dr. Pascal Lee of the SETI Institute discussed the intriguing caves on the side of the giant martian volcano called Arsia Mons as interesting places for future exploration and even human residences. As it happens, my very first published...
A Month In Northern Peru, Part 15: More From Explorama Lodge (February 20 - 21, 2024) February 20, 2024 A Great Potoo was the first bird I heard this morning shortly after my alarm went...
1st Feb 2025
49

A Month In Northern Peru, Part 15: More From Explorama Lodge (February 20 - 21, 2024)

from Explorations of an Ecologist [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Feb 2025
February 20, 2024 A Great Potoo was the first bird I heard this morning shortly after my alarm went off at 5:00 AM. It was going to be a good day.  At dinner the previous night Luis, Laura and I had come up with a plan for our full day at Explorama Lodge. We would begin by taking...
India Says Its Grasslands Are 'Wastelands.' Medieval Folklore Suggests Otherwise The sprawling grasslands of western India are, in the popular imagination, the remains of woodlands...
2nd Feb 2026
1
2nd Feb 2026
The sprawling grasslands of western India are, in the popular imagination, the remains of woodlands that were leveled under British rule — areas to be reforested, rather than conserved. But a recent analysis of stories, songs, and poems from centuries past reveals that western...
Make your PR process resilient to AI slop One concern I have heard from AI naysayers is that AI slop will make code reviews nearly impossible....
24th Dec 2025
1

Make your PR process resilient to AI slop

from pcloadletter [alt+shift+b] in science

24th Dec 2025
One concern I have heard from AI naysayers is that AI slop will make code reviews nearly impossible. AI churns out so much code, documentation, etc. that it's just impossible for any reviewer to keep up with it... right? Wrong! If you have good PR review processes, then reviewing...
A Month In Northern Peru, Part 8: Pale-billed Antpittas In The Elfin Forest (February 10, 2024) February 10, 2024 The Pale-billed Antpitta is a large, fancy-looking Grallaria antpitta only found...
8th Jun 2024
23

A Month In Northern Peru, Part 8: Pale-billed Antpittas In The Elfin Forest (February 10, 2024)

from Explorations of an Ecologist [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Jun 2024
February 10, 2024 The Pale-billed Antpitta is a large, fancy-looking Grallaria antpitta only found in the high Andes of northern Peru. Because of its proclivity towards dense forest with an abundance of bamboo, there are few places where this species can be easily found. These...
Euclid Space Telescope Delivers Great Images The first images are coming in from the new Euclid Space Telescope and they are spectacular. The...
8th Nov 2023
42

Euclid Space Telescope Delivers Great Images

from Andrew Fraknoi – Astronomy Lectures – Astronomy Education Resources [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Nov 2023
The first images are coming in from the new Euclid Space Telescope and they are spectacular. The post Euclid Space Telescope Delivers Great Images appeared first on Andrew Fraknoi - Astronomy Lectures - Astronomy Education Resources.
Larry Brilliant, Richard Rockefeller, & Katherine Fulton: The Deeper News About the New... ### Philanthropic stamina 10,000 families in the US, Katherine Fulton reported, have assets of $100...
4th Nov 2006
1
4th Nov 2006
### Philanthropic stamina 10,000 families in the US, Katherine Fulton reported, have assets of $100 million or more. That's up from 7,000 just a couple years ago. Most of that money is "on the sidelines." The poor and the middle class are far more generous in their philanthropy,...
14,000 Photos of Army Uniforms and Rations from the 70s and 80s An incredible archive of 14,000 photos of Army uniforms, military gear and rations from the 70s and...
20th Nov 2024
123

14,000 Photos of Army Uniforms and Rations from the 70s and 80s

from Beautiful Public Data [alt+shift+b] in science

20th Nov 2024
An incredible archive of 14,000 photos of Army uniforms, military gear and rations from the 70s and 80s.
George Dyson: No Time Is There ### The digital big bang When the digital universe began, in 1951 in New Jersey, it was just 5...
20th Mar 2013
1

George Dyson: No Time Is There

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

20th Mar 2013
### The digital big bang When the digital universe began, in 1951 in New Jersey, it was just 5 kilobytes in size. "That's just half a second of MP3 audio now," said Dyson. The place was the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. The builder was engineer Julian Bigelow. The...
The United States Frequency Allocation Chart This crazy, beautiful chart illustrates the incredible complexity of managing one of our nation’s...
6th Feb 2023
99

