Brian Beach @bwbeach@social.cleverlibre.org

In yesterday’s class on image-text relations shared Ibn Al-Rabin's masterpiece “Le Verbe Prophétique” alongside the always brilliant Tom Gauls to demonstrate how you can do seemingly simple yet bewilderingly complex things that can only be done in comics -because comics are cool!

Very pleased to see NYT acknowledge Lise Meitner.

Meitner developed the theory of nuclear fission & newly translated letters show she was barred from sharing credit for the Nobel Prize-winning discovery because she was Jewish & a woman. nyti.ms/3ZBT4MZ https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/02/science/lise-meitner-fission-nobel.html?unlocked_article_code=JGbPgv1zYxrgU0vMDkmURf0UPTTjuLHgCJ7dTnWeFmWslaXwaWhZQ2CW6dr-HuF0MeGqXSfyQV0XyOgw7VTABLw9yJxUG8Jd9xQMrPqsNiNcVd3g1GwsxckwQMW5awE4g9aTqtT-TQbgs1PG5BpMDmUsqcAuapMB798_kyVYaEEXUwILTeojASGJ6ZvwXa5e-LpMvbl3o47_ZtX4JPzngzAvKys52S_L9v2O8h3vH0JYmLSlYmeokZCyl1NmKI_ZXmKyeExgLGB165ODtBkLtFvRRkCofN7uTN2imyfz20LJtbVEy1RdwZ6hqJZf8pvRMlD8yz-OjfYq7wLSbNw5k4zs0hAs&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare #science #history #HistoryRemix

one of the unsung heroes in the Katalin Karikó story is her husband, Béla Francia, who believed his wife in spite of NIH denying her funding for decades and UPenn tenure because they couldn't believe her genius

just as men need a good spouse to be great; so do women.

we need more men who will validate their wives' life purpose and support them in manifesting their genius.

NORMALIZE WOMEN GENIUSES and the people who love them because they believe in them

#NobelPrize #feminism

@parismarx @techwontsaveus

I’ve always loved tech. Now, I’m a Luddite. You should be one, too.
By Brian Merchant
September 18, 2023

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/18/luddites-social-technology-visionaries/

We fundamentally need a new type of option: the ability to grant software privileges that are completely phony. I need to be able to *pretend* to grant an app the ability to send me notifications, but then to have all those notifications sent into the void. Untrustworthy software should not be able to know what privileges I have granted it.

“cultural evolution can take us only so far. Now we have the scientific method to tell us that, yes, we really do need to leave the cassava for two days, but, no, the volcano does not care about the goats. When we understand from first principles, we can make progress more quickly than by trial and error and imitation. But we should not look down on the kind of collective intelligence… It is what made civilisation—and a functioning economy—possible.” —Tim Hartford

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-48859333

👏!

Here in Canada, it is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. In the image below the narwhal represents the Inuit, the beaded flower represents the Métis and the eagle represents the First Nations. The stars are for the children who never came home from the residential schools. The pathway represents the road forward and the circle represents togetherness in the spirit of reconciliation. #TruthAndReconciliation #Canada #EveryChildMatters

For me, right to to repair isn't just about ewaste, and preventing corporate gouging.

It's about mental health. Being able to fix your gadgets is therapeutic. Empowering. Good for the soul.

In a world full of complex technology it's easy to feel small and helpless. And maybe I'm too much of an idealist, but I think that if everyone could experience the joy of fixing or modifying a gadget now and then we'd all be a little more open minded, a little more daring. A little harder to push around.

I can’t believe how old people my age are.

I'm giving a virtual seminar at Columbia University on Monday Oct 2.

They let me choose what I wanted to talk about (mistake!), so...

I'll be talking about why AI should play Dungeons and Dragons

Open to the public, register here:
https://www.bme.columbia.edu/cu-arl-seminar-series-human-guided-machine-learning

Seems weird that Americans obsess over free speech but have no concept of freedom for listeners.

RT @jme_pew Turns out “microplastics” isn’t descriptive enough. We should be panicking about *tire dust.*

“Seventy-eight percent of ocean microplastics are synthetic tire rubber, according to a report by the Pew Charitable Trust.”

https://e360.yale.edu/features/tire-pollution-toxic-chemicals

So today @Teri_Kanefield put up an analysis of the problematic legal issues surrounding a gag order for Trump >>> https://law-and-politics.online/@Teri_Kanefield/111133028862927449

Rather than learn from Ms. Kanefield's vast expertise in these matters, some responses gave vent to their anger against Trump by accusing her of taking his side etc.

Listen up. Mastodon is not a cheering squad. Most of us value honest in-depth facts, even if uncomfortable, and we treasure those who contribute their time and expertise to keeping us informed.

I want a city builder where you start with a super dense car-ridden city and you have the challenge to build in green spaces and public transit and stuff to increase the happiness of the residents.

FCC announces plans to reinstate net neutrality

After a long, long battle ending in eventual defeat during Trump’s presidency, the FCC is set to reinstate rules that broadband providers must treat all traffic equally, giving no sweetheart deals to business partners or their own services.

https://techcrunch.com/2023/09/26/fcc-announces-plans-to-reinstate-net-neutrality/

I reviewed Heather Cox Richardson’s new book for @washingtonpost.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/09/25/heather-cox-richardson-substack-review/

Judy Locklear Stephens, nurse, Crowne Healthcare, Fort Payne, Alabama, died of Covid-19 in 2020. She was kind and caring, and treated her patients like family. Her colleagues carried her casket. We lost so many talented, brilliant, caring doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals during this global pandemic. Honor them by getting your vaccine booster and remaining vigilant. #HealthcareHeroes #COVID19

NASA Battery Tech to Deliver for the Grid

A battery built for satellites brings grid-scale storage down to Earth

https://spectrum.ieee.org/grid-scale-battery-storage-nickel-hydrogen