“The objects of theoretical speculation are now too far away, too small, too energetic or too far in the past to reach or rule out with our earthly instruments. So, what is to be done?”
Category: ideas
Okay, So We’re All Doomed – Now What? Making Meaning, That’s What
“Humanity’s keenest evolutionary advantage has been its drive to create collective meaning. That drive is as ingenious as it is relentless, and it can find a way to make sense of despair, depression, catastrophe, genocide, war, disaster, plagues and even the humiliations of science.
Are We Drowning In Information Overload? (Or Is It Something Else?)
“Often the flood of information is held to be directly or indirectly responsible for what used to be described as an existential crisis of meaning experienced by an individual writer.”
Actually, Suicides Don’t Spike Around the Holidays
“According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the suicide rate is at its lowest in December. And studies dating back to the 1980s and conducted across the globe have … [found] again and again that Christmas is associated with a decrease in suicide.”
Seven Architecture Firms Are On The Shortlist To Design The Obama Presidential Library
“The dearth of Chicago finalists will likely be something of a blow to the city, which takes great pride in the pioneering role it played in the development of modern architecture and in such contemporary projects as Millennium Park.”
The Numbers That Make Something – A Vine, An Instagram Post, A Broadway Show – A Hit
“Identifying a hit movie, record or book is easy, because it follows well established criteria. But what about a hit tweet? Or a hit podcast? When it comes to other creative works, defining a blockbuster is not so simple.”
How Hipsters And Foodies Were Fooled Into Buying Terrible Chocolate At $10 A Bar
“As artisanal food surges in popularity, whether it’s chocolate, liquor or jam, the Mast Brothers’ story highlights how a company can have great success selling a product of dubious quality as something ‘artisanal’ or ‘handcrafted’ with beautiful packaging and handsome, bearded founders.”
We Need To Calm The Heck Down About So-Called Spoilers
“Why does the enjoyment of spoiler freaks hold more social value than those who want to enjoy talking about an experience? Indeed, we build community in discussion. Keeping mum builds nothing.”
Why We’re Having Difficulty Simulating The Human Brain
“Ultimately, we need to reproduce the things that make the brain work; but to spot those, we need to understand how it works or at least have a theory the simulation can test. Alas, we don’t.”
The Sounds Of Silence: John Cage, The Nature Of Noise, And The Intent To Hear
“Since there could be no such thing as the absence of sound for a living, breathing human being with a pulse, what then could silence be? It was a matter of intent, Cage decided: The essential meaning of silence is the giving up of intention. Silence is not acoustic. It is a change of mind. … Does listening to random sounds we do not intend to hear – the drone of an airplane engine, a dripping faucet, the roar of a bus pulling away from a stop – constitute the experience of silence? Or does silence end the moment sounds actually impose themselves on our consciousness?”