The United States Frequency Allocation Chart

from Beautiful Public Data [alt+shift+b] in science

6th Feb 2023
This crazy, beautiful chart illustrates the incredible complexity of managing one of our nation’s most crucial – and invisible – national assets: the radio spectrum.
How the Computer Graphics Industry Got Started at the University of Utah Animation has come a long way since 1900, when J. Stuart Blackton created The Enchanted Drawing, the...
9th Jun 2023
30

How the Computer Graphics Industry Got Started at the University of Utah

from IEEE Spectrum [alt+shift+b] in science

9th Jun 2023
Animation has come a long way since 1900, when J. Stuart Blackton created The Enchanted Drawing, the earliest known animated film. The 90-second movie was created using stop-motion techniques, as flat characters, props, and backgrounds were drawn on an easel or made from...
Machines Learn Better if We Teach Them the Basics A wave of research improves reinforcement learning algorithms by pre-training them as if they were...
5th Jul 2023
1

Machines Learn Better if We Teach Them the Basics

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

5th Jul 2023
A wave of research improves reinforcement learning algorithms by pre-training them as if they were human. Read more at QuantaMagazine.org. Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod.
2024 Healthcare Predictions, Out-Of-Pocket Style | Out-Of-Pocket I'm not a fortune teller, I'm a fortune, teller
12th Dec 2023
50

2024 Healthcare Predictions, Out-Of-Pocket Style | Out-Of-Pocket

from Out-of-Pocket Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

12th Dec 2023
I'm not a fortune teller, I'm a fortune, teller
South Pole Water Infrastructure Fresh water from snow, at 70 below!
8th Jun 2024
146

South Pole Water Infrastructure

from brr [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Jun 2024
Fresh water from snow, at 70 below!
Paul Hawken: The Long Green ### The long green The environmental movement has moved on. It has become so deep and wide that it...
16th Oct 2004
1

Paul Hawken: The Long Green

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

16th Oct 2004
### The long green The environmental movement has moved on. It has become so deep and wide that it adds up to something new entirely, still unnamed. Whatever it is, it is now the largest movement in the world and the least ideological. Driven by science and patience, it is...
Dmitry Orlov: Social Collapse Best Practices ### Managing social collapse With vintage Russian black humor, Orlov described the social collapse...
14th Feb 2009
1

Dmitry Orlov: Social Collapse Best Practices

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Feb 2009
### Managing social collapse With vintage Russian black humor, Orlov described the social collapse he witnessed in Russia in the 1990s and spelled out its practical lessons for the American social collapse he sees as inevitable. The American economy in the 1990s described itself...
To Conquer the Primary Energy Consumption Layer of Our Entire Civilization [Originally posted on the Terraform blog April 3, 2025.] Three years ago we set out to make cheap...
8th Apr 2025
81

To Conquer the Primary Energy Consumption Layer of Our Entire Civilization

from Casey Handmer's blog [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Apr 2025
[Originally posted on the Terraform blog April 3, 2025.] Three years ago we set out to make cheap synthetic natural gas from sunlight and air. At the time I didn’t fully appreciate that we had kicked off the process of recompiling the foundation layer of our entire industrial...
James Nestor: Humanity and the Deep Ocean In _[DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells us about...
1st Feb 2018
1

James Nestor: Humanity and the Deep Ocean

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Feb 2018
In _[DEEP: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells us about Ourselves](https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Freediving-Renegade-Science-Ourselves/dp/0547985525)_ James Nestor follows extreme athletes, adventurers, and scientists as they plumb the limits of the ocean's...
Emily Levine & Jill Tarter: Long Conversation 4 of 19 **This is one conversation out of the 19 that took place as part of the Long Conversation.[Media...
16th Oct 2010
1

Emily Levine & Jill Tarter: Long Conversation 4 of 19

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

16th Oct 2010
**This is one conversation out of the 19 that took place as part of the Long Conversation.[Media links for the other Conversations are available here.](https://longnow.org/seminars/02010/oct/16/long-conversation/)** Long Conversation, an epic relay of one-to-one conversations...
How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure Kidneys sniff out signals from gut bacteria for cues to lower blood pressure after meals. Our...
10th May 2018
1

