Zero Kelvin! Lagrange Points! Infrared parabolas! Light years and Time Travel! wtf?! We are living in the future.
Category: Books and Media I Recommend
Do chance meetings at the office boost innovation?(nytimes)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/upshot/remote-work-innovation-office.html I don't know where I land in this debate. Certainly, I agree that open-office cubicles are not helpful. I also agree that zoom meetings leave something out of in-person discussions and side-bar conversations before and after our meetings. This article made me think.
Six-Word Sci-Fi: Stories Written by You | WIRED
Here's this month's prompt, how to submit, and an illustrated archive of past favorites. — Read on http://www.wired.com/story/six-word-sci-fi/
Why to-do lists don’t work (Wired.com)
https://media.wired.com/photos/60ff0b047b8c62be3062fe1c/master/w_2240,c_limit/wired%2520to%2520do%2520app%2520main%2520art%2520online.png from wired.com https://www.wired.com/story/to-do-apps-failed-productivity-tools/ Ah, yes, the eternal search for more productivity by downloading apps and other tools that "promise to boost your productivity!" How could you not? These (mostly) free apps and click-bait make it sound super-easy! Click-bait Use our checklist app! This is just like "Getting things done, but modern!" Try our technique; … Continue reading Why to-do lists don’t work (Wired.com)
What do sharks have to do with Tesla (valves)?
https://media.wired.com/photos/61034c827d2c29922f639c08/master/w_2240,c_limit/Science_ars_AA2BR9.jpg from wired.com https://www.wired.com/story/3d-imaging-shows-shark-guts-work-like-nikola-tesla-water-valve/ I only know Nikola Tesla from his competition with Edison over electrification. However, Tesla, like Edison was an inveterate inventor. In this article, scientists recently deconstructed the gastrointestinal system of sharks, and found that they resemble Tesla valves. What is that, you say? It has nothing to do with anything you … Continue reading What do sharks have to do with Tesla (valves)?
“The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads.”
https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-time-to-talk-about-facebook-research/ This article above is a disturbing, quick take on Facebook research and the lack of transparency in what is being done, from a researcher who recently quit working there, and left this quote behind. Chilling, the use of data by social media titans with a critical lack of oversight. The Cambridge Analytica - Facebook … Continue reading “The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads.”
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic (TED) and Arthur C Clarke
Arthur C Clarke said this (Clarke's First Law). And now ... TED talks bring it to life. Spend 3 minutes and be amazed. We live in a wonderful time. https://www.ted.com/talks/marco_tempest_a_swarm_of_mini_drones_makes_magic
This video about storytelling will change your life
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWw0MmqG2fI I have followed Andy Goodman's work (he teaches storytelling to nonprofit organizations), and have learned so much about how to be effective at my own work. It is nearly an hour long, and who has an hour? You do, if you know what is good for you. But, I know you're busy, so, if … Continue reading This video about storytelling will change your life
Oxygen masks, John Hodgman, and a hotdog?
This was a good week. Like many of my medical colleagues who are plowing through our next surge of Covid patients, we have feelings of exhaustion, angst and sadness, or as one of my Twitter colleagues on #medtwitter calls it, a new emotion called ‘emptysad.’ So apt. So it was great to get out of … Continue reading Oxygen masks, John Hodgman, and a hotdog?
The Boys in the Boat (book review)
From the Everett Herald The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143125478/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_M81Q4K17N2RTE3JE8RYA OMG. 6 out of 5 stars. This was intended as a fun summer read. But also, it has catapulted me into the Great Depression, WW2, Leni Riefenstahl and groundbreaking cinematography, the rise … Continue reading The Boys in the Boat (book review)