from the walls of the digital cave
Hi
Is it that ignorance is lazy? A test of intelligence, not a measure of perception or a judgement of acumen, more a rolling out of wit, occurs when we are unsure of what is being said The absence of words in common doesn't mark the end of the possibility of communicating, the nuance and the taste of understanding is more than words A choice is made in every encounter, a determination to know or not, a decided effort, or a turning away, attending to these moments is what intelligence does.
Giving luck a chance
These Homes Withstood the LA Fires. Architects Explain Why
" Other design factors are more subtle. Along the side of the house there are no eaves or overhangs, which can form eddies or trap embers blown by high winds. The house doesn’t have any attic vents to allow sparks to get inside the roof, which is metal, with a fire-resistant underlayment. And the house is simple: front-gabled without multiple roof lines, dormers or other pop-outs, which are vulnerable intersections in a fire. "
These huge wildfires are just voracious consumers of everything. It's horrifying to see the devastation that they leave behind. The power of fire to reduce entire communities to ashes in hours is shocking to process. I find that the starkest images are the ones that show a lone house remaining, seemingly untouched, surrounded only by rubble. This article discusses some of the reasons why a home may survive. Luck is a huge factor, but it isn’t the only factor.
Herding time
Use Time Blocking
” Whether you work a nine-to-five job, work remotely, or stay at home with the kids, everyone needs an effective method for managing their day.
After all, perfectionism, procrastination and the myth of multitasking are all very real dangers that can keep even the most productive people stuck in one place.
So, how do you take control of your schedule and really get things done? This is where time-blocking aka time-chunking comes in. “
This one is for the greats, Ack and Irish. A very useful look at a time management technique. We have no choice but to colour between the lines of time when it comes to work, this is a consideration of that. It's easy to get lost in the distractions that are available to us, especially if you spend a lot of your time working online. A contribution to the art of enhancing focus.
What’s the connection?
Descartes and the Discovery of the Mind-Body Problem
" What is characteristic of a mind, Descartes claims, is that it is conscious, not that it has shape or consists of physical matter. Unlike the brain, which has physical characteristics and occupies space, it does not seem to make sense to attach spatial descriptions to it. In short, our bodies are certainly in space, and our minds are not, in the very straightforward sense that the assignation of linear dimensions and locations to them or to their contents and activities is unintelligible. That this straightforward test of physicality has survived all the philosophical changes of opinion since Descartes, almost unscathed, is remarkable. "
Sometimes I just need to feed the nerd. This week it’s a philosophical snack, the mind body problem. The personification of cognitive dissonance. How can the tangible body relate to, and interact with, the intangible mind? How is it that they even meet to discuss matters? It's bizarre when you think about it, what we accomplish. Every day we perform normalized acts that are inherently complicated and unlikely, how is that? I’m typing now, how? From where do my thoughts arise? What’s holding them? What is pushing them out to my fingertips? We are all a kind of magical.
Descartes, bless his heart, neglected art.
February 1, 1884
Oxford English Dictionary
Many Words
Wiki Rabbit Hole
" The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first edition in 1884, traces the historical development of the English language, providing a comprehensive resource to scholars and academic researchers, and provides ongoing descriptions of English language usage in its variations around the world.
In 1857, work first began on the dictionary, though the first edition was not published In until 1884. It began to be published in unbound fascicles as work continued on the project, under the name of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles; Founded Mainly on the Materials Collected by The Philological Society. In 1895, the title The Oxford English Dictionary was first used unofficially on the covers of the series, and in 1928 the full dictionary was republished in 10 bound volumes. "
Being heard
What to Do If Your Doctor Doesn’t Take Your Symptoms Seriously
" One of the many indignities of being a patient is that you won’t always be taken seriously. Perhaps the most frustrating—and startlingly common—experience is being told your medical symptoms, which have nothing to do with mental health, are anxiety. "
Yeah, everybody's a doctor now with the interweb. Must be exceedingly annoying for the real doctors to have patients bringing them the diagnosis. You can find whatever you want to find online. Hypochondriacs should not have access to a computer. But sometimes, you're just being ignored, you're not being heard. This is a little primer on how you can increase the chances that what you have to say finds a listener. Some of the ideas involved are useful in all aspects of life, in making sure that your input is not marginalized. Especially when it comes to your health.
Who needs oxygen
The Navy's experimental underwater habitat
" For many, Bond's ideas sounded like fantasy. From ancient myths of sea monsters lurking below to Jules Verne's classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, the ocean has long been a source of fear and fascination. Around the same time Bond began his experiments, Jacques Cousteau's 1956 documentary The Silent World cultivated worldwide interest in ocean exploration. The documentary's pioneer underwater cinematography was captivating. But Bond's vision was more significant than just visiting deep waters; he wanted humans to live there. "
A story about dreaming, exploration and the enduring power of a goofy idea. Captain George Bond, a US Navy medical officer, was determined to colonize the ocean floor. I’m still not sure why, but a dream is a dream. It’s an interesting read, an homage to trying things, really. It looks like we’re going to try and set up some habitation on the moon, this was the attempt to do that under the water. Apparently, the bubble life has great appeal. As odd as it seems, the moon is probably a less difficult and more likely place for us to live in our current manifestation of flesh and bone. You can always pipe in oxygen to a dream.
The hearing edge
Why Do Mammals Have Outer Ears?
"Mammals have exceptional hearing. Using echolocation, bats can detect tiny insects flying in pitch-black darkness. Elephants can recognize the calls of their companions from roughly a mile away. And rabbits can detect the sounds of predators before they ever get close enough to pounce.
Physically, these animals are very different. But they all share one helpful anatomical feature: external ears. "
A good read, interesting. A brief look at why mammals have external ears. If you like to think about how this became that, here you go. The article postulates that the gills of a fish may have been repurposed into the ears with which we hear. Life is endlessly fascinating.
"I would unite with anybody to do right; and with nobody to do wrong."
Frederick Douglass
it's your life
you understand
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