How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

10th May 2018
Kidneys sniff out signals from gut bacteria for cues to lower blood pressure after meals. Our understanding of how the symbiotic microbes affect health is becoming much more molecular. The post How Bacteria Help Regulate Blood Pressure first appeared on Quanta...
Progress for progressives I was invited to speak at the Festival of Progressive Abundance, a conference to rally around...
2nd Feb 2026
0

Progress for progressives

from The Roots of Progress [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Feb 2026
I was invited to speak at the Festival of Progressive Abundance, a conference to rally around “abundance” as a new direction for the political left. This is a writeup of what I said: my message to the left. Thank you for having me—it’s great to be here. I’m the founder and...
Why we didn’t get a malaria vaccine sooner Hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria each year, but it took 141 years to develop a...
7th Sep 2023
1

Why we didn’t get a malaria vaccine sooner

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Sep 2023
Hundreds of thousands of people die from malaria each year, but it took 141 years to develop a vaccine for it. Advance market commitments could speed things up next time.
Silicon Valley’s Gold Rush Roots Silicon Valley, purveyor of disruptive technologies, likes to think of itself as sui generis. But...
1st Apr 2024
25

Silicon Valley’s Gold Rush Roots

from Asterisk [alt+shift+b] in science

1st Apr 2024
Silicon Valley, purveyor of disruptive technologies, likes to think of itself as sui generis. But there’s a clear line from tech’s knowledge economy to the Bay Area’s first economy: gold mining.
Raoul Adamchak & Pamela Ronald: Organically Grown and Genetically Engineered: The Food of the Future ### Engineered organic Organic farming teacher Raoul began the joint presentation with a checklist...
29th Jul 2009
1
29th Jul 2009
### Engineered organic Organic farming teacher Raoul began the joint presentation with a checklist for truly sustainable agriculture in a global context. It must: Provide abundant safe and nutritious food…. Reduce environmentally harmful inputs…. Reduce energy use and...
California’s path to redemption California is by far the richest and most powerful polity led by Progressive ideals, and it has...
2nd Mar 2025
57

California’s path to redemption

from Casey Handmer's blog [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Mar 2025
California is by far the richest and most powerful polity led by Progressive ideals, and it has taken a beating of late. In this post, I discuss a practical roadmap by which California must reclaim its mantle as the shining city on the hill, an embodiment of the positive...
The Refugee Reality: Thinking Long-term About the Evolving Global Challenge With a complex and truly global problem like this, we can only scratch the surface in an hour. But...
1st Oct 2017
1
1st Oct 2017
With a complex and truly global problem like this, we can only scratch the surface in an hour. But we hoped to reframe some aspects and include perspectives not always heard. What's certain is this is a long-term problem that has been ongoing and looks likely to worsen due to...
Utah Highway LiDAR Scans Utah's Department of Transportation uses state-of-the-art 3-D laser scanners to capture the surfaces...
3rd Oct 2022
56

Utah Highway LiDAR Scans

from Beautiful Public Data [alt+shift+b] in science

3rd Oct 2022
Utah's Department of Transportation uses state-of-the-art 3-D laser scanners to capture the surfaces and area surrounding 15,000 miles of its roads.
Analytic Combinatorics -- A Worked Example Another day, another blog post that starts with “I was on mse the other day…”. This time, someone...
8th Apr 2025
98

Analytic Combinatorics -- A Worked Example

from Chris Grossack's Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

8th Apr 2025
Another day, another blog post that starts with “I was on mse the other day…”. This time, someone asked an interesting question amounting to “how many unordered rooted ternary trees with $n$ nodes are there, up to isomorphism?”. I’m a sucker for these kinds of combinatorial...
Eric Debrah Otchere: Sonic Spaces Eric Debrah Otchere's research revolves around the power of music in the context of work; covering...
10th Feb 2023
1

Eric Debrah Otchere: Sonic Spaces

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Feb 2023
Eric Debrah Otchere's research revolves around the power of music in the context of work; covering an ambitious range from ethnographic research on Ghanaian indigenous fishing culture to personalized musical preferences via modern technology. Throughout history, the power of...
Rosabeth Moss Kanter: Enduring Principles for Changing Times ### Principles against panic "Everything looks like a failure in the middle." Any new enterprise,...
10th Nov 2007
1

Rosabeth Moss Kanter: Enduring Principles for Changing Times

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Nov 2007
### Principles against panic "Everything looks like a failure in the middle." Any new enterprise, Kanter explained, encounters roadblocks. As the obstacles multiply, the situation looks hopeless. That's when deeply held principles and the long view are most needed to get you...
Gavin Newsom & Stewart Brand: Cities and Time ### Sustainable Cities Mayor Newsom began with how moved he was by hosting the UN's World...
9th Apr 2009
1

