Lo sappiamo tutti che viviamo in un universo in scatola, no? È un po' come quelle prove dell'esistenza di Dio, che non provano nulla ma da un punto di vista logico ammazzano una generazione: se possiamo immaginarlo, allora non possiamo escludere che sia successo. Figuriamoci se possiamo farlo anche noi...
Money quote: "At the other end of the philosophical spectrum, I met with Don Page, a physicist and evangelical Christian at the University of Alberta in Canada, noted for his early collaboration with Stephen Hawking on the nature of black holes. To Page, the salient point is that God created the Universe ex nihilo – from absolutely nothing. The kind of cosmogenesis envisioned by Linde, in contrast, would require physicists to cook up their cosmos in a highly technical laboratory, using a far more powerful cousin of the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva. It would also require a seed particle called a ‘monopole’ (which is hypothesised to exist by some models of physics, but has yet to be found)."
https://aeon.co/ideas/the-idea-of-creating-a-new-universe-in-the-lab-is-no-joke
Money quote: "At the other end of the philosophical spectrum, I met with Don Page, a physicist and evangelical Christian at the University of Alberta in Canada, noted for his early collaboration with Stephen Hawking on the nature of black holes. To Page, the salient point is that God created the Universe ex nihilo – from absolutely nothing. The kind of cosmogenesis envisioned by Linde, in contrast, would require physicists to cook up their cosmos in a highly technical laboratory, using a far more powerful cousin of the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva. It would also require a seed particle called a ‘monopole’ (which is hypothesised to exist by some models of physics, but has yet to be found)."
https://aeon.co/ideas/the-idea-of-creating-a-new-universe-in-the-lab-is-no-joke
Aeon
The idea of creating a new universe in the lab is no joke
Where physicists fear to tread: creating a universe in the lab is a theoretical possibility with staggering implications
Alla fine, la creatività non ha bisogno di particolari oggetti, dice questo buon uomo, che uccide in un colpo solo milioni di acquirenti di Leica, Moleskine, iPad, MacBook, etc.
Money quote: "Do you know what my favorite tool is for drawing cartoons? It’s not the Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brush. Nor is it the Hunt 107 pen nib.
Heck, I have a diverse collection of fountain pens, brushes, nibs and quality inks. I also have an iPad Pro with the Procreate app, which makes it super easy to draw and color digital cartoons.
But every time, the tool that brings me the most pleasure is the lowly ballpoint pen. I’m not even particular about the brand, but lean toward a Bic, in black ink."
https://artplusmarketing.com/the-stunning-power-of-simplicity-for-your-creative-growth-2bd331ac3b09
Money quote: "Do you know what my favorite tool is for drawing cartoons? It’s not the Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brush. Nor is it the Hunt 107 pen nib.
Heck, I have a diverse collection of fountain pens, brushes, nibs and quality inks. I also have an iPad Pro with the Procreate app, which makes it super easy to draw and color digital cartoons.
But every time, the tool that brings me the most pleasure is the lowly ballpoint pen. I’m not even particular about the brand, but lean toward a Bic, in black ink."
https://artplusmarketing.com/the-stunning-power-of-simplicity-for-your-creative-growth-2bd331ac3b09
ART + marketing
The Stunning Power of Simplicity for Your Creative Growth
Do you know what my favorite tool is for drawing cartoons? It’s not the Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brush. Nor is it the Hunt 107 pen nib.
Lei è furba, al di là di tutto, ma i temi che solleva sono interessanti. Questa idea che una donna possa emanciparsi emotivamente tramite la professione del sesso a pagamento rispetto al sesso romantico di coppia è astuta ma anche molto molto criticabile.
Money quote: “I have an every-Tuesday man who brings me gifts in the strip club where I still dance topless. Never jewelry or Gucci bags — things most strippers want so we can flip them for cash to pay rent and bills — but paintings with heavy frames and, on a different week, a large Ziploc full of matches”
https://medium.com/s/story/im-a-celibate-sex-worker-230f70425e12
Money quote: “I have an every-Tuesday man who brings me gifts in the strip club where I still dance topless. Never jewelry or Gucci bags — things most strippers want so we can flip them for cash to pay rent and bills — but paintings with heavy frames and, on a different week, a large Ziploc full of matches”
https://medium.com/s/story/im-a-celibate-sex-worker-230f70425e12
Medium
I’m a Celibate Sex Worker
Sex work has given me personal agency. Romantic love and dating have often taken it away.
