lewism
I talk about corporations as AI because I want to emphasise that we already live within complex, opaque systems which we have little control over β financial markets, state governments, the global climate β but we also have cultural tools to address them, from art to political activism. - James Bridle
A thought provoking interview with James Bridle about the nature of A.I. and our relationship to it. Both how it is and how it should be π
I just made a new page for resources to help learn Finnish. I have been studying it now quite intensely and these sites have all been helpful so far. I will update over time and hope the list is also helpful to any others that find it. Also if anyone has any suggestions then just Let me know. π£οΈ
Insightful article by a renowned Sci-fi author into the differences between humans and A.I. Our use of language and art has intentionality and meaning that LLM’s don’t possess. π
I wrote about why even airports that are designed sustainably are not in fact sustainable. π‘
The FT posted a pretty amazing graph
Americans basically die earlier than Brits by about 5 years, and it’s there along all income distributions. An average American lives the same length life as a Brit from the most deprived parts of the UK. The reason given is early death -One in 25 American five-year-olds today will not make it to their 40th birthday. π§ββοΈ
I took a look at Dormzilla a proposal for a student residence designed for UC Santa Barbara which bore much in common with chicken battery farms. The proposal was killed off about a year ago but was a fascinating and concerning look into possible enshittification of student accommodation. π‘
Watched The Skelton Twins (2014). The two central performances are captivating and much of the dialogue is strong. Yet somehow the plot doesn’t quite deliver. Was waiting for the final 30 mins when it finished. π₯ β β β
Just Watched The Holdovers (2023). Honestly looks like a film not only set in the 70’s but shot in the 70’s although it was released in 2023. No special effecs just great story and superb acting. I wish more films nowadays were like this. π₯ β β β β
The Hansa Towns by Helen Zimmernπ
For our family holiday this year we went to visit the Island of Gotland for a week, staying close to the island’s capital city Visby. The city is an old Hanseatic League town from medieval times and has a kind of haunted beauty. I wanted to get a better feeling for and understanding of the place before we went.
There doesn’t seem to be, at least in the english language, a much choice for books on the Hanseatic league. The one I found was by Helen Zimmern (1846-1934). It was first published under the title The Story of The Nations. The Hansa Towns in 1889. It’s in Public Domain now and can be downloaded on Project Gutenberg.
This is the magic of books when an author can speak to us from 125 years ago and be engaging, interesting and entertaining. Zimmern has written a higher opinionated and action packed short history of the League. It is a time and place in history which is often overlooked. While we rightly laud the rise of the Italian City States and their cultural heritage, the northern city states that rose at roughly the same time and which revolved around the Baltic and down the rivers of Germany are perhaps too much ignored.
Anyway I highly recommend this book if it’s something you think you may have some interest in. β β β β π
we find beauty not in the thing itself but in the patterns of shadows, the light and the darkness, that one thing against another creates.- Junichiro Tanizak in his Book In Praise of Shadows β
Finished reading Status and Culture by David W. Marx A riveting read full of insights into how culture changes over time and why. β β β β β π
Our writing tools are also working on our thoughts - Friedrich Nietzsche β
Solar panels will soon have to be installed in all new buildings in Europe. Adding perhaps up to 200GW by 2030. β»οΈ
A Quick Review of Oppenheimer β β β β β π₯
I really enjoyed reading whats in a name by @pimoore . I might suggest for anyone interested there is a lovely essay in the book A Place To Read by Michael Cohen about names and why they are so important.
Names, first and last, aristocratic and plebeian, are important, and their importance comes, I believe, from a deep-seated conviction that a name, if itβs genuine, will indicate the true nature, the essence, of its owner. β
I made a list of Brutalist buildings in Helsinki.
My podcast app is Airr which is shutting down tomorrow! I mostly don’t need transcript highlights but in some cases I find it invaluable. I know there is snipd but not used at all yet. They charge now for transcripts which is an extra monthly cost for something I barely use. (sighs inwardly!)
I posted on my main blog the story of Falu red if you are interested in the strange story of a paint color and the Swedish Empire!
Between 2011-2016 The Guggenheim Museum tried and failed to set up one of it’s Franchise art galleries in Helsinki. So not quite as successful as McDonalds which first came to Finland in 1984 and currently has 67 Restaurants.
Pasi Herranen of Aalto university has developed a greenhouse without any glass. A wooden box internally coated with aluminium foil that uses 50% less energy and 95% less water than a traditional glass greenhouse. β»οΈ
An interesting map of Mastodon instances Mastodon Near Me Via The Map of the Fediverse
I write entirely to find out what Iβm thinking, what Iβm looking at, what I see and what it means β¦ Why did the oil refineries around Carquinez Strait seem sinister to me in the summer of 1956? Why have the night lights in the Bevatron burned in my mind for twenty years? What is going on in these pictures in my mind?
- Joan Didion quoted by Eliza Gabbert in Why Write? Paris Review @challenges β