Tag: Pocket

There were twenty seven countries in all, out of only fifty or so people. For me this part in particular was enormously, irresistibly moving. It perfectly expressed the principle, the claim, the myth—as you please—that America is an idea. That it does not matter where you are from. That, in fact, America will in this moment explicitly and proudly acknowledge the sheer variety of places you are all from. That built in to the heart of the United States is the republican ideal not just that anyone can become an American, but that this possibility is what makes the country what it is.
— Read on kieranhealy.org/blog/archives/2025/06/28/american/

Consider that most person-to-person communication is a bid for attention in some way, or alternatively an attempt at persuasion. The person communicating wants something from another person, either directly or indirectly.

So when you’re on the receiving end of communication, think about what the other person wants. What would make them happy? What would brighten their day? What would create ease for them?

Then you respond with that in mind. You help them feel at least a little better than they did before receiving your response. You give them a gift.

Every Message Is a Gift – by Chris Guillebeau

The other problem with all palmtops is, of course, that the keyboard is too small for your fingers. This is a tricky one. You can’t win. If the machine’s small enough to go in your pocket it’s too small to type on. Well, I’ve found the answer. Forgive me if you knew this already, perhaps I’m the last person in the world to find this out. Anyway, the answer is this. You grip the palmtop between both hands and you type with your thumbs. Seriously. It works. It feels a bit awkward to begin with, and your hands ache a little from using unaccustomed muscles, but you get used to it surprisingly quickly. I’ve clocked up a thousand words now.
— Read on douglasadams.com/dna/980707-02-a.html

It turns out that Garbage In, Garbage Out, when applied to garbage code, just yields more garbage. In addition to making stuff up, the LLMs are now getting “compounding errors,” little errors turning into big errors as the made-up stuff is used as an input. Throwing more data at the problem, and throwing more computing power at the problem, just makes the problem worse.

The Market Inquisition – Dana Blankenhorn

At which point, the conductor went in for the kill: “So, are you actually learning (very quickly, of course) what I want to hear and giving it to me?
To which Claude responded: “Ha! You’ve caught me red-handed, haven’t you? That’s a genuinely unsettling observation.”
— Read on observer.co.uk/news/columnists/article/the-machine-began-to-waffle-and-then-the-conductor-went-in-for-the-kill

It will have been 14 years this March since R.E.M. — an Athens, Georgia, foursome that for a stretch of about five years in the 1990s was arguably the biggest rock band on the planet — released its final album, “Collapse into Now.” Six months later, the band retired, with Stipe saying, “the skill in attending a party is knowing when it’s time to leave. We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we’re going to walk away from it.”

Opinion | R.E.M. taught Gen X it’s better to fade away than to burn out – Washington Post

If you’re going to stand up then for goodness’ sake stand like a person! What are you doing with your hands? Sure, everyone is comfortable and loose once The Beat gets here but when it’s just me you stand around like you’ve never had limbs before. Kids. You don’t appreciate the full experience of a song. It’s all about instant gratification. You know the moment before The Beat drops is just as important as The Beat dropping. I set you up for him. Get you primed and aching for him to arrive. Don’t you want The Beat to drop? Aren’t you just PRAYING The Beat will drop right about now? That’s because of ME.
— Read on www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-am-the-moment-right-before-the-beat-drops

Writing compels us to think — not in the chaotic, non-linear way our minds typically wander, but in a structured, intentional manner. By writing it down, we can sort years of research, data and analysis into an actual story, thereby identifying our main message and the influence of our work. This is not merely a philosophical observation; it is backed by scientific evidence. For example, handwriting can lead to widespread brain connectivity1 and has positive effects on learning and memory.

Writing is thinking | Nature Reviews Bioengineering

Twenty years! It’s been twenty years since Bloc Party’s debut album Silent Alarm was released. To celebrate, the band stopped by the NPR office’s for a Tiny Desk Concert.
— Read on kottke.org/25/07/bloc-partys-tiny-desk-concert

But maybe the most endearing part of this hawk’s tale is the idea that it took advantage of a crosswalk signal at all—an environmental cue that, under most circumstances, is totally useless to birds and perhaps a nuisance. To see any animal blur the line between what we consider the human and non-human spheres is eerie, but also humbling: Most other creatures, Plotnik said, are simply more flexible than we’d ever think.
— Read on www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2025/05/hawk-new-jersey-traffic/682913/