Lettura per la domenica. La storia (poco nota) degli ebrei sfuggiti alle persecuzioni naziste (e all’Olocausto) rifugiandosi a Shanghai. Apre squarci sulle dinamiche assurde dell'epoca nazista.
Money quote: “In fact, until 1941 when the routes immigrants used to get to Shanghai were closed off by the war and the Germans decreed that Jews could no longer emigrate from the Reich, Jews in occupied Europe were not only allowed to leave, but were pressured to do so through a system of intimidation and force. Although they didn’t make it easy, the Nazi party, eager to implement their plan to rid Europe of its Jewish population—to make it judenrein or “cleansed” of Jews—did allow Jews to leave under certain conditions.”
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/shanghais-jewish-quarter-hongkou
Money quote: “In fact, until 1941 when the routes immigrants used to get to Shanghai were closed off by the war and the Germans decreed that Jews could no longer emigrate from the Reich, Jews in occupied Europe were not only allowed to leave, but were pressured to do so through a system of intimidation and force. Although they didn’t make it easy, the Nazi party, eager to implement their plan to rid Europe of its Jewish population—to make it judenrein or “cleansed” of Jews—did allow Jews to leave under certain conditions.”
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/shanghais-jewish-quarter-hongkou
Atlas Obscura
The Hidden History of Shanghai’s Jewish Quarter
As Hitler rose to power, the city welcomed refugees.
Il punto centrale di questo articolo secondo me è parlare ai cinquantenni. A un ventenne non gliene frega niente. Invece, le cinque cose da fare per vivere di più attirano sempre le persone di mezza età, piene di rimpianti. Detto questo, e notata anche l’estrema banalità delle cinque cose in gioco, è fantastico il modo totalmente quantitativo con cui anche questa volta vengono declinate.
Da leggere nel contesto della considerazione che Linus con Radio Deejay sul tema della salute per chi invecchia ci ha costruito una carriera sopra, prendendo il pubblico di ragazzetti degli anni Ottanta e lentamente portandolo verso l’andropausa a suon di mezze maratone, diete low carb e concerti di Jovanotti. Stesso schema, differenti strumenti e forme retoriche.
Money quote: “They say there's no fountain of youth. But a comprehensive new Harvard University study is the latest report to break down exactly how much extra time you can get yourself on this planet if you follow a small number of positive life habits.
None of these habits will be a surprise, but the stunning part is how the Harvard researchers claim to be able to quantify exactly how much more time you'll likely live: specifically an extra 12.1 years for men, or an extra 14 years for the women.”
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/these-5-habits-literally-add-years-to-your-life-according-to-a-new-harvard-study.html
Da leggere nel contesto della considerazione che Linus con Radio Deejay sul tema della salute per chi invecchia ci ha costruito una carriera sopra, prendendo il pubblico di ragazzetti degli anni Ottanta e lentamente portandolo verso l’andropausa a suon di mezze maratone, diete low carb e concerti di Jovanotti. Stesso schema, differenti strumenti e forme retoriche.
Money quote: “They say there's no fountain of youth. But a comprehensive new Harvard University study is the latest report to break down exactly how much extra time you can get yourself on this planet if you follow a small number of positive life habits.
None of these habits will be a surprise, but the stunning part is how the Harvard researchers claim to be able to quantify exactly how much more time you'll likely live: specifically an extra 12.1 years for men, or an extra 14 years for the women.”
https://www.inc.com/bill-murphy-jr/these-5-habits-literally-add-years-to-your-life-according-to-a-new-harvard-study.html
Inc.com
These 5 Habits Literally Add Years to Your Life, According to a New Harvard Study
Harvard researchers studied the lives of 123,219 men and women over 3 decades, to learn exactly how much extra time good habits can add to your life.
Mueller ci sta mettendo troppo tempo a portare avanti la sua indagine? C’è già in questa suspance un intento persecutorio nei confronti di Trump? Andando a guardare i precedenti, non sembra proprio.
Ovviamente abbiamo sbagliato tutto nella vita. Perché, quando arriva il momento dei bilanci, sono le nostre inazioni, non le azioni, quelle che ci fanno stare male. È la differenza tra rimpianto è rimorso. È una gigantesca falla psicologica, un loop che ci divora tipo buco nero. Provare (a guardarsi dentro) per credere.
