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Books about society as an irrational enterprise
Looking for books or articles that, either broadly or through examining a specific instance or phenomenon, illustrate or argue that society is governed primarily by subconscious, irrational or logically flawed forces: myth, superstition, dreams, deep cultural archetypes, mass hysteria, biological drives, viral ideas, closed circuit reference primarily to simulacra, etc.
Does physics require a continuum?
Finitism and Physics
- "A brief precis: Gravitational collapse limits the amount of energy present in any space-time region. This in turn limits the precision of any measurement or experimental process that takes place in the region. This implies that the class of models of physics which are discrete and finite (finitistic) cannot be excluded experimentally by any realistic process. Note any digital computer simulation of physical phenomena is a finitistic model. We conclude that physics (Nature) requires neither infinity nor the continuum. For instance, neither space-time nor the Hilbert space structure of quantum mechanics need be absolutely continuous. This has consequences for the finitist perspective in mathematics..." (previously)
Pop physics and astronomy from the last 20 years
What are the best general audience books on physics, astronomy, and cosmology written in the last 20 years or so that cover recent developments in those fields?
The diary of Alex Case, researcher.
Xi is happier now. She opened up to me about how much she hates the life here. She said she dreams about The Sick Land. Although her academic career has been mal anthropology, she's planning to leave the field. She doesn't want to think about it for the rest of her life.
I can relate to her view. There's something different about being here. It makes you look at the research with new eyes. A lot of the stuff they've found out is horrible. When it was just pages in a book, I don't think I even noticed.
I can relate to her view. There's something different about being here. It makes you look at the research with new eyes. A lot of the stuff they've found out is horrible. When it was just pages in a book, I don't think I even noticed.
Movie: Venom
When Eddie Brock acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego "Venom" to save his life.
“Advance Promotional Copy: Do Not Read.”
At last, I asked: Why send it to me? “It’s like when you feed a stray cat and it leaves you a dead bird on your porch,” Prickett replied. “I sent it to you as a gift. I mailed Foodies to writers I admire and a few musicians. One film director, I think. A handful of lit professors and Weird Al Yankovic. If you got one, it’s because I liked something you wrote. It could be anything from a critical tome to a tweet. In your case, I liked a short story of yours,” he said. “And sorry, but I’m going to have to keep sending yours to your mom. It isn’t a perfect system but it’s the one we have.” On the Trail of a Mysterious, Pseudonymous Author by Adam Dalva [The New Yorker; archive]
Young, Gifted, and Black (and Gay)
The Subversive Joy of Lil Nas X’s Gay Pop Stardom NYT Magazine cover story (long read) by Jazmine Hughes. "A peek into a hot boy summer filled with new highs, disappointment and growth." Archive link.
All mountains are old, but the Appalachians are incomprehensibly old
Yes, all mountains are old, but the Appalachian mountains are incomprehensibly old.
Have you ever wondered why we don’t find fossils in the Appalachian mountains?
The truth is, we do, they’re just not the kind of fossils you might think of—there are no mammals, no dinosaurs, no reptiles. There’s something else entirely. (Single link twitter thread) (threadreader)
A Modest Proposal About Ransomware
Digital preservationist David Rosenthal suggests that the U.S. government has been slacking in its response to ransomware and should take more active measures.
What can I do? Anything.
Long read from Heated: After 18 years of life in the world’s fifth most climate-vulnerable nation, Baig sees her family’s predicament for what it is: not just tragedy, but profound injustice. Pakistan contributes less than 1 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, and yet has been forced to bear the brunt of the world’s carbon crisis. “I’m angry about it. I’m sad about it. I don’t know how people have the audacity to prioritize money over humanity,” she said. And she can’t help but wonder if this would have happened if America—which has put more carbon into the atmosphere than any other nation—had felt these impacts first. The battle for a livable future is a battle against fossil fuels, writes Emily Atkin, and right now, it's all hands on deck.
We’re Already Forgetting the Trump Era. His Supporters Won’t Forget Us.
We were not superior, we were simply luckier. We were less depressed because we’d had better luck. The machinery of society had operated to our benefit, and we’d been able to do more interesting things. But a lot of us enjoyed feeling contempt for Trump’s followers, just as they enjoyed feeling contempt for us.
Structural Parity at Montpelier
In what is hoped to become a model for other historic sites, the descendants of enslaved persons at James Madison's estate, Montpelier, will be co-equals in sharing governing power and responsibility for the site.
Movie: Winter's Bone
An unflinching Ozarks girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts for her meth-cooking father in order to keep her family intact.