Gavin Newsom & Stewart Brand: Cities and Time

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

9th Apr 2009
### Sustainable Cities Mayor Newsom began with how moved he was by hosting the UN's World Environment Day in San Francisco in 2005. For that event, which was called "Green Cities - Plan for the Planet!", he invited 120 mayors from around the world. Days of intense discussion...
The Incredible Shrinking Sex Chromosome Nature offers species a panoply of ways to determine an organism’s sex. That flexibility suggests we...
10th Dec 2015
1

The Incredible Shrinking Sex Chromosome

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Dec 2015
Nature offers species a panoply of ways to determine an organism’s sex. That flexibility suggests we need not be concerned about losing sex chromosomes, but it raises the question of why such a fundamental property is so variable. The post The Incredible Shrinking Sex...
Plastic archeology The history, science and engineering of Lego bricks, on the cusp between trash and treasure.
20th Nov 2023
38

Plastic archeology

from Interaction Magic - George Cave [alt+shift+b] in science

20th Nov 2023
The history, science and engineering of Lego bricks, on the cusp between trash and treasure.
Peter Calthorpe: Urban Planet Throughout Peter Calthorpe's decade-spanning career in urban design, planning, and architecture, he...
6th Aug 2020
1

Peter Calthorpe: Urban Planet

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

6th Aug 2020
Throughout Peter Calthorpe's decade-spanning career in urban design, planning, and architecture, he has developed and practiced the key principles of [New Urbanism](https://www.cnu.org/resources/what-new-urbanism): that the most successful places are diverse in uses and users,...
A.I., Wine, and Beer There have been many studies using scientific instrumentation, mostly gas chromatography, in...
10th Jun 2024
26

A.I., Wine, and Beer

from Tikalon Blog by Dev Gualtieri [alt+shift+b] in science

10th Jun 2024
There have been many studies using scientific instrumentation, mostly gas chromatography, in attempts to find what distinguishes a superb wine from an inexpensive house wine. A typical wine can contain more than 800 different aroma compounds. One study examined two Australian...
Against the survival of the prettiest Many modern buildings put up today seem uglier than traditional ones around them. Some say this is...
21st Jan 2022
1

Against the survival of the prettiest

from Works in Progress RSS Feed [alt+shift+b] in science

21st Jan 2022
Many modern buildings put up today seem uglier than traditional ones around them. Some say this is because we’ve torn down the ugly old buildings, and only see the survivors. Are they right?
Culture Club: Time to let the cetaceans in? Up until recently, culture has been thought of as a primarily human characteristic. However, recent...
29th Jul 2021
51

Culture Club: Time to let the cetaceans in?

from Marine Madness [alt+shift+b] in science

29th Jul 2021
Up until recently, culture has been thought of as a primarily human characteristic. However, recent studies shine a light on the fact that non-human animals including Cetaceans (dolphins and whales), may also possess it. They live in tightly-knit social communities, exhibit...
A Nihilist's Guide to Meaning I've never been plagued by the big existential questions. You know, like What's my purpose? or What...
11th Jul 2016
35

A Nihilist's Guide to Meaning

from Melting Asphalt [alt+shift+b] in science

11th Jul 2016
I've never been plagued by the big existential questions. You know, like What's my purpose? or What does it all mean? Growing up I was a very science-minded kid — still am — and from an early age I learned… Read more ›
Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Slow ### On taking thought Before a packed house, Kahneman began with the distinction between what he...
14th Aug 2013
1

Daniel Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Slow

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Aug 2013
### On taking thought Before a packed house, Kahneman began with the distinction between what he calls mental “System 1”---fast thinking, intuition---and “System 2”---slow thinking, careful consideration and calculation. System 1 operates on the illusory principle: _What you see...
The last design you'll ever make Designing from cradle to grave is no longer good enough. We need to postpone that grave as long as...
7th Dec 2021
23

The last design you'll ever make

from Interaction Magic - George Cave [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Dec 2021
Designing from cradle to grave is no longer good enough. We need to postpone that grave as long as possible. This is how to design for a right to repair.
Ed Moses: Clean Fusion Power This Decade ### Imminent fusion power All the light we see from the sky, Moses pointed out, comes from fusion...
17th Jun 2010
1