Money quote: “ According to psychologist Tom Gilovich, lead author on “The Ideal Road Not Taken,” published in the journal Emotion, our regrets that bother us the most involve failing to live up to our “ideal selves.” Basically, we’re not as bothered by the mistakes we’ve made or the things we ought to have done as we are bothered by never becoming the person we truly wanted to be. “
Poi, siccome ogni cosa deve essere materialmente fattibile nel mondo del neo pragmatismo e dell’auto aiuto, ecco la solita ricetta per vivere meglio etc etc.
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-avoid-a-life-of-regret-1826928609
Money quote: “ According to psychologist Tom Gilovich, lead author on “The Ideal Road Not Taken,” published in the journal Emotion, our regrets that bother us the most involve failing to live up to our “ideal selves.” Basically, we’re not as bothered by the mistakes we’ve made or the things we ought to have done as we are bothered by never becoming the person we truly wanted to be. “
Poi, siccome ogni cosa deve essere materialmente fattibile nel mondo del neo pragmatismo e dell’auto aiuto, ecco la solita ricetta per vivere meglio etc etc.
https://lifehacker.com/how-to-avoid-a-life-of-regret-1826928609
Lifehacker
How to Avoid a Life of Regret
What is it you’ll regret most about your life when your time is up? Failure to fulfill your duty and obligations? Or the failure to follow your dreams? New research from Cornell University suggests our biggest regrets have nothing to do with our responsibilities…
Le scuole di scrittura creativa, quando sanno fare il loro mestiere, sono fantastiche. Anche perché si appoggiano sulla meccanicità della scrittura e sulla capacità degli esseri umani di ricostruire il senso, un qualunque senso, a posteriori.
Questo esercizio per creare descrizioni e metafore efficaci è semplicemente delizioso. Magari non vi cambia la vita, ma vi rende più consapevoli della tecnica, al di là dell’ispirazione.
Money quote: “You know what it is. It’s those denoscriptions that you read in other’s writing that make your jaw drop. The eloquently put and beautiful, but unorthodox, metaphors that almost shouldn’t work but do. It’s what makes the writer unique, giving you something you’ve never read before.“
https://medium.com/@carlymaedee/a-life-changing-exercise-to-make-you-a-better-writer-bf8b04932c8b
Questo esercizio per creare descrizioni e metafore efficaci è semplicemente delizioso. Magari non vi cambia la vita, ma vi rende più consapevoli della tecnica, al di là dell’ispirazione.
Money quote: “You know what it is. It’s those denoscriptions that you read in other’s writing that make your jaw drop. The eloquently put and beautiful, but unorthodox, metaphors that almost shouldn’t work but do. It’s what makes the writer unique, giving you something you’ve never read before.“
https://medium.com/@carlymaedee/a-life-changing-exercise-to-make-you-a-better-writer-bf8b04932c8b
Medium
A Life-Changing Exercise to Make You a Better Writer
I recently went to a non fiction writing conference, I traveled all the way to Pittsburgh from Scio, OR for three days of inspiration.
Secondo me la cultura di Facebook non è del tutto normale
Money quote: "Let us consider a concrete example. When we are getting close to launching products at Facebook we often move the product team out of our usual open floor plan and into a room so they can coordinate in even tighter loops. As a rapidly growing company, it can sometimes be hard to find the space for these so-called war rooms. Before the launch of our games platform we needed to move more people into a war room than could possibly fit in any floor plan. Not to be defeated, the team came in over the weekend and built a loft which could support desks on two levels. This is classic hacking. The team solved a problem on a dimension, quite literally, that was unexpected: when you think of a floor plan you think of width and depth, not height"
http://boz.com/articles/the-hacker-way.html
Money quote: "Let us consider a concrete example. When we are getting close to launching products at Facebook we often move the product team out of our usual open floor plan and into a room so they can coordinate in even tighter loops. As a rapidly growing company, it can sometimes be hard to find the space for these so-called war rooms. Before the launch of our games platform we needed to move more people into a war room than could possibly fit in any floor plan. Not to be defeated, the team came in over the weekend and built a loft which could support desks on two levels. This is classic hacking. The team solved a problem on a dimension, quite literally, that was unexpected: when you think of a floor plan you think of width and depth, not height"
http://boz.com/articles/the-hacker-way.html
Boz
The Hacker Way
At its core, hacking is an approach to problem solving. It is both humble and optimistic in its conviction that anything that has been built, including by the hacker herself, can be improved. It believes that a good solution today is better than a great solution…
Flirtare con un libro, anzi con la vostra foto mentre tenete un libro. Perché no? Se siete di origine anglosassone, lo facevano i vostri trisnonni...
