È morta una grandissima persona: Piero Angela

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piero_Angela

Una volta era una vedova eccellente che faceva beneficienza con una montagna di soldi. Poi Laurene Powell, la vedova di Steve Jobs, ha deciso che poteva fare molto di più. Una storia di un po’ di tempo fa che secondo me ha ancora molto da dire.

Money quote: "In the seven years since the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, his 55-year-old widow, Laurene Powell Jobs, has become one of the most high-profile philanthropists in the world. She’s donated tens of millions to innovative K-12 schools, stepped up her role in her longstanding charity helping underprivileged kids go to college and given multiple grants to investigative journalism outlets, in addition to acquiring a majority stake in the Atlantic magazine.

But Powell Jobs’s main organization, the Emerson Collective, has also become a quiet force in Silicon Valley for its less obviously altruistic investments. Since 2014, Emerson has backed more than 30 startups, according to research firm PitchBook, investing in a range of novel companies making everything from floating data centers to supersonic aircraft. Its portfolio even includes digital bulletin board site Pinterest Inc."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-25/billionaire-laurene-powell-jobs-turned-her-llc-into-a-vc-machine

Auguri a tutto il canale di buon Ferragosto.

Money quote: "Augusto aveva istituzionalizzato feste, dando il nome gli augustali, che già esistevano nei secoli precedenti in questo periodo dell’anno. Erano i Vinalia rustica o i Consualia, appuntamenti legati alla fine dei lavori nelle campagne"

https://www.vanityfair.it/article/perche-si-festeggia-ferragosto

Se non fosse che l'ha scritto una donna (almeno, sembra), sarebbe agghiacciante. E anche così....

Money quote: "A man isn’t going to approach you if he doesn’t find you physically attractive, so I won’t mention those here, but there are other qualities men find attractive that go beyond the physical."

https://npl971975.wordpress.com/2020/06/14/collection-5-non-physical-qualities-men-find-the-most-attractive-in-women/

Devono votare anche gli ignoranti? Un articolo tradotto dal Post che torna di attualità. Ovviamente è una provocazione insostenibile ma fa per certo pensare.

Money quote: "Ricordiamoci che andare a votare per il candidato che ha fatto gli spot elettorali che ci sono piaciuti di più è uno dei compiti più sopravvalutati in una democrazia. Se non avete idea di cosa stia succedendo, anche sottrarre noialtri alla vostra ignoranza è un dovere civico. Purtroppo non ci possiamo fidare di voi. Se il voto è un rito consacrato della democrazia, come spesso sostengono i progressisti, è giusto che la società abbia delle pretese minime su chi vi partecipa; e se la cittadinanza è un valore sacro, come sostengono i conservatori, allora si può pretendere da un potenziale elettore lo stesso livello di informazione di un potenziale cittadino. Introduciamo un test per gli elettori: l’esame di educazione civica usato per ottenere la cittadinanza andrebbe benissimo".

https://www.ilpost.it/2016/05/25/democrazia-voto-ignoranti/

Ci sono una serie di città americane, in totale 71, che stanno pagando preziosi ingegneri del software perché abbandonino la Silicon Valley e vadano a lavorare da loro. È un altro segnale che c'è un vecchio modello che scricchiola sempre di più.

Money quote: “IBM Product Manager Jason Mathew at a coworking space in Tulsa, where, the New York City native says, ‘I’ve felt so loved and known here in ways I never have before.’”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/tech-workers-silicon-valley-move-out-11657918928

Un tizio ha costruito una piscina dietro casa sua per affittarla a ore a gente che si vuole rilassare, nuotare e via dicendo. Sta facendo quasi 90mila dollari all’anno lavorando 14 ore alla settimana.

Money quote: “When Jim Battan spent $110,000 building a luxury pool outside his home in West Linn, Oregon in 2012, he knew he was making an investment.