Ed Moses: Clean Fusion Power This Decade

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

17th Jun 2010
### Imminent fusion power All the light we see from the sky, Moses pointed out, comes from fusion power burning hydrogen, the commonest element in the universe---3/4 of all mass. A byproduct of the cosmic fusion is the star-stuff that we and the Earth are made of. On Earth, 4...
Ramez Naam: Enhancing Humans, Advancing Humanity ### Enhancing humans and humanity Beginning with the accelerating pace of biotech tools for human...
23rd Jul 2015
1

Ramez Naam: Enhancing Humans, Advancing Humanity

from Long Now [alt+shift+b] in science

23rd Jul 2015
### Enhancing humans and humanity Beginning with the accelerating pace of biotech tools for human health and enhancement, Naam noted that health issues such as disease prevention will be drastically easier to implement than enhancement. Preventing some hereditary diseases can be...
South Pole Topography The relentless accumulation (and management) of snow.
27th Jan 2023
60

South Pole Topography

from brr [alt+shift+b] in science

27th Jan 2023
The relentless accumulation (and management) of snow.
The Spirit We Lost, part 1 Previously: The Unlimited Horizon, part 1 and part 2. On a fine day late in May, 1883, hundreds of...
30th Sep 2025
1

The Spirit We Lost, part 1

from The Roots of Progress [alt+shift+b] in science

30th Sep 2025
Previously: The Unlimited Horizon, part 1 and part 2. On a fine day late in May, 1883, hundreds of thousands of people gathered along the East River in New York City for a grand celebration.1 Perhaps a hundred thousand came from outside the city: by train, by boat, by wagon from...
1
14th Mar 2017
## Doing Good Better [![](https://media.longnow.org/files/2/lomborghaiti520w.jpg)](https://media.longnow.org/files/2/lomborghaiti.jpg) **Lomborg opened with a photo from Haiti** , showing a young girl dressed for school wading through the muck and garbage of a slum, with pigs...
The “I Already Get It” Slide Followup to: Words as Mental Paintbrush Handles, Guessing The Teacher’s Password Jessica Taylor...
31st Jan 2017
1

The “I Already Get It” Slide

from John Salvatier [alt+shift+b] in science

31st Jan 2017
Followup to: Words as Mental Paintbrush Handles, Guessing The Teacher’s Password Jessica Taylor recently wrote a description of Paul Christiano’s and MIRI’s differing driving intuitions for thinking about the AI alignment problem. Jacob Steinhardt observes that the “do cognitive...
GOES Video of Solar Eclipse – October 14, 2023 Solar eclipses have fascinated humanity since ancient times and the annular eclipse of October 14,...
14th Oct 2023
71

GOES Video of Solar Eclipse – October 14, 2023

from Drew Ex Machina [alt+shift+b] in science

14th Oct 2023
Solar eclipses have fascinated humanity since ancient times and the annular eclipse of October 14, 2023 was no different. Unlike a total solar eclipse where the […]
The Dream: The First Probe to the Moon The past decade or so has seen a marked increase in interest to reach the Moon for exploration as...
2nd Jan 2024
47

The Dream: The First Probe to the Moon

from Drew Ex Machina [alt+shift+b] in science

2nd Jan 2024
The past decade or so has seen a marked increase in interest to reach the Moon for exploration as well as the potential exploitation of its […]
Milestone Experiment Proves Quantum Communication Really Is Faster In a Paris lab, researchers have shown for the first time that quantum methods of transmitting...
7th Nov 2019
1

Milestone Experiment Proves Quantum Communication Really Is Faster

from The Quanta Podcast [alt+shift+b] in science

7th Nov 2019
In a Paris lab, researchers have shown for the first time that quantum methods of transmitting information are superior to classical ones. The post Milestone Experiment Proves Quantum Communication Really Is Faster first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Proving Another "Real Theorem" with Topos Theory Another day, another post that starts with “So I was on mse…”, lol. Somebody asked whether...
25th Mar 2024
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Proving Another "Real Theorem" with Topos Theory

from Chris Grossack's Blog [alt+shift+b] in science

25th Mar 2024
Another day, another post that starts with “So I was on mse…”, lol. Somebody asked whether maximizing over a compact set is a continuous thing to do. That is, given a continuous function $f : K \times X \to \mathbb{R}$ is the function $x \mapsto \max_{k \in K} f(k,x)$...
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