"The assumption is that queer history begins at the city gates.”
The total percentage of rural queer Americans mirrors the percentage of rural Americans overall: around 15-20% of queer Americans live in rural areas, while around 19% of total Americans live rurally. Rural Queer History: Hidden in Plain Sight from The Daily Yonder ["Keep It Rural"].
Black Sails: XXVII
Captain Flint prepares for the final battle, while Billy tries to save Captain Vane from being hanged; Max must decide who she can trust; Eleanor Guthrie finds herself in charge of Nassau.
Now Hear This
Ear Trumpets work better than modern digital hearing aids.
"...Ear trumpets and speaking tubes not only yielded a sound amplification of 10 to 25 decibels, they also suppressed sounds that came from other directions, further improving their workings. The speaking tube also reduced the noise between speaker and listener."
I once caught a fish that was thiiiis small
[cw: photos of hooked fish.] Microfishing is a growing category of sportfishing in which anglers attempt to land the smallest fish they can. Microfishing has devoted fans, some of which travel the world in an attempt to catch all of the fish on their lifelist. (Note: Hakai Magazine offers an audio version of the first link here.)
Neurotypical Syndrome and the Double Empathy Problem
The Institute for the Study of the Neurologically Typical first identified Neurotypical Syndrome in 2002. A condition characterized by "preoccupation with social concerns, delusions of superiority, and obsession with conformity," this life-long disorder is complex and has no known cure. Will Rogers goes into detail about some of the hallmarks of Neurotypical Syndrome. Fortunately, recent research into the double empathy problem has revealed new ways in which we might learn to accommodate individuals with this condition.
The most miserable wage slave
Vladislav Ivanov, a 27-year-old man from Vladivostok, was working as a Russian translator for the Chinese reality/talent show Produce Camp, in which a cast of young contestants are selected to form a boy band, when the directors invited him to sign up. He regretted doing so pretty much immediately, and attempted to sabotage his chances at winning by performing half-heartedly and pleading with the audience to vote him out, but to no avail, as he became a firm fan favourite, his miserable demeanour appealing to a generation of young people sympathetic to the ironic, defeatist Sang culture.
Bad software sent UK postal workers to jail
For the past 20 years, UK Post Office employees have been dealing with a software called Horizon, which had a fatal flaw: bugs that made it look like employees stole tens of thousands of British pounds. This led to some local postmasters being convicted of crimes, even being sent to prison, because the Post Office doggedly insisted the software could be trusted. After fighting for decades, 39 people are having their convictions overturned. More than 2,400 claims for damages have been filed so far.
If you live in a glass house....
This listing has my emotions in a shamble. Long private drive leads to this unparalleled modern riverfront glass barn designed & engineered on skyscraper principles. Newly renovated top to bottom in 2018 with no detail overlooked
“Does your cat’s butthole really touch all the surfaces in your home?”
A 6th-grader tackles the age-old question.
With lipstick.
Happy Ruination Day
In the summer of 2001, before the ruination of modern times had become apparent to most of us, Gillian Welch released her album Time (the Revelator). In addition to her breakout song "Everything is Free," it included two tracks about April 14.
A new concept of understanding the sea as a garden.
A Spanish chef is cultivating a grain that needs neither irrigation nor fertilizer to grow: It comes from the sea.
"Nevada's Democratic Party belongs to the socialists now."
Entire Staff of Nevada Democratic Party Quits After Democratic Socialist Slate Won Every Seat.
While the departure of the staff was not unexpected with Alana Mounce being appointed to political director of the DNC, $450,000 was transferred from the party to help fund the 2022 election fight for Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.
A little cartoonish classical education
Vincent Alexander (@NonsenseIsland) has posted a lengthy twitter thread of classical music used in classic cartoons, giving title and composer name, and each entry is accompanied with a short (generally less than 2 minutes) video full of examples of that piece being used. It's a delightful little classical music education lesson that brings back a full blast from the past, if these cartoons were a part of your childhood. Threadreader link.
30 years in, The Silence Of The Lambs’ Jame Gumb still deserves better
A reluctant defense of Silence Of The Lambs' Jame Gumb
(AV Club) "Yes, the directing is masterful, and the acting is damn near flawless. But these aspects come at the price of consistently elevating the worst piece of fiction to befall trans people". Harmony Colangelo writes about the problematic legacy of Silence of the Lambs as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Movie: Romancing the Stone
A mousy romance novelist sets off for Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure hunting for treasure with a mercenary rogue.
"I always knew he was terrible, and anyone who ever liked him is too!"