He couldn’t have known that 10 years later, he’d earn more than enough to pay it off by renting it out to strangers on the internet. Battan says that since September 2020, his pool has hosted roughly 9,000 swimmers through a platform called Swimply, which dubs itself the Airbnb of swimming pools. The result, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It: $177,000 in revenue in less than two years.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/21/swimply-side-hustle-making-money-renting-backyard-pool-to-strangers.html

Mefisto non è morto! - la mia recensione del nuovo capitolo della saga di Mefisto per Fumettologica

https://fumettologica.it/2022/08/tex-742-mefisto-bonelli/

Nel tentativo di educare le masse sul metaverso, Meta ha arruolato la superstar Keke Palmer per aiutare in una nuova serie intitolata "Are We There Yet". Purtroppo, nonostante i loro sforzi per creare un divertente "Metaverso 101", per così dire, le recensioni non sono così gentili. Non ci sta capendo niente neanche lui.

Money quote: Keke “Palmer is (as always) a delight, as is the company's metaverse VP Vishal Shah, who breezily jokes with her while hitting talking points. But as the duo "drives" down a virtual road, passing a floating skateboard the length of a city block and two massive paddles playing ping pong in mid-air, it becomes clear that Meta still has absolutely no idea how to explain its products to normies.”

https://mashable.com/article/meta-keke-palmer-are-we-there-yet

“Do not be careful only about what you wish for. If your actions are not aligned with your values, be careful what you work for as well. Have a plan. Or else you let the plan have you”


Da "Enough" di Patrick Rhone

Un tizio ha avuto un’idea fantastica: spiegare come fa a scrivere un articolo. Segue quattro fasi: si prepara, scrive l’articolo, prepara le foto e poi pubblica il tutto. Genio, no? Chissà qual è il suo segreto per l’igiene orale. Forse prepara il dentifricio, prepara lo spazzolino, si pulisce gli spazi interdentali con il filo e poi si lava i denti con lo spazzolino? Chissà.

Money quote: “This workflow can be modified in several ways, including replacing the software or apps you prefer in your steps. I follow a similar workflow on my MacBook as well, but there are some slight modifications that I may mention as we go through each. So with all that being said, let’s get started.”

https://techuisite.com/my-writing-workflow-on-mac-3453d0173bc3

Sapete cosa vuol dire greenwashing? Beh, leggete pure questo articolo per capirlo bene.

Money quote: “"US banks have released a spate of climate promises, committing to achieve net zero by 2050 and reduce emissions by 2030. But the hard truth remains: Wall Street's financing of coal, oil and gas was higher in 2021 than it was in 2016, the year after the Paris agreement was adopted."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/27/looking-for-someone-to-blame-for-the-extreme-heat-try-wall-street

Non male il ragazzo!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/ChN-Phkqiyw/

Tutto, ma proprio tutto su macOS Ventura da MacStories, per gentile cortesia di John Voorhees.

Money quote: “This year, the process of harmonizing the Mac with Apple’s other devices continues with Stage Manager, a new window management system available on macOS and iPadOS that offers users a similar windowing experience on both systems for the first time. On the Mac, Stage Manager is very different from the Mac’s traditional windowing systems, but it’s also very easy to get the hang of, which bodes well for new users coming from the iPad. And, of course, the feature is entirely optional, so anyone with whom it doesn’t click can ignore Stage Manager completely. However, as you’ll read below, I think everyone should give Stage Manager a chance because I’ve been surprised at how much I enjoy using it.”

https://www.macstories.net/stories/macos-ventura-the-macstories-preview/

Salta fuori che una delle certezze del vecchio West, cioè quella casa nella prateria, sia in realtà potenzialmente un ricettacolo di malati mentali. La follia della prateria.

Money quote: "Both fictional and historical accounts of this time and place often blame “prairie madness” on the isolation and bleak conditions the settlers encountered. But many also mention something unexpected: the sounds of the prairie. Smalley wrote that during winter “the silence of death rests on the vast landscape.” And a character in Manitoba settler Nellie McClung’s story “The Neutral Fuse” writes a poem about the droning soundtrack of the plains, “I hate the wind with its evil spite, and it hates me with a hate as deep, and hisses and jeers when I try to sleep.”"

