May 2012
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Speculations Concerning the First Ultraintelligent... →
The survival of man depends on the early construction of an ultra-intelligent machine.
In order to design an ultraintelligent machine we need to understand more about the human brain or human thought or both. In the following pages an attempt is made to take more of the magic out of the brain by means of a “subassembly” theory, which is a modification of Hebb’s famous speculative...
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Welcome to the NFL, here's your new life →
Dear Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III,
You have been mentioned in the same breath for the last several months. And soon you will go 1-2 in the draft. It’s a testament to your fantastic talent that there’s still uncertainty – although very little – about where you’ll end up. But once you get drafted and shake hands with Darth Vader, your lives will diverge and you will be immersed...
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April 2012
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ON SEEING THE 100% PERFECT GIRL ONE BEAUTIFUL...
by Haruki Murakami
One beautiful April morning, on a narrow side street in Tokyo’s fashionable Harujuku neighborhood, I walked past the 100% perfect girl. Tell you the truth, she’s not that good-looking. She doesn’t stand out in any way. Her clothes are nothing special. The back of her hair is still bent out of shape from sleep. She isn’t young, either - must be near thirty, not even close to a...
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Great Man Theory →
The Great Man Theory was a popular 19th century idea according to which history can be largely explained by the impact of “great men”, or heroes: highly influential individuals who, due to either their personal charisma, intelligence, wisdom, or Machiavellianism utilized their power in a way that had a decisive historical impact.
The theory was popularized in the 1840s by Scottish...
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THE DIFFICULTY OF HAVING ONCE LOVED WOODY ALLEN →
By: Christopher Silva, Kaleidoscope Magazine
It’s hard to let go of one’s heroes. For a geeky teenager growing up in the 90s, contemporary society had little to offer in terms of role models. That is, with one exception: Woody Allen. For the wedgied and oppressed, the universe seemed a little fairer that a skinny kid with glasses and pipe-cleaner limbs could grow up to be attractive to a Diane...
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Why so few people are left-handed →
Right-handers have long accounted for 90 percent of the population, and scientists may have figured out why
Only one out of every 10 people are predisposed to favor their left hand instead of their right, ”a ratio that has remained constant for more than 5,000 years,” says Rick Nauert at PsychCentral. Why isn’t there a 50-50 righty-lefty split? Why aren’t all of us...
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I AM THE ONE WHO CLICKS BANNER ADS. →
By: Mike Lacker, McSweeney’s
For many years, I have remained a presence in the shadows. You citizens of the Internet have gone about your lives, navigating to this page and that, reading articles, watching videos, exchanging messages with friends, but all the while a single question has clawed at your curiosity each time your focus breaks and you notice the garish blinking ads strewn about...
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Watchhowtotalktogirlsatparties: Handmade, literally.
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Freedom and Art →
The partial freedom of, and from, meaning that is the natural result of aesthetic form is made possible by the exploitation of an inherent fluidity, or looseness of significance, naturally present in both language and social organization. This is a freedom often repressed, and attempts at repression and conformity are an inevitable part of experience. That is why aesthetic form—in poetry, music,...
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Roger Ebert on The greatest films of all time →
Aguirre, Wrath of God (Herzog) Apocalypse Now (Coppola) Citizen Kane (Welles) Dekalog (Kieslowski) La Dolce Vita (Fellini) The General (Keaton) Raging Bull (Scorsese) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick) Tokyo Story (Ozu) Vertigo (Hitchcock)
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At one point in pondering this list, here’s what I thought I would do: I would simply start all over with ten new films. Once any film has ever...
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THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP THIS ASTEROID IS YOUR... →
By: Mike Lacher, McSweeney’s
By now you’re probably wondering what this is all about, why FBI agents pulled you out of your barista job, threw you on a helicopter, and brought you to NASA headquarters. There’s no time, so I’ll shoot it to you straight. You’ve seen the news reports. What hit New York wasn’t some debris from an old satellite. There’s an asteroid the size of Montana heading...
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How far do Google Drive's terms go in 'owning'... →
Google Drive’s terms of service allows you to still own your own files, but grants the company a license to do ‘as it wants’ with your uploaded content.
Read more.
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Listen
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Richard Branson's Life Lessons →
I keep copious notes. Notebooks have always been a critical part of my life. If I’m on a Virgin plane, I’ll get up and meet staff, meet passengers, get feedback and write things down.
When I’m on Necker Island [in the British Virgin Islands] about all I’ve got on is SPF—Sun Bum and also Island Company sun cream.
Every day is different, absolutely fascinating and a...
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