Money quote: "The cards were “flirtations”: coded explanations for how to flirt with the opposite sex, using an item as your prop. In this case, the item was a book. Book leaning against your left cheek? Careful, someone’s watching us. Book on your knee? Let’s talk. Book between your teeth? It’s over."
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/book-flirtation-cards-victorian
Money quote: "The cards were “flirtations”: coded explanations for how to flirt with the opposite sex, using an item as your prop. In this case, the item was a book. Book leaning against your left cheek? Careful, someone’s watching us. Book on your knee? Let’s talk. Book between your teeth? It’s over."
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/book-flirtation-cards-victorian
Atlas Obscura
The Victorian Cards That Explained How to Use a Book to Flirt
"Resting on right cheek: You are too willing."
È arrivato il momento di un iPhone dual sim - il mio articolo per Wired
https://www.wired.it/mobile/smartphone/2018/07/06/iphone-dual-sim/
https://www.wired.it/mobile/smartphone/2018/07/06/iphone-dual-sim/
Wired
È arrivato il momento di un iPhone dual sim
Molti telefoni Android hanno la dual sim, l'iPhone no. Sarebbe meglio se Apple si decidesse a metterla nel prossimo smartphone
Qualcuno fermi la corsa al megapixel delle macchine fotografiche - il mio articolo su Wired
https://www.wired.it/gadget/foto-e-video/2018/07/06/megapixel-macchine-fotografiche/
https://www.wired.it/gadget/foto-e-video/2018/07/06/megapixel-macchine-fotografiche/
WIRED.IT
Qualcuno fermi la corsa al megapixel delle macchine fotografiche
Abbiamo macchine fotografiche da 50 megapixel e più. Ma che senso ha? Le foto non sono più belle o tecnicamente migliori, anzi sono più scomode da usare e spesso qualitativamente peggiori
Forwarded from Scrivere zen
🤝 Non so per te, ma per me spesso le riunioni sono un incubo. Quello che ho imparato è che di solito basta la metà del tempo per dire le cose per cui ci si è tenuti liberi una giornata intera https://thecooperreview.com/10-tricks-appear-smart-meetings/
Avete presente i grafi? Forse conoscete la parola, ma il suo significato, cioè cosa sono e come funzionano? Impariamo i grafi
Money quote: "A graph (as in "graph theory") is a discrete mathematical structure which deals with objects and pairwise relations between them. Graphs have immense applications in various disciplines of science. Knowledge of this subject is essential for mathematics and computer science enthusiasts.
D3 Graph Theory is project aimed at anyone who wants to learn graph theory. It provides quick and interactive introduction to the subject. The visuals used in the project makes it an effective learning tool."
https://mrpandey.github.io/d3graphTheory/index.html
Money quote: "A graph (as in "graph theory") is a discrete mathematical structure which deals with objects and pairwise relations between them. Graphs have immense applications in various disciplines of science. Knowledge of this subject is essential for mathematics and computer science enthusiasts.
D3 Graph Theory is project aimed at anyone who wants to learn graph theory. It provides quick and interactive introduction to the subject. The visuals used in the project makes it an effective learning tool."
https://mrpandey.github.io/d3graphTheory/index.html
D3Gt
D3 Graph Theory - Interactive Graph Theory Tutorials
Graph theory tutorials and visualizations. Interactive, visual, concise and fun. Experience colors jumping in your face.
La storia vera di Asus (e di Taiwan) dopo la trasformazione della Cina in gigante hi-tech - il mio articolo per IlSole-24ORE
http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/tecnologie/2018-07-09/la-storia-vera-asus-e-taiwan-la-trasformazione-dell-cina-gigante-hi-tech-130831.shtml?uuid=AEqLs9IF
http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/tecnologie/2018-07-09/la-storia-vera-asus-e-taiwan-la-trasformazione-dell-cina-gigante-hi-tech-130831.shtml?uuid=AEqLs9IF
Il Sole 24 ORE
La storia vera di Asus (e di Taiwan) dopo la trasformazione dell Cina in gigante hi-tech
Quello che si vede oggi a Taiwan è la conseguenza di quel che è successo in Cina negli ultimi tre anni. La Cina ha cambiato passo
C'è questo tizio, che pensa di scrivere in modo divertente (a tratti ci riesce) che ha fatto una intera IDE dentro Excel, a suon di plugin. Era tutto cominciato per impressionare la sua ragazza e poi, da cosa nasce cosa.