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/prairie-madness-study-silence-great-plains

Come diceva Flaiano, gli italiani perdonano tutto tranne il successo. Ecco, i Måneskin non li perdonerà proprio nessuno, allora.

Monet quote: "Nel caso siate appena tornati da un ritiro spirituale in un eremo, la notizia è che uscita la versione di I Wanna Be Your Slave cantata da Damiano con Iggy. A giudicare dai commenti che ho letto nei giorni scorsi sui social, nessuno ha sentito il bisogno di ascoltarla: le opinioni sulla collaborazione erano già pronte e polarizzate. E del resto perché aspettare e perdere tre minuti per sentire il pezzo quando puoi dire la tua opinione secca e definitiva su Facebook?"

https://www.rollingstone.it/musica/i-rocker-da-tastiera-sono-piu-selvaggi-di-iggy-pop-a-lui-i-maneskin-vanno-bene-a-loro-no/57715

È stato un disastro annunciato, non solo nel Regno Unito. Alcune cose erano già abbastanza chiare: compagnie aeree sotto-staffate e una domanda esplosa grazie alla velocità delle vaccinazioni che hanno rimesso in pista il turismo e il commercio internazionali. Più le vacanze estive.

Money quote: "“It is understandable why airlines rapidly increased their Spring/Summer schedules for 2022, as vaccination programmes displayed strong progress in many key markets for the travel industry, resulting in booking confidence increasing in 2021,” comments Ralph Hollister, travel and tourism analyst at GlobalData.

“However, many airlines have found it difficult to hire, vet, and train new staff members to meet the unforeseen demand for international flights from travellers and are now having to cancel hundreds of flights.”

https://www.airport-technology.com/analysis/understaffed-airlines-and-oversold-flights-lead-to-cancellation-chaos-2/

Tanto tempo fa, in un mondo lontano lontano, gli orologi stradali erano pneumatici. Detto meglio: ecco come funzionava la rete di orologi ad aria di Parigi

Money quote: “The pneumatic clock network was not a power distribution network but a time distribution network, which synchronized a large number public clocks by sending a pulse of air every minute. The pipes ran through the sewers of the city, and the tunnels of the Metro and the RER, a commuter rail network serving Paris and its suburbs. Each clock contained a metal bellows which advanced a 60-tooth wheel by one tooth per minute. Compressed air from the plant left at a pressure of 15 to 45 pounds per square inch (about 1 to 3 atmospheres) for storage in a high-pressure air tank. From there it travelled through a pressure regulator to a low-pressure storage tank or accumulator. Its release was controlled by a distributing clock. The driving weights were lifted by compressed air to keep the clock running and on time. An automatic timing mechanism opened a valve to release a 20-second pulse of air every minute and then the valve closed for 40 seconds. The 20-second-on, 40-second-off cycle was repeated every minute. The pulse of air travelled to every receiving clock, be it in a private home or office or in a street or public building, and advanced the minute hand by one minute. The system worked uninterrupted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2022/02/the-pneumatic-clocks-of-paris.html

Nel caso vogliate fare un recap di come sono andati i primissimi mesi della guerra in Ucraina, il *Washington Post* ha un ottimo riassunto in cinque punti

Money quote: "“I’m not trying to hold on to power,” Zelensky said he explained to the Western officials. “If the question is that I leave, and that will stop the bloodshed, then I am all for it. I will go right now. I didn’t get into politics for that — and I will go whenever you say, if it will stop the war.”
While he believed some Western officials were truly concerned about his personal safety, Zelensky also suspected that some of his foreign interlocutors simply wanted the conflict to end as quickly as possible, with his administration effectively surrendering to Russia."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/24/kyiv-battle-ukraine-defense/

Le singolari e fragilissime culture che compaiono grazie a Internet

Money quote: ""Maskers" are mostly men that put on female silicon masks as a hobby or a fetish or just for fun. They have Instagram accounts because Insta is safer than going out in the streets, but they are "not sure if they want to be known"

https://www.inputmag.com/culture/instagram-female-masker-community-men-silicone-masks