Here is my contribution

TIL that for centuries, numerous African populations were purported to be illiterate by European academics. In fact, they'd been using Ajami for literature and communication. Ajami adapts the Arabic noscript for many African languages, like Roman noscript is used for European ones... [Source]

Good Idea:
Let AI discover medicine for uncurable diseases
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65709834

Bad idea:
Let AI discover chemical weapons
https://www.theverge.com/2022/3/17/22983197/ai-new-possible-chemical-weapons-generative-models-vx

Song of the day 🐍👑: https://open.spotify.com/track/1NFWxLZGaCoGkPh1ce9qIG?si=mUD0mox8TXeEpruIXzOnpA

Das direkte Element der Schweizer Demokratie scheint es mit sich zu bringen, dass man sich gelegentlich von der Politik der Agora im antiken Athen inspieren lässt. Dazu gehörte kürzlich etwa eine - abgelehnte - Volksinitiative zur Bestimmung von Bundesrichtern per Losverfahren. Diesmal soll eine Idee der Antike jedoch Probleme der Gegenwart und Zukunft lösen helfen. Vorgeschlagen wird eine zusätzliche, dritte Parlamentskammer, deren Mitglieder aus der Bevölkerung per Los bestimmt werden. Sie sollen über zukunftsgerichtete Lösungen debattieren und sogar Vetomacht besitzen können.

Song of the day 🖍🔥: https://youtu.be/1R3t7r4zy3A?feature=shared

TIL: A comedian formed the Union of Conscientiously Work-Shy Elements in Denmark as a joke, but he was unexpected elected with 23k votes and won a seat. His promises were better Christmas presents, the right to impotency, more renaissance furniture at IKEA, more bread for ducks, and better weather. [Source]

Du arbeitest, bist aber nicht fest angestellt? Dann stirbst du früher https://www.watson.ch/!398831788

Good Idea: Never Forget!
https://www.electrospaces.net/2023/06/on-10th-anniversary-of-snowden.html

TIL: The U.S. intelligence community actively monitored for decades the diplomatic and military communications of numerous Latin American nations through encryption machines supplied by a Swiss company that was secretly owned by the CIA. [Source]

It was a huge scandal and pretty convenient that the first lockdown happened soon after. Because 3 years after the revelations it seems forgotten even in Switzerland. Ah yeah btw. The German intelligence was also involved.
https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/chile-cyber-vault-intelligence-southern-cone/2020-02-11/cias-minerva-secret

German pov: https://youtu.be/pOkNrvB63pc?feature=shared

Swiss pov: https://youtu.be/VWImO1Qz4Zo?feature=shared

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/national-security/cia-crypto-encryption-machines-espionage/