I’ve had this article by Danny Hillis about employing Richard Feynman when Hillis was setting up Thinking Machines Corporation in my Instapaper queue for quite a while before finally getting round to reading it earlier this week. I can see why it’s reputedly one of the most popular articles on the Long Now web site;… Continue reading Feynman, finally
AMA
AMA – a short film by Julie Gautier. Stunning work. [Via MetaFilter]
Akin’s Laws
Akin’s Laws of Spacecraft Design. Hard-won words of wisdom, offered freely. I’ve been involved in spacecraft and space systems design and development for my entire career, including teaching the senior-level capstone spacecraft design course, for ten years at MIT and now at the University of Maryland for more than two decades. These are some bits… Continue reading Akin’s Laws
Jobs versus careers
Rachel Paige King’s survey of books about finding a job and surviving in the modern workplace can’t help but highlight that the world of employment is not what it once was: [Richard Bolles, Episcopal minister and author of 1970’s What Color Is Your Parachute? …] appears to believe that finding a “dream job” is possible… Continue reading Jobs versus careers
Look Up
Hilariously Disturbing Photos Of Bearded Men Looking Straight Up. Good grief. Go and see. Go now! [Via LinkMachineGo!]
Mini-NeXT
This miniature of a Raspberry Pi in the body of a NeXT Computer replica might just be the cutest monument to old tech ever. [Via The Tao Of Mac]
Museum Future
The biggest problem facing Danny Dorling’s tongue-in-cheek proposal for Our Museum Future is surely that it leaves Britain’s prosperity dependent upon the continued interest of the rest of the world in what the British royal family gets up to and where they live. Possibly not a great bet. If we work hard enough, we will… Continue reading Museum Future
Punish David with Marvel Movies to Help End Gun Violence!
Film critic David Ehrlich, who is a significant part of the reason Fighting In The War Room is my favourite film podcast, as well as the author of end-of-year YouTube video countdowns, but who is not a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is organising Punish David with Marvel Movies to Help End Gun… Continue reading Punish David with Marvel Movies to Help End Gun Violence!
Getting the picture right
In case you were wondering, Netflix go to great lengths to select the most enticing preview image possible for you when you’re presented with a list of possible viewing choices: For many years, the main goal of the Netflix personalized recommendation system has been to get the right titles in front each of our members… Continue reading Getting the picture right
Kindles and touchscreens
I had no idea that my post earlier today was going to be eclipsed by a much better, deeper take on the whole topic of how touchscreens make for a user-hostile interface, this one from Craig Mod: I’ve been using Kindles on and off ever since they launched. Our relationship has been contentious but I’ve… Continue reading Kindles and touchscreens