Money quote: "Back in 2014, my girlfriend, let’s call her Anna, was having a hard time dealing with data in Excel files. Anna worked in quality control in a large pharma company. Every month or two, she’d start bringing home this soul-crushing pile of Excel files to work on, often over evenings and weekends. I wasn’t too happy about this since I had other plans for our evenings and weekends, but it did give me a chance to show off my superior tech skills so I wasn’t too sad about it. You might be surprised to learn that in a developer’s life, there aren’t all that many chances to impress girls with your coding skills."
http://blog.querystorm.com/index.php/2018/04/04/whynow/
Money quote: "Back in 2014, my girlfriend, let’s call her Anna, was having a hard time dealing with data in Excel files. Anna worked in quality control in a large pharma company. Every month or two, she’d start bringing home this soul-crushing pile of Excel files to work on, often over evenings and weekends. I wasn’t too happy about this since I had other plans for our evenings and weekends, but it did give me a chance to show off my superior tech skills so I wasn’t too sad about it. You might be surprised to learn that in a developer’s life, there aren’t all that many chances to impress girls with your coding skills."
http://blog.querystorm.com/index.php/2018/04/04/whynow/
QueryStorm Blog
I wandered off and built an IDE - QueryStorm Blog
A few years ago, I set out to build a small Excel plugin to help out my girlfriend at the time. I ended up building a full-blown IDE over the course of four years and spent the winter in Poland in a startup accelerator. How did this happen? As with many great…
Mi ricordo un pomeriggio a Firenze in cui intervistai Nicholas Negroponte per il suo progetto OLPC e una settimana provando il suddetto computer (la foto che Paolo Attivissimo utilizza come icona in cui mostra un OLPC sta usando il mio).
Il ricordo viene fuori dalla lettura di questo articolo, in cui si racconta lo studio fatto da un gruppo di ricercatori sull'uso del computer da parte di bambini poveri nei villaggi del Madagascar
Money quote: "Research shows that using technology in school makes children more engaged with learning. We wanted to know how children in low-income countries use laptops in their everyday lives; in school and after class. To find out, we embarked on a study in a village in Madagascar four years after the project was launched there."
https://theconversation.com/how-kids-in-a-low-income-country-use-laptops-lessons-from-madagascar-93305
Il ricordo viene fuori dalla lettura di questo articolo, in cui si racconta lo studio fatto da un gruppo di ricercatori sull'uso del computer da parte di bambini poveri nei villaggi del Madagascar
Money quote: "Research shows that using technology in school makes children more engaged with learning. We wanted to know how children in low-income countries use laptops in their everyday lives; in school and after class. To find out, we embarked on a study in a village in Madagascar four years after the project was launched there."
https://theconversation.com/how-kids-in-a-low-income-country-use-laptops-lessons-from-madagascar-93305
The Conversation
How kids in a low-income country use laptops: lessons from Madagascar
Laptops have introduced the children of Nosy Komba in Madagascar to previously inaccessible tools.
L'iPad 9.7 è pensato per le scuole. Ma siamo sicuri che sia stato veramente pensato per essere usato dai bambini? Oppure è un riadattamento di un apparecchio con altre finalità?
Money quote: "If iPads were meant for kids, then there would be a way for apps to know what the allowed content ratings are. An app should be able to know that I’ve only allowed G and PG media on the device. The Youtube app wouldn’t need its own rating system, and youtube.com would have some WebKit api to call to know to only allow kid-appropriate videos."
https://davedelong.com/blog/2018/04/06/if-ipads-were-meant-for-kids/
Money quote: "If iPads were meant for kids, then there would be a way for apps to know what the allowed content ratings are. An app should be able to know that I’ve only allowed G and PG media on the device. The Youtube app wouldn’t need its own rating system, and youtube.com would have some WebKit api to call to know to only allow kid-appropriate videos."
https://davedelong.com/blog/2018/04/06/if-ipads-were-meant-for-kids/
Dave DeLong
If iPads were meant for kids
I bought my kids (6 & 8) their own iPads last fall. I’m nice, and I’m fortunate to be able to afford it. However, I’ve come to realize that despite my attempts to spoil my kids, these iPads (and all iOS devices in general) are not meant for kids.