"We Be The Humans"
Older Retired White Guy. Buddhist.
"Non nobis solum"
Likes trees better than people. Books better than trees.
"We Be The Humans"
Joined Aug 2018
New study:
Forests are still underrated as allies to curb rural poverty
One way to relieve this pressure and alleviate poverty is to recognize and further optimize the critical role of forests and trees as allies in the fight against poverty. In the long run, losing forests means losing this fight.
The report will be launched online on Thursday, 15 October 2020
https://phys.org/news/2020-10-forests-underrated-allies-curb-rural.html
To Read:
Dystopia as Clickbait:
Science Fiction, Doomscrolling, and Reviving the Idea of the Future
By Christopher Brown
Flash forward to 2020, and the scenes on the news look more dystopian than the darkest new Hollywood futures streaming to our living rooms. The fear factor gets dialed up every day, fueled by genuine concerns about everything from contagion to climate crisis to the coming political reckoning.
Here is a new plug-in.
Yes it is pricey, but well worth it.
Windmaschine
The Windhowler is an electrical instrument developed in the 1960s which can produce unique wind sound effects with a very special sound signature. Only a few devices exist and the one the entire planet and luckily we had access to a unit in mint condition. We captured every single detail in order to preserve its sound signature and character.
A New Online Archive of 374 Treaties Between Indigenous Peoples and the United States
Thanks to an anonymous donation, the US National Archives has digitized and put online their collection of 374 treaties between indigenous peoples and the United States (and its predecessor colonies). You can also explore maps and see which tribes are associated with which treaties.
Symptoms all in your head, or in your gut?
Maybe a little of both.
"We are converging neuroscience, molecular signaling, and micro-nano devices and systems. This enables us to measure and investigate data at the interface of each junction of a simulated GBA platform, cell to cell, cell to molecule, molecule to nerve, and develop engineering methodologies to analyze and interpret it."
https://phys.org/news/2020-10-symptoms-heador-gut.html
Paper:
We Interrupt This Hellscape With A Bit Of Good News On The Copyright Front.
By Cathy Gellis
American Educational Research Association et al. v. Public.Resource.Org, has now been dismissed by the plaintiffs with prejudice. Effectively that means that Public Resource wins and can continue to host these standards online.
Disinformation Campaigns and Russia’s Information Confrontation Strategy.
A Growing Threat
By Emilio Iasiello
(Yea ! I have two nights off work, so I think this Dave Brubeck performance from 1964 will serve me just fine tonight.)
(More bad news)
Atmospheric sciences have a measurement, the GWP, The Global Warming Potential. The GWP was developed to allow comparisons of the global warming impacts of different gases.
CO2, by definition, has a GWP of 1
Methane CH4 is estimated to have a GWP of 28–36
Kayrros Surveillance Technology Reveals Dramatic and Unexpected Annual Increase in Large Methane Leaks.
https://www.kayrros.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/201014_Kayrros-Methane-Emissions-PR.pdf
(Early days, but very promising.)
Novel antiviral strategy for treatment of COVID-19
The findings provide a new and readily available therapeutic option with high clinical potential for infection with SARS-CoV-2. This ground-breaking work has been published online in a top-class scientific journal Nature Microbiology. A related patent has been filed in the US.
https://phys.org/news/2020-10-antiviral-strategy-treatment-covid-.html
Paper:
Atkinson Hyperlegible is a free typeface developed by the Braille Institute and Applied Design Works that makes text more readable for people with low vision.
Celebrating the Playful Magic of John Horton Conway
Have fun exploring a numerical puzzle, a geometric puzzle and a game of random patterns, all inspired by the playful genius of the legendary mathematician.
By Pradeep Mutalik
https://www.quantamagazine.org/three-math-puzzles-inspired-by-john-horton-conway-20201015/
Jobless benefits during lockdown only reached one out of four laid off workers.
Unemployed Without a Net.
Daniel Schneider, Kristen Harknett and Annette Gailliot
Although the share of unemployed workers receiving UI benefits may increase over time, our data suggest that workers experience a sizable period of time without benefits. Even among those who had been unemployed for two months or more, only 25% had received a UI payment.
Artificial general intelligence:
Are we close, and does it even make sense to try?
A machine that could think like a person has been the guiding vision of AI research since the earliest days—and remains its most divisive idea.
by Will Douglas Heaven
“Belief in AGI is like belief in magic. It is a way of abandoning rational thought and expressing hope/fear for something that cannot be understood.”
Divisive dialogue: Why do we engage in virtual political talk?
Natalie Pennington is an expert on social media and relationships, and we asked her for answers about political posturing online, and how it's led to thousands of online breakups among family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances who just couldn't play nice during partisan political discussions.
https://phys.org/news/2020-10-divisive-dialogue-engage-virtual-political.html
Paper:
https://sci-hub.se/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10510974.2020.1819844
The science of wisdom.
Psychological science can now measure and nurture wisdom, superseding the speculations of philosophy and religion.
By Igor Grossmann
The foundational pillar we arrived at was meta-cognition...
You engage meta-cognition when showing signs of intellectual humility, recognizing the limits of your knowledge. Or when you consider the diverse perspectives of those with whom you disagree.
https://aeon.co/essays/how-psychological-scientists-found-the-empirical-path-to-wisdom
Denmark’s Utopian Garden City Built Entirely in Circles:
See Astounding Aerial Views of Brøndby Haveby.
Built in 1964 to the design of “genius landscape architect Erik Mygind,” Brøndby Haveby mimics “the traditional patterns of the 18th century Danish villages, where people would use the middle as a focal point for hanging out, mingle and social interchange between neighbors
https://www.openculture.com/2020/10/denmarks-utopian-garden-city-built-entirely-in-circles.html
Engineers print wearable sensors directly on skin without heat.
by Ashley J. Wennersherron,
"The sensors are capable of precisely and continuously capturing temperature, humidity, blood oxygen levels and heart performance signals, according to Cheng. The researchers also linked the on-body sensors into a network with wireless transmission capabilities to monitor the combination of signals as they progress."
https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-wearable-sensors-skin.html
Paper:
Watch This Superb Fan Adaptation of Peter Watts’ Blindsight
Peter Watts’ Blindsight looked at first contact with aliens in a different way when it was first published in 2006, and it’s been one of those books that friends have fervently recommended in the years since.
One fan has taken it upon himself to adapt as a short film, which he released this week: a short CGI short that looks absolutely stunning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkR2hnXR0SM
(BTW, good series)
"We Be The Humans"
Older Retired White Guy. Buddhist.
"Non nobis solum"
Likes trees better than people. Books better than trees.
"We Be The Humans"
Joined Aug 2018