Lately there's been a certain kind of comment on posts about celebrities that turn out to be terrible people. That comment is "oh, I always knew he was terrible! And everyone I know who liked him has also turned out to be a terrible person!" I am personally finding these comments frustrating for a whole host of reasons.
Joss was the Vampire.
Charisma Carpenter accuses Joss Whedon of abuse.
Charisma Carpenter alleges Joss Whedon “abused his power on numerous occasions” while she performed on Whedon’s series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel.”
Children and Climate Change
So this post has reminded me that my least favourite subject for Metafilter posts is pretty much climate change. This is for many reasons, but the biggest one is that many people start sounding off about how happy they are that they don't have kids/how bad it is to have them.
Waking the Leviathan
The story of how James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse went from game concept to blockbuster TV series: From failed MMO pitch to play-by-email roleplaying game to novels to television.
A Chinese Gazetteer of Foreign Lands
This country is filled with light and is where the sun goes down. In the evening, when the sun enters the city, it makes a rumbling sound louder than thunder. So they always station a thousand men at the city gates to blow trumpets and beat gongs and drums to drown out the noise of the sun. If not, then pregnant women and small children would die of fright upon hearing the sun.—From the Zhufan Zhi, a geography of Asia, the east and north coasts of Africa, and bits of Europe, written in 1225 CE by Zhao Rukuo. Part one has been translated by Prof. Shao-yun Yang of Denison University.
Biden / Harris Inauguration
The inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris: Live camera feed from C-Span; live updates from CNN; NYT live updates; NYT live stream and analysis; The Guardian live updates; NPR coverage beginning at 11 a.m. EST; streaming beginning at 10:30 a.m. EST at bideninaugural.org.
You hold yourself accountable now, but you didn't in the past
I've realized that the biggest obstacle to being the person I really want to be is that I don't hold myself accountable, or I do for a brief time but don't persist. I want to change this.
Robson wasn’t looking for a murder-cow when she found the specimen
How bones set aside as a "Weird Thing Found In A Closet" turned out to be the missing link between previously-known hunting grounds of a "terrifying" ancient, omnivorous ungulate.
Slippery fish are a fact of life!
The UK's Health and Safety Executive has no patience for unhelpful "health and safety" excuses. There's no legislation against the staff at a burger van cutting your burger in half, there should indeed be mirrors in disabled toilets, frilly socks do not endanger students, kitchens are allowed to have knives and it's reasonable to ask for your trout to be filleted at a fishmonger's counter. (h/t @ZiziFothSi)
We feel language
The surprising grammar of touch
A new language centered around touch is spreading within the DeafBlind community and revolutionizing how its members communicate.
"But why limit yourself to modern swear words."
Vu Le writes "21 tips to make getting back to work this week more bearable". "5. List out stuff you’re grateful for. It’s important to remind ourselves regularly of our blessings. Make a list of five things you’re grateful for. That feels great, right? That’s a lot of emotional progress. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off from work." His blog, Nonprofit AF (previously), frequently features satirical takes on life working in the nonprofit/NGO sector (previously), such as "Honest email auto-replies you can use during these challenging times".
Just find 11,780 votes
“The people of Georgia are angry,” POTUS said in audio obtained by The Washington Post (Law & Crime). “The people in the country are angry. And there’s nothing wrong with saying that you’ve recalculated.” He asserted he won the state of Georgia, and he repeated baseless conspiracy theories regarding widespread voter fraud as well as sabotage. “All I want to do is this,” Trump said on the audio. “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”
Audio and transcript via CNN.
Our own Coldchef
'Humans need the ritual of saying goodbye' : the Covid life of a small-town funeral director
Being a funeral home director in Zachary, Louisiana, means sometimes your neighbor calls when they see cars in the parking lot, to ask: “Who died?”
Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Emissary
To prevent a diplomatic incident with the Klingons, Starfleet sends the Enterprise a special emissary, and Worf gives her a hand.
The Lonely Legacy of Spam
"...when you’re 10, you don’t have the words yet to explain to your classmates the social and historical nuances of why Spam has a completely different reputation in your parents’ home country than it does in the States, and that, as an Asian American, it has the ability to transport you home wherever you are in the world." Eric Kim, writing for Food52.
Stardew Valley 1.5
Sometimes 2020 brings good things too. The new Stardew Valley update is out with big content updates. (Verge and engadget) As much as you can read about Stardew Valley, especially the massive wiki. Previously posted is a profile of Eric Barone, the creator.
Star Trek: The Next Generation: When the Bough Breaks
MA: “Wesley Crusher must protect a group of kidnapped Enterprise-D children while Captain Picard